Jim Watt v Sean O'Grady - Nov 1 1980 - How good was the Irish-American?

[prewarboxing]

The bout took place at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.

Boxing News report states that "The fight was, without doubt, Watt's toughest title defence - his abused features told their own tale of an epic struggle. O'Grady, who has been accused of being over-protected, proved that he was far from flattered by his high world ranking. His surging, sharp-punching attacks gave the champion plenty of problems. There were times when the seemingly ageless veteran began to show his 32 years after a decade in the game".

After the bout had ended the partisan crowd gave O'Grady a great reception for his performance.

How good was Sean O'Grady?

Miles Templeton

[bennie]

Sean O'Grady was a very, very good fighter, heavy handed, brave, aggressive and a ruthless finisher. He was never helped by the unorthodox management of his father, Pat, and picked up a lot of stick for the calibre of his opposition on the way up, knocking over a ton of patsies in Oklahoma, but he showed against Watt that he was genuine world class. I remember a few months later, he challenged the unbeaten Hilmer Kenty - Kronk's first world champion - and was given absolutely no chance, even though Kenty had really struggled against the light-hitting Vilomar Fernandez in his previous defence. I couldn't understand the doubters. If Fernandez could rock Kenty, O'Grady definitely could and the charismatic Irish-American went out there and pounded his way to a 15-round decision and the WBA lightweight title. Sadly, O'Grady never got the chance to cement his reign. Pat O'Grady got the jitters over Claude Noel, the official challenger, a man his son would have destroyed in a few rounds and persuaded Sean to relinquish the WBA title for a joke organisation, the WAA, created by Pat himself. It ranks as one of the worst pieces of management in boxing history. Pat chose Andy Ganigan for his son - a much better fighter than Noel - and the Hawaiian banger destroyed O'Grady in a couple of rounds and Sean never recovered.

[Esquire]

I remember that fight well. I was pulling for O'Grady and he put on a good performance until Watt butted him. Despite Sean's impressive record and numerous fights he was what I would call inexperienced. He was coddled by his father and never really had to deal with adversity. He pretty much folded after the bad cut he suffered.

But he bounced back and had a huge win against the best lightweight in the world at the time in Hilmer Kenty. Kenty would have been considered top 5 pound for pound if that concept was in vogue back then which it wasn't. A tremendous win for O'Grady.

After that he fizzled out.

[JohnReed]

My short answer is that O'Grady was pretty good but not especially good. Sean had the height, reach, offensive skills, combination punching ability, intelligence and tenacity to establish himself as a bonafide world-class fighter. On his best day, O'Grady could give any leading lightweight of his era a good fight. That O'Grady won a piece of the title himself says it all about his creditworthy abilities.

However, O'Grady's defense was full of holes, in my opinion. On top of that, O'Grady didn't have quite enough natural talent, fluidity, and speed to avoid being hit or to survive if and when he was hurt. Sean had a tendency toward rigidity in terms of how he handled himself in the ring. For this reason, he would always have been stopped by the truly excellent and hard-hitting boxers of his era (if he had fought them all).

Just my two cents.

[JohnReed]

Pat chose Andy Ganigan for his son - a much better fighter than Noel - and the Hawaiian banger destroyed O'Grady in a couple of rounds and Sean never recovered.

I don't think Pat O'Grady chose Andy Ganigan as an opponent. As I recall, Ganigan was a last minute substitute for Howard Davis Jr. That means Sean spent a month or two training for Davis Jr, a tall, mobile, orthodox light-hitting foe, but got stuck having to fight Ganigan, a short, aggressive, power-punching southpaw. So, on that day in 1981, O'Grady squared off against the exact opposite kind of fighter he had trained to fight, and the result was disaster.

Personally, I think O'Grady would have whipped Davis Jr. But I doubt that Sean could ever have beaten Ganigan, although it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if O'Grady had had a decent amount of time to prepare for the Hawaiian southpaw.

