Had never seen this bout before and just watched it for the first time. Here are some random thoughts I came away with: 1. Howard Davis was confused fighting a southpaw and could never make the adjustments needed. And with Jim Watt being a fundamentally sound southpaw that compounded the problem. 2. Who ever negotiated this for Davis was an idiot. 18 foot ring which didn't help Davis at all. 6 oz gloves which didn't help Davis at all. And worse fighting in front of 20000 hometown fans didn't help Davis at all. 3. Watt found a home for that right hook to the body and used it very well. 4. Didn't know Watt was a natural right hander fighting out of the southpaw stance. All in all an interesting fight that in all honesty Davis had the skills to win but maybe it was too early in his career to take a fight like that.
Jimmy Glenn Davis' trainer told me money ruined Davis. Davis was pulling back whilst throwing his jab he seemed scared to commit to his punches.
Watt noticed Davis liked to keep opponents on the end of punches so Watt would slide an inch or two out of range when Davis was loading up, causing him to fall marginally short and be open to counter (particularly southpaw body hook under the jab)
I remember everyone in the U.S. thought it was a foregone conclusion Davis would go over there and grab the title. Davis was considered the best amateur on the 1976 US Olympic team. He was paid more than all the other fighters on the team to turn pro. I believe CBS signed him for $100,000 per fight (which was insane money in the late 70s). Leon Spinks had already beaten Ali for the World Heavyweight title. Sugar Ray Leonard had already beaten Wilfred Benitez for the WBC Welterweight title. John Tate had already beaten Gerrie Coetzee for the WBA heavyweight title. Aaron Pryor, who Davis beat to make the team and who worked as a $300-a-week sparring partner for Davis, had already signed to fight Antonio Cervantes for the WBA junior welterweight belt. People now think he was rushed (he probably was). People then were wondering what's taking Davis so long? Watt wasn't exactly Duran or Cervantes. Or Ali or Benitez.
In a way the fight demonstrates what good timing and technique can do against speed because Davis was so much faster then Watt but was having such a hard time landing due to Watts strategy/southpaw stance.
Jim Watt was a much better fighter than many give him credit for - there was more to him than met the eye; he was "substance over style" personified. He was a strong, canny, experienced, mature, streetwise southpaw, with a good chin, decent power with good ring IQ. He was too much "pro" for Davis at the point in time they met. I remember Watt commenting before the fight "I've had as many 15 rounders as Davis has had pro fights". Watt won this fight clearly and deservedly...
He did and loved the way he used the right hook on Davis. Its a testament to how great a fighter Arguello was as he beat down Watt pretty good.
Davis didn't have the right people in his corner. And he fought in Scotland, something Alexis Arguello didn't do a year later.
Really Davis came out of the Olympics overrated ... he, not Leonard was considered the fighter of the games ... Davis never had a punch or a terrific chin .. he was a very good fighter, extremely fast but simply not ready to face a very tough, gamey southpaw like Watt that early in his career ..
