52 fight challenge: Week 13 - Alan Minter vs Kevin Finnegan II

[Horse]

Alan Minter vs Kevin Finnegan II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzOI8u0p81I

Watch and discuss.

[Horse]

Recent weeks' fights:

Week 12 - Herol Graham vs Mike McCallum: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=199118
Week 11 - Naseem Hamed vs Tom Johnson: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=198918

Week 10 - Nigel Benn vs Doug DeWitt: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=198730
Week 9 - Lennox Lewis vs Frank Bruno: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=198537
Week 8 - Walter McGowan vs Salvatore Burruni II: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=198338
Week 7 - Howard Winstone vs Vicente Saldivar I: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=198119
Week 6 - Chris Finnegan vs Bob Foster: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197962

Week 5 - John H. Stracey vs Jose Napoles: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197741
Week 4 - Jim Watt vs Alexis Arguello: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197596
Week 3 - Lloyd Honeyghan vs Donald Curry: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197431
Week 2 - Chris Eubank vs Michael Watson I: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197276
Week 1 - Joe Calzaghe vs Robin Reid: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197126


British & Irish boxing 52 fight history knowledge challenge thread: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=197079

[Horse]

Supplementary fight.

Alan Minter vs Tony Sibson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjWKNI1RNc

[Offal]

Watch and discuss IF YOU WISH

Bit more polite don't you think?

[Offal]

Supplementary fight.

Alan Minter vs Tony Sibson.

Pulled by the BBC because of the DAF advert on Minters shorts

[davie]

Think I might go for an Alan Minter points win

On a serious note though, how fornicating angry must Finnegan be that he never beat Minter? Here's the scores from their 3 fights:
147 - 146.5
147.5 - 147
144 - 143

[davie]

1. Minter - Just busier
2. Minter - getting the better of exchanges
3. Minter - Finnegan started off better, timing Minter well, but Minter took over a minute in and deserves the round
4. draw - Finnegan having success in spells but doesn't sustain it. Definitely landed the better punches but Minter had more sustained success
5. Finnegan - He hurt Minter a couple of times, fight is getting going now
6. Finnegan - Measuring his straight punches very well and a lovely left uppercut late on. Finnegan looks the harder puncher
7. Finnegan - quieter round but made minter miss and still landed the more effective punches
8. Minter - could have scored a draw, minter maybe just shading it towards the end
9. Finnegan - WAR! really good round, tempted to give it 10-8 but Minter rallied and landed a few of his own.
10. Minter - Good punches for both men, good round. Finnegan looked tired after 9th, Minters round
11. Minter - close round and tiredness starting to show.
12.Draw - Skill and finesse have gone out the window now.
13. Minter - Trying to box to a finish, think he thinks he has it won
14. Minter - Ragged and scrappy and hard to split them
15. Finnegan - Outstanding late effort from finnegan, will give him 10-8 as I felt guilty not scoring the 9th 10-8.

144-142 to minter.

Two similar styles in opposing stances.
Started off both in a stereotypical upright british style, working off the jab with mostly straight shots throughout the first 8 rounds. Occasional lead right hooks from Minter and the odd uppercut from Finnegan the exception.
but descended into a war in the second half of the fight with it becoming ragged in the end as the tiredness set in.
Minter with the better of most of the rounds but some real high points for Finnegan, how Minter stayed on his feet through some of those big attacks is a mystery. I was tempted to score Minters rugby tackle in the 9th as a knockdown in Finnegans favour as it was clearly an act of desperation by Minter. Even at that, Minter would still have shaded it.

[Offal]

Why must this strange man Horse's self-education be made a public affair? Just watch the fights in your own time.

[Horse]

Minter - Finnegan

10 - 9
10 - 9
10 - 9
9 - 10
10 - 10
10 - 9
10 - 9
9 - 10
9 - 10
10 - 9
9 - 10
9 - 10
10 - 9
9 - 10
8 - 10

143-142 Finnegan

I disliked Carpenter's commentary again, he seemed very biased in favour of Minter. I think I might prefer Halling to Carpenter.

Finnegan was unlucky there, although I wouldn't be surprised if I scored it differently on a rewatch. Close, entertaining fight.

Hopefully the other two Minter vs Finnegan fights become available at some point.

[davie]

Minter - Finnegan

10 - 9
10 - 9
10 - 9
9 - 10
10 - 10
10 - 9
10 - 9
9 - 10
9 - 10
10 - 9
9 - 10
9 - 10
10 - 9
9 - 10
8 - 10

143-142 Finnegan

I disliked Carpenter's commentary again, he seemed very biased in favour of Minter. I think I might prefer Halling to Carpenter.

