Classic fights I've watched recently

[PredatorHayds]

Patterson-Liston 1.

Over in the first round. Lovely left hooks from Sonny to finish it..

The size difference was huge in Listons favour.

[handsofstone]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Bobo Olson 2,3+4


Couldn't find their 1st fight online which Robinson won by 12th round TKO, the rematch went the distance though with Robinson a clear comfortable winner, Olson never stopped coming forward but he was never in it, wasn't vintage Robinson but he was never in trouble, there were no dramas and Robinson won a wide decision without much fuss

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 2nd round of the 3rd fight bursting into a 4 punch flurry which put Olson down for the count, came out of nowhere but lightning quick hands from SRR

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 4th round of their 4th fight, beautiful left hook caught Olson sweet and he couldn't beat the count, came out of nowhere similar to the previous fight, Robinson hadn't hurt Olson up until the KO and Olson was aggressive getting right on Robinson's chest but again the class of Robinson was the differerence, superb KO

[PredatorHayds]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Bobo Olson 2,3+4


Couldn't find their 1st fight online which Robinson won by 12th round TKO, the rematch went the distance though with Robinson a clear comfortable winner, Olson never stopped coming forward but he was never in it, wasn't vintage Robinson but he was never in trouble, there were no dramas and Robinson won a wide decision without much fuss

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 2nd round of the 3rd fight bursting into a 4 punch flurry which put Olson down for the count, came out of nowhere but lightning quick hands from SRR

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 4th round of their 4th fight, beautiful left hook caught Olson sweet and he couldn't beat the count, came out of nowhere similar to the previous fight, Robinson hadn't hurt Olson up until the KO and Olson was aggressive getting right on Robinson's chest but again the class of Robinson was the differerence, superb KO

Bit off topic.
But found out last week that Turpin never got his 20k for the Olson fight.

He was in the process of speaking to the people at MSG about if Solomons had received the money, when he mysteriously died.

[handsofstone]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Bobo Olson 2,3+4


Couldn't find their 1st fight online which Robinson won by 12th round TKO, the rematch went the distance though with Robinson a clear comfortable winner, Olson never stopped coming forward but he was never in it, wasn't vintage Robinson but he was never in trouble, there were no dramas and Robinson won a wide decision without much fuss

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 2nd round of the 3rd fight bursting into a 4 punch flurry which put Olson down for the count, came out of nowhere but lightning quick hands from SRR

Robinson KO'd Olson in the 4th round of their 4th fight, beautiful left hook caught Olson sweet and he couldn't beat the count, came out of nowhere similar to the previous fight, Robinson hadn't hurt Olson up until the KO and Olson was aggressive getting right on Robinson's chest but again the class of Robinson was the differerence, superb KO

Bit off topic.
But found out last week that Turpin never got his 20k for the Olson fight.

He was in the process of speaking to the people at MSG about if Solomons had received the money, when he mysteriously died.

Is that right mate eh? I knew there were some people who questioned whether Turpin actually killed himself but I never knew about Solomons etc, I watched Olson/Turpin a few weeks ago, good fight

[handsofstone]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Rocky Graziano

Robinson gets off the floor in the 3rd to KO Graziano in the same round with a crunching right hand which caught him square on the jaw and put him through the ropes, good little tussle boxer vs brawler, Robinson won the first coupled of rounds with the classier boxing and flashy combinations which were accurate but Graziano caught him with some clean punches and put him down in the 3rd with a right which caught Robinson coming in, he wasn't hurt, got straight up and a minute later pulled out a worldy of a KO

[PredatorHayds]

Liston-Patterson 2.

Same story as the first. Liston finishing Floyd in the first round.
This time he did it with his right hand as opposed to the left.

Good to see the former champions in the ring before the fight. A tradition I hope they bring back.

Clay/Ali with a good interview afterwards calling out Sonny.

