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thesportssoundoff · 4 years

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Lists ‘N Stuff: 90s Heavyweights

I've been watching a lot of boxing. A lot. Too much even. Originally it started out of my desire to catch up on fights I had missed after I dipped out on boxing in the late 90s before getting back into the sport around 2007 or so. It eventually delved into a deep dive on what basically amounts to the last 20-30 years in combat sports. Given my love of things like lists, I figured I'd do one. After watching way too many fights in the HW division, I wanted to rank my top 10 HWs of the 90s. Considered by many to be the glory days of heavyweight boxing, the 90s were host to many insane heavyweight fights and some of our more legendary characters. Who was the best? Well...

Honorable Mentions:

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock- Given that he started his career in 1982, it's at least somewhat honorable that Ruddock was still having competitive heavyweight fights with elite guys well into 1995 or so. Ruddock was the sort of guy who mastered the art of AAAA. He wasn't good enough to be MLB but he would casually crush the AAA competition.

Chris Byrd- Seriously! Chris Byrd wasn't always the flashiest or the coolest of the heavyweights but credit where it's due, Byrd was pretty solid in the 90s. He beat some decent dudes like Ross Purity, Lionel Butler and Bert Cooper. Watching Byrd, you could pretty much always tell he was destined to be one of those guys that boxing fans were never going to accept no matter what. Got smelted by ike Ibeabuchi.

Buster Douglas- The most famous one hit wonder in all of boxing. Douglas KOing Mike Tyson will always make him historic but in truth, his 90s weren't too hot. He beat Tyson, got smelted by Holyfield, fought a bunch of cans, took time off and then came back to get smelted by Lou Saverese. Not a good run.

Axel Schulz- Just one of those ultra tough under the radar European heavyweights. Fought Foreman, Moorer and Wlad Klitschko in the 90s and gave both Foreman and Moorer a scare. Was always more of a spoiler-y opponent than anything else.

Herbie Hide- I mean Herbie Hide was a two time WBO heavyweight champ although both times he took any semblance of a step up in competition, he was violently smacked back down to Earth. Wins over Tony Tucker and Michael Bentt don't overcome dominant losses to Vitali Klitschko and Riddick Bowe.

1- Lennox Lewis Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 29-1-1 Record in title fights- 8-1-1 Record against other fighters on the list- 3-1-1

Most people have Holyfield above Lennox Lewis in a "Best HWs of the 90s!" poll but I've got Lewis ahead of Holyfield. Let's start with Lewis on his own before we compare the two. Lennox Lewis' 90's resume features your usual HW fare of dudes you'd know like Frank Bruno (he's all over this list), Andrew Golota, Tony Tucker, Ray Mercer, Razor Ruddock, Shannon Briggs and Henry Akinwande. On this Top 10 list? Lewis has wins over Tommy Morrison, Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall. He does have a loss vs Oliver McCall but he was able to eventually get that one back down the line. It's also worth pointing out that outside of Ray Mercer and Holyfield, Lennox Lewis finished all of those guys. His resume looks even spiffier if you consider that he was robbed in the first Holyfield fight (I had it 8 rounds to 4 easily) and so he could be 4-1 vs 3-1-1 against guys on the list. Hell if you want to take it a step further, you could argue he forced Riddick Bowe to take an L before he even got in the ring. Of course who knows if Lewis' resume looks differently if he doesn't get the nod against Ray Mercer in a tough fight. So what necessarily puts Lewis above Holyfield? Simple! He beat Holyfield! Could've beaten him twice if judges did their jobs. The best HW of the 90s was a British dude (By way of Canada and Jamaica).

2- Evander Holyfield Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 12-4-1 Record in title fights- 8-3-1 Record against other fighters on the list- 5-4-1

I feel like the most impressive part of Evander Holyfield's resume in the 90s is that at one point during this era, Holyfield fought six straight title fights and was scheduled for twelve round fights seven fights in a row. At one point Holyfield fought four of the guys on this list in a span of five years including two rematches (against Tyson and Lewis). Evander's resume is the stuff of boxing legend and in the 90s, long before he became a parody of himself, Holyfield was insanely good. Wins over Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer and George Foreman is more than good enough to earn a guy a top 3 spot. Even his losses are for the most part insanely good as we're talking about Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer (in a fight where I do buy the theory that Holyfield was hurt) and Lennox Lewis. Throw in genuinely good tough dudes like Bert Cooper, Ray Mercer and James Stewart and it's hard to find a flaw in the resume of Holyfield. I guess it's maybe a little bit filler heavy with dudes like Bobby Czyz (go to youtube and watch the weirdness that is this fight) or Vaughan Bean? Whatever. Holyfield fights may not have all been action packed but he's got wins galore, big fights galore and a genuine spot at the top of this list.

3- Mike Tyson Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 9-3 Record in title fights- 2-3 Record against other fighters on the list- 0-3

In wrestling, one of the inside jokes is that the theme maketh the man. Have a good entrance? Good entrance song? You're golden! Tyson is proof in boxing that the aura maketh man. Tyson's 90s were....kind of bad in theory. He kicked off the 90s getting smelted by Buster Douglas in the biggest boxing upset ever and then ended the 90s almost getting DQ'd for knocking out Orlin Norris a few seconds after the first round ended. In between that? Tyson lost four years of his career to a rape conviction and beat up on good but not great fighters. Jimmy Stewart, Bruce Seldon and Razor Ruddock were good tough guys but not anybody you'd write home about. I believe in his documentary, Tyson admitted he barely trained after his prison sentence and just skirted by guys due to basically just being Mike Tyson. You could see him vs Frank Bruno and just tell the spark was gone even if he was still so good. In a way that's a testament to what Tyson was but also what he could've been. Outside of the Douglas upset, The Evander Holyfield fights didn't end Tyson's relevancy but it pretty much closed the door on Tyson's reign as a top heavyweight. Even so, it's Mike Tyson. Of course he's in the top 3.

