Go back, Jack, view it again...we're scoring, Round By Round...

Today's installment: Harry Simon vs. Ronald Wright, 1998

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Until his loss to Paul Williams - itself competitive, but a clear loss - it was said by some that "Winky" had never been clearly defeated in the course of fifteen years, since Julio Cesar Vasquez took a green Winky out behind the woodshed. His three intervening official defeats (to Harry Simon, Fernando Vargas, and to a lesser but still noticeable extent, Bernard Hopkins...don't believe it? Check the punch stats...and some posts on here from around then...) - as well as the draw with Jermain Taylor - were all hotly contested by a large contingent of fans who insisted that some or all of them were robberies. Vargas, Hopkins, and Taylor all being household names, those decisions have been discussed to death on boxing forums. The one you hear less about is perhaps the closest one to call, and the one bar-none with the oddest ending.

...did they get it right with the initial hand-raising, or was it the "recount" that ensured the correct result?

You decide...



Round 1:

Simon is tossing left jabs up top and rights on the stomach, aggressive from the jump. Wright is taking two steps back and then compass-turning, pivoting off his lead right foot to get around Simon and reset, guard up the whole time. A few right jabs by Wright in the first minute, quickly tucking back up as Simon throws hard 1-2s in the hopes of exploiting the brief opening. Big right hooks dug in on the hip by Wright. Double jab, left cross by Wright. Another left down the middle by Wright as he turns Simon. Body flurries by Simon Straight-ahead leaping left hook by Simon, falling short. Right jabs by Wright, double-tapping Simon on the forehead and stepping back with his arms shooting up to catch Simon's counter 1-2. Right jabs up top, left on the body by Wright. Jabs and chopping rights on the turtle shell by Simon. Body shots ducking in by Simon

10-9 Wright, very close


Round 2:

Simon is chasing after Wright, popping hard rights on the belly to bring the guard down and then swishing both fists rapidly at chest level to confuse Wright. Rock steady, Wright keeps his guard fixed in place and reacts only with his legs, moving around Simon and catching shots on his elbows or wrists depending on whether Simon is chucking at body or head. Left hands atop the head by Wright up close, and some step-away right jabs navigating through gaps in Simon's guard. Heavy clubbing rights on the crown by Simon. Big roundhouse uppercuts into the lower ribs on either side by Simon, pressing in close to Wright, neck bent so the right jab of Wright sails overhead. Simon is whipping the right hand up behind the left ear of Wright and then rattling combos off the body while leaning down waist-high. Shoeshine up top by Simon, briefly squaring up his stance and popping a right jab without ever turning full-on southpaw. Wright jabs over Simon's head and snaps back into his turtle shell.

10-9 Simon, close

19-19


Round 3:

Simon is eating more and more 1-2s as Wright finds his sweet spot, landing and sliding back a half-step, then firing again before Simon can collect himself. Right jabs thrown singly and doubly, left crosses and overhands, and right hooks on the body make for an offensive cornucopia from Wright keeping Simon mostly shied into a covered up crouch. Simon tries rallying in the final minute, throwing jab-like double lead right hands (while still remaining orthodox, left foot in front) and chopping down with the left hand. Wright catches it all on his mitts and fires accurate counters on the inside.

10-9 Wright

29-28 Wright


Round 4:

Simon is sticking his right jab out, getting one through in between Wright's thumbs. Flurries all up and down the forearms by Simon, weight shifted forward and imposing his strength to back Wright up despite getting blocked with his sprinkling of side-winding chops, uppercuts and overhands. Simon is held off by the pinpoint right jab of Wright, drumming across his nose and often followed by a slowing right hook cuffed against the side of the head. Wright backs up blocking a flurry and makes Simon walk onto a left hand lead. Wright misses a right jab and the follow-up left cross is ducked as Simon dives in on him, but Wright digs a hard right hook on the body. Simon is busily flapping his arms up against Wright's guard now, just hoping to batter the arms down with sheer volume. A high left hand gets partway through and grazes.

