On this day 23 November 1904 (Exactly 115 years ago today) III Summer (Modern) Olympic Games was officially closed in St Louis, Missouri, United States.
The United States won 239 medals, setting a record that still stands today. The Soviet Union came closest to beating the record with 195 medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics and currently is in second place.
The Soviets, however, won a record 80 gold medals, surpassing 78 golds won by the Americans in 1904. However, the United States subsequently won 83 gold medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics, setting another all-time record.
Gold medals were awarded to event winners for the first time at the 1904 games. Prior to that, a silver medal was awarded to first-place finishers and a bronze medal to second-place finishers.
On this day 23 November 1991 (Exactly 28 years ago today) At The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, heavyweight champion Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield defended the WBA and IBF titles he won from Buster Douglas a year earlier against Smokin’ Bert Cooper. Evander was undefeated at 26-0 coming in. Cooper was 26-7 and as tough a competitor as they come. The fight was scheduled for 12 rounds, and it was, as the saying goes, one helluva of a fight
Holyfield had been scheduled to fight Mike Tyson in Las Vegas on November 8, 1991, but the fight was canceled after Tyson suffered a rib injury during training. Holyfield was then scheduled to face Francesco Damiani in Atlanta on November 23, but Damiani pulled out due to an ankle injury.
Finally, Bert Cooper stepped in as a substitute for the substitute.
The World Boxing Council refused to sanction the fight because Cooper was not ranked by the organization. The bout was sanctioned by the World Boxing Association, which did not rank Cooper, and the International Boxing Federation, which ranked him twelfth.
Holyfield, who was going to earn $30 million for the Tyson fight, made $6 million for fighting Cooper, who was paid $750,000.
Holyfield dropped Cooper with a left hook to the body one minute and eighteen seconds into the first round.
Cooper hurt Holyfield with a right to the chin fifty-five seconds into the third round. A follow-up barrage sent Holyfield reeling into the ropes and the referee called it a knockdown, ruling that the ropes had kept Holyfield up. It was the first knockdown of his professional career.
Cooper was hurt early in round five from a series of punches and it appeared for a moment that he might turn his back on Holyfield.
Halfway through the fifth round, the referee stopped the action because Holyfield’s right glove was cut and had to be replaced. The fight resumed after two minutes and twenty-two seconds.
Cooper was cut over his right eye in round five and was bleeding from the mouth.
Cooper’s corner complained to the referee between the sixth and seventh rounds that Holyfield had “some kind of ointment” on his body or gloves that was getting into Cooper’s eyes and causing them to burn.
However, Cooper had a lot of ointment over his right eye at the start of the sixth round and the referee told Cooper’s corner to remove some of it.
Cooper was warned by the referee in round seven for extending his left elbow.
Referee Mills Lane stopped the fight with two seconds left in the seventh round after Holyfield battered Cooper with twenty-four unanswered punches. HBO commentator Gil Clancy said, “Mills Lane did a remarkable job. He stepped in exactly when he should have stepped in.”
On this day 23 November 1974 (Exactly 45 years ago today) Alexis Argüello of Nicaragua knocked out Mexican defending champion Rubén Olivares in the 13th round at the Forum in Inglewood, California, to claim the WBA world featherweight boxing title
On this day 23 November 2014 (Exactly 5 years ago today) A suicide bomber set off his explosives vest in a large crowd at a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 40 people and injuring scores in one of the nation’s deadliest assaults.
On this day 23 November 2014 (Exactly 5 years ago today) British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit to clinch his second F1 World Drivers Championship, 67 points ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg.
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
