Lupe Pintor - Juan Meza, 1985

I recently happened upon a copy of this fight, courtesy of one of you fine folks (thanks dude!), and it was great to finally see this one, after missing it that weekend back in 1985.

I really missed something then. The announcing team was the standard Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy, along wth color commentary by Sugar Ray Leonard.

In reading the report of the fight in the boxing magazines then, I remember being surprised that Pintor had challenged for a title at that stage; he was 30 by then, and hadn't looked good leading up to the fight, having been held to a 10-round draw in his previous bout.

On paper, I guess, this fight made some sense to Meza's people; their man was on a roll now, after being so badly bludgeoned and outclassed so horribly by Gomez in 1982. He'd won the title in one round from a rising star in Jaime Garza in a thrilling brawl, then stopped Mike Ayala fairly impressively in his first defense. Pintor, still a name with some weight and conveniently faded, promised to be the perfect opponent to showcase the new, improved Meza in his latest national TV encounter.

The fight was Meza's in the early going; in fact, I gave him the first four rounds. He landed some, missed many, but was very busy. Pintor was patient as always, bided his time, pumping a strong jab occasionally and proving strong and durable, though the slow start seemed curious given the shortened 12-round championship distance. He was giving rounds away at an alarming pace.

For his part, Meza wasn't particularly impressive technically. His balance was terrible, his center of gravity was all over the place, he leaned in with his chin exposed, and threw goofy, uncoordinated-looking punches. He was a mess. BUT, he was a busy mess.

Then, the whole fight changed in the fifth. Pintor started opening up with strong yet measured combos, and Meza, known for his good chin, fell hard. Twice, actually. This was something weird about the announcing team........at the start of the fight, they commented on the extreme altitude of the fight venue (held in Mexico City, which is like 40,000 feet up or something), but as Meza started unravelling as the rounds mounted, made no more mention of it. Clancy kept hollering about how Meza was courageous but had no legs all of a sudden.........it's plain to me at least that the altitude really played hell with the champion, and Pintor, who hails from Mexico City, felt right at home. They missed the boat on that angle I think.

Anyway, Meza kept pumping away, throwing punches that grew gradually weaker. He was so damn brave though; great show on his part. He truly had no legs, but beckoned Pintor on to give him more, and threw what he could, stealing another couple rounds in the second half of the fight this way.

Pintor knocked him down again in the eighth, however, and it looked for all the world as if Meza would be stopped. He was wobbling all over.

Pintor nearly stopped him in the 12th and final round, capping off a sturdy, learned, experienced performance. Pintor showed what a calm, cool professional he was, knowing he'd given away rounds but also knowing when and how to turn up the heat. The decision was just.

Great fight.

 

Indeed; the more I see of him, the bigger a fan I am of Pintor. And Meza was a pretty forgettable champion, but his guts that day are his legacy. Should be good enough for anybody.

 

It was shocking to see the differential in speed between Meza and Gomez when they fought. Meza was so ponderously slow of hand it's a wonder he ever sniffed a title shot, but.......there he was.