I'm surprised that O'Grady's camp accepted Ganigan as an opponent. I mean, the handwriting was on the wall; Ganigan was all wrong for O'Grady's style. Maybe big TV people forced the O'Grady's to go through with the fight, given that all the promotional and marketing money had already been paid, and the TV slot was too important to give up? I don't know.

As for Claude Noel, I don't think that Pat O'Grady was worried about him. I think it was pretty much accepted by everyone that Noel was a little too limited and too hittable to have much of a chance against O'Grady. I think Pat O'Grady dumped the Noel bout -- and the WBA title belt that went with it -- because he had political and business disagreements with the WBA.

The Ganigan debacle, an example of pathetic, inappropriate matchmaking IMO, ruined what otherwise might have been a longer run at the top for O'Grady.

[Nile4000]

O'Grady was a good fighter, but no way was he beating Howard Davis Jr, Ray Mancini, or Gato Gonzalez. Even Arguello would have gotten to him if he had the chance.

[Ambling Alp II]

He did have an interesting carer. He fought an awful lot. And they were almost all against stiffs. Hilmer Kenty is the biggest win he has. When he fought someone good, he lost, usually badly. A decent fighter, nothing more.

He was a good guy and was a good announcer on the USA network.

[Onetimeonly]

O'Grady was a good fighter, but no way was he beating Howard Davis Jr, Ray Mancini, or Gato Gonzalez. Even Arguello would have gotten to him if he had the chance.

[Nile4000]

He did have an interesting carer. He fought an awful lot. And they were almost all against stiffs. Hilmer Kenty is the biggest win he has. When he fought someone good, he lost, usually badly. A decent fighter, nothing more.

He was a good guy and was a good announcer on the USA network.

Definitely concur on the announcer and good guy. Sean was a credit to the sport.

[Nile4000]

O'Grady was a good fighter, but no way was he beating Howard Davis Jr, Ray Mancini, or Gato Gonzalez. Even Arguello would have gotten to him if he had the chance.

Sean's success was in part due to timing.

[Onetimeonly]

Sean's success was in part due to timing.

Thank God for him he never ran into a proven great like gato Gonzalez!

[JohnReed]

O'Grady was a good fighter, but no way was he beating Howard Davis Jr, Ray Mancini, or Gato Gonzalez. Even Arguello would have gotten to him if he had the chance.

You really think Howard Davis Jr. would have beat O'Grady? I wonder about that, because Davis Jr. didn't have a punch. I also seem to remember Davis Jr. losing his focus in the ring from time to time. O'Grady -- who was just as tall as Davis Jr. -- was at his best against guys who didn't have the power to get his respect. Sean tended to open the flood gates against light-hitting foes, you could say. I think O'Grady would have had Davis on the run all night, covering up, holding, struggling to find breathing room.

Arguello, of course, would have mopped the floor with O'Grady. This one is no contest. Arguello wins by stoppage within 5 rounds, IMO.

Mancini and Gonzalez probably would have beaten O'Grady, but it would have been interesting. O'Grady had the height, reach, long-range combination punching, decent enough power, and aggression to impose himself on Mancini and Gonzalez. But Sean was very hittable, so he probably would have been beaten -- even stopped -- by this pair. I'd have to think about it. However it seems to me that O'Grady might have had a chance against these two.

I watched Gonzalez's bout against Andy Ganigan yesterday. I was impressed with the way Gonzalez hung in there early, weathered the storm, and turned the tide by pounding Ganigan relentlessly in the later rounds. Gonzalez had power and pretty good boxing skill.

[Nile4000]

O'Grady was a good fighter, but no way was he beating Howard Davis Jr, Ray Mancini, or Gato Gonzalez. Even Arguello would have gotten to him if he had the chance.

You really think Howard Davis Jr. would have beat O'Grady? I wonder about that, because Davis Jr. didn't have a punch. I also seem to remember Davis Jr. losing his focus in the ring from time to time. O'Grady -- who was just as tall as Davis Jr. -- was at his best against guys who didn't have the power to get his respect. Sean tended to open the flood gates against light-hitting foes, you could say. I think O'Grady would have had Davis on the run all night, covering up, holding, struggling to find breathing room.

