Feb. 23, 1963 - Gene Fullmer (left) failed in his bid to regain the world’s middleweight championship when his 15-round rematch with Nigeria’s Dick Tiger was declared a draw in Las Vegas’s Convention Hall tonight. A far different fight than the pair’s previous meeting in Candlestick Park when the Utah battler took a brutal beating and lost his title, the encore nevertheless had its dramatic moments. And from the way the vast crowd that jammed the arena greeted the verdict, it was evident the majority favored Fullmer. Pummeled in San Francisco, when his face was distorted from vicious punches that opened half a dozen cuts, Fullmer came away tonight virtually unmarked. On the other hand, Tiger’s left eye was severely gashed, and he received another cut under the same eye. By no means did he look the part of the superior champion when the final bell rang. Fullmer, who had intended to retire if beaten, said after the fight he would “hate to quit on a draw.” He said he thought he had won the fight. Plans are already under way for a “rubber” match between the two fighters.
