Aaron Pryor defended his WBA light welterweight title against Alexis Arguello
Date: September 9, 1983
Venue: Caeasars Palace, Las Vegas
Pryor stance: orthodox
Arguello stance: orthodox
Aaron Pryor's first fight with Alexis Arguello had ended in a 14th round stoppage win for the defending champion, even though he seemed on the verge of defeat at the end of the previous round. Pryor's trainer, Panama Lewis, was clearly heard in between rounds asking for a different water bottle he had mixed earlier. Lewis was then found guilty of tampering with the gloves of another boxer and lost his licence. Pryor hired Emmanuel Steward just two weeks before the rematch with Arguello. There had been one more defence between the Arguello fights in which Pryor stopped Kim Sang-hyun in the third round.
Alexis Arguello was awarded a rematch against Pryor because the Florida State Boxing Commission failed to administer a post-fight drugs test on the defending champion despite the controversy over a second water bottle used by his trainer. Arguello won a tune up bout against Vilomar Fernandez on points. Two months later, he had another tune up and stopped Claude Noel in the third round. The rematch was taking place in Las Vegas, which had a more competent boxing commission, so it was now or never for Arguello's quest for a fourth world title.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
Aaron Pryor - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/8993
Alexis Arguello - https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/2179
