Alex Arthur nearly does a Jason Cook

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 25 Oct 2003, 07:21

SCOTTISH boxer Alex Arthur came within minutes of having to give up his British super featherweight title without a fight last night.

Arthur took four attempts to make the weight for his defence against Michael Gomez.

The challenger from Manchester scaled the regulation 9st 4 lbs but Arthur was six ounces over the weight for the sell-out British title fight at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh.

When he returned after skipping and running the first time, Arthur was still four ounces over the limit and was forced to go off to shed a further two ounces.

He finally made the weight for the fight at the fourth attempt.

But he will be disappointed that it took more exercise than he would have thought possible on the day before the defence that could give him a Lonsdale belt outright if he beats Gomez.

Saunas are not allowed to be used to reduce weight by order of the British Boxing Board of Control.

And if Arthur had not managed to shed the required weight within just one hour of the weigh-in beginning at 3.30 pm in Edinburgh he would have become the former champion and would have been required to make a pitch for the vacant title.

British title fights have a one-hour maximum time limit for overweight fighters to make the scales. All other title fights are covered by a two-hour maximum.

But the fighter insists the uncertainty over the weigh-in will not trouble him when he steps into the ring.

After the unexpected drama, Arthur said: "It was unforeseen but just one of those things. I knew there would be no problem losing the additional weight.

It will have absolutely no effect on me when the fight against Gomez begins.''

Meadowbank has been sold out for the last four weeks to see Arthur fight in his native city for the first time as a professional.

Tyson KTFO 3 Times · Post by **Tyson KTFO 3 Times** » 25 Oct 2003, 11:03

i feel this will make little differance.

Arthur ploughs through the average gomez.

KO3

Twinkle Toes · Post by **Twinkle Toes** » 25 Oct 2003, 17:31

Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:
Arthur ploughs through the average gomez.

KO3

Did you watch the fight then? ;)

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 26 Oct 2003, 09:26

Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:i feel this will make little differance.

Arthur ploughs through the average gomez.

KO3

He's almost as good at predictions as me

Tyson KTFO 3 Times · Post by **Tyson KTFO 3 Times** » 29 Oct 2003, 15:55

Twinkle Toes wrote:
Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:
Arthur ploughs through the average gomez.

KO3
Did you watch the fight then? ;)

*cough Cough*

You win some you lose some......

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 29 Oct 2003, 18:03

Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:
Twinkle Toes wrote:
Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:
Arthur ploughs through the average gomez.

KO3
Did you watch the fight then? ;)
*cough Cough*

You win some you lose some......

Nobody tipped Gomez to win anyway. You know, I once tipped Iran Barkley to beat Nigel Benn in 1990 (Barkley lasted a round) and also tipped Manuel Medina to beat Juan Manuel Marquez more recently (Medina barely landed a punch). But I still have to chuckle at Graham Houston's prediction in the 70's. He tipped Duane Bobick to beat Ken Norton (Bobick was torn apart in 59 seconds). Another respected writer, Harry Mullan, tipped Muhammad Ali to beat Larry Holmes in 1980.

Tyson KTFO 3 Times · Post by **Tyson KTFO 3 Times** » 30 Oct 2003, 06:15

bennie wrote:
Tyson KTFO 3 Times wrote:
Twinkle Toes wrote: Did you watch the fight then? ;)
*cough Cough*

You win some you lose some......
Nobody tipped Gomez to win anyway. You know, I once tipped Iran Barkley to beat Nigel Benn in 1990 (Barkley lasted a round) and also tipped Manuel Medina to beat Juan Manuel Marquez more recently (Medina barely landed a punch). But I still have to chuckle at Graham Houston's prediction in the 70's. He tipped Duane Bobick to beat Ken Norton (Bobick was torn apart in 59 seconds). Another respected writer, Harry Mullan, tipped Muhammad Ali to beat Larry Holmes in 1980.

well that makes me feel better.

On the Bobick norton match up, didnt Norton hit bobick in his adams apple?

or did i get the wrong fight?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 30 Oct 2003, 10:09

You got the right fight. Norton came out and jumped on the 38-0 Bobick, and one of the several hundred punches he seemed to land within a minute was a big right uppercut that caught Bobick on the throat. But it had no effect on the outcome. Bobick was a notoriously slow starter and Norton had the power to capatalise on that.
Incidentally, I read a feature on Bobick in the Boxing Digest the other day and he rates our own Bunny Johnson (who he wore down and stopped on the Ali-Dunn bill in Munich) as one of his toughest opponents.

By the way, Graham Houston also tipped Davey Moore to beat Duran.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 30 Oct 2003, 10:20

Wasnt Duran a substitute for Tony Ayala jnr?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 30 Oct 2003, 10:33

knockout artist wrote:Wasnt Duran a substitute for Tony Ayala jnr?

Duran won the right to fight Moore by stopping Pipino Cuevas in four rounds in early 1983. Ayala, by this time, had been imprisoned for his heinous rape charges. Ayala had been number one contender to Moore, but the champion, understandably, was doing his very best to delay a meeting between them and a fight was never actually scheduled.
Duran and Ayala were scheduled to meet in November 1982 in what would have been something very special indeed (but I think Duran would have done a Yori "Boy" Campas on Ayala and stood up to his early onslaughts and come on to win), but Duran lost to Kirkland Laing in September 1982 in a warm-up and it cost him the fight.

I think what you may be referring to KO artist, is that Moore-Duran was originally scheduled to take place in South Africa (along with Boom Boom Mancini against Kenny Bogner), but the Sun City extravaganza was cancelled when Bogner had his arm broken in a street brawl. Duran-Moore was thus moved to Madison Square Garden, which was far more to Duran's liking. If you look at Duran's record, he always had his best wins on America's east coast (Buchanan, Barkley, Palomino, etc) and struggled badly on the west coast in Vegas (De Jesus and Hagler apart).

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 30 Oct 2003, 11:11

Mullan tipped Ali to beat Holmes???

Obviously, I'm to young to remember the build up to that fight and have tried to discuss with older fans about the build up. The general impression I've had is, despite Ali's impressive performance against Spinks two years previously, the mumours about health problmes at gathered momentum and the result was as predicted.

Mullan, was a great writer and I honestly didn't know anyone actually tipped Ali to win.

I was lead that people felt Ali had as much chance as Chavez did against Tszyu.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 30 Oct 2003, 12:05

stujones wrote:Mullan tipped Ali to beat Holmes???

Obviously, I'm to young to remember the build up to that fight and have tried to discuss with older fans about the build up. The general impression I've had is, despite Ali's impressive performance against Spinks two years previously, the mumours about health problmes at gathered momentum and the result was as predicted.

Mullan, was a great writer and I honestly didn't know anyone actually tipped Ali to win.

I was lead that people felt Ali had as much chance as Chavez did against Tszyu.

Ali had shocked the experts so many times even the experts daren't write him off by that stage. But Holmes was a bridge too far. Ali's deteriorating health was not really evident till he developed Parkinson's Syndrome in the early 80's. There were rumours that his kidneys were shot to pieces late in his career (his doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, had quit the camp because of the kidney problem after the Shavers fight in 1977) and his hands were also showing massive wear and tear (he had novacaine injections prior to most of his later fights), but who could forsee the terrible plight that lay ahead for the great one? Someone like Jake LaMotta can go their whole career soaking up punishment and remain as bright as a button, but Ali went downhill quickly.