Jeff Chandler vs. Miguel Iriarte
Jeff Chandler 118 lbs beat Miguel Iriarte 118 lbs by TKO at 2:20 in round 9 of 15
- Date: 1982-10-27
- Location: Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
- Referee: Joe Cortez
- Judge: Roberto Ramirez Sr 78-74
- Judge: Richard F Murry 78-75
- Judge: Luis Sulbaran 79-75
- World Boxing Association World Bantamweight Title (6th defense by Chandler)
Jeff Chandler won two fights in the same day - and the second victory was the more enjoyable for the WBA bantamweight champion.
Chandler's first battle on Wednesday was with the scales. He weighed in at 119 1/4 pounds that morning for his fight with Miguel Irarte of Panama and had two hours to get down to the class limit of 118. A half-hour before the deadline, he weighed in at 117 3/4 to Iriarte's 117 1/2.
The second fight lasted less than 27 minutes.
Chandler seemed dubious of Iriarte's high ranking and wasn't pleased about the WBA threats to strip him of the title if he didn't fight the Panamanian.
Chandler made Iriarte pay, peppering him with head shots and taunts and playing to the crowd before stopping the challenger at 2:20 of the ninth round of the scheduled 15-rounder at Resorts International.
"They had a clown in the ring with me, and so I clowned," said the unbeaten Chandler, who made his sixth title defense. "They put a novice in the ring with a world champion. That's not right."
"When I found out he couldn't fight... wow," said Chandler.
The 26-year-old champion took control of the fight in the third round spearing the 27-year-old challenger with with several sharp left jabs and hooks.
In the sixth, Chandler ripped a cut on the bridge of Iriarte's nose and landed seven or eight crisp head shots with either hand.
Iriarte got a respite for a little more than two minutes late in the seventh when Chandler's right glove split and had to be changed.
In the ninth, Chandler wobbled Iriarte with a right to the head and backed him up with a left hook. The champion pounded home a 10-punch barrage to the head, then after being bulled across the ring by the desperate Iriarte, landed eight more blows, climaxed by a right to the jaw.
Iriarte began to fall, but kept himself up by grabbing a strand of the ropes. However, referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight.
"I respect the judgment of the referee," said Iriarte, who also complained that Cortez let Chandler get away with butting and thumbing. Chandler felt that Cortez let Iriarte get away with butting and said it was a butt that opened a nick over his left eye.
- Source: Schuyler Jr. Ed. Chandler Handles Scales and Iriarte. The New London Day (1982, Oct. 28) p.33. Article