September and boxing remain linked by decades of major fights
From historic Mexican bouts to a packed WBC schedule, September continues to hold a prominent place in boxing’s calendar and culture.
For more than 50 years, September has been one of boxing’s most significant months, with major fights connecting Mexico’s independence celebrations to the sport’s wider history. The tradition has produced world-title contests, landmark performances and nights that remain part of boxing’s shared memory.
Several defining bouts took place around the September dates. Rubén “El Púas” Olivares lost his WBC featherweight title to David Kotey on September 20, 1975, while Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks in New Orleans on September 15, 1978. Sugar Ray Leonard’s meeting with Tommy Hearns followed on September 16, 1981, before Julio César Chávez won his first world title by beating Mario “Azabache” Martínez on September 13, 1984.
Chávez later added further weight to the month with fights against Héctor “Macho” Camacho and Óscar de la Hoya. De la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. also appeared on September cards, while Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez helped maintain the tradition in recent years through his three meetings with Gennady Golovkin and bouts against Edgar Berlanga and Terence Crawford.
The WBC has another busy September ahead. Katie Taylor faces Flora Pili on September 5, Ryan García defends the welterweight title against Conor Benn on September 12, and September 19 features two interim championship bouts. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz meets Néstor Bravo for the super lightweight belt, while Jesús Ramos Jr. takes on Meiirim Nursultanov for the middleweight title.
Recent results have added to the momentum. Lester Martínez stopped Luka Plantic in the 10th round in Los Angeles to retain his WBC interim super middleweight championship. In Birmingham, Chantelle Cameron beat Mikaela Mayer, while Caroline Dubois retained her unified WBC and WBO lightweight titles against Amelia Moore. David Picasso also stopped Maicol Rincón in two rounds in Naucalpan.
Taylor is preparing for the final stage of her career at Dublin’s Croke Park, where more than 80,000 fans are expected. The WBC plans to honour her with a special “Queen of the Celts” belt, recognising her Irish heritage and influence on women’s boxing.
Source: WBC
