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Ayers v Rigby I

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 09:16
by jamesmcdonnell
Anyone got this fight on tape, I'm desperate to get a hold of it.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 10:02
by THEBUTCH
I can understand why, one of the fights of the decade!

I think I still have it somewhere.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 10:57
by jamesmcdonnell
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....

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 11:32
by Manos de Oro
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 11:52
by Kilburn
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 11:52
by jamesmcdonnell
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:02
by DavidPayne
Was it Rigby v Dunne that was right up there with it?

Or am I mixing my Lightweight history up?

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:04
by DavidPayne
Maybe it was Dunne v Schwer

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:06
by Kilburn
Or Ayers v Dunne.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:42
by jamesmcdonnell
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:42
by glittermonkey
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. :evil:

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:48
by jamesmcdonnell
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 12:52
by nickd
Dunne v Schwer was a pretty good fight but nowhere near as good as Ayers v Rigby I am afraid.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 14:25
by THEBUTCH
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.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 15:24
by silkov
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

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 20:12
by stujones
I'm always bias when it comes to Schwer, but I still believe a prime Schwer would have licked that lot of them.

Posted: 07 Jan 2005, 21:19
by Lickszz
[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:

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 10:30
by THEBUTCH
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. :o

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 10:38
by silkov
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?......

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 10:52
by THEBUTCH
Drop me a PM silkov.

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 11:28
by jamesmcdonnell
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...

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 12:16
by THEBUTCH
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!

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 12:33
by jamesmcdonnell
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.

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 13:06
by stujones
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.

Posted: 10 Jan 2005, 14:37
by silkov
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...