4- George Foreman Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 12-3 Record in title fights- 4-3 Record against other fighters on the list- 1-2

It'd take a whole bushel of effort to discuss George Foreman's history in a paragraph. Just knew he was awesome in the 70s, took some time off and came back fatter and awesome-er than ever. Foreman is like Stone Cold Steve Austin who was told in WCW that he was unmarketable and then when allowed to truly be himself in greener pastures he flourished as a talker and an attraction. Foreman began his comeback at 325 lbs as a way to make some money and in time he eventually put himself into position to fight for the HW title on three different occasions. He came up short vs Morrison and Holyfield before pulling off a historic rabbit out the hat KO over Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion ever. In summation? Foreman's 90s are...strange. It's easy to make a case that Foreman could've lost fights against James Stewart (I had it for George) and Axel Schulz (I had it for Schulz)---but it's also easy to argue that Foreman should've gotten the nod over Shannon Briggs as well (arguably the worst robbery of the zillion fights I watched during this quarantine) and he was basically re-retired by boxing politics. Foreman wasn't the guy he was in his athletic prime but he was extra durable, always powerful and smarter than in year's past. He didn't have a lot of flashy wins in the 90s but we're talking about a guy who won the HW title in his 40s and beat enough top competition to be well suited for a top 5 spot.

5- Riddick Bowe Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 26-1 Record in title fights- 6-1 Record against other fighters on the list- 2-1

Riddick Bowe has been the most fascinating watch of this entire series. When I worked a night shift at a hotel in New York, one of the ways I'd pass the time was to watch old boxing fights on a portable DVD player I had. One of the fights I'd cycle through repeatedly was Bowe-Holyfield II and for a large period of time, my extent of my Bowe knowledge was that fight and the two Legendary Nights documentaries on Bowe-Golota and Bowe-Holyfield. Getting to finally sit down and sink my teeth in the resume of Riddick Bowe is something else. If you remove Bowe's fights vs Golota and Holyfield, you're left with a relatively paltry resume of nothingness but with tantalizing skills that make you wonder how good Bowe could've been. Watch Bowe run through the likes of Herbie Hide, Bert Cooper, Jorge Luis Gonazles and Pierre Coetzer and then wonder how Bowe would've done had he taken fights against Lennox Lewis (Bowe threw a belt in the garbage to avoid a Lewis fight) or Ray Mercer (Bowe vs Mercer was in the works about six different times with both guys turning down the fight at various spots) or Mike Tyson (it's believed Bowe vs Tyson was on the table once in 1991 and then once again in 1995) or George Foreman (Bowe vs Foreman was considered a possibility had Foreman beat Morrison) or Bowe vs Michael Moorer (after Moorer beat Holyfield). Bowe's resume is spiffy but the ducking, the weirdness and the weight gain that held him back all left for a faded image in hindsight. Shit I think Bowe's the only fighter on this list who was thrice involved in melees and brawls! Anyways the trilogy with Holyfield and Bowe vs Golota 1 and 2 are some of the best HW fights you'll see and well worthy of your time. On Earth 2, Andrew Golota twice beat Riddick Bowe and on Earth 3, Bowe's the HW GOAT after beating Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Michael Moorer on top of the Holyfield fights. We live on Earth 1 unfortunately where Bowe's just #5 on the top HWs of the 90s.

6- Michael Moorer Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 21-2 Record in title fights- 5-2 Record against other fighters on the list- 1-2

I'll go to my grave believing that Michael Moorer is a victim of boxing's "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend" methodology. Michael Moorer was a dominant light heavyweight who skipped a weight class and jumped all the way up to heavyweight where he beat the likes of Bert Cooper, Axel Schulz, James Stewart (who had only lost at the time to Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson) and Evander Holyfield. Moorer's heart and toughness are on full display in the Bert Cooper fight which is one of the best fights in any weight class during the 90s. Moore's legacy is defined by the George Foreman fight and an HBO documentary where we got to see Teddy Atlas yelling at him all the time. Moorer deserves better.

7- Oliver McCall Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 22-4 Record in title fights- 2-2 Record against other fighters on the list- 1-1

At first I wanted to leave Oliver McCall off this list entirely but his resume is low key impressive. Watching McCall fights on youtube, he just seems like the ultimate nuisance of a spoiler. He'd look disinterested in a fight then uncork a right hand and it'd be all over. He was the ultimate tough fight spoiler guy and if you need some evidence of that then consider that McCall took the undefeated records of Oleg Maskaev, Lennox Lewis and Bruce Seldon. He was twice a champion of one of the big four sanctioning bodies and his Lennox Lewis upside is pretty damn historic (and so is the rematch for all the more reasons). Throw in a win over a faded Larry Holmes and McCall absolutely has a worthy spot on the top 10. Imagine how much more spiffy this record would be if McCall hadn't basically taken off 3/4ths of the fight vs Frank Bruno.

8- Tommy Morrison Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 25-3-1 Record in title fights- 2-2 Record against other fighters on the list- 1-1

Watching Tommy Morrison's career in hindsight is something I'd recommend all heavyweight boxing fans do. I have no comparison for him in modern times. TheAntiCool has used the term "glass cannon" before and Morrison is probably the best example of that I've ever seen. He's super fast, super explosive, he hits really hard and was one of boxings better finishers. The downside is that he had no semblance of head movement and was not exactly blessed with David Tua's tank-esque chops and steely chin. He was dropped by guys like Razor Ruddock, Carl "The Truth" Williams and Ross Purrity not to mention obliterated by Michael Bentt and Ray Mercer. His competition is the perfect 90s mix of tomato cans and all time greats and to the credit of Morrison, he fought two of the guys in the top 5 of the 90s. He also had some of the wildest heavyweights fights of the 90s; from his mammoth brawl with Razor Ruddock to his wars with Mercer, Purrity, Williams and Joe Hipp. Morrison sums up the 90s pretty well; he never was as good as his fanboys claim but never as bad as his detractors proclaim. Also Morrison is basically Andrei Arlovski since at one point in three different fights, opposing trainers kept telling their fighters that he cannot get out of the way of any right hand.

