168 B.C. THE SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION HAS HAD A CLEAR LEADER FOR SOME TIME, BUT THE YEARS BEFORE CANELO WERE A WILD RIDE by Don Stradley C anelo Alvarez has been such a dominant figure at super middleweight that it might be time for a refresher course on the division’s history. After all, the 168-pound class has featured many fine fighters in the decades before Canelo. The division has had its share of big fights, big names, tragedies and comedies. Hall of Famers have dropped by and then moved on, while a handful of greats have dominated the division and made their names there. For a group not established until Ronald Reagan’s first term as U.S. president, the activity has been considerable. But like all new weight classes, it took time for the super middleweights to catch on. Boxing fans have traditionally greeted new divisions with a level of enthusiasm that would make New Coke or Google Glass look popular. The saga began in 1983 when the International Boxing Federation emerged in New Jersey. Along with the offer of
Sugar Ray Leonard attacks Donny Lalonde in 1988.
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