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Significant non-title bouts on ABC, CBS and NBC: June 24 – Bobby Czyz vs. Andrew Maynard (on ABC) – Atlantic City hosted this crossroads bout between Czyz, a former light heavyweight titleholder and 40-bout veteran (35-5), and a 1988 Olympic gold medalist with the talent and personality of a potential crossover star. A motivated Czyz used his grit and guile to expertly break the undefeated but inexperienced (12-0) odds favorite down to a seventh-round stoppage. This loss derailed the expected ascent of Maynard, who never regained career momentum. July 8 – Riddick Bowe vs. Art Tucker (on CBS) – Yes, on the same day the other networks aired Paez-Dorsey and Breland-Davis, Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy were on hand in Atlantic City to call a clash of modern-sized heavyweight hopefuls: the 6-foot-5 Bowe (17-0) vs. the 6-foot-6 Tucker (17-1-1). (I recall TV Guide using the words “Boxing Bonanza” to describe that busy Sunday afternoon.) Bowe, an ’88 Olympic silver medalist with the great Eddie Futch in his corner, overwhelmed Tucker in three rounds. July 15 – Roger Mayweather vs. Terrence Alli (on CBS) – Ryan and Clancy (my favorite boxing commentator team) were back in Atlantic City to witness two junior welterweight veterans trying to get back into world title contention. Mayweather, two bouts removed from losing his 140-pound belt to Julio Cesar Chavez the previous year, scored a 10-round decision over the determined but outclassed Alli. July 22 – Buddy McGirt vs. Jose Bermudez (on CBS) – Once again “The Eye Network” and “Monopoly City” hosted world-class boxing. This was No. 12 on McGirt’s long 16-bout road to a welterweight title shot after losing his 140-pound belt to Meldrick Taylor in ’88. The future Hall of Famer outclassed and outpointed the unbeaten (19-0-2) but raw Colombian over 10 spirited rounds. Bermudez, who was trained by the great Amilcar Brusa, never fought again. Aug. 5 – Ray Mercer vs. Bert Cooper (on CBS) – Fans were treated to another heavyweight crossroads match in Atlantic City, but this one featured my favorite ’88 Olympian against the most erratic and dangerous gatekeeper in the division. The heavy hitters delivered a memorable 12-round slugfest. “Merciless” Ray
On the same day and in the same state as Paez- Dorsey II, Dan Dierdorf and Alex Wallau were in Reno to call this battle for New York City bragging rights. Brooklyn’s Breland survived rocky early rounds (including a third-round knockdown) and jabbed his way back into the fight against the undefeated Bronx challenger. With his right eye swollen shut, Davis lived up to his “Superman” nickname by rallying to a thrilling ninth-round KO. July 28 – Harding vs. Andries II (for Harding’s WBC light heavyweight title on ABC) – Dierdorf and Wallau were ringside in Melbourne, Australia, to witness Andries regain the 175-pound belt he’d lost to Harding in the 12th round of a fight he was winning the previous year. The 36-year-old veteran took the fight to the gutsy but inexperienced titleholder and didn’t allow the Hit Man’s conditioning to come into play by scoring a seventh-round KO. It was Andries’ third turn as WBC beltholder and the only bout he won in his underrated trilogy with Harding. July 29 – Kittikasem vs. Carbajal (for Kittikasem’s IBF junior flyweight title on NBC) – The 1988 Olympic silver medalist and future Hall of Famer won his first world title in front of his hometown fans in Phoenix, Arizona, who were treated to a skilled slugfest before the weight-drained but fearless Thai warrior (née Natawut Jantaweemol) was stopped in the seventh. Aug. 18 – Benn vs. Barkley (for Benn’s WBO middleweight title on ABC) – Britain’s bad boy puncher dropped Barkley three times (fouling the American veteran more than once) as he stormed to an opening-round KO. Barkley bravely fought back as much as he could, making it fun while it lasted. Do yourself a favor and look for a version of this brief donnybrook that includes Wallau’s intense post-fight interview with the hyped but oddly introspective Benn. Aug. 19 – Marlon Starling vs. Maurice Blocker (for Starling’s WBC welterweight title on ABC) – The final bout of ABC’s Schlitz Malt Liquor summer series took place in Reno, Nevada, where the underrated former title challenger outhustled the faded Starling to a majority decision, his first major belt and a minor upset over one of the top welterweights of the 1980s.