Finnegan was unlucky there, although I wouldn't be surprised if I scored it differently on a rewatch. Close, entertaining fight.

Hopefully the other two Minter vs Finnegan fights become available at some point.

If they are not on Youtube after all these years, I'd be surprised

I had the commentary turned down but I have quite liked Carpenter in the past.
Different style to the current 2 gobshite system. He had to do it on his own.

As for the fight, there were a couple round could have gone the other way, but I just got the feeling Minter did enough, even aside from the scoring. Seemed to be "in control" for a greater period of the fight.

But Finnegan had some rounds and hurt Minter a couple times.

A good choice this week

[Neil Gee]

The Harry Carpenter commentary is so partisan it is shocking to listen to for me, it was the eighth before Carpenter gives Finnegan any credit for 'shifting the tide' and even after F's first big round all he can say is 'what's that taken out of Finnegan?'. That clipped BBC accent as he reveals that not everyone at ringside agrees with him, but carries on regardless, telling us in the 13th that he thinks F is going to be stopped now!

I'm not going to score the fight rbr because as with any close match I think it's a case of what style you prefer and I have to admit I prefer Minter's style in this bout so I'm going to give the fight to Minter.

Was it this bout Minter was referring to when he blamed his trainer for telling him that the 14th was the last round? I'm sure I read that's why - according to Minter - he was so exhausted in the last? Yet watching it at the end of the 14th Minter doesn't go to the referee, he walks straight back to his stool, so maybe I've got the story mixed up, but I seem to remember Minter blaming his trainer for having to fight Finnegan a third time, because that rough last round made it seem closer than it would have done. Can't find anything on the internet about it. There is a Minter autobiography out there but I've never read it.

Anyway, a great fight, as was their whole trilogy, but especially the first two.

[handsofstone]

I watched what was available of the 1st fight earlier,i'll watch the rematch tomorow

[handsofstone]

Great fight but i thought Finnegan deserved it(144-141) all the eye catching punches came from him throughout plus he hurt Minter badly in the 9th and last rounds,i agree Horse,Harry Carpenter was poor,ive had plenty horror shows when it comes to scoring fights but he wasnt giving Kevin any credit despite him catching Alan clean time and again,i wouldnt be surprised if he gave Minter the 9th when he was reeling around the ring with his head getting pinballed,christ knows how he thought Minter was well ahead ,i thin k he thought because Finnegan was badly cut that meant he was getting beat up

As i said good fight,i was only able to find highlights of the 1st fight and i thought Finnegan looked better in that 1 too but its hard to judge 15 rounds over 20mins of footage,i couldnt find anything of the 3rd fight

[Counter-puncher]

I think good old Harry was indeed known to 'score blood',among other reasons for some of his strange biases over the years.

[handsofstone]

Just watched Sibson/Minter fight there and TBH i never knew who won beforehand but i assumed it would've been Alan in keeping up with the other supplementary fights where the same guy won both bouts

Cracking finish by Sibson though came out of nowhere,especially seeing as i was expecting Minter to get the KO,great accuracy and combination punching from Tony

[Neil Gee]

...

[Neil Gee]

...

[Neil Gee]

I think good old Harry was indeed known to 'score blood',among other reasons for some of his strange biases over the years.

...

[Neil Gee]

I was just reading the Tony Sibson biography and discovered that Carpenter was known to 'dislike' Sibson and showed it in his commentary. Let's hope he didn't do the commentary on Finnegan/Sibson then! Honestly, boxing fans think they have it bad with boxing commentary these days! They don't. Harry held grudges for fun and the millions watching had to listen to his grudges being played out in the name of commentary or switch the sound off.

[Horse]

Having fun, Neil?

[Neil Gee]

Yes Horse, seems I was merrily hitting the quote button instead of edit, I didn't even notice, that'll teach me to post after drinking a half a pint of Doombar.

[craig_minter]

Alan win due to the obvious

[davie]

Alan win due to the obvious

The obvious fact being that Minter controlled the fight better, made good use of the jab and landed marginally more punches.

Or obviously he won it because Davie called it for Minter and it's a well know fact that Davie is one of the board more knowledgeable posters and seldon gets it wrong?

And he's yer paw?

[davie]

Alan win due to the obvious

The obvious fact being that Minter controlled the fight better, made good use of the jab and landed marginally more punches.

Or obviously he won it because Davie called it for Minter and it's a well know fact that Davie is one of the board more knowledgeable posters and seldon gets it wrong?

And he's yer paw?

I don't remember Bruce even posting a score Davie

[misterpunch]

closer than carpenters verdict but minter did enough for me - great fight from both men