On This Day in Boxing… September 21
1973.- At the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada, legendary Cuban-Mexican southpaw José “Mantequilla” Nápoles put on a boxing clinic to defend his WBC Welterweight World Championship, defeating Canadian challenger Clyde Gray via 15-round unanimous decision.
1974.- At the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy, Spanish puncher Perico Fernández captured the WBC Super Lightweight World Title after edging out Japan’s Lion Furuyama via 15-round split decision.
1983.- At the Municipal Stadium in San Jose, California, Puerto Rican star Carlos “Sugar” De León defended his WBC Cruiserweight World Title by stopping tough Mexican contender Álvaro “Yaqui” López via fourth-round TKO.
1985.- At the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, American Bernard Benton became the new WBC Cruiserweight World Champion after defeating fellow countryman Alfonso Ratliff via 12-round unanimous decision.
1985.- On that same big night in Las Vegas, Nevada, undefeated icon Julio César Chávez reaffirmed his dominance in the WBC super featherweight division, earning a wide 12-round unanimous decision over brave American contender Dwight Pratchett.
