Escalera vs. Gene Hatcher [yt]Yc5BGijQNj4[/yt] [yt]uN7AW_EvW-U[/yt] [yt]fjrO46dfnvo[/yt] [yt]gGOkh9iSe0c[/yt] Escalera is a very underrated fighter today IMO. Most people today remember him either as "the guy that Arguello beat for the title," or "the guy that Tyrone Everett was robbed against." What often gets overlooked is that he had been a formidable champion with at least 10 title defenses to his credit. He was a cagey, well-rounded, and very tough and determined fighter, who could do a little bit of everything and could adapt as needed in fights. Unfortunately, he had the bad luck to run into a peak Arguello, which cut his reign short, and his career took a downward turn afterward. He made an ultra-heroic effort to regain the title from Arguello in a rematch, but after that he quickly faded into obscurity. He lost a string of low profile fights, including one on points to up-and-comer Gene Hatcher. His eyesight also began to deteriorate - likely the result of all the punishment Arguello had inflicted on his eyes in their two fights. Eventually, he was given the opportunity to fight Hatcher in a rematch in Madison Square Garden, on the undercard of the Duran-Moore fight, by which time Hatcher was well known as an exciting fighter and a fast rising prospect. For many people it was their first time hearing of Escalera since he lost to Arguello several years earlier (except for his occasional work outside the ring as a pro wrestler, hehe), and most people figured this to be a showcase fight for Hatcher. However, if there was a script for this fight, Escalera forgot to read it. Escalera's win over Hatcher was as entertaining and dramatic an upset as had been seen in the Garden for some time. However, it would quickly be eclipsed that very night after Duran thrashed Moore. As usual, fate had intervened to ensure that Escalera would continue to be an overlooked/unappreciated fighter. Escalera only fought a couple more times after this before retiring. Hatcher of course went on to get a shot at the heavily hyped Johnny Bumphus, and himself scored a huge upset when he KO'd him to take his title.
I have alot of respect for Alfredo. He was a really tough guy who always came to fight.Very underappreciated fighter.
If AA had not existed then Escalera would have been the champion for awhile. Escalera's and DeJesus situation are pretty much the same. Dejesus was a great boxer who doesn't shine enough because of Roberto Duran.
