A fascinating world title bout was on the horizon between two men who came from remarkably similar backgrounds. Their styles in the ring, however, were as different as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Moviegoers were flocking to see “Saving Private Ryan” and “Armageddon” while the New York Yankees had secured their 24th world championship, sweeping the San Diego Padres in four straight games.
The year was 1998.
With only five shopping days left until Christmas, the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida, was prepared to host a 130-pound world championship bout.
December 19 would turn out to be a day forever etched in history. Earlier in the afternoon, after a year of legal wrangling and much public debate, the House of Representatives had voted to impeach President Bill Clinton. For many, this evening’s action in Miami provided a much needed distraction.
As winter was just hours away from officially settling in, those in Miami certainly weren’t feeling the brutal cold weather that many others were battling in other parts of the country. Fans turned out in droves to see a doubleheader headlined with a Super Featherweight title fight.
A televised Heavyweight bout set the tone for the evening when David Tua, down on all three scorecards, whacked Hasim Rahman with a vicious left hook after the bell sounded to end the ninth round. Unable to recover, Tua swarmed Rahman and pulled out a victory when the bout was questionably stopped in the 10th.
After the Heavyweights, the main event featured champion Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather. He was confident and self-assured in the days leading up to the first title defense of his newly won WBC Super Featherweight crown. His opponent was a tough, rugged, battle-tested warrior who was currently one of the hottest fighters in the sport, Angel “El Diablo” Manfredy.
After a brief amateur career, Manfredy (25-2-1, 20 KOs) turned professional in June of 1993. His only two losses, and his lone draw, came within the first five fights of his professional career.
On a rain drenched road later that year, Manfredy was in a severe automobile accident and, while trapped in the wreckage, he said that he begged God for a second chance. The accident left him with 200 plus stiches on the right side of his head. After being released from the hospital, Manfredy focused on his career and began adding the many tattoos that now covered his body.
After the accident and those early career struggles, Manfredy was now on a 23-fight win streak that included wins over tough veterans that included Calvin Grove, Jorge Paez and Wilson Rodriguez. He had not lost a fight in nearly six years.
Born and living in Gary, Indiana, Manfredy reflected, believing that he was destined to be a fighter. “I was born on October 30, 1974, the same day of the Rumble in the Jungle. I was born to fight.”
Coming off of an active and hugely successful 1998, the 24-year-old Manfredy won three fights that included an impressive TKO win over Arturo Gatti. After out-boxing Gatti and flooring him in the third round, the fight was ultimately stopped in the eighth due to a nasty gash over Gatti’s left eye. For those who didn’t know who Manfredy was, the win over Gatti placed him squarely in the mix at both 130 and 135 pounds.
The 21-year-old Mayweather, like his challenger, had faced his fair share of adversity during his youth. “When I was about eight or nine, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and sometimes we didn’t have electricity.”
Mayweather began spending time in the gym at a young age. He was trained by his father and uncle’s Roger and Jeff Mayweather.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the undefeated Mayweather (18-0, 14 KOs) won a bronze medal in the 1996 Olympics. After turning professional later that year, he ran off 17 straight wins before meeting veteran Genaro Hernandez in October of 1998 for the WBC Super Featherweight crown.
Hernandez had only one defeat on his dossier, a loss to future Hall of Famer, Oscar De La Hoya. The young Mayweather dominated the champion, forcing the Hernandez corner to stop the action after the eighth round.
After the lop-sided loss, Hernandez would soon retire.
The win made Mayweather the first of the 1996 Olympic team to win a world title. He was now poised to make his first defense against Manfredy.
The fight would air live on HBO and a unique stipulation was in place. The winner kept their HBO contract. The loser did not. As Merchant concluded, “They’re risking everything to win everything.”
Both men weighed in at the 130-pound limit. As the challenger, Manfredy would begin his walk to the ring first. Led by friend Kid Rock, Manfredy entered the ring wearing a silver robe and silver trunks with high red stockings. Angel wings were sewn into his robe as he carried with him a devil’s mask.
Next, the champion entered the ring. Decked in red, white, and blue, Mayweather was led to the ring by his uncle Jeff and his father.
Ring announcer Mark Beiro introduced the fighters and referee, Frank Santore. Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Roy Jones Jr. called the action from ringside and the opening bell sounded.
Manfredy was immediately the aggressor, coming right at Mayweather. As Manfredy looked to press the champion, Mayweather immediately began to counter, dropping a sharp right hand over his challengers left jab.
Trying to trap Mayweather in a corner, Manfredy was successful in cutting off the ring on several occasions, pounding to the body before Mayweather could escape. Lampley immediately commented on the strategy, “Manfredy, it would appear, can do best if he could pin Floyd Jr. against the ropes and hammer him inside.”
Mayweather used his legs to circle Manfredy and landed a solid hook to the body. As the round came down the stretch, the crowd was behind Manfredy as many were chanting, “Diablo! Diablo! Diablo!”
As the second round began, Manfredy again went on the attack, trying to back Mayweather up. The difference in hand speed was apparent as Mayweather strafed his challenger with a slashing left jab. As Manfredy continued to pressure him, the champion switched to southpaw, giving his challenger a distinctly different look.
As the chess match continued, Manfredy briefly switched to southpaw, then quickly switched back as he drove Mayweather into the ropes. As Mayweather tried to work his way back to the center of the ring, Mandredy landed a solid combination as Lampley roared, “Right hand lead lands for Manfredy and he comes back with a hammering left hook to the body!”
Manfredy was now leading with and landing straight right hands. With 40 seconds remaining in the round and as both men stood in close against the ropes, Mayweather pulled the trigger on a picture perfect right hand. The legs of Manfredy buckled and he stepped backward.
Sensing that his challenger was hurt, Mayweather pounced on Manfredy and backed him into a corner, ripping off a series of sensational rights and lefts to the head and to the body. As Manfredy crumbled into the ropes, Lampley tried to keep up with the furious assault.
“Manfredy in trouble as Mayweather pounds away! Manfredy almost went down! He won’t take a knee but he isn’t throwing back! And this one’s going to be stopped!”
The bout was stopped by Santore at 2:47 of the second round.
Although there was some question as to whether the stoppage was a quick one, the Mayweather barrage included a vicious right uppercut that snapped Manfredy’s head back. The champion’s assault included nearly 30-unanswered punches before Santore stepped in to halt the action. As Jones later noted, “He should have taken a knee.”
In the post-fight interviews, Mayweather praised Manfredy as a tough and strong fighter. An upset Manfredy would comment that he felt the fight was stopped prematurely and that he should have been allowed to continue.
Santore also weighed in saying, “Manfredy was not answering back. I said, ‘Angel, you’ve got to fight back’ and he didn’t respond. You have to be concerned with a fighter’s safety.”
Manfredy would fight into 2004 and continue to face top tier fighters like Paul Spadafora, Diego Corrales and Ivan Robinson.
Mayweather, of course, remains at the top of many pound-for-pound lists and is still undefeated.
