Rene Arredondo vs Roger Mayweather

Three knockdowns in the sixth round brought Roger Mayweather a world championship in his second weight division and ended Rene Arredondo’s second reign at super lightweight. Mayweather won the WBC title at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Thursday, November 12, 1987, when referee Lou Filippo stopped the scheduled twelve-round contest at 2:00 of the sixth. The challenger’s right hand supplied the decisive blows, following an effective display of jabbing and counterpunching.

Mayweather had previously held the WBA super featherweight championship, which he won from Samuel Serrano in 1983 and lost to Rocky Lockridge the following year. A subsequent challenge to Julio Cesar Chavez ended in defeat, and his move through lightweight included losses to Freddie Pendleton and Pernell Whitaker. After the Whitaker contest in March 1987, he stopped Frankie Davis and Mitchell Julien before challenging Arredondo. The Mexican champion was making the first defence of the title he had recovered from Tsuyoshi Hamada in Tokyo that July. Both men weighed 139 pounds.

The opening round established the contest between Arredondo’s height and Mayweather’s quicker delivery. Mayweather circled left behind his jab, catching punches on his gloves. Arredondo found a right late in the round, but Mayweather answered with one that shook him before the bell. In the second, the challenger’s jab continued to provide openings for his right. By the fourth, his timing was troubling Arredondo, who hesitated under the threat of the lead hand. Arredondo landed left hooks in the fifth, but Mayweather answered promptly, moving his head and countering before the champion could sustain an attack.

Arredondo’s right eye showed damage in the sixth. He landed a hard right and advanced, only to meet a counter right that dropped him. He rose, but another right put him down again. Bleeding from the nose, he regained his feet a second time. Mayweather followed with further rights, and the third knockdown brought Filippo’s immediate intervention. Arredondo remained on the canvas for approximately five minutes after the stoppage. His decision to exchange had given Mayweather the opportunity to finish a contest in which the challenger had established his jab and right hand early.

The victory took Mayweather’s record to 29 wins, 5 losses, 0 draws, 20 by knockout. He had recovered from his defeat by Whitaker earlier in the year to regain championship standing at a higher weight. Arredondo’s return to the WBC throne had lasted less than four months. Against Mayweather, he could neither establish consistent command with his longer jab nor withstand the right hands that settled the fight.

I rate this as one of Roger Mayweather’s sharpest performances. He had lost to Pernell Whitaker earlier that year, while Arredondo had regained his belt by stopping Tsuyoshi Hamada in Japan. This was a dangerous champion, and Roger made him look slow. His willingness to trade, backed by that right hand, made him an entertaining fighter.

What stands out for me is how the jab prepared everything. Arredondo began hesitating before throwing, giving Mayweather time to get his right hand through. When the champion landed hooks, Roger answered immediately. He never allowed Arredondo to build confidence or sustain an attack.

The finish came when Arredondo pushed forward after landing his own right. Mayweather caught him coming in, then put him down twice more to force the stoppage. That is the difference between landing a good punch and knowing when to follow it. Arredondo committed himself before he had Roger under control, and paid heavily.