HBO Memories Part 1

Since it’s inception in 1973, HBO grew from humble beginnings to become the home of professional boxing until it stopped covering the sport in late 2018. Here is the beginning of a list of fights I personally watched on HBO.

1. May 11, 1981. Gerry Cooney vs. Ken Norton. I went to a local restaurant to watch this one since we didn’t have cable TV in our house. I bought a coke and was only the the barstool for a short time, since Cooney cornered Norton and viciously knocked him out only 54 seconds into the first round. Referee Tony Perez did a horrible job in allowing Cooney to wail away on a defenseless Norton, who retired after this loss. Cooney went on a year later to challenge Larry Holmes for the heavyweight championship.
2. March 18, 1983. Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi. I went over my sister’s house to watch a semi-scrambled version of HBO on their television set that was coming in for free. I loved Michael Spinks by that time, and he had become perhaps my favorite boxer of all. The picture was clear enough for me to see, and I loved that Michael won an easy 15 round decision over the rough Qawi. Spinks’ girlfriend had just been killed in a car crash not long before the bout, but he fought off tears to win a courageous fight, and become the unified light heavyweight champion of the world.
3. January 14, 1984. Ray Mancini vs. Bobby Chacon. This time I went to my cousin’s house to catch the action, who had a big projection TV in his rec room. My mom babysat for him on Saturday nights, and it was a perfect place for me to catch fights. The fight in Reno, Nevada was an easy one for Ray, who overwhelmed the smaller Chacon, and stopped him in three. ‘Boom Boom’ was always fun to watch, and it was nice to see him have not have to struggle to get a win.
4. May 11, 1984. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Kevin Howard. I was sure excited to see Ray Leonard back in action, and even traveled to Worcester, Massachusetts to see him train for this one. I stopped by my cousin Paul’s house, the same one my mom babysat for. He taped the fight, and I picked it up after work from the airline I worked second shift at. I was so grateful that he did, and I must have watched that fight a hundred times over the years. It was kind of a surprise to see Leonard struggle with Howard, and get knocked down for the first time in his professional career. He regrouped and won by a ninth round TKO, but announced his retirement again after the bout.
5. October 19, 1984. Marvin Hagler vs. Mustafa Hamsho 2. Another trip to cousin Paul’s house to catch the action on the big screen while mom babysat. Marvelous had a much easier time with Hamsho than he did in their first tussle in October of 1981, and easily knocked him out in three rounds. The victory against the number one contender set up the showdown with Thomas Hearns the next April in Las Vegas. No one covered boxing better than HBO, and I loved it more every time I saw it.