Well it's been over 28 years since that fateful day when Ray Mancini KO'd Deuk-Koo Kim. The beating Mancini administered to Kim that day eventually led to Kim's demise and sparked a chain of events that led to all championship fights being limited from 15 to 12 rounds. One has to wonder if the ultimate intent of elimitating the final 3 rounds; safety, has netted results. What do you think? Has the change accounted for less ring deaths and less permanent injuries.. 'dementia' for instance.
I still believe the Mancini fight was nothing more than a convenient excuse, to put a championship fight including ring entrance and decision inside a 1 hour programming for the networks. There are quite a few fights since then, that would have ended differently if it still were 15 round matchups. But also a lot of fights that would have been fought in a different pace. The matter of safety is totally open for discussion if you take into account that some corners/referees wouldn't let some fights continue in round 9, 10 or 11 if one of the fighters gets a severe beating in a 12 rounder and would actually pull the fighter if the fight would be sceduled for 15. In that case the 15 round fight would actually be safer.
I would prefer 15 rounders. Seems more classic. I think a fight like Hagler Leonard would have had another outcome. Calzaghe would probably also have actualy beaten hopkins over 15 rounds.
Calzaghe did beat Hopkins atsch, but you are right in that the judges that scored 116-111 and 115-112 would have ended with scores of 146-138 and 145-139. Still the 5 points and 3 points are still clear
15 rounders seemed to generally have mroe acceptable/staisfying conclusions. But as for saftey, obviously 12 rounders are more safe, but when you're fighting a guy like Edwin Valero, you're health is never safe, even if it's a 4 rounder. So I say for certain mega fights they should bring back 15 rounders.
Odd number of rounds would all but eliminate draws but that's the only benefit for that length of fight. Give me a hard fought 10 rounder any day rather than a 15 rounder where guys are taking rounds off, coasting and waiting for the last 20 seconds to steal rounds a la Leonard - Hearns I.
15 rounds is the way it should be. It would also do wonders for the HW division because it would force these fat ****s to come to the ring in shape.
15 rounds shortens the career of fighters at lower weights, its great for us fans, but gruelling for them. Like SRL said, there's really no comparing todays fighter to yesteryears fighters who fought 15 rounders. They had to do that little extra.
if they brought back 15rds a lot more controversial fights would be decisive decisions or stoppages. i can't count how many times i've saw a fight where a guy was fading bad and was saved by the end of the 12th.
You know, I often wonder how many of the folks who want to bring back 15 round fights actually ever saw or remember the amount of coasting, clutching, and lack of action that ALOT of those fights contained. People seem to be under the impression that they will get 3 more rounds of Gatti-Ward type of action, when what they'll actually get is alot more stop-and-go,stuccato, Chad Dawson-style lulls in action. And it would make the current HW division even more unwatchable.