the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Jose Stable W10 Charley Scott

Wow, what a fun fight! Worth checking out if you haven't, just constant action and punching. I'd seen Stable (pronounced STAH-blay) before, against Curtis Cokes, and here he was the same bundle of unpredictable energy. He must have been absolute hell to fight. Legs like locomotives, constantly bouncing in and out, heaving massive-looking shots that really don't have a lot of steam on them but look terrific, and endless stamina. He keeps winging those full-bodied shots in combination for the entirety, right up in Scott's chest.

Scott, for his part, is more standard and workmanlike. Efficient and well-schooled, he too threw a million punches but I got the impression he had to, just to keep up with the dervish in front of him. He seemed to want a more studied fight where he could exert his more standard skillset and perhaps box more, but Stable wouldn't allow it. Like it or not, you had to fight him.

I could see this one going to either man really, even a draw would have been perfectly acceptable. One of those rare fights where there isn't really any one right call. Highly recommended.

1. Even
2. Stable
3. Stable
4. Scott
5. Scott
6. Stable
7. Scott
8. Even
9. Stable
10. Stable

97-95 Stable.

 

You’re right on the official scoring with one judge actually having it for Ayala (wow). I’ve edited my post to reflect that. Good catch.

Tim Ryan mentions on commentary that there has already been six fights that year where the No. 1-ranked contender (I assume he means by the alphabet governing body whose title it is) has knocked off the champion.

Any idea what fights those were in the first half of 1979 (this is a mid-June scrap so they took place before that)? Good year for mandatories, haha.

 

Sal, caught this one a year or so ago. Absolutely loved it. This is what I wrote:

Watched another classic from Madison Square Garden. The bout between Jose Stable and Charley Scott. Let me tell you, the ripping sound of leather was like music to my ears.

Round 1: Scott
Round 2: Stable
Round 3: Stable
Round 4: Stable
Round 5: Stable
Round 6: Stable
Round 7: Scott
Round 8: Scott
Round 9: Stable
Round 10: Even

Total: 6-3-1 Stable (actual scores: 6-4, 5-4-1 and 8-1-1 all for Stable)

These two should have just made the bout in a phone booth. They just laid their heads on each other and banged away with the cleanest, fastest shots you've ever seen. I'd like to say rounds 4 and 10 were about the best, but to tell you the truth, they were all good. What a fight!

 

One of them must have been Franklin-Johnson 2, for sure. I’ll have a look for some others.

 

I think that’s right.

Also Victor Galindez over Mike Rossman in the rematch for the WBA strap. I’m pretty sure Victor was No. 1 contender there.

So that’s two of them.

 

One of my new favorites for sure. I love it when I strike gold like that, it doesn't always happen.

Looks like we differed on quite a few rounds, but it's that kind of fight. I'd love some others to have a look at this one and get a consensus, but this fight almost defies consensus.

 

@Jel Looks like Wilfred Benitez over Carlos Palomino in January was another.

Three out of six (No. 1 contenders beating champs in the first half of 1979), joining the two light heavyweight title changes.

 

@Jel I can’t find anything citing Lupe Pintor’s ranking at the time, but two weeks before Lopez-Ayala he won the controversial decision over Carlos Zarate for the WBC bantamweight title. I’m guessing this is No. 4 of the six fights where top contenders toppled champions in the first half of 1979.

 

Good call. I’d be surprised if that wasn’t one of them.

I had started checking too and had also come up with Galindez-Rossman and Benitez-Palomino along with Franklin-Johnson so Pintor-Zarate looks like it should be the fourth. Two more to go. By the way, Vito Antuofermo beat Hugo Corro as well but that was at the very end of June and after Lopez-Ayala so unless the commentators were clairvoyants, I think we can exclude that one.

EDIT: Miguel Canto lost to Chan Hee Park at flyweight in March 1979 - pretty sure that will be one of them. And Maurice Hope beat Rocky Mattioli at light welter. Not sure if he was no. 1 contender or not.

 

Sal, have you checked out Scotts fights with Gaspar Ortega and Ralph Dupas? Or Benny Paret's bout with Gaspar Ortega? You would love them all.

 

Yeah I was looking at Hope-Mattioli too and that seems like a likely candidate although a quick google search didn’t find mention of Maurice’s ranking.

 

Not the Dupas ones, but have seen the Ortega one. Not sure about Paret, I'll have a look!

 

Cristian Mijares v Alexander Munoz (WBA and WBC unification at 115)

Round 1: 10-9 Munoz
Round 2: 10-9 Munoz
Round 3: 10-9 Munoz
Round 4: 10-9 Mijares
Round 5: 10-10 Even
Round 6: 10-8 Mijares (point deducted from Munoz for rabbit punching)
Round 7: 10-9 Munoz
Round 8: 10-9 Mijares
Round 9: 10-9 Mijares
Round 10: 10-9 Mijares
Round 11: 10-9 Mijares
Round 12: 10-10 Even

Total: 116-113 Mijares (actual scores: 115-113 for Munoz and a 116-112 and 116-111 both for Mijares for a split win)

Unlike many, I like Colonel Bob Sheridan at the mic. He brings an energy to the fight, which I like in a commentator. But between he and his co-commentator, one would think they were cheerleading for Willie Pep instead of Cristian Mijares. The truth of the matter is, Mijares gets hit too much and Munoz was trying to oblige him all night long with his looping shots. But it did make for a decent little scrap.

 

I can’t even tell you which Gaspar Ortega fights I’ve seen, but I’ve seen a few and enjoyed him in every minute of it.

 

I like the Colonel myself, especially solo.

I’m an odd duck, though, in that Chris Schenkel is my favorite solo boxing commentator. No, he’s not an insider or an authority, but that’s OK … I don’t have to have an expert trying to explain details to me. With Chris, for me it’s like sitting down of a weekend afternoon watching a fight with a favorite uncle … very appreciative of what he’s seeing and conversational.

As a broadcast team, my No. 1 is Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy and my second is Alex Wallau and Dan Dierdorf, who I think worked really hard to become a boxing color guy and really did his homework. He’s more like the gruff, excitable uncle but he pairs well with the more low-key Wallau imo.