the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Little Red didn’t start fighting til he got knocked down, haha.

Salvador Sanchez figured it out — he carefully didn’t knock Lopez down and thus walked away with two wins.

 

Roger Mayweather vs Vinny Pazienza

WBC Super Lightweight Championship

Round 1: 10-9 Mayweather. Close. Paz came on quick but seems tight and Roger controlled most of the round.
Round 2: 10-9 Mayweather
Round 3: 10-9 Paz. closer than it looked Roger blocked a lot of shots.
Round 4: 10-9 Mayweather. close
Round 5: 10-9 Mayweather
Round 6: 10-9 Paz
Round 7: 10-9 Paz
Round 8: 10-9 Paz. Close but Mayweather is being too defensive.
Round 9: 10-10 even.
Round 10: 10-9 Mayweather
Round 11: 10-8 Mayweather. Beauiful sneaky uppercut drops Paz late in the round.
Round 12: 10-9 Mayweather

My Score: 116-112 Mayweather

Official Scores: 117-110 x2 and 118-108 for Mayweather by UD

Good style match up. Mills Lane was the GOAT ref to not have to deduct points this fight.

 

Fernando Vargas vs Shane Mosley 1

Round 1: 10-9 Mosley. Close
Round 2: 10-9 Mosley
Round 3: 10-9 Mosley. Close
Round 4: 10-9 Vargas. Close.
Round 5: 10-9 Vargas. Close.
Round 6: 10-10 even
Round 7: 10-9 Vargas
Round 8: 10-9 Mosley. Vargas eye swollen shut.
Round 9: 10-9 Vargas. Pretty impressive with 1 eye.
Round 10: Cortez stops the fight bc of Vargas eye. TKO victory for Mosley.

My score at time of stoppage: 86-86 even.

Official scores: 86-85 x2 for Mosley and 86-85 for Vargas.

Close competitive fight though I'll stop short of calling it good. Got pretty messy on the inside.

 

Lennox Lewis v Tyrell Biggs

I remember this fight distinctly from 1991 on the undercard of Holyfield-Cooper. The ease of Lewis’ win over Biggs had the British press contrasting it with the main event where Cooper wobbled Holyfield. Of course, we didn’t know as much about Lewis at this point as we did about Holyfield but he looked mightily impressive here.

Steward undoubtedly made him a better, tougher proposition but Lewis was probably more exciting before Steward took over his career.

 

Oscar De La Hoya Vs Floyd Mayweather Jr result split decision for Mayweather.

My scoring

Mayweather round 1
De La Hoya Round 2
De La Hoya round 3
Draw round 4
Mayweather round 5
De La Hoya round 6 (close round)
De La Hoya round 7
De La Hoya round 8 (close round)
Mayweather round 9
Mayweather round 10
Mayweather round 11
Mayweather round 12

6-5 (1) in favour of Mayweather
Del La Hoya had moments were he threw bursts of combinations and landed body shots and was more active putting on the pressure in the earlier rounds. Mayweather was more elusive, tactical and landed more punches consistently.

 

Lennox Lewis v Gary Mason

Top quality heavyweight fight with a still-developing Lennox Lewis facing off against a very good and game opponent.

This fight, for the British and European heavyweight titles and featuring two undefeated British prospects - Lewis 14-0 and Mason 35-0 - was a big deal in the UK back in 1991. I don’t think I saw this one but I remember reading the write up in the newspaper.

Lewis was still very much seen as a Canadian transplant to these shores and Mason was considered the ‘home’ fighter by most British fans (Frank Bruno was still on hiatus at this point). Mason came into the fight with the higher world ranking too, at no. 6, while Lewis was just outside the top 10 - 1991 would prove to be a breakthrough year at world level for Lennox.

Both fighters were in top shape and came to win. Lewis took the first round, using his height and reach advantage well before Mason won the second with an eye-catching combo. Both fighters had their moments in the third but Lewis edged it before starting to take control and Mason’s right eye began to puff up noticeably in the 4th. Still, he showed excellent heart and won the 5th to keep things close.

He kept coming until he was wobbled at the start of the 7th and the ref, looking at his eye, decided to call it off. Mason would have continued but it was probably the right call.

This one is well worth 25 minutes of your day.

1 10-9
2 9-10
3 10-9
4 10-9 (Mason’s eye is bad)
5 9-10 (Mason fighting well despite the eye)
6 10-9
(58-56)
7 Lewis TKO Mason

 

Lennox Lewis v Glenn McCrory

Six months after his fight with Mason (and little more than a week since the tragic Eubank-Watson rematch), Lennox was back in the ring for another all-British clash with Geordie Glenn McCrory. McCrory was technically only an inch shorter than Lewis but in terms of physical stature, was dwarfed.