9- David Tua Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 35-1 Record in title fights- 0-1 Record against other fighters on the list- 0-1

David Tua as a kid was a mythical figure. A Samoan Mike Tyson with insane power who was blasting people out in a round and leaving nothing remaining in his wake. In truth, I think the better comparison for David Tua is actually Tommy Morrison. Both guys were blessed with absurd gifts from God, both were known for their tremendous hooks and both were surprisingly limited which capped their upside in a tremendous division. Tua had his fair share of fights where he was losing until he won so to speak (Hasim Rahman) or was in close before he pulled it out at the end (Jeff Wooden and David Izon). Tua was fun and deserves his spot in the top 10 but the legend was never quite the fact.

10- Ike Ibeabuchi Record in the 90s (Jan 1st 1990 to December 31st 1999)- 20-0 Record in title fights- 1-0 Record against other fighters on the list- 1-0

Watching some of Ike's fights on youtube are spooky difficult to sit through. Ike Ibeabuchi the FIGHTER was a human tank, an immovable mountain of violence. He was a dude who would just push through dudes crudely and violently with little care for what came back his way. Ibeabuchi was just a mack truck of violence with wins over then undefeated guys such as David Tua and Chris Byrd. Ibeabuchi the fighter was a tremendous display but the reason he never made it farther than #10 is that Ibeabuchi outside of the ring was....well...a problem. Ibeabuchi was desperately in need of help as a victim of undiagnosed bipolar disorder and committed some truly heinous atrocities in his life. From odd behavior such as threatening HBO executives with a knife or having people refer to him as "The President" at all times to scary behavior such as a suicide attempt that left a young man wheelchair bound. Ike Ibeabuchi would never fight again after starching future HW champ Chris Byrd in fight rounds in 1999 and would spend 20 years in jail for attempted sexual assault among a litany of other issues. I often say "People are complicated" and Ibeabuchi is one of the bigger examples of that. Ike Ibeabuchi is a case of "What If?" in more ways than one.

#boxing #90s #hws #lewis #tyson #holyfield #mccall #douglas #ibeabuchi #ruddock #forexmoney

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boxertx · 4 years

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Vintage Bobby Czyz

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Marvin Hagler

Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 1987. He reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987, making twelve defenses of that title, and today holds the highest knockout percentage of all undisputed middleweight champions, at 78%. At six years and seven months, his reign as undisputed middleweight champion is the second longest of the last century, behind only Tony Zale, who reigned during World War II. In 1982, annoyed that network announcers often did not refer to him by his nickname, "Marvelous", Hagler legally changed his name to Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Hagler is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. He was named Fighter of the Decade (1980s) by Boxing Illustrated magazine, and twice named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). In 2001 and 2004, The Ring named him the third greatest middleweight of all time and in 2002 named him the 17th greatest fighter of the past 80 years. The International Boxing Research Organisation (IBRO) rates Hagler as the sixth greatest middleweight of all time, while BoxRec rates him the sixth best middleweight of all time. Many analysts and boxing writers consider Hagler to have one of the best chins in boxing history.

Early life and amateur career

Hagler spent his early years in Newark, New Jersey's Central Ward. Following the Newark Riots of July 12–17, 1967, in which 26 people were killed and $11 million in property damage was caused, including the destruction of the Hagler family's tenement, the Haglers moved to Brockton, Massachusetts. In 1969, Hagler took up boxing after walking into a gym in the town owned by brothers Pat and Goody Petronelli, who became his trainers and managers. In 1973, Hagler won the National AAU 165-pound title after defeating Atlanta's Terry Dobbs.

Professional career

Early career

Hagler was a top-ranked middleweight boxer for many years before he could fight for the title. Hagler struggled to find high-profile opponents willing to face him in his early years. Joe Frazier told Hagler, 'You have three strikes against you, "You're black, you're a southpaw, and you're good.' He often had to travel to his opponents' hometowns to get fights. His first break came when he was offered --on two weeks' notice-- a chance against Willie 'the Worm' Monroe, who was being trained by Frazier. Hagler lost the decision but the fight was close, so Monroe gave him a rematch. This time Hagler knocked out Monroe in 12 rounds. In a third fight, he stopped Monroe in two rounds.

Boston promoter Rip Valenti took an interest in Hagler and began bringing in top ranked opponents for Hagler to face. He fought 1972 Olympics gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales; Hagler won the first time, the second was a draw and Hagler knocked out Seales in the third fight. Number 1 ranked Mike Colbert was knocked out in the twelfth and also had his jaw broken by Hagler. Briton Kevin Finnegan was stopped in eight. Afterwards Finnegan required 40 stitches in his face. He dropped a controversial decision to Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts, but knocked out Watts in two rounds in a rematch. Hagler won a ten-round decision over 'Bad' Bennie Briscoe. By then, promoter Bob Arum took notice and signed him.

First title shot

In November 1979, Hagler fought World Middleweight Champion Vito Antuofermo at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. After fifteen rounds, most thought that Hagler had won. Hagler claimed the ref said he won, but the ref denied ever saying it. Hagler claimed he and many others were surprised when the decision was announced as a draw and Antuofermo retained his title. This only added to Hagler's frustrations. Hagler had the boxing skills and killer instinct to knock Vito out, but instead he played it safe and it cost him the title.

