Roger Stafford

Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford

Started out as a Philadelphia 'club-fighter' 1977 thru 1980.

A smooth boxing 'Welterweight' with good hand speed, endurance and a decent defense.

Ran his record to 12-1-0 (7 KO's), on the 'club circuit', fighting in;
* St. Louis
* Montreal
* Los Angeles
* Louisville, Kentucky
* Las Vegas
* White Plains, New York

Fight purses ranging from $200 to $375

Got a 'lucky break' when he got a position in an ESPN Welterweight Tournament in 1980.

In May 1980, on an ESPN-TV fight, fought to an 8-Round Draw with another Philadelphia club-fighter,
Bernard Peterson 4-0-0. (4 KO's).

In August 1980, fought Bernard Peterson 4-0-1 (4 KO's) again on an ESPN-TV 'Thursday Night Fight',
and was out-hustled, and lost an 8-Round Decision, which bumped him from the Tournament.

Fell to 12-2-1 (7 KO's), and looked to be 'relegated' to the 'B' Level club fighter status.

 

Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford

September 4, 1980

Gets a break, when Bernard Peterson (whom Roger lost an 8-Round Decision to)
falls out of the ESPN 'Thursday Night Tournament'.

Roger gets a call as a 'last minute replacement' to face hard-punching Philadelphia
Welterweight, Johnny Cooper 12-3-3 (7 KO's). Cooper has been on a tear, Knocking-out
6 of his last 7 opponents.

Johnny Cooper is the betting favorite at 9-5 odds.

Roger gets the upper-hand on Johnny Cooper early, and drops him for a 5-Count in
Round 3. From there, Roger boxes smartly and wins a solid 10-Round Decision (W Dec 10).
The win over Johnny Cooper is considered a 'mild upset'.

Roger improves to 13-2-1.

 

Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford,,,,,from North Philadelphia

Roger kept on winning those 'ESPN Thursday Night Fights'

On December 4, 1980,,,,,,,,,Roger and 'Tough' Tony Suero 7-0-1 went at it.
But, Roger was the 'tougher one' and won a close, but unanimous 8-Rounder. {W Dec 8}

But one of his early 'big wins' was in January 1981,,,,

Roger went to Las Vegas, to take on #17 WBC Welterweight, Kenny Crooms 15-1-2 (12 KO's).
Kenny a 'knock-out artist' from Los Angeles, was the 'one' everybody was talking about, as a
'potential opponent' for former WBA Champion, Pipino Cuevas.

The 5' 9" Roger boxed beautifully, and won a clear-cut Unanimous 10-Round (W Dec 10)
Decision.

Roger Stafford improved to 15-2-1 (7 KO's), and earned a #16 WBC rating.

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TKO Dave,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

More on Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford

In June 1981,,,,,,,,,,he took on the other Top Philadelphia Weltwerweight, 'undefeated' Kevin Howard.

Yet again, on an 'ESPN Thursday Night Fight.

June 4, 1981 - at The Playboy Hotel in Atlantic City - For the ESPN Welterweight Championship.

Roger 15-2-1 (7 KO's) and Kevin Howard 10-0-1 (6 KO's) battled evenly for 10-Rounds, but Roger
got the Majorty Decision (M Dec 10). It was the first loss for the 'tough Philly banger'.
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The fight was so good at The Playboy Hotel, that ESPN put the both of them together again on July 30, 1981.

 

Philly,,,,,,,,,

That would have been a good bout, Roger vs Oba,,,,,,,,

But, me being from the 'old school' 1965 thru 1985,,,,,,,,,,,,

I'll take Roger, who I believe was 'stronger' than Oba.

A 12-Round bout for the,,,,,,,,,,,,,"ESPN Philadelphia vs. Detroit Welterweight Championship".

A close-bout, but Roger by 2-points,,,,,,,,,,6-4-2 in Rounds.

 

Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford

Thursday, July 30, 1981

Philadelphia Welterweight Championship (10 Rounds)

Martin Luther King Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ESPN Televised

Roger Stafford 16-2-1 (7 KO's),,,,,,,,#15 Ranked Welterweight
vs.
Kevin Howard 11-1-1 (7 KO's),,,,,,,,,,#18 Ranked Welterweight

27 year-old Roger Stafford used sharp left jabs and right-hand crosses to rally from behind, to
squeeze out a Majority Decision (M Dec 10) over 20 year-old Kevin Howard.

In a battle of promising Philly Welterweights, the 'two' bangers who had fought each other in June,
battled in another close fight.

The younger Kevin Howard, who showed better strength in the early rounds, faded a bit, as
the classy 'Dodger' scored with crisp left jabs during the middle rounds of the fight. Stafford,
also landed several hard right-hand crosses in Rounds 8 and 9, to even the bout on the
scorecards.

In the final round, it was Stafford who exhibited greater strength and cleaner punches
to win the round, and earn the Majority Decision.

Scorecards;
Referee; 97-95 (5-3-2 in Rounds) Roger Stafford
Judge 1; 96-96 (4-4-2 in Rounds) Even
Judge 2; 96-95 (5-4-1 in Rounds) Roger Stafford

Fight Purses;
Roger Stafford; $6000
Kevin Howard; $6000

Attendance; 4600

 

Roger 'The Dodger' Stafford

November 1981

#1 Welterweight Pipino Cuevas 29-7-0 (26 KO's), having comeback with '2' Knock-out wins
since losing to Thomas Hearns ( L KO 2) in August 1980, is back at the #1 slot. Looking for
one more 'tune-up bout' before challenging for the World Welterweight Title, held
by Ray Leoanrd, Pipino takes on Philly Welterweight, 27 year-old Roger Stafford.

Roger, is now rated #10 in the World, and is sporting a 17-2-1 (7 KO) record. The
slick-boxer from Philadelphia exhibits good boxing skills in the ring, and is not only
a smooth boxer, but also possesses, a good chin and an armor-proof defense.

Boxing pundits, say that Roger Stafford is much like Ray Leonard in style and in
quickness, and this will be a good pre-Leonard fight work-out for Pipino Cuevas.
The knock on Roger, is his power, as he has none. In his last 9-bouts, Roger has not
scored a Knock-out win, and has only scored '3' knockdowns in posting a 7-1-1 record
over that time.

In Pipino, he has scored impressive blow-out Knock-out wins over Bernardo Prada (KO 2) in
February 1981, and a (KO 1) over Jorgen Hansen in June 1981. Though Pipino still carries the
power-punches and a crushing left-hook, he still is vulnerable to punches, as he continues to
use the wild wide-open style.

The question about Pipino, is that he has not had to go longer than a Round and a half in any
of last '3' bouts. Since August 1980 (16-Months), Pipino has spent approximately 7-minutes in the ring,
when in competition.