the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

You want the Chang fight, the Arbachakov and Chitalada fights and if you can find them, the Tacy Macalos and Jiminez fights.

 

I remember when you first joined the forum and were putting together tentative all-time bantamweight lists (actually a pretty good reflection of a serious poster in itself). Now, look at you, educating long established posters on the best fights of Muangchai Kittikasem - it almost brings a tear to the eye... although that could also be the fact you've seen more fights in the last 18 months than I've probably seen in my entire flippin' life!

Kudos to you, George, kudos.

 

I remember not having Olivares top 10 and having Digger Stanley above him. And yeah, I dunno if I'm proud of how many fights I watched through lockdown or not, but if wager it was around 2000.

My boss has been a big boxing fan since the 80s, and grew up watching the Fab 4, Holmes etc, I told him I knew loads about boxing history and he tried to quiz me on things to make me look stupid. Oh how fun that was! "Who was the best bantamweight of the 40s?" - "Manuel Ortiz".

 

Jesus, 2000? My God, I can't imagine. I'm lucky if I can cobble together a half hour on a weekend.

 

What can I say, that was a spectacularly low point in my social life.

 

Nah, make use of it, it's a good thing. Soon you too will be doing the married-with-kids thing and have not a minute to pursue it. Do it while you can.

 

I think 2020 has been a spectacularly low point in everyone's social life.

 

Watched a sleeper of a fight that I saw live years ago. Duane Thomas defending his junior middleweight title against Lupe Aquino. Here we go.

Round 1: 10-9 Aquino
Round 2: 10-8 Aquino (scores a knockdown)
Round 3: 10-9 Aquino
Round 4: 10-10 Even
Round 5: 10-9 Thomas
Round 6: 10-9 Thomas
Round 7: 10-9 Thomas
Round 8: 10-10 Even
Round 9: 10-9 Thomas
Round 10: 10-9 Aquino
Round 11: 10-9 Aquino
Round 12: 10-8 Aquino (scores a knockdown)

Total: 116-112 Aquino (actual scores: 116-111, 117-110 and 114-113 all for Aquino)

Tough fight which Thomas looked to be re-taking through the middle rounds until Aquino got his second wind. After the first round Ryan and Clancy stated that Emanuel Steward told Thomas to get close and work the body, which was really good advice. But he couldn't keep Aquino there. And when Aquino had the distance for those straight punches, he let them fly. Good fight, which started to bog down in the 12th with both tired until Lupe let them rip one more time.

 

I remember watching with disbelief as Rosi completely dismantled Thomas, emphatically stopping him with a flurry in the 7th round of a fight Thomas was never in. Shocking, though Rosi was so disgustingly awkward it's hard to look good against him.

 

And he was never a puncher. He would win his fights on a boring 12 round decision. That fight was an anomaly or Thomas was just shot.

 

I tend to think he just wasn't very good or adaptable.

 

Muhammad Ali v Ken Norton 3

Oh my days. Their first fight was a clear win for Norton and the right result; their second fight was tight and could have gone either way - I had Norton by a round but no complaints about it going the other way; this though was a clear Norton win but somehow Ali was given the nod.

I don't like crying robbery usually as there's always a degree of interpretation and often close fights are called robberies unjustifiably. But this was a gift to Ali. I've seen it scored closer than I had it but there's closer and there is still the right man getting the decision. The right man did not get the decision here.

Ali started moving in round 9 and I can only assume the judges got misty eyed ('he can still dance!') and that swayed their opinion. But the main difference I saw between the two fighters apart from Norton just being busier than Ali was the weight behind the punches. Norton was throwing to hurt Ali whereas Ali's didn't seem to have much behind them. I thought Ali did well in the 11th and took a few close rounds, but honestly, this wasn't close as far as I'm concerned.

1 10-9 (close)
2 10-9 (close)
3 9-10
4 9-10
5 10-9
6 9-10 (Ali hurt by a left hook to the body)
7 9-10 (close)
8 9-10
9 9-10 (close. Ali dancing but Norton with best punch of the round)
10 10-9 (close again)
11 10-9 (better from Ali)
12 9-10
13 9-10 (best round of the fight)
14 9-10
15 9-10

Ali 140-145 Norton

 

Azumah Nelson v Jeff Fenech 1

Tough fight in which Fenech gradually wore Nelson down over the course of the fight after a decent start from Azumah.

Hard to know how true Nelson's claims of malaria were but judging by what happened in the rematch, they seem believable. Still, Fenech had to feel hard done by. It was clear enough on my card.

1 10-9 (good start)
2 10-9 (close)
3 9-10 (close again)
4 10-9
5 9-10
6 9-10
7 9-10
8 10-9 (close)
9 9-10
10 9-10
11 9-10
12 9-10

Nelson 112-116 Fenech

 

Muangchai Kittakasem KO12 Jung Koo Chang

George recommended this, and what a terrific battle it was. Seeing this and the Kittakasem-Carbajal fight yesterday I stand by one thing; Muangchai is a little chinny. He's brave to a fault and a battler all the way but between the two fights I counted 372 knockdowns. This fight was special though, and apparently the final curtain for Chang.

Kittakasem starts well, keeping distance and making Chang very frustrated, sweeping the first four rounds. Then Chang dramatically drops the Thai twice in the 5th. He rebounds on my card to win the 6th but the momentum has clearly shifted, with Chang closing the distance and controlling the exchanges to win the 7th thru the 9th. Kittakasem outworks him again in the 10th, his pins suddenly steadier under him.

Then in the 11th, Chang works yet another miracle and drops Kittakasem yet again. Now he has a nice lead on the cards, with only the final round to go!

They exchange fiercely at the start of the 12th, and suddenly Chang sags and pulls away. Kittakasem senses he's hurt and pounces. Chang is dropped hard and barely rises. The referee really could have stopped it there but wants to give the Korean every chance he can. Kittakasem half punches/pushes him back down, and it's clear Chang simply can't stand up anymore. It's waved off with just 22 seconds left in a fight Chang was winning.

Brilliant stuff.

 

Now for the Arbachakov fights to add to that knockdown total!