Last Time a Substitute Opponent Won a World Title Fight?

[giacomino]

Steve Cruz was a last minute replacement when he beat Barry Mcguigan for the WBA featherweight title in the Fight of the Year according to Ring Magazine and every other boxing publication.

Good shout out. I remember watching that fight. Cruz was actually a talented boxer but he usually effed it up in the big fights. McGuigan wilted under the Las Vegas sun in an era when they held some great battles whilst it was still light

[Onetimeonly]

Good shout out. I remember watching that fight. Cruz was actually a talented boxer but he usually effed it up in the big fights. McGuigan wilted under the Las Vegas sun in an era when they held some great battles whilst it was still light

Who was Barry supposed to fight? Duran/Simms was a good scrap too.

[Aftermath]

Mcguigan was supposed to fight Fernando Sosa of Argentina. Steve Cruz was a 9-1 underdog. Those of us who had seen Cruz fight before knew those odds didn't make any sense. Another impressive win Cruz had on national television was against champion Tracy Harris Patterson, who was trained by his adopted father, Floyd Patterson.

[chuck9788]

Jeff Horn was a substitute teacher before fighting Pacquiao. Does that count?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jeff Horn was a substitute teacher before fighting Pacquiao. Does that count?

Wasn't he just a teacher.

[chinarich]

Wasn't he just a teacher.

Nope, the actual teacher failed a drug test

[Ruthless-RKO]

Good shout out. I remember watching that fight. Cruz was actually a talented boxer but he usually effed it up in the big fights. McGuigan wilted under the Las Vegas sun in an era when they held some great battles whilst it was still light

Who was Barry supposed to fight? Duran/Simms was a good scrap too.

Cruz was not highly rated either.

To answer your question. McGuigan was supposed to fight Fernando Sosa of Argentina, the WBA No. 1 challenger who was forced to withdraw from this fight and ultimately from boxing. Reason was not one, but two detached retinas.

[Aftermath]

Steve Cruz was ranked number 9 by the WBA at the time of the fight. Those 9-1 odds didn't make any sense. Those of who had seen him fight before gave him a good chance against Mcguigan, who also struggled in his previous bout against Danilo Cabrera.

[Enlightened-One]

Wasn't Andy Ruiz Jr. a last-minute replacement for Jarrell Miller, for AJ's June 2019 title defence? He was only given a month notice.

[The Gratest]

Wasn't Andy Ruiz Jr. a last-minute replacement for Jarrell Miller, for AJ's June 2019 title defence? He was only given a month notice.

That's mentioned in the first post and looks to be what this thread was based on.

[splashitallover]

When Michael Bentt knocked out Tommy Morrison for the WBO belt, im sure he replaced Tim Tomasheck......

[Ruthless-RKO]

When Michael Bentt knocked out Tommy Morrison for the WBO belt, im sure he replaced Tim Tomasheck......

Wasn't exactly a repalcement. Morrison DID fight Tomashek.

After this, Morrison signed to fight Lewis, before this could happen, he decided to defend his WBO belt against Bennt, call it a warm up fight? Yeh, that's exactly what it wasn't.

[The Gratest]

When Michael Bentt knocked out Tommy Morrison for the WBO belt, im sure he replaced Tim Tomasheck......

Haha.
Tomasheck was a last minute replacement for Mike Williams, who'd refused to leave his changing room. Tomasheck was in the crowd, sinking beers, but got asked if he wanted to fight Morrison and pick up a few thousands dollars of extra beer money.
You can't get anymore last minute than that.

[bigjack]

Steve Cruz was a last minute replacement when he beat Barry Mcguigan for the WBA featherweight title in the Fight of the Year according to Ring Magazine and every other boxing publication.

Was he a stand in for Antonio Esparragoza ?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Steve Cruz was a last minute replacement when he beat Barry Mcguigan for the WBA featherweight title in the Fight of the Year according to Ring Magazine and every other boxing publication.

Was he a stand in for Antonio Esparragoza ?

Fernando Sosa

[bennie]

McGuigan was offered three opponents by Bob Arum after Sosa was forced to drop out: Jose Marmolejo of Panama, Puerto Rico's Antonio Rivera and that man Cruz. He chose Cruz himself because Cruz had been banged out in a round by Lenny Valdez. Moreover, McGuigan had been roughed up by Marmolejo in sparring in Belfast and "Tonito" Rivera was a dangerous puncher (but a dangerous puncher with asthma). McGuigan chose the wrong man, in my opinion, but his relationship with manager Barney Eastwood had become toxic and the whole show was jinxed.
Don Curry was originally due to challenge Mike McCallum for the WBA light-middleweight title on the night (instead of Thomas Hearns vs Mark Medal) but Curry wanted shot of his manager Dave Gorman, so he pulled out. Arum drafted in Hearns, who somehow managed to boil down to light-middleweight against the gutsy Medal and looked horribly flat, after a good start. Roberto Duran was in no condition to go 10 hard rounds after two quick wins in the previous two years but he needed the money and a win over Robbie Sims would have secured him a second Hagler fight, Robbie's half-brother. Inevitably, Duran ran out of gas after a bright start and the last three rounds were painful to watch.