The super middleweight division, much like the early cruiserweights and the bridgerweights today, was viewed as an imposturous landscape designed purely to generate more sanctioning fee revenue when, in March 1984, the fledgling IBF opted to introduce the 168-pound class.
One can now argue it was required given the sizable gap between middleweight and light heavyweight but back in the 1980s barely anyone noticed when Murray Sutherland outpointed Ernie Singletary over 15 rounds to become the inaugural champ.
The division was ignored, too, by the other sanctioning bodies until December 1987 when the WBA staged their first 12st championship bout. Predictably, the WBC and the brand new WBO followed in 1988.
Yet the history of the super middleweights can be traced back much further than any of that.
The first championship bout staged with a 168-pound limit occurred in April 1967, for something called the world junior light heavyweight title, when Don Fullmer halted Joe Hopkins in the sixth of a scheduled 12 in Salt Lake City. In retrospect, junior light heavyweight was laughably wordy and never really stood a chance – even Fullmer himself didn’t recognize the championship as particularly legitimate.
Fast forward to 2024 and the super middleweight division is home to the world’s most marketable fighter in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, quite the contrast when one considers that Marvelous Marvin Hagler would barely acknowledge such a place existed when he was both the sport’s leader and middleweight king 40 years ago.
Here, in chronological order, are the 10 fights that changed the perception of a once-maligned landscape:
1 – Sugar Ray Leonard w rsf 9 Donny Lalonde, November 1988, Las Vegas
Any credit the WBC may have generated by ignoring the 168 class was immediately revoked when they allowed Leonard to challenge Lalonde for his WBC light heavyweight gong and box for the sanctioning body’s inaugural super middleweight title in a solitary contest. Not so much two for the price of one, wailed the historians who were already at boiling point over the sudden influx of belts and weight classes, but a flagrant rip off. Leonard won a thriller in nine rounds, going from a three-weight king to a five-weight champion in the space of 40 minutes. At least Henry Armstrong, the legendary title collector who had passed away a fortnight before, wasn’t around to witness it.
2 – Sugar Ray Leonard drew 12 Thomas Hearns, June 1989, Las Vegas
Though the championship status of Leonard-Lalonde was farcical, it nonetheless meant that Ray – past his best but still one of the sporting world’s biggest draws – had a new home from where he could command significant paydays. Thomas Hearns won the WBO strap three days before Leonard beat Lalonde, but his struggle with James Kinchen left few believing he could beat his old rival in a return. No matter, because in June 1989, with the weight class barely five years old, it staged arguably the biggest fight of the year when Leonard and Hearns came together again. Though not a patch on their 1981 opener, the sequel exceeded expectations as Hearns scored knockdowns in rounds three and 11 only to endure a torrid 12th. Most observers felt the “Hitman” was unfortunate to only get a draw.
3 – Chris Eubank w rsf 12 Michael Watson, September 1991, London
British promoters, their broadcast partners and the media, legitimised the WBO as a championship body thanks to some of the country’s biggest stars fighting for their titles. And on the night of September 21, 1991, the supersonic efforts of Eubank and Watson were worthy of world championship status as they competed in a fateful duel for the vacant 168-pound strap, one forever marred by its tragic end. Buoyed by what he perceived as the injustice of their first bout, fought down at middleweight three months previously and won by Eubank thanks to some contentious scoring, Watson boxed with poise and spirit for 10-plus competitive rounds. Then came the dramatic 11th: Watson dropped Eubank heavily, seemingly cementing his revenge only for Eubank – in a show of determination for which he rarely gets credit – to immediately return the favor. Watson’s fall culminated with his head hitting the bottom rope; hindsight tells us he was in no state to come out for the last session.
4 – Nigel Benn drew 12 Chris Eubank, October 1993, Manchester
Though this return lacked the high intensity of their first rumble, it highlighted the immense interest in the division in Europe. The contrasting personas and fighting styles of Benn and Eubank was the real draw, however, as more than 42,000 fans crammed into Old Trafford to watch the enemies attempt to settle their differences. The final round in particular was a cracker as Benn and Eubank went for victory but, alas, it would be scored a draw. Benn wasn’t happy with the level pegging but ringsider Don King, who had it drawn into the contract that both the winner and loser would join his stable, was the most upset as he left the UK with neither fighter in his pocket thanks to it ending all square. The result also meant that Benn retained his WBC strap while Eubank walked away with his WBO title.
