15 Rounds: The True Championship Distance

[ProBox1]

Do most hard-core boxing fans miss the 15 round championship bouts, or is it just me? Most of the modern day boxing history was made during the era of the 15 round championship distance fights. In fact, a portion of Joe Louis' title defenses were scheduled for 20 rounds.

Not since the rematch between Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks in April of 1986 has a heavyweight title fight gone or been scheduled for 15 rounds. I don't care what anyone says, 15 rounds separates the champions and contenders. To this day, I don't think anyone knows for sure the real reason for the title fight distance being shortened to 12 rounds.

Some have said it was for safety reasons and protecting the fighters. The fight that is highlighted as the reason for the 12 round distance is the 1982 WBA lightweight championship between champ Ray Mancini and challenger Du Ku Kim. In that fight, which was a war, Kim was knocked out in the 14th round. The Mancini-Kim fight was a non stop toe-to-toe brawl. The bout ended when Mancini landed a devastating right hand to Kim's head. Kim never recovered and was pronounced dead shortly after leaving the ring on a stretcher. [details]

[Champoreeno]

Interesting article, and thanks for the topic. I thought of a couple of additions:

In response to your argument "the reason that you hardly ever see fatalities in the heavyweight division is because the big guys don't have to make weight. In many cases, fighters under 150 pounds dehydrate themselves shedding those last few pounds too make weight":

That certainly is a valid point; however, I was thinking that perhaps this might also be caused due to a disproportionate difference in the increased strength of punches compared to an increase in a chin's potency. That is to say for the fighters > 150 lbs: Their chins aren’t as much sturdy as their punches are more powerful. Does that make sense? What I mean is, where a fighter of a higher weight class is more susceptible to being taken out with a single punch, the fighters of lower weight classes -- while they may stay on their feet longer -- end up taking more punishment.

Another thing that got me thinking was your choices of fights that would have turned out differently had they been fought over a different number of rounds. There was a fight not mentioned that I always think of when this discussion arises. Chavez-Taylor I: That whole controversy (in theory) would have been totally avoided: (1) Steele stops the fight; no one argues that Taylor could not have lasted three more rounds. (2) Steele lets the fight go to the 13th; Chavez stops Taylor in that round.

Again, good article. Any thoughts...?

[SpeedKills]

You are right. The fights were shortened for safety reasons after the Mancini Kim fight. The IBF was the last organization to abandon the 15 round limit.

My point has alway been, what if KK Kim died after the 11th round. Would title fights now be 10 rounds?

The problem here is that due to increased weight limits and increased sanctioning bodies over the years, more and more fighters are getting title shots. Fighters that should not be fighting 15 rounds.

Here in California, the state title is fought over 12 rounds. It was always less that a world title fight. Not any more. Some of the fighters here fighting 12 rounds are not that good. If we had 12 rounds in 1981, SR Leonard probably wouldn't have beaten Tommy Hearns. How history could be different.

In their rematch in 1989, they fought to a 12 round draw. If that had been scheduled for 15, my SRL would have won again? Who knows?

15 rounds is the "Championship Distance". Something I would like to see again. But with this many titles (what is it now around 70 world titles with over 1000 title contenders) it would be a disaster to bring this back.