[YT]kgDxA78CJho[/YT] Brutal TKO. The first KD - is it actually more of a hook/uppercut combo that lands on the button as Emile is dipping low? From the angle here it almost seems difficult to see how it connected to his head, but that reaction is not indicative of a hard body blow - Griffith was seeing tweetybirds. Obviously no question about the 2nd knockdown, perfect straight hand; clearly Carter was one hell of an instinctive finisher. Amazing that Griffith beat the count again, but of course he'd have just been flattened once more. He may have been on his way to winning that round before getting caught the first time, but again that's moot as the outcome was probably an inevitability given the striking size and strength advantage enjoyed by the Hurricane.
Still one of the most amazing wins ever IMO..considering the quality of Griffith and his well earnt reputation for durability.
Griffith had to accept the writer's Fighter of the Year award like a week later. Griffith was unperterbed by this defeat. He said it was a perfect punch that caught him cold. You seem him chase the MW's in earnest shortly hereafter.
Carter lost to worse fighters. This is even more brutal, one of the best KO's ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0LQ5EXSNXI
Carter's classic quote after the fight was over: "No welterweight in the world, belongs in the ring with me".
I think Carter may have always been bad for Griffith due to his overwhelming physical advantages with the style he fought in. However, I wouldn't count Griffith out, as he proved often even after that defeat that he was capable of taking on and holding his own with the best Middleweights. He even bested Dick Tiger, who gave Carter a thumping.
Sure, and I love Emile, but how was he going to avoid getting hit with a shot like that (I actually think Carter was a monster even by middleweight standards) over the course of the whole fight, unless he put in a Tour De France performance? :scaredas:
Don't forget that Luis Manuel Rodriguez beat Rubin Carter twice and although Griffith and Rodriguez were different fighters, I wouldn't say that it would be impossible for Griffith to do what Rodriguez managed. Carter himself usually weighed around 154, he was not a huge middleweight by any means. He was simply a huge puncher, especially in the early rounds, and could catch and knock out anybody if they were careless.
Now a bit of Carter getting his ass whooped by a shorter, but even physically stronger Middleweight. [yt]jgzGyypTkhg[/yt]
It was a beating and I believe the fight should have been stopped in the second round when Carter goes down the second time at around 04:40 in the video. Tiger was already celebrating. Carter caught Tiger with his best punch in one of the rounds and it had absolutely no effect.
Of course I am...you're aware that at the time, Griffith was not yet a solid middleweight...and would, in '66, narrowly defeat the man who OWNED Carter, namely Dick Tiger. Griff was always a slow starter, and would not have likely been goaded like that into such a foolhardy fight plan again. Griffith improved greatly as a fighter, and would go on to become one of the most experienced and savvy 15 round fighters in history..in fact he may hold the record for the most times a guy has gone 15 rounds. Together with his smart trainer Gil Clancy, I'm sure that Griffith would have not repeated theat 1 round fiasco with Carter, and would have avenged himself. This is the same guy who would go on to be stopped again only by the great Carlos Monzon, and in a rematch, would give Monzon all he could handle for 15 rounds..I don't think Carter got much better as a fighter, especially after the humbling ass-whipping that Tiger laid on him.
Griffith, up until Monzon, was notoriously good at winning rematches...and the rubber match he lost to Nino Benvenuti was extremely close and competitive, and Emile actually finished stronger than Nino.