I haven't seen LaPorte-Castillo but I should. I watched Nelson-LaPorte recently and apart from a couple of dodgy moments, Nelson moved away to a clear win by the end. LaPorte lost the Chavez and Nelson fights fair and square but put up a decent showing in both.
Willie Pep shows here some of the worst refereeing I've ever seen on film imo. Biased and incompetent.
Before I get to laporte chavez.... Honeyghan vs Vaca 2 Round 1 Honeyghan looking way more polished than the last fight. Vaca is pressing but missing a lot of his shots as Honeyghan is doing well on sticking and moving and tying up Vaca when he gets in close. Vaca is cut from what looks like a punch and he complains to the ref but gets nailed by a one two mid complaint. Honeyghan looks waaay more relaxed in there than last time. Lloyd still gets nailed a little too much when he throws some of his combos as he leaves both hands way down while throwing them and for a second when he's done. 10-9 Honeyghan Round 2 Oh here we go again. Honeyghan starts swinging for the fences with giant homerun shots. He lands some, misses some but leaves himself pretty wide open and takes unnecessary shots. Vaca has some success and is able to land on Honeyghan but Lloyd continues toccome forward throwing haymakers. A Honeyghan round but no patience by Lloyd here. 10-9 Honeyghan 20-18 Honeyghan Round 3 Honeyghan a little more measured here, still aggressive. He gets Vaca against the ropes and they trade for a while until Honeyghan lands a body shot and down goes Vaca. That's it Vaca is counted out KO3 and once again Welterweight champion Lloyd Honeyghan Honeyghan still getting hit way too much despite the win. Against a better boxer he may regret this wild swinging defensively absent style (hmmmm I wonder who can take advantage of that?). Would of nice to have had a third fight between the two as even if this was short it was still a fun little brawl and Vaca did come to england twice
Kevin Kelley v Alejandro Gonzalez Round 1: 10-10 Even Round 2: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 3: 10-9 Kelley Round 4: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 5: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 6: 10-8 Gonzalez (scores a knockdown) Round 7: 10-9 Kelley Round 8: 10-8 Kelley (scores a knockdown) Round 9: 10-9 Kelley Round 10: 10-9 Gonzalez Kelley's corner retires him in the corner between the 10th and 11th Total through 10 completed rounds: 95-94 Gonzalez (actual scores: 95-93, 95-92 and a puzzling 97-91 all for Gonzalez) I know I saw this fight years ago, but rewatching it is a treat. What a terrific fight! Kelley just had the hardest time trying to solve Gonzalez and when it appeared he did, Gonzalez came roaring back. I have to admit that if I was Kelley's corner I would have had the towel in my hand and wavering before he scored that fight-turning knockdown in the 8th. I laughed listening to Kelley's cornerman Phil Borgias after the 8th when he said, "Kid, you're giving me gray hairs by you thinking your Marvin Hagler and Matthew Saad Muhammad." When he boxed and pot-shotted he was brilliant, but Gonzalez was not to be denied. Outstanding fight.
It's terrific; I also really like Gonzalez- Louie Espinoza, in his defense of the title. Love to get your thoughts on that one.
Errol Spence vs Shawn Porter Rounds Won/Even Spence - 1,2,3,5,8,10,11,12 Porter - 4,7,9 Even - 6 Highlights *Knockdown in Round 11 (10-8 Spence) *I had Spence ahead by 6 points My Scorecard (S) 117 - 111 (P) Winner: Spence Review Great fight between 2 top caliber fighters - Spence with his aggressive counter-punching & in-fighting, & Porter with his relentless pressure, smothering & rough-housing tactics. I felt Spence won the fight clearly despite being in a very tough fight (Porter's a tough fight for everyone) as he was landing the cleaner, more effective punches & outworked Shawn on the inside. Porter couldn't manhandle Spence on the inside like he usually does because Spence was physically stronger & a better inside. A great modern day welterweight championship showdown that should be remembered as a classic many years from now.
