Fight of the Fortnight #3: The Mightiest of Midgets.

Robert Quiroga vs Kid Akeem Anifowoshe

What an epic fight....what a tragic ending!

Just got done watching it for the 3rd time but first time scoring it. One of the all time great fights followed by one of the all time tragic endings. Both guys deserved to win if that is possible, and even though I didn’t have a draw I think it would be a fitting ending.

I thought Quiroga edged it and landed better for 2/3 of the fight. I had kid winning 3 of the final 4, but coming up just short.

Do you have a scorecard?

RBR
1 Quiroga
2 Quiroga
3 Anifowoshe
4 Quiroga
5 Quiroga
6 Anifowoshe
7 Quiroga
8 Quiroga
9 Anifowoshe
10 Quiroga
11 Anifowoshe
12 Anifowoshe
Quiroga 115-113

I though Quiroga won 5/10 pretty good
Anifowoshe 9/12 pretty good

The other 8 I can see pretty much anyway, and you could score everyone opposite of me with no complaint. They are that hard to score.

116-112 for either guy is defendable in my opinion

 

Jung-Koo Chang vs Katsuo Tokashiki


Now this is a fight! Chang is at his best and his defense is as sharp as his offense! Tokashiki stands in there gamely taking a load of heavy stunning blows but bringing some intense volume of his own. Not sure how he survived 5/7 but in 9 the ref waves it off. Tokashiki was going to go down anyway and probably couldn’t have won, I just hate some of these early stoppages. #84 on boxing news 100 greatest fights certainly lives up to its billing! If you are a fan of Asian boxing and/or lighter weights this is must watch level stuff!

1 Chang 10-8
3 Chang
3 Tokashiki
4 Chang
5 Chang
6 Tokashiki (close)
7 Chang
8 Chang
Chang 78-73 at TOS!

 

Masao Oba vs Betulio Gonzalez

I guess this can’t beat Frazier vs Ali I as FOTY, but if not for an American and HW bias, this fight is a candidate for any year. This fight is that good and fun to watch. I have heard Betulio got robbed but I don’t see it...but then again I have NO confidence in my card, and could have scored 11 even rounds they are that hard to seperate!

I had 70-67 for Oba and if I added up the ultra close rounds to even I would have the same pt difference.

1 Oba
2 Oba
3 Gonzalez
4 Oba
5 Oba
6 Gonzalez
7 Oba
8 Gonzalez
9 Oba
10 Gonzalez
11 Even
12 Gonzalez
13 Oba
14 Oba
15 Even

Oba 70-67

 

Fidel Bassa vs Dave McAuley I

This is the fight of the year 1987...or it should have been but I guess Hagler Leonard was much more exciting....

What a gutsy performance from both guys who could have succumbed earlier in this fight.

Bassa scores a quick KD in rd 1 and builds an early lead throygh 2. It looks like McAuley is in over his head. McAuley lands a punch that drops Bassa....except it never looks like a punch landed lol....never seen anything like this. But Bassa is wobbly from a punch that seems not to exist? There are 3 potential KD’s from McAuley during the fight a 2nd in 3, rd 6 and 13 early? But none of those get ruled a KD for some reason?

McAuley wins rounds 4-5 but does not seem to pressure Bassa enough during these 2 rounds where he still looks visibly out of it from the phantom KD and a second that was not counted. McAuley seemed like he could have ended it or put some serious wear and tear on Bassa but let it slip away. Round 6 McAuley and looks like a clean clear KD sends Bassa to a knee but again not scored as a KD?

Rounds 7-8 Bassa has his legs back and gets into a nice rhythm. Bassa deductedca pt after rd 6.....McAuley looks tired and I have doubts he can last much longer.

9 McAuley lands a beautiful right and sends Bassa down again! And follows it up with another. Not sure how Bassa survived this round.

10-12 Bassa gets it back together during 2 close rounds, and Fidel takes over in the 12th and while both guys are fatigued it looks like McAuley is running on fumes.

13 Bassa goes down, but again not ruled (I couldn’t tell if this was one or not?)...McAuley has nothing left, and Bassa drops him. Corner throws in the towel but I don’t think he could have gotten up anyway.

Game challenge from McAuley and a value to effort from both guys. Fun fight that everyone should enjoy!!!?