[handsofstone]

Joey Maxim vs Sugar Ray Robinson


Maxim wins via TKO after an exhausted Robinson retires on his stool after 13 rounds in baking 104 degrees heat, Robinson was challenging LHW champ Maxim for a 3rd title and was boxing the bang average Maxim's ears off for 11 rounds mostly by just jabbing to head and body with the occasional flashy right hand, Maxim was unbelievably poor doing nothing to find an opening, it was a poor fight with little action, the heat was unbearable and they had to switch refs after 11 rounds when Ruby Goldstein near collapsed from heat exhaustion, Robinson seem to crumble around the same time and his legs started to go, he was still landing some big single shot though, better than any of Maxim's

At the end of the 13th Robinson staggered across the ring and had to be helped to his corner from his trainer, he was done, 1st stoppage in over 200 fights, Maxim very lucky he was god awful all night

[handsofstone]

Ralph "Tiger" Jones vs Sugar Ray Robinson

Jones wins a 10 round decision against Robinson who was having his second fight back after retiring after the Maxim loss, it was a good little fight, I enjoyed it, its was competitive but Jones deserved his win, he was sharper than Robinson, busier and bullied Robinson for spells, he's like a little bull Jones, he's strong with a good jabs. hooks and crosses, Robinson was reduced to cameos of his former self but the quality was still there no doubt, his combination punching was better than Jones and he had a good finish, maybe if it was a 15 rounder he might have nicked it, even in defeat Robinson showed his skills and class at times but he was well beat by the fresher Jones

[Syntax Error]

Bruce Seldon v Tony Tucker.

I'd forgotten how good Seldon was.

He jabbed Tucker into oblivion & busted his eye pretty badly.

To be fair, Tucker had some moments & it was quite a decent contest overall.

[handsofstone]

Gene Fullmer vs Sugar Ray Robinson 1,2,3+4


Fullmer wins 1st fight via decision, had Robinson down in the middle rounds although to me it looked as if he shoved Robinson through the ropes, not a great fight Fullmer the aggressor and Robinson the stylist, Fullmer prob deserved it

Robinson KOd Fullmer in 5 rounds of the rematch, beautiful left hook caught Fullmer coming in and he couldn't make the count, it looked as if his glove was stuck to the canvas and wouldn't allow him to get up, highlight reel KO from Robinson and probably the best KO I've seen him score

The 3rd fight finished a draw which looked about right although I never scored, same pattern as the 1st fight, Fullmer coming forward early and having success before Robinson grew into it as the fight wore on, showing his class

Fullmer outpoints Robinson in the 4th fight, he hurt Robinson with a right about 15 seconds left of the 3rd round and battered him against the ropes but the bell saved SRR from further punishment, things died down a little after that and it was less ragged than the previous fights, close but not much happening in the way of action, it got a bit tougher in the closing rounds as both guys tried to finish strong but it was Fullmer who got the nod

Apart from the KO Robinson nailed Fullmer with in the rematch, I thought all the fights were pretty dire

[PredatorHayds]

Liston-Clay

Really good fight.

Ali exhibits one of the best displays of jabbing in Heavyweight history. Pounds Sonny with the left jab.

Then the Liston corner put something on his gloves that blinds Clay for a couple of rounds.

Clay recovers and makes Liston Quit on his stool.
The ring then descends into chaos with Clay screaming some famous quotes and boxing was never the same again.

I never tire of watching this fight.

[handsofstone]

Paul Pender vs Sugar Ray Robinson 1+2


Pender wins both fights via close SDs, the first fight was awful to watch, nearly nothing happened over the 15 rounds, Pender had a good jab and is a pretty textbook boxer, Robinson as ever at this stage of his career has to rely on his experience and skills to keep it competitive, couldn't tell you if Pender deserved his win, it was a poor spectacle


The rematch was another close fight and although Pender got the decision I thought Robinson probably nicked it, I thought he started off well, took the first 5 rounds and even though he slowed a little I wouldn't say Pender took full advantage, things got a bit messy and there wasn't a lot of inside fighting just more holding and rabbit punching from both men, Robinson was 40 so he'd clearly seen better days but he still was faster, sharper and more skilful than Pender

Both fights were dreadful in all honesty and you could count the meaningful punches on both hands in the 30 rounds

[PredatorHayds]

Floyd Patterson-Archie Moore.

