the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Stevie Cruz v Antonio Esparragoza (featherweight title)

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 Cruz
Round 3: 10-9 AE
Round 4: 10-9 AE
Round 5: 10-9 AE
Round 6: 10-9 AE
Round 7: 10-9 AE
Round 8: 10-10 Even
Round 9: 9-9 Even (Esparragoza's round but he was docked a point for continuous low blows)
Round 10: 10-9 AE
Round 11: 10-9 AE
Round 12: Esparragoza scores 2 knockdowns and the fight is stopped on the 2nd.

Total through 11 completed rounds: 108-102 Esparragoza (actual scores: 107-102, 106-104 and 105-104 all for Esparragoza)

Until today I never saw this fight, and it was a treat. Man, these two fought at an exhausting pace and despite the fact that Cruz got his licks in, everything he did Esparragoza was just that much better at. Still, both their faces showed the scars of this war and Stevie went out on his shield. Brilliant fight, and again, fought at a terrific pace.

 

Edwin Rosario v Juan Nazario I (lightweight title)

Round 1: 10-9 Rosario
Round 2: 9-9 Even (Nazario's round but he was docked a point for what I thought was a low blow)
Round 3: 10-9 Nazario
Round 4: 10-9 Rosario
Round 5: 10-10 Even
Round 6: 10-9 Rosario
Round 7: 10-8 Rosario (Nazario docked a point for what I thought was pulling Rosario's head down)
Round 8: Rosario decks Nazario and the fight is stopped

Total through 7 completed rounds: 68-64 Rosario (actual scores: 69-64, 69-65 and 67-65 all for Rosario)

This was a very competitive fight with both getting their licks in. I was a bit confused on the deductions to Nazario. I thought the first deduction was for a low blow, which is something he was warned for earlier. The second deduction was pretty clear to me because the ref motioned Nazario pulling down on Rosario's head. However, in the next round Col. Bob Sheridan said it was for biting. Indeed, boxrec says that both deductions were for biting. But that doesn't correspond with the ref's body language/hand signals during the second deduction. Whatever he did, it cost Nazario 2 points.

Next up: Rosaario-Nazario II

 

Edwin Rosario v Juan Nazario II (lightweight title)

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 Nazario
Round 3: 10-9 Nazario
Round 4: 10-9 Nazario
Round 5: 10-9 Nazario
Round 6: 10-9 Nazario
Round 7: 10-9 Nazario
Round 8: 10-9 Nazario
Bout is stopped due to a severe cut over the right eye of Rosario between rounds 8 and 9.

Total through 8 completed rounds: 80-73 Nazario (actual scores: 70-63, 69-64 and 69-65 all for Nazario)

To begin, Nazario must've been watching a Gene Fullmer film festival in Park City, Utah in preparation for this fight. Because he would've done Gene proud for his non-stop punching in the clinches. He was throwing for every second they laid in the clinch and Edwin just could not unload on him. But that's not what won him the fight. The cut suffered by Rosario was clearly butt-induced in the 6th round. But it doesn't appear there were any considerations given to Edwin for this and the fight was simply stopped by the doctor between the 8th and 9th in favor of Nazario.

Regarding the scores, when I saw them I muttered, WTF! It appears they only scored through 7 rounds. I mean, why wouldn't you score the 8th? Makes absolutely no sense to me. That round was over, the fight was stopped between rounds, but you have to score the completed round. I certainly did.

 

all the benny leonard footage that exists.

it's such a shame that films weren't preserved, there's so much that did but now doesn't exist.

he could box, he could fight, to what exact level is lot to history.

the various mclarnin ross canzioneri fights are great, everybody who saw both says benny beats them.

 

Didn’t work up a full report, but watched Tommy Morrison vs. Ray Mercer the other night.

It was everything good and bad about Morrison: some absolutely brutal offense, crisp combinations, snapping power on everything … for about 2 1/2 rounds. Ray took a beating, to the point it wouldn’t have been out of line to score the second round 10-8 for Tommy.

But right at the end of the second Ray landed a right hand. Morrison looked shook up but the bell rang.

And starting in the third, Morrison really began to fade. Mouth open, breathing hard. Ray didn’t pick it up too much until later in the round when it seemed to dawn on him that his opponent was done.

Then at the start of the fourth, Ray rocks Morrison and then whacks him out in one of the most emphatic KO’s in memory. The shots he landed on a defenseless, sagging Morrison were the kind you want to look away from … but can’t.

