Graciano Rocchigiani vs. Michael Nunn - Revision history

Walker21 at 17:55, 11 February 2023

2023-02-11T17:55:48Z

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	[[File:Rocchigiani-Nunn.jpg\|right]]		[[File:Rocchigiani vs. Nunn.jpg\|right\|450px]]
	<fight>12432</fight>		<fight>12432</fight>
	*'''[[WBC]] Light Heavyweight ~~Title~~''' (Vacant)		*'''[[WBC]] Light Heavyweight Championship''' (Vacant)
			*'''Promoter:''' [[Wilfried Sauerland]]

	~~<br clear=all>~~

	~~----~~		'''Rocchigiani Tops Nunn for WBC Title'''

	~~In early 1998,~~ the WBC light heavyweight title ~~was relinquished~~ by ~~[[Roy Jones Jr.]], who planned to move up to heavyweight. Jones signed to fight former heavyweight champion [[James (Buster) Douglas]] for~~ the ~~[[International Boxing Association]] heavyweight title on May 2, 1998 in Atlantic City, New Jersey~~.		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.

	~~On March 21, 1998, WBC #1 contender Michael~~ Nunn ~~fought #2 contender Graciano~~ Rocchigiani for the ~~vacant light heavyweight~~ title~~. Rocchigiani won~~ by ~~a split decision and was declared the new champion~~.		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.

	~~Meanwhile~~, Jones changed his mind and backed out of the Douglas fight. ~~His father~~ convinced ~~him~~ to stay at light heavyweight, telling him he ~~was~~ "risking his life" by fighting Douglas.		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.		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.

	~~Jones~~ and ~~Rocchigiani were scheduled to fight~~ in ~~Biloxi~~, ~~Mississippi on November 6~~, ~~1999~~. ~~However, promoter~~ [[~~Murad Muhammad~~]] ~~called off~~ the ~~bout because Rocchigiani didn't attend a press conference in New York~~. ~~Muhammad said he couldn't promote~~ a ~~bout with Rocchigiani if he didn't cooperate.~~		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 [[Dariusz Michalczewski vs. Graciano Rocchigiani (2nd meeting)\|lost]] to [[Dariusz Michalczewski]]).
	~~The WBC subsequently stripped Rocchigiani outright~~.
			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 ~~sued the WBC and~~ was ~~awarded~~ $31 million ~~in lost earnings and other damages by a New York court in April 2003. 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~~]]).		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.

	~~The WBC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the judgement. A year later~~, the WBC ~~announced they planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy, which usually leads to the liquidation of~~ a ~~company. They~~ withdrew plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy ~~when they reached an agreement with Rocchigiani in August 2004~~. Terms were not disclosed.		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==		==Articles==
	*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/30/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-for-heavyweight-title.html "Jones-Douglas for Heavyweight Title" January 30, 1998]		*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/30/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-for-heavyweight-title.html "Jones-Douglas for Heavyweight Title" The New York Times, January 30, 1998]
	*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/05/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-is-off.html "Jones-Douglas Is Off" February 5, 1998]		*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/05/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-is-off.html "Jones-Douglas Is Off" The New York Times, February 5, 1998]
	*[http://www.~~hurriyetdailynews~~.com/~~default~~.~~aspx?pageid=438&n=wbc-lawyer-roy-jones-jr.-has-to-fight-rocchigiani-1999-10-08~~ "WBC ~~lawyer: Roy Jones Jr. has to fight Rocchigiani~~" ~~October 8~~, ~~1999~~]		*[https://apnews.com/article/d534f1b6ec14a2f0f1f0138e9fcf4b8f "Rocchigiani Tops Nunn for WBC Title" Associated Press, March 21, 1998]
	*[http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1867821 "Sanctioning body halts bankruptcy plan" August 25, 2004]		*[http://www.espn.com/boxing/news/2002/0921/1434892.html "Rocchigiani wins lawsuit against WBC" Associated Press, September 21, 2002]
			*[http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1867821 "Sanctioning body halts bankruptcy plan" ESPN, August 25, 2004]
			*[http://boxingtalk.com/WBC-Soliciting-Payments-From-Promoters "WBC Soliciting Payments From Promoters" By Scott Shaffer and G. Leon, BoxingTalk.com, December 13, 2004]
			*[https://www.clintonherald.com/news/local_news/from-champion-to-convict-michael-nunn-offers-advice-to-boxing-students/article_b34cc524-5c36-11eb-9c66-4b41b048d596.html "From champion to convict, Michael Nunn offers advice to boxing students" Clinton Herald, January 25, 2021]

Earl at 17:52, 22 November 2013

2013-11-22T17:52:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:52, 22 November 2013
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	The WBC subsequently stripped Rocchigiani outright.		The WBC subsequently stripped Rocchigiani outright.

	Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in lost earnings and other damages by a New York court in April 2003. 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).		Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in lost earnings and other damages by a New York court in April 2003. 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]]).

	The WBC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the judgement. A year later, the WBC announced they planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy, which usually leads to the liquidation of a company. They withdrew plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy when they reached an agreement with Rocchigiani in August 2004. Terms were not disclosed.		The WBC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the judgement. A year later, the WBC announced they planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy, which usually leads to the liquidation of a company. They withdrew plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy when they reached an agreement with Rocchigiani in August 2004. Terms were not disclosed.

