Pipino Cuevas vs. Angel Espada (3rd meeting)
Pipino Cuevas 146 lbs beat Angel Espada 144 lbs by TKO at 1:18 in round 10 of 15
- Date: 1979-12-08
- Location: Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Referee: Terry Smith 88-83
- Judge: James Jen Kin 88-84
- Judge: Isaac Herrera 87-84
"Jose (Pipino) Cuevas of Mexico City knocked out Angel Espada of Puerto Rico in the 10th round Saturday to retain his WBA welterweight championship. Cuevas started fast using his jab and left hooks to the head. In the 3rd round, a Cuevas left send Espada reeling and the champion closed in, landing nearly 20 blows while the challenger was in his corner. Espada rallied in the 4th but Cuevas came back in the 5th and 6th, although he was warned for a low blow in the latter and again in the 10th. Espada looked strong with head shots in the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds but took severe punishment to the body as the Cuevas corner urged the champion to use that strategy. Cuevas opened a cut over Espada's right eye and had it bleeding badly in the 7th. Then he switched to a body attack in the 8th and 9th to slow the challenger before putting him away at 1:18 of the 10th round in the scheduled 15 rounder at the Sports Arena." -Associated Press
- Purses: Cuevas - $100,000 plus undesignated training expenses. Espada - $25,000 plus $15,000 in training expenses.
Post fight comments
- "I was never hurt in the fight although he hit me with some good right hand shots. The fight did go longer than I expected." -Pipino Cuevas
- "He jabbed more and was boxing better than before. I wasn't quite prepared for that." -Angel Espada