the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Kept waiting for John to make his last stand, at least crank his hook a few times and see if he could get Saad off him but starting late in Round 3 he looked, to borrow from Jim Croce, like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.

 

I think confidence plays a part in these rematches. The winner of the previous fight has the mental edge. Sometimes that can be overturned, but it is much rarer than the original winner winning again but more convincingly. Holyfield-Qawi, for example, is a similar situation to this one - a highly competitive fight the first time round and then Qawi gets ripped apart in the rematch.

 

Matthew Saad Muhammad v Murray Sutherland

A somewhat customary slow start from Saad as Sutherland built up an early points lead with some sharp boxing but the tide started to turn at the end of the 5th and Saad never relinquished control from that point on. Even had the ref allowed the fight to continue, it would have been over pretty quickly after that.

1 9-10 (very good start from the challenger)
2 9-10 (Sutherland has Saad in some trouble against the ropes)
3 9-10 (Saad was more active but Sutherland boxed very nicely to take another round)
4 10-9 (close but Saad outworked Sutherland)
5 9-10 (close again. Sutherland controlled the action for the first two minutes before Saad backed him up. Sutherland just retained the edge)
6 10-9 (clear round for Saad. He started to use his natural strength and power advantages in this round. Sutherland starting to look outgunned)
7 10-8 (Sutherland dropped hard and takes a pasting. Did well to survive the round. Could be scored 10-7)
8 10-9 (some good exchanges and a good recovery from Sutherland but Saad just took it)
(76-75)
9 Saad Muhammad KO Sutherland (was it a fast count? Sutherland and his corner thought so)

 

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For the IB thread, I recall this being another great performance that Zaragoza was on the wrong side of.

The first was a pretty decent round, Fenech clearly won it but Zaragoza actually looked like he hurt Fenech in the second. Fenech stepped up the gas from the third onward, and it wasn't hard to score from there. Horrendous refereeing in the forth. At times, Zaragoza even started walking forward and stalking Jeff. Very interesting strategy.

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9 : 10
10 : 9
9 : 10
8 : 10
9 : 10 (45/49)
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10 (

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Easily one of the most bias referees I've ever seen. For instance, in the forth round, Zaragoza had a point deducted for a lowblow - which normal people would call a body shot - yet within two minutes, I counted three elbows from Fenech, two lowblows, holding and hitting, a hard headbutt and throwing two shots after the bell. In the ninth, Jeff thumbed Zaragoza so bad Danny went down, and was given nothing more than a warning.

Commentators thought this was Fenech's hardest fight up to this point. I'd agree, and I think Zaragoza was the hardest fight Fenech had all the way up until Callejas, arguably up until Villasana. Aussie commentators are just as entertaining as the fight man

"Jeff throwing far more punches than... the Mexican guy"

"Jeff Fenech is just too awesome for him"

 

James Toney vs Montell Griffin I
Rounds won/Even
Toney - 2,3,5,6,8,9
Griffin - 4,7,11,12
Even - 1,10

My Scorecard
(T)115-113(G)
Winner: Toney

A geat tactical fight by two highly skilled boxers. Griffin fought a great fight, but Toney was landing the more effective punches & winning most of the exchanges. A competitive, but clear win for Toney who was robbed.​

 

Joseph Parker vs Andy Ruiz Jr
Rounds won/Even
Parker - 4,5,6,7,9
Ruiz Jr - 2,3,10,12
Even - 1,8,11

My Scorecard
(P)116-115(R)
Winner: Parker

A good modern-day HW scrap & underrated fight. It was entertaining & should get more recognition. Parker & Ruiz fought a close, fairly even fight, with Parker edging it imo. Rounds 1,8 & 11 were even imo (particularly round 1). I would have given Ruiz rounds 8 & 11 if had he pushed the pace more than he did, as he landed the more quality punches, but not enough of them - allowing Parker to take the play away from him. He would have won on my scorecard if he won 2 of the 3 rounds I scored even.​

 

I need to watch this. Haven't seen it before.

