Douglas goes down in first round
Buster's comeback may be over; Chavez KOs Sigurani
Posted: Friday June 26, 1998 01:31 AM
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Savarese sent Douglas to the canvas three times in the first round to score a TKO at 2:34 (AP) |
LEDYARD, Connecticut (AP) -- Lou Savarese, beaten in two of his previous three fights, scored a stunning first-round knockout of former world heavyweight champion Buster Douglas in an International Boxing Association heavyweight title fight Thursday night at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Savarese, a slight underdog coming into the fight, floored Douglas with a short right midway through the first round. Another right floored Douglas again seconds later.
A flurry of punches from Savarese sent Douglas to the canvas a third time and referee Steve Smoger stopped it at 2:34.
Savarese, of Greenwood, New York, won his first 35 pro fights, then lost a decision to George Foreman and was knocked out by David Izon before getting back on the winning track by knocking out Jeff Lally in the second round in April.
It was the first loss for Douglas (36-6-1) in a comeback that began in June 1996 after a nearly six-year layoff.
Douglas, 38, won the undisputed heavyweight title in February 1990 with a shocking knockout of then-unbeaten Mike Tyson in the 10th round of a fight in Tokyo.
This loss may have been a career-ender for Douglas, who weighed 242 pounds.
"I screwed up big time," Douglas said.
The 31-year-old Savarese, 234, moved back into contention for one of the more recognized world titles.
Ealier on the card, Julio Cesar Chavez stopped Ken Sigurani of Youngstown, Ohio at 2:09 of the third round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
The victory by Chavez (101-2-2) sets up a September rematch with WBC welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya stopped Chavez in the fourth round in June 1996.
Promoter Bob Arum had guaranteed Chavez $250,000 if he won by knockout. It was the first knockout for Chavez since he stopped Joey Gamache in the eighth round on Oct. 12, 1996.
The only thing that might prevent a rematch is the health of Chavez. He suffered a serious cut near the right eye, which he insisted was from a head butt. Chavez complained bitterly to referee Arthur Mercante in the second round as blood ran down his face.
Sigurani, of Youngstown, Ohio, won the first two rounds on the cards of all three judges. Chavez stunned Sigurani (22-2) with a powerful right hand in the third, then unleashed a series of combinations that forced Mercante to stop the fight.
Israel Cardona of Hartford, Connecticut, retained the USBA lightweight championship by stopping Richard Kiley of Hyde Park, New York, at 1:16 of the eighth round. Cardona (29-2) dropped Kiley (11-2-3) in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds before putting him away in the eighth.
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