included a George Foreman contest and that was headlined by a Roberto Duran WBA world Lightweight championship title defense. In 1977, Dokes fought an exhibition fight against Muhammad Ali. Dokes set a torrid pace early on in his career; despite being sidelined for the last eight months of 1977, he returned to have six fights in 1978. He won each of those six contests, including his debut (as a professional, as he had held fights in Mexico as an amateur) abroad, against veteran George Holden, who had contested 48 bouts, on March 3, 1978, in Willemstad, Curacao, a fight that Dokes won by a second-round knockout as part of a program that also included an Ivan Samuco fight. On September 28, 1979, the 14-0, 7 knockouts Dokes fought former world title challenger Jimmy Young as part of an undercard that also included Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilfredo Gomez and Larry Holmes defending his WBC world Heavyweight title against Earnie Shavers. Dokes won the fight by ten-rounds unanimous decision to become ranked by the WBA. Two bouts later, Dokes faced the 24 wins 6 defeats Lucien Rodriguez, a Moroccan-French who was, at the time, the future French national and European regional Heavyweight champion and Larry Holmes WBC world title challenger. Dokes outpointed Rodriguez over ten rounds to win a unanimous decision on Saturday, February 10, 1980 at the Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, thus continuing his upward movement in the Heavyweight division's rankings. Next for Dokes was a contest with future WBA world Cruiserweight champion, 14 wins and 1 loss Puerto Rican Ossie Ocasio on Saturday, April 19, 1980, at the Municipal Gym in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The pair boxed to a ten-rounds draw (tye) before having an immediate rematch, which was again contested in San Juan but this time at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum on Saturday, June 28 of the same year. Dokes prevailed by a first-round knockout on that rematch. On March 22, 1981, as part of a Salvador Sanchez vs. Roberto Castañon WBC world Featherweight championship contest's undercard program at the Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dokes faced future Larry Holmes world title challenger Randall "Tex" Cobb, outpointing the Texan by a ten-rounds majority decision in a difficult fight for Dokes. Dokes kept going up in the Heavyweight rankings with victories over British John L. Gardner, Harry Terrell and George Chaplin. Dokes met