the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Gatti’s eye usually started to close right around the weigh-in it seemed.

 

Any idea what David Love-Ayub Kalule looked like?

Love, a San Diego middleweight, was a tough out. At one point he could have been called the Philadelphia Assassin with wins over Boogaloo Watts, Worm Monroe and Bennie Briscoe ... and finally Curtis Parker ended his streak over the Philly boys.

Also beat Marcos Geraldo twice and some other notables. Bit up and down but he took on everybody and his final record is misleading because he kept fighting as an opponent past his sell-by date in his last few years.

 

This fight was the quantum evolution of Roberto Duran, where he ceased being just a savage swarmer and began to use his boxing skills to set things up. From this point on (when in shape) he was a different Duran.

I believe it was Freddie Brown who told him, ‘If you go right at him again, he’s going to be waiting for you with that big left hook.” (DeJesus knocked Duran down in the first round with pretty much identical hooks in their first two meetings, which I’m sure you know but maybe some don’t.)

 

I recall reading that he clearly outpointed Love, but what I remember most was a quote from Love after the fight. Obviously talking about Kalule's accuracy he said, "It's like he had eyes in his gloves." I also heard a similar quote from another source where he allegedly said 'radar in his gloves'. But, man, I would love to see that if it was out there.

 

Ayub Kalule vs. Davey Moore (c), 15 rounds for the WBA super welterweight championship on July 17, 1982, at Bally’s Park Place Casino, Atlantic City, N.J.

Moore, 154, is 10-0 (7) and making the second defense of his championship. Kalule, also 154, is 40-1 (19) and ranked No. 1 by the WBA. He has won four in a row since losing this same title to Sugar Ray Leonard.

Interestingly, Moore was a sparring partner for Kalule when the latter was preparing for his defense against Leonard. They went four rounds per day for a couple of weeks, according to the broadcast.

Here’s my scoring:

Moore/Kalule
1. 9-10 (great body work by Kalule, with Moore landing some accurate right leads but not doing enough)
2. 10-9 (Moore flurries early and late to take it)
3. 9-10 (Moore sustains a bad cut over his left eye and Ayub is energized)
4. 10-9 (Moore opens up mid round and shows his stuff)
5. 10-9
6. 10-9 (Davey showboats and pot-shots, looking in complete command)
7. 9-10 (pace slows)
8. 9-10
9. 10-9 (close, Kalule wins first half and Moore second half, landing more telling shots)
10. Moore stoops Kalule for TKO at 2:58 mark

My scoring: Moore 86-85

Stoppage is debatable. No knockdowns. Moore is clearly putting it on Kalule late in this round but he seems aware and able to defend himself.

Official scoring: 89-85, 88-85, 89-87, all for Moore.

 

Pat, this is how I scored it and what I wrote the last time I viewed it.

I remember watching the Davey Moore-Ayub Kalule fight back in the day and - while not scoring it - I was feeling that Moore was ahead. Official cards favored Moore also. But I recall reading Flash Gordon's report on the fight (for any of you who remember this very eccentric writer) and he had it 5-4 Kalule before the 10th round stoppage (BTW, a stoppage that I felt was a bit premature). Anyways, pen to paper, 10 point must system.

Round 1: 10-9 Kalule
Round 2: 10-9 Kalule
Round 3: 10-9 Kalule
Round 4: 10-9 Moore
Round 5: 10-9 Moore
Round 6: 10-9 Moore
Round 7: 10-10 Even
Round 8: 10-9 Kalule
Round 9: 10-9 Moore
Round 10: Moore stops Kalule

Total through 9 rounds: 86-86 Even

I'm not going to say it was anyone's fight, because Kalule's stamina at this point was very questionable. His promoter/Manager Mogens Palle moved him down to Jr. Middle in order to fight for that title (Kalule was Commonwealth middleweight champ at the time) and he freely admitted he practically had to cut off a limb in order to get him to 154. By this stage of the game Kalule was dead at the weight and you could see him fatiguing. It's testament how good he could have been at 160 when he mounted a comeback a few years later at his natural 160 and -even though way past his prime - still managed to win the European title and beat Sumbu Kalambay and Lindell Holmes along the way. It would have been great to see him in his prime in the 160 era along with Hagler, Minter, Sibson, Antuofermo, Hamsho, etc. He had that Emile Griffith upper body and may have done well being able to flex his true weight.

 

Difficult to say: maybe he was weakened a bit by making 154, but he would have been a small middleweight and if Leonard and Moore could take him out and stand toe-to-toe with him, I suspect true 160-pounders would push him around.

Plus he lacked power anyway but wasn’t a slick boxer, so I can’t see him keeping the guys you mentioned at bay. Also, with Hagler holding all the belts, there was a long line to meet him and a lot more opportunity for title shots at junior middle.

Either way, I always liked the guy.

 

Arturo Gatti v Gabriel Ruelas

Gatti-Rodriguez put me in the mood for watching another Gatti war that I haven't seen in years. This was the 1997 FOTY and was every bit as brutal as Gatti's wat with Wilson.

Gatti was to the 90s what Carmen Basilio was to the 50s - the perfect made-for-TV fighter for his generation.

1 9-10 (love the way Gatti comes out at the start of each fight looking like an orthodox boxer with solid fundamentals - you know it'll last about a minute only before the slugging starts)
2 10-9 (it goes off big time. Gatti catching Ruelas with some huge hooks and Ruelas does well to shake them off and land some of his own)
3 10-9
4 9-10 (what a round - great back and forth action)
(38-38)
5 Gatti TKO Ruelas (pulverising left hook puts Ruelas down hard. Bravely makes it to his feet but ref rightly stops it)

 

Jel, y'know, for a fight that I have known about for years, this is actually the first time I've seen it. Always heard FOTY, but for whatever reason never saw it. Your post aimed me here. And as has been written, terrific fight and I agreed with everything about your card except for the 4th, which I scored even. It was a great back and forth round with changing fortunes. So I had it 47-46 Rodriguez after 5 completed rounds of a terrific fight. Thanks for the nudge.

 

Never understand why some here have this hatred of Gatti. Unlike a Czyz or Pazienza, he actually beat some good fighters, and even in defeat displayed qualities neither of those two had. To me at least, he was far more accomplished than either of those.

 

I think it's down to some of his losses. Losing to Robinson is pretty bad, so is losing to Ward. I also think the whole Gamache weight scandal puts people off. Although his wins over Patterson, Ruelas, and IIRC he took quite a few '0's too.

Pazienza was an entertaining type? I've only ever seen the Jones fight. Is there any good-uns I should check out?

 

I suppose. That's at least part of the reason I don't like Paz or Czyz. But I do feel he earned his keep more than those two.

I keep harping on them just because they happen to be my own least favorites, so I hold them up as examples of something disdainful that I can relate to.

 

Gatti isn’t one of my favorites but I enjoy his wars: he took money out of the sport in direct proportion to what he gave to the sport — few left as much of themselves in the ring as Thunder.

There’s ability and then there’s entertainment. I have no problem with two warriors like Gatti and Ward picking up a few nice paydays for putting themselves and each other through what they did while someone ‘more skillful’ puts me to sleep with boring fight after boring fight.