the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Rahman always seemed to be a snatch defeat from the jaws of victory type

I think of the Maskaev rematch where he had a second half collapse

A fight that I used to have on VHS that I watched more often than I should of was his Toney fight. He had all of the tools to jab Toney to the ropes and just win on points but he got suckered into trading with Toney's faster hands along the ropes. I always felt Rahman won the fight and got hosed by the judges but I felt like that fight summed up Rahman. Seemed to make fights harder than he had to and did not fully implement or utilize his best attributes.

 

I had the Toney fight 116-112 for Rahman. But yeah, I agree with you. Rahman was very strong and better than people gave him credit. I think his lack of amateur fights hindered him a lot against guys like Lewis, Holyfield and Maskaev.

 

The second lewis fight was shocking

I know lewis was probably always going to win but lewis kept throwing the same combination and Rahman kept stupidly reaching his two hands out like a mummy totally exposed. His corner seemed to make no adjustment either

 

Filip Hrgović vs Zhilei Zhang

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

Total: 114-113 Hrgović

Never understood the claims of robbery here. This was probably my fourth time, where I scored the fight exactly the same way - Hrgović by a point. Zhang had some moments early, with the last attempt to win in the 9th, seemed to land harder and crisper punches, but overall, the Croatian boxed better for longer stretches. He was even winning the first round, that he ultimately lost 10:8, because of the knockdown, which seemed to be from the shot at the back of the head. Zhang, as always, gassed out and lost almost the entire second half of the fight. Hrgović showed toughness, grit and, in my opinion, the best chin in the divsion. Just look at the shots he took from Zhang! There was even a moment, when he turned his back after he got hit, like Wilder did, but the follow up punch from Big Bang didn't do much damage to him. Excited to see how he will take shots from Itauma. He definitely shouldn't be overlooked in there.

 

That was a pretty good fight. I never scored it but Zhang did himself no favors having such a weak finish down the stretch.

I favor Itauma but would not be shocked if he loses given how little he has been tested

 

Oswaldo Novoa vs Chaozhong Xiong WBC Minimumweight world championship 12 rounds :

round 1 : 10-9 Chaozhong Xiong
round 2 : 9-9
round 3 : 10-8 Oswaldo Novoa, a knocked down is not counted for the Mexican, absolute domination for the Mexican.
round 4 : even the Chinese commentators wince was they watch this round, the Mexican give a punishment here, Chaozhong Xiong did not recovered from the previous round. 10-8 for Oswaldo Novoa absolute domination.

round 5 : Early in the round, the Chinese fighter came alive and landed a heavy right hand on the Mexican; however, Oswaldo Novoa was unfazed and once again cornered his opponent. The Chinese willingly engaged in a slugfest, but blows rained down on him he still hadn't fully recovered from the third-round knockdown. Finally, after a barrage of punches—and unable to clinch any longer—the referee stopped the fight. This left the Chinese commentators and the crowd baffled, as the Chinese boxer appeared to be having a better round; while that was true, he was absorbing too many shots.


Several points already stand out: it was a great WBC world title fight at 105 lbs, but while Chaozhong Xiong was the more technical and well-rounded fighter, he made several errors. The first, in my view, was his failure to stick to fighting from the outside; Oswaldo Novoa cut off the ring too easily, and Xiong engaged in close-quarters exchanges too readily—despite being smaller, less physically imposing, and significantly less powerful than Novoa. The third major error lies with the referee; failing to count the knockdown in the third round paradoxically sealed the fight's outcome, as it allowed Novoa to immediately follow up on a completely dazed opponent who was unable to recover also the next round. Finally, the fourth error was that Chaozhong Xiong had twenty opportunities to take a knee but failed to do so.


I have it 48-44 for Oswaldo Novoa before the stoppage.

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Ironically, this was the last time Novoa scored a victory! He would go 0-6-2 after that and which was a shame. His fight against Menayothin was pretty fun.

 

Yes strange peak in his career before to be a world champion he also beat Jose Argumedo the future IBF Minimumweight champion, who was a big name in that time too.

 

Roberto Duran vs Zeferino Gonzalez, junior middleweights, scheduled for 10 rounds on Sept. 28, 1979, at Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Duran, 66-1 (53) weighs 149 1/2 for this bout following up his brilliant win over Carlos Palomino just three months later. He picks up $100K, and I’m here to tell you he didn’t earn it. Cornermen Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown said he only trained three weeks, and it shows.

Zeferino, 19-2-1 (5), weighs the same and holds a 5-inch height advantage, and it shows. He makes $25K, his biggest purse by a long way ($1,800 being tops previously).

The bout was televised nationally in primetime by ABC on a card that also saw Larry Holmes win his rematch with Earnie Shavers by KO 11. Also on the card, Ray Leonard dazzled in knocking out Andy Price in one, Wilfredo Gomez struggle to stop Carlos Mendoza in 10 and Michael Dokes outpoint Jimmy Young.

Roberto was, in turn, clownish, wild, sloppy, sluggish, timid and far from ferocious. I didn’t score it when I saw it on TV live in my youth but the rewatch changed my mind.

1 — Duran 10-9: Roberto paws with his jab. And opens up with a few hooks and one good right. Zeffie circles and jabs but doesn’t do enough.

2 — Duran 10-9: Duran lands a couple of counters. It’s there for Gonzalez to take, but, again, he doesn’t let his hands go.

3 — Gonzalez 10-9: Now we see it come together for Gonzalez. He gets his jab on track and has a good game plan from West Coast veteran manager/trainer Jesse Reid in circling to his right and making Duran reach. Zeffie also outworks Duran in close. Roberto is mostly wild.

4 — Duran 10-9: Roberto lands a few big shots but no damage and doesn’t sustain his attack. He mostly grins and has not a lick of intensity.

5 — Gonzalez 10-9: Smiley Duran does next to nothing while Gonzalez lands cleanly with a sharp left hook and right lead. He outworks Roberto inside again and works the jab.

6 — Gonzalez 10-9: Roberto looks frustrated and clowns around, at one point sticking both thumbs in his trunk and eating a right lead. He can’t reach Zeffie, who gets through with right leads and his jab.

7 — Even 10-10: Roberto lands a (very) few bigger, flashier shots (to no visible effect) while Gonzalez works steadily. After seven, I have it up for grabs.

8 — Gonzalez 10-9: He jabs and does better work inside, not much happening. Roberto receives a nasty cut over his left eye when their heads clash but even though it reopens in the final round, it’s not a factor.

9 — Gonzalez 10-9: Roberto mauls, gets closer, but doesn’t punch much. He eats a big right lead and a left hook along with a steady diet of jabs.

10 — Duran 10-9 (c): Roberto works more inside, lands a couple of nice hooks late but also gets hit. I thought he just edged it.

My score: 96-95 Zeferino. Official judges all for Duran — 98-92, 99-92, 99-91. I have no idea what the three blind mice were watching.

I’d love to see how @Jel @scartissue and others scored it, because there is no way on god’s green earth that Duran ran away with it by the margins the judges scored it for him.

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Ray Mercer v Larry Holmes

Round 1: 10-9 Mercer
Round 2: 10-9 Holmes
Round 3: 10-10 Even
Round 4: 10-9 Mercer
Round 5: 10-9 Holmes
Round 6: 10-9 Holmes
Round 7: 10-9 Holmes
Round 8: 10-9 Mercer
Round 9: 10-9 Holmes
Round 10: 10-10 Even
Round 11: 10-9 Holmes
Round 12: 10-9 Holmes

Total: 117-113 Holmes (actual scores: 117-112, 117-111 and 115-113 all for Holmes)

Mercer had relinquished his WBO title to take this fight. The WBO insisted he fight Michael Moorer but there must have been a very healthy payday involved for him to give up his title. I'm reminded of the Bobby Chacon-Boza Edwards-Hector Camacho incident when looking at what led to this fight. But I digress. Suffice to say there was still a bit of fuel in Larry's tank and it actually turned into a good fight, which I enjoyed.

 

Classic ‘old master takes young buck to school’ vibes. I love this fight.

 

Larry Holmes v Ossie Ocasio (heavyweight title)

I've been enjoying watching some of Larry Holmes' old fights, which give me an even greater appreciation for what he brought to the table. Ocasio got here by virtue of his two wins over Jimmy Young, whose style was really made for him. As for this fight, Ocasio would occasionally explode with a shot or two to make things interesting but not for one minute could one think it was his time. Won't run a card here because I gave every round to Holmes including a 10-8 in the 5th round where he administered a battering before dropping Ocasio 4 times in the 7th for the stoppage. I had it 60-53 through 6 completed rounds. However, the Vegas judges clearly saw something I didn't because they were very generous to Ocasio with scores of 59-55 (twice) and a 59-56 all for Holmes. Still, enjoyed seeing this fight again after so many years.

 

Larry didn’t just knock Jaws down with a jab — he put him down hard and clean with it. If you didn’t see it was a jab and only saw Double-O’s reaction going down from it, you would assume it was a perfect right hand.

 

I don´t think Holmes gets enough credit for this win. One of his best complete performances.

Ocasio twice beat Jimmy Young who in the last 3 years had lost 2 controversial decisions to Ali and Norton and had beaten Ron Lyle and Foreman during that run.

After the Holmes loss, Ossie would draw with up and coming Michael Dokes though blasted in a round in the return.

Then he became Cruiserweight champion, making 3 defenses.

Later, he would go 11 rounds with a young Holyfield and last the full route with Mercer, Seldon, Pierre Coetzer, Tyrell Biggs, Carl Williams, and a young, undefeated Lennox Lewis—11 years after the Holmes massacre.

 

Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali I

Round 1: Ali
Round 2: Ali
Round 3: Ali
Round 4: Ali
Round 5: Draw
Round 6: Frazier
Round 7: Frazier
Round 8: Frazier
Round 9: Draw
Round 10: Frazier
Round 11: Frazier
Round 12: Frazier
Round 13: Ali
Round 14: Ali
Round 15: Frazier

Total: 7-6-2 Joe Frazier

This time, I tried to score this bout on the round by round system, just like they did it at the time. I kept the suplementary 10 point must system however too, just to see where it gets me. I gave the 5th to Ali and 9th to Frazier, so, counting the knockdown, the final score would be 143-141. I was also tempted to score the 11th 10:8 for Joe as Ali took hell of a beating there and was almost out on his feet. Took more damage than in the 15th to tell the truth. Anyway, this is still, in my opinion, the best heavyweight fight of all time.