Ayers v Rigby I

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 07 Jan 2005, 09:16

Anyone got this fight on tape, I'm desperate to get a hold of it.

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 07 Jan 2005, 10:02

I can understand why, one of the fights of the decade!

I think I still have it somewhere.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 07 Jan 2005, 10:57

If you do, and you have the facility to copy it, I will gladly pay for a copy, I've been trying to track it down for ages....

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 07 Jan 2005, 11:32

I remember watching it feeling how long it was taking. Usually the type of fights that blur the boundaries of time are prolonged one-sided smashings - like Williams vs. Klitschko. Fights that go back and forth usually seem to go in quick for me. But this one was such a long and bruising (literally) fight.

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 07 Jan 2005, 11:52

I've got a copy but unfortunately it's stored away with a load other shit. It's been shown recently on CH5 I'm sure, always worth keeping an eye out.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 07 Jan 2005, 11:52

If that fight had been a title fight in Vegas, it would have been described as one of the greatest fights of all time, of that I have no doubt.

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:02

Was it Rigby v Dunne that was right up there with it?

Or am I mixing my Lightweight history up?

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:04

Maybe it was Dunne v Schwer

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:06

Or Ayers v Dunne.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:42

Interesting round Robin of fights isn't it?

All of those guys were a real credit to British boxing in my opinion. All of them gave their all and were real warriors, none of them was ever quite good enough to win a genuine world title, but they were great fighters to watch.

glittermonkey · Post by **glittermonkey** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:42

DavidPayne wrote:Maybe it was Dunne v Schwer

Yep, that's the one that's almost as good as the first Ayers/Rigby fight. Those two are probably the best British fights I've seen, certainly that I've seen over the last decade.

Unfortunately Dunne vs Schwer is also the one that my mother managed to convert into five back to back episodes of Eastenders. I remember being almost as angry as when she threw out my Transformers comic collection when I was but a nipper. That subject recently came up at a family get together, oh how I laughed.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:48

Haven't seen Dunn v Schwer, at least I don't recollect it. Those fights we mentioned would make a great collectors box set don't you think, 'Best of British' type thing.

Shame Ayers didn't fight Schwer, would have completed the circle.

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:52

Dunne v Schwer was a pretty good fight but nowhere near as good as Ayers v Rigby I am afraid.

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 07 Jan 2005, 14:25

Ok, you could be in mega-luck.

I think I have all three of the classics bouts mentioned above.

Michael Ayres v Colin Dunne was absolutely breathtaking, followed very closely by a see-saw classic in Michael Ayres v Wayne Rigby 1 (truly remarkable fight and ending), and also the a classical encounter between Colin Dunne and Billy Schwer, two fabulous craftsmen.

Dunn v Rigby was very dissapointing and Dunne won as he pleased.

I'm sure I have Ayres-Dunne, Ayres-Rigby 1 and Dunne-Schwer on tape.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 07 Jan 2005, 15:24

THEBUTCH wrote:Ok, you could be in mega-luck.

I think I have all three of the classics bouts mentioned above.

Michael Ayres v Colin Dunne was absolutely breathtaking, followed very closely by a see-saw classic in Michael Ayres v Wayne Rigby 1 (truly remarkable fight and ending), and also the a classical encounter between Colin Dunne and Billy Schwer, two fabulous craftsmen.

Dunn v Rigby was very dissapointing and Dunne won as he pleased.

I'm sure I have Ayres-Dunne, Ayres-Rigby 1 and Dunne-Schwer on tape.

If you have Ayers vs Dunne I would like that as its a classic that I watched but didn't tape!!!.... :x :x :x

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 07 Jan 2005, 20:12

I'm always bias when it comes to Schwer, but I still believe a prime Schwer would have licked that lot of them.

Lickszz · Post by **Lickszz** » 07 Jan 2005, 21:19

[quote="stujones"]I'm always bias when it comes to Schwer, but I still believe a prime Schwer would have licked that lot of them.[/quote]

He would indeed. :TU:

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 10 Jan 2005, 10:30

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Michael Ayres, but I honestly think (if we're talking about when each was in their prime) that Shakka would take any of them.

When he beat Dunne, how he managed to keep cranking up the pressure until Colin cracked, was beyond belief.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 10 Jan 2005, 10:38

I can see a peak Ayers beating Scwer... after a classic I think Ayers would be the more durable and possibly win on a stoppage with Billy cut up....
Would you like to swap a copy of Ayers vs Dunn for a fight of your choice Butch?......

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 10 Jan 2005, 10:52

Drop me a PM silkov.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 10 Jan 2005, 11:28

The thing which made Ayers v Rigby special for me was the compassion shown by Ayers, who kept begging the ref to stop it. It was one of the most uplifting fights I've ever seen, perhaps the most uplifting.

Ayers hit Rigby with everything but the kitchen sink, and just didn't want to hit him any more, and Rigby was too stubborn to quit...

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 10 Jan 2005, 12:16

Well boxing never ceases to amaze me, but I can't see a battle like Ayres-Rigby 1 coming around again for a long, long time.

Yep, the ending was magic. 8) The referee has a really bad habit of letting fights go on dangerously too long, and in the end the two boxers just knew the fight had come to it's conclusion, tapped gloves and went back to their corners. Outstanding stuff!

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 10 Jan 2005, 12:33

Yes, it was down to the personalities of the two men involved. Although a hellacious pressure fighter at his best, Ayers showed an enormous capacity for compassion in the ring that night, it's something I've never seen in quite that way. Although Holmes was hanging back against Ali, he was still slapping the shit out of him on the ropes right till the end.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 10 Jan 2005, 13:06

Yes, I remember that. Also remember some really insensitive booing from minorities in the crowd, accusing Rigby of quitting - which was absolutely ridiculous.

I remember Eubank doing a similar jesture to the ref when he outclassed Henry Wharton. He called the ref to stop it - the ref didn't listen though.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 10 Jan 2005, 14:37

Holmes motioned for the ref to step in when he had Leon Spinks and Marvis frazier hurt in their fights and Ali done a simular thing against Lyle... but I've never seen such a situation as the Ayers vs Rigby 1 fight... to be in such a frenzied and exciting fight and yet still have the compassion to suddenly hold back like Ayers did was very commendable indeed...