Some of Sonny Liston's pre-championship bouts: Year: 1958 1. Sonny Liston vs. Wayne Bethea Round 1: Liston wins by TKO Wayne Bethea, a decent fighter (The Ring Rating: No. 10, 1956 + No. 8, 1957 as HW contender) had no chance. Liston started explosively. A huge left hook knocked Bethea down, who got up again. The referee stopped the fight after a heavy right hand staggered Bethea. 2. Sonny Liston vs. Bert Whitehurst II Round 1: Liston (5-4) Round 2: Liston (5-4) Round 3: Liston (5-4) Round 4: Liston (5-4) Round 5: Liston (5-4) Round 6: Liston (5-4) Round 7: Liston (5-4) Round 8: Liston (5-4) Round 9: Liston (5-3) Round 10: Liston (5-3) I scored it: 50-38 Liston. Judges scores: 50-37 Liston, 48-39 Liston, 50-40 Liston Liston scored the rounds with his great, steady and heavy jab. He showed good footwork either. He fought a bit cagey and benefited from his superior physical attributes, his superior strength and his jab. Bert Whitehurst, btw. scientist and boxing veteran was experienced, slick, agile and brave with a good footwork, good defense, a decent jab and good body punches. The first rounds were also a bit closer. Bert Whitehurst landed a nice overhand right, which shook Liston up a bit in the first round, and he threw a good combination when Liston was shortly off balance in the third round. The fourth round was a pretty good and fast little slugfest. Liston dominated a brawl in round 7 and round 8 with his long and precise jab. In round 9, Whitehurst was floored by a right hand from Liston. Afterwards, Liston tried to knock him off and landed several power punches. Whitehurst barely survived that round. At the end of round 10, Whitehurst was knocked through the ropes, due to flurry of punches and two vicious left hooks from Liston. Whitehurst was barely on his feet at 9 when the bell rang. How close can it be, whether you are knocked out or not? Year: 1959 3. Sonny Liston vs. Cleveland Williams I Round 1: Williams (10-9) Round 2: Liston (10-9) Round 3: Liston wins by KO. I scored it: 10-10 Even. Sonny Liston started slowly. Strong first round by Cleveland Williams though. Williams had a beautiful left hand and threw some good jabs and left hooks. Liston’s nose was bleeding. Williams was the taller guy and his reach seemed to be at least equal. Explosive start from Williams in round two, but Liston got stronger and stronger. Next to his brutal left jab, he could land some left hooks and right hands. Explosive start from Williams in round two, but Liston got stronger and stronger. Next to his brutal left jab, he could land some left hooks and right hands. In the third round, he sent Williams to the canvas with a smashing left hook, and Williams took the count. When he came up, Liston finished him with plenty of blows and a booming right. 4. Sonny Liston vs. Willi Besmanoff Round 1: Liston (10-9) Round 2: Liston (10-9) Round 3: Liston (10-9) Round 4: Liston (10-9) Round 5: Liston (10-9) Round 6: Liston (10-9) Liston wins via stoppage before round 7. I scored it: 60-54 Liston. It was an easy win for Liston. Willi Besmanoff, a strong journeyman with an excellent chin was more of a punch bag here. Liston landed numerous power punches. The pace was rather moderate. Besmanoff suffered a bad double cut in round two, which was bleeding quite heavily. The doctor checked it out during the break. The injuries got worse and the bout more and more one-sided. The referee stopped the fight before the bell rang for the 7th round. Until then it was Besmanoff's first knockout loss. All in all, the least attractive fight till now. Year: 1960 5. Sonny Liston vs. Cleveland Williams II Round 1: Williams (10-9) Round 2: Liston wins by KO. Good, fast-paced and close first round. Williams with fast and heavy hands. Liston showed good body movement, footwork and a fast, stiff jab. Williams started the second round with fast punches and got Liston into a shell, but Liston fought back and scored a hard right. He knocked Williams down with a tremendous left hook. Williams got up, but he couldn’t survive the following onslaught. The referee stopped an action-packed battle. Very Impressing performance by Liston. 6. Sonny Liston vs. Roy Harris Round 1: Liston wins by TKO. Roy Harris, the former challenger of world champion Floyd Patterson, who lost just once via knockout before this fight (against Patterson) had no chance. Liston knocked him down three times. At first with a smashing left hook, afterwards with a beautiful overhand right and at the end with a devastating right to the head. The referee stopped the fight. 7. Sonny Liston vs. Eddie Machen Round 1: Liston (10-9) Round 2: Liston (10-9) Round 3: Liston (10-9) Round 4: Liston (10-9) Round 5: Liston (10-9) Round 6: Liston (10-9), Liston -1 point, due to low hitting Round 7: Liston (10-9) Round 8: Liston (10-9) Round 9: Liston (10-9) Round 10: Liston (10-9) Round 11: Liston (10-9), Liston -2 points, due to low blow Round 12: Liston (10-9) I scored it: 117-108 Liston. Judges scores: 119-112, 118-114, 118-116 for Liston ? The point deduction stuff is a bit complicated. The commentator stated 2 points, due to a heavy low blow in round 11. Later the judges only deducted one point, one judge scored the fight: 119-112?... I think two points are okay, due to a heavy low punch and Machen needed some time to recover. However, he continued to fight. Otherwise, Liston might have been disqualified.... Sonny Liston was ranked number 1 contender and Eddie Machen number 2. The presenter indicated Liston's reach with 82" and Machen's with 75". Machen was an excellent defensive counterpuncher with good footwork and a good left hook. All in all, I think Liston won pretty much every round (apart from point deductions). The film quality wasn't the best though. Liston was the aggressor and Machen fought more carefully. However, Machen fought a courageous last round and this round was pretty close. Year: 1961 8. Sonny Liston vs. Albert Westphal Round 1: Liston wins by KO. Liston knocked Westphal out with a thunderous right to the jaw. Westphal was a good mover and was never knocked down before.
