254:, Pintor was the first of the four world champions to step into the ring that night, to challenge Gómez for Gómez's world title. In a brutal slugfest, Gómez struck first, hitting Pintor with an uppercut in round one, and pinning Pintor against the ropes for a good portion of round three, including a nineteen punch combination that had Pintor almost falling. It wasn't to be easy, however, and by the end of that third round, Pintor began to introduce his jab to Gómez's face. Gómez's eye began to puff almost immediately. Gómez showed his championship heart by roaring back to take the fourth despite the bothering hematoma forming over his eye.
262:) record said he was. Pintor, however, had the heart of a lion too, and in the ninth he punched Gómez with poison in his hands and bad intentions, taking that round and round ten. Then came round twelve, one of the fiercest rounds in the Jr Featherweight boxing's history. Gómez and Pintor traded punches toe to toe fiercely during that round, and both men had to be carried by their cornermen back to their corners. However, Gómez's eyes were both almost closed by now, and his fans started having flashbacks of his 1981 bout with world featherweight champion
36:
297:
boxed from a distance in rounds one, two and three and
Benitez kept applying pressure, and using his best method of fighting: Lying against the ropes. Whenever pinned there, Hearns would try to unleash a combination and Benitez would slip the punches coming at him and countering. Benitez's championship heart was also a very huge one.
278:, but Gómez didn't waste his opportunity and chased his wounded prey with uppercuts and crosses, until a right cross caught Pintor on his chin and he fell to the floor on his back. Mercante didn't bother to count this time: He stopped the fight immediately and Gómez had retained his world title in a dramatic fight.
296:
20 minutes after the first of the two co main events was over, it was Hearns' turn to step into the ring and challenge
Benitez. The two engaged in one of the most intense staredowns in history. After touching gloves, Hearns began to use his longer jab, but the brave champion started to dig in. Hearns
309:
was the one who needed a rally, and had in rounds thirteen and fourteen, two of his best rounds of the fight. In round fifteen, Hearns seemed to think he had the decision secured, and
Benitez seemed to imagine he needed a knockout to win, so Hearns proceeded to use his jab for three more minutes and
304:
of Mexico counted, but
Benitez came back and almost won the round after that. Hearns also dominated the sixth and the seventh, but in the ninth, a Benitez right hand graced Hearns' chin and Hearns fell on all fours. Hearns also got up, and won the tenth round. Rounds eleven and twelve were all
273:
Gómez, imagining he could have been behind on the scorecards, came for the fourteenth in a roar, and started throwing punches from all angles. Pintor was tired and Gómez looked stronger, but Gómez's eyes were almost completely closed by this time, and he could barely see Pintor. He was, as he
305:
Wilfredo, with the champion trying to close the gap between him and Hearns with masterful counter punching and ring intelligence. Hearns, however, knew he needed the next few rounds to secure another world title, and he boxed
Benitez by using his jab. Benitez also imagined
257:
In the fifth, it was Pintor's turn to come back and take a round, but Gómez pounded Pintor to the head in rounds six, seven and eight, the latter in which Pintor lost a point for punching low. Pintor was finding out that Gómez was as hard to beat as his 37–1–1 (37
215:
Before the event, there was no palpable animosity, at least between Gomez and Pintor, and they were friendly towards each other during a press conference a few days before the fights; this might have been due in part to Gomez's 1981 defeat at the hands of
266:. Gómez realized he needed a dramatic finish, and he hit Pintor with everything he had, and with Pintor tiring and on the catching end of most of that round's punches, he figured out he had to try to outbox Gómez the rest of the way.
274:
described it later himself "fighting on instinct only". Then, suddenly he caught Pintor with a right to the temple and Pintor fell on his knees, for the first knockdown of the fight. He bravely beat the count of referee
269:
In round thirteen, Pintor attacked Gómez's eyes from a distance with his jab. One of the least action packed rounds was still a very good round, and Pintor took it by outmaneuvering Gómez for the first time in the bout.
212:(who came in to substitute Benitez) were paraded around New Orleans a few days before the event, and many former and current world boxing champions and other celebrities attended the fights.
398:
321:: two judges had voted for Hearns, (144–139 and 146–136, according to KO magazine) and one for a draw (142–142), making Hearns the WBC's new world Jr Middleweight champion.
413:
378:
53:
310:
Benitez tried to avoid defeat by throwing quick combinations onto Hearns' face to see if he could find the punch that would finally lay down
383:
100:
72:
119:
79:
247:, had been announced as a participator in the undercard, but he had to pull out because of an injury days prior to the fight.
403:
373:
57:
314:
for good. But it wasn't to be, and the bell rang, putting an end to the second of two intense and historic boxing battles.
86:
68:
393:
339:
136:
154:
The event had caught the international attention of boxing fans worldwide, but particularly in the United States,
46:
408:
235:
In Puerto Rico in particular, the event had been eagerly awaited for, because it would be the first time the two
186:
368:
363:
388:
293:'s card by 124–121 at the time of the stoppage. KO Magazine's staff writer had it for Gómez at 125–120.
