Florentino Fernandez vs. Rory Calhoun

Florentino Fernandez 156 lbs beat Rory Calhoun 161 lbs by TKO at 2:31 in round 8 of 10

• Date: 1961-01-28
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
• Referee: Harry Kessler 4-2
• Judge: Johnny Dran 4-2
• Judge: Tony Castellano

"Florentino Fernandez of Havana made an impressive debut Saturday night as a full-fledged middleweight by flooring Rory Calhoun once for the knockout in the 8th round of their nationally televised fight at MSG. Fernandez staggered Rory of White Plains, NY, with a left hook and then battered him until another left hook dropped him onto his back. Calhoun rose groggily at the count of nine and almost fell as he turned and staggered on rubber legs toward his corner. Referee Harry Kessler declared Calhoun knocked out at 2:31 of the 8th round. The knockdown at the time of the knockout was the only one in the fight between two sluggers, although each was knocked back onto his heels several times." -United Press International

• Fernandez was ahead on all cards at the time of the stoppage.
• Fernandez suffered a gash on his left cheek in the 3rd round while Calhoun's lower lip was cut in the 2nd.
• Harry Markson, the Garden's director of boxing stated that he wanted to match Fernandez with Marcel Pigou of France in March. He did and as a result of that fight Fernandez received a title shot at Gene Fullmer for the middleweight championship.