Kid Gavilan vs. Johnny Saxton
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Kid Gavilan 146 lbs lost to Johnny Saxton 146 lbs by UD in round 15 of 15
- Date: 1954-10-20
- Location: Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Referee: Pete Pantaleo 6-9
- Judge: Nate Lopinson 6-8
- Judge: Jim Mina 6-7
World Welterweight Title
- Gavilan vs. Saxton was originally scheduled for July 14, 1954 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia, but the fight was postponed because Gavilan injured his right hand. The bout was rescheduled for September 1, but it was again postponed when Gavilan came down with a virus and the mumps. The fight finally took place on October 20 at Convention Hall in Philadelphia. [1]
- On the day of the fight, word spread that the fix was in. Odds favoring Gavilan at 2½ to 1 tumbled to even money in a couple of hours. Finally, the books wiped the fight off the boards, meaning that they weren't accepting any more bets. The ugly rumor of fix and the flood of Saxton money worried the men who made the books. [2]
- A crowd of 7,909 produced a gross gate of $57,121.
- In the January 1955 issue of The Ring (pages 8-9), Nat Fleischer wrote that the referee showed favoritism, frequently warning Gavilan against holding, whereas Saxton was mainly to blame. It was an extremely dull fight, with scarcely any action for the first eight rounds.
- 20 of 22 boxing writers at ringside had Gavilan winning the fight. [3]
- Unofficial AP scorecard - 8-4-3 Gavilan
- Unofficial INS scorecard - 8-5-2 Gavilan
- Television receipts - $40,000
- Purses: Gavilan - $40,000 (guaranteed), Saxton - (60% of net and TV minus Gavilan's guarantee) $11,132 (est.)