Evander Holyfield vs. Pinklon Thomas

Evander Holyfield vs. Pinklon Thomas, billed as "The Countdown Continues...", was a professional boxing match contested on December 9, 1988.

The Countdown Continues
DateDecember 9, 1988
VenueConvention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Title(s) on the lineNone
Tale of the tape
Boxer Evander Holyfield Pinklon Thomas
Nickname "The Real Deal" "Pinky"
Hometown Atlanta, Georgia Pontiac, Michigan
Pre-fight record 19–0 29–2–1
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg) 222 lb (101 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA/WBC/IBF
Undisputed
Cruiserweight champion

Background

In his previous fight, Evander Holyfield had defeated James Tillis by referee technical decision in his heavyweight debut. After Holyfield's victory, his next opponent was announced to be former WBC heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas. In Thomas' previous fight, he had been knocked out by Mike Tyson in his first title shot since losing his WBC title in 1986 to Trevor Berbick. Following his loss to Tyson, Thomas had not fought since, going on a 16-month hiatus before agreeing to face Holyfield.

The winner of this fight was expected to next face former WBA heavyweight champion Michael Dokes, with the winner of that fight expected to be next in line for a shot at Mike Tyson's undisputed heavyweight championship.[1] Dokes appeared on the undercard, defeating Rocky Sekorski by unanimous decision to retain the WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title.

The fight

For the second consecutive fight, Holyfield would earn a victory as a result of a corner stoppage, this time after round seven. Though he again failed to gain a knockdown, he nevertheless dominated Thomas throughout, having won every round on two judge's scorecards while the third gave Thomas a single round. With Thomas having endured punishment for seven rounds, his trainer Angelo Dundee refused to let him go back for the eighth, giving Evander Holyfield the victory by referee technical decision.[2]

Fight card
Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight 200+ lb Evander Holyfield def. Pinklon Thomas RTD 7/10
Heavyweight 200+ lb Michael Dokes def. Rocky Sekorski UD 12/12 Note 1
Heavyweight 200+ lb Phil Jackson def. Wendell Everett UD 4/4
Lighweight 135 lb Ricardo Salazar def Sterling Staton UD 4/4
Super Middleweight 168 lb Keith Providence def. Carlos Santiago UD 4/4

^Note 1 For WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title

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References
  1. Evander Holyfield and Pinklon Thomas, who will fight each..., UPI article, 1988-09-08 Retrieved on 2020-02-10
  2. Holyfield Stops Thomas in Seven, NY Times article, 1988-12-10 Retrieved on 2020-02-10
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