The Fight Game

[shack]

Howard Cosell is a reminder of how good live broadcasting was back in the day.

I felt sorry for Joe Frazier, he was the right fighter at the wrong time. You can hear Angelo Dundee in the background screaming to stop the fight.

He was right, Joe didn't deserve to to the knockout dance, twice. He looked like Bugs Bunny doing an exeunt on the last one.

Down goes Frazeh! Down goes Frazeh!

Howard and Ali made each other's careers, although more so Ali for Cosell. Howard was the first significant broadcaster to refer to him as Muhammed Ali and Ali always appreciated that and gave him some exclusive interviews. They respected each other and it showed.

 

[The Oracle]

Howard Cosell is a reminder of how good live broadcasting was back in the day.

I felt sorry for Joe Frazier, he was the right fighter at the wrong time. You can hear Angelo Dundee in the background screaming to stop the fight.

Angelo Dundee? You mean Eddie Futch?

You were right I just watched it and Cosell says it's Dundee. I guess he was on a scouting trip of sorts with Ferdie Pacheco considering this was before the Rumble In The jungle.

 

[The Oracle]

George Foreman vs Ron Lyle (Full 1976 fight broadcast)

This was Foreman's next fight after the Frazier demolition. Things were significantly more difficult for him.

This was also Ring Magazines fight of the year.

Lyle started his professional when he was 30 years old. He learned how to box while he was in prison for a murder conviction.

 

[Insidious Von]

Eddie Futch was not Joe Frazier's trainer when he fought Foreman, it was Yancey Durham. At the time Futch was Ken Norton's trainer, Frazier hired him for the Thrilla in Manula. Futch also trained George Foreman when he returned to boxing.

Ali should have listened to Dr. Fredie Pacheco, he wanted him to retire after Manila. Ali preferred to listen to Bundini Brown, he'd still be alive today had he listened to the doctor. Pacheco left his retinue in 76.

Interesting bit of trivia. Most of the fighters Foreman fought on his way to becoming heavyweight champion a second time got knocked out by Teofilo Stevenson.

 

[Insidious Von]

Stevenson chose to represent Cuba instead of becoming a professional boxer, who knows what he could have achieved?

 

[The Oracle]

A short clip of Smoking Joe a few weeks after his first encounter with Foreman. Some interesting guests on the Dick Cavett show with Joe

 

[Insidious Von]

No sweet science here.

Ron Lyle was a heavy puncher but Ali defused his power. A year later he met George Foreman, Foreman got lucky, he was out on his feet. Lyle got overconfident and left himself open.

 

[shack]

And that was only 5 rounds. LOL

 

[The Oracle]

No sweet science here.

Ron Lyle was a heavy puncher but Ali defused his power. A year later he met George Foreman, Foreman got lucky, he was out on his feet. Lyle got overconfident and left himself open.

I put this fight up last week. Why the need to repost?

I feel slighted and marginalised, lol.

Lyle was far ahead on all the sore cards against Ali till he got caught in the 11th by an opponent who had a higher fight IQ.

 

[Insidious Von]

I put this fight up last week. Why the need to repost? I feel slighted and marginalised, lol.

You sound like Silvio Dante, how many of my posts have been reposted, I've lost count. Consider it flattery.

Imho the best fight ever.

 

[The Oracle]

You sound like Silvio Dante, how many of my posts have been reposted, I've lost count. Consider it flattery.

Silvio Dante eh?......Just when I thought I was out......

Hagler/ Hearns was good but Gatti/Ward in my opinion was better. Honourable mention to Arguello/Pryor 1

 

[Insidious Von]

I feel slighted and marginalised, lol.

 

[The Oracle]

LMAO..........Tony doesn't even know what it means.

Back to the fights....Hearns is one of my favourite fighters of all time. I've seen practically every fight that he was in that was televised. Can't ever remember him being in a boring bout. Great knockout power and a lion in the ring. But as Joe Rogan says there's different levels to this game and Hagler was that different level. Tommy tried his best to take him early because he wasn't going to take him out late. The problem is that nobody takes the marvellous one out. The first 2 rounds of their fight is dynamite no doubt.

Gatti/Ward was just a war of attrition. The type of fight that takes years off your career or maybe even life. That's the type of fight that when you watch it you can feel the lifeforce drain from your body as the immensity of the blows tally up.

 

[bluecolt]

You sound like Silvio Dante, how many of my posts have been reposted, I've lost count. Consider it flattery.

Imho the best fight ever.

I saw Thomas Hearns win his WBA welterweight championship belt in Detroit on August 2, 1980, a hot summer evening, against Jose "Pipino" Cuevas, the "King of Welterweights." He plastered Cuevas in the first round and levelled him in the second round with a vicious combination ending with a hard right landing on Cuevas' jaw, and dropping him to the canvas for the count.

When I saw Hearns step in the ring, he towered over Cuevas, although they were in the same weight class. Additionally, when he warmed up, I noticed that he had the fastest hands that I had ever seen. His hands were a blur. As he got older and fatter, he seemed like his hand speed slowed and he evolved into a pure power puncher.

When he fought Hagler five years later in 1985, Hearns had been exposed as a fighter who could not withstand a hard punch to the head, which was proven by Ray Leonard in 1981. Hearns really struggled in the fight against a game opponent in Marvin Hagler.

PS I can't believe that Thomas Hearns is 61 now. Tempus fugit.

 

[Insidious Von]

Marvin Hagler vs Carlos Monzon - who would win?

When I was still living on St Clair Av West, an Italian fighter rose named Nino Benvenuti. He was adored in the neighbourhood, becoming Middleweight Championship. Then he was promptly knocked out by Carlos Monzon in 1970, they had a re-match the following year and Nino went Bencascado again. Monzon comilled a record of 83 - 3, defending the middleweight title for seven years. After he retired he probably had CTE, his quality of life went into decline.

 

[Insidious Von]

Monzon's last fight, unification bout against Rodrigo Valdez. Show of sportsmanship by Monzon, Valdez trips and Monzon allows him to get his balance back.

Has Monzon's dark personal life marginalized his in ring accomplishments?

 

[Insidious Von]

Tony gets payback, Bert Gervasi set up the brutal ambush of Vito Spatafore. Silvio is his consiglieri for a reason.

 

[The Oracle]

Marvin Hagler vs Carlos Monzon - who would win?

Monzon was taller and had a reach advantage. Hagler was the natural southpaw who could switch to orthodox at will. Both could really punch and had excellent cardio and heart. Tough call.To bad they were 12 years apart in age.

 

[Insidious Von]

George Foreman said Sonny Liston could punch harder than he could. Only problem, Ali was a freak.

A breakdown of the fight, no one had ever fought like Ali before, other heavyweights thought they could take him. Sugar Ray Robinson knew the truth.

 

[Insidious Von]

"No toilet could take his ass...just a remarkable human being" ...Jake Roberts.