Rare: Buster Mathis stops Chuck Wepner at Madison Square Garden, 1966

On January 7, 1966 heavyweight prospects Buster Mathis and Chuck Wepner met in a six-round bout at Madison Square Garden. (Silent video) Mathis dropped Wepner in the first round and won the match via third-round TKO. It was the first time Wepner was dropped as a pro. He also suffered a serious cut, which contributed to the decision to stop the fight. Wepner was a New York Golden Gloves champion and Mathis won the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1964, (Due to an injury, he would be replaced on the U.S. squad by Joe Frazier). Both would go on to very successful pro careers and challenge for the heavyweight title. Wepner would become Sylvester Stallone's inspiration for the Rocky movie franchise. In the main event that night, hall-of-famer Harold Johnson dropped a 10-round decision to Johnny Persol. Interestingly, in the lead up to this fight, both Wepner and Mathis fought six-rounders against Long Island journeyman Bob Stallings. Wepner lost a split decision, Mathis won a unanimous decision. Thank you to Bruce Kielty for sharing this video. #boxing #boxinghistory #chuckwepner #bayonnebleeder #bustermathis #rocky #sylvesterstallone