The recent threads of natonic and GreatA have compelled me to start this one. Duodenum rightfully pointed out in another thread that Fuji - however limited he might have been - was the only man ever to do this kind of thing to Lopopolo, a very sprightly, fluid, fencing type. He rather outboxes Fuji in the first here before the car crash comes in the second. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPPujvw2sdk[/ame] I'd like to have seen Lopopolo's fight with Locche and the title-winning effort against Hernandez (who came into that fight fresh off of an apparent slapping against Laguna).
My thinking about this fight was always that Lopololo was made for Fuji. Not to take anything away from the Japaneese, he just did what he needed to do, but everything about Lopololo screams vulnerability to the Fuji style. Outside, he would often dance with very close feet, up on his toes, giving him a short pivot or compromising his balance if he ducks out to far. Contrarily, up close he throws his harder punches with a wider stance, meaning he can be brought square with only small moves...there's only so much a high trailing hand can do to counter-act these disadvantages. These questions of balance also make him vulnerable to Fuji sweeping aggressive rushes. Interesting though that the punches he looks vulnerable to - straight right hand, even lead, and uppercuts - aren't the ones Locche used at all. Special Locche.
Nice post man. I thought when I was watching it that Lopopolo was a good mover but with the sort of foot positioning that might **** on the bonfire against the wrong opponent, ie. this opponent. I'd not noticed that he widened his stance up close though, good observation. Does this make it fair to say that Hernandez's craftier, more controlled approach actually worked against him a tiny bit despite the good offensive arsenal? I've never seen that fight. Is it on film? To say that Locche sometimes get's pulled up for being brilliant but 'limited' or insular in his approach, he actually did well against a wide array of styles, some of them that maybe should have been more effective against his style if conventional wisdom is to be believed.
I haven't seen that fight - i'm not sure if it was filmed. It think Locche did have limited offence in that he was over-reliant upon his left hand, but he always thought around the corner and this allowed him to dominate opponents despite this limitation. Locche-Cervantes I is absolutely at the top of the pile of fights I'd like to see inspite of owning the sequel. It sounds like a sickening display.
It's high on my wishlist too. I wish we had more footage of him in general before he won the title, like that snippet of the Ortiz fight where he looked a bit trimmer and mobile.
Ring hailed Fuji, a 'Working man's fighter/hero' after this bout. For his 'workman' like style of just plodding forward winging shots and saying he wasn't very talented. But physically Fuji is very talented he hit like a mule was fairly quick and strong and durable. I'm a working man and I hate his style.
When I watch a fight I like to appreciate the skills, not how wide a guy can throw his hook and still rattle you with it. Saying that though Sun Kill Moon actually reasonably entertains me.
I'm a working man in the sense that I turn up for work but do **** all else from that point on if I can help it. Fuji's style doesn't please me that much either to be honest. He was about as technically limited as a championship level fighter can be. Obviously very effective to a certain degree against the right opponent though.
'Champ Paul Fuji: The Fighting Man's fighter' by Joe Koizumi (Incidentally, probably the most knowledgeable, on boxing, Japanese person) Excerpts 'This Fuji man is a fighter of the old school. He comes into the ring to fight, to box, to slug, to subdue' Brilliant line that. The article then breifly sums up his career and gives an account of his title winning fight. 'Fuji often explains his motto asa a pugilist thus. "I've grasped the victory and the championship by Yamato-Damashii (The Japanese fighting spirit)." With this Paul tries to account for his spectacular knockouts. "If my opponent is ahead on points at the end of the fourteenth, I'll go all out for a KO in the final round. "I like a Japenese proverb which says, 'A contestant must be more prepared after a victory.' Hard training strengthens my power so well that I can be the winner against anyone." Paul Fuji has no threatening contention in his class (I'm sure Locche would disagree, at this point) Like Carlos Ortiz, he peers into the Welterweight division, and spots his destiny in that company. Just a few things. Imagine what Ortiz would do to him? Also the Welterweight rankings in that issue of the Ring were: C: Curtis Cokes 1: Ernie Lopez 2: Gypsey Joe Harris 3: Luis Manuel Rodriguez 4: Conny Rudhof 5: Willie Ludick 6: Carmello Bossi 7: Charlie Shipes 8: Jean Jossellin 9: Jose Napoles 10: Musashi Nakano Do you see Fuji having any success up at Welter against the top ten guys?
Fuji's nicknames were "Hammer Punch" and "Hammer Fist." There's no deception there, no pretense to style. He took most opponents out in four rounds or less, typically within the amateur limit. If there was ever a Cuevas of Oriental descent, Paul was it.