Thomas Stops Mugabi, Wins Title : Upset Comes in Third Round; Haugen Also Is Victor

Duane Thomas, a 4 1/2-1 underdog, stopped John (The Beast) Mugabi with a barrage of punches in the third round and won the vacant World Boxing Council super-welterweight title Friday night at Caesars Palace.

Mugabi hurt Thomas with an overhand right to the head in the second round and landed a hard left hook to Thomas’ head early in the third.

Suddenly, Thomas crashed a left hook to the body and one to the head, and Mugabi almost went down. The Ugandan righted himself and was driven into the ropes by Thomas.

Mugabi turned and faced the crowd, grabbing the ropes, as Thomas continued to hit him from behind.

Referee Carlos Padilla then wrapped his arms around Mugabi and stopped the scheduled 12-round fight at 56 seconds of the third.

After the bout, Mugabi was taken to a hospital to have his eyes examined.

It was Mugabi’s second defeat in a bid for a championship this year. In March, he challenged Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the undisputed middleweight title and was knocked out in the 11th round.

Thomas, 25, who weighed 152 pounds, boosted his record to 29-2, with 21 knockouts, in winning a $100,000 purse. Mugabe, 26, who weighed 153 1/2, is 26-2. Mugabi’s purse was $175,000.

In an earlier fight, Greg Haugen, a 4-1 underdog, scored a 15-round majority decision over Jimmy Paul, Thomas’ stablemate from the Kronk gym in Detroit, to win the International Boxing Federation lightweight title.

There were no knockdowns, but both fighters were marked. Paul, 135, of Detroit, making his fourth title defense, was cut on the lower lip in the fifth round.

Haugen, 135, a native of Auburn Wash., who recently moved to Las Vegas, was cut over the right eye in the seventh round.

The 25-year-old Haugen, who received $50,000, has a 19-0-1 record, with 9 knockouts. Paul, 27, is 26-2, with 19 knockouts. His purse was $100,000.

A crowd of about 3,500 watched the two upsets in the 4,322-seat Sports Pavilion.