 

Roberto Duran vs. Marvelous Marvin Hagler (c) for the WBA/WBC/IBF middleweight championship, scheduled for 15 rounds on Nov. 10, 1983 — a Thursday, oddly enough — at Caesars Palace Outdoor Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hagler (57-2-2) comes in at 157 1/2 while Duran (77-4) is a pound lighter. Marvin is a 3/1 or 4/1 favorite (depending on your source) and has won all seven defenses of his 160-pound crown by stoppage. Duran is on a revival after stopping Pipino Cuevas and Davey Moore, the latter to capture the 154-pound WBA title.

Hagler is guaranteed $5M but will take home $8M according to reports; Duran guaranteed $1.5M but would make $4M (each had a percentage of the closed circuit sales).

Round 1, 10-10 even: very little going on

Round 2, 10-9 Duran: Roberto finds a home for his right lead

Round 3, 10-9 Duran: More accurate rights and good defense

Round 4, 10-9 Duran: Some quick combos, Hagler’s jab ineffective

Round 5, 10-9 Hagler: Closes the distance, much busier

Round 6, 10-9 Hagler: Grinds inside, chews Duran up

Round 7, 10-9 Hagler: Close, Duran boxes well but Hagler finishes better

Round 8, 10-9 Duran: Again close, Duran a real cutie here

Round 9, 10-9 Hagler: Closes the distance again and works well inside especially to the body

Round 10, 10-9 Hagler: More of the same but Duran pot-shots well in spots

Round 11, 10-9 Duran: Curious round as Hagler gets on his bicycle and basically throws nothing

Round 12, 10-9 Duran: Right hands from Roberto again, good inside action, Hagler’s left eye starts to close and he is also cut over it

Round 13, 10-9 Hagler: Close round, Duran lands some good rights but Hagler does slightly better work early to edge it

Round 14, 10-9 Duran: Yet another close one but I thought Duran’s accuracy with the right edged it with him also nullifying a lot of Hagler’s work

Round 15, 10-9 Hagler: Closes strong and rakes Duran over the coals a bit

My card: 143-143 even, 7-7-1 in rounds

Official cards, 144-142, 144-143, 146-145 all for Hagler

Interesting strategic fight. Hagler’s camp expected Duran to try to brawl like he did in the Moore fight but Duran came in to box all the way and did a pretty good job of it. When Hagler played the bully as in the sixth, 15th and parts of other rounds, he beat Duran up pretty good.

My card comes down to what you do with the first and to me there was nothing to choose. I think most people gave Duran the 13th and Hagler the 14th and while both were close, I had it the opposite. And somebody tell me what Marvin was thinking in the 11th when he basically gave a round away.

Worth a watch if you haven’t seen it for sure, a rewatch if you haven’t seen it for a while.

 

I’m leaning toward doing Marvin “Pops” Johnson-Victor Galindez next.

Did Galindez-Rossman I and II sometime back (earlier in the pandemic, summer I think) so I’ve been meaning to get to it.

Love that era at 175.

 

Marvin Johnson vs. Victor Galindez (c) for the WBA light heavyweight championship, scheduled for 15 rounds on Friday, Nov. 30, 1979 at the Superdome in New Orleans, La.

Galindez is 55-7-4, making the first defense of the title he won back from Mike Rossman just 7 1/2 months earlier in the same stadium where he won it (and previously lost it on the Ali-Spinks II undercard a little over a year prior).

Johnson is 23-3 with one tuneup win since he lost the WBC version of the championship seven months prior.

The southpaw Johnson is 25 years old (but looks much older with that receding hairline) and weighs 173 1/2. Galindez, 31, is just under the limit at 174 3/4.

The bout is one of three championships across two locations televised by ABC in prime time, going on between Vito Antuofermo’s draw against Marvin Hagler in defense of the WBA/WBC middleweight crown and Ray Leonard’s victory over Wilfred Benitez to capture 147-pound WBC gold, with both those bouts taking place in Las Vegas. On the Galindez-Johnson undercard winners are Thomas Hearns (over Mike Colbert), Hilmer Kenty, Clint Jackson and debuting heavyweight Philipp Brown, who would go on to a journeyman career of some note.