5 – Roy Jones w pts 12 James Toney, November 1994, Las Vegas
Still perhaps the best matched fight in the division’s history, Toney was the unbeaten IBF champion while Jones also brought his ‘0’ after rising from middleweight in a clash between two of the finest boxers in the entire sport. Unlike Leonard and Hearns five years before, both were reckoned to be at their peaks, too. Toney had been increasingly impressive since breaking onto the world scene in 1991 but here at the MGM Grand, on his biggest night against his most talented rival, he disappointed both himself and his supporters. Jones controlled the action from the start, scoring a knockdown of sorts along the way, to win a wide unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Jones’ reputation duly soared and the super middleweight class, 10 years after its forgettable inception, had played host to the most eagerly anticipated fight of the year.
6 – Nigel Benn w ko 10 Gerald McClellan, February 1995, London
Like Eubank-Watson II this thunderous battle between Benn and McClellan – which highlighted boxing at its best and worst – sits uneasily in this list given what transpired in the aftermath. But prior to McClellan sitting out the count in round 10, this was a contest of astonishing violence that is arguably the most thrilling in super middleweight history. Benn was bundled out of the ring in the opening round, his senses scrambled and McClellan, a slugger of immense quality, seemingly on the brink of a spectacular triumph. Yet Benn survived – somewhat fortuitously – before slowly gaining a foothold in the battle. The Briton, against the run of play, was floored again in the eighth before an exhausted and damaged McClellan all but surrendered in the 10th. The subsequent collapse of McClellan was horrific to witness, and his plight became a desperately sorry tale.
7 – Joe Calzaghe w pts 12 Jeff Lacy, March 2006, Manchester
Following the declines of Eubank, Benn and Steve Collins, and the departures of Jones Jr and Toney, the division inevitably lost some lustre. Though fighters like Michael Nunn, Frankie Liles and Byron Mitchell won belts while representing America, the key 168-pound clashes were predominantly contested in Europe as Wales’ Joe Calzaghe and Germany’s Sven Ottke, among others, jostled for position – albeit without fighting each other. By 2006, Calzaghe had been WBO boss for what felt like a gazillion years and though clearly talented he was in danger of going stale in the absence of a befitting dance partner. That person came along in the form of Jeff Lacy, a fearsome puncher who was drawing comparisons to Mike Tyson thanks to his crouching, seek-and-destroy style. The American began as a narrow favourite but Calzaghe, in the mother of all coming out parties, dominated from start to finish, wrecking Lacy in the process.
8 – Andre Ward w pts 12 Carl Froch, December 2011, Atlantic City
The ambitious Super Six reached its end when the two most impressive fighters in the tournament came together in the final staged at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. The contest itself was no thriller but nonetheless exhibited how exceptionally difficult Ward, one of the finest fighters in modern memory, was to beat. Though two judges only had Froch two points down at the end, seemingly favouring his aggression, this felt like a comfortable victory for Ward who neutralised Froch in a way that was never seen before or since. Importantly, the division again staged a bout to decipher the weight class’ best as Ward, before moving up to light heavy, proved his quality against a future Hall of Famer.
9 – Carl Froch w ko 8 George Groves, May 2014, London
Yet another irresistible rivalry at 168. This rematch suddenly became a necessity after Groves stunned Froch in the first round of their opening bout and was very much still in it when referee Howard Foster stepped in to prematurely rescue him in the ninth. Groves campaigned for this deserved sequel and Froch, though initially not keen on again facing a man who had psychologically tortured him, soon recognized the money to be made. A quickly sold-out Wembley Stadium played host, and in the UK this bout was simply ginormous, with everyone from hairdressers to road sweepers to lawyers discussing the contest. A nip-and-tuck chess match ended suddenly in round eight when Froch called checkmate via one brutal right hand.
10 – Canelo Alvarez w ko 11 Caleb Plant, November 2021, Las Vegas
What began as something of a novelty division, one in which the accomplished would make fleeting pit stops to pick up a bit of extra silverware, became one of the most reliable at making quality matchups at the highest level. The last one coming three years ago when Alvarez, the owner of three belts, was matched with unbeaten IBF boss Caleb Plant for the undisputed championship. This may have been the last time we saw the best of Canelo, as he expertly rode some early storms from Plant to take control down the stretch, halting his man suddenly in round 11. Though Canelo has won belts at junior middle, middle and light heavy, the 168 class where he can boast a 9-0 record has been his happiest stomping ground.
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