Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Angel Manfredy
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 19, 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC super featherweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mayweather wins via 2nd-round TKO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Angel Manfredy was a professional boxing match contested on December 19, 1998, for the WBC super featherweight title.[2]
Background
[edit]Floyd Mayweather Jr. had captured his first world title at the age of 21 two months prior after defeating Genaro Hernández on October 3, 1998.[3] Following his victory, Mayweather quickly entered negotiations with Angel Manfredy and the two fighters reached an agreement to face one another that same month with the fight set for December 19, 1998.[4] Cable network HBO signed 24-year old contender Angel Manfredy to a multi-fight deal that would see him challenge Mayweather for the WBC super featherweight title with a further six more fights guaranteed should he defeat Mayweather but only one guaranteed should he lose. Manfredy, who had been considered to face Hernández for the super featherweight title before being passed over in favor of Mayweather, bluntly stated that "if I lose, I die. My career dies."[5] Mayweather, already regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, entered the fight as a 5-2 favorite.[6]
The fights
[edit]Rahman vs. Tua
[edit]The featured undercard bout featured young up-and-coming heavyweights Hasim Rahman (IBF:2nd) and David Tua (WBC:4th, IBF:9th) facing each other in an IBF eliminator, with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger to either Evander Holyfield or Lennox Lewis, who were scheduled to meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship four months later.[7][8]
The fight
[edit]Rahman was using his powerful jab well, out boxing Tua virtually every round. At the end of the 9th, Tua staggered Rahman with a devastating punch after the bell that dazed him. At the beginning of the next round Tua hit him with several heavy shots and the referee jumped in when Rahman was bobbing and weaving. Tua won by TKO. It was argued that it should have been a DQ following the illegal punch after the end of the 9th.[9]
At the time of the stoppage, HBO's unofficial scorer Harold Lederman had the bout scored 87–84 for Rahman. All three of the official judges had it 89–82 for Rahman.
Aftermath
[edit]The stoppage was criticized by all three members of the HBO broadcast team (Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Roy Jones Jr.) as premature.
The two would rematch in March 2003.
Main Event
[edit]The two fighters fought a close first round with Mayweather starting off strong, using his superior hand speed and counter-punching, and controlled the first portion of the round though Manfredy did an effective job at cutting off the ring, pinning Mayweather against the ropes and landed some big shots of his own. However, in the second round, with about 40 seconds remaining, Mayweather stunned Manfredy with an overhand right, backed him into the ropes and landed around 20 unanswered punches, almost sending him down, though the ropes kept him up. As Manfredy was not fighting back, referee Frank Santore Jr. stopped the fight at 2:47 of the round.[10] This would prove to be the quickest title defense in Mayweather's professional career.
Fight card
[edit]Confirmed bouts:[11]
| Weight Class | Weight | vs. | Method | Round | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Featherweight | 130 lbs. | Floyd Mayweather Jr. (c) | def. | Angel Manfredy | TKO | 2/12 | note 1 |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | David Tua | def. | Hasim Rahman | TKO | 10/12 | note 2 |
| Light Flyweight | 108 lbs. | Jacob Matlala | def. | Rafael Orozco | UD | 12/12 | note 3 |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | Maurice Harris | def. | Artis Pendergrass | TKO | 4/10 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Alex Trujillo | def. | Eduardo Martinez | KO | 1/8 | |
| Super Featherweight | 130 lbs. | Ferid Ben Jeddou | def. | Carlos Gomez | TKO | 5/8 | |
| Super Lightweight | 140 lbs. | Wilfrido Ruiz | def. | Eldon Sneed | TKO | 4/6 | |
| Super Welterweight | 154 lbs. | David Díaz | def. | George Kellman | UD | 6/6 |
^Note 1 For WBC Super Featherweight Title
^Note 2 For IBF USBA and Inter-Continental Heavyweight Titles / IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator
^Note 3 For IBA Light Flyweight Title
Broadcasting
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States |
HBO |
References
[edit]- ^ "World Boxing Council ratings as of November 1998". Record-Journal. Mexico City: World Boxing Council. 1 November 1998. p. D9. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Angel Manfredy". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Mayweather Stops Hernandez on TKO, LA Times article, 1998-10-04 Retrieved on 2025-02-04
- ^ Top Fighters Need to Face Top Challengers, Chicago Tribune article, 1998-10-16 Retrieved on 2025-02-08
- ^ Skin of His Trade, Chicago Tribune article, 1998-11-18 Retrieved on 2025-02-08
- ^ Manfredy Sets His Sights on Mayweather's Crown, Chicago Tribune article, 1998-12-19 Retrieved on 2025-02-08
- ^ "Hasim Rahman vs. David Tua (1st meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Boxing: Baltimore’s Hasim Rahman can be seen on billboards across town, and tomorrow the heavyweight contender puts his perfect record on the line against David Tua in Miami, Baltimore Sun article, 1998-12-18 Retrieved on 2025-02-08
- ^ Ritchie .T A (June 20, 2013), Hasim Rahman vs David Tua (1st Fight), archived from the original on October 29, 2021, retrieved April 25, 2017
- ^ Mayweather Erases Any Doubts, NY Times article, 1998-12-20 Retrieved on 2025-02-09
- ^ "BoxRec - event".