This Day in Boxing History: November 4th Over the Decades

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2025

TSS Press

This-Day-in-Boxing-History:-November-4th-Over-the-Decades.jpg

November 4^th has witnessed the sport of boxing legalize itself, legends wobble and survive, heavyweights settle unfinished business, and a new champion announce himself with thunderous authority.

1924 — The Day California Let Boxing Breathe Again

On November 4, 1924, California officially lifted its ban on professional boxing. For ten years, the sport had been muzzled in one of its most fertile territories. The decision reignited fight culture across Los Angeles and San Francisco, restoring prizefighting as a legitimate business — not a backroom brawl. This single act reshaped the national boxing landscape. With California back on board, big-time boxing could flourish on the West Coast, opening the door to generations of fighters, promoters, and fans who would later define the sport’s modern identity.

1988 — Thomas Hearns vs James Kinchen

Six decades later in Las Vegas, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns—already a legend with wars against “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, and Roberto Durán behind him—stepped into the ring against James “The Heat” Kinchen for the inaugural WBO super-middleweight title — a new belt and a new beginning for both the fighter and the sanctioning body.

Hearns, a five-division world champion, was expected to cruise through the fight. Instead, Hearns was dropped by Kinchen in the fourth round, stunning the crowd and momentarily freezing Hearns’ vaunted offense. But true to form, The Motor City Cobra rallied, outboxed Kinchen, and scraped by with a majority decision. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t vintage Hearns—but it showed his survival instincts.

For the WBO, the fight marked its first credible foothold in the world title landscape with Hearns’ involvement giving it immediate credibility.

1995 — Bowe vs. Holyfield III: The Final Act of a Heavyweight Saga

On November 4, 1995, Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield met for the third and final time at Caesars Palace, closing one of the sport’s most dramatic trilogies.

Both men entered the ring changed—Bowe leaner and focused, Holyfield coming off rumors of illness and fatigue. Still, the fight delivered everything their rivalry promised: knockdowns, momentum swings, and sheer willpower. Holyfield floored Bowe in the sixth round, only to be battered and knocked down twice in the eighth—prompting referee Joe “Fear But Firm” Corez to stop the fight and resulting in Holyfield’s first ever professional knockout loss.

The bout had the atmosphere of an era’s curtain call. Heavyweight boxing was on the brink of transformation, with Lennox Lewis waiting in the wings and a young Mike Tyson returning from prison. November 4, 1995, was the final snapshot of a great heavyweight rivalry defined by heart and hellfire.

2017 — Dmitry Bivol Announces Himself in Just One Round

In the sleek casino halls of Monte Carlo on November 4, 2017, a calm, calculating light-heavyweight named Dmitry Bivol introduced himself to the global stage. Bivol, then an interim titlist, defended his WBA belt against Australian challenger Trent Broadhurst. Bivol barely broke a sweat; a single right hand in the first round ended it.

For Bivol, it was the moment the world realized he wasn’t just another prospect. It was a statement of precision and power that foreshadowed the calm dominance that would later define his career, culminating in his upset of Canelo Álvarez years later.

Boxing isn’t always tidy. It’s messy, emotional, brutal, and also deeply human. From the birth of modern regulation, to the resilience and determination of Hearns, to the bruising poetry of Bowe-Holyfield III, to the recognition of a “the next big thing” in Bivol, the sport’s timeline proves one thing: some dates don’t just host fights—they host inflection points.

Fun Facts

Tommy Hearns: Interestingly, despite Hearns being a natural welterweight early in his career, his reach was identical to Holyfield’s — and only three inches shorter than Bowe’s — which partly explains Hearns’ freakish ability to dominate with the jab at lower weights.

Here are their official reach measurements (from verified boxing records):

Thomas “Hitman” Hearns: 78 inches (198 cm)
Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield: 78 inches (198 cm)
Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe: 81 inches (206 cm)

Caesars Palace: In 1966, Jay Sarno opened Caesars Palace, the first truly themed resort on the Las Vegas Strip. He chose “Caesars” (not Caesar’s) because he wanted guests to feel like emperors, not like they were just visiting one.

Joe Cortez: Long before he barked “Fair but Firm” in title fights around the world, Joe Cortez earned his respect the old-fashioned way — with gloves on, not off. In 1961, the young New Yorker captured the Intercity Golden Gloves bantamweight crown, outpointing Chicago’s best in the storied East-versus-Midwest showdown at Madison Square Garden. At a time when those cities defined amateur boxing in America, Cortez stood among its finest. He’d later turn pro, carve out his own winning record, and eventually trade punches for principles — enforcing fairness from the center of the ring.

Evander Holyfield: Few homes in sports history are as legendary as Evander Holyfield’s sprawling Georgia estate — a 44,000-square-foot testament to boxing glory, built in the mid-1990s on 235 acres just outside Atlanta. The mansion included 109 rooms, 12 bedrooms, and many extravagant features. One article claims that Holyfield said the build and the project cost him $50 million. The upkeep alone was massive, costing approximately $1 million a year to maintain, with monthly electricity bills in the range of $17,000.

Share The Sweet Science experience!