ATG FEATHERWEIGHT TOURNIE: ROUND 1, FIGHT 7 -ALEXIS ARGUELLO UD15 FREDDIE MILLER

Alexis Arguello, seeded 10, the professional’s professional, a puncher of wonderful accuracy and power who matched brutality with elegance and elegance with destruction.

Arguello introduced himself to world-class boxing in the traditional manner, with a decimation of a former linchpin; scheduled for ten rounds with Jose Legra, he cracked him out in one, turning heads from Nicaragua, where they already knew him to be special, to Inglewood, where he would soon be crash-landing. He did run afoul of the elegant Ernesto Marcel in 1974, dropping a decision while underweight at 122lbs, but at 126, he would be near invincible.

Art Hafey, ranked the #5 featherweight in the world, was the fighter unlucky enough to cross Arguello’s path in an elimination bout later that year; the Nicaraguan steamrolled him in five. His next major challenge was major indeed: Ruben Olivares. What this fight underlined was Arguello’s size at featherweight. Olivares was a natural bantamweight so for him the sight of the 5’10 Arguello, must have been a particularly distressing one, but even for natural feathers he was intimidating. Not that you would have known it in the Inglewood Forum that night as Olivares rattled Arguello to his bones on numerous occasions before succumbing to a devastating left hook that appeared to travel around an inch. Olivares regained his feet and fought on like a man possessed but Arguello exorcised him with another, equally merciless punch.

He showed the division as a whole no mercy, gunning out Leonel Hernandez in eight and, in perhaps in his most impressive featherweight performance, Royal Kobayashi in five. He then departed the division the undefeated champion of the world; one can only imagine the collective sigh of relief that was expelled in his wake.

This content is protected

I always feel that a man who amasses one hundred career victories is especially to be admired as a winner. Training as near to the quill as he can before coming up to scratch and outfighting one hundred men trained to beat you is a sure testimony to an indomitable will.

Freddie Miller, seeded 7, has two-hundred career victories, and the overwhelming majority were at featherweight.

Miller assassinated the featherweight division of the 1930s. No fighter ranked at the summit for longer during that decade than Miller, not Kid Chocolate, not Battling Battalino, not Henry Armstrong. In that time, he defeated a cacophony of fighters ranked in the divisional top five, including Tommy Paul, Eddie Shea, Frankie Wallace, Baby Arizmendi, Nel Tarleton and Young Rightmire. Of those ranked from 6-10, he took Lew Feldman, Rodolfo Casanova, Petey Sarron, Vernon Cormier and Maurice Holtzer. Other significant scalps included Abie Israel, Panama Al Brown and Chalky Wright.

Miller’s status as lineal champion, it is true, is subject to debate. For Ring Magazine, he was just that, for others, his claim is debatable. Wherever you stand on that issue, consider that Miller went undefeated in title fights between 1932 and 1935, a total of fourteen contests which took him to Britain, Spain and every corner of the United States.

When he was finally defeated by Petey Sarron by majority decision in 1936, his credentials as a great featherweight had surely been proven beyond doubt. Perhaps Miller’s limitations as a puncher explain the lack of respect his fantastical exploits deserve, but as a ring general he may be without parallel at the poundage; regardless, he was a fighter who excelled at the one thing all the greats specialized in: winning.

This content is protected

Who will win under the following rules?

15 round fight.
1950s referee.
8oz boxing gloves.
10 points must.

Cast your vote and explain yourself in a post below! You have 3 days

 

I'm picking Freddie Miller, **** you guys. At his peak he scoffed technicians for lunch, made it look easy; none as big and good as Arguello, that's true, but on the other hand Arguello never beat an iron-chinned featherweight technician like this guy.

I think Arguello would control the space early but find himself behind; step up the pressure and take control of the tempo of the fight in addition to the real estate and find himself behind; then go for the knockout, and find himself behind.

Miller would outsnipe him, consistently close the distance and outwork him with the left hand up close in a surprisingly ugly fight.

 

Miller's falling behind, something is wrong.

 

Yes, it was a joke.

 

Absolutely no question of his ranking among the sixteen greatest fighters in featherweight history.