World champion

Antuofermo lost his title later to British boxer Alan Minter, who gave Hagler his second title shot. Hagler went to Wembley Arena to face Minter. The tense atmosphere was stoked further when Minter was quoted as saying that "No black man is going to take my title"—Minter would later insist he meant "that black man". Hagler took command and his slashing punches soon opened up the cut prone Minter. The referee halted the contest after 3 rounds. At the conclusion of this bout a riot broke out and Hagler and his trainers had to be carried away to their locker rooms by the police, in the middle of a rain of beer bottles and glasses. After 7 years and 50 fights, Hagler was World Middleweight Champion.

Hagler proved a busy world champion. He defeated future world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias of Venezuela by a knockout in eight rounds and then former world champ Antuofermo in a rematch by TKO in four rounds. Both matches were fought at the Boston Garden near Hagler's hometown, endearing him to Boston fight fans. Syrian born Mustafa Hamsho, who won his shot in an eliminator with Wilfred Benítez and would later defeat future world champion Bobby Czyz, became Hagler's next challenger, put up a lot of resistance but was finally beaten in 11 tough rounds. Michigan fighter William "Caveman" Lee lasted only one round, and in a rematch in Italy, Obelmejias lasted five rounds. British Champion (and mutual Alan Minter conqueror) Tony Sibson followed in Hagler's ever-growing list of unsuccessful challengers. Sibson provided one of the most entertaining (to this point) fights of Marvelous Marvin's career, but he ultimately fell short, lasting six rounds. Next, came Wilford Scypion, who only lasted four. By then, Hagler was a staple on HBO, the Pay Per View of its time.

Hagler vs. Durán

A fight against Roberto Durán followed. Durán was the first challenger to last the distance with Hagler in a world-championship bout. Durán was the WBA Light Middleweight Champion and went up in weight to challenge for Hagler's middleweight crown. Hagler won a unanimous 15-round decision, although after 13 rounds, Duran was ahead by one point on two scorecards and even on the third. Hagler, with his left eye swollen and cut, came on strong in the last two rounds to win the fight.

More title defenses

Then came Juan Roldán of Argentina, who became the only man to be credited with a knockdown of Hagler, scoring one knockdown seconds into the fight – which was clearly a slip to anyone who saw it. Hagler protested bitterly that he had been pulled/pushed to the canvas. Hagler took his revenge though, he introduced his thumb in Roldan's left eye, then brutalized him over ten rounds and stopping him in the middle of round ten. Sugar Ray Leonard was calling the fight ringside with HBO analyst Barry Tompkins. He noted to Tompkins between rounds that Hagler looked older and slower. "Marvin might finally be slowing down, Barry" Leonard remarked. Many people believe this is the fight that gave Sugar Ray Leonard the idea that he could actually win a fight with the aging Hagler. Hamsho was given a rematch, but the Syrian was again TKO'd, this time in only three rounds. Hamsho angered Hagler with a trio of intentional headbutts in the second round and a fourth early in the third, goading the normally patient and cautious Hagler into a full-out attack that left Hamsho battered and defenseless in a matter of seconds.

Hagler vs. Hearns

On April 15, 1985, Hagler and Thomas Hearns met in what was billed as The Fight; later it would become known as "The War." Hagler, despite a cut to the head and being covered in blood, managed to overpower Hearns in the third round after a glancing right hand followed by two more rights and a left, scoring a decisive knockout. The first round of Hagler vs. Hearns is often considered to be among the best three minutes in boxing in middleweight history as the two fighters stood toe-to-toe trading blows. Rounds two and three couldn't live up to the first, as Hearns broke his hand in the first round, but were still very competitive. The fight only lasted eight minutes but it is rightly regarded as a classic and is considered to this day to be Hagler's greatest achievement. Commentator Al Michaels uttered the now-immortal line, "It didn't go very far, but it was a beauty!" The fight was named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring.

Hagler vs. Mugabi

Next was Olympic silver medalist John Mugabi of Uganda, who was 25–0 with 25 knockouts and was ranked the number one contender by all three major bodies. The fight was fought on March 10, 1986 as Hagler had hurt his back and could not fight on the first date booked in 1985. Hagler stopped Mugabi in the 11th round of a brutal fight. Many ringside observers, including analyst Gil Clancy, noticed that Hagler was showing signs of advanced ring wear and age. He was much slower of hand and foot and seemed much easier to hit. He had also completely morphed his ring style from a slick, quick-fisted, boxer/puncher to a strictly flat-footed, stalking, slugger to compensate for his loss of speed and reflexes. Hagler was now said to be seriously considering retirement. Hagler's promoter Bob Arum was quoted as saying he was expecting Hagler to retire in the face of being challenged by Sugar Ray Leonard.

Hagler vs Leonard

The Super Fight

Hagler's next challenger was Sugar Ray Leonard, who was returning to the ring after a three-year retirement (having fought just once in the previous five years.) During the pre-fight negotiations, in return for granting Hagler a larger share of the purse Leonard obtained several conditions which would be crucial to his strategy; a 22x22ft ring, 12oz gloves and the fight was to be over 12—not 15—rounds. Leonard was 2 years younger, had half as many fights, and unbeknownst to Hagler, had engaged in several 'real' fights behind closed doors (i.e. gloves, rounds, a referee, judges and no head gear) in order to shake off his ring rust. The fight took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 6, 1987. Hagler was the betting favorite.

Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, though Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill kept him in the fight. But by the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. As he tired Leonard began to clinch with more frequency (in total referee Richard Steele gave him over 30 warnings for holding, although never deducted a point). Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and run less.

In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard was in trouble, then furiously tried to fight his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round. Clearly tiring, Leonard boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier, if not as effective. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a flurry and danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. Hagler began dancing in celebration of his performance while Leonard alternately collapsed to the canvas and raised both his arms in triumph. Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291.

Hagler later said that, as the fighters embraced in the ring after the fight, Leonard said to him, "You beat me man". Hagler said after the fight, "He said I beat him and I was so happy". Leonard denied making the statement and claimed he only told Hagler, "You're a great champion". HBO cameras and microphones supported Hagler's version of events.

