Boxing in The 1920s - 1923

1923

• March 17- Mike McTigue of Ireland wins the world Light-Heavyweight title with a twenty round decision over Battling Siki, in Dublin, Ireland.
• May 30- Jack Bernstein wins the world Jr. Lightweight title with a fifteen round decision over Johnny Dundee, at New York.
• June 2- French Eugene Criqui, who had sustained a shot on his mouth during World War I action, becomes the world Featherweight champion, beating Johnny Kilbane by a sixth round knockout in New York. Doctors had told Criqui he would never fight again after he was shot.
• June 18- Pancho Villa becomes the Philippines first world boxing champion in history, knocking out world Flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde in seven rounds, at New York.
• July 4- In one of boxing's most economically disastrous fights, Jack Dempsey retained his world Heavyweight crown with a fifteen round decision over Tommy Gibbons in Shelby, Montana. Dempsey's manager, Jack Kearns, had requested for the champion to be paid $300,000, an amount that the 2,000 residents of Shelby could barely come up with. As a result, Shelby was declared bankrupt at the time.
• July 23- Benny Leonard retains the world Lightweight title with a fifteen round decision over Lew Tendler in New York.
• September 14- In one of boxing's most famous fights, Luis Firpo of Argentina comes within a second of becoming the first Hispanic world Heavyweight champion in history, dropping Jack Dempsey out of the ring and for a nine second count, but Firpo is himself dropped ten times as Dempsey retains the crown with a second round knockout, in New York.
• December 17- Johnny Dundee recovers the world Jr. Lightweight title, with a fifteen round decision over Jack Bernstein, in their New York rematch.