1 Bassa 10-8
2 Bassa
3 McAuley 10-8
4 McAuley
5 McAuley
6 McAuley
7 Bassa 9-9
8 Bassa
9 McAuley
10 Bassa
11 Bassa
12 Bassa
Bassa by TKO 13 while behind on my card 111-112, as well as all 3 judges by 3-2-2 they scored a few even round 4-3-3 by their scoring. I had 6 close rounds with 3 for each guy? I assume they had 2 of my close Bassa rounds even and 1 of my close McAuley rounds even to get to their scores.

Fun fight to check out if you haven’t seen it before

 

Robert Quiroga vs Akeem Anifowoshi

Round 1: 10-9 Quiroga (holy cow what a round! And it's not like Anifowoshi did badly, he had a good round. It's just Quiroga did so much more. Heavy flurrying with bad intentions, I can't believe I've never seen this fight before)

Round 2: 10-9 Anifowoshi (very good comeback round for Akeem, the 2 best punches in the round were landed by Quiroga but very much like the first frame, those great shots were simply heavily outdone by Akeem's well landed volume of blows. Beautiful flashing uppercut landed by The Kid straight off the back of a punch strayed low by Pikin at the bell to secure the session)

Round 3: 10-9 Anifowoshi (another fantastic round! Akeem is on point these last 2 rounds. Akeem lands the right hand and right uppercut with laser-beam precision again & again for 3 minutes this round. Quiroga does what he can, but he's been overwhelmed these last 2 frames imo. The Kid landed a clean as a whistle long straight right hand to open a nasty gash at the corner of Quiroga's left eye)

Round 4: 10-9 Anifowoshi (another great round! Much better from Quiroga, his best since the first. However that huge right hand for Akeem couldn't miss, and he landed so many of them a couple of which were terribly vicious I can't justify taking the frame from him) SWING

Round 5: 10-9 Quiroga (No doubt about the winner of this round, enormous round for Pikin!)

Round 6: 10-9 Anifowoshi (and The Kid comes back with a rather dominant round of his own. This time focusing much of his attack to the body of Quiroga that visually looked to have the champion wincing. That cobra-strike right hand also still finding the target of that damaged left eye has opened a second cut, now one on the eyelid & the one on the eyebrow)

Round 7: 10-9 Quiroga (very close round for me, the body work, left hook upstairs, & defense by Pikin nicks the round for me. Quiroga did very well making Akeem completely miss in the last half of the round, before getting tagged right at the bell with a stunning right hand right in the mush) SWING

Round 8: 10-9 Quiroga (Much of the round was Akeem's doing the better work, with Pikin keeping himself in it with good body work and the occasional left hook up top. Robert takes the session in the last 30 seconds with a combination that stunned Anifowoshi, and had him backing up for maybe the first time this fight. Quiroga follows up on the attack & sustains a good flurry until the final seconds when The Kid regroups slips and catches Pikin with a good right that ends the frame)

Round 9: 10-9 Anifowoshi (close round. Akeem consistency throughout edges it for me) SWING

Round 10: 10-9 Quiroga (give and take round. Pikin's right hand & left hook up top found their accuracy again here. The Kid kept it pretty even again until Pikin stunned him to the ropes again & flurried to the bell to lay claim to this round on my card. Both men looking like they've been in a war! Quiroga's face a bloody mess, & Anifowoshi who has had a cut in his mouth for some time showing red. He has to have swallowed a tremendous amount of blood thus far)

Round 11: 10-9 Anifowoshi (amazing heart & determination from both men. Akeem the busier of the two throughout landed solid upstairs. But it was a body shot/left hook to the body that appeared to have hurt Quiroga again for a brief moment (to my eye) that decides the round for me)

Round 12: 10-9 Anifowoshi (little doubt about the final round winner, Quiroga spent the first 2 minutes staying away barely throwing a punch, the entire left side of his trunks stained pink and getting darker with his blood. What intestinal fortitude and stamina shown by Anifowoshi who kept as busy thorwing hard punches as the second round. Quiroga tries to save what he has left for the last minute and rally big to steal the frame landing some wicked shots. However The Kid who wasn't having it stood his ground and ended up pushing Pikin back again landing his own hard blows to end & win the round)

My Score: (115-113 Anifowoshi)

The winner by Unanimous Decision was Robert Quiroga, I really thought Akeem did more than enough to win this fight. However it was close. I could see a draw, and with 3 swing rounds on my card I wouldn't argue (very much) with a 1 point win for Quiroga. Fantastic fight! One of the best I've ever watched, I can't believe this is my first time watching it.