Leonard was announced as winner by split decision, which remains hotly disputed to this day.

Post-fight reaction

Official ringside judge JoJo Guerra, whose 118–110 scorecard was derided in many quarters, commented that:

Judge Dave Moretti, who scored it 115–113 for Leonard:

Lou Filippo, who scored it 115–113 for Hagler and felt that Hagler's bodyshots and aggression earned him the nod, said:

Hugh McIlvanney, commenting in the British Sunday Times and Sports Illustrated:

McIlvanny also referred to Budd Schulberg's contention about a 'compound optical illusion', namely that simply being more competitive than expected meant that Leonard appeared more effective and to be doing more than he actually was. Harry Gibbs, the British judge who ironically had been rejected by the Hagler camp, said he also scored it for Hagler.

Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship, and writing:

The scorecards from the ringside press attest to the closeness of the fight (6–5, 3 drawn) more pundits awarded the fight to Leonard rather than to Hagler, although counting those who scored it even, more felt Hagler deserved to keep his title than did not:

Rematch

Hagler requested a rematch but Leonard chose to retire again (the third of five high-profile retirements announced by Leonard), having said he would do so beforehand. Hagler himself retired from boxing in June 1988, declaring that he was "tired of waiting" for Leonard to grant him a rematch. In 1990, Leonard finally offered Hagler a rematch which reportedly would have earned him $15m, but he declined. By then he had settled down to a new life as an actor in Italy and was now uninterested in boxing. He said "A while ago, yeah, I wanted him so bad, but I'm over that." At the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show Hagler and Leonard had a mock rematch by playing against each other in the video game Boxing Legends of the Ring, and claimed that an actual rematch was being planned.

Training style

Hagler had a unique training regimen in which he would hole up on Cape Cod in motels that had closed for the winter. For his "road work" he would take to the pavement in army boots, declaring running shoes "sissy shoes." He would run much of his route backwards to prepare for movements in the boxing ring.

Professional boxing record

Career after boxing

After the loss to Leonard, Hagler moved to Italy, where he became a well-known star of action films. His roles include a US Marine in the films Indio and Indio 2. In 1996, he starred alongside Giselle Blondet in Virtual Weapon. Hagler has provided boxing commentary for British television. Another foray into the entertainment field includes work in the video game Fight Night: Round 3.

Personal life

Former middleweight southpaw boxer Robbie Sims is Hagler's half brother. Hagler has five children with his first wife, Bertha, including Charelle, Celeste, James, Marvin, Jr., and Gentry. Although he owns a home in Bartlett, New Hampshire, Hagler currently lives in Milan. In May 2000, he married his second wife Kay, an Italian woman, in Pioltello, Italy.

Awards and recognitions

Named Fighter of the Decade (1980s) by Boxing Illustrated

Named Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year for 1983 and 1985.

Named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1983 and 1985.

Inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Wikipedia

#Marvin Hagler #05-23

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frontproofmedia · 4 years

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The Anatomy of a Fight

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By Mike Hills | Contributing Photographer

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Published: January 25, 2020

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When you are assessing a boxing match and predicting a winner, you need to progress along several stages of selection. Just picking a winner based on your ‘gut-instinct’ will lead you to more losses than picking a winner.

Part 1: Anatomy of Picking a winner.

Picking a winner in a heavyweight title fight is not an easy thing; there’s no tried and tested algorithm. Heavyweights can be moody and inconsistent.

I’ve been watching the heavyweights for many years; heavies hold a place in my heart. I have been to many world heavyweight title fights and seen Lennox Lewis and Herbie Hide win and lose their titles. I was there when Frank Bruno came so close to winning the heavyweight title but was thankfully also there when he finally achieved his goal after three unsuccessful attempts. I was ringside watching a young Vitali Klitchko smash his way to the world title.

Historically, heavyweights can be extremely boring, or they can be edge of your seat exciting. On social media, boxing fans debate their opinion as to what was the most exciting fight in history for the heavyweight title. Topping those poles is usually George Foreman V Ron Lyle, Michael Moorer V Bery Cooper, or Riddick Bowe V Evander Holyfield. Most of Mike Tyson’s fights were not overly exciting; at his peak, Mike was just too dominant for them to be thrilling. Tyson would smash his opponents with ease. He was too fast, too mobile, too skilled, too powerful, and very aggressive. Much of Mike Tyson’s excitement came in the event build-up, not the fight itself.

Through my close friendship with Hall of Fame boxing judge and HBO’s Unofficial judge Harold Lederman, I became an HBO groupie. I was part of the HBO fight crew. This provided me with unique access to all areas of the fight process, i.e., rules meetings, fighter meetings, press conferences. I remember in the mid-1990s, HBO was in town for Naseem Hamed V Paul Ingle. HBO boss Lou Dibella came up to me and said: “Ok, Mike, where is the next Naseem Hamed in England?” I responded, “Well, we have people like Michael Brodie and….”. Lou quickly and aggressively (as only a brash New Yorker can) interjected, “No! No! I want the next Naseem Hamed.” What he meant was the next “special” talent to come through from England. He was not interested in world-class fighters; he wanted elite fighters. Ever since then, I used Lou’s yardstick as my barometer on which to grade world champions. Michael Watson, Nigel Benn, and Chris Eubank were already stars. Herbie Hide was a talented cruiserweight/heavyweight, yet he could be inconsistent. I was ringside with HBO when Joe Calzaghe made his professional debut. I spent days researching amateur and professional rankings looking for the next ‘Naseem Hamed.’ I made a few errors when passing on my picks to HBO. Carl Froch and David Haye were elite champions that will one day enter the Hall of Fame, but they were not the next ‘Naseem Hamed.’