10-9 Wright

39-37 Wright


Round 5:

Simon is ducking in below the Wright right jab and making him backpedal without throwing counters, just punching from every angle and altitude while crouching, bending forward, and standing tall all while stalking forward, sometimes alternating between all three in the matter of a single second. Simon is shredding the body of Wright with machete rights and then poking the wind out of him with flash jabs under his chest. Simon is catching shots on the backs of his gloves as Wright tries boxing his ears on the backfoot. Wright brushes the top of Simon's head with the right jab but isn't landing anything too cleanly. Nice straight combo gets in for Simon as he bullies Wright.

10-9 Simon

48-47 Wright


Round 6:

Simon is bending forward, knuckles turned in at his temples or wedged in tight against his chin, varying his defense as he varies his offense, chopping up with rights from a crouch or jabbing Wright lightly in his thoracic diaphragm. Simon is making Wright messy with his counters just by staying close and moving constantly up and down with a new type of punch coming at Wright every second, making him back up flicking ineffective rights jabs and paddle at Simon's flanks with light hooks with both hands.

10-9 Simon

57-57

 

Round 7:

Simon is pressing in with the right hand but having it wiped down from the air by Wright's left, constantly readied and drawn back in a cradle against Wright's side. Wright is sharp-shooting with the left hand on the outside and backhanding light right jabs into Simon's face as he gets close. 1-1-2 dusting Simon as he comes in, Wright is caught by a right hand with Simon emerging from a deep crouch. Simon presses Wright nearly into a corner and hacks at his head but Wright is able to step out and match Simon punch for punch in the center of the ring, both flurrying at mid-range and looking like a couple of alley cats negotiating a discarded half can of tuna.

10-9 Wright, though Simon had the best single blow.

67-66 Wright


Round 8:

Simon is throwing hard jabs at the body of Wright, bowling in a right hand behind them. Wright is backing up and pushing his right jab out into Simon's left bicep. A few left hands dropped in over the top by Wright, not much steam on them but stamping Simon on the forehead. Exchanges forced by Simon ducking and popping up in front of Wright. Simon chops with both hands as Wright jabs on the backfoot and then doubles up on short, light right hooks. Wright takes a long step back and catapults inside with a superman left hand lead and Simon catches it between the wrists. BIG straight combo up the center lane by Simon, a particularly hard sinker-ball right on the jaw backing the champion up. Wright circles to his right and flutters his jab out in the air as Simon dives in and scrapes at the body. Whipping right hook across the mouth by Wright as Simon is jumping at him with a combination falling short.

10-9 Simon, close

76-76


Round 9:

Simon is jabbing into the guard, diving in under Wright's counter right jab, and plugging a right hand on the belly extending his upper body inside, snakelike. Simon is forcing Wright to swap jabs with him at close range and Simon gets some crisp left jabs on the chin. HARD right hands by Simon! Wright is bothered, moving backwards in straight lines and forgetting to raise and tighten his guard for a few panicked seconds. Simon is making Wright extremely uncomfortable. They chip away at short range, both jabbing and hooking from their guards. Wright slaps Simon across the cheek with a right hook but doesn't press in to pin Simon's back to the ropes, cautiously easing off. Simon takes advantage of the lull and moves in to chop Wright with a couple of hard right hands. Simon is slashing down with the right and missing, then winging in hard looping body shots with the same hand as part of the same motion. Guard-breaking uppercut by Simon, plunking a short right hand into Wright's face during the brief window opened for him. Wright is backing up, swatting away some of Simon's flurries but not getting many counters in.

10-9 Simon

86-85 Simon


Round 10:

Simon is jabbing into the right forearm of Wright, keeping it in check and watching for the jab. Wright is lowering the arm like a drawbridge, slowly and deliberately, catching Simon's left jabs with measured motions and not yet committing to a jab while under pressure. Wright uses some nifty footwork to dance to his left making Simon whirl to keep up. Wright is sticking in the right jab stepping in and then getting out. Simon is diving in with slaps on either side of the body and falling into some clinches. The ref is quick to break them up, praising them for putting on a good show thus far and requesting they punch out and not languish in each others' arms. Wright is dancing around Simon dropping in the right jab while only taking lightly grazing body punches as the ever-aggressive but tiring Simon leans in.

