BoxRec

I've just contacted British boxing historian Derek O'Dell, who does a lot of work for Barry Hugman's respected British Boxing Yearbook, and he kindly dug out the November 1980 copy of Boxing News containing the fight report. Scores at the time of the stoppage were (yawn):

Gibbs: 108-104 (Jim Watt)
Baldeyrou: 109-105 (Jim Watt)
Mercante: 104-103 (Jim Watt)

Derek read out the report to me and it says how fortunes suddenly took a turn in O'Grady's favour in the ninth round when Watt was badly cut and led to the corner for a doctor's inspection, which he naturally survived. Watt came out hard in the 10th, outjabbing O'Grady before the infamous head 'clash'.
He continued outjabbing a half-blinded O'Grady up the stoppage.

Wthout coming across as too boorish, I've also emailed the British Boxing Board of Control (established 1929) for the scores and am awaiting a response.

bennie wrote:

raylawpc wrote:
bennie, it depends on whose record you are looking at. The first score listed is that of the person whose record you are reading.

Thus, on Arguello's record, the score for the Watt fight is reported:
referee: Arthur Mercante | judge: Frank Holbach 147-143 | judge: Dick Young 147-137 | judge: Robert Desgain 147-143

And on Watt's record, the fight is reported as:
referee: Arthur Mercante | judge: Frank Holbach 143-147 | judge: Dick Young 137-147 | judge: Robert Desgain 143-147

When you look at the Watt and O'Grady records, BoxRec reports that O'Grady was winning at the time of the stoppage.

From Watt's record:
referee: Raymond Baldeyrou 105-109 | judge: Harry Gibbs 104-108 | judge: Arthur Mercante 103-104

From O'Gradys' record:
referee: Raymond Baldeyrou 109-105 | judge: Harry Gibbs 108-104 | judge: Arthur Mercante 104-103

This is becoming rather tedious. Watt was ahead. Boxrec is plain wrong on that score.

friend bennie, my intent was not to create tedium for you. I thought, perhaps, you did not understand how BoxRec reports the scores on a fighter's record. I thought so, frankly, because it took me a while to figure it out and, until I did, I found it quite maddening.

I personally do not know if Sean was behind or ahead officially, and I'm not the best person to even venture an unofficial opinion.

bennie wrote:I've just contacted British boxing historian Derek O'Dell, who does a lot of work for Barry Hugman's respected British Boxing Yearbook, and he kindly dug out the November 1980 copy of Boxing News containing the fight report. Scores at the time of the stoppage were (yawn):

Gibbs: 108-104 (Jim Watt)
Baldeyrou: 109-105 (Jim Watt)
Mercante: 104-103 (Jim Watt)

Derek read out the report to me and it says how fortunes suddenly took a turn in O'Grady's favour in the ninth round when Watt was badly cut and led to the corner for a doctor's inspection, which he naturally survived. Watt came out hard in the 10th, outjabbing O'Grady before the infamous head 'clash'.
He continued outjabbing a half-blinded O'Grady up the stoppage.

Wthout coming across as too boorish, I've also emailed the British Boxing Board of Control (established 1929) for the scores and am awaiting a response.

Thanks for checking. As I said earlier, memories can be hazy after 30 years. I watched it live but haven't watched it since. I do seem to remember a tight fight until the last few rounds when Watt gained steam, so I suppose a case can be made that he would have retained the title over 15 rounds anyway

giacomino wrote:

bennie wrote:I've just contacted British boxing historian Derek O'Dell, who does a lot of work for Barry Hugman's respected British Boxing Yearbook, and he kindly dug out the November 1980 copy of Boxing News containing the fight report. Scores at the time of the stoppage were (yawn):

Gibbs: 108-104 (Jim Watt)
Baldeyrou: 109-105 (Jim Watt)
Mercante: 104-103 (Jim Watt)

Derek read out the report to me and it says how fortunes suddenly took a turn in O'Grady's favour in the ninth round when Watt was badly cut and led to the corner for a doctor's inspection, which he naturally survived. Watt came out hard in the 10th, outjabbing O'Grady before the infamous head 'clash'.
He continued outjabbing a half-blinded O'Grady up the stoppage.

Wthout coming across as too boorish, I've also emailed the British Boxing Board of Control (established 1929) for the scores and am awaiting a response.

Thanks for checking. As I said earlier, memories can be hazy after 30 years. I watched it live but haven't watched it since. I do seem to remember a tight fight until the last few rounds when Watt gained steam, so I suppose a case can be made that he would have retained the title over 15 rounds anyway

O'Grady would probably have won (on cuts) had Watt not nutted him and opened the truly shocking cut on O'Grady's forehead. (Watt's cut was not so horrendous but it was horrendous, one of those jagged cuts right down the side of his eye.) This blurs and overrides the memory of the fight's course.

Wanted to see Sean box Howard Davis Jr.He was a great announcer on USA network for boxing.

My2Sense wrote:

giacomino wrote:If I remember correctly, the ending was controversial because the cut appeared to be caused by a headbutt but the ref declared it came from a punch. Had it been ruled a butt, it would have gone to the scorecards and O'Grady would have won. However, because the ref ruled it a punch, it was declared a KO win for Watt

Exactly.

I also thought O'Grady should've been ahead in the fight too, regardless of what the scorecards actually said.

Me too