One day this incredibly athletic heavyweight began making huge strides as an amateur. I began to watch his career closely. The Adonis looking heavyweight seemed to have it all, speed, skills, athleticism, size, charisma, looks, and the right amount of nastiness in his work. I quickly contacted Harold Lederman at HBO. I was sure this was the next ‘Naseem Hamed.’ He agreed to follow the fledgling career of this talented, yet unproven heavyweight. Whenever I read about this new heavyweight, I would pass on articles, DVDs, and www.youtube.com clips of this sensational amateur. Eventually, Harold contacted me and said, “Mike, based on your seal of approval, HBO is interested in signing ANTHONY JOSHUA to a contract.” Sadly for HBO, they were not able to gain the signature of Anthony Joshua. Who knows; if HBO had Joshua’s signature under contract, they might still be in the business of boxing.

Part 2: The Anatomy of a “Shock” Loss.

There have been many shock losses in heavyweight boxing. It’s part of what makes the division so exciting; it's also what makes the sport so frustrating in equal measure.

I can say with my hand on my heart that I did not see Anthony Joshua losing to Ruiz. I was visually aware of how uninterested he seemed when he entered the ring on June 1st, 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBK4fieXn-4

I do not own a crystal ball, and I also do not profess to be a boxing expert. However, if you pay close attention to press articles, it is possible to gain an insight into how a fight is going to go. I remember seeing Buster Douglas lose to Tony Tucker. Douglas was slated because of the way he pretty much ran out of steam and gave up against Tucker. Yet, I saw something different. I saw Douglas as a talented fighter with many quality skills. I wondered if the occasion rather than the fighter had gotten to Buster. I had this belief that without the pressure of winning, Douglas could be a very dangerous foe for anyone.

Around this time in 1999, one of the most dominant heavyweights in history was starting to crumble. In the time leading up to a fight with the underestimated Frank Bruno, Tyson was involved in a series of events. Tyson marries Robin Givens and then is accused of domestic violence. He sues his manager Bill Cayton. Tyson fights with Mitch Green at 4 am and breaks his hand. Tyson is knocked out cold as his car hits a tree in an alleged suicide attempt, because of a ‘chemical imbalance’ in his brain. Next, there is the infamous television interview where Robin Givens rips and belittles Mike Tyson in front of a worldwide audience. This concludes with Robin Givens suing Tyson for divorce. Mike’s next signs with promoter Don King. There were misconduct accusations against Mike Tyson. The fight with Frank Bruno is postponed a few times. Finally, when Bruno enters the ring with Mike Tyson, Tyson’s performance is patchy at best. Mike would then go onto knockout Carl Williams early, but to be fair, Tyson was capable of doing this to anyone.

This leads us to the Buster Douglas fight in Tokyo, Japan, in 1990. Leading up to the fight, the reports on the erratic behavior of Mike Tyson kept rolling on. The night of the fight, I believed Tyson was going to lose. I didn’t even bother watching the fight. I do not believe it is such a shock as scribes will have us believe, I think history has been reinvented by some of the press.

When Mike Tyson weighed in for the first Holyfield fight, we all knew that Tyson was a shell of his former self. Sure he could still hit hard and had some speed, but he was not the monster that destroyed the heavyweight division in the 1980s. He was still favored to beat the excellent Evander Holyfield. Holyfield had been struggling during recent fights; he struggled with career middleweight/light-heavy Bobby Czyz. Yet, when I saw Tyson strip down for the weigh-in, I strongly suspected something was not right with Tyson physically, so I again refused to watch the fight. Tyson lost. Was it a monumental shock loss to me? No, it was not.

When Mike Tyson signed to fight Danny Williams, my American friends told me it was an easy night for Tyson. I told them Danny would win. What the Americans did not know was that Danny Williams was a very talented heavyweight with the ability to beat most fighters. Danny’s Achilles heel was his self-esteem in the ring. Danny didn’t handle pressure well. However, for this fight, I knew Danny would not be feeling the pressure, he was expected to lose, plus add in the fact that Mike Tyson was not Mike Tyson anymore and you have the right ingredients for a shock. My American friends doubted my ability to read the noble art when I told them Mike Tyson could not win this fight. Again, was this fight a shock? Not to me.

Let’s look at Lennox Lewis. In the 1990s through HBO, I had attended Lennox Lewis’ fights. I had been in his training camps, etc. Lewis was an excellent champion, big, strong, powerful, and athletic. Lewis outsized most heavyweights in the division. In September 1990, Lewis was making the defense of his title against the teak-tough Mike Tyson sparring partner Oliver ‘The Atomic Bull’ McCall. It was a routine defense for Lennox. Or was it? I was in town, having just spent four months in America. The night before the fight, I went with Harold Lederman for a Johnny Armour fight at the historic York Hall in Bethnal Green. Amongst the fight crowd at ringside, the talk was that Lennox was believing in his own hype and perhaps had taken his eye off McCall. People were talking of Lewis losing to Oliver McCall. I remember the night of the fight watching an unmotivated Lennox Lewis being stopped by Oliver McCall. Was it the shock people now say it was? Probably not. By the way, I believe the stoppage was a good judgment call.

Moving onto April 2001, Lennox Lewis was signed to fight the big punching Hasim Rachman. Lewis was on a good run and had developed into a dominant champion. This fight was a formality, or was it. I was in Virginia, visiting a friend when the fight was happening. I had been reading reports about Lewis not being motivated and showing more interest in a part in the motion picture Oceans 11. He was also arriving late to become acclimatized to the altitude he was going to be fighting at. As with earlier fights, I believed Lennox Lewis was going to lose and so did not watch the fight. Was this fight the huge shock we are now led to believe it was? I don’t think it was.

