BoxRec

If it happened in today's climate at what round do you think Robinson Basilio II would be stopped? To me this is good reason to allow these fights to continue. In one of the Judges eyes Carmen won the fight. Oh I know I'm a heartless neanderthal. But it's a tough sport. It ought to still be allowed to be a tough sport.

It was a pretty competitive match and I'm not sure Ray really won that one. But what a crime if it would have been stopped.

I havn't seen the fight but I aggree that lately their have been too many early stopages. But usally happens after somone dies, and not to long ago we've heard boxers die. But every boxer knows the risk and accepts the risk, so I think the fighter should be given every posabble chance to prevail over his opponet regardless of the situation.

It would definitely be stopped today and probably 20 or even 30 years ago.To think that Basilio went through that fight with one eye completely closed for at least half of it,against no less a puncher than Robinson,puts him in the pantheon of tough guys,plus he only lost a split decision.

Agreed, I just watched it again and although Ray won it it was definately competitive.

Does anyone here have full versions of Robinson vs Basilo 1 or 2?... :x 8)

The reason I brought it up has to do with Vargas's claim that he wanted to continue and felt he could see just fine. We'll never know what might have happened. And this coming from someone who expected a Mosely win. Basilio waged on with another "Sugar" for 6 rounds without vision in one eye and held it to a split decision.

Seems that we want to take all the risk out of this sport at this point.
Maybe headgear is next?

The referee in Basilio -Robinson 2 was the same referee in Sugar Rays stoppage of Lamotta in Chicago in 1951 ,Frank Sikora. It seems as though he was a referee who let the fighters fight. Many referees would have stopped the Lamotta -Robinson fight a round or so earlier also. Sikora seems like a ref who definitely will let a fight go for awhile. Probably arent many refs around like him nowadays.

I think if eyes are shut as grotesquely as Vargas was then unless he's on the brink of winning the bout, it should be stopped. If the fights good they can always do it again... eye damage like that can shorten careers and cause permanent injuries I'd rather see a fighter pulled out and saved to fight another day...

expug wrote:The referee in Basilio -Robinson 2 was the same referee in Sugar Rays stoppage of Lamotta in Chicago in 1951 ,Frank Sikora. It seems as though he was a referee who let the fighters fight. Many referees would have stopped the Lamotta -Robinson fight a round or so earlier also. Sikora seems like a ref who definitely will let a fight go for awhile. Probably arent many refs around like him nowadays.

I thought the ref of the recent Chavez vs Johnson bout was rather brave with dire consequences for Johnson... fights certainly seem to be allowed to go on longer in the US to over here and Europe...

Yeah it's a tough call. Vargas said he could see just fine. He may have been asked during the fight by the ref or the doc, I"m not sure. I'm not even sure you could trust what a fighter says at a time like that. It's the refs call....so be it.