93:
300:
In the fifth, Hearns struck with a right to the head and
Benitez's gloves touched the canvas. Referee
174:
263:
148:
290:
185:, also of Puerto Rico, would defend his WBC world Jr Middleweight championship against the former
182:
318:
209:
170:
244:
217:
286:
275:
251:
301:
239:
would fight the same night and in the same ring, defending their world titles. Another
357:
190:
17:
220:, Sanchez's tragic death on August 12, 1982 in a car accident, Pintor's fight with
282:
229:
225:
221:
178:
159:
155:
144:
35:
177:
world Jr
Featherweight championship against WBC's world Bantamweight champion
27:
WBC Super bantamweight and super welterweight world championship boxing fights
243:
who would later join Gómez and
Benitez as three division world champions,
259:
198:
289:'s card by 125–121, and on Dick Cole's by 126–120, while Pintor led on
194:
163:
140:
224:
after which Owen died as a consequence of the blows he took and
158:
and Mexico, because the two main events that night featured two
205:
29:
208:
televised both. Gómez, Pintor, Hearns and HBO commentator
204:
There was a lot of media hype surrounding the event, and
250:
After an excellent undercard that included a win by
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
399:December 1982 sports events in the United States
169:In the undercard's first of two co-main events,
8:
317:When the decision was announced, it was a
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
330:
7:
58:adding citations to reliable sources
414:Boxing matches in the United States
340:"Pintor and Gomez Know the Hazards"
189:Welterweight champion of the world
379:Sports competitions in New Orleans
228:'s recent death after a bout with
25:
338:Alfano, Peter (2 December 1982).
173:of Puerto Rico would defend his
34:
139:nicknamed it, was an important
45:needs additional citations for
1:
384:1982 in sports in Louisiana
285:, Gómez led on fight judge
69:"The Carnival of Champions"
430:
181:of Mexico. In the second,
133:The Carnival of Champions
404:Boxing in Puerto Rico
374:Boxing in New Orleans
151:on December 3, 1982.
18:Carnival of Champions
54:improve this article
149:Louisiana Superdome
344:The New York Times
166:and one American.
394:Caesars Superdome
319:majority decision
210:Sugar Ray Leonard
130:
129:
122:
104:
16:(Redirected from
421:
409:Boxing in Mexico
348:
347:
335:
264:Salvador Sánchez
245:Wilfredo Vazquez
218:Salvador Sanchez
125:
118:
114:
111:
105:
103:
62:
38:
30:
21:
429:
428:
424:
423:
422:
420:
419:
418:
354:
353:
352:
351:
337:
336:
332:
327:
287:Harold Lederman
276:Arthur Mercante
252:Alberto Mercado
183:Wilfred Benítez
126:
115:
109:
106:
63:
61:
51:
39:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
427:
425:
417:
416:
411:
406:
401:
396:
391:
386:
381:
376:
371:
369:1982 in boxing
366:
364:Boxing matches
356:
355:
350:
349:
329:
328:
326:
323:
302:Octavio Meyran
171:Wilfredo Gómez
143:event held in
128:
127:
42:
40:
33:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
426:
415:
412:
410:
407:
405:
402:
400:
397:
395:
392:
390:
389:Boxing on HBO
387:
385:
382:
380:
377:
375:
372:
370:
367:
365:
362:
361:
359:
345:
341:
334:
331:
324:
322:
320:
315:
313:
308:
303:
298:
294:
292:
288:
284:
281:According to
279:
277:
271:
267:
265:
261:
255:
253:
248:
246:
242:
238:
233:
231:
227:
223:
219:
213:
211:
207:
202:
200:
196:
192:
191:Thomas Hearns
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
167:
165:
161:
160:Puerto Ricans
157:
152:
150:
146:
142:
138:
134:
124:
121:
113:
102:
99:
95:
92:
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71: –
70:
66:
65:Find sources:
59:
55:
49:
48:
43:This article
41:
37:
32:
31:
19:
343:
333:
316:
311:
306:
299:
295:
291:Artie Aidala
280:
272:
268:
256:
249:
240:
236:
234:
214:
203:
168:
153:
132:
131:
116:
107:
97:
90:
83:
76:
64:
52:Please help
47:verification
44:
283:KO Magazine
230:Ray Mancini
226:Duk Koo Kim
222:Johnny Owen
179:Lupe Pintor
156:Puerto Rico
145:New Orleans
358:Categories
325:References
312:The Hitman
80:newspapers
260:knockouts
237:Wilfredos
110:June 2019
241:Wilfredo
199:Michigan
137:Don King
195:Detroit
164:Mexican
94:scholar
162:, one
141:boxing
96:
89:
82:
75:
67:
193:, of
135:, as
101:JSTOR
87:books
73:news
206:HBO
187:WBA
175:WBC
147:'s
56:by
360::
342:.
307:he
232:.
201:.
197:,
346:.
123:)
117:(
112:)
108:(
98:·
91:·
84:·
77:·
50:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
