Possibly, the worst 'two' fighters to fight for a vacant World Title. Rated #1 and #2 by the WBA, for the 11/7/81 Light Middleweight Championship. These '2' who could be labeled as very good club fighters, but never 'World Class', got an early Christmas Gift from the WBA. The 27 year-old Mihara only had 14-bouts, and was Rated #1 by The WBA. He had a record of 14-0-0 (11 KO's), and had not defeated a Top-10 ranked fighter in his 14-wins. The only star credentials on his boxing ledger, he won the Oriental & Pacific Boxing Championship on 4/26/79 over Jae-Keun Lim, and had made '6' Title defenses. Tadashi Mihara had only defeated '2' fighters who had any 'top experience'. KO 5...4/26/79.. Jae-Keun Lim (15-4-1)....Lim lost a Split-Decision to WBA Champion Eddie Gazo in a Title Fight. KO 3..10/25/79.. Ho Joo (9-2-1)...Joo lost a Split-Decision to WBA Champion Masashi Kudo in a Title Fight. * Both Jae-Keun Lim and Ho Joo were both 'B' Level fighters, despite being Rated in the Top-10 by the WBA. His other '12' wins were over 'C' rated fighters, or 100% 'sushi plates'.
Rocky Fratto,,,,,,,,,,the only 'world class credentials', he was an upstate New York based fighter with WBA connections. If anything, he was at best a #10 Rated Light Middleweight, and would qualify as maybe a non-mandatory Title Challenger for a Champion who would be looking for an 'easy defense'. No way was Fratto the 'second best' Light Middleweight in the World.
Mihara was bad and that junior middle group between Wajima and Kalule/Hope were a poor lot too. Miguel Cotto would fit in quite well.
Yes, that was one bad group. Rocky Fratto's only win of distinction, his previous bout. A 12-round close decision win over Rocky Mosley Jr. for the NABF Junior Middleweight Title. Rocky was 24-0-0 (9 KO's) and Rated #2. He had '2' near decision losses to one Steve Michaelyra, a 100% 'trial-horse/record padder'.
5/18/76 - 10/8/76......Jose Manuel Duran 10/8/76 - 3/5/77........Miguel Castellini 3/5/77 - 8/9/78........Eddie Gazo 8/9/78 - 10/23/79.....Masashi Kudo Though Ayub Kalule was an exceptional fighter, his best boxing days were 1977/1978/1979, not 1980 and later.
There was something odd about the end of Kudo's rematch with Manuel Gonzalez, but it's been so long since i watched it i can't quite remember what it was. Gonzalez wasn't looking too bad a fighter and was winning a surprisngly really entertaining fight, then comes out for the stoppage round reeling around the ring and is promptly overwhelmed.I think he may have been caught big after the bell of the previous round and failed to recover, but i'm not sure.It was strange looking. Have you got any info on that one.I might need to see if i can find my copy again, out of curiosity.
I'll go through my records. What I do remember, is the First bout between Kudo and Gonzalez. Manuel Ricardo Gonzalez from Argentina. Gonzalez out-boxed Masashi Kudo easily, only to get robbed. Highlights of that bout were shown on National Television, on another boxing card on TV several days later. Gonzalez couldn't hurt Kudo, but he was one-two-ing him silly. Kudo was awarded a horrible majority decision.
Yes, Tadashi Mihara 13-0-0 (10 KO's) was the #1 WBA Light-Middleweight, and was 'showcased' on the undercard of the Ayub Kalule vs. Ray Leonard WBA Light-Middleweight Championship bout at the Houston Astrodome in June 1981. In his bout with a weak-hitting Philippine (Ramon Dionisio), Tadashi nearly got 'knocked out' in the 4th Round, before coming back to win by KO in the next round. Had Ayub Kalule defeated Ray Leonard, he was to fight the #1 WBA-rated Tadashi Mihara next.
In fairness to Mihara, he showed a lot of grit in hanging pretty tough with an experienced, but offensively dynamic Davey Moore. He actually won the fourth round on my card, though Moore made him pay for that in a big way in the round that followed. Nothing special at all, but you couldn't question the guy's heart in there.
Drew, Correct on Tadashi, I may have been a bit 'harsh' on his overall boxing skills, but like you said, he was a 'tough and gritty' fighter, who had no quit in him. Tadashi was a 'big' Light-Middleweight, who was strong. But, he did get the benefit of the WBA, when they placed him as the (#1) 154 lb. Challenger in mid-1981, based upon him being the OPBF Champion, and with only a 13-0-0 (10 KO's) record.
WBA Light-Middleweight Championship Saturday - November 7, 1981 War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York Tale of the Tape Tadashi Mihara (Tokyo, Japan) Rating.......#1 WBA Age......... 26 1/2 Height.......5' 10" Reach........73" Record.......14-0-0 (11 KO's) * OPBF Light-Middleweight Champion Rocky Fratto (Syracuse, New York) Rating.......#2 WBA Age...........22 Height........5' 9" Reach........71" Record.......24-0-0 (9 KO's) * NABF Light-Middleweight Champion What was on the line. The WBA was trying to 'gift wrap' a victory for Syracuse-based Rocky Fratto, the local upstate Light-Middleweight. All expected Rocky to outbox the 'plodder' Tadashi Mihara, by utilizing his 'good' footwork, and quick hands. But, Tadashi Mihara opened up with a 'fast' charge, by pinning Rocky up against ropes in the early rounds, including flooring Rocky with a straight right-hand in the '4th-Round'. Tadashi Mihara - after building up a big-lead through 8-Rounds, then withstood a 'late-rally' by Fratto to win a hard fought 15-Round 'Majority Decision'. The difference in the fight was the 'knockdown', otherwise the bout would have been a 15-Round Draw. If Rocky had won, he was looking at $400,000 'big dollars' to fight South African - Charlie 'The Silver Assassin' Weir on NBC-TV for a proposed bout in February 1982, in South Africa. Note: Rocky Fratto smartly turned down a fight with Tony Ayala Jr. back on March 28, 1981 - on the undercard of the Ray Leonard vs Larry Bonds 'Championship Fight'. This content is protected
