Bick
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Post by Bick on Jan 6, 2022 7:49:13 GMT -8
Golden era of boxing.
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Jan 6, 2022 9:26:47 GMT -8
That fight was on income tax day 37 years ago, and I remember that round like it was yesterday. Hagler was the middleweight champion of the world and Hearns was the light-middleweight champion. Their combined records were 100-3 with 84 KO's. Given the caliber of both fighters, I think that was the greatest round in modern boxing history.
For those who don't remember, Hearns came out for the second round with no legs left, and Hagler knocked him out in the third.
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Bick
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Post by Bick on Jan 6, 2022 12:51:46 GMT -8
Best pre-game / pre-fight ever. This still gives me the chills! Howard Cosell nailed it.
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Credo
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Post by Credo on Jan 26, 2022 22:01:03 GMT -8
Four American League MVP's on the same team. Never before and will never happen again.
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billb
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Post by billb on Feb 9, 2022 23:30:27 GMT -8
Mike Tyson seemed like a monster to me. His guard was always up. I couldn't imagine him losing a fight, BUT when the Buster Douglas fight approached the odds were so insane, how could anyone bet Tyson? I told my friends Buster would win. Buster who???  The rest was history.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 10, 2022 12:01:15 GMT -8
I have met Rod Carew professionally before. He seemed like a very nice guy and very gracious. Good family guy from what I could tell. (There is a poignant story about him incidentally in that he had a heart transplant many years ago and from what I understand is recovering well. He only incidentally found out years later that his heart came from a local 25-year-old or so local kid whose name I cannot remember but who played football for Mission Viejo and then briefly in the NFL. Carew visited the family to let them know how much he appreciated everything and it did bring some relief to the family from what I understand).
At any rate, I had occasion to speak to his wife and I had to mention to her that my next-door neighbor at the time (Chuck Finley) has been a teammate of her husband and was also a very good guy. She beamed when she heard that and said that Chuck was one of her favorite MLB players she'd ever met and was a very "authentic" guy. She then got a funny look on her face and said "You're lucky, it could have been Reggie Jackson.".....................Luca
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 10, 2022 12:10:07 GMT -8
Mike Tyson seemed like a monster to me. His guard was always up. I couldn't imagine him losing a fight, BUT when the Buster Douglas fight approached the odds were so insane, how could anyone bet Tyson? I told my friends Buster would win. Buster who???  The rest was history. I had the same impression. For years Tyson was a guy whom I would never even want to meet. He seemed a force of nature created purely for the purpose of professional fighting. I likewise was stunned Buster Douglas beat him, and it was no fluke. That was a very convincing win. I will never understand why Douglas never approached that level again. But as for Tyson, that's what happens when you ditch the guy who brought you up and taught you your trade. He went with Don King, started believing that he could knock everybody out with a single punch without actually boxing and never approached the same level again. I had a similar experience with Frazier/Foreman. Everyone thought Frazier was untouchable but, my God, Foreman was knocking everybody out in the first round and the odds were 2.5 to 1. I had to take that bet. But I was still in school, could only bet 5 bucks, so I went out and splurged on a couple pizzas. ..........................Luca |
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Feb 10, 2022 13:02:22 GMT -8
They say styles make fights, but so do sizes. As good as they were, Tyson and Frazier were both much too small for Douglas and Foreman.
Douglas had a 12- or 14-inch reach advantage over Tyson, was in great shape, and took advantage of a terrible game plan by the Tyson camp. After the win, Douglas lost to Evander Holyfield in his first title defense, and Holyfield was a pretty damn good fighter and more Douglas's size. Douglas was very fat and out of shape for that fight, and he retired right after losing. He eventually ballooned up to 400 pounds, had a couple of lame "comeback" fights years later, and faded away. It's hard to imagine he's still only 60 or 61 years old.
And Mike Tyson didn't ditch Cus D'Amato. D'Amato died.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 10, 2022 14:17:02 GMT -8
I was referring primarily to Kevin Rooney, Tyson's long time trainer. I know D'Aamto died, but shortly thereafter Tyson bolted the old Bill Clayton/D'Amato camp for King.
The size issue was especially true for Frazier/Foreman, but Foreman was not only bigger he was much stronger allowing him to shove Frazier away. Tyson on the other hand was stronger than hell and had beaten bigger fighters many times before facing Douglas. I don't think Tyson was stronger than Holyfield, however. Holyfield remains one of my favorite all time fighters.
