1985 Flashback: Lonnie Smith dusts Billy Costello...

Enjoyed watching this one again Bill..first time I've seen it since actually watching it way back then.

 

I watched this fight back in '85. I believe it was broadcast in sydication. Back then, before everyone had cable, local channels (in my case in the Washington, D.C. area, channel 20) would periodically broadcast boxing cards. These cards were alwaysl promoted by Don King, if I remember correctily. I do remember Don King was Bill Costello's promoter. I believe the undercard bout to Lonnie Smith-Bill Costello was a non-title middleweight bout between Wilfred Benitez v. Kevin Moley. Moley's trainer was the then little known Teddy Atlas. Another such card that year broadcast tin the same format.featured Carlos DeLeon v. Alfonso Ratliff for the WBC Cruiserweight title. As tor Costello-Smith, Costello was very overconfident in the pre-fight interview. He said something sarcastic about taking care of "Lightning Lonnie." During the fight, Smith confused the flat-footed Costello with an unorthidox assortment of punches from all angles. I don't necessarily think Costello was shot before this fight, just a bad style matchup for him. If you look back at Costello, and hindsight is always 20-20, he had fight mostly light hitting opponents winning and defending the title. Bruce Curry was shop worn and featherfisted by the time he fought Costello. Saoul Mamby and Leroy Haley were featherfisted and in their mid-30's. Ronnie Shields was in his prime, but was not a big puncher. I really just think Smith, who was perceived as light hitting, caught Costello with shots from weird angles that he often didn't see coming. It was truly a huge upset at the time. On another note, can you imagine seeing whole championship cards for free on regular T.V. Those were the days for economical boxing viewing.

 

thanks, thats the first time i ever saw that fight. very enjoyable.:thumbsup

 

No prob. Thanks to whoever put on on "the tube". Check out that interview with Lonnie Smith (also posted in this thread) if you get a chance. Really cool interview with Lonnie then this old dude does some kind of rap. freestyling, I don't know man, it's like a David Lynch movie at the end. Entertaining in a bizarre way.

 

Lonnie Smith would've been a lot more memorable and had a good run as champ if he hadn't blown out his shoulder after the Costello fight. The mags covered the conflict he had with the WBC trying to get a postponement from fighting #1 contender Arredando and how they were going to strip him if he didn't defend on their time table, injury or no. He defended as a one armed fighter and took a beating because he needed the cash from what he said in interviews after the fact.

I thought the Costello fight was all about Smith having a terrible "Roy Jones" kind of style against Costello's very methodical stand up straight and stiff puncher style. Smith always looked good on ESPN while he was coming up and I am surprised anyone else was surprised with the result.

 

I forgot about that shoulder injury. Gee, what a surprise. The WBC made a non-mexican champ fight a mexican while injured. If Arrendondo was champ and got injured, they'd have given him two years to defend without stripping him.

 

80s alphabet champ junior Welters were great, so many champs and barely any more talent than the last 5 years Welter scene.Made for loads of entertaining fights and no one was trying to tell us they were P4P'ers.

 

I thought Lonnie was a good fighter. Better than Costello. Costello was flat footed and not very mobile. Lonnie was not missing with the right.

 

MR BILL - funny you should mention the Kenny Norton resemblance, I have ALWAYS thought that. It is the receding hairline & moustache thing, but ththere is also a slight resemblance physique-wuie too don't you think?

 

Yes, lol...thanks for mentioning that resemblance thingy...I always noted that back then...facial...physiquewise..I was blown away back then by this figh...all those knockdowns...what a wild and unpredictable fight it was...quite intertaining.

 

Nice post ...