How Morrison came back from that to still have a solid career and do good things is beyond me. But we see it all the times — someone suffers a frightful KO and then trudges on and you see they can still fight.

If you like offense, this one’s for you. Whichever one is dishing it out — Tommy early or Ray after the tide shifts — is doing so in impressive fashion.

 

I watched Morales-Barrera 1 again last night. I just wanted to watch something unequivocally great and it really is one of the best fights of all time.

I didn’t score it as I’ve scored it twice before - both times I had Barrera winning, the first time scoring it even going into the final round with Barrera winning the last round, irrespective of the bogus knockdown call in his favour. The second time I had Barrera one round up going into the final round so a little wider overall. I do think he deserved the nod but it wasn’t a terrible decision - Morales fought very well too - I just think Barrera edged it.

 

Bobby Chacon v Chucho Castillo (California scoring)

Round 1: Even
Round 2: Chacon
Round 3: Castillo
Round 4: Castillo
Round 5: Chacon
Round 6: Chacon
Round 7: Chacon
Round 8: Castillo
Round 9: Chacon
Round 10: Chacon drops Castillo twice before the fight is stopped.

Total through 9 completed rounds: 5-3 Chacon (actual scores not known)

To begin, there are two versions out there. One is a very murky version that I find unwatchable, but there is another version - that I watched -that is clear as a bell. Regarding the fight, it was clear that one fighter was on the way up and one on the way down. But despite Castillo's veteran status and the fact that he was at a major physical deficit (trying to reinvent himself as a featherweight), he put up a helluva fight, taking advantage of Chacon's lapses in defense in his inexperienced form. Castillo's counters and attacks - if they could have been maintained - were giving Chacon fits, but Bobby had the punch and he finally caught up with Chucho in the 10th.

 

Art Frias KO8 Claude Noel

Frias was apparently a substitute for Gonzalo Montellano, who'd hurt his back in training for this title try for the WBA Lightweight strap. Not sure to what extent having Frias as a sub threw Noel off his game but Claude was just out of it the whole time.

Credit must be given Frias of course; he came in ready to go and was unintimidated by his big moment. He came to fight, and fight he did. Hard to root against a guy like him. Honest, workmanlike, and a real Everyman of boxing, and from everything I've seen and read a very likeable guy too.

Everything Noel throws is wide and looping and slow. His balance is atrocious, his stamina gives out after about five rounds, he doesn't move his head so Frias's lunging shots hit him with alarming regularity and he has no apparent plan. Frias does exactly what he should and chugs forward, hammering whatever presents itself as a target. Art is no puncher, but he throws a lot and lands a lot, and keeps on top of Noel, who needs a lot of room for those wide shots. He just can't get them off. And when he does, the challenger ducks underneath them.

Noel's only round comes in the seventh, when Frias takes a bit of a breather from his relentless assault. The champion is brave, that's for sure. He just has so little to offer that he can't do much except absorb increasingly flush punches.

In the eighth, Frias lands a flush right hand on the point of the chin and Noel falls hard against the ropes. He tries to rise, but isn't close to making the count. Frias is the winner and unlikely champion.

1. Frias
2. Frias
3. Frias
4. Frias
5. Frias
6. Frias
7. Noel
8. Frias floors Noel and Noel is counted out.

69-64 at the time of the knockout.

 

I like Frias and good for him, but I wish Gonzo Montellano would have not gotten hurt and gotten his shot. Yeah, he probably also turns around and drops the WBA strap to Mancini but I’d have liked to have seen him get his flowers.

 

Yeah, he probably was watching that fight at home eating his heart out. Noel was ripe to be taken.

 

Matt Franklin v Marvin Johnson I (vacant NABF light heavyweight title - Philly's 5-point must system in effect)

Round 1: 5-4 Johnson
Round 2: 5-4 Johnson
Round 3: 5-4 Johnson
Round 4: 5-4 Franklin
Round 5: 5-4 Johnson
Round 6: 5-4 Johnson
Round 7: 5-4 Johnson
Round 8: 5-5 Even
Round 9: 5-4 Franklin
Round 10: 5-4 Johnson
Round 11: 5-4 Franklin
Round 12: Franklin drops and stops Johnson

Total through 11 completed rounds: 52-48 Johnson (actual scores: 53-49 Johnson, 51-48 Franklin and a 51-51 Even score - the bout was dead even going into the 12th)

To begin, What a fight! Like two Rock 'em - Sock 'em robots going at it. I think I woke up the house this morning with my cries of "Ohhhh!" Fantastic fight!

