Tell me about Ossie Ocasio...

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Bronze Tiger, Feb 14, 2020.



  1. Bronze Tiger

    Bronze Tiger Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I’m planning on watching some of his fights over the weekend. What are your thoughts of him as a fighter?
     
  2. Eye of Timaeus

    Eye of Timaeus Well-Known Member Full Member

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    A cruiserweight pioneer. Good fighter but nothing special.
     
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  3. TBooze

    TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I got to watch them close up confuse, bemuse and frustrate a novice (as a pro) Lennox Lewis for eight rounds. Cute was the word. He maybe shared a round, but was never in trouble and I suspect Lewis missed more punches in that fight, than he did in any other.

    He looked a bit more attacking earlier in his career, but just too small to be a Heavy and no one cared about Cruisers so there was limited money to be made.
     
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  4. Bronze Tiger

    Bronze Tiger Boxing Addict Full Member

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    From watching his film ...he seems like more a spoiler than anything...Along the lines of a Bernard Hopkins or a Sammy Angott ...do you agree?
     
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  5. GoldenHulk

    GoldenHulk Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Undersized as a heavyweight, moved down to the cruiserweight division won a belt and had much more success there.
     
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  6. TBooze

    TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Like all decent small Heavies of the early 80s, he did not move down per se, just picked up a belt while waiting for the phone to ring to get some, pun intended, heavyweight money...

    For at least the first 15 years the Cruiserweight division was for overweight Light Heavies, not really small Heavies.
     
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  7. TBooze

    TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Yes, a much better term, a spoiler.

    If you do get the chance to watch it, I remember thinking you could see how one judge did give Jaws the fight against Mercer, but that you knew Mercer could not lose, because after the Olympic run, he looked money!
     
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  8. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Double O had his own funky rhythm and seemed to mesmerize some opponents. Beat Jimmy Young coming off disputed loss to Norton twice, Michael Dokes got a gift draw against him first time.

    If you tried to wait on him and figure him out, good luck. If you took it to him you could take the play away and make him look bad.
     
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  9. lloydturnip

    lloydturnip Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Clever boxer hard to hit which meant a long run .
     
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  10. Vince Voltage

    Vince Voltage Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Did well for himself despite lack of size. Had a nice mix of lucky breaks and unlucky ones. Deserves more respect than he gets.
     
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  11. The Funny Man 7

    The Funny Man 7 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    When he beat Jimmy Young that put him in contender status, but once Larry Holmes carved him up he alternated between being a heavyweight gate-keeper and a cruiserweight contender.

    I seem to remember hearing he had difficulty boiling down to the cruiserweight limit. Maybe if the division limit was 200 lbs. back then like it is now his run there would have been even more successful.
     
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  12. red cobra

    red cobra VIP Member Full Member

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    Sort of the Fres Oquendo of his time.
     
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  13. Flash24

    Flash24 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Very good fighter. As others have noted just wasn't big enough
    to be a good heavyweight, and it was painfully proven by his fight,
    with Holmes. Holmes usually fought cautiously behind his jab.
    When he fought Ocasio he was unusually aggressive. I'm
    sure Holmes knew Ocasio was no real threat.
    Holmes floored Ocasio with one of the hardest jabs
    ever.
     
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  14. Ken Ashcroft

    Ken Ashcroft Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Only thing I remember about him was for some reason he was nicknamed Jaws.
     
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  15. TBooze

    TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Apparently in sparring the fists were only two of the things you needed to worry about...
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2020