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JOHN RUIZ VS. "FAST" FRES OQUENDO
CHRIS BYRD VS. ANDREW GOLOTA
JOSE "EL GALLO" RIVERA VS. RICARDO "EL MATADOR" MAYORGA
JEAN-MARC MORMECK VS. VIRGIL "QUICKSILVER" HILL
| When: |
Saturday, April 17, 2004 |
| Where: |
Madison Square Garden |
IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd (37-2-1) retained his title after a thrilling 12-round draw with Andrew Golota (38-4-1) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 17th. One judge gave Byrd a 115-113 verdict while another supported Golota by the same total. The third scored the fight 114-114. It was the first career draw for both men. Byrd’s record goes to 37-2-1 while Golota’s moves to 38-4-1.
In the evening’s other heavyweight championship fight, WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz defeated Fres Oquendo in the 11th round of the first heavyweight title bout between Hispanic boxers. Referee Wayne Kelley halted the fight after two minutes and 33 seconds into the 11th round as Ruiz pounded Oquendo, whose arms were flailing in a weak bid to defend himself although he had not been knocked down. Ruiz, 32, raised his record to 38-3-1 while Oquendo’s fell to 24-2.
Ricardo Mayorga, whose fight with WBA welterweight champion Jose Rivera was called off when Mayorga weighed in 6.5 pounds over the 147-pound limit, won a unanimous 10-round decision Saturday night over late substitute Eric Mitchell. Mayorga, who lost his welterweight titles in December to Cory Spinks, improved to 26-4-1. Mitchell, who found out only Saturday morning he would be fighting, saw his record fall to 16-4-1.
In a 12-round slugfest for the World Boxing Council cruiserweight title, undisputed champion Wayne Braithwaite, 28, of Brooklyn, pounded out a gritty but unanimous decision against contender Louis Azille (18-3-2, 15 knockouts). Braithwaite (21-0, 17 knockouts) won every round on one judge’s scorecard, 11 on another’s and 10 on the third. It was the third defense of the title for Braithwaite, who also defeated Azille in the third round when the two fought a non-title bout in November 2001.
Tickets were available at the Garden box office by calling TicketMaster (212-307-7171).
Last Updated On:
Thursday, April 22, 2004 | |
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