On This Day in Boxing… August 11
1990.- At the Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada, pound-for-pound defensive wizard Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker unified the lightweight division in emphatic fashion, knocking out slick Puerto Rican Juan Nazario in the very 1st round to retain his WBC lightweight world championship.
1998.- At the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, Filipino tactician Luisito Espinosa retained his WBC featherweight crown with a masterful performance, defeating a young and tough Mexican challenger, Juan Carlos Ramírez, via an 11th-round technical decision after an accidental headclash halted the action.
2000.- Future undisputed middleweight king Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor captured the Bronze medal for the United States at the Sydney Olympic Games. This historic amateur milestone paved the way for his stellar professional debut the following year, culminating in his legendary 2005 victory over Bernard Hopkins to claim the undisputed world championship.
