Bernardo Piñango v Frankie Duarte - 1987-02-03 - 15 Rounder for the WBA Bantamweight Title

Russ, I posted this on the scorecard thread a couple of months back. Here is how I had it.

Round 1: 10-9 Pinango
Round 2: 9-9 Even (I scored for Pinango but he lost a point for a low blow)
Round 3: 10-9 Duarte
Round 4: 10-8 Duarte (Pinango loses another point for a low blow)
Round 5: 10-10 Even
Round 6: 10-9 Pinango
Round 7: 10-9 Pinango
Round 8: 10-9 Duarte (shortened round which I scored even but Pinango loses yet another point for a low blow)
Round 9: 10-9 Pinango
Round 10: 10-9 Duarte
Round 11: 10-9 Pinango
Round 12: 10-8 Duarte (Duarte scores a knockdown)
Round 13: 10-10 Even
Round 14: 10-9 Duarte
Round 15: 10-10 Even

Total: 144-141 Duarte

Duarte got robbed IMO! The WBA brought in their own latin judges and I felt ripped Frankie off. I cannot make a case with the points deducted plus the knockdown on how one could have given this to Pinango. I think what really sticks with me is how two of them had it comfortably for Pinango, not even close.

 

I also watched it on Scar's recommendation, here's how I saw it
Great fight! I thought Frankie won as well. I had it 143-141 to Duarte.

My scorecard read
Round 1 Pinango 10-9
Round 2 Even 9-9 Pinango deducted a pt
Round 3 Duarte 10-9
Round 4 Duarte 10-8 Pinango deducted a pt
Round 5 Pinango 10-9
Round 6 Pinango 10-9
Round 7 Pinango 10-9
Round 8 Duarte 10-9
Round 9 Duarte 10-9
Round 10 even 10-10
Round 11 Duarte 10-9
Round 12 Duarte !0-8 knockdown
Round 13 Pinango 10-9
Round 14 Pinango 10-9
Round 15 Even 10-10

A lot of close rounds, if it wasn't for the deductions i'd of had it even but I'd like to have seen the judges scorecards.
Duarte reminds of British bantamweight champ Johnny Clark, tall, kept coming forward, could be hit on the way in and banged up but iron chinned and iron willed and was involved in lots of wars of attrition. They could both punch as well. Johnny was on the verge of challenging Rafael Herrera for the bantamweight title when his wars caught up with him and he had to retire due to a detached retina. He's worth having a look at Scar, there is film on youtube available. I've got several of his fights but unfortunately I'm not at liberty to upload them I was asked not to.

 

Al, in your opinion, how would the Herrera fight have unfolded had Clark been 100%.

 

I would of fancied Herrera to stop him. I think it could of been a brutal fight for both fighters but Johnny was too easy to hit for someone with Herrera's power.

 

Thanks, Al. I knew Clark was tough and busy - not a huge dig on his punch, but busy - but I wasn't sure how he was defensively and you answered it.

 

I saw a lot of Duarte growing up in the LA area. He fought my almost neighbor Albert Davila twice. In 2015 it was looking like I was going to be going back to that area with a fighter and working in the same gym as Duarte and Rene Arredondo but the financing fell through. I probably would have been too starstruck, being around those two, to have accomplished much.

 

I know what you mean about being starstruck. I've met quite a few and it gets me every time.

 

Duarte's comeback to even be a relevant main event fighter after basically a five year layoff due to drug and alcohol abuse was pretty amazing, even more so that he came back to earn a title shot and beat Davila. Great and forgotten story.

 

In the book Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles, Duarte talks about his fights with Davila. In the second fight he was behind on points when Davila was stopped on a cut that Duarte acknowledges came from a butt.

To paraphrase, he told the interviewer that he wants Davila to know that he, Duarte, does not think he won that fight, and that he believes God has always chosen Albert Davila to make him a humble man. The actual quote is very moving.

Incidentally, I highly recommend that book by Gene Aguilera.

 

Top thread as usual. I didn't score it but had the impression that Duarte was the better man. Like Al says a lot of close rounds. The Johnny Clark comparison was a great one actually! There's a bloke who doesn't get mentioned much. Those were two really good wins for your old boy Al, really good.

 

Frankie Duarte vs Bernado Pinago

Duarte : Pinago

R1: 10 - 10
Great opener. Both with good work.
R2: 9 - 9 (-1)
Pinago point deduction for lowblows.
R3: 10 - 9
Duarte pressuring. Lovely hooks.
R4: 9 - 9 (-1)
Another Pinago was winning imo before a deduction.
R5: 10 - 9
Pinago working but not really landing much here.
R6: 9 - 10
Close. Classy boxing from Pinago
R7: 9 - 10
Slick again from Pinago
R8: 10 - 8 (-1)
Pinago point deduction.
R9: 10 - 9
Near half the round is missing. Duarte winning on whats available to me.
R10: 10 - 9
Duarte pulling it back, hurts Pinago
R11: 9 - 10
Pingo controlling the distance.
R12: 10 - 8
Brilliant right hand for the knockdown.
R13: 9 - 10
Pinago pulling it back a bit.
R14: 10 - 9
Vicious left hook.
R15: 10 - 10
Great finale!

TOTAL: 144 - 139 DUARTE

Notes:
Great fight, especially from Duarte. He was robbed of an amazing redemption story here.

 

Updated video links (full playlist of the bout).

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