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Exhibition fight

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An exhibition fight is a contact sports non-profit event, usually a boxing fight in which participants fight, normally for three rounds. They may wear large gloves to minimize punch harm or impact on the combatants, headgear, and non-boxing related clothing. Many exhibition fights involve popular current or former world champions, and exhibition bouts are usually carried out for charity purposes or for the public's entertainment. Exhibition fights are usually not listed as having taken place on boxer career records.

In England, such boxers as Jem Mace, Jimmy Wilde and Tommy Farr boxed both official and exhibition bouts at what were called "boxing booths".

In Russia during the early 1890s, aristocrat Mikhail Kister performed at exhibition boxing fights.[1]

Early 20th century

Early in the 20th century, boxing exhibitions became popular across the United States. Many times, official fights had to be advertised as exhibitions, due to state laws prohibiting professional boxing. As the century progressed, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson[2] and others fought exhibition fights. Benny Leonard did an exhibition for the United Drive Rally on May 23, 1923.[3]

Late 20th century

Exhibition fights became less common as the 20th century progressed. However, a number of notable ones, many including Muhammad Ali, took place. Ali boxed both well known boxers and celebrities from other walks of life during this period, including Michael Dokes,[4] Antonio Inoki,[5] Gorilla Monsoon,[6] Lyle Alzado,[7] Dave Semenko,[8] and the famous Puerto Rican comedian Jose Miguel Agrelot (with Iris Chacon acting as Agrelot's corner-woman).[9]

About six months after Ali beat him for the world Heavyweight title, George Foreman participated in five exhibition fights in one afternoon: on April 26, 1975, he boxed Jerry Judge, Boone Kirkman, Charley Polite, Terry Daniels and Alonzo Johnson at Toronto, Canada.[8]

On January 1, 1985, a show including several world champion boxers in exhibition fights was staged in Mexico City, Mexico to garner money for the victims of a 1984 gas explosion in Mexico. Among those who fought were Lupe Pintor, German Torres, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Hector Camacho Sr.[10] The latter two would face each other in an actual official fight on September 1992, which Chavez Sr. won by unanimous decision.[11]

21st century

In 2006, Mike Tyson announced he would do a world tour consisting of exhibition bouts.[11] The only one of these fights to actually take place was a bout against his former sparring mate and fellow former professional boxer Corrie Sanders (not the Corrie Sanders who held the World Boxing Organization's world Heavyweight title). This fight took place at Youngstown, Ohio.[12]

Late in 2014, Chavez Sr. returned to the ring for an exhibition with Vicente Sagrestano in a bout aimed at collecting toys for poor children.[13] He and former rival Mario Martinez, against whom he conquered his first world championship in 1984, faced each other again on July 3, 2015, in an event to benefit Chavez's two drug rehabilitation clinics.[14]

In pop culture

Year Film
1985

In the movie Rocky IV, two exhibition fights take place. Ivan Drago knocks out Apollo Creed – who subsequently dies – in two rounds, and then Rocky Balboa knocks Drago out in round fifteen.[15]

2009 iCarly

See also

References

  1. ^ Kyle McLachlan. "GGG Genesis: The history of Kazakh boxing part two - Bad Left Hook". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  2. ^ "Unforgivable Blackness . Sparring . Timeline - PBS". Pbs.org. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  3. ^ "Jo Sports Inc". Josportsinc.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  4. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120823203212/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/sports/michael-dokes-larger-than-life-heavyweight-boxer-dies-at-54.html. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Aaron Tallent. "The Joke That Almost Ended Ali's Career". The Sweet Science. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  6. ^ "Gorilla Monsoon goes toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali: Championship Wrestling, June 1, 1976". Wwe.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  7. ^ "Muhammad Ali Boxing Football's Lyle Alzado - Boxing Hall of Fame". Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  8. ^ a b "Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Ali vs. Semenko - It Really Happened". Greatesthockeylegends.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  9. ^ "Filantropia - Fundación José Miguel Agrelot". Doncholito.org. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  10. ^ "World super featherweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez scored a..." Upi.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  11. ^ a b "Thomas & Mack Center History" (PDF). Thomasandmack.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  12. ^ http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Mike_Tyson.Mike_Tyson.27s_World_Tour. Retrieved July 11, 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Luce JC Chávez en exhibición". ESPN.com.ar. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  14. ^ "Julio César Chávez y "Azabache" Martínez lucen en exhibición de box". Univision.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  15. ^ "Rocky IV (1985)". Filmsite.org. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
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