the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

@scartissue I see that a version of Thomas Hearns vs. Clyde Gray is available on YouTube. I need to check that out. In fact, I started typing ‘Thomas Hearns’ in my google search field and ‘Thomas Hearns vs. Clyde Gray’ came up, because last time I searched for one of Hearns’ fights it was this (and I don’t think this fight showed up).

Have to make some time to watch this.

I wish I could find Pipino vs. Randy Shields but it seems to have disappeared.

 

Viloria vs Estrada

1:10-9
2:10-9
3:10-9
4:9-10
5:9-10
6:9-10
7:9-10
8: 9-10
9: 9-10
10:9-10
11:9-10
12:9-10

113-117

Viloria starts this fight off superbly. He is getting the better of the chess match and put sharp shooting Estrada. His punches are better timed, better placed and have more snap on them. Plus he's mixing it up to the body and the head. I have Viloria sweeping the first 3.

In the 4th Estrada finally finds a home for his right hand, his speed advantage is starting to tell and his footwork is now keeping him out of range. Even through 6

I actually have Estrada sweeping every round down the stretch and winning 9-3. But that doesn't really tell the story of the fight. Every round was mega competitive, I just felt Estrada got his shots in more often

Great fight this one.

 

Pipino Cuevas v Harold Weston

Harold Weston was seriously tough. He stood toe to toe with one of the greatest punchers in welterweight history and managed to stay on his feet, even when in serious trouble. Cuevas was a cold-blooded killer but Weston traded with him and wouldn't wilt, even with a suspected broken jaw. It was stopped between rounds but Weston would have gone out for the 10th, I'm sure, if he had been allowed.

Terrific scrap this one was.

1 10-9 (Cuevas wobbled Weston a couple of times. Looks like it's going to be a short night for the Mexican)
2 10-9 (Weston was boxing well but got rocked and started exchanging and then got rocked even more. He's shown tons of heart but he's in with a lethal puncher)
3 9-10 (super boxing from Weston. The first round he hasn't been in trouble and he controlled it)
4 10-9 (close. Good exchanges)
5 10-9 (Weston is giving as good as he is getting but it was Cuevas's round)
6 9-10 (excellent round - toe to toe for the full 3 minutes. A good comeback from Weston who forced the action. Every time he looks like he's in danger of being overwhelmed, he finds a way back into the fight)
7 10-9 (another close one but Cuevas took it)
8 9-10 (more trench warfare and terrific stuff again from both fighters. Weston has been so aggressive. Right now he still looks completely in the fight)
(77-75)
9 Cuevas RTD Weston

 

Interest in late 70s WW bouts seems high today.

 

Pat, do take into consideration that this was an end of the line Gray. I don't wish to ruin things for you if you are not aware of the result, but take that in mind. I would recommend some of his prime bouts such as Napoles, Espada and Bunny Grant. These fights were peak Gray.

 

Oh yes I know but it’s a still-green Hearns getting some seasoning against a grizzled veteran who is less than 18 months from challenging (and getting sparked out by) Pipino Cuevas for the welterweight title. Clyde’s not up for rookie of the year anymore but he’s still a wily and viable test for an up-and-comer.

Nobody’s gone the distance yet with Hearns at this stage of his development so he needed to get the kind of work a guy like Gray could give him. I love watching these crafty guys who still have enough guile and experience to make it an interesting exercise (if not necessarily a competitive one as far as threatening to win) — kind of like the old pitcher in the movie “Major League’ with the Vaseline and KY jelly and all the other stuff tucked away inside his uniform to keep him competitive when he no longer has the fastball, haha.

 

Estrada vs Segura

Very good showing this by Estrada who was able to ultimately overwhelm Segura with his sharp crisp shots.

Segura had little pockets of success but ultimately Estrada was far too much for him.

 

I love Estrada, he's probably my favourite active fighter.

 

Can't beat a slick fighter who punches with spite when he has the bit between his teeth.

 

Great analogy.

