the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Gene Fullmer SD15 Florentino Fernandez

Great fight. Fullmer just sort of torpedoes his way in with that right hand but sometimes he doesn't actually throw it that far he moves his whole body in with the punch in tow, it's pretty absurd really if you think about it logically but it must be disconcerting. It all leaves Fernandez rather unaffected though, he is just winging away with both paws like always, but perhaps he should be more aware of such nuances as Fullmer's travelling punches leave him well positioned to execute his mauling in-fighting attack.

Rounds are close and difficult to score, both of them are putting everything into all of these punches, Fullmer is the more accurate, but Fernandez gets to press more which does make the difference in this kind of territory. I have them all square after four.

Six is the first time they take their foot of the collective pedal and the slower pace probably favours Fullmer and his single shot and grab style. Interestingly, Fernandez starts to find him to the body in this round. Fullmer's defence is fascinating. It's like he wants to protect himself form punches, not hurt, like a video-game character he treats all punches equally, kinda. Just that wrap-around hunched defence that makes catching him clean to the body pretty difficult for someone like Fernandez.

I scored Fullmer a close tenth to take a lead in the fight for the first time. He's probably less given to slowing down than Fernandez I suppose. Although he can lose that grasp on any given round because Fernandez is ready to throw and throw if he's given an in. After he takes the 11th with that wild right hand, just bangs them in, he's got a 2 round lead with 4 rounds remaining.

Fernandez caught him though after breaking Fullmer's elbow in the fourteenth. Fullmer's entire right arm went numb and he was badly beaten in these rounds.

So I have it 7-6-2 for Fernandez but no problem with the decision really.

FULLMER:2,4,6,8,10,11,
FERNANDEZ:1,3,5,7,12,14,15
EVEN:9,13

 

Gene Fullmer UD15 Sugar Ray Robinson (One)

Robinson just doesn't do much early, and for all that Fullmer's rushes are untidy they're enough to bag the first two rounds. His strategy seems to be to wait until he feels like he has the distance and then to rush in on Robinson, hitting two-handed to the body. It's good stuff and certainly the older Robinson isn't enjoying it very much but he wins the fourth with a cracking left hook and a great right uppercut to the heart. Doing a lot of holding though. He wins five as-well I reckon. But he's doing it on the gamble that he'll score a big punch when Fullmer is on his way in. I'm not scoring many of these weird looping chucks Fullmer is casting in behind Robinson's head.

It's a great example this of how to make a better fighter uncomfortable every step of the way. But bless Robinson, I have him even after 12, 6-6, Robinson mixing enough hard punches in to Fullmer's rushes that he's hauled himself back into the contest winning the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th straight. The problem is Fullmer looks like he could, crazily, eat these all night.

Fullmer charged home though, and I thought nicked it 8-6-1.


Fullmer:1,2,3,6,7,8,13,14.
Robinson:4,5,9,10,11,12.
Even:15.

 

Emile Griffith SD10 Denny Moyer, 1963

Griffith probably nicks the first round with a nice right uppercut when they get inside which he lands both to body and head, Moyer is bleeding from the nose within seconds. Interestingly enough it's a right uppercut to the body that wins Moyer the second, a punch he is now throwing with frequency. There's an interesting balance between these two which is moderately dis-satisfying. They give each other enough room for a couple of muffled punches with their respective offences, but no more. Know each other too well maybe, this is their third fight.

2-2 after four, I have Moyer taking the fourth with a bumper uppercut after Griffith spent the third and most of the fourth outworking him in the pocket. Griffith is going to win these rounds by default based upon his workrate inside, his superior accuracy, his busier jab and his just being more suited to the scruffy infighting, but Moyer has twice found a single punch to swing a round in his favour,because the rounds are close. How many good punches can he land?

I actually didn't give Moyer another round until the ninth, but I had the fifth and the eighth even, which means if he wins the tenth he can pull out the draw. Griffith introduced his left-hook in the sixth and used it also in the seventh and Moyer, to me, looked like he had no answer to Griffith's different threats at this point, but he appears to have gassed. He looks damn tired and Moyer all of a sudden looks energetic, pushy and aggressive. He's outworked Griffith in the ninth, the first round he's done so in the fight.

Griffith rallies well though - I had him pulling it out 5-3-2.

GRIFFITH:1,3,6,7,10
MOYER:2,4,9
EVEN:5,8,

 

Emile Griffith UD10 Don Fullmer

Fullmer should be throwing more jabs, his jab is pretty quick. Griffith, as always, is just doing enough to bank these rounds and no more. He shows lovely movement before he starts to tire just a little and Fullmer isn't doing anything to tire him.

A fight looks like it might break out in the third after Griffith lands a cracking lead right and Fullmer grabs him and tries to bang him round the back of the head but it soon returns to the pattern of Griffith following and landing the occasional shot. Griffith looks a much better fighter when he chances the left-hook, and he starts to throw it in the fourth. Fullmer gets in on the action but he can't keep up at this pace either.

Did Fullmer's swining counterpunches and Griffith's general lack of effort man Fullmer won the sixth? I rather think it did.

Crowd are booing now; it can be seen why. Fullmer just grabbing and grabbing and pushing with his head. Doing a bad impression of his brother. Making a boring fight worse.

Not good.

GRIFFITH:1,2,3,4,5,7,8,10
FULLMER:6,9


How on earth did Fullmer ever beat Griffith in 1965?