Greatest performances early in a career

Spoon vs Holmes

Chan-Hee Park vs Miguel Canto

 

Duran vs Buchanan
Lora vs Zaragoza

 

A couple come to mind;
Barkley--Duran. I thought Barkley looked much better prepared and had done some homework. He actually used some tools instead of brawling and trading. Iran fought as complete a fight as he ever fought and it wasn't enough against a former lightweight moving up. How many other 37 year old lightweights take those bodyshots that Iran was digging in there?

Coetzee-Spinks. Maybe it was just the opponent, but Gerrie was a real destroyer in there that night. It was almost as if he was a Tyson that night and was looking to ko the guy within 3 minutes. And did it. Brutal fight and pretty much ruined Spinks. And here Leon had gone 30 with Ali and his stock was about as high as it ever was. Coetzee was never really that same destroyer guy though, and I would've liked to have seen him come out of the gate like say like a Tyson or a Cooney.

Mike Rossman. That was some job he did on a tough guy like Galindez to take the title. A real tough hombre to get out of there and a guy capable of digging deep to win fights as much as anyone in the sport at the time. Great jab and his defense was solid and he looked like a star in the making at a real young age. Not much of it was there for the rematch and that loss blew out a lot of candles. One end of the spectrum to the other and it really did look as if he went to penny stock value very early in what was starting to look like a real nice career.

 

Barkley fought a complete fight against Kalambay as well(and Nunn too really), he tried his best to use his height\reach, work the jab, not get sloppy and even attempted to stick and move at times.

Those couple of years from about Olajide through Nunn were his best as a fighter.Then the skills did go downhill considerably.

 

Jimmy Ellis was matched very tough from the start of his career, (Before Anglo Dundee took the reins) in his 6th and 9th fights he was swapping leather with the experianced Holly Mimms (a Points win apiece) and in his 13th fight found himself in with the redoutable Henry Hank (Lost Points) - but the fight i was really impressed with only his 17th, was when he was put in with Rubin Hurricane CArter the dreadnought first round slayer of Emile Griffith and Florentino Fernandez, And Ellis was only a Skinny 22 year old ! (he undoubtedly had brave confident management !)

Rubin Froz a lot of good middles with his Muscled Mongolian Manderin appearance - before the first bell, But the young Ellis remained coiol calm and collected, even when floored in the 4th, Young Ellis boxed very well off the back foot, and there was times Ellis actually pushed Rubin back and Fired his Embryonic dangerous right Hand, Rubin had to display a surprisingly good Jab to Contain the shifty Ellis at Long Range, Rubin won on points, no dispute, but Young Skinny Kid Ellis was impressive in defeat and more than hinted at
Exciting Victories to come, even if they were not envisaged for the heavyweight division.

 

Charlie Magri had his best performances early against Alfonso Lopez and Santos Laciar.

He looked like he could be a good dangerous world level Contender at that point.Things went rapidly downhill though.His stamina and punch resistance deserting him surprisingly suddenly.

 

Sahaprom Vs Chuvatana

 

Maltese-British fighter, hit pretty hard, had a pretty big following. Briefly held the linear title by beating Dominican Olympian, the ridiculously toughly matched Eleoncio Mercedes on cuts.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaDpojR59n0[/ame]

I think he lost it to Frank Cerdeno. Who lost it to Koji Kobayashi. Who lost it to Bernal. Who lost it to Chitalada.

Either way, he got another stab at the 'lineal' title at Fly against Sot Chitalada, who was paid a hundred thousand pounds to come over from Thailand, and had his prize money stolen after the fight Magri got pulled out as he was being horribly outclassed.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBShls5sk2g[/ame]

 

**** it, here's a highlight I found of him bludgeoning people.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbZf_pxQYWM[/ame]

 

McLarin-LaBarba.

 

Tyson vs Berbick. Mike absolutely destroyed this guy and made an undeniable claim
to the throne. I believe Mike was twenty years old at the time.