JORGE VACA w td 8 LLOYD HONEYGHAN
October 28, 1987; Grand Hall, Wembley, London
A LESSON in what can happen when fighters at a certain level take a step down. Honeyghan had beaten Donald Curry, Johnny Bumphus, Maurice Blocker and was fresh off a 40-second annihilation of Gene Hatcher when little known Jorge Vaca came along and gave a below-par Honeyghan all he could handle in a wild encounter. A lesson, also, in how sanctioning bodies singing to different tunes in the same sport causes utter chaos. The IBF refused to sanction a bout that wasn’t over 15 rounds (the WBC and BBBof C insisted this had to be over 12) so Honeyghan effectively lost both belts, and the welterweight championship – united when Lloyd beat Curry – was completely fractured again.
DID YOU KNOW? Honeyghan essentially lost because he was deducted a point due to the accidental head-clash that ripped Vaca open and ended the fight. Without that lost point, Honeyghan would have salvaged a draw.
WATCH OUT FOR: Honeyghan’s honest and fascinating post-fight interview (which is followed by the Littlewoods Cup results on Sportsnight).
