Early 80's fringe MW Contenders

Davison's coming out party against Curtis Parker on NBC's Friday Night Fight's was striking. Dwight had been a wrestler in high school, and at one point he wrestled a charging Parker to the floor. (Ali introduced this match for NBC with an entertaining promo describing it as a MW version of himself versus Smokin' Joe, and provided an enjoyable brief mid fight interview between rounds sitting at ringside. Muhammad was gearing up for Holmes, training, with weight down and energized, openly rooting for Davison, in character.)

It was a different version of Foreman-Frazier, where instead of shoving the aggressive Parker back, Davison stood his ground in mid ring and let Curtis run into a brick wall. Parker didn't respond well to not being able to make Dwight retreat after his previous televised wins over David Love and a racing Mike Colbert. (As Pacheco kept repeating, Colbert had amazing legs to run like he did for 12 rounds.) To be able to come forward, Parker needed to make Davison go backwards and Dwight was just too big and strong.

Hagler-Davison might have been the only other defense for MMH aside from Duran that went the Championship distance. In 52 bouts, Dwight Davison was never stopped, and he was a more passive and out hustled version of the same brick wall who stymied Parker when Sibson also couldn't move him back.

While Hagler would have beaten him, how Marv did it would have been interesting. Would he have brought out the stick and move template he used with Bennie Briscoe? A lot of people believe Sibson was MMH's peak. What if Dwight had made an effort and beaten Tony to get that shot? It becomes a very different type of bout for Hagler. If there was a MW contender Marv could not stop in the early 1980's aside from Duran, DD might have been it.

One example of Davison NOT sleepwalking was on CBS against Scypion. Dwight did let Wilford off the hook after a first round KD, but it led to Scypion going into a defensive shell as DD did the work for a change.

Epps remains a bizarre loss to me. Robbie was never the same after his post fight celebration though, when he danced around the ring only to trip on the bottom ropes and fall flat on his face. (It reminded me of how some gridiron ball carriers would score a touchdown, then jump high to spike the ball in celebration, tearing up a knee when landing.)

 

Following Hagler in Boston, New Englanders couldn't help but be aware of this thread's subtext, that Philadephia middleweights represented a remarkable collection of warriors in and of itself, and Boston versus Philly in NHL Hockey and NBA Basketball were the classic team sports rivalries in the Northeastern States, extended by Hagler into boxing.

Ernie never squared off with Marv, but New Englanders were certainly aware of Singletary as one of those Philly MW hoards MMH made his name by doing war with. (As fierce as the Boston-Philly sports rivalry is, there's also an undercurrent of respect. Hagler really made his name in Philly with the Monroe rubber match, while disappointed Celtics fans chanted, "Beat LA!" when the 76ers were about to win game seven of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals to go against the Lakers for the NBA Title. Appreciative Philly fans wrote letters to Boston area newspapers in response extolling the Red Sox to "Beat the Yankees!")

 

I really liked the way Alex Ramos fought. Skilled guy would could punch, compact hook, was strong. With a better chin and a little more discipline he really could've been something. Amateur legend.

 

Apologies if i have plucked from the wrong time zone, and they may be too fringe, but some middleweights who never broke through, but for a time were one's to watch ...

Doug Demmings - A former prospect of the Month but seemed to become an opponent

George Cooper - Locally a big fish in a small regional pond ?

Laurance 'Poncho' Carter - Dangerous puncher who didnt like to train and ended up a Slow Sluggish Heavyweight trailhorse

Jerry 'Mac Truck' Rid**** - Looked like he was in the fast lane.. But took a wrong turn and never found his way back

 

A lot of these guys were better suited as jr. middles and failed when stepping up. Hagler, Hamsho, Czyz, and Roldan were true middleweights and were too strong for a lot of the guys we're discussing.

 

I think James Shuler had a lot to do with that.

 

Thanks, i always wondered what happened to him. It seems like he should have done more.

 

everyone becoming a pastor nowadays.

 

I think the Scypion loss was where he spiraled. His style was not the kind to grant a fighter longevity. He didn't have anything for Scypion. He looked like he had too many Philly gym wars by then.

 

I don't disagree, and Curtis Parker looked much the same against Mugabi as Fletcher, a timidly boxing cutie with little punch resistance, very weird.

Had I owned a training center for boxing in Philly, I would have named it Darwin's Gym, because sparring wars in that city were a supreme example of natural selection. Forget paying for attending promoted cards at places like the Blue Horizon and Spectrum. Go watch the sparring instead, since those were the best fights in town. (If Zelenoff wanted to participate in sparring at a Philly gym though, I'd definitely pay to see that, even if they were using oversized batakas instead of gloves.)

 

As far as I'm concerned, Bob Pastor and Hugo Pastor Corro were the only genuinely legitimate ones boxing ever produced.

 

Indeed.:good

 

Promoters knew they had blown it by waiting too long after Scypion to give Frank his shot. They made what amends they could by granting him opportunities against Roldan and Mugabi which would have gotten him to Hagler immediately if he'd somehow won, but Fletcher was truly finished.

Scypion's losses to Hamsho and Hard Rock had been too widely viewed for anybody to take his chances seriously with MMH, and everybody knew Marv wasn't going to be the walking tank job for Sibson that Davison was. "Could Hagler knock Davison out?" was the question being asked in New England between Sibson-Davison and Hagler-Sibson, a question still debated today. Dwight was clearly the most durable MW contender MMH never defended against, and it seems apparent that Dwight could have knocked Tony out if he'd only tried, after the way Sibbo was halted by Marv and Don Lee. Hagler-Davison would have been MMH at his peak, better and more protracted competitive preparation for Hagler-Duran, and answered many questions about early 1980's MMH which Duran raised.

Was Dwight Davison a "fringe" contender? I think his loss to Epps and non effort against Sibson made him one. But he was about as physically powerful and durable as a 6'1" MW could be, not at all like the enervation prone Hearns.