I always thought Lewis’s fighting weight around this time was perfect - he didn’t carry any excess fat and he was quicker as a result. But it wasn’t speed that did for McCrory, it was strength and power. McCrory was beaten from pillar to post in the opening round and then dumped to the canvas twice in the second, first by a body shot and then by a straight right that looked to only graze his jaw. He’s had enough and so had the ref.

 

Frankie Warren W10 Buddy McGirt

I have seen plenty of McGirt but oddly have never seen Warren until now. This one was aired it seems by NBC Sportsworld which I never, ever missed back in the day, but I guess either I was working my weekend job or they air these things regionally sometimes, I have no memory of the regret of missing it, which I usually do. Anyway, I've seen it now.

This was a good fight, and highly instructive. First, I love Warren's style. Never going to be an all-timer; he doesn't box well or doesn't really try enough to give you a look to see if he can, and he isn't really a puncher per se. He just adheres himself to you. He's like glue, you just can't get any distance, like that booger you cannot get off your finger no matter what. They should have called him Booger.

At any rate, McGirt has his first big test here, and on national TV, no less. Losses such as this have ruined lesser fighters and reduced lesser men. McGirt makes some mistakes here, like backing straight up against the swarming Warren, not giving any angles to speak of, and assuming he can pick apart the shorter man and take over with his superior boxing technique in the late rounds. Warren, for his part, does what he does and simply smothers McGirt, plastering him against the ropes and hitting everything that presents itself and half the things that don't.

McGirt tries to get separation, but can't; he backs straight up and tries to outpunch the volume puncher. He is overwhelmed and lands perhaps one to every five or six Warren throws. His blows are often cleaner and perhaps more powerful but it's nowhere near enough to offset Warren's spirited attack, which takes place in front of his hometown crowd in Corpus Christi.

Incidentally, I didn't know Warren is the brother of Willie Warren, the diminutive middleweight who fought many standouts of his day including Antuofermo and Hagler. Figures. They're both unusually short for their weight classes.

1. Even
2. Warren
3. Warren
4. Warren
5. Warren
6. McGirt
7. Warren
8. Warren
9. Warren
10. McGirt

98-92 Warren. The official cards were far closer which is odd, considering this was Warren's hometown and Warren was at least equally connected, having the Duvas and Georgie Benton at his back. One judge had it for Warren by just one point, which is ludicrous.

 

Sal, saw this awhile back. Love Frankie Warren fights.

Frankie Warren v Buddy McGirt I

I used to love seeing Frankie Warren in action. The dude was a machine. Held some outstanding wins including this one over Buddy McGirt. It's uncanny how he dominated Buddy only for Buddy to dominate him in the rematch. Anyways, here we go, 10 rounds, 10 point must system.

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 Warren
Round 3: 10-9 Warren
Round 4: 10-9 Warren
Round 5: 10-9 Warren
Round 6: 10-10 Even
Round 7: 10-9 Warren
Round 8: 10-9 Warren
Round 9: 10-9 McGirt
Round 10: 10-10 Even

Total: 99-94 Warren (actual scores: 98-92, 97-94 and 97-96 all for Warren)

I think Frankie burned out with that style of his, not to mention having a detached retina. Damn good fighter.

 

It was your mention of him that led me to watching it! Next up, their second fight.

 

Jel, checked this out some time back. It absolutely is worth 25 minutes of the day. This is what I wrote:

Lennox Lewis v Gary Mason (British scoring in effect)

Bad blood boiled over here as these two went at it.

Round 1: Lewis
Round 2: Even
Round 3: Lewis
Round 4: Mason
Round 5: Mason
Round 6: Lewis
Round 7: Referee stops contest due to severe eye damage suffered by Mason

Total: 59-58 1/2 Lewis

As Harry Carpenter noted around the 3rd or 4th, that Lewis 'was looking a bit ragged'. Mason's stamina issues weren't really evident here. He gave Lewis all he could handle. But Gary's right eye was really getting beat up, cut and swollen and he knew it was close to being stopped at the beginning of the 7th. So I loved his last ditch effort and went out on his shield hammering at Lewis. His eye problems really ended his career and unfortunately he was killed years later being hit by a van while riding a bike. But I'll always remember this fight now. This was one gutsy effort.

