The most expensive boxing match in 2022 was the highly anticipated showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol.
Held in Nevada, Las Vegas, in the T-Mobile Arena, it was the 7th of May 2022 when these two fighters went toe to toe and what a fight it turned out to be. In fact, the fight was so big, it was broadcast on DAZN and generated a revenue of $160 million – a staggering amount of money.
Canelo Alvarez, the defending WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion, faced off against Dmitry Bivol, the reigning WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion. Both fighters brought their A-game, delivering a thrilling display of skill, power, and strategy. The fight proved to be a closely contested battle, with each boxer showcasing their remarkable talent and determination.
The significant cost of the fight can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol are highly popular and respected fighters, boasting loyal fan bases that eagerly anticipated this encounter. Secondly, the fight carried immense stakes, as it aimed to unify the WBA (Super) light heavyweight titles, adding an extra layer of excitement and prestige. Lastly, the match garnered a substantial number of pay-per-view buys, further contributing to its financial success.
The promotion of the fight played a crucial role in its elevated status. Matchroom Boxing, a renowned and successful boxing promoter, orchestrated a stellar marketing campaign, heightening the anticipation and ensuring a global audience.
Overall, the Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol match exemplified the pinnacle of boxing entertainment in 2022. Its record-breaking revenue and electrifying atmosphere showcased the enduring allure and commercial appeal of this captivating sport.
In short, the boxers with similar, Burke and Hare-esque nicknames are, in chronological order, Jamaican former professional Michael ‘Mike’ McCallum and Jamaican-born British professional Dillian Whyte. ‘Chop down the body and the head will fall’, or so says the old adage, and both fighters earned their monikers by virtue of aggressive body punching.
Mike ‘Bodysnatcher’ McCallum retired from professional boxing on February 22, 1997, aged 40, having lost his final fight, by unanimous decision, to James Toney at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut. However, he boasted a career record of 49-5-1, including 36 knockouts, and each of his five defeats – three of which came in his laest four fights – went the distance. He also had the distinction of being the first Jamaican world champion, beating Irishman Sean Mannion, by unanimous decision, to win the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Welterweight title at Madison Square Garden, New York on October 19, 1984. Indeed, McCallum went on to win world titles at three different weights, holding the WBA Middleweight title between 1989 and 1991, and the WBC Light Heavyweight title between 1994 and 1995.
Formerly a professional kickboxer, Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte made his professional boxing debut on May 13, 2011 but, following a fourth round technical knockout of Hungarian Sandor Balogh on October 13, 2012 – which took his career record to 9-0-0 – he tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexamine (MHA), was disqualified, and subsequently served a two-year ban imposed by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP). On his return to boxing, Whyte remained undefeated for another seven fights, until losing, by technical knockout in the seventh round, to Anthony Joshua when challenging for the World Boxing Council (WBC) International Heavyweight title at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London on December 12, 2015. Later in his career, he won, lost and regained the WBC Interim Heavyweight title, but in his most recent title fight, for the WBC World Heavyweight title, he was stopped inside six rounds by Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022.
According to Guinness World Records, the longest world title fight, under Queensberry Rules, which were introduced in 1867, was a lightweight contest between American Joe ‘Old Master’ Gans, the defending champion, and Oscar Mattheus ‘Battling’ Nelson, a.k.a. ‘The Durable Dane’, at the Casino Amphitheatre in Goldfield, Nevada on September 3, 1906.
Under London Prize Ring Rules, which preceded Queensberry Rules, only a knockdown brought about the end of a round, but even after the introduction of scheduled, three-minute rounds, followed by a minute of rest, 45-round title fights were still the order of the day. In the original ‘Fight of the Century’, Gans, who had to waste particularly hard to make the 133lb lightweight limit, broke a bone in his hand 33 rounds into the epic bout, but fought on, feigning a leg injury to camouflage his actual disability.
