Boxing History: Ali, Mattioli and McClellan secure title wins

August 6th marks several significant moments in WBC championship history. In 1966, Muhammad Ali successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title at the Earls Court Arena in London. He secured a three-round knockout victory against the British challenger, Brian London, through a display of clinical precision.

In 1977, the super welterweight division saw a change in leadership. Rocco Mattioli captured the WBC super welterweight world title in Berlin, Germany. The Italian fighter stopped Germany's Eckhard Dagge via a fifth-round knockout during their highly anticipated bout.

One of the fastest title defenses in history occurred in 1993 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Gerald McClellan retained his WBC middleweight championship by knocking out his mandatory challenger, Jay Bell. The fight ended in the first round after only 30 seconds of action.

In 1996, Saman Sorjaturong kept his WBC light flyweight belt in Phitsanulok, Thailand. He achieved a ninth-round technical knockout against the Japanese challenger, Shiro Yahiro, following a resilient performance from the challenger.

Finally, the 2005 strawweight division saw an all-Japanese contest at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. Eagle Kyowa, also known as Den Junlaphan, defended his WBC title against Katsunari Takayama. Kyowa won the match via a unanimous decision after the full 12 rounds of competition. This victory came against a young Takayama, who would later become a multi-division champion.