World Boxing Organization (as they did with several established champions in the lower weight divisions), the WBO sanctioned a fight between two relatively unknown fighters, Francesco Damiani (winner of the super heavyweight silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics) and Johnny DuPlooy, to determine the inaugural holder of its own heavyweight title in 1989. All other sanctioning bodies of boxing recognized the then-undefeated Mike Tyson as the undisputed heavyweight champion. Damiani, meanwhile, went on to become the first WBO heavyweight champion. At heavyweight, especially in the United States, the organization initially struggled to gain credibility as a major sanctioning body, with WBO heavyweight
S. T. Gordon S. T. Gordon ST Gordon (born April 18, 1959 in Pasco, WA) is an American former professional boxer who was the World Boxing Council and Lineal cruiserweight champion of the world in 1982-1983. Gordon became a professional boxer in 1977. He faced undefeated heavyweight prospect Gerry Cooney in 1978 but lost via a fourth-round disqualification. In 1981 he beat aging contender Yaqui Lopez for the North American Boxing Federation cruiserweight title. The next year he won the Lineal and WBC cruiserweight titles with a technical knockout victory over Carlos De León. He defended the belt once and also won a