10-9 Wright

95-95


The championship rounds prove critical...


Round 11:

Simon is rushing in on Wright, then reining up and switching to defense, rolling his upper body around and ducking, fists hovering up around his chin to pick shots off as Wright pops jabs and short lefts at him from a pace off. Simon keeps the intelligent pressure on, ducking and rolling his shoulder. Right jabs by Wright backing up. Simon has yet to throw any meaningful punches 90 seconds in. Clinch, light scrapes on the body by Simon Double right jab on the face by Wright. Simon reaches in with a left jab on the body but only tickling with the very tip of it. Accurate double right jabs by Wright, maintaining distance and using lateral and in-and-out movement. Straight flurry on the head by Wright during a brief moment of standing in one place, quickly galloping off to one side again when Simon jumps up from his crouch to counter.

10-9 Wright

105-104 Wright


Round 12:

Wright comes straight out and doubles a jab over Simon's head, snapping it out to full length, pulling at the socket. Simon ducks in with left jab feints, shaking and faking it before clanging in with rights on the body falling inside. Wright is popping right jabs backing away but Simon is able to reach up and score a left hook on the cheek leaping in on him. Lots of clinching. Simon is leading with the left hook, getting it tangled in midair with Wright's jab. Simon is chucking in body shots, ducking and springing up as he pressures Wright all over the ring. Wright is walking into Simon and tying up, then pushing off and doubling a jab with his limp right arm, seeming to feel heavy and sodden, unable to generate his earlier speed and snap with it or prevent Simon from getting in and clawing lightly but consistently at the body.

10-9 Simon, close

114-114


A draw as I had would mean the champion retained. My tally is consistent with official judge Manuel Oliver Palomo of Spain, on the night in question overruled by Aubrey Erasmus of South Africa with 117-113 Simon and Julie Lederman of the USA with 115-113 Simon.

NOTE: the originally announced result was a MD for Wright, and the original score for Julie Lederman as proclaimed by the ring announcer was 114-114. Mysteriously, they later in the night claimed Lederman's score had been read in error.

Though his name didn't endure the way many of his contemporaries' have, including Wright's, the hard charging Harry Simon proved a worthy handler of the belt...whether or not he earned it on August 22, 1998. He made four successful defenses, three by knockout, before moving up to middleweight and capturing another WBO belt to become a 2-division champion and ultimately retiring undefeated. (though he never fought anyone half as good as Winky, before or after...)

 

I think it would be practical to do this from now on as more of a weekly or biweekly thing.

It gives each fight more time in the spotlight and will probably be more feasible with my schedule allowances.

So, in March these will be coming every week or so. Until then everyone chew over the already posted trio, discuss 'em, score 'em...and then once things get into a rhythm we can try and keep the focus each week on that week's fight.

...and if you are only clicking "reply" to foist off your idea of what you want me to watch...save it. Don't even bother posting if you have nothing to say relevant to whatever fight is already in play; I'm not Santa Claus and you aren't invited to sit on my lap. Your moms, however... :xmas

 

From now on anytime someone blurts out the name of a fight, I am going to expressly avoid watching and scoring it, even had it been one that otherwise might have caught my eye. :bart

 

Ah, so he was and so he did. :think

Accidentally killed a whole family in a head-on collision due to being a shitty driver (with repeat infractions before that). Not drunk, as least not that I can find reported, just a really shitty driver.

...and his recklessness in addition to costing that family their lives cost him the remainder of his prime, a few years spent in jail, and left him seriously injured (though obviously not grievously enough to prevent his eventual return to prizefighting...)

 

Thanks BE. You're like my own personal abacus.

 

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Julioito a share of the 6th? Close in the 9th? :-(

Huckleberry status REVOKED.


he won him eleven super-clearsies...