This Day in Boxing History: Punches, Paragliders and Pride

November 6th has quietly played host to some wild nights: title defenses, underdog scares, bizarre intrusions and the reclaiming of belts. It’s a date that, more than once, finds the sport of boxing at a mix of its highest stakes and its most unexpected moments.

Alphonse Halimi Defends bantamweight crown vs. Raul Macias (1957)
This was no quiet defense. In Los Angeles at Wrigley Field, Halimi took on Macias for the unified world bantamweight title. He battled through a slugfest to claim a split-decision win over 15 rounds in front of nearly 20,000 spectators. The bout became regarded as one of the finest bantamweight title fights of the era.

Larry Holmes vs. Renaldo Snipes (1981)
Holmes defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight crown for the 11th time, but this was anything but routine. Snipes — unbeaten at the time — landed a crushing overhand right in Round 7, sending the champ sprawling. Holmes regrouped and, showing why he was considered one of the best heavyweights of his era, surged back to stop Snipes by TKO in Round 11

Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe (1993)
Vegas, heavyweights, a title rematch, and then: chaos. In Round 7, a motorized paraglider crashed into the arena, dangling over the ring, and causing a 21-minute stoppage. When the action resumed, Holyfield edged out Bowe for a majority decision to reclaim the titles. The fight that came to be known as much for the spectacle outside the ring as the battle inside it.

Juan Manuel López vs. Rafael Márquez (2010)
Shifting away from the heavyweight spotlight, November 6, 2010 brought a high-stakes featherweight clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas: López defended his WBO featherweight belt against Márquez. The fight was billed as “Puerto Rico vs Mexico,” charged with national pride and serious punch-power. After eight rounds the contest ended by TKO in López’s favor, with Márquez battling through a shoulder injury that would later be revealed as a hairline fracture.

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez vs. Caleb Plant (2021)

Canelo made boxing history by becoming the first-ever Undisputed Super Middleweight World Champion after defeating Caleb Plant by 11th-round TKO at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In a thrilling bout, Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) dropped Plant twice in the final round before the referee stopped the fight, unifying all four major titles at 168 pounds. The victory made Canelo not only the first undisputed Mexican fighter in history but also just the sixth male undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Following the win, Canelo praised Plant’s skill and sportsmanship, dedicating the historic moment to his team, fans, and Mexico.

November 6^th has repeatedly served as a meaningful way-point in boxing history, revealing a rich variety of career-turning fights, memorable title defenses, national-pride match-ups, and even off-beat drama.

Fun Facts

Renaldo “Mister” Snipes: In 1981, Snipes nearly dethroned the undefeated heavyweight champ Larry Holmes. In the 7th round, he landed a perfect right hand that sent Holmes sprawling — one of the few times Larry was truly hurt in his prime. Holmes later admitted Snipes “caught him clean.” Holmes got up and stopped Snipes in the 11th, but that knockdown earned Renaldo a kind of folk-hero status among hardcore fans — he came the closest (since Ernie Shavers) to ending Holmes winning streak

Snipes was known for his humor and showmanship. He’d strut into pressers in flashy suits, referring to himself as “Mister Snipes” in the third person, often cracking one-liners that sounded half Ali, half stand-up comic. Before his pro career, Snipes came up rough in Yonkers, reportedly winning amateur bouts on little more than instinct and bravado. After retiring from boxing, he later appeared in a handful of film and TV spots, and even flirted with stand-up comedy. He used to joke, “I hit Holmes so hard he got cable in his dressing room.”

“Fan Man” — James Jarrett Miller: During Holyfield vs. Bowe II at Caesars Palace, Miller descended into the outdoor ring during the 7th round and his motor got tangled in the ropes. Security — plus some members of both camps — beat the daylights out of him before dragging him out of the arena. Miller became a brief media sensation, giving interviews and making light of it.  He once claimed he picked that fight because of the open-air venue and said that he didn’t intend to land in the ring, but he misjudged the wind. Miller attempted other “public stunts,” was arrested a few times, and sadly took his own life in 2002 at the age of 38. To this day, commentators still refer to bizarre sporting interruptions as “a Fan Man moment.”