Kamel Bou-Ali’s Tunisian Crown
On December 9, 1989, Kamel Bou-Ali stopped Antonio Rivera in the eighth round in Teramo, Italy, to win the vacant WBO super-featherweight championship. The Tunisian boxer’s victory came after a previous unsuccessful world-title attempt against Rocky Lockridge.
A long route to the WBO belt
Bou-Ali turned professional in 1977 and gradually worked his way toward the top of the division. In 1984 he beat future champion Alfredo Layne, then got a shot at the WBA title against Rocky Lockridge the following year. Lockridge stopped him in the sixth round. It was a hard setback, but Bou-Ali remained active and kept building toward another championship opportunity.
That second chance arrived on December 9, 1989, when Bou-Ali faced Puerto Rico’s Antonio Rivera for the vacant WBO super featherweight title in Teramo, Italy. He stopped Rivera in the eighth round to become champion (title-fight chronology). The victory came after years of work in the division and gave Tunisia a world titleholder on boxing’s international stage.
A title run that lasted into 1992
Bou-Ali held on through an uneven stretch. A 1990 contest with Pedro Villegas ended as a no contest, so it did not count as a successful defense. In June 1991, Bou-Ali stopped Joey Jacobs in the third round to retain the belt. He also recorded a points win over Benito Martinez later that year. The reign reached its end on March 21, 1992, in a close fight with France’s Daniel Londas. After twelve rounds, Londas won by split decision and took the championship.
Bou-Ali did not disappear after losing the title. He continued boxing into 1993, finishing his career after more than fifteen years as a professional. His place in the sport rests on more than a line in the WBO record book: he rebounded from an early world-title loss, captured a second major opportunity with a knockout, and kept the belt through a demanding run of challengers. For Tunisian boxing, that championship remains the high point of a determined career.
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Kamel Bou-Ali, Boxing, Championship Fights, Boxing History
