72 years ago
Kid Gavilan vs Bobby Dykes
Date: 4th February 1952
Venue: Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, USATitle: World Welterweight Title
Kid Gavilan
(
78
-
12
-
4
)
Weight: 147 lbs
Bobby Dykes
(
88
-
10
-
6
)
Weight: 146 3/4 lbs
Kid Gavilan (78-12-4) came into his World Welterweight Championship defence against Miami, Florida's Bobby Dykes (88-10-6) as a 4 to 1 betting favourite.
A crowd of 11,526 packed into the Miami Stadium to watch the first world title fight authorized under Florida law. Gavilan vs Dykes also represented the first time a black man and a white man had met in a Miami boxing ring.
Gavilan came away with a split decision victory even though most experts believe he won by a bigger margin than the judge's scorecards suggested.
Scores: Eddie Coachman 140-143 | Mark Erwin 142-141 | Ladislad Nodarse 145-139.