By Jake Donovan
By the time Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas step into the ring later this evening, HBO will have just televised its 1,000th fight over its 40-plus years in the boxing game.
The lucky pick for the historic moment for HBO will pit unbeaten featherweight Oscar Valdez in a 10-round bout with Ruben Tamayo, serving as the televised opener at StubHub Center in Carson, California (Saturday, 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. local time).
It remains to be seen whether or not either fight on tonight’s telecast winds up on any list of all-time great moments HBO has enjoyed since throwing its proverbial hat into the boxing ring in 1973. What can be said with great certainty, is that the once self-proclaimed Network of Champions has produced a wealth of incredible moments during its run.
Below is a small compilation of favorite fights and memories, as seen through the eyes of family and friends at BoxingScene.com.
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Bernie Barhmasel,
Double B Publicity
T-Angel Manfredy vs. Arturo Gatti
(1/17/1998)
T-Gennady Golovkin vs.
Grezgorz Proksa
(9/2/2012)
“I’m going with two fights, one involving a client—of whom I’d be a huge fan even if I didn’t work for him—and the other just a fighter I’ve always loved.
“My first pick was Angel Manfredy’s stoppage win over Arturo Gatti. Angel was my favorite fighter before I started to work in boxing. As he was from the Chicago area I had watched him fight in person and knew him a little.
“He went up in weight, went to Arturo's home turf and won a fight many didn't give him a chance. Great TV fighter
who fought on HBO nine times I believe and once on TNT (HBO).
“My other pick is the one that helped launch Gennady Golovkin’s career to new heights, his 5th round knockout of Grezgorz Proksa in his HBO debut.
“This was the night we literally and figuratively pulled back the curtain on GGG. He took the boxing world by storm with a dominant debut that is forever locked in boxing fans memory.
“My phone hasn't stopped ringing since.
“Gennady is now a staple on HBO with some of the highest ratings over the last three years and biggest crowds in the United States.”
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Miguel Cotto,
Four-Division—and reigning World Middleweight—Champion
"Fighting on HBO has been great and a privilege in my career they have been part of the development of what Miguel Cotto is today. When you think about HBO, HBO is boxing and having the opportunity to fight there is great"
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Jake Donovan,
BoxingScene.com Managing Editor
Felix Trinidad vs. Fernando Vargas
(12/2/2000)
“I am unapologetic in stating that Felix Trinidad is my all-time favorite fighter. His May ’01 knockout win over William Joppy played to the backdrop of perhaps the greatest live atmosphere I’ve ever personally witnessed. But for me, the fight that perfectly encapsulated his career and everything for which he stood was his incredible 12th round knockout of Fernando Vargas.
“Both were undefeated at the time of their junior middleweight unification bout, which headlined on HBO Pay-Per-View. If ever there was a fight where you felt you got your money’s worth—even at the cost of a PPV event—this was it. The pre-fight staredown alone was well worth the price of admission.
“The fighting pride of both warriors was well on display from the opening round. Trinidad had Vargas down twice inside of the first minute—both courtesy of left hooks—but it wouldn’t become the early knockout he boldly predicted. Instead, he once again had to climb off the canvas—in round four, with Vargas delivering a murderous left hook of his own—this time after overcoming a cut over his right eye from round two.
“Back and forth they went for 11-plus rounds. Trinidad fell slightly behind midway through the fight, but eventually slugged his way back into the lead and never looking back. There was absolutely no quit in Vargas, but the enormous punishment absorbed over the course of the night eventually did in the then-22-year old slugger in just his 21st pro fight. Left hooks produced two more knockdowns in round 12, with a long right hand producing the final knockdown of fight as Trinidad sealed the deal and solidify his case for Fighter of the Year. Larry Merchant’s call at fight’s end perfectly summed up his performance and the majority of his career to that point: “He closes the show like the champion that he is.”
“Two other fights from 2000 stood out among the year’s most memorable moments, both serving the first fight of a series. Erik Morales earned close nod in a disputed decision over longtime rival Marco Antonio Barrera in their 12-round war, one of the very best fights ever to air on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Four months later, Shane Mosley—in his just third fight at welterweight following a lengthy lightweight title run—upended Oscar de la Hoya in their incredible first fight, the first-ever bout at the then-brand new Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
"For Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas, once was enough to provide enough memories to last a lifetime—and my favorite among 1,000 fights and counting provided by HBO."
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Terence Dooley,
BoxingScene.com U.K. News Editor
James Toney vs. 'Prince' Charles Williams
(7/29/1994)
“As a kid growing up in England, HBO wasn't available but the terrestrial channels picked up the odd fight or highlight reel. James Toney's IBF Super middleweight title defence against "Prince" Charles Williams was shown on ITV one midweek night.
“I stayed up late on a school night to watch it. I had watched the likes of Marvelous Marvin Hagler on VHS, so it was a real thrill to see Toney do his thing. It was a little slice of exotic boxing action to add to the U.K. stuff and the inside battle reminded me of the things I loved about one of my favourite Hagler fights, his fourth-round KO win over Wilford Scypion in 1983, which was also shown on HBO.
“Toney stopped Williams with a picture perfect right hand at 2:45 of the 12th and final round. He went on to back-to-back losses in his next two fights—L12 to Roy Jones and Montell Griffin respectively—but the Williams win is the one that lingers long in the mind.”
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Kathy Duva,
CEO, Main Events
Main Events and HBO, 34 years and counting
"Main Events is very proud to have been involved in a number of HBO's one thousand fights.
“Our relationship began in 1981 when HBO aired the delay of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns and then in 1982 we did our first live event with HBO, Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Bruce Finch.
“It's been a pleasure working with HBO over all these years to develop the careers of Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker, Fernando Vargas, Arturo Gatti, and now Sergey Kovalev, among many others."
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David Greisman,
BoxingScene.com Senior Writer
Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti, Rd. 9, 1st Fight
(5/18/2002)
“HBO Boxing's motto used to be Building Legends One Round at a Time. But there was one round in particular that was a legend in and of itself—Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward, Round 9 (5/18/2002).
“People like to argue these days about whether a fight should be aired on a network or whether a fighter should be given a certain spotlight. Gatti-Ward and its sequels were a reminder that the fighters don't have to be great so long as the action is good or the storylines are compelling or both.
“Gatti was also one of the boxers who helped bring me beyond entirely casual viewing and helped my father and I bond over watching the sport.”
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Tom Loeffler,
Managing Director, K2 Promotions
T-Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio
(10/18/2014)
T-Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko
(6/21/2003)
“One of my two favorite HBO fights involves Gennady Golovkin, in his 2nd round knockout win over Marco Antonio Rubio. The fight took place at a completely sold-out StubHub Center with the loud crowd under the Southern California skies.”
“My other favorite? The last fight of Lennox Lewis’s career, and the one that—despite losing—saw Vitali Klitschko’s career soar to new heights. Their epic heavyweight battle was fought at the highest level in front of a loud and passionate crowd at the Staples Center.”
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Cliff Rold,
BoxingScene.com Managing Editor
Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick
(11/22/1986)
“I’m sure it wasn't the first fight I watched. Boxing was always on around my family.
“It was just the fight that made me a junkie for the sport.
“Cable was still a luxury in many houses in 1986. My Dad took me to my grandparents and said I needed to see this new Heavyweight kid go for the title. The feeling of an event was in the air. When Tyson put Berbick down for good, basically scoring three knockdowns off one short hook, I knew I wanted to see more of that.
“I knew who Muhammad Ali was and spent the rest of the night at 9 years old telling my Dad there was no way that Ali could beat that monster. I was all in.”
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Victor Salazar,
BoxingScene.com Staff Writer
Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah
(6/9/2007)
“The scene was a June night in Madison Square Garden, on June 9, 2007—the eve of the Puerto Rican Parade in New York City. The combatants were Miguel Cotto from Puerto Rico and Brooklyn’s own Zab Judah. The platform was HBO Pay-Per-View and for me it was the best fight atmosphere I ever been a part of.
“For me it was the fight that brought me back into the sport.
“Long had I been a Felix ‘Tito” Trinidad fan but once he was gone, the sport of boxing was on the back burner. But something about going to a big fight with a ruckus atmosphere for me back in.
“It was the Bronx vs. Brooklyn, Puerto Rican versus African American. There were plenty of good fights outside the ring as there was in the ring.
“The fight certainly delivered with Judah’s speed giving Cotto problems early on but Cotto countered the speed by going low a few times. Hey, it’s boxing right? Cotto took over eventually stopping Judah in the 11th.
“Nothing beats a big fight atmosphere in any sport to me. It rivals any sporting event and to me this fight brought me to love the sport again and a fighter from Puerto Rico to back after my favorite fighter Tito took off.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twiter: @JakeNDaBox