Not seen it, not sure it's available mate. I've seen photos of it though and have the fight report from Boxing News. Vito's a total mess. Mo was in control throughout and battered him in the 12th, forcing the ref to save the judges fiddling the decision.
Yeah, I was reading a brief paragraph on it in the boxing news as I didnt know the fight existed, I was just wondering how good was Hope and how a potential Hope-Hagler fight (in say '77) would have went :huh
It was at light-middle. Don't think Mo would have been much of a match for Hagler really, not at 160. Vito's limited skills were right up his alley though, good boxer Hope was.
Hey we seen what a former welter did to Hagler in '87 :yep I've only watched Hope getting stopped by Benitez, so probably worth watching a bit more of him
yes, he was a good, solid boxer. Tricky southpaw with a lot of snap in his punches. I've also seen his fights with Mike Baker, Mattioli (2nd), Larry Paul and Carlos Herrera. Herrera has Monzon in his corner and is one of the best fights of the year- great scrap. Pity not many have seen it. The commentator for the domestic fight with Larry Paul is John Motson.
MDWC, if you have a chance to see Hope/Mattioli I, you'll be watching one of the really courageous performances over the last few decades. As you're probably aware, this was something of a grudge fight, and Hope started right out of the gate winding up and uncorking a series of huge left hands. One of those lefts dropped Mattioli on his backside, but much more importantly, Rocky landed on his extended right, fracturing it severely. He battled on in obviously excruciating pain, yet mounted an amazing comeback with his left arm alone, actually driving Hope back with relentless multiple jabs and hooks. Ultimately though, his broken arm became too much to continue with, and Hope lifted his title. I fully expected Mattioli to recapture the title from Hope in the rematch. Considering how well Rocky came back with a single good arm, I figured he'd surely succeed with two good guns. Mattioli had some early success with his body attack, but then he inexplicably abandoned it, and faded back into submission. It was good to see them interviewed together after the rematch, obviously having buried the hatchet. When Hope defended against Benitez, he had some early success carrying the fight to Wilfredo on the ropes behind his right jab, but just as Mattioli had previously abandoned his body attack, Hope mysteriously stopped attacking Benitez with his jab. As frustrating as Wilfredo could be when countering off the ropes, his power was deadly if he was given the opportunity to stand his ground in ring center, or worse, advance forward. Maurice paid the price, and Benitez forever shed the label of being a powderpuff puncher. In each of these contests, I was rooting for the underdog trying to buck the odds against them. This frustrating experience is what has made those three bouts rather memorable to me.