Earl at 10:39, 6 November 2013

2013-11-06T10:39:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:39, 6 November 2013
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			[[File:Rocchigiani-Nunn.jpg\|right]]
	<fight>12432</fight>		<fight>12432</fight>
	(~~Before this bout~~, ~~then-~~WBC ~~Light Heavyweight champion~~ Roy Jones ~~made his intentions~~ to fight ~~Heavyweight~~ James 'Buster' Douglas on May 20, 1998 ~~instead of Michael Nunn~~, ~~the WBC mandated challenger~~. ~~The~~ WBC ~~title was then declared vacant and contested between~~ #1 ~~rated~~ Nunn ~~and~~ #2 ~~rated~~ Graciano Rocchigiani. ~~However~~, in June of 1998 the WBC ~~illegally down-graded~~ Rocchigiani~~'s classification to that of an '~~interim' champion, and ~~then stripped him outright~~, ~~having declared Roy~~ Jones ~~as being~~ the ~~<I>champion~~ in ~~recess</I>~~. Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in damages. ~~Also as a result of this lawsuit, a United States District Judge~~ retroactively restored Rocchigiani’s official WBC ~~Light Heavyweight~~ championship status ~~in April 2003~~, but only from ~~03-~~28-1998 to ~~04-~~15-2000, when he lost to Dariusz Michalczewski.)		*'''[[WBC]] Light Heavyweight Title''' (Vacant)

			<br clear=all>

			----

			In early 1998, the WBC light heavyweight title was relinquished by [[Roy Jones Jr.]], who planned to move up to heavyweight. Jones signed to fight former heavyweight champion [[James (Buster) Douglas]] for the [[International Boxing Association]] heavyweight title on May 2, 1998 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

			On March 21, 1998, WBC #1 contender Michael Nunn fought #2 contender Graciano Rocchigiani for the vacant light heavyweight title. Rocchigiani won by a split decision and was declared the new champion.

			Meanwhile, Jones changed his mind and backed out of the Douglas fight. His father convinced him to stay at light heavyweight, telling him he was "risking his life" by 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.

			Jones and Rocchigiani were scheduled to fight in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 6, 1999. However, promoter [[Murad Muhammad]] called off the bout because Rocchigiani didn't attend a press conference in New York. Muhammad said he couldn't promote a bout with Rocchigiani if he didn't cooperate.
			The WBC subsequently stripped Rocchigiani outright.

			Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in lost earnings and other damages by a New York court in April 2003. 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).

			The WBC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the judgement. A year later, the WBC announced they planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy, which usually leads to the liquidation of a company. They withdrew plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy when they reached an agreement with Rocchigiani in August 2004. Terms were not disclosed.

			==Articles==
			*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/30/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-for-heavyweight-title.html "Jones-Douglas for Heavyweight Title" January 30, 1998]
			*[http://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/05/sports/plus-boxing-jones-douglas-is-off.html "Jones-Douglas Is Off" February 5, 1998]
			*[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=wbc-lawyer-roy-jones-jr.-has-to-fight-rocchigiani-1999-10-08 "WBC lawyer: Roy Jones Jr. has to fight Rocchigiani" October 8, 1999]
			*[http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1867821 "Sanctioning body halts bankruptcy plan" August 25, 2004]

Rowdytimothy: Michael Nunn vs. Graciano Rocchigiani moved to Graciano Rocchigiani vs. Michael Nunn

2008-04-02T22:24:51Z

Michael Nunn vs. Graciano Rocchigiani moved to Graciano Rocchigiani vs. Michael Nunn

← Older revision	Revision as of 22:24, 2 April 2008
(No difference)

Emaster: Fight:12432 moved to Michael Nunn vs. Graciano Rocchigiani

2007-08-23T17:57:32Z

Fight:12432 moved to Michael Nunn vs. Graciano Rocchigiani

New page

<fight>12432</fight>
(Before this bout, then-WBC Light Heavyweight champion Roy Jones made his intentions to fight Heavyweight James 'Buster' Douglas on May 20, 1998 instead of Michael Nunn, the WBC mandated challenger. The WBC title was then declared vacant and contested between #1 rated Nunn and #2 rated Graciano Rocchigiani. However, in June of 1998 the WBC illegally down-graded Rocchigiani's classification to that of an 'interim' champion, and then stripped him outright, having declared Roy Jones as being the <I>champion in recess</I>. Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in damages. Also as a result of this lawsuit, a United States District Judge retroactively restored Rocchigiani’s official WBC Light Heavyweight championship status in April 2003, but only from 03-28-1998 to 04-15-2000, when he lost to Dariusz Michalczewski.)

Medic at 06:58, 11 June 2005

2005-06-11T06:58:57Z

New page

<fight>12432</fight>
(Before this bout, then-WBC Light Heavyweight champion Roy Jones made his intentions to fight Heavyweight James 'Buster' Douglas on May 20, 1998 instead of Michael Nunn, the WBC mandated challenger. The WBC title was then declared vacant and contested between #1 rated Nunn and #2 rated Graciano Rocchigiani. However, in June of 1998 the WBC illegally changed down-graded Rocchigiani's classification to that of an 'interim' champion, and then stripped him outright, having declared Roy Jones as being the <I>champion in recess</I>. Rocchigiani sued the WBC and was awarded $31 million in damages. Also as a result of this lawsuit, a United States District Judge retroactively restored Rocchigiani’s official WBC Light Heavyweight championship status in April 2003, but only from 03-28-1998 to 04-15-2000, when he lost to Dariusz Michalczewski.)