By Ken Hissner: Not only Marciano & Mayweather Left Boxing Unbeaten, but others did for various reasons. WBO Super Middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe at 46-0, was oh so close, but broken hands stopped his career in November of 2008, defeating former world champion Roy Jones, Jr., 52-4 at Madison Square Garden.
In his previous fight, he defeated Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins, 48-4-1, who would go on to win another world title. Calzaghe came off the canvas in the first round in both fights.
In 1948, 1952, and 1956, Laszlo Papp won Olympic Gold Medals with a 301-12-6 amateur record. The Hungarian was the European Middleweight champion who defended his title six times. The Communist Hungarian government would not allow him to leave Europe to fight.
Middleweight champion Joey Giardello’s promoter Lou Lucchese had the FBI show up at his Leesport, PA, home asking why he tried contacting Papp, not realizing he wanted him as an opponent for Giardello. Southpaw Papp retired with a 27-0-2 record due to the restrictions put on him by his government.
His two draws were with Germinal Ballarin, 45-11-6, though his hand was broken in the third round in a ten-rounder in France. The other was with Giancarlo Garbelli, 67-7-8, in Italy. His biggest win was stopping Luis Folledo, 79-2-2, followed by three fights ending his career.
IBF & WBA Super Middleweight champion Sven “Phantom” Ottke of Germany won the IBF title in October of 1998, defeating Philadelphia’s Charles “Hatchet” Brewer, 32-5, by split decision in Germany.
In his seventeenth title defense, he added the WBA title in March of 2003 defeating Byron Mitchell, 25-1-1, of the US. After four more title defenses adding up to twenty-one, he retired with half a dozen disputed.
In his entire career, he only fought outside of Germany once prior to becoming a world champion. He was a 3-time Olympian with a 256-47-5 amateur record. His biggest win was over Mads Larsen, 44-1, by majority decision, with only two fights to follow.
WBA Super Featherweight and WBC Lightweight champion Edwin El Inca Dinamita” Valero won the Super Feather title in August of 2006, stopping Vicente Mosquera, 24-1-1, in Panama.
After four defenses, he won the vacant Lightweight title in April of 2009, stopping Antonio Pitalua, 47-3, defending the title twice with the final one in February of 2010, stopping Antonio DeMarco, 23-1-1, in Mexico.
From Merida, Venezuela, his career was ended with a 27-0 record, with all by stoppage having murdered his wife and committed suicide while in prison.
WBC, WBA, WBO Minimumweight, and IBF Light Flyweight champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, of Mexico, won his first world title in Japan stopping WBC Mini champ Hideyuki Ohashi, 14-3, in October of 1990. In his twentieth defense, he added the WBO title, stopping Alex Sanchez, 25-1, at Madison Square Garden.
In his next fight, which would be his only non-winning one, ended in a technical draw with Rosendo Alvarez, 24-0, in Mexico in August of 1997. In his next fight, he defeated Alvarez by split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In Lopez’s next fight, he won the IBF Light Fly title defeating Will Grigsby, 14-1-1, in October of 199 in Las Vegas. He would defend the title twice, ending his career in September of 2001, knocking out Zolani Petelo, 17-2-2, of South Africa. His final record was 51-0-1, with 38 stoppages.
