Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio

Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio was a professional boxing match contested on February 14, 1987 for the WBA and IBF cruiserweight title.

Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio
DateAugust 15, 1987
VenueParking de Nouveau Port in Saint-Tropez, France
Title(s) on the lineWBA/IBF cruiserweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Evander Holyfield Ossie Ocasio
Nickname "The Real Deal" "Jaws"
Hometown Atlanta, Georgia San Juan, Puerto Rico
Pre-fight record 15–0 21–4–1
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 5 ft 11 1⁄2 in (182 cm)
Weight 188 lb (85 kg) 187 lb (85 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA/IBF
Cruiserweight champion		 IBF
#1 Ranked Cruiserweight

Background

In Evander Holyfield's previous fight, he had defeated Rickey Parkey by third round technical knockout to add the IBF cruiserweight title to the WBA version he had captured the previous year. On the undercard of the fight former WBA cruiserweight champions Ossie Ocasio and Dwight Muhammad Qawi would meet to determine the IBF's #1 contender, with both men having already signed a contract that guaranteed them a title match against the winner of the Holyfield–Parkey fight. Ocasio would earn a controversial majority decision victory despite spending most of the fight on the defensive, having avoided engaging Qawi, constantly backing away and clinching, leading the referee to eventually deduct a point for excessive holding. However, two judges scored the fight in favor of Ocasio with scores of 96–94 and 95–94 while the third had scored it a draw at 95–95.[1] The decision was so controversial that the IBF decided to have Qawi keep their #1 ranking despite the loss. IBF president Robert W. Lee stated that they did so as they deemed the decision "questionable."[2] The IBF eventually allowed Ocasio to keep their #1 ranking and Qawi instead would meet former IBF cruiserweight Lee Roy Murphy on the undercard with the winner earning a title shot against the winner of the Holyfield–Ocasio fight.[3]

The fight

The fight lasted into the 11th round, the longest of Holyfield's cruiserweight title defenses. Like he had in his previous fight with Qawi, Ocasio used a defensive approach while Holyfield served as the aggressor throughout and had won 8 of the 10 rounds on one judge's scorecard (100–92) and taken 9 on the other two scorecards (99–94). Holyfield would finally end the fight early in the 11th round when he dropped Ocasio with a left uppercut followed by a right hand. Ocasio was able to continue but Holyfield would continue to attack Ocasio and after Holyfield landed several unanswered combinations with Ocasio against the ropes, the referee stopped the fight and Holyfield was declared the winner by technical knockout at 1:24 of the round.

Fight card
Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Time Notes
Cruiserweight 190 lb Evander Holyfield (c) def. Ossie Ocasio TKO 11/15 Note 1
Cruiserweight 200 lb Dwight Muhammad Qawi def. Lee Roy Murphy TKO 6/10
Cruiserweight 200 lb Steve Mormino def. Angelo Musone KO 6/10
Super Bantamweight 122 lb Fernando Beltran def Edgar Roman PTS 8/8

^Note 1 For WBA and IBF Cruiserweight titles.

References
  1. Former World Boxing Association champion Ossie Ocasio set himself..., UPI article, 1987-05-15 Retrieved on 2020-01-27
  2. Qawi Retains Standing, NY Times article, 1987-05-20 Retrieved on 2020-01-27
  3. For Lee Roy Murphy, All that Glitters Rest in 1 Rugged Fight, Chicago Tribune article, 1987-08-13 Retrieved on 2020-01-27
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