This now leads me to say, from a personal perspective, the legendary shock losses described above, were not that shocking. They were just the natural occurrences that a series of events led them to be. It would have been shocking if Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis won those fights. To me, as an outsider in the sport now, the Anthony Joshua loss is far more shocking than the Tyson or Lewis loses. Mike Tyson was never able to recover from those losses; he peaked early and had a sensational career before his lifestyle and mindset reduced him from an elite world champion to a dangerous contender. However, Lennox Lewis used the losses to help guide him toward even more perfection inside the ring. To Lennox, the losses were not significant; they were just blips on his career path.

I wonder where this leads Anthony Joshua. Is the loss to Ruiz just a blip, and will it help guide Anthony to make him a better champion? Alternatively, have we seen the best of Anthony Joshua. Has he reached his zenith? Can Anthony improve his ring generalship, or is he a talented yet flawed champion? Time will tell, but with Eddie Hearn steering the ship, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

Part 3: The Lead-up to the fight

I will hold my hand up and say that I do not now devour fight reports the way I used to do back in the day. I do read the facts and stats before the fight and listen to the multiple excellent podcasts that are currently available. Unlike in the past, I was reluctant to make my big fight prediction for the Joshua V Ruiz rematch. The fights above, I was extremely confident Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis were ready to lose, yet this rematch left me baffled.

During a recent Sky Television interview with Anna Woodhouse, Anthony Joshua didn’t seem to have the usual media-savvy presence normally on display. The veil had slipped, he seemed angered by some of the things Lennox Lewis said and as such called Lewis a ‘clown.’

I often find it hard to read Anthony Joshua. His time on the GB Elite amateur boxing squad has allowed him to be media savvy, something other fighters are not. It is often hard to know how Joshua truly feels. Joshua is full of quotes and anecdotes, yet he’s reluctant to be vulnerable to media interviewers. This left me wondering how Joshua had truly dealt with his defeat. Was he emotionally damaged? Did he need a few more fights to rebuild his confidence? Was he still a mentally robust individual? I always felt that Joshua was a man of strong mental fortitude. He’d been beaten in the World Amateur final, yet the loss didn’t seem to phase him one bit, he went on to win Olympic Gold. The Sky Television interview dented my confidence in Joshua.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRBRMOdZfo4

I knew Andy Ruiz was a quality fighter, and the way he brushed aside Joshua in their first fight seemed to erode my confidence in the English fighter further. When a fighter wins a world title, many past champions have said it improves their confidence and ring IQ by many percents. This all looked ominous for Joshua.

Several friends contacted me for advice on the rematch. For once in my life, I didn’t have confidence in my answer. I said I believed Joshua would be looking for a large ring. He will not try to engage Ruiz in a shootout. You will not see Anthony’s back on the ropes. If he finds himself on the ropes, he’ll grab Ruiz in a bearhug and walk them both back to the center of the ring. Anthony will stick to the basics; he’ll be jabbing and jabbing and jabbing and then will throw occasional straight right hands.

Meanwhile, the confident and explosive Andy Ruiz will be stalking Joshua and will explode with his faster and powerful punches when Joshua’s hands begin to drop, and his jab starts to lose snap. I thought Ruiz would spend the first six rounds, destroying Anthony’s body to slow down the over-muscled athlete. I had little faith that Joshua could hold the fight plan to fruition. I thought he might tire down the stretch and find himself in a war. Too often in the past, Anthony Joshua has thrown the fight plan away and elected to brawl. This is what makes Anthony such an exciting fighter, but it’s also what makes him vulnerable. Did I think Anthony Joshua would win? Yes, I did, I shakily predicted a points win. Was I confident in my prediction? No, I was not. I thought Ruiz had a good chance of repeating the upset.

Part 4: The Re-Match Weigh-in

I woke up at 5 am Colorado time, ready for the weigh-in. As I explained above, you can sometimes gain an appreciation of both fighters at the weigh-in. I remember when future Hall of Fame fighter Ricky Hatton weighed in for his fight against the naturally bigger fighter Floyd Mayweather. Hatton was an excellent world champion at a weight below Floyd, yet I felt he could give Floyd all kinds of problems. Did I think Ricky could win? Sure, I thought Ricky was slightly past his best and would be utilized by Mayweather, yet he had the gile and skills to beat Floyd. As Hatton weighed in, I realized that Floyd’s schoolyard bully tactics had gotten to Hatton, and now he was in a fit of rage, his amygdala was completely flared up. It was at this point that I knew Hatton was in trouble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpF4WyiHvz8

Both Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz kept the weigh-in civil. Both men appeared respectful of each other. The elephant in the room was the numbers on the scales. Andy Ruiz had weighed in 283lbs, which was 15lbs heavier than the first fight. Looking at his physique, the extra weight was not formed by muscle. He looked like he’d been skipping his cardio sessions.

Anthony stepped on the scales at 237lbs, which was 10lbs less than last time and his lowest since 2014. Historically, I have never enjoyed fighters losing weight, as it can delete some of the physical strength. Chris Byrd, the former heavyweight champion of the world, dropped weight later in his career and came in at light heavy only to be starched by Shaun George. Roy Jones moved through the weights from middleweight to heavyweight. After winning the heavyweight title, Roy stripped his body back down to light heavyweight and was never even close to being the same again. Losing this weight took something away from one of the greatest fighters ever to step in the ring. Roy Jones began to suffer some worrying knockout losses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U97xim63XJ0

Part 5: The Prediction

After the weigh-in, my predictions on the fight began to oscillate. Ruiz was obesely overweight, yet had looked powerful and impressive on the pads during the media workout. However, was he fit enough to be able to close the ring down on the skinnier and more agile Anthony Joshua? How was the weightloss going to affect Joshua, there have been whispers around Anthony’s ability to take a shot for a few years. Surely losing the weight would only lessen his ability to hold a punch? Did Anthony have the physical endurance to be able to jab and move his way around the ring for 12 rounds? Let’s not forget, Anthony won his title very early in his career and, at such, is still learning his craft. Historically, Anthony has been too easily dragged into a “dog-fight.” This would be a dangerous tactic against a man as powerful as Andy Ruiz. Leading up to the fight, ex-champion, and a man that both men had fought, Joseph Parker weighed in on the fight. Parker selected Ruiz to repeat the win over Joshua. Parker claimed Ruiz had hit him harder than anyone he had fought. Joseph Parker claimed that Andy Ruiz’s power was special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_p6gP80XsQ