Round 1, Johnson 10-9: Galindez sets the tone for the way much of the fight will go, setting up along the ropes and looking to counter while Johnson is much busier and more aggressive, loading up some big shots.

Round 2, Galindez 10-9: Victor’s counters get the better of a good action round fought at a good pace.

Round 3, Johnson 10-9: Pops gets the better of it, using his jab more to establish better distance for his shots and also beginning to work in uppercuts.

Round 4, Johnson 10-9: Close round, Galindez lands the bigger shots but Johnson is busier.

Round 5, Johnson 10-9: Victor does some nice defensive work but not enough punching.

Round 6, Johnson 10-9: Johnson doubles Galindez over with a left uppercut to the solar plexus and just generally in control with more volume.

Round 7, Galindez 10-9: Really good counters, especially to the body, gives the champ the edge.

Round 8, Johnson 10-9: Pops retakes control, landing more right hooks and using his jab to set things up.

Round 9, Johnson 10-9: Galindez finally takes the fight to the center of the ring, allowing him to land better but also opening himself up to Marvin’s big left hands.

Round 10, Johnson 10-9: Pops controls the round and hurts Victor with a big left late.

Round 11: Johnson drops a massive left-hand power shot over a Galindez right — half hook/half uppercut — the force of which drives Victor back all the way to the ropes from ring center before he hits the ground and nearly rolls over backward. The ref stops it mid-count 20 seconds into the round for a KO.

My card at the time of stoppage: Johnson 98-92. Official cards had him up 98-94 (x2) and 96-95.

This is a shopworn version of Galindez but a still dangerous one. He will retire after losing to Jesse Burnett next time out while Marvin will drop the title to Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, but win a third light heavyweight championship some six years after that when he defeats Leslie Stewart.

 

Julian Jackson vs. In Chul Baek for the vacant WBA super welterweight championship, scheduled for 12 rounds on Nov. 21, 1987, at Las Vegas Hilton Outdoor Arena.

Baek is 41-1 (36) and ranked No. 1 at age 26. He weighs 154.

Jackson is 31-1 (29) and ranked No. 2 at age 27. He weighs 153.

They are fighting for the title vacated by Mike McCallum, who handed Jackson his only defeat in a challenge for this title a little more than a year earlier. Baek’s long defeat had come by decision to Sean Mannion four years prior.

Round 1, Jackson 10-8: Julian spends a good bit of this fight southpaw, switching and moving side to side while Baek stalks in a plodding manner. With about 30 seconds to go in the round, Jackson knocks his foe down with a left hook.

Round 2, Jackson 10-9: Jackson tries to take him out, bombing but missing more than landing and Baek gets in a few shots to keep it competitive.

Round 3: Jackson wins by TKO at 1:17 of the round when Mills Lane intercedes. Jackson rattles Baek with a right jab then a bit later turns him sidewise with a straight right from an orthodox stance. Soon after he puts Baek down with a left hook and then swarms him to land some big shots after he gets up to force the stoppage.

Baek took some shots that left others stiff, but it was a matter of time.

 

Checked out a good, hard 12 rounder today, which I remember seeing live. But here it is now with a score.

Jesse James Leija v Gabriel Ruelas

Round 1: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 2: 10-8 Ruelas (scores a knockdown)
Round 3: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 4: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 5: 10-8 Leija (scores a knockdown)
Round 6: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 7: 10-9 Leija
Round 8: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 9: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 10: 10-9 Leija (scored the round Even, but Ruelas docked a point for a low blow)
Round 11: 10-9 Ruelas
Round 12: 10-8 Ruelas (scores a knockdown)

Total: 116-109 Ruelas (actual scores: 116-108, 115-109 and 115-111 all for Ruelas)

Excellent fight with sharp combos and hard body punches galore. But sharpen your pencil when your doing your addition.

 

I saw this live as well, and what struck me most was how much physically stronger Ruelas was. He was known more as a cute boxer but just steamrolled Leija here.

 

I agree. On the inside it was like a boy against a man.

 

That was a great fight. What always struck me was how many adjustments there was in the fight