the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

I actually had this fairly clear for Montallano.

1. Even
2. M
3. M
4. O
5. O
6. O
7. M
8. M
9. M
10. O
11. M
12. M

116-113 Montallano. I thought O'Grady had tons of problems with Montallano's weird timing, and ability to just reach out with his long arms and touch Sean. If Gonzalo had any power, this would have been over early. As it was, O'Grady just couldn't get untracked. This cements my opinion that O'Grady gets crushed by Mancini had they ever fought.

 

Sal, you'll love this. The statistician in me came out over this and I actually compared your card to mine and George's. I still think it was a tight fight to score because the 3 of us only agreed on rounds 2 and 4. Wow!

 

Yeah, it was kind of a messy fight really, though for the most part I thought Montallano was far more successful in doing what he wanted to do than O'Grady was.

 

FOTY 1935

Joe Louis vs Max Baer

This is an exceptional showing by Louis. He shows he can jab on the back foot expertly, but also has the heart to slug it put whenever Baer opens up.

In the third round he drops Baer heavily a couple of times and Baer actually is saved by the bell.

Round 4 we see the more common approach of Louis jabbing on the front foot as he hunts and cuts down Baer.

The finish was a beautiful combination of an over the top right hand and sweet left hook.

Worth noting this is an absolute peak Max Baer, who had only just lost his title on points in a huge upset to Braddock.

FOTY 1936

This fight was far more competitive than I ever remembered it being. Louis swept the first two rounds and it wasn't really until round 3 that Schmelling began to time him with that famous right hand. He then drops Louis in round 4 with it. The rest of the rounds are actually really competitive, if anything Louis is edging it. But Max cannot miss with that right hand and he lands about 12 full power peaches on the chin of Louis, which eventually cracks in the 12th round.

Two brilliant bouts and again its a shame we don't see HW fights at this skill level any more.

 

FOTY 1937

Joe Louis vs Tommy Farr

Man this was underwhelming. It was basically Louis dictating with his short accurate combinations, then Farr has a bit of success out working Louis. Then Louis takes over again behind his short accurate combinations.

 

FOTY 1938

Lou Ambers vs Henry Armstrong

Fight report:

The early rounds saw Armstrong the aggressor and setting a wicked pace, out-working Ambers, his whirling, non-stop attack setting the terms. The champion battled back, but couldn’t quite match the furious, frenzied, two-fisted assault of “Hurricane Hank.” Just before the end of round five a powerful right to the jaw put Ambers down but the bell saved him from having to beat the count. Round six saw Armstrong in command and administering a heavy battering and another big right hand put Ambers down again, this time for a count of eight. When Lou rose Henry was all over him, pressuring relentlessly and pounding home vicious shots to the body.

But if Armstrong was winning the match, he was also taking his share of punishment in a grueling, toe-to-toe war. It was a vicious slugfest, both men pitching and catching, and now Ambers was rebounding, taking the fight to Henry and winning rounds. By the tenth Armstrong was clearly ahead but he had suffered a deep gash inside his mouth along with cuts to both eyes and his blood was all over the ring. At the end of the round referee Billy Cavanagh came to Henry’s corner and announced he was going to stop the fight. “Don’t stop it,” said Henry. “I’m winning this fight.” “The ring is full of blood,” replied the referee. “And it’s your blood.” “Then I’ll stop bleeding,” said “Homicide Hank.”

When the bell rang for round eleven Armstrong told his corner not to put in his mouthpiece and for the next five rounds he swallowed his own blood as he pursued and pounded away, but in round thirteen it was Ambers who dug in and gave more than he got, finally blunting Henry’s attack with his own offensive output and sparking a late round rally that thrilled the crowd. It was not enough to change the outcome, but at the final bell it was a dazed and exhausted Armstrong, not Ambers, who stumbled to his corner.

 

FOTY 1939

Joe Louis vs Bob Pastor

Bob gives Joe a fair bit of trouble with his quick feet and quick hands, but like always in these fights, Louis catches up to Pastor and knocks him out.

He really is the ultimate ring general, so calm in there, knowing he only needs that one moment, Pastor fought a good effort but it takes more than that to beat Joe Louis.

 

FOTY 1940

Ceferino Garcia vs Henry Armstrong

Armstrong fights an amazing fight here. I remember for years when this fight was rare and rumoured but its up there on YouTube in full colour for all to see now.

Every round follows the same pattern, Garcia tries catching Armstrong on the way in, Armstrong bullies Garcia once inside.

How this was scored a draw is bonkers. Armstrong has a better argument for a shut out than Garcia does for a draw here.

Garcia has his moments in some rounds, but Armstrong does just as well in every round imo.

I wasn't feeling the sympathy rounds at all and did pitch it a shutout for Hank.

FOTY 1941

Joe Louis vs Billy Conn

This is legendary and there isn't much that can be said what hasn't already tbh.

Conn fights a marvel of a fight dancing in and out, smothering Louis inside, peppering him from the outside, landing pretty much everything he throws.

Louis catches him a few times but obviously Conn tastes it and feels like he can handle the power.

In round 13 Louis catches him with a big combination but it doesn't really shake Conn who decides to meet fire with fire. They exchanged blows and Conn clearly comes off the worse Louis can see he's hurt and then just measures him up for big shot after big shot until Conn crumbles.

 

FOTY 1942

Chalky Wright vs Willie Pep

• Pep entered the fight with a professional record of 53-0.
• Pep was a 2-1 favorite.
• A crowd of 19,521 produced a gate of $71,686.70.
• The Associated Press scored the fight 9-6 for Pep, and the United Press had it 10-4-1 for Pep.
• The AP reported: "Pep piled up a big early lead with the use of a left jab that appeared to have a permanent parking place in Chalky's face, and then galloped out of harm's way as the aging California Negro chased him around the ring all the way down the stretch."

