The Bout
The fight came off on September 23, 1983, at Richfield Coliseum, about halfway between Dokes' hometown of Akron, Ohio and the much larger city of Cleveland. It was the last bout in a multi-bout fight card that included an Azumah Nelson knockout victory in two rounds over Puerto Rico's Alberto Collazo; Jeff Malcolm's ten round decision win over future Aaron Pryor conqueror Bobby Joe Young; a fight between two of former Holmes challengers in which Alfredo Evangelista outpointed Snipes over ten rounds, and future world champion Tim Witherspoon's spectacular first round knockout win over former title challenger (WBA title, Mike Weaver) challenger James Tillis. Promoted by Don King promotions, the main event was televised in the United States on HBO Boxing.
Coetzee was a two-time loser in title shots, while Dokes was looked on as a young gun destined (perhaps?) to challenge long-time pro Larry Holmes' supermacy in the Heavyweight ranks. Dokes entered the ring by throwing flowers and blowing kisses to the ladies present at the event. Dokes' self-image of the lady killer was reminiscent of Gorgeous George, the wrestler. Coetzee didn't preen or pose but walked to the ring in the more traditional style.
Dokes v. Coetzee was seen as the continuation of the ascension of Michael Dokes into a true Heavyweight star. While he drew in his rematch with Weaver, he had all the markings of a real legitimate Heavyweight titlist. He was fluid, fast and had good power. He looked the part in the post-Ali landscape of jabbing, fleet-footed big men. The flip-side of the angle of the bout was this would likely be the last shot for the South African.
Coetzee, unlike in the Tate and Weaver bouts where he was considered a real threat, was a decided underdog in the odds, as well as in the opinion of the fight crowd. For the first few rounds the script played as it was written, as Dokes flashed his impressive hand speed, and combined head and body shots to keep Coetzee off-balance. In the fifth round, however, things changed when Coetzee connected with a right hand to Dokes' jaw, sending the champion to the canvas on one knee. Coetzee's power wasn't a surprise but he had not put Weaver or the soft-chinned Tate down in his prior title-shots.
Unlike in his previous high profile bouts, Coetzee gained confidence instead of fading. Previously, Coetzee would dominate the early rounds against top opposition, only to 'hit a wall.' He also had been a virtually one-armed fighter, relying almost solely on big right hands (the so-called "Bionic Right," so named because it was so often broken, it was surgically fused as a solid fist, giving Coetzee a supposedly unnaturally powerful punch. While it was indeed broken and operated upon often, it was actually just a repaired hand with no club-like qualities) following left jabs flicked out, but which were used more for mere effect. In this bout, Coetzee threw a great number of left hooks while applying his trademark pressure. Dokes' smooth boxing and speed of hand and foot were not resulting in controlling the bout, and Coetzee was not wearing down.
Dokes began to back up, and while he landed several hooks, Coetzee weathered them. Coetzee struck again in the 10th, hurting Dokes and pinning him against the ropes, raking him with right hands. He connected with another hard right that sent Dokes to the canvas again, this time with his body rolling until he could grab one of the ring's ropes with his right hand glove. Dokes was not able to get up, and Coetzee became the first White boxer in 23 years to win a world Heavyweight title, and the first African ever to win the world Heavyweight title.
Read more about this topic: Gerrie Coetzee Vs. Michael Dokes