Dick Tiger vs Rodrigo Valdez

Rodrigo Valdez by a unanimous 15 round decision. Valdez was catlike in his speed, and the ability to switch in a moment from puncher to boxer. He is largely forgotten by today's fans who have no idea how good he was.

 

This is your logic? :huh

 

Valdez was nothing like Griffith. Valdez was a vicious puncher-boxer with solid physical attributes and extremely heavy hands. Griffith was a dynamic, exquisite boxer who did everything well. You could split hairs and say 'well Valdez was strong and so was Griffith' but their fighting styles were very different. Valdez was tight and compact, whereas Griffith was loose and agile.

 

I'll probably answer this thread in detail by tomorrow or so as I am a fan of both fighters. Just a little busy at the moment.

 

Yes, Valdez would have been a certified all time great Middleweight Champ if it weren't for Monzon spoiling his party.

 

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I like Valdez by SD,UD over 15

 

Manassa and I have gone back and forth on this one before, yet still my opinion remains unchanged; like the big jungle cat of his namesake, Tiger was a stalking, viciously powerful predator who hunted and conquered some of the most formidable punchers and infighters the middleweight division has ever witnessed. His uncanny instinct, incredible physical strength and build, from his muscle definition to his bone structure, and quick yet heavy hands all attributed to his success in the trenches and reputation as a fearsome combatant; past the shining smile and friendly demeanor lay something else entirely once that opening bell rang.

I respect Rodrigo greatly for his punching ability and sound fundamentals, displayed to great effect against Briscoe (II) as well as in two losing efforts to “King” Carlos Monzon. With his craft tweaked and perfected under Gil Clancy’s wing, Valdez could punch with either hand in burst fire combinations, punctuating his points with those hard right hands that saw Briscoe off to La La Land and sent Monzon on a brief trip to the canvas. There was actually some concern regarding that hand after he had broken three fingers on it in a car accident, but he rebounded from the incident quickly and decked Frenchman Nessim Cohen with it in his next fight, forcing him to quit shortly after; proof that proper punching technique can go a long way.

However, Valdez’s success against Briscoe in that eventful rematch was based around catching an incoming Bennie with quick combinations and then springing onto the front foot once he saw his man stunned; it was Briscoe who bulled forward and looked the physically stronger man for the most part. Tiger, whose strength surpassed even Briscoe’s, was less mechanical and straight forward, waiting for openings and then advancing with sudden explosiveness; accordingly, Valdez will find it much more difficult to time his man this time around. Both men possessed simple but effective defenses, shielded by tight guards, and although Tiger didn’t employ as much upperbody movement as Valdez, you rarely saw him badly marked after a fight:

Exhibit A

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Carter and Tiger after their fight; we’ve all heard of how Tiger manhandled Rubin that night, but here we have the damage on Carter’s face (which becomes more apparant when comparing it to Tiger's) for all to see. Remember, this bout was only scheduled for 10 rounds.

Florentino Fernandez was a massive middleweight as well, thickly muscled from head to toe with a wide but destructive left hook and crippling attack downstairs; Ferdie Percheco claimed that the sound of Fernandez’s body shots landing on Jose Torres made him cringe upon impact as he watched ringside. He stood and tried to trade with Tiger for five rounds and couldn’t do anything to dent his opponent’s exterior, eventually being forced to retire due to a badly broken nose courtesy of Dick’s jolting right hand leads and inside work.

Henry Hank, a fighter whom Giardello deemed as the hardest puncher he had ever faced, was outgunned and beaten by a clear decision, and Jose Monon Gonzalez was stopped after taking a crunching left hook clean across the jaw. Gonzalez was a strong and busy pressure fighter who liked to use his head in close, and was going up against an older and more rusty opponent; what makes the victory even more impressive was that Gonzalez was able to withstand the punches of and defeat aforementioned left hook artists Fernandez and Carter, as well as Eugene Hart.

I think that, while not as emphatically, Valdez would be forced to jab and circle much in the same manner Fullmer was in their fights. Unlike the slower, blunter punches of Briscoe and Monzon, Tiger’s shots carried a high level of velocity which often discouraged opponents from standing their ground for the rest of the night. Valdez’s higher output and sheer determination would allow him to steal a few rounds over fifteen, capitalizing on the occasional opening with an explosive combination, but in the end Tiger’s body punching and raw strength would leave Valdez’s tightly muscled but comparatively thin frame broken and battered come the championship rounds.

Tiger UD 15 Valdez, with the rounds scored something like 9-6.

 

Apologies for the late response RU, it's been a long day and my initial post was lost after accidently hitting the wrong button. :twisted:

 

Yeah I'll second that. Nice to know there's still some posters here who put a bit of thought into these fantasy match-ups.

Nice one Tommy. :good