Jimmy Ellis vs. Larry Middleton

Larry Middleton 208 lbs drew with Jimmy Ellis 199 lbs by SD in round 10 of 10

• Date: 1974-03-04
• Location: Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, USA
• Referee: Lew Eskin 44-46
• Judge: Larry Barrett 47-47
• Judge: Tom Kelly 46-45

"Larry Middleton thought he won the fight - no ifs, ands or buts. Jimmy Ellis, on the other hand, thought the butts had a lot to do with the 10 round heavyweight draw. From ringside, however, it appeared it was Middleton's fists that caused blood to run from Ellis' nose in the last two rounds and all but close his left eye. The 6' 4" Middleton had a distinct advantage in reach and had a nine pound edge, but Ellis was more effective inside and seemed to be giving a boxing lesson as he moved in front early in the bout. Ellis landed some solid punches to the head in the 6th round, but starting with the final 1:20 of the 8th round, Middleton did most of the punching." -Associated Press

• Unofficial AP scorecard - 47-45 Middleton
• Attendance - 5,126

Post fight comments

• "The guy butted me in the nose and eye. It wasn't intentional, but he had his head in my face all night." -Jimmy Ellis

• "Since I feel like I had the fight won, the draw makes me feel like I lost. He came out like a tiger in the last two rounds because he knew he was behind. He was very happy with the draw." -Larry Middleton

• "My man slipped the punches, but he couldn't slip Middleton's head." -Angelo Dundee, Ellis' manager