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Feb 10, 2022 14:34:44 GMT -8
Evander Holyfield was probably one of the more underrated heavyweight champions since Rocky Marciano. Some may disagree, but I think Larry Holmes is equally underrated. With the possible exception of Lennox Lewis, they both would probably have beaten all the "champs" we've had since Ali, including both Klitschko brothers.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 10, 2022 17:45:33 GMT -8
I have been a fan of Holyfield ever since he was in the Olympics as a light heavyweight. He was clearly the class of that field but in the semifinals he didn't hear the bell - or maybe it was a break - and nailed his opponent with his left hand a few microseconds after the break and knocked the guy silly. Hollyfield was disqualified and the guy who was obviously the inferior fighter got the gold medal. But Holyfield didn't whine or complain and took it with amazing equanimity. I have always admired him for that and for his extraordinary work ethic. It seems he was a pretty spiritual guy also, but I was a little disappointed when I found out he had God knows how many kids by who knows how many women.
He was the first and maybe the only guy I remember who actually went after Tyson, not giving an inch and actually backing him up.
If you remember, Vitaly Klitschko was ahead of Lennox Lewis who if not on the ropes was at least in trouble until Klitschko got taken out by a cut. Lewis retired shortly thereafter and I've heard it said it was because he didn't want a rematch, whether true or not.
When I think of someone who would been a great heavyweight if it weren't for his inadequate size I always think of Jerry Quarry. He fought at 191 pounds or so and wouldn't even be considered a heavyweight in today's divisions. If you ever get a chance you might want to look at the YouTube video of Quarry versus Earnie Shavers, who by all accounts was the hardest puncher any of the great '70s/'80s heavy weights ever faced.
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Feb 10, 2022 19:00:52 GMT -8
Wow, I was probably Jerry Quarry's biggest fan. I think he might have been a great fighter in the pre-Ali days, as he had a big punch and a great chin. But he could never cope with the speed of the game once Ali changed it all, and he became little more than a punching bag for guys who wanted to make a name for themselves. I remember paying $5 at the Anaheim Convention Center to watch him fight Ali on closed-circuit TV in Ali's first fight after his suspension. Ali's skills had deteriorated a tad, but he still made Quarry look like a chump.
I remember Jerry as the typical Irish fighter who fought everybody put in front of him in what was arguably the greatest era of heavyweights ever -- Eddie Machen, Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Ellis, Buster Mathis, Joe Frazier, George Chuvalo, Mac Foster, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton and Ali.
Jerry's brother Mike used to work out at Cal State Fullerton when I was an undergrad there, and I spoke with him a few times. He was very similar to Jerry, just born into the wrong era. He was something like 35-0 as a light-heavyweight when he got a title shot at Bob Foster, and Foster destroyed him in three or four rounds.
And of course, what happened to Jerry in his later years is just tragic.
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billb
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Post by billb on Feb 10, 2022 23:09:22 GMT -8
As per the Angels picture... I remember going to a game and the fans threw quarters on the field. I think Reggie was negotiating for a quarter a head or something like that. The fans loved him and I think they were poking fun. As per the heavy weight fights - I used to record them on VCR. Back to Tyson: I think his defense was outstanding. I think he got sloppy with Buster Douglas and every fight after that. Where was his guard? He dropped his hands more and IMO that opened him up. I think he felt invincible or something. Perhaps he aged and got weaker too.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 11, 2022 9:56:54 GMT -8
Back to Tyson: I think his defense was outstanding. I think he got sloppy with Buster Douglas and every fight after that. Where was his guard? He dropped his hands more and IMO that opened him up. I think he felt invincible or something. Perhaps he aged and got weaker too.
Exactly. He had moved so well when he was younger - maybe even more so than Frazier, who had a very similar style - that he was really hard to hit with any effect. Ali bounced all over the ring and was hard to even catch. But really, in boxing you only have to move/dodge with your trunk and your head to protect yourself (unlike martial arts, trust me). Tyson had always stayed low flexed at the waist and with his hands completely covering his head. He didn't really offer that much of a target and what he did offer didn't stay still. I sometimes wonder if it was just laziness that did him in. It takes a lot of energy to fight the way he did with all that upper body movement and I wonder if he just said "What the hell, I'm knocking everybody out in the first few rounds with either hand. Why do I need all this movement?" He was such an impressive student of boxing history and fundamentals, you'd think he would have known better. Thank you, Don King. You make Bernie Madoff look like the pinnacle of integrity. But, damn, that was an impressive performance by Buster Douglas.................................Luca |
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Feb 11, 2022 10:13:47 GMT -8
You sound like an old school boxing fan, billb. What's your opinion of the current heavyweights?
1). Tyson Fury
2). Anthony Joshua
3). Deonte Wilder
4). Andy Ruiz
(Don't throw up on the screen when you reply)
What's your take also, MDDad?
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The rest was history. 
The rest was history.