Off the Beaten Path: great little under the radar fights

https://m.ok.ru/video/1868702550696

Kip Andre "Top Kat" Diggs vs. Derrell "Too Sweet" Coley, 3/25/1997

12 rounds scheduled @ welterweight for the vacant North American Boxing Federation title.

 

If they'd met a couple of years earlier, both would have been undefeated prospects. Coley dropped a split decision against Oba Carr in '95, and Diggs lost to Anthony Martin twice (costing him a world ranking) in the previous eleven months before this.

 

10-9 Diggs, super aggressive, digging the body with hooks.

 

2nd round to Coley - was able to drape a wet blanket over Diggs. Figuratively and in a sense literally, with his own body used as the blanket. Flurrying and flopping onto Diggs' spine in a hug from above. Coley slips on a sweat puddle late, not a knockdown.

19-19

 

10-8 Diggs, killing the body, paid dividends.

29-27 Diggs

 

Amazing rebound from Coley, whipping long hooks at the body and drilling 1-2s into the nose of Diggs. That knockdown woke him up and he looks noticeably sharper than he did until now.

10-9 Coley, hell, almost 10-8 ...I'm shocked Diggs never went down here.

38-37 Diggs

 

Coley squandered his momentum, playing it safe with lots of inactivity on the backfoot. Diggs walked him down, ate some counter 1-2s but deflected more of them off pinball launcher forearms, chipping away on Coley with compact hooks. Coley nearly dropped and holds on for dear life twice before finally getting hammered down by Diggs in a corner and saved by the bell.

10-7 Diggs, Coley also docked a point for a hit after the bell.

48-44 Diggs

 

Coley hurt badly and on the verge of going down again, then goes berserk and hurts Diggs. A little overmuch, as he gets caught and knocked down but the ref calls it a slip.

9-9 (10-9 Diggs, who got deprived of a KD and then docked a point of his own for the same foul as his opponent in the previous round - a late hit when the bell had rung)

57-53 Diggs

 

Diggs visibly tired but walking through jabs and pounding the midsection of Coley with a vengeance. Coley rushes him late and is knocked on his ass by a quick ambush jumping left hook on the chin!

10-8 Diggs

67-61 Diggs

Crazy ****ing fight.

 

Diggs repeatedly winding up with a swivel of hips and trying for another of those decapitator explosive left hooks up top, but Coley has it clocked and is applying some methodical jab-n-grab. Dullest round yet, but very effective for the favorite ranked #2 in the world at welterweight.

10-9 Coley

76-71 Diggs

 

Coley slicing & dicing with a razor jab and manages to get himself on the frontfoot, pushing Diggs into the ropes and teeing off for much of the round - but Coley gets hurt and holds late.

10-9 Coley

85-81 Diggs

 

More clinching and less clean work but still an enjoyable brawl. Coley warned for billygoating, then lands a straight right lead that has Diggs grabbing for support. You can feel it coming - and moments later Coley with a beautiful combo, hook-2 and uppercut, spilling Diggs into the ropes. Head grazed the bottom one as he fell; could've been really bad if that was his neck. Saved by the bell.

10-8 Coley

93-91 Diggs

 

WTF! I've never seen anything like that. You could hear the bell ring for round 11 while they were showing a slow motion replay of the knockdown, and by the cut to live action Diggs was already being waved off by the ref!

Thankfully cameras did catch it and USA Networks shows a replay of the KO soon after.

Coley rushed him into the ropes, big right hand, and threw a flurry as Diggs was already sinking to a seated position. Basically ended it with a single blow at the very beginning of the round.

KO11!

Absolutely bananas fight with twists and turns galore.