Graciano Rocchigiani vs. Michael Nunn

From BoxRec
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Rocchigiani vs. Nunn.jpg

Graciano Rocchigiani 175 lbs beat Michael Nunn 175 lbs by SD in round 12 of 12

  • Date: 1998-03-21
  • Location: Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany
  • Referee: Daniel Van de Wiele
  • Judge: Ken Morita 115-113
    1
     9
    10
    		 2
    10
    9 
    		 3
     9
    10
    		 4
    10
    9 
    		 5
    10
    9 
    		 6
     9
    10
    		 7
    10
    9 
    		 8
    10
    9 
    		 9
     9
    10
    		 10
    10
    9 
    		 11
    10
    9 
    		 12
     9
    10
     
  • Judge: Richard James Davies 118-111
    1
     9
    10
    		 2
    10
    9 
    		 3
    10
    9 
    		 4
    10
    9 
    		 5
    10
    10
    		 6
    10
    9 
    		 7
    10
    9 
    		 8
     9
    10
    		 9
    10
    9 
    		 10
    10
    9 
    		 11
    10
    9 
    		 12
    10
    9 
     
  • Judge: Jose Juan Guerra 113-116
    1
     9
    10
    		 2
    10
    9 
    		 3
     9
    10
    		 4
    10
    9 
    		 5
     9
    10
    		 6
     9
    10
    		 7
     9
    10
    		 8
     9
    10
    		 9
    10
    9 
    		 10
    10
    10
    		 11
    10
    9 
    		 12
     9
    10
     


Rocchigiani Tops Nunn for WBC Title

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Graciano Rocchigiani pounded American Michael Nunn over 12 rounds Saturday to win the WBC light heavyweight title in a close fight ruled a split decision by the judges.

Nunn landed far more blows against Rocchigiani, slipping jabs repeatedly through the German’s closed peek-a-boo defense in the bout for the title vacated by Roy Jones Jr.

But it was Rocchigiani, a former IBF super middleweight champion, who rocked Nunn with the harder punches, snapping the faster American’s head back during the in-fighting and on the ropes.

"I thought I won the fight, but the judges saw it differently," said the disappointed Nunn. "I landed more blows, probably three-to-one."

The judges ruled the bout 118-111 and 115-113 for the German fighter and 116-113 for Nunn in a high-tempo fight that often had the 10,500 spectators roaring.

The record of Nunn, the former IBF middleweight and WBA super middleweight champion, fell to 52-4 with 34 knockouts. The WBC No. 1 challenger, he has now lost three straight title bouts.

Rocchigiani, the No. 2 challenger with a record of 40-4-1 and 19 knockouts, revived his career by winning the battle of 34-year-old left-handers. He had lost his last four title bouts, three of them controversially.

"This is special for me, being 34, and coming 10 years after my last title," said Rocchigiani, who won his IBF crown in 1988.

Nunn’s promoter, Dan Goossen, filed a protest with the WBC immediately after the fight, believing the German commissioners ringside had acted illegally. He said they slipped Rocchigiani’s corner the judge’s scores between rounds.

"It’s unheard of that’s an unfair advantage," Goossen said.

Rocchigiani, hit by a jab, bled from a cut above the eye during the second round of a match originally scheduled for April 7. The German pulled out of that fight with a flu.

Nunn taunted the German while leaning on the ropes during the round, standing with lowered hands, daring Rocchigiani to hit his head.

But Rocchigiani’s corner closed the cut, and the German began to catch Nunn with both lefts and rights when he forced the American onto the ropes during the middle rounds.

Neither Nunn, with his flurry of punches from outside, nor Rocchigiani appeared in danger of being knocked out.

"My people were telling me I was winning by five or six points," Nunn said. "I just laughed when I heard the decision."

Both Rocchigiani and Nunn weighed 174 pounds.

Rocchigiani's Lawsuit Against the WBC

Rocchigiani defeated Nunn to win the vacant WBC light heavyweight championship on March 21, 1998.

The previous champion, Roy Jones Jr., had relinquished the championship to move up to the heavyweight division.

Jones signed a contract to fight James (Buster) Douglas, the former undisputed world heavyweight champion, for the International Boxing Association heavyweight title in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 2, 1998.

However, after discussing the fight with his father, Jones changed his mind and backed out of the Douglas fight. Roy Jones Sr. convinced his son to stay at light heavyweight, telling him that he would be "risking his life" fighting Douglas.

In June 1998, the WBC stated that Jones was the "champion in recess" and Rocchigiani was the "interim" champion. The WBC said its references in promotions and contracts to the Rocchigiani-Nunn fight as a championship bout, and to Rocchigiani as the champion, had been typographical errors.

Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in lost earnings and other damages by a New York court in 2002. The court also retroactively restored Rocchigiani’s official WBC light heavyweight championship status, but only from March 28, 1998 (when he defeated Nunn) to April 15, 2000 (when he lost to Dariusz Michalczewski).

In 2003, the WBC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This chapter of the Bankruptcy Code generally provides for reorganization. A chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time.

Rocchigiani was offered a settlement of $3.5 million from the WBC, but he rejected it. He also rejected an offer to fight Antonio Tarver for the WBC light heavyweight title.

The WBC announced in June 2004 that it planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy. This chapter of the Bankruptcy Code provides for "liquidation"—the sale of a debtor's nonexempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors.

In August 2004, the WBC reached a settlement agreement with Rocchigiani and withdrew its plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but BoxingTalk.com reported that the WBC agreed to pay Rocchigiani $4.5 million.

Note

The WBC awarded Nunn a championship belt in 2021 and proclaimed him the WBC light heavyweight champion for 1998 after an investigation by the WBC found irregularities in Nunn's fight against Rocchigiani.

Articles

Retrieved from "https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php?title=Graciano_Rocchigiani_vs._Michael_Nunn&oldid=1011961"