Finally, after over two hours of fighting in the oppressive 100°F heat of the Mojave Desert, as darkness fell, in the forty-second round, Nelson sensed victory and, by his own admission, ‘went after him [Gans] hammer and tongs, determined to knock him out.’ He didn’t, but instead caught Gans, not for the first time, with an illegal low blow, which resulted in his disqualfication. Nelson later insisted that his final punch was a legitimate ‘hard left half-scissors hook to the liver’.
Gans contracted tuberculosis, which would eventually kill him, at the age of just 35, shortly afterwards. Nonetheless, he fought Nelson twice more for the World Lightweight Title, at the Mission Street Arena in Colma, California in July and September, 1908. In one-sided affairs, he was knocked out by Nelson on both occasions and fought just ocne more before his death on August 10, 1910.
According to Guinness World records, the fastest knockout in the history of boxing, of any description, was just four seconds. In November, 1947, barely a heartbeat after the opening bell of a Golden Gloves bout in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mike Collins surprised his bemused opponent Pat Brownson with a powerful left hook that knocked him off his feet. The referee immediately stopped the contest, without starting a count, and awarded Collins victory by technical knockout. Of course, the Golden Gloves is an amateur boxing competition, but the fastest knockout in the history of professional boxing was also achieved in the blink of an eye.
On June 15, 2006, in the fourth fight of his short, and ultimately unsuccessful, professional career, Brandon Burke, from Davenport, Iowa, faced local fighter Phil ‘The Drill’ Williams in a light heavyweight contest, scheduled for four rounds, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Belying his inexperience, as soon as the bell sounded, Burke charged across the ring and attempted to connect with a right hand while Williams had his guard down.
Guard or no guard, Williams easily dodged his onrushing opponent and connected with a right hook of his own, which knocked Burke, face first, to the canvas. Burke did manage to stagger to his feet, but was clearly unfit to continue, so referee Mark Nelson intervened, stopping the contest and awarding victory to Williams, by knockout, after just ten seconds. For the record, Burke did not last long in the professional ranks; he fought just twice more, losing by unanimous decision on both occasions, before retiring in February, 2009, with an uninspiring 0-5-1 professional career record.
The boxer who became known as ‘The Ragamuffin Man’ or, more correctly, ‘The Raggamuffin Man’, was former undisputed world welterweight champion Lloyd Honeyghan. Born in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica on April 22, 1960, Honeyghan earned himself a world title fight when beating leading World Boxing Association (WBA) challenger Horace Shufforf by technical knockout in the eighth round of a final eliminator at Wembley Arena, London on May 20, 1986.
His opponent, at Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, on September 27, 1986, was another American, unbeaten and undisputed world welterweight champion Donald Curry. At the pre-fight press conference, Curry, who was overwhelming favourite to retain his titles, asked distainfully, ‘Who is this ragamuffin?’ Curry was referring to the casual clothing that Honeyghan chose to wear and used the word ‘ragamuffin’ in the Modern English sense, simply to describe a ragged, disreputable person.
However, in Jamaican Patwa, or Patois – which was, of course, well known to the British-based fighter – the deliberately misspelt word ‘raggamuffin’ is used to describe a ruffian, or street-smart hard case. So, instead of being insulted, Lloyd ‘Honey’ Honeyghan adopted the nickname and became, henceforth, ‘Raggamuffin’ or ‘The Raggamuffin Man’.
Indeed, Curry may have inadvertently inspired his rival because, despite being largely written off by the media, Honeyghan started confidently, throwing, and landing, more punches than his emaciated opponent, who reportedly had problems making the 147lb weight limit. In the fifth round, Honeyghan landed a stinging overhand right, followed by a series of left and right hooks and, in the sixth, contined to press forward. Late on, he laid into the champion, who returned to his corner shaking his head, with blood streaming from a cut, caused by a clash of heads, over his left eye. That was that; Curry retired on his stool and ‘The Raggamuffin Man’ was the new undisputed welterweight champion of the world.