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Ali defeats Evangelista to retain world heavyweight boxing championship title.
1977 (May 16)
Muhammad Ali retained his world heavyweight boxing championship with a unanimous decision over twenty-two year old Alfredo Evangelista after fifteen rounds in Landover, Maryland. Evangelista, a native of Uruguay who had been heralded as the Spanish Rocky, never caught Ali with a solid punch during the entire fight. He fought a mostly defensive contest. Ali received $2.75 million for the victory, $200,000 of which had been used to buy tickets for disadvantaged youths to attend the fight. It was the ninth time in his second reign as champion that Ali had defended his title. He had been beaten only twice, by Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, in 56 career bouts.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.