As explained in detail above, what makes the heavyweight division so exciting is its unpredictability. Picking a winner can seem like crystal ball gazing. Historically, I have developed a knack of predicting a winner. It is my belief that if you listen to the whispers enough and pay close attention to the fighters’ behaviors in the lead-up to the fight, you can have around a 90% accuracy of picking the right winner. As I explained, Tyson V Douglas, Tyson V Holyfield, Tyson V Williams, Lewis V McCall, Lewis V Rachman were not the shocks the boxing press have you believe. Start paying close attention to the media, yet have the discipline to believe in your own decisions.

When making a prediction, you also need to look at the men surrounding a fighter. Mike Tyson was given much criticism for sacking his trainer Kevin Rooney and his management of Bill Cayton (his other close friend/manager Jim Jacobs had sadly died) leading up to the Buster Douglas fight. The press criticized Tyson’s training team during the Douglas fight. They failed to bring an enswell into the corner, inside they filled a condom with ice and used it unsuccessfully to reduce the swelling around Tyson’s eye. Andy Ruiz has Manny Robles in his corner. Manny is an excellent boxing trainer. He’s a man I’ve admired for a while now.

On the other hand, Anthony has Robert McCracken in his corner. Robert was a world-class fighter, and since becoming a trainer had made the British amateur scene envied around the world. My only fear with Robert was how distracted he was his by the GB Amateurs; surely, they must take up much of his time. I was also worried by a comment Robert had said, saying his main interest lay in his amateur boxers, not the professional fight scene.

My prediction for Ruiz V Joshua II was a wide points decision for Anthony Joshua. Was I secure in my decision? Not at all. I could see Andy Ruiz knocking out Anthony Joshua at any point in the fight. All it would take for this to happen would be the athletic Anthony Joshua to leave an opening for the faster Andy Ruiz to land a punch. Or maybe the slow-footed Andy Ruiz would walk Anthony Joshua down. Ruiz may cut the corners off and wear the muscled Anthony Joshua down.

Looking at the weigh-in, I didn’t feel Andy Ruiz had the same fire in his belly. Sure, Ruiz would want to win, but certainly not to the same degree as he wanted it in the first fight. I believe Anthony Joshua would be so “up” for the rematch. He’d not allow himself to be lackluster this time. This was the fighter I’d boldly predicted to Harold Lederman and HBO as the next coming of ‘Naseem Hamed.’ He was a sure hit to be a megastar. I had total belief in Anthony Joshua from his amateur days; it was time for me to continue backing my man.

I did back my fighter, yet with much trepidation. I was certainly not secure in my decision. At some point, you have to draw a line in the sand and make your statement of how a fight would finish. However, I do often change my mind a few seconds after the bout has begun.

Part 6: The Fight.

The fight turned out to be a boxing masterclass by Anthony Joshua. Anthony used his feet to move in and out. Anthony didn’t allow himself to be drawn into a shoot-out with Andy Ruiz. The weight loss helped Joshua; he kept his hands up, jabbed, and moved. He used his ramrod jab to set up his straight right hand. Was the fight boring? No, not at all; at no point could Anthony relax and become complacent. Occasionally Andy Ruiz would get through with a flurry of strong punches. Anthony would respond, yet in the past, he would plant his feet and unload. This time he moved out of range and or grabbed hold. What was surprising was, every time Anthony Joshua would grab hold of Andy Ruiz, Andy would manhandle Joshua with ease.

Anthony Joshua cruised to a decision. He showed speed, power, strength, stamina, and the ability to stick to a game plan. Maybe, like Lennox Lewis, Anthony Joshua will use the initial loss as a catalyst for improving himself inside the ring?

During the post-fight interviews, Andy Ruiz interrupted Sky TV and demanded a rematch with Anthony Joshua. I’m sorry to say the third fight will not or should not be on the fight calendar. Andy came into the ring overweight and undermotivated; he disrespected this unique event. Eddie Hearn, at Matchroom Boxing, had brought boxing to the Middle East. They had built a 20,000 seat arena to host the fighters. Fans had flown in from all over the world. This could have led Andy Ruiz to be a global icon, yet he couldn’t get himself motivated to take advantage of an incredible opportunity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnuWA-jBOrU

So what next for Andy Ruiz? Fans will not be clammering for a rubber match. Andy will need to go back to America and find his motivation again. Anthony Joshua is now mandated to take on the top contender by the world governing bodies. Should Andy have a few more wins, and if Deontay Wilder gets past the maverick, Tyson Fury, I can see Wilder offering a title shot to Andy Ruiz. I think that’s an acceptable fight for both men.

What next for Anthony Joshua? He’s now in line to satisfy the governing bodies. They have number 1 contenders that Anthony is mandated to fight. This should keep Anthony busy for the first half of 2020. Firstly, he needs to take on Kubrat Pulev. Pulev is a solid contender and the number 1 contender for the IBF title. I see Anthony beating Pulev either on points or via late stoppage. The WBO number 1 contender is Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk is gaining almost mythical respect from the fight press. I agree that Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, is an excellent athlete and fighter, yet I’m not 100% sold on him. I remember Usyk losing to welterweight Shawn Porter. Anyway, this debate is for a later blog.

Thank you for enduring this extended blog. I wanted readers to begin to understand how my brain operates regarding fight predictions.

(Featured Photo: Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images)

#MH #Boxing #Anthony Joshua #Andy Ruiz Jr.

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