Jose Ribalta vs Joe Louis

That and the ref was letting Ribalta get wailed on longer than he probably should have

 

Jose lasts 3 or 4 rounds & then gets knocked out cold (after a few brutal knockdowns).

 

I tend to prefer refs that let guys take long beatings. At least they get a chance to prove their mettle and maybe win the contest. Imagine, Matthew Saad Muhammad never would have won any fights if you had Richard Steele refeering his fights.

 

I’ve never worked as a referee. But I imagine it’s gotta be a tough judgment call as to when to stop a fight and when to let a fighter continue.

 

Didn't help Buddy Baer.

 

I totally agree. I think to a degree it is easy to see when Emile Griffith knocked out Benny Paret in the third fight, that Ruby should've stopped the fight, but Paret was known for coming back from brutal punishment to score shocking wins. I think a ref has to learn how much is too much and for which fighters. Obviously Kuniaki Shibata, Earnie Shavers, and Razor Ruddock would not be allowed to absorb the punishment that we knew Moore, Paret, Foreman, Holmes, and Muhammad were capable of taking. Not that I'm saying Shibata, Shavers, Ruddock, and all the chinless guys shouldn't be given a chance, but if Shavers or Ruddock took twenty unanswered punches, I'd stop it. If it was Muhammad taking twenty punches, I'd be like: "Just wait, he'll knock this guy out in a minute."

 

Also, as the third man in the ring, a referee is seeing these guys up close. He hear their heavy breathing and groans when they get hit. He can see their fatigue and pain much more clearly than the fans, judges, commentators and ringside doctors.

 

Finally seen what you're doing here, Jake. All this talk of 'blows', 'pummelling' and 'hung'. Naughty boy. What's next? Tyson left him PRONE on the canvas?

Whatever it is, just keep the words 'beats' and 'ring' out of it.

 

I agree. Actually, aside from some quick counts, especially in the early 90s period, Steele was a very good ref.

 

true, I've never thought about that b4 goo

 

We are talking about a fighter who lost to Marvis Frazier, stopped by Chris Byrd, and beaten by someone named Ricardo Richardson.

So he had a good night against Tyson. Joe Louis still would have beat him, even if he was 7'6".

 

Probably not. Marvis was a decent fighter, but an older Larry Holmes and a green Mike Tyson KO'd him cold, both in the first round. Louis was a little more patient, so it might go a few rounds, but once he nails Marvis, it would be over.

 

Ribalta lost to lots of guys. Seldon, Bruno, Hipp, Klitschko, and Ruddock all stopped him fast. Ribalta did last 10 vs. good competition like Smith, Witherspoon, Coetzer, Dokes, and Holmes. Ribalta's best win was over a far-over-the-hill Leon Spinks. At best, Ribalta was a good, tough fringe contender.