Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
Re: Question for Klompton: what's your assessment of Mike Rossman's abilities & career?
Im not the best guy to answer this question because I didnt follow Rossman's career and have never really been interested in him much.
Re: Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
He was fair. Good puncher. Not the best heart or skill. Had his moments but that's a bout it.
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Ambling Alp II
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Re: Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
Rossman was a good fighter, but in that era there were several that were better.
He did fight the fight of his life in the first Galindez fight. He deserves a lot of credit for that. Disappointing that he he didn't perform better and quit in the rematch.
That era was awesome in the light heavy division. Jerry the Bull Martin was another really good fighter during that time. Richie Kates was really good in the late 1970s. Murray Sutherland was another good one.
There were a ton of of really good fighters in those years.
He did fight the fight of his life in the first Galindez fight. He deserves a lot of credit for that. Disappointing that he he didn't perform better and quit in the rematch.
That era was awesome in the light heavy division. Jerry the Bull Martin was another really good fighter during that time. Richie Kates was really good in the late 1970s. Murray Sutherland was another good one.
There were a ton of of really good fighters in those years.
Re: Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
I followed him from the time he ko'd mike nixon. He wasn't very good. He was an above average LHW with a good punch. Best I could say about him.Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑04 Jun 2021, 18:40 Rossman was a good fighter, but in that era there were several that were better.
He did fight the fight of his life in the first Galindez fight. He deserves a lot of credit for that. Disappointing that he he didn't perform better and quit in the rematch.
That era was awesome in the light heavy division. Jerry the Bull Martin was another really good fighter during that time. Richie Kates was really good in the late 1970s. Murray Sutherland was another good one.
There were a ton of of really good fighters in those years.
Re: Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
I'm not sure where he was ranked when when he shocked Galindez, but apart from that fight his resume wasn't very impressive. He stopped a shot Lonnie Bennett, took 2 out of 3 from Mike Quarry, and beat a few other one time contenders.
Re: Mike Rossman: how good was he & what's your evaluation of late 1970s/early 1980s light-heavyweights?
Rossman's reign was horribly abrupt in a prodigious era for the light-heavyweight division but nobody can take away his WBA title win over Victor Galindez in New Orleans on the night. Muhammad Ali won back the world heavyweight title for the third time. I watched the event 'live' at the Odeon in Birmingham back in September 1978 and Rossman stole the whole show as he outboxed, outpunched and ultimately outclassed the feared and established Galindez, who had made 10 successful defences of the world title and was heavily favoured to rack up another.
However, Rossman trained at Ali's famous Deer Lake Camp in Pennsylvania and entered the fight in magnificent condition. In contrast, Galindez, now pushing 30, really struggled to get down to the light-heavyweight limit and made the desperate decision to fight three times in the build-up to bring himself down. The last 10-rounder took place just four weeks before Rossman. None of that was Rossman's fault, who went out there and showed the champion absolutely no respect (unlike many of Galindez's previous challengers) and really took the title. The stoppage came as something of a relief in the 13th round, with Galindez horribly busted up and shipping punch after punch. Immediately after the stoppage, Galindez walked over to Rossman in a defiant gesture as if to say, 'we meet again'. The jubilant Rossman still refused to be intimidated and beckoned "come on!" Oh yes, Galindez met a far better man on the night.
The 23-year-old Rossman looked set for a solid reign but fate decreed seven meagre months. Mike, whose father was Italian, saw off Italian Aldo Traversaro in a quick first defence in Philadelphia, butting Traversaro out of the fight in five rounds in front of a crowd of 11,000, before Galindez came back to haunt him. Galindez and Rossman were scheduled to meet again in February 1979 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas but a row over officials led to extraordinary scenes. Galindez wanted WBA judges (and the WBA appointed three Latin-American judges for the Argentina man as well as his pet referee Stanley Christodoulou) but the Nevada State Athletic Commission wanted their own officials. Talks went back and forth, right up to the last minute. Galindez was even offered an extra $25,000 by promoter Bob Arum to accept American officials, taking his purse to $100,000. Rossman then entered the ring first in an attempt to lure Galindez to the ring but with a crowd of 4,000 and a 'live' national-TV audience also waiting, Galindez upped and stormed out of the Palace.