Moore was 42 years old. Which was unheard of in the 50’s.

Oldest HW title challenger until Big George.

Great upper body movement from young Floyd and he gets him going with his leaping left hook.

Finishes him in the 5th.

[handsofstone]

Joey Giardello vs Sugar Ray Robinson(highlights)

Giardello wins a 10 round decision, dropping Robinson with a left hook in the 4th en route, hard to tell how the whole fight went having only seen 10 minutes of highlights in terrible quality, Giardello did look the better man though, landed the jab more and loved to follow it up with the right uppercut, Robinson looked to be throwing enough to make it competitive but from what little I seen he always looked 2nd best

[DrDuke]

Just rewatched Klitschko-Joshua. I guess, it's classic already. It has become an instant classics actually.

What a great fight it was indeed. A bit sad for me, as I've rooted for Wlad, anyway it was nice to see such a courageous performance from a 41 year old Klitschko.

After first 4 rounds I had it 2-2, the start was careful from both sides. After the 6th I had it 3-3, of course, with 10-8 respectively for AJ in the 5th and Wlad in the 6th. After the 6th until the 11th it was hard to give any round to Joshua, except the 9th maybe, it was close. However, Klitschko was clearly leading in the 2nd half of the fight. Wlad was scoring points methodically, AJ looked like he didn't know what to do. But in the 11th, as we all remember, Anthony had managed to pull of a victory. It was even more fair to stop it after the 1st knock down, than at the moment of the actual stoppage.

[handsofstone]

Larry Holmes vs Earnie Shavers 1+2


Holmes win the first fight via wide UD, really good fight, one of the great HW fights, it was Holmes first real test and he came through with flying colours, keeping Shavers on the end of that excellent jab but also didn't mind mixing it up with the dangerous Shavers, he hurt him a few times but although Shavers lost widely he was always dangerous and did have success with big single shots, the right hand of his especially is a murderous punch but Holmes always took them well and came back firing, he hurt Shavers in the middle rounds but Shavers was still in there, Holmes was always in control though and hurt Shavers with seconds left of the fight, Shavers legs dipped after taking a big shot and Holmes was battering away at him on the ropes when the bell went, if there was 10 seconds left he might have got a KO, still a great win for Holmes and a great fight


Incredibly the rematch was even better, Holmes stops Shavers in 11 to retain his title, he had to get of the floor though, the first 5/6 rounds were similar to the first fight, Holmes up on his toes pumping out the jab and bringing the right cross into play as the fight wore on, Shavers as ever kept marching forward and tried to find the bingo punch with the big right hand and he found it in the 7th nailing Holmes with it and Larry done unbelievably well to not only get up but survive the rest of the round because his legs were gone and he had to back pedal for the remainder of the round, Shavers seemed to blow himself out going for the KO though coz by the 8th he was spent barring the occasional tired looking haymaker, Holmes then regained a foothold of the fight jabbing the head off Shavers and landing some solid right hands, the right uppercut was successful too as Shavers had his head low ploughing forward, it became target practice for Holmes though and every shot he threw landed and had an effect on the finished Shavers, eventually the ref stepped in as Holmes teed off and I think Shavers was relieved as anyone

2 cracking fights

[handsofstone]

Larry Holmes vs Mike Weaver 1+2


Holmes stops a brave Weaver in the 12th round of a very good contest, both guys jabbed well, Holmes won the first 2/3 rounds but Weaver got to work and was able to outjab Holmes at times, Holmes jab was great as ever but he wasn't able to get out the way of Weaver's, it was quite a nip/tuck fight and Weaver hurt Homes badly in about the 10th but Holmes made it to the bell, Holmes managed to put Weaver down heavily at the end of the 11th with a huge right uppercut and Weaver was badly hurt, he came out for the 12th but was still on unsteady legs and Holmes measured him up, holding out the jab and nailing Weaver with thudding rights, the ref stepped in under a minute of the round, really game challenge from Weaver but a good TKO in the end for Holmes

