reminded of his ali fight in another thread here. how did he get his shot at the title coming of a loss ?
OK, he was coming off a loss, but that was only an 8-round decision loss to the great Lorenzo Zanon. Evangelista was an excellent world championship contender, no question. He was a proven 8-round fighter, with wins over European greats like Lubbers and Urtain.
Alfredo,,,,,,,,,,born in Montevideo, Uruguay Was only 22 1/2 when he fought 'The Greatest' Though he lost to the "Great Zanon' in an 8-Rounder in his previous fight, he somehow got a Title Shot. Actually, Alfredo Evangilista was Ranked #5 by the WBA, before losing to Lorenzo Zanon in Spain (in his own backyard). Those $25,000 gifts to the WBA did help after all.
Ron Lyle was coming off a loss when he got his shot at Ali, too. Ali was looking to Europe for easy defenses: Dunn, Coopman, and Evangelista. Did the same in the 60's, right? Evangelista was around for quite awhile. His big win was over Renaldo Snipes, though he turned around and lost his next one to a lesser fighter. I wanted to see Evangelista and LeDoux fight, to see who was the best journeyman punching bag at the time. Alfredo actually gave Leon Spinks a decent fight before being taken out.
It was clear, Muhammad Ali was 'done'. Fighters he had lined up; Lorenzo Zanon Leon Spinks Alfio Righetti It was no longer funny, more pathetic. Even Alfredo Evangilista (22 1/2) at the press conference, said about Ali. 'This is how a 35 year-old man behaves, like a child.'
So whats your excuse for Holmes defending against Alfredo Evangelista? A break after a hard Norton fight maybe?
Goose,,,,,,,Alfredo Evangilista earned another shot....he beat Larry Holmes sparring partner Jody 'Punch Me' Ballard............. By a disputed Split-Decision,,,,,:nut
