Victor Galindez v John Conteh. Sadly we never saw this fight,had it happened who would have won, 15rds prime 4 prime?
You're doing some great threads here today McV and this imo is the most "pick-em" of the lot! With both at their absolute best I think JC was robust, fit, durable, classy and downright nasty enough to nick this in a very hard-fought decision. Anything less than the best JC (the Tramp version!) and Galindez wins.
I lived and breathed this matchup at the time. Wanted to see it so bad, but of course with the WBA and WBC titles, the likeliest of fights didn't happen. It really had the earmarks of really bad blood also. I recall reading that during the promotional tour of the Bob Foster-Jorge Ahumada fight, both Conteh and Galindez, as the two top contenders eyeing up the next title shot, ended up on the same coach and words and posturing were exchanged between the two. Damn, we got robbed of a great fight. For what it's worth, I always felt Galindez would take it in a close fight over 15.
Definitely a "Could have...should have" one. John at his best was a magnificent boxer and mean puncher who would have outpointed Galindez over 15.
Over the years I've started a thread on this several times. My late friend and I argued for almost two years, him being the John guy, me being the Victor guy. Damn the stupid WBA/WBC!! For us baby boomers we rightfully looked at this as a fight for the ages circa summer of 75! Many younger boxing fans on board often see only Victor's mid-late 70's passivity and John's oft broken right hand issues which may mask their appreciation of this fight. Oh!...an early 75 unification bout? So many scenarios! Victor cut? John getting too aggressive and getting tagged? Multi toe to toe action as the fight progressed? Give me a ringside seat!!