Galindez's anti-American fury stemmed from his world title rematch with Pierre Fourie in South Africa in 1975 when an American judge had voted for Fourie (the other two judges, both Latin-American, voted for Galindez) but the man should have been banned long and hard for doing what he did. Instead, Rossman was forced to go through it all again two months later when the mandated fight was re-scheduled for New Orleans. Rossman had gone from loving boxing to hating boxing while Galindez had enough left to deliver one last big performance and forced Rossman to retire at the end of the ninth round, claiming a damaged right hand. Galindez pulled his usual trick of hitting a man after the bell at least once in a fight and got involved in a scuffle with Mike's brother, Andy, at the end of round four. He ran over and taunted Rossman when Rossman, who was clearly losing, finally called it quits. That was it for Rossman, who lost vital fights and never got another crack. He was out of the game by 28, bitter and twisted. He wanted longer at the top and you can hardly blame him. He seems to have mellowed now, much like Galindez mellowed after he married for the second time. He lost his world title to Marvin Johnson in November 1979, suffering a broken jaw into the bargain and then tried his hand at cruiserweight but was floored and outpointed by Jesse Burnett, a man he had previously beaten. Galindez showed unusual grace after both defeats and was sadly killed in 1980 on a racetrack when he was struck by a car.
However, Rossman trained at Ali's famous Deer Lake Camp in Pennsylvania and entered the fight in magnificent condition. In contrast, Galindez, now pushing 30, really struggled to get down to the light-heavyweight limit and made the desperate decision to fight three times in the build-up to bring himself down. The last 10-rounder took place just four weeks before Rossman. None of that was Rossman's fault, who went out there and showed the champion absolutely no respect (unlike many of Galindez's previous challengers) and really took the title. The stoppage came as something of a relief in the 13th round, with Galindez horribly busted up and shipping punch after punch. Immediately after the stoppage, Galindez walked over to Rossman in a defiant gesture as if to say, 'we meet again'. The jubilant Rossman still refused to be intimidated and beckoned "come on!" Oh yes, Galindez met a far better man on the night.
The 23-year-old Rossman looked set for a solid reign but fate decreed seven meagre months. Mike, whose father was Italian, saw off Italian Aldo Traversaro in a quick first defence in Philadelphia, butting Traversaro out of the fight in five rounds in front of a crowd of 11,000, before Galindez came back to haunt him. Galindez and Rossman were scheduled to meet again in February 1979 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas but a row over officials led to extraordinary scenes. Galindez wanted WBA judges (and the WBA appointed three Latin-American judges for the Argentina man as well as his pet referee Stanley Christodoulou) but the Nevada State Athletic Commission wanted their own officials. Talks went back and forth, right up to the last minute. Galindez was even offered an extra $25,000 by promoter Bob Arum to accept American officials, taking his purse to $100,000. Rossman then entered the ring first in an attempt to lure Galindez to the ring but with a crowd of 4,000 and a 'live' national-TV audience also waiting, Galindez upped and stormed out of the Palace.
Galindez's anti-American fury stemmed from his world title rematch with Pierre Fourie in South Africa in 1975 when an American judge had voted for Fourie (the other two judges, both Latin-American, voted for Galindez) but the man should have been banned long and hard for doing what he did. Instead, Rossman was forced to go through it all again two months later when the mandated fight was re-scheduled for New Orleans. Rossman had gone from loving boxing to hating boxing while Galindez had enough left to deliver one last big performance and forced Rossman to retire at the end of the ninth round, claiming a damaged right hand. Galindez pulled his usual trick of hitting a man after the bell at least once in a fight and got involved in a scuffle with Mike's brother, Andy, at the end of round four. He ran over and taunted Rossman when Rossman, who was clearly losing, finally called it quits. That was it for Rossman, who lost vital fights and never got another crack. He was out of the game by 28, bitter and twisted. He wanted longer at the top and you can hardly blame him. He seems to have mellowed now, much like Galindez mellowed after he married for the second time. He lost his world title to Marvin Johnson in November 1979, suffering a broken jaw into the bargain and then tried his hand at cruiserweight but was floored and outpointed by Jesse Burnett, a man he had previously beaten. Galindez showed unusual grace after both defeats and was sadly killed in 1980 on a racetrack when he was struck by a car.