Hated Each Other!!

[MightyWarrior]

Haugen was a top fighter, a hard as nails ex toughman fighter, with world class boxing skills as well. He was past it by the time Chavez got him, not that he'd have beaten him anway.

Haugen and Vinny Paz had an epic grudge going, world class insults flying back and forth. For what, 2,3 fights was it?

Fernando Vargas v just about anyone. He even spat on one guy after knocking him out.

[oliverfennell]

hide v bent

I remember their pre-fight little scuffle which ended up with them rolling around in a puddle

..with Bentt complaining: "You got no class man"

I think he was calling him a "bumbaclaat, man", actually.

[rob h]

Cheers mate,

One of my favourite Chaves performances that. Very cool the way he went about that fight and he absolutely pummeled him.

[bennie]

How good was Geg Haugen? I have only seen one fight and the was with Chavez and he just looked like a rookie amateur.

I have no idea how he got beat Camacho.

Greg was cute, strong, always in tip-top condition - a good, solid fighter. Greg always maintained he was harder to hit than he looked, and it panned out that way when he shocked Detroit's Jimmy Paul for the IBF lightweight title in December 1986 in Las Vegas. On the same night as John Mugabi's capitulation against Duane Thomas, Greg outhustled the slick, dangerous Paul in the early rounds and hung tough in the last three, as Paul rallied desperately, to take the 15-round verdict and the title.
Haugen lost it quickly to Vinny Paz, whom he labelled "Pizza face", but it was a bad verdict and when they met again in early 1988 in Atlantic City, Haugen pasted Paz for 15 one-sided rounds. "Mutt" showed an excellent jab.
Greg got lucky in a subsequent defence against Miguel "El Zorro" Santana, who was originally declared the new champ in the ring (a cuts winner in a fight Santana was 'bossing' after a slow start). Santana was then told, in the dressing room, that it should have gone to the cards. Haugen was just ahead on those cards.
Greg made up for it by clattering unbeaten Danish puncher in Denmark in his next defence, then lost the belt to Pernell Whitaker in a no-win fight in Whitaker's hometown of Norfolk, Virginia (points), but came back to enjoy possibly his greatest night when he snapped the long unbeaten run of Hector Camacho on a 12-round decision in Vegas in early 1990. Camacho, who went through the 1980s unbeaten (only Chavez did the same), struggled with the cute, underrated approach of Haugen and took a swing at him when they should have touched gloves at the start of the 12th. The referee deducted a point off Camacho - and it actually cost him the title. Great news. Camacho was stinking the joint out repeatedly by this time, although he edged out Haugen in a quick rematch, for which Greg picked up over a million dollars.
Haugen suffered a setback when Vinny Paz deployed good boxing tactics to outscore him in a third meeting between them but picked up another payday when he broke up Ray Mancini with that jab of his, on the way to a fine stoppage win.
Haugen was recently inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and turned up with a black eye. He still has all the one-liners, the Tex Cobb of the little men.

[Captain Hook]

You're much more urban than I am though Fennell :)

Prestatyn's answer to Nas...

[Flump]

How good was Geg Haugen? I have only seen one fight and the was with Chavez and he just looked like a rookie amateur.

I have no idea how he got beat Camacho.

Greg was cute, strong, always in tip-top condition - a good, solid fighter. Greg always maintained he was harder to hit than he looked, and it panned out that way when he shocked Detroit's Jimmy Paul for the IBF lightweight title in December 1986 in Las Vegas. On the same night as John Mugabi's capitulation against Duane Thomas, Greg outhustled the slick, dangerous Paul in the early rounds and hung tough in the last three, as Paul rallied desperately, to take the 15-round verdict and the title.
Haugen lost it quickly to Vinny Paz, whom he labelled "Pizza face", but it was a bad verdict and when they met again in early 1988 in Atlantic City, Haugen pasted Paz for 15 one-sided rounds. "Mutt" showed an excellent jab.
Greg got lucky in a subsequent defence against Miguel "El Zorro" Santana, who was originally declared the new champ in the ring (a cuts winner in a fight Santana was 'bossing' after a slow start). Santana was then told, in the dressing room, that it should have gone to the cards. Haugen was just ahead on those cards.
Greg made up for it by clattering unbeaten Danish puncher in Denmark in his next defence, then lost the belt to Pernell Whitaker in a no-win fight in Whitaker's hometown of Norfolk, Virginia (points), but came back to enjoy possibly his greatest night when he snapped the long unbeaten run of Hector Camacho on a 12-round decision in Vegas in early 1990. Camacho, who went through the 1980s unbeaten (only Chavez did the same), struggled with the cute, underrated approach of Haugen and took a swing at him when they should have touched gloves at the start of the 12th. The referee deducted a point off Camacho - and it actually cost him the title. Great news. Camacho was stinking the joint out repeatedly by this time, although he edged out Haugen in a quick rematch, for which Greg picked up over a million dollars.
Haugen suffered a setback when Vinny Paz deployed good boxing tactics to outscore him in a third meeting between them but picked up another payday when he broke up Ray Mancini with that jab of his, on the way to a fine stoppage win.
Haugen was recently inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and turned up with a black eye. He still has all the one-liners, the Tex Cobb of the little men.

According to Haugen it was Don King who stoked up the fire for the Chavez fight, telling the Mexican press that Haugen had been referring to them as 'beanpickers & wetbacks' etc. On the way to the ring (in front of a crowd of 130,000 in the Azteca Stadium) he was getting cups of piss thrown over him, then when he got in the ring he was met with a near peak and pissed off Chavez. Not really his night, I hope the cheque was good.

[Herol]

James Butler - Richard Grant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI3D7h5yxOs

[stujones]

I think the Gonzales vs Bowe hype is one of BM's darkest moments, and fair play Glyn does often bring it up jokingly in editorials. What a dissapointment Gonzales proved to be. I would say Bowe's last decent performance was vs Holyfield match 3 - given what Evander went on to do.

[dr_devious]

Barrera and Morales hated each other too