Tony Baltazar

I said Youngstown because I think Ray was a different -- better, more determined -- fighter there. That would have been Ray at his best. So it was my way of saying Tony vs. Ray at his very best.

I'm not 100 percent sure either way on who I think would win. There are versions of Mancini that I'm sure would have been knocked out -- but not early, and in a fight-of-the-year kind of epic. But at his peak, very best, I might give him a chance to win a close decision on hustle.

Thanks for entertaining the question.

I also noted that Tony (or was it Frankie) fought on the same card with Whitaker at one point. Was there ever an effort to make that fight?

 

It was Tony that fought on the same card with Pea, in Philly. No, that was never any talk about them fighting.

 

Tony and Pea actually fought twice on the same card. The one in Philly and also in Lake Tahoe.

 

Your impressions of Sweet Pea at the time?

 

I Loved Tony the Tiger,,,,,,,,,

Nearly jumped and hit the ceiling when he floored Howard Davis Jr.

Then, he did it again.

I could not believe Tony didn't get the decision over 'CBS Favorite Son'.

At worst, it was a Draw. I'm sure the CBS-Sports telephone's lit up after they
read that Decision. I called.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s7XFMzyGJ4[/ame]

CBS clip on the scoring the following Sunday

 

Saint, I couldn't stand to watch Pea fight. Anytime his fights were on TV and my boys were watching I would walk out the room. Many people considered him a master-boxer, and maybe he was, but I considered his style too ugly to watch.