 

Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield 2

Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 Lewis
Round 3: 10-10 Even
Round 4: 10-9 Lewis
Round 5: 10-9 Lewis
Round 6: 10-9 Holy
Round 7: 10-9 Holy. Great, close round.
Round 8: 10-9 Holy. close
Round 9: 10-9 Lewis
Round 10: 10-9 Lewis
Round 11: 10-9 Lewis
Round 12: 10-9 Lewis. close.

My score: 117-113 Lewis

Official Scores: 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111 for Lewis by UD

Someone on here told me this fight wasn't as close as I remember. I guess they were right by about a round.

 

I was at this live in Atlanta and remember being very impressed by seeing Lewis in person. I was a bit iffy on him before that but left convinced he was a future champion/force.

 

Buddy McGirt KO12 Frankie Warren (2)

As one might infer from the dry "box score" result, this was indeed a very different fight than their first encounter. McGirt showed that he could learn and absorb lessons from past mistakes, and followa new fight plan based on that newfound experience and wisdom. Unlike last time, he showed angles like crazy, slipping, pivoting, moving side to side, anything to unseat the rhythm and momentum of the little freight train in front of him.

Warren, for his part, was also markedly different. He was still aggressive, still tried hard, but something was gone. It happens to fighters of his ilk; the legs, so absolutely necessary in plowing forward and digging in, and propelling the machine on again and again in attack, just weren't there now. His balance was betrayed, and perhaps knowing this in the back of his mind, Warren held back a bit, merely followed where before he'd have leapt, waited instead of the previous constant assertion.

The net result was that McGirt had his opening and took advantage. He moved and punched, punched and moved in the first two rounds, staggering Warren at the close of the first, sending the message to one and all that it was going to be different this time.

Warren manfully got the attack into gear in the third, and on my card at least won that round. And the next. And then the next. One got the impression though, that while these individual battles were perhaps being won, the war was being lost in the process. You could almost feel the air leaving the balloon even in rounds Warren appeared to outwork McGirt.

The sixth saw McGirt begin to exert himself more, move more, and put more shots together, finding Warren's head less elusive in 1988 than it had been in 1986. Warren's left eye began to swell grotequely, and in the eighth, the continued barrage sent a badly compromised Warren skidding to the canvas on legs that were simply folding under him.

My God though, Warren is brave. He somehow musters the energy and resolve to try to pin McGirt to the ropes and whale away but his punches are just slaps now. His bravery is rewarded with yet more stiff combinations. His corner should really have yanked him a couple rounds earlier, but in the 12th a mostly indecisive referee finally sees the futility in Warren's effort, and steps in.

Great action early on, but it became a bit of a death march later.

1. McGirt
2. McGirt
3. Warren
4. Warren
5. Warren
6. McGirt
7. McGirt
8. McGirt (10-8)
9. McGirt
10. McGirt
11. McGirt
12. Referee finally waves it off, one of Warren's eye slammed shut and the other on its way.

107-101 McGirt at the time of the stoppage.

 

Sal, that was one well detailed piece on this fight, my man. Kudos. This is what I wrote the last time I watched it:

Buddy McGirt v Frankie Warren II

Round 1: 10-9 McGirt
Round 2: 10-9 McGirt
Round 3: 10-9 Warren
Round 4: 10-10 Even
Round 5: 10-9 McGirt (the timekeeper rang the bell one minute early)
Round 6: 10-9 McGirt
Round 7: 10-9 McGirt
Round 8: 10-8 McGirt (scores a knockdown)
Round 9: 10-9 McGirt (the vid I watched cut to the next round with 55 seconds to go)
Round 10: 10-9 McGirt
Round 11: 10-9 McGirt
Round 12: The referee stops the contest in favor of McGirt

Total though 11 rounds: 109-100 McGirt (actual scores: 109-99, 107-101 and 110-99 all for McGirt)

It would be easy to say McGirt just had a better battle plan and execution this time around, but having gorged on Warren I can tell you he was flat in this fight. McGirt did fight a very good fight darting in and out while pot-shotting but Frankie's smoke was sorely missing. His style was not meant for a long career and he was starting to fizzle. I should note that the timekeeper error in the 5th round was costly to Warren. I won't go so far as the announcers (the fright doctor) who said McGirt was hurt, but Frankie had just nailed him with a terrific left hook and had him against the ropes. That kind of situation was Frankie's bread and butter as he was terrific at following up when a fighter was distressed. And that moment was taken from him. Lou Duva was working Warren's corner. Man, I can only imagine the holy hell he would've raised if he realized the round was a minute short interrupting Frankie's momentum.