30 years ago

Date: 4th March 1994

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada

Title: WBC World Middleweight Title

Promoter: Don King Productions

Tv: Showtime

Gerald McClellan
( 29 - 2 - 0 )
Weight: 159 lbs

Gilbert Baptist
( 28 - 16 - 0 )
Weight: 158½ lbs

On March 4th, 1994, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, boxing fans were treated to a short but brutal fight between WBC middleweight champion Gerald McClellan and Gilbert Baptist. McClellan, who was defending his title for the second time, was coming off a dominant victory over Julian Jackson, while Baptist was a relatively unknown challenger with a record of 28-16-0.

The fight lasted just 1 minute and 37 seconds, but it was a wild and action-packed affair. Just seconds into the opening round, McClellan caught Baptist with a devastating left hook that sent him crashing to the canvas. Baptist managed to beat the count, but he was clearly hurt and out of his depth. McClellan quickly pounced on his wounded opponent and began raining down a barrage of punches that Baptist was unable to defend against.

Referee Richard Steele had little choice but to stop the fight, as Baptist was taking too much punishment and showed no signs of being able to mount any kind of comeback. It was a disappointing end for Baptist, who had shown a lot of heart by getting back to his feet after the knockdown, but it was a dominant performance from McClellan, who once again showed why he was one of the most feared middleweights in the world.

Despite the short length of the fight, it was still an impressive victory for McClellan, who had now successfully defended his title twice. The win improved his record to 30-2 with 28 knockouts and set the stage for future showdowns with some of the biggest names in the division, such as Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank.