My First Look at Tony Ayala

I'm sorry to say that most who look at this will only see the knockdown, not how Tony responded to it. The second and third rounds are even better, as the little bull dishes out such a beating that Mario simply quits.

 

Ayala had a world of talent and potential, but he was simply too unproven to make claims about how he'd have fared against the greats. How would he have done were that a guy like Cuevas rather than Maldonado? Too many unanswered questions, though he definitely looked the goods. Great inside work, brutal body puncher, never lacking pop in his punches, and a left hook from hell. He also seemed to have the mentality needed, but again, we'll simply never know because of the route he decided to take.

 

may probrably have ended up having a career like fernando vargas, too much heart for a durable career

 

I'd hate to see what Tony at 18-19 would do to Cuevas, esp. if he whipped him so badly in sparring at a mere 14.

 

CBS Sports Spectacular....ABC Wide World of Sports....NBC Sports World.....Saturday afternoons....free big fights on home TV.

Those were great days.

 

Where's the validity to those claims?

 

I have always wondered too...I am going to get my friend Doug Lord (Curtis Cokes' Mgr) to give me some feedback on the rumor.

 

Cuevas vs. Torito: The ring legend of Tony Ayala Jr. was just beginning when WBA welterweight champion Pipino Cuevas came to town in the summer of 1977 to train for a title defense against Clyde Gray of Canada.
Like all champions, Cuevas knew good sparring was a prerequisite for a good performance in the fight. But there was just one welterweight at San Fernando Gym — 14-year-old Tony Ayala Jr.
"Cuevas' manager, Lupe Suarez, said they couldn't afford to bring sparring partners with them from California," Tony Ayala Sr. said. "So Tony says, 'Let me spar with him.'"
It was on a Saturday and San Fernando Gym was packed with onlookers to see Cuevas' public workout.
The sparring session turned into a fight, with Ayala taking it to the 19-year-old Cuevas.
Ayala hit Cuevas with a series of body shots that left the champion dazed and more than a little embarrassed. Sanchez told Tony Sr. that his fighter had had enough and Team Cuevas moved its training camp to Houston shortly thereafter.
- John Whisler

http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/2228/tony-ayala-best-prospect-all-time/

 

Interesting. I'd like to hear other views on the subject though, of course.

 

So his Dad is the source? Not very biased :roll:

 

Where in this post does it mention Tony Sr. is the source?

If you read the link below that, you'll find that his dad is NOT the only source in that one, either.

 

I was watching a boxing show, called "In this Corner" on TSN (A Canada sports network) and someone asked the analyst, Russ Amber, who he'd pick between Alaya and Duran.

He said it would be a war, but who could ever bet against Duran.

I love these type of fighters. Win or loose they're going to war!!

 

Berger describes Tony Sr.’s version of the action after his son talked him into arranging the match.

 

Naturally, a father might embellish on his son’s accomplishments, but Berger was careful and astute to mention that Tony Sr. wasn’t the only person in the gym who saw it that way.
“San Antonio fight promoter, Tony Padilla, who has had his differences with the Ayalas, was there the afternoon Cuevas and young Tony went at it. He remembers Lupe Sanchez, Pipino’s manager, saying to Cuevas afterward, ‘Aren’t you ashamed --- a 14-year-old boy doing that to you?’ And Pipino, Padilla said, was muttering ‘Increible, increible’ – which is incredible in English.”