Robert Brizel Editorial: Forgotten Art of The 15th Round Knockout
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
With the reduction of boxing world championship bout rounds limit from 15 to 12 rounds, the art of the fifteenth round knockout has been lost. So far as the heavyweight division is concerned, Muhammad Ali and Mike Weaver both made it famous. Ali was supposed to return to fight for his fourth world heavyweight title capture against the late “Big John” Tate, but Weaver’s sensational televised come from nowhere one punch fifteenth round knockout of Tate ruined Ali’s intention, forcing Ali to fight Larry Holmes for the WBC title and the money instead. Ali went to the 15th round to stop Chuck Wepner. So it was.
While there are always dramatic final round knockouts and stoppages, even in the current 10 rounds bouts, and 12 round regional and world title bouts era, the 15 rounds world title bouts era was the most exciting and dramatic. It can be said safety-conscious individuals were responsible for the reduction of championship rounds from 15 to 12. Given the history of professional boxing to the present day, this reporter felt it of great interest to take a historical lookback and some favorite bouts ending in the fifteenth round.
On March 24, 1975, Chuck Wepner got stopped by Muhammad Ali at 2:41 of the 15th round of a World Heavyweight title bout in a doozy. Ali, coming off his titular win over George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, had to come off the canvas to stop Wepner in Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. Wepner’s performance inspired the Rocky movies which followed.
On March 31, 1980, at Stokley Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, John Tate’s hometown, WBA World Heavyweight champion John Tate got knocked out by a right hand at 2:15 of the fifteenth round in a bout Tate had already won on points. Vinnie Curto, who won the WBF World Super Cruiserweight title in his final bout, got knocked out at 2:15 of the 15th round of a title bout for the IBF World Super Middleweight title against the then champion Chong Pal Park, on April 11, 1986, at Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. On December 11, 1980, Rafael Limon won the vacant WBC World Super Featherweight title with a fifteenth round stoppage at 1:21 of the 15th round of Idefonzo Bethlemy at Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
These are the 15th round knockouts and stoppages which stand out in memory from this reporter’s childhood. There are others. Ali versus Wepner, and Tate versus Weaver, are the two bouts for world titles ending in the fifteenth round which are most memorable.
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