Boxing in The 1970s - 1972

1972

• January 15- Joe Frazier retains his world Heavyweight title with a five round knockout of Terry Daniels in New Orleans.
• April 7- Bob Foster recovers the WBA world Light-Heavyweight title, unifying it once again with his WBC championship, knocking out Vicente Rondon in two rounds at Miami. Rondon had become the second Latin American world Light Heavyweight champion when the WBA recognized him after Foster refused to defend the championship against him, but the WBC had kept Foster as world champion.
• May 26- Joe Frazier retains his world Heavyweight title with a five round knockout over Ron Stander in Omaha.
• June 26- Roberto Durán wins the first of four world titles, knocking out WBA world Lightweight champion Ken Buchanan in thirteen rounds at New York. The fight has a controversial ending: many believe that the blow with which Duran ended the fight was actually low and that he should have been disqualified.
• June 27- Muhammad Ali knocks out Jerry Quarry in the seventh round of their Las Vegas rematch.
• September 20- Muhammad Ali beats Floyd Patterson by a knockout in round seven of their rematch, held at New York. It is Patterson's last professional fight, he retires with a record of 55-8-1 with 40 knockouts.
• October 28- Antonio Cervantes wins the WBA world Jr. Welterweight title for the first time, with a tenth round knockout of defending champion Alfonso Peppermint Frazer in Panama City, Panama.
• November 17- Esteban De Jesús begins his trilogy of fights with Roberto Durán by defeating the world Lightweight champion by a ten round unanimous decision in New York. Durán suffers his first career defeat in the non-title fight.