Holmes KOs Weaver in the 6th round of the rematch, the return was in 2000, must've been over 20 years after the first fight, not sure how old either guy was but they mustve been well in their 40s? Weaver looked in great nick to be fair but he never won a second, a couple jabs and right hands tops, Holmes looked in terrible shape but he was great, his jab was excellent, he just peppered Weaver all through the fight and driving in hurtful looking right hands to the body, even then Holmes jab is better than anyone around today, in the 6th he landed a big 1/2 that finished Weaver, who just about made the count but was finished, cracking KO

[oogiebe]

Over the Hill Ruben Olivares V. Alexis Arguello ('74 or about). Olivares was sad to watch as I loved him in his heyday, but Arquello was amazing to behold. I loved that era with Chacon, Cervantes, Lopez, Kotey, Art Hafey, Chucho Castillo, Bazooka Limon! etc. and so many other great to watch warriors. Those guys fought each other multiple times...no ducking...no stalling...

[SenorPipino]

Over the Hill Ruben Olivares V. Alexis Arguello ('74 or about). Olivares was sad to watch as I loved him in his heyday, but Arquello was amazing to behold. I loved that era with Chacon, Cervantes, Lopez, Kotey, Art Hafey, Chucho Castillo, Bazooka Limon! etc. and so many other great to watch warriors. Those guys fought each other multiple times...no ducking...no stalling...

Featherweight champ Olivares was past his prime by 1974, but he almost gave a young Arguello more than he could handle in this battle of legends.

Olivares, by all accounts was winning the fight when he got nailed by Arguello
with a left hook.

Olivares got up but was pummeled and stopped, signaling the beginning of the Arguello in boxing.

Arguello said after the fight that he had been hurt in several of the rounds.

"I was fighting for my life in there" he admitted.

As a sign of the times, these 2 HOF boxers fought for a pittance---at least by today's standards.

Champion Olivares earned $80,000. Arguello was paid just $15,000---about what Mayweather might haul in every 15 seconds.

[Ambling Alp II]

Even thought Olivares was not at this best anymore, he still had a lot left. This win meant a lot to Arguello, who had a lot of respect for Olivares.

[handsofstone]

Larry Holmes vs Scott LeDoux


Holmes stops a game LeDoux in the 7th, workmanlike performance from Holmes, was always in control, kept LeDoux at the end of that stiff jab and straight right hands, LeDoux did let his hands go and did have occasional success but really it was Holmes who bossed the fight, he put LeDoux down with a short right uppercut in the 6th but LeDoux claimed he was thumbed in the eye and the way he went down the mouse under his eye suggested he was right

He made it to the end of the round and came out for the 7th but Holmes systematically beat him up and the ref stepped in

[Ambling Alp II]

I remember watching that fight. It was a pretty boring mismatch. I remember LeDoux complaining after the fight that Holmes had been thumbing him.

[SenorPipino]

I remember watching that fight. It was a pretty boring mismatch. I remember LeDoux complaining after the fight that Holmes had been thumbing him.

LeDoux could have thumbed Holmes in both eyes and he still would have lost.

The difference in class was ridiculous. Cobb was a tougher fight for Holmes.

[BodeeSnatcher]

Luis Manuel Rodriguez vs Luis Federico Thompson
pretty interesting bout. i had never heard of thompson before the bout but he was a tough and skilled fighter in the ring. El Feo's uppercuts were fantastic and his body work was slick.. very fun fight .
Carlos Zarate vs Paul Ferrari
this fight blew me away i hadn't watched much of Zarate's work before outside his late career and his one sided beatdown by Bazooka. he was fantastic to watch. His pressure style was unrelenting and his feinting with level changes and off the jab to throw uppercuts and hooks was really nice. Ferrari had his spots too but he got bullied quite a bit and couldn't really keep Zarate off of him.

[oogiebe]

Watched Ali/London...Every time I see Ali in the sixties and see that speed (see end of fight), it gets fuzzy to me how anyone could beat him in his prime. We talk all the time about how fast and gifted he was, but when I see it again, it's even more amazing to me.