Scott LeDoux passes away

I believe Larry Holmes gave LeDoux the title shot because he needed money for medical bills for his first wife, who was battling cancer.

 

Correct, in benefit of his first wife Sandy (who died in 1989) and Marty Monroe was a credible enough win to provide justification for it. Ali's manic sideshow from ringside made the event enough of a zoo that everybody at work the next day was satisfied with the entertainment provided. (And the closing shot of the broadcast showed Ali shadowboxing in the audience, necktie flailing wildly between his slashing hands.)

 

Scotts friend and scribe, Joe Soucherea, wrote a piece about Scott today and told how Scott's eye was in worse shape then had been told after being thumbed and torn by Larry Holmes. He told Joe before the bout that he was going to take everything Larry could throw for seven rounds and, hoping Holmes would be tired, then give it his all trying to take Larry out. When the doctor told Scott he had to stop the bout to save his eye LeDoux protested that it was his eye to lose and not to stop it,,,thats how tough Scotty was. When Scott's Mother took his face in her hands after the bout and looked at his injured eye he said, Aww Ma, it was just a thumb. God speed Scotty.

 

That was a brutal ko defeat LeDoux took from that Foreman uppercut. I did not think he'd ever come back from that loss. but somehow he did and equally incredible, he did it quickly and not over a period of 3 years. Truth be told, he fought lots of tough guys after the Foreman loss and always put forth a top effort, at least to the Holmes fight. But that fight was a mismatch on paper just like the Foreman fight.

He was also unfortunate to catch Page on 1 of Page's 100% prepared nights. He's a live underdog against the unprepared version but that wasn't the guy he faced.
scott was a guy that just didn't seem to get the breaks and fight the spotty guys on their bad nights. Weaver was sharp/Spinks looked good/Norton looked real good early in the first half of the fight/Holmes was in his prime with those good legs. Only Lyle was clearly faded.