FOTY 1943

Bob Montgomery vs Beau Jack

"Beau Jack was back on top of the lightweight heap today. Following new trainer, Larry Amadee's instructions to the letter, Beau regained the 135 lb. title by outpointing champion Bob Montgomery in a furious 15 rounder at MSG last night. At Amadee's instruction Beau stuck close to Montgomery. He mixed willingly at close quarters, slugged it out with both fists when the referee parted them from a clinch and coasted when Amadee gave the word. The Beau needed Amadee's advice because Montgomery put on a whilwind finish in the last five rounds. In the last two rounds, especially, Montgomery seemed to be on the verge of a knockout triumph, but somehow Beau stood up to cart off a unanimous decision." -Associated Press

Unofficial scorecards:

• AP - 8-6-1 Jack
• UP - 8-5-2 Jack

FOTY 1944

Beau Jack vs Bob Montgomery

He retook the title from Beau Jack on March 3, 1944 at Madison Square Garden in a fifteen-round split decision before 19,066 fans.[1] Jack had led in the early betting. The fighting was fierce and close throughout and Montgomery was given no more than a two-round advantage by the judges or referee, though the Associated Press scored the bout 8 for Montgomery, 4 for Jack, and three even.[10] After the bout, Montgomery was drafted into the US Army.[3] He continued to box while serving in the Army and was released by June 1946, when he defeated Allie Stoltz.[11]

3 years in a row and not a second of footage between them. FML.

 

FOTY 1945

Rocky Graziano vs Red Cochrane

Graziano was outboxed in the first eight rounds, but knocked down Cochrane at the end of the 9th (he was saved by the bell) and again in the 10th for the full count.
Fight was named Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.

Another one i can't see.

 

Just finished Gavilan - Bratton 2, which ended in draw. Good, fun fight as is typical of Gavilan. Lots of mugging and taunting and gamesmanship, reminiscent of a modern fight in that regard.

I love Gavilan, he was such great theater. He had a knack of making you watch HIM, rather than his opponent so he always gave the impression of doing more. Exaggerated moves, the bolo, the shuffle, the sudden and strategic bursts of punches out of nowhere........electric stuff.

Bratton for his part fought decently well, but his moves, his punches, everything seemed smaller and less significant somehow. Even his mugging and exaggerating of his bolos seemed a pale imitation of his opponent. I had it like this:

1. G
2. G
3. E
4. B
5. B
6. G
7. G
8. B
9. G
10. G

97-94 Gavilan

 

FOTY 1946

Tony Zale vs Rocky Graziano

• Graziano was a slight betting favorite.
• Graziano was down for a five-count in the first round, but he came back and dropped Zale at the end of the second round for a three-count. Graziano continued to pound away savagely, and after five rounds, Zale looked like a beaten fighter. But then came the unexpected in the sixth round. Showing the heart of a champion, Zale, who injured his right hand in the second round, gathered the strength to fire a terrific right to Graziano's solar plexus and followed it up with a left hook to the chin. Graziano went down and didn't rise until just after referee Ruby Goldstein completed the count of ten.
• Zale had to be propped up and led around the ring carefully as he waved to the crowd after the knockout. The Associated Press wrote that Zale "looked like a man who had been in hand-to-hand combat with a buzzsaw, and somehow, much to his own astonishment, had come out ahead."
• There was a crowd of 39,827 and the gross gate was $342,497.
• Named The Ring "Fight of the Year".
• The Ring ranked the fight fifth on their 1996 list The 100 Greatest Title Fights of All-Time .

FOTY 1947

Tony Zale vs Rocky Graziano

• On February 7, 1947, the New York State Athletic Commission revoked Graziano's boxing license and canceled his forthcoming title rematch with Zale for his failure to report a $100,000 bribe offer. The fight, originally scheduled for March 21 at Madison Square Garden, was rescheduled for Chicago Stadium on July 16.
• There was a crowd of 18,547 at Chicago Stadium.
• In the second round, Zale opened a severe cut over Graziano's left eye. In the third round, a solid right dropped Graziano for no count. Zale pummeled Graziano against the ropes as the round ended. Round four brought more of the same punishment to Graziano, whose right eye was now swollen shut. In between the fourth and fifth rounds, Whitey Bimstein, Graziano’s trainer and cut man, took a coin and pressed it against his closed right eye, breaking the skin and reducing the pressure. This allowed Graziano to partially regain his vision. In the sixth round, a barrage of Graziano rights dropped Zale. When he rose, Graziano drove him to the ropes, draping him over them under a hail of punches. Referee Johnny Behr stopped the bout at 2:10, and Graziano was the new World Middleweight Champion.
• Named The Ring Fight of the Year.
• The Ring ranked the fight second on their 1996 list The 100 Greatest Title Fights of All-Time.
• The first two fights between Zale and Graziano are considered two of the greatest fights of all-time, but there was no known film of either fight. Fortunately, some footage of the second fight eventually surfaced.

Another 2 years, another 2 fights not filmed.

 

FOTY 1948

Tony Zale vs Marcel Cerdan

This is a bit of a sad fight for me. Its basically Zale being out slugged and then as he tires he tries spoiling up close but eats right hand after right hand over the top.

Eventually it's a left hook that finishes it, seems to knock him out on his feet.

Definitely a past prime Zale, Champion or not.

 

Tate vs. Coetzee

I scored this 145-140 for Tate. It's a shame the ring was so slippery as Coetzee fell quite a few times. It was close through 8 and then Coetzee was fully tapped out. I thought Tate swept the final third of the fight, at least.

Shame the lighting was so bad, and the stadium setup. You couldn't see hardly any of the 89000 in attendance, nor really hear them either.

OK fight, nothing to write home about.