Arguello, of course, would have mopped the floor with O'Grady. This one is no contest. Arguello wins by stoppage within 5 rounds, IMO.

Mancini and Gonzalez probably would have beaten O'Grady, but it would have been interesting. O'Grady had the height, reach, long-range combination punching, decent enough power, and aggression to impose himself on Mancini and Gonzalez. But Sean was very hittable, so he probably would have been beaten -- even stopped -- by this pair. I'd have to think about it. However it seems to me that O'Grady might have had a chance against these two.

I watched Gonzalez's bout against Andy Ganigan yesterday. I was impressed with the way Gonzalez hung in there early, weathered the storm, and turned the tide by pounding Ganigan relentlessly in the later rounds. Gonzalez had power and pretty good boxing skill.

I think Sean could give Howard some serious problems, but I think Howard would have enough skill to pull it out. Gonzalez should have won the belt when he had the chance, but, like Howard, was probably never the same after the initial loss.

[Onetimeonly]

Howard fought brilliantly against Rosario.

[Nile4000]

He did, and if it was a 15 rounder, Howard would have been champion.

[Ambling Alp II]

I don't know if he would have got a close decision given where it was fought.

Davis was on TV several times. He didn't have much power or that good of a chin. However, he had great speed and great boxing skills. Had he fought in a different era, he could have won a WBS title.

[Onetimeonly]

He did, and if it was a 15 rounder, Howard would have been champion.

Odd, considering he lost on a last second kd in the last round.

[bennie]

I happen to believe that O'Grady is a much better fighter than he seems to be regarded on the forum. His career is a stirring example of how a brave, talented boy can make it all the way to a world title with a manager seemingly determined to stop him - and to ruin him in the process.
A pro at the ludicrously young age of 15, Sean was slung in with the monstrous Danny Lopez at barely 17 and hammered in four rounds, which should really have finished him, and battled a ridiculous number of opponents on the way up, for year after year without a break, which should also have finished him. He survived to secure shots at the world lightweight title, going life and death with Jim Watt prior to a magnificent 15-round decision over the previously unbeaten Hilmer Kenty for the WBA title. Sadly, inevitable mismanagement cost him the title and cost boxing a potential superfight because O'Grady would have beaten the unremarkable likes of Claude Noel, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Art Frias, the men who contested his old title - then comes that man Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.
Forgive O'Grady once he lost his world title. The man had to sit back and watch "Gato" Gonzalez suffer the humiliation of a loss to Noel and Noel in turn, the humiliation of a loss to Frias, subsequently smashed within a round by Mancini. Imagine his heartache? O'Grady stumbled around for a few empty years before retiring at the age of just 24 but the O'Grady who ploughed half-blinded into Shig Fukuyama on the way to a miracle stoppage, who drew a desperate Glasgow kiss from Watt in the lion's den and hammered all the life out of Kenty deserves a lot of respect in my book. Ultimately, he won a world title. That separates him from many of the other names bigged up on the thread.

[Nile4000]

He did, and if it was a 15 rounder, Howard would have been champion.

Odd, considering he lost on a last second kd in the last round.

Yeah, but in a 15, I think Howard would've won, no doubt.

[overhand_right]

O'Grady had Watt in serious peril in Glasgow. As I recall Arguello seemed only to contain Watt for 15 rds, whereas O'Grady had him clinging on and in desperate trouble. He easily could have won Watt's WBC title and unified it with Kenty's WBA belt, and be remembered as an undisputed champ, but for one cheap headbutt! Clearly that's a good fighter.

An interesting thing to consider when watching Watt vs O'Grady is that you're looking at arguably the two most intelligent, lucid colour commentators in the history of boxing fighting each other - they should do an anniversary screening where they call the action!