the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Sal, scored it awhile back on the California system. This is how I had it:

Ruben Olivares vs. Alexis Arguello (featherweight title) California scoring of one point for a winning round and none for an even round.

Round 1: Even
Round 2: Arguello
Round 3: Olivares
Round 4: Olivares
Round 5: Arguello
Round 6: Even
Round 7: Olivares
Round 8: Olivares
Round 9: Olivares
Round 10: Olivares
Round 11: Olivares
Round 12: Olivares
Round 13: KO for Arguello

Total: 8-2 Olivares through 12 completed rounds (actual scores: 8-3 and 6-5 for Olivares and a 5-5 even)

Quite amazing the way Olivares at 5'5" put the hurt on the 5'10" Arguello. Walking into that shot in the 13th is a rough way to go when Ruben carried the heavy freight for most of the fight.

 

Looks like except for the 6th and 7th, we had it the same.

Great, heady fight at any rate.

 

I've been enjoying watching a few of the Ricardo Lopez fights I missed over the years and here are a couple of more:

Ricardo Lopez v Singprasert Kittikasem (Strawweight title)

I won't run a card here as there was nothing competitive about the fight. This should have been a template for all who dare oppose Lopez, His combinations, footwork, punch variety and punch were all on display before Lopez ended matters on a knockout in the 5th. I could have given Lopez a 10-8 in the 4th, which the judges apparently did. He didn't batter the Thai but it was one-sided. I generally don't go to the 10-8 without a bit of a battering. I scored it 40-36 through 4 completed rounds (actual scores: 40-36, 40-35 and 40-34 all for Lopez).

Now before I go, let me just say - and you've all heard me say this before - what business did this kid have challenging for a world title? Let alone a champ the stature of Lopez, who was miles beyond anything he had ever met. To be clear, the Thai's record was 10-2-1 with only two 10-rounders behind him. The rest were 6-rounders. How is that gearing up a fighter who was nothing more than a prospect, for a title fight? And it clearly destroyed his spirit because this was his last fight. Some of these people may think they're doing a great thing getting a title shot to their fighter or their countryman, but they have done him a disservice with a fight that he was years from. And then, ruined an otherwise good prospect.

Next fight

Ricardo Lopez v Alex Sanchez (unification of WBO and WBC Strawweight title)

Round 1: 10-9 Lopez
Round 2: 10-8 Lopez (scores a knockdown)
Round 3: 10-9 Lopez
Round 4: 10-7 Lopez (Lopez batters Sanchez a bit for the extra point and then the ref deducts a point from Sanchez when hitting Lopez when he was down from a slip)
Round 5: Sanchez is dropped and stopped

Total through 4 completed rounds - 40-33 Lopez (actual scores: 40-33, 40-34 and another 40-34 all for Lopez)

Despite a wider score than the previous bout, it was a more competitive fight. Sanchez was a dangerous opponent and some of those shots he was firing was designed to take Finito's head off. Enjoyable, but still, the gulf between Lopez and his opponents was immeasurable.

 

I think a big problem at Ricardo's weight was finding ANYONE to fight. There were probably only a couple 100 registered fighters in that weight class if I had to guess. Also, I think its possible some of the records his opponents were fudged to make it not look so bad on paper. Please dont take that as I think Lopez was a fraud or anything, he's an all time great and one of my favorites.

 

Mike, no issue here. I agree that he stood out a mile from his competitors, if that's what you want to call them. My issue is with the alphabet gang creating jr. fly, strawweight and super fly. These were unnecessary. The flyweight division could have stood strong alone, but the money-grubbers saw the financial possibilities with the Orient, which was a cash cow. They saw sanctioning fees coming out their arse and couldn't have cared less about sticking some hapless challenger in there with an outstanding fighter. Man, make me the boxing czar for a year and the sweeping changes I would make would bring boxing back from the doldrums.

 

Donnie LaLonde v Sugar Ray Leonard (super middleweight title)

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 LaLonde
Round 3: 10-9 LaLonde
Round 4: 10-8 LaLonde (scores a knockdown)
Round 5: 10-9 SRL
Round 6: 10-9 SRL
Round 7: 10-9 SRL
Round 8: 10-9 SRL
Round 9: Leonard drops LaLonde twice and the fight is called

Total through 8 completed rounds: 76-76 Even (actual scores: 77-74 and 77-75 both for Leonard and a 76-75 for LaLonde)

Although there was some stern resistance from LaLonde early, Leonard slowly took over and when they both got their dander up, there were a good few brisk exchanges. But Leonard was never one to let anyone off the hook when they were hurt, which made it only a matter of time before he got to Donnie.

One more thing I should add, whose idea was it to make Kevin Rooney a ringside analyst? His nasally NY accent sounded like they had Joe Pesci at ringside. And he wouldn't shut up. I guess he felt obligated to earn his keep.

 

You know the saying: Everybody’s got a plan til they get hit in the mouth by an explosive thin man.

 

Watched McCallum vs Toney I for the first time. I had it 115-113 for Toney but thought that all of the scorecards were reasonable. Quite a few very close rounds that I think could easily have been scored either way.

 

Ricardo Lopez v Edito (Ala) Vilamor (Strawweight title)

I don't know why I was hoping for something competitive but here we go again. At least his challenger had a semblance of experience (29-1-1, the Filipino strawweight champ but no one of note on his record). At least I got a chance to watch an artist at work. Vilamor provided nothing, by the way, other than a body. After performing surgery on him for 7 rounds, Lopez administered the final shot in the 8th, an uppercut, and Vilamor sagged to the canvas where he stayed for the count. After 7 completed rounds, I had it 70-63 for Lopez, giving him every round (actual scores: 70-63, 70-63 and 70-64 all for Lopez). Lopez really needed to explore Jr. Fly and Fly at this time for new challenges because Strawweight was as barren as the Sahara.

 

IIRC, Lalonde hurt Leonard earlier in the ninth (or maybe the round before?) and Ray turned up the heat.

Say what you will, but Donnie had a right hand from hell. For a basically one-armed man to compete at that level, he needs that kind of power.

 

I remember reading back when it happened how and why Lalonde retired. He reported that he had been badly abused as a child, and gravitated toward boxing subconsciously in a way to perhaps channel the hurt and anger at what had happened to him. As the years went by and he finally started delving more into who he was as a person, he realized why he had become a boxer and said that he just couldn't do it anymore. His realization, and the processing of it, made him realize he couldn't make a living any longer by hitting people.

Big respect for Donnie since reading that.

 

Donnie had this one cute move that we picked up from him and taught to some of our guys: He’d body up to the opponent, kind of leaning on him but not clinching, then he’d rotate his torso so his left shoulder pushed the guy off just a few inches and use that rotation to throw his big right in that gap created by the subtle ‘push-off.’

Did it to Leonard and others. It’s something you can practice on the bag as well as with mitts or in sparring. It’s cool when a ‘crude’ guy has a slick move.

 

I need to get back on to this it's been a while.

 

Reminds me of the tricks Armstrong uses occasionally,if there's no space to throw his signature overhand.

 

Watched Frazier vs Ellis I today. I thought Ellis did well and took the first round with his boxing but after that it was all down hill. I can't imagine how disheartening it has to be to hit someone cleanly like he did and them just walk through it winging hooks like Frazier. Credit to Ellis for taking as many as he did as many guys would have been done in that third round.