Pipino Cuevas 1977 version vs Milton McCrory 1984 version, 15 rounds at 147 lbs.

I can see this fight being similar to Cuevas' fight with Pete Ranzany. Milt was taller and better than Pete but Ranzany was a tall, rangy fighter who could box from the outside and in his fight with Cuevas, he did pretty well at first...until Cuevas caught him in the 2nd round.

Also, I've seen comparisons between Pipino and George Foreman before. Would it be accurate to say that, at least in terms of raw power, Pipino was the Foreman of the welterweight division? They both threw heavy, looping, clubbing punches that, when landed, devastated opponents. Cuevas didn't have the career George did but he did seem to have that kind of power.

 

Pipino gets to him sparks him out . Hard hitting fighter

 

Much as I said in the Foreman vs Cooney (primes) thread, I wouldn’t completely write McCrory off…Cuevas could underperform at times. But he’d be a very strong favourite in my view.

 

Looking back on it, once Milton's hand got messed up, and having those fights with Colin Jones, his stock fell in my eyes a bit. I could see him outboxing Pipino for 6 rounds, before getting coldcocked in the 7.

 

How weight drained would McCrory be in 1984? That would be my first question.
Does Pipino have to wear roller scates and slide all over the ring like he did against Hearns? That's my next question.

If the answer to both is "no" then I expect McCrory does much better than what we saw against Curry as Milt could take a good shot and was a pretty smart and sturdy fighter- probably underrated now by us now- and I think he would box well and stand up against Pipino's winging shots for quite a few rounds before getting caught and finished.

1976-79 Pipino Cuevas is unfairly characterized as some one dimensional easily outboxed fighter just waiting to get kaboshed. In reality, he would be a handful and life and death for any welterweight I can think of.

 

That punch Curry stopped McCrory with was awesome in the way Don placed it. So accurate.