1, 1984, by an eighth-round knockout to win the WBA world title. In what can perhaps be considered an irony, Coetzee did not win any of his three world title fights held at his home country, winning the only one that was held abroad. Dokes also faced trouble after the fight, in his case, with drugs. He returned to boxing in March 1985, fighting Randall "Tex" Cobb in Las Vegas. Dokes had several comebacks, notably during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. His fight with contender Evander Holyfield where he was stopped after 10 exciting rounds, was named by Ring Magazine as the "Best Heavyweight fight of the 1980s." In 1993, after having beaten a string of mostly fringe contenders, he received a shot at recovering the WBA title, (and gain the IBF world title on the process), but he was stopped in the first round by Riddick Bowe, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. In the interview immediately following the bout, Dokes protested the stoppage as being premature, and demanded a return match with Bowe. Dokes subsequently had run-ins with the law, and would ultimately succumb to liver cancer in August 2012, dying the day after his 54th birthday. Undercard Confirmed bouts: Broadcasting References External links talk about the fight World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches 1983 in boxing Boxing in Ohio Sports in Richfield Township, Summit County, Ohio 1983 in sports in Ohio September 1983 sports events in the United States Boxing on HBO Boxing matches