 

Jorge Luis Gonzalez v Renaldo Snipes

Saw this fight was out there and lasting into the 10th. And since I never saw it, didn't remember reading about it and have seen nothing written on it since, I was hoping there might be some competitiveness about it. Well see where hope got me? This is the kind of fight why I couldn't stand JLG. At 6'7" to Snipes' 6'2", he was like a schoolyard bully out there. Moreover, he acted like one too. Hands down, yelling to the well-beaten 37 year old Snipes to 'come on'. Snipes gave it all he had left but this was not the Renaldo who fought Holmes. I only gave Snipes the 5th round and the rest to the Cuban before he dropped and stopped Snipes in the 10th (but not before losing a point in the 10th for laying on Snipes' neck). Still, although never a banger, I'd like to think Renaldo wrote the template on how to fight this lug when he caught him several times with a big overhand right. I can't remember the exact shot Bowe took him out with, but I remember Witherspoon using his overhand right (one of the best in the business) to the extreme when leveling the Cuban.

I decided to watch JLG's fight with Michael Grant right after the Snipes fight, and loved the fact that Grant was also 6'7". No yells of 'come on' here. And Grant duly took out JLG with an overhand right in the 1st. Almost as satisfying to me as Maidana v Broner.

Wait, I'm not done yet. I saw on JLG's record that he was stopped by journeyman Ross Purritty. And although the whole fight is not out there, there is a highlight vid of Purritty and the Gonzalez fight is a standout. In the 7th round what does Ross catch him with? Yep, an overhand right. And this time JLG quits. So much for the schoolyard bully.

Sorry guys, don't mean to run a fighter's nose in it, but just didn't like this big bollocks trying to humiliate Snipes.

 

Yeah, rather stupid of JLG. He gives Snipes a whipping, but then gets his ass kicked vs. Bowe, Grant, and most embarrassingly Witherspoon. Witherspoon still had plenty of fight left in the 90s, but he was the exact same era as Snipes, and really kicked JLG's ass.

 

Miguel Cotto v Ricardo Mayorga (junior middleweight title)

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 Cotto
Round 3: 10-9 Cotto
Round 4: 10-10 Even
Round 5: 10-9 Cotto
Round 6: 10-9 Cotto
Round 7: 10-9 Mayorga
Round 8: 10-9 Cotto
Round 9: 10-9 Mayorga
Round 10: 10-9 Cotto
Round 11: 10-10 Even
Round 12: Cotto drops Mayorga and Mayorga quits with an arm/wrist injury

Total through 11 completed rounds: 108-104 Cotto (actual scores: 107-102 by all 3 judges)

Cotto fought a very controlled fight while Mayorga fought his usual flailing haymakers in spurts-type of fight. Cotto was slowly whittling down Mayorga's resolve with very short jabs, hooks, body-shots and straight rights. a really well-composed fighter and fight plan. It was having the desired effect as Mayorga's right eye was swelling badly, but it seemed like he was there to the finish until Cotto caught him with a terrific left hook in the 12th that almost dropped him, but then he went down of his own volition complaining about his left arm. I really didn't see it despite repeated replays of the incident, but he did appear to be in pain and he wouldn't have quit with a minute or so to go. The announcing team referred to this as a fun fight, and I would agree. Despite lacking some real drama, it was a fun fight. A decent fight.

 

Watched it many times and never fully figured out ehat was Mayorga’s injury.
Got clipoed with a left hook and got his hand/finger injured.

 

Florentino Fernandez v Stefan Redl

I love these old Madison Square Garden fights. Here we go on the NY rounds basis.

Round 1: FF
Round 2: Even
Round 3: Even
Round 4: FF
Round 5: Redl
Round 6: FF
Round 7: Fernandez drops and stops Redl

Total through 6 completed rounds: 3-1-2 Fernandez (actual scores: 4-2, 5-0-1 and 5-1 all for Fernandez)

To begin, I wasn't sure if this was going to be domination by Floro, but Redl fought a very good fight. He was short and squat, but he fought a very good crowding/counter-punching type of a fight that prevented Floro from unwinding his big gun (the left hook). However, he couldn't do it forever and he finally got caught in the 7th and went down. Strangely, he got up at 9, but just sort of stood there looking at the ref, who had just resumed the fight as Floro came rolling in ready to take his head off. The ref jumped in just before Floro could land anything and stopped the fight. Clearly he wasn't ready to defend himself and it didn't look like Redl griped about it. However, there was one guy in the Redl corner that did gripe and he verbally assaulted the ref, which was audible to the viewer. And I laughed because some things never change. It was a young Lou Duva (Well, he had black hair. I don't know if he was ever young). Again, I always enjoy these old MSG fights.