Sonny Liston's championship fights: Year: 1962 9. Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson I Round 1: Liston wins by KO. Liston finally became world champion. He showed his great, fast, hard left again. He floored Patterson with a left hook on the ropes. Year: 1963 10. Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson II Round 1: Liston wins by KO. Liston repeated his early knockout win in the rematch. He fought very explosively and thus forced the early knockout. Patterson was down 3 times. At first even by a heavy uppercut. Year: 1964 11. Sonny Liston vs. Muhammad Ali I Round 1: Ali (10-9) Round 2: Liston (10-9) Round 3: Ali (10-9) Round 4: Even (10-10) Round 5: Liston (10-9) Round 6: Ali (10-9) Ali wins via stoppage. I scored it: 58-57 Ali. Judges scores: 57-57, 58-56, 56-58 Careful beginning of the first round, Liston could land a good body punch. Ali could land some good combinations and jabs at the end of the round. The second round was pretty close, but Liston was the aggressor and landed the cleaner punches. At the beginning of the third round, Ali landed a flurry of punches with lightning speed. Liston suffered a cut underneath his left eye. Subsequently, Liston fought back, but Ali could avoid many punches, due to his brilliant reflexes and footwork. The fourth round was pretty even. Ali landed some good jabs, Liston a few better power punches though. In the fifth round, Ali was handicapped, because something was burning in his eyes (a substance from Liston's gloves). He was heavily blinking. Nevertheless, he resisted Liston's onslaught and was even taunting him. Strong sixth round by Ali. He landed several severe punches. Liston seemed tired and also a little discouraged. After round six, Liston quit on his stool (he stated: due to a shoulder injury). Year: 1965 12. Sonny Liston vs. Muhammad Ali II Round 1: Ali wins by KO. One of the most controversial bouts of all time. Ali knocked Liston down with a rather inconspicuous right over Liston's left. Was it enough to send a juggernaut like Liston to the canvas? On the other hand, it might hit Liston's temple. Liston got up, but the referee (Jersey Joe Walcott) stopped the fight a little later, after consultation with the timekeeper. Well, Walcott didn't pick up the count from the timekeeper and didn't get Ali to a neutral corner. All in all, it was a mess and stopped too soon.
Absolutely! So do I. Maybe there are films about the fights. I just don't know how to get them. At least, there are some online scorecards. https://eyeonthering.com/boxing/sonny-liston-vs-zora-folley
Thanks, I haven't scored the fight till now. I only watched a few round highlights, but it seems to be a pretty good fight.
Sal, checked this out today. Here is how I had it: Alejandro Gonzalez v Louie Espinosa Round 1: 10-9 Espinosa Round 2: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 3: 10-9 Espinosa Round 4: 10-9 Espinosa Round 5: 10-9 Espinosa Round 6: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 7: 10-10 Even Round 8: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 9: 10-10 Even Round 10: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 11: 10-9 Gonzalez Round 12: 10-9 Gonzalez Total: 116-114 Gonzalez (actual scores: 117-111, 117-110 and 116-112 all for Gonzalez) Sal, not the slam-bang affair of Gonzalez-Kelley, but more of a hard-punching strategic fight. It's amazing how these two maintained their composure through 12 rounds with it back and forth early only for Gonzalez to take it down the stretch (on my card anyway). I totally enjoyed it and am trying to come up with a good comparison of two good bangers making it a hard-banging chess match and finding it difficult to think of a good one. But regardless, a good fight. Something to note in this fight. The lop-sided scores had me looking at the officials. I say this because my score is of course my own, but I was wondering why Espinosa's early work didn't seem to thrill the officials. And of course my suspicious mind got me thinking. The kid from Arizona is fighting a Mexican in a WBC title fight with Jose Sulaiman at ringside. He'd better bring the goods. My score says he did. I thought Louie fought a brilliant fight but Gonzalez turned it up the last few rounds. So what about the officials? All 3 of them heavily noted WBC officials. At least judge Terry Smith was experienced (although still very heavily imbedded in the WBC). Not so for judges Chavarria and Manzano. In fact, Chavarria was the real blatant one. He has 19 fights that he acted as a judge in his career according to boxrec. All 19 of them were WBC title fights. No 4 rounders, no 6 rounders, no 10 rounders. All 19 WBC title fights. Moreover, he was the dissenting judge in the Chavez-Randall I near-robbery. Hmmmmmm! I think Espinosa was fighting on an incline.