 

Jung Koo Chang vs Katsuo Tokashiki

Round 1: 10-8 Chang (good all action round, Katoka might have had a slight until the final seconds when he gets blindsided by a punch he did see coming and crumpled down to the canvas)

Round 2: 10-9 Chang (another free swinging close round, Chang catches and appears to briefly stun Katoka on 2 occasions this round to secure it for me)

Round 3: 10-9 Tokashiki (Katoka gets off first and stays on the stalk winning the most decisive round so far. If not for the knockdown in the 1st that was a extremely close frame)

Round 4: 10-9 Chang (Katoka actually won the first 2 minutes of the round handily, then appeared to lose a bit of focus. Got tagged tried to trade and came very close to tasting canvas a 2nd time thereby just losing the round)

Round 5: 10-9 Chang Katoka fell into the same trap again. He commanded the first 2 minutes, and then gets tagged hard right around the final minute mark getting battered until the bell and swinging wildly to just try to keep Chang at bay. Still a very close round that I could understand scoring for Tokashiki) SWING

Round 6: 10-9 Tokashiki (good round for Katoka)

Round 7: 10-9 Chang (Chang takes command early this round and batters Katoka from pillar to post but somehow Katsuo manages to stay upright. swinging for the fences just trying to keep Chang away Tokashiki swings so wildly and hard he completely takes himself off his own feet)

Round 8: 10-9 Chang (maybe the slowest round of the fight, the better blows landed by Chang)

Round 9: TKO Chang (Chang comes out and staggers Katoka a little over a minute into the round, and piles it on until the referee steps in and waives the fight off)

My Score: (78-73 Chang) ATOS 77-74 or 79-72 Chang would be fine as well ATOS

Awesome battle between to game warriors both game as they come. Another great fight I'd never seen before.

 

Humberto González vs Michael Carbajal I

Round 1: 10-9 Gonzalez

Round 2: 10-8 Gonzalez (knockdown)

Round 3: 10-9 Carbajal (very close)

Round 4: 10-9 Carbajal (very close)

Round 5: 10-8 Gonzalez (knockdown) (Gonzalez punched himself out quickly & Mike came back well enough to consider this 10-9)

Round 6: 10-9 Gonzalez (very close)

Round 7: KO Carbajal (What a amazing come from behind knockout win for Michael Carbajal!)

My Score: (58-54 Gonzalez) ATOS

Wonderful display of guts ans the will to win from both men, that combination Carbajal landed to get the stoppage was one of the most solid, perfectly landed combos I've ever seen!

 

unfortunately I scored these fights pre EOTR and can’t find my cards...guess I will redo this trilogy over the weekend

 

I'm doing the same thing over there, though I wont get to the other 2 fights in the trilogy for quiet some time unless they are chosen in one of these threads.

 

Robert Quiroga v Akeem Anifwoshe

1 9-10
2 10-9
3 9-10
4 10-9 (close)
5 10-9
6 9-10
7 9-10 (close)
8 10-9 (close)
9 9-10
10 9-10 (close)
11 10-9 (close)
12 10-9

114-114

I keep scoring draws. Not at all confident in my card but my overall feeling was that Anifwoshe did enough to win. I thought he was the stronger fighter throughout but Quiroga seemed to back up Akeem at crucial moments in rounds he was otherwise losing, which could have swung it his way.

Not a fight I enjoyed as I kept wondering which punches from Quiroga were the ones doing the damage. I do wonder what would have happened had Akeem got the decision. Would he have still collapsed? Would he have recovered and fought on? RIP Kid Akeem and RIP Robert Quiroga.

 

Oh bollox - think I messed my card up by putting the scores the wrong way round at some point (scored this fight over two days) so I'm even less confident in my card now!

I made it a draw anyway so I'm not going back and rescoring it. Pretty sure I won't ever rewatch it, in fact. Just take my round by round with a pinch of salt!