A look back on the late Roger Mayweather’s first WBC title defense against Mauricio Aceves.
He may not have been as prominent as his nephew, but Roger Mayweather was a star in his own right. Through his 18-year career, the original “Black Mamba” had his fair share of stellar performances and highlight-reel knockouts that will go down in boxing’s history books.
One of them was on full display on the night of March 24th 1988, when he fought Mexico’s Mauricio Aceves. It was Mayweather’s first title defense as the WBC light welterweight champion, which took place in front of a hostile crowd at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles.
Mayweather dictated the pace of the fight as early as round one, landing his patented right hand to send Aceves down to the canvas. He inflicted further damage in the second round, opening a cut around the corner of the Mexican’s left eye.
And right here is round three, when Roger finished the job. He bided his time looking for that opening while keeping the aggression. Aceves was playing to his opponent’s distance and rhythm, eating some hard shots in the process.
After a few more clean combinations, Roger landed the final thudding right at the midpoint of the round. Aceves tried to keep his footing but eventually fell to the ropes. Unable to answer the eight-count with a dazed look on his face, the referee intervened to stop the action.
Mayweather successfully defended the belt three more times before dropping it to the great Julio Cesar Chavez a year later. In 1996, Roger turned his attention to training Floyd Jr., whom he helped steer to numerous titles. He passed away on Tuesday after a long battle with diabetes.
Gone but definitely not forgotten. Rest in Peace, Roger Mayweather.