What are the best overlooked wins of the 1980s?

Duran-Barkley is a big one for me.

 

Overlooked???

 

Didn't look that way at all to me. It looked like McCallum just landed the right punch at the right time. The only one getting buckled or hurt by any punches prior to that was McCallum, on more than one occasion.

 

Mike was also hit cleaner early but took the punches. Mike was slowly getting to Donald gradually.
There were times when Mike landed a punch on Curry which Donald tried to ride with but he couldn't and he was hit and you could tell Mike was very strong compared to Donald. Donald head would stay back for a second as though the punch was harder than he could absorb. And then the swelling of Donald's eye and the fact that you could see Mike slowly taking over. I didn't see that as a one punch fight at all. Donald was slowly being weakened. Mike was definetly stronger.

 

The absolutely great rematch victory of Leo Cruz Dec 15 SERGIO PALMA the day after Holmes/Clooney June 13, 1982

 

Chavez over Rosario was a great win. And Chavez looked big enough in that fight. I thought he would be smaller, he actually looked bigger htan Rosario.
Tommy had some great wins. Underrated. Even Virgil Hill in the 1990s. His losses against Ray or Marvin when it mattered the most hurt his image. So the other wins were forgotten. But they shouldn't be.

 

Benitez's brilliant display against Duran never gets the pundits it deserves. The scorecards were terrible, he basically schooled a Duran looking to redeem himself after the disgrace of No Mas. Similarly Hearns victory is also pretty special. Both fights get lost a bit in the magnificent group of fights between these guys,SRL and Hagler. It's a shame.

Greg Page's KO of Coetzee is a fine effort as well that gets lost partly because he was so inconsistent and rarely put in good back to back performances. To go over and beat an in form white champion in South Africa was a pretty difficult assignment. He took some immense right hands off Coetzee without even flinching.

Rosario's victory over Howard Davis Jr. is lost in the mix because poor Howard never quite got there, title wise. I would propose however that this was the best Howard there ever was and he was damn ready to finally win that title. He'd changed his game a bit, engaging a little more and trying to get some extra starch and leverage on his shots. I think he would have beat a lot of other titlists from his era this night. Close fight and good performances from both.

 

Gaby Canizales vs Richie Sandavol

And

Joltin Jeff Chandler vs Gaby Canizales

 

Piet Crous over Ossie Ocassio

 

Haugen was not a "tough man brawler"...one of boxing's most persistent fallacies....Haugen was an understated, counter punching, clever boxer type with a very good left jab and had the ability to follow a winning stratrgy,...like he did vs Paul, and Pazienza ll.

 

When this fight was signed I knew Duran would beat him. Barkley beat Hearns, but you have to go with the whole stuyle and career and he lost to Kalambay and knocked down with Olajide. A hard knockdown. Lost to Sims when he was young,and Duran on the inside is the greatest.

 

No, Mike was taking over. I am surprised people do not see that. Curry was landing his quick punches, but Mike was walking him down very slowly. Even in round 2 Donald lands his best punch and that was that Mike buckled but was still there.. Then Mike slowly takes over. It was not like a complete take over, but he was slowly happening as well as the swelling which was caused by the jab I think.. That punch in round 5 happened after Donald changed modes and started to try and fight on the outside in round 5 after taking some hard inside punches in round 4.

 

A very Good Post, It was on June 8 1985, great fight, it was the day that I was honorably discharged from the Air National Guard, after serving my obligation of 6 years. That Barry McGuigan was relentless, and was a great fighter.

 

Thank you.

Haugen gets that rep because he actually fought in Tough Man competitions in Alaska, beating 220 pound men.

As a boxer, he was far more a 1940's type Cutie than a brawler.

 

Sumbu Kalambay W12 Mike McCallum