Harold Brazier

Yeah I enjoyed watching him.....maybe on the old USA Tuesday nite fights.

Too bad they can't have a tournament of those 135 - 147 lb fighters that gave it their all...but were just below the top of the line fighters in skills, punching power, etc.

Livingston Bramble was another one that gave Mancini fits, but against the big hitters began to fall short.

 

Brazier was a very good fighter who fought so many fights. He learned on the fly. He was also a full-time sheriff while he was fighting.

 

Big fan of Brazier, though he was before my time. He's the best fighter South Bend ever produced.

 

I saw Harold Brazier fight live in Chicago in 1992. He faced a local chicago journeyman named Dwayne Swift. I was cheering for Brazier, while a group of folks behind me who was cheering even louder, introduced themselves as Swift's relatives...LOL..

Anyway, I spent a great deal of my youth watching Brazier fight regularly on ESPN. He often fought either as the main event, or a very close undercard. Commentator Al Bernstein once said that he was the best jr. welter to never win a world title. I don't know if this is true, but I certainly feel that he's a good candidate. Brazier reminded me of the quintasential old school fighter who compiled large numbers of fights, and took any challenge that came his way-good or bad.

I miss Brazier.. I have started several threads on him during the time that I have been a member here. Boxing could use more fighters of his character and work ethic today.

 

I can remember sitting next to an older man and conversing with him about the fight. I was only 17 at the time, but we both agreed that we could see the vast difference in experience between the two. Dwayne Swift was respectable as journeyman go, but Brazier was far too seasoned, and believe me, it showed. Harold was past his prime even then, but his defense and craftiness was too much for the far less schooled Swift. None of Brazier's punches were terribly hard, but they were all effective and landed accordingly on target. It was a decision verdict, but one that Brazier won easily. Dwayne Swift's sizeable family was sitting behind me, and cheering wildly. I kept yelling " lets go Harold". The section of the arena ( then called the rosemont horizon, now called the Allstate arena ), was somewhat empty. There was a crowd of family and friends of Swift's who kept giving me dirty looks. One of them finally said " I guess your a fan of Harold's?". I said yeah ( half knowing that I might get a fist in the mouth at any minute ). He said, " That's my Cousin ". We chatted for a few minutes. Then we shook hands, and enjoyed the rest of the card.

Another fighter was featured on that card. A local lightheavyweight named Mark Randazo fought, and won his match easily. In addition, future Olympian Montell Griffin ( another Chicagoan ) was anounced that evening, as he made a guest appearance.

This is about all my memory will allow me to recall from 16 years ago...

 

..............His two fights with Kevin Pompey were just outstanding. Two of the better fights ever shown on ESPN.

 

Just watched Harold beat the living crap out of Micky Ward in one of the best boxing displays I've seen. He looked like a god that night...

Thought he held his own with both Meldrick Taylor and Roger Mayweather which is a hell of a thing to do.

Anyone seen his fight with Juan Martin Coggi? How did he fare in that one?

 

The magazines used to rant and rave about him no end in the late 80s/early 90s, to the point he got a bit overrated!!!

Sadly now a days no one really has the/uses the intelligence in the boxing media to rate someone of his ilk.

 

I thought he worked repairing cars, panel beater etc

 

I used to watch him fight on TV all the time, one of my favorites. Throwback, oldschool for shure. Great boxer, great guy. many fighters with half his skill end up with titles somehow, makes me feel sad a class act like Brazier didn't win one. There should be a place in the HOF for guys like him.

 

That's correct. He worked at a body shop 9-5, then trained. What a throw back. And he very nearly beat Roger Mayweather. He had Roger hurt a couple of times. But, Mayweather also hurt him. The twelfth round was awsome as both fighers rocked each other. It was a split decision in Vegas, which was Mayweather's home town. I remember I liked both fighters and didn't know who I would pull for, but ended up wanting Mayweather to win. He also lost a decision to Juan Coggi in Argentina in his other title shot. I have never seen that fight, but I know Brazier was dropped. I don't know if the decision was close or not. I do know Coggi was in his absolute prime at the time. So , Brazier lost two decisions in title fights to prme champions, and lost decisions to Meldrick Taylor and Pernell Whitaker in non-title fights. And, like earlier posts said he beat a slew of fringe contender types like Robin Blake, Brian Baronet, Kevin Pompey and Charlie "White Lighning" Brown. He had a solid career. He probably could have beaten releatively weak Junior Welterweight champions like Gary Hinton and possibly Terry Marsh and Joe Manley. But, never got the chance to fight them.

 

I finally got a chance to watch it. One of Harold's lesser performances, but imo the fight still could have gone either way. Coggi badly outworked Harold throughout the fight (with jabs and body shots), which is always a recipe for success in a partisan setting. Harold did a decent job of defending, but basically gave the fight away by not being active enough - story of his life in the big fights.

Harold started extremely slowly and gave the first 4 ot 5 rounds away, but then got back into it, landing the cleaner punches I thought, especially with the straight right, which was his best punch for the night.

The tenth round was an interesting one, with Coggi catching Brazier and knocking him down. Brazier later knocked Coggi down in the same round but for some strange reason it was ruled a slip.

The 11th round was the only one missing in the fight that I saw and I had Brazier ahead by a point at the end.