R.I.P. Kevin Payne
Hey fight fans, Rokk here to shove some boxing down your throats. Boxing fans, like myself, are dismayed in the lack of action this time of year, but at least we have the NCAA tournament to keep us busy (my bracket was blown to hell). Only one televised fight is being shown this weekend, unless you have the “tele” Spanish channels. So as a bonus feature we will discuss fights that have taken place in recent years, 1980-present, that yours truly will keep in heavy rotation in my DVD player.
Well, ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights will feature a mediocre card that includes unrated, but undefeated, Middleweight contender Edison Miranda (25-0 with 22 KOs). While doing some homework on Mr. Miranda, since I have not seen him fight, I have found that his first 14 opponents have recorded 16 wins and about 82 losses combined; taking into account that one of those fighters produced 12 wins. Not very impressive. Miranda will be facing a tough Howard Eastman (40-3 with 34 KOs), and is ranked within the top ten of most Middleweight rankings. Eastman has dropped his last 2 fights by decision, but no one can blame him. Losing to the man that holds the most consecutive title defenses for a Middleweight, Bernard Hopkins, and an undefeated hot prospect, Arthur Abraham. In fact, Eastman’s 3 losses are to either champions or former champs. I see this as an extremely lopsided fight, with Eastman with a late round stoppage, or Unanimous Decision. The undercard for this fight features a man that made his pro debut the year that “Funky Town” made it to number 1 on the billboard charts. Yup, 43 year-old legend Hector “Macho” Camacho (79-5-2) will be lacing them up against Kevin Sims (25-12-1). Why, you ask? I have no idea. I will never complain about watching living legends in the ring, but Hector hasn’t fought a meaningful fight since his loss to the Golden Boy in 1997. I wish Camacho the best; he has given the boxing world everything he has.
Alright boys and girls, time to take a peak into Uncle Rokk’s boxing collection to see which fights are at the top of his list. I will limit this list to 1980 to present to keep this under ten pages, and trust me I am definitely thinning this list out. The top of this list is a tough call because there are 2 fights that will always be remember by me as the cream of the crop.
1. “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, 1985
“Holy shit!” This is the response you will receive from any hardcore boxing fan when you say, “Oh I’ve never seen that fight.” This explosive fight had everything, a hardcore buildup, unified title at stake, two power punchers, a combined record of 100-3, and a dramatic finish. This fight, which many writers will put in their top 5 of all time, only lasted 3 rounds, but damn they were exciting. Hagler gets cut badly early, only to come back and floor Hearns, sending him and his Afro down for the count. This fight is a must, and if you are not familiar with these fighters, do some research, the magnitude of this fight rivaled game 7 of a World Series.
2. Diego “Chico” Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I, 2005
Minutes after the conclusion of this fight it was deemed the most exciting fight since Hagler/Hearns and since been labeled by many newspapers and websites as the best fight in the last decade. These 2 Lightweights (135 lbs.) left everything in the ring that night, and unfortunately though it was a title fight aired by Showtime, didn’t get much hype before and didn’t get very good ratings. Since, Showtime has probably re-aired this fight over a dozen times, with good reason. The reason this fight was so exciting is that these 2 warriors fought toe-to-toe for 10 grueling rounds, both hurting each other with every blow. When most boxing fans think of lighter weight fighters, you think speed and a ton of jabs…not here, only hooks and uppercuts. Reports state that Marvin Hagler actually approached Corrales at the boxing Hall of Fame, and shook his hand stating that he appreciated that fight immensely because it reminded him of the way he used to fight, with determination and passion. I will let you judge for yourself, this fight is easily obtained if you just look, and if not send me an email and I will spread the joy.
3. Alexis “El Flaco” Arguello vs. Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor I, 1982
Alright we know who Pryor is if you read my previous “Dream Fights” article, which I mentioned this fight. You gotta love the early 80’s fights, back then the best fought the best, this is no exception both men were at or near their career primes. At 5’10” and 138 lbs. Alexis came in with a 4″ height advantage and a devastating punch that many challengers know all too well. Pryor not to be outdone packed a punch that KO-ed many opponents within 8 rounds with ease, noting that back then Championship fights were scheduled for 15 not 12 rounds. This fight went 14 back and forth rounds and just when you thought Pryor was hurt he would flurry back and stun Arguello much to the chagrin of the pro Arguello crowd. This fight at the time of the stoppage was scored damn close to even, and if Pryor didn’t land a variety of power shots in that 14th round to finally floor Alexis for good definitely could have gone either way.
4. “Irish” Mickey Ward vs. Arturo “Thunder” Gatti – Trilogy, 2002-2003
Boxing fans around the world owe these 2 fighters all of their respect for producing 3 memorable fights in 11 months. Have you ever played Knockout Kings, Fight Night, or any other 2 player boxing game with your friends and load up and just brawl? If the answer is yes, then you are doing exactly what these fighters did. NO titles at stake but these 2 warriors gave HBO boxing 3 thrilling fights that will go down in history as arguably the best trilogy ever. Both fighters coming off bad losses really had nothing at stake but pride, and showed the boxing world that “blood and guts” are what draws fans and respect. These fights include Ward flooring Gatti with a ridiculous hook to the body that most wouldn’t get up from, and Gatti out-boxing Ward with a broken hand for 5 rounds. One word describes these 2 pros “Unbelievable”….Thank you.
5. “The Kid” Meldrick Taylor vs. Julio Cesar Chavez I, 1990
With the unfortunate deaths in boxing recently, many forget the tragic story of Meldrick Taylor, a U.S. Olympian who brought home the Gold in 1984. Taylor an undefeated prospect fought Mexican and world renowned legend Chavez who at the time was 69-0 for the Welterweight title, and at the time securing a spot of being one of the top fighters at that time. This fight gives me chills every viewing, with Taylor dominating Chavez with his speed and boxing skills, rounds 1-10 in my opinion won easily by Taylor. What you need to know about Taylor though, is he wasn’t a power puncher, and the few blows landed cleanly by Chavez throughout the fight began to take it’s toll on Taylor in the final rounds. By round 12 of a scheduled 12 round bout, the f*cking asshole (pardon my language) Lou Duva told Taylor to go after Chavez and try to KO him. What transpired in the 12th round will always be engrained in my mind, with less than 10 seconds left, Chavez hit Taylor with a shot that sent him reeling, and ref Richard Steele stopped the fight with no time left on the clock. The worst part of this fight is, that though not medically proven, Taylor suffered sever brain damage from this fight that he was winning. If