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From the archive · June 18, 1976

Elisha Obed vs Eckhard Dagge

WBC Super Welterweight Title · Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Germany

Elisha Obed

Record 64-1-2 · 152 lb

Eckhard Dagge

Record 18-3-0 · 153¼ lb

Elisha Obed vs Eckhard Dagge, Friday, June 18, 1976

The fight

On June 18, 1976, at Berlin's Deutschlandhalle, Eckhard Dagge captured the WBC Super Welterweight championship with a surprising tenth-round TKO victory over Elisha Obed. The bout, promoted by Willi Zeller, featured dramatic shifts in momentum before its unexpected conclusion.

Obed, who had claimed the title with a victory over Miguel de Oliveira in Paris and made successful defences against Tony Gardner and Sea Robinson, entered at 152 pounds to Dagge's 153. The champion appeared in control early, dropping Dagge in the fourth round. Through nine completed rounds, the Associated Press had Obed ahead 4-2-3.

The tenth round produced one of boxing's more bizarre endings. After receiving a fresh pair of shorts during the interval, Obed inexplicably turned away from Dagge mid-ring and walked to his corner at 1:47, forcing referee Jay Edson to stop the contest. Obed's post-fight explanation was equally mysterious: "I couldn't see after the 2nd round. I don't know why. Maybe I was hurt inside."

The victory marked a significant milestone, as Dagge became only Germany's second world champion in boxing history. Judges Angelo Poletti and Lorenzo Sanchez Villar officiated the fight alongside referee Edson, though their cards proved unnecessary given the unusual finish.