15 rounds at middlweight... Opinions? I feel this is very close...What would you pick, Giardello's counter punching or Valdez carrying the fight with more aggressiveness? So many variables...Could Giardello pull a "Corro" stylistically? Is Valdez the hardest pure puncher Joey has ever fought?
Yes, it's very concievable that Joey would have "pulled a Corro", or at least he would have survived by his wits for 15 rounds, ala MAB vs Pacman 2.
Valdez would have probably been the hardest puncher that Giardello ever fought, just edging out Rubin Carter. Valdez certainly hit harder than Dick Tiger, although he was not the pressure fighting slugger that Tiger was.
BIG DEE HERE= I would have to give it to Valdez as he was a real talent that goes unappreciated today. On the other hand Valdez would be fighting an ATG at middleweight. Giardello was a fighter that would beat his way to a title fight then lost the last one to get the title fight. Joey Giardello`s main problem was consistency over his career. He finally found it at the end getting his shot at last and making the most of it taking the title from Dick Tiger. With Valdez Giardello would be in the ring with the hardest overall punch next to Ray Robinson that Giardello ever fought. This fight is a toss up as Giardello was a cagey ******* that would give Valdez real trouble but I believe it would be Valdez by 15 rd dec or late rd stoppage on cuts.
Rodrigo Valdez and Joey Giardello were probably around the same level of ability (though vastly differing in styles) - they'd beat about as many great middleweights as each other. But this is a bad style matchup. Valdez would get outfoxed by a mid-'50s Giardello, who was quicker, sharper and more athletic than the version we normally see in the early '60s. Valdez was never great against speedy boxers, and Giardello was just that. Wouldn't be all one-sided though, because Giardello tended to fight fairly flat footed (a style that served him well as he slowed down; it conserved his energy when his training habits worsened) and Valdez would catch him at close quarters on occasions. I'd expect Giardello to get off to a cracking start but become less convincing as Valdez starts to become more reckless and pile in as he tries to claw back points as he did against Monzon. Effective inside fighting is something Giardello lacked; he was still fiery, but it wasn't his style to get his head down and bang away. But he was good at clinching and that would be enough to stave off half of Valdez' attacks. The first two thirds of the fight go to Giardello, the last section to Valdez. Wouldn't be enough.
Giardello had power that is underappreciated,in his prime he could crack a bit with his right,not in Valdez class,but respectable,and he would get his head down ,he was known for it ,ask Fullmer! I pick Joey by close dec in a competitive fight,spells of action and bouts of clinching initiated by Giardello.
- Giardello could hit well - but Valdez had an iron jaw to counter that Giardello had that kind of 'Gavilan' power; which is the power that could obliterate the B opponents but only sting the best ones. - Giardello never got his head down; he could get rough inside (uppercutting with the inside of his glove, butting), but he couldn't compete with Valdez in a punch-out at that range Giardello's general method was to box/punch at long-to-mid range then clinch on the inside. He'd neutralize his opponent and wait for the referee to break them.
I was being facetious when I said ,get his head down,referring to his illtempered match with Fullmer,theres still bad blood between them.Valdez was stronger than Joey ,but so were a lot of guys he beat ,Tiger,Carter,etc,he beats Valdez,imo.But no shortcuts in training.
Valdez fame rests on three wins over Briscoe and close but losing fights to Monzon.Giardello has much greater depth to his resume ,and if in shape,[not allways a given with Joey] he out boxes Valdez. imo Giardello on points.
I like Joey G. here, too good a fighter overall and when he had his legs under him like he did earlier in his career, I see him outboxing Rocky with relative ease. The later version would have had a much tougher night`s work with Valdez due to being more flatfooted, but I still think his superior ring savvy and defensive ability in close would have seen him win a close points verdict. Would have been a good clash of styles, but Rodrigo brings nothing to the table that Joey ain`t seen before and his punching power alone will not win him the day.