Clearly the referee and myself were more impressed by Johnson's haymakers than the other two judges. But a good case can be made for Franklin's (he was not yet Saad Muhammad) straight punching through the middle.

One other thing. I had to replay the first 30 seconds of the first round as I was listening to the 2 commentators discussing how the NABF title became vacant and was so stunned I had to start it over. Oh, man talk about two disorganized commentators. They hemmed and hawed and came up with the story that because John Conteh wouldn't fight Miguel Cuello (huh?) that Victor Galindez (from Argentina) gave up the NABF title when he won the WBA title (WTF!). Conteh and Galindez had been world champs since '74 and this was taking place in '77 and did they ask themselves how in the world that the NABF title had anything to do with two foreign born fighters based in their home countries? Do your homework, guys, before the cameras are rolling.

 

Ruben Munoz KO5 Art Frias

Didn't get my fill of Frias yet so wanted to check this one out. Munoz, who flitters between 130 and 135 pounds, is fighting for the second time as a lightweight, for this, a try at the USBA LIghtweight title. Frias is coming off his exciting first-round stoppage loss to Mancini for the WBA laurels and is looking to work his way into a rematch with the new champion. At 13-1 and with a fairly leaky defense, Munoz seems the guy to shoot for if you're Frias.

You know, usually when I see a fighter switch from righty to southpaw it makes me think he's confused and is looking for a change in direction in a fight. It doesn't work as often as it does, in fact it might NOT work more often. Hard to tell. Anyway, Munoz switched up a lot in this fight, and at first I thought it was just window dressing, but I'll be danged; it seemed to work for him. Frias isn't terribly hard to hit anyway, but the switching on the part of Munoz seemed to cause Frias to be caught with a lot of southpaw hooks, and they were bothering him throughout. Munoz could bang a little.

Frias tries to crowd Munoz and does well enough in the first couple rounds, but he isn't facing Claude Noel here, with the bad balance and wide, wide hooks that whiff air continually. Munoz is shorter with his punches and often gets there first. As a result, Frias can't just wade in on him the way he did against Noel.

Munoz begins shaking Frias with hooks from both sides in the third and fourth; Frias is still industrious in the fifth, and begins to get the better of exchanges along the ropes when Munoz suddenly shifts, causing Frias to walk right into a short right hook. Art freezes momentarily, then falls sideways into the ropes and down. He gets up but is hammered by the surging Munoz, and the ref wisely steps in.

Good little fight.

1. Frias
2. Frias
3. Munoz
4. Munoz
5. Munoz drops and stops Frias

38-38 at the time of the stoppage.

 

The last part had me intrigued so I got out my google machine.

Lonnie Bennett defeated Billy Douglas in May 1976 for the NABF light heavyweight crown. Per Wikipedia, he held the title til November of that year.

Bennett’s next fight after Douglas was, indeed, in November (on the 30th) when he stopped 11-8-1 Danny Brewer in Las Vegas. But that’s not listed as an NABF fight on boxrec and was scheduled for 10. So maybe he had a contract to defend against either Saad or Johnson and didn’t fulfill it so they stripped him?

MSM and Johnson didn’t fight til July of 1977 for the vacant strap, btw.

Matthew defended it three times (vs. Douglas, Richie Kates and Yaqui Lopez) before relinquishing it in March of 1979 ahead of his rematch with Marvin for the WBC world title.

The announcers probably thought it was an injustice that Mate Parlov didn’t get to fight Lotte Mwale for the vacant crown.

EDIT: Just for fun and context, here are the NABF champs in each weight division at the time of MSM-Johnson I per Wikipedia: heavyweight vacant (George Foreman had vacated, Leroy Jones would win it in 1978 with a win over Mike Weaver; middleweight Ralph Palladin; junior middleweight vacant (wouldn’t be filled til 1980!); welterweight Pete Ranzany; junior welter vacant (Monroe Brooks would win it later in the year); lightweight Vincent Mijares; junior light vacant (Bazooka Limon would win it early the next year); featherweight Ronnie McGarvey.

Wikipedia doesn’t list a lineage for any division below feather.

 

Lol! I doubt those 2 could even pronounce Mwale. They pronounced the country of Monaco like one would Morocco (Min-occo).