Mercer-Cooper put heavyweight thrills on network TV for free.
significant non-title fights aired by the Big Three from the start of June to the end of August – a baker’s dozen of high-profile boxing broadcasts for the general public. By contrast, only four world title bouts, as well as five significant non- title fights, were broadcast on basic and premium cable during the summer of 1990. That doesn’t automatically mean the free fare was better. Quality is as important as quantity, and the cable broadcasts featured some of the biggest names in boxing (and sports). However, after examining each matchup, I believe the Big Three offering was better than what was on the cable channels. I’m curious to what you think, so I’ve listed out the 22 fights and categorized them under the free networks, basic cable and HBO/Showtime with descriptions of the matchups and results. Let’s travel back 36 years and remember just how good fans had it. World title bouts on ABC and NBC: June 10 – Orlando Canizales vs. Paul Gonzalez II (for Canizales’ IBF bantamweight title on NBC) – The Peacock’s boxing duo of Marv Albert and Dr. Ferdie Pacheco was in El Paso, Texas, to call Canizales’ rematch with the ’84 Olympic gold medalist who had outpointed him over 12 rounds in 1986 (the Laredo native’s first pro loss). Canizales got his revenge and fourth title defense with a second-round TKO (due to cuts). July 8 – Jorge Paez vs. Troy Dorsey II (for Paez’s IBF and WBO featherweight titles on NBC) – Pacheco and Bob Trumpy (filling in for Albert) were in Las Vegas for Paez’s heated rematch with Dorsey, who had given “Maromero” hell in a split decision loss in February. Dorsey brought relentless pressure and volume punching; Paez countered with showboating and accurate power shots (including countless uppercuts). They battled to a split draw verdict. This was the third of four bouts for Paez in 1990, all broadcast on NBC, which had a multi-bout contract with the popular Mexican. July 8 – Mark Breland vs. Aaron Davis (for Breland’s WBA welterweight title on ABC) –
clean left to the jaw after tenderizing Nazario’s body with both hands). The outdoor co-feature in Stateline, Nevada, saw Camacho extend his undefeated record to 38-0 with a unanimous decision over a hard-punching spoiler. Significant non-title bouts on HBO/Showtime: June 1 – Evander Holyfield vs. Seamus McDonagh (on Showtime) – This was the former undisputed cruiserweight champ’s sixth fight at heavyweight and a stay-busy bout before he would challenge Buster Douglas for the heavyweight crown four months later. Holyfield stopped the New York-area club fighter in four rounds. June 16 – Mike Tyson vs. Henry Tillman and George Foreman vs. Adilson Rodrigues (on HBO) – Foreman and Tyson did their parts in setting up a dream fight that would never happen. In the 22nd bout of his curious comeback the 41-year-old Foreman poleaxed his hapless Brazilian opponent (somehow rated No. 10 by the WBA) before Tyson steamrolled Tillman (the ’84 Olympic gold medalist who beat him for a spot on the celebrated U.S. squad) in the opening round of the main event. My takeaways from the 20 telecasts: Basic cable gave fans a look at under- the-radar talents in the lighter weight classes, some of whom would go on to great things. Premium cable showcased the best boxers and biggest stars. But the Big Three provided the most compelling storylines, action and drama. Final analysis: We were spoiled. ERRATUM In the September 2026 issue, a caption on page 29 of the “Still Hungry” article incorrectly identifies a photo of Daniel Jacobs (in action with Canelo Alvarez on the previous page) as Austin Trout. We apologize to both Jacobs and Trout for the mistake.
earned a unanimous decision and the NABF title with a badly swollen jaw. Aug. 5 – Vinny Paz vs. Greg Haugen III (on NBC) – On the same day and in the same city as Mercer-Cooper, the former lightweight titleholders resumed their intense rivalry with this rubber match (contested slightly over the junior welterweight limit). Paz heeded trainer Kevin Rooney’s stick-and-move strategy and boxed his way to a unanimous 10-round decision. Live world title bouts on basic cable: June 4 – Humberto Gonzalez vs. Luis Monzote (for Gonzalez’s WBC junior flyweight title on Prime Ticket) – Unlike the Big Three and the other cable networks, Prime didn’t always air live fights. I usually caught its tape-delay broadcasts from the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, after midnight, but the fights and fighters were worth staying up for. Gonzalez, undefeated (27-0) and No. 10 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings at the time, stopped the capable Cuban journeyman in the third round. Aug. 14 – Orlando Canizales vs. Eddie Rangel (for Canizales’ IBF bantamweight title on USA Network) – Canizales was a busy champ. The fifth of his eventual 16 title defenses took place
in Saratoga Springs, New York, and ended with a fifth-round KO of his fellow Texan. I could see how skilled Canizales was but I had no idea I was watching a future Hall of Famer. Significant non-title bouts on basic cable: June 18 – Rafael Ruelas vs. Abe Gomez (on Prime Network) – The future lightweight titleholder, still a featherweight prospect (but 17-0 after only 18 months in the pro ranks), went the 10-round distance for the first time in shutting out his fellow Californian. July 27 – Johnny Tapia vs. Jose Felix Montiel (on ESPN) – The wayward future Hall of Famer, still an unbeaten junior bantamweight up-and- comer, defended his USBA title with a ninth-round stoppage of the experienced Mexican contender in Las Vegas. World title bouts on HBO/Showtime: Aug. 11 – Pernell Whitaker vs. Juan Nazario (for the undisputed lightweight championship) and Hector Camacho vs. Tony Baltazar (for Camacho’s WBO junior welterweight title on HBO) – Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Sugar Ray Leonard were dazzled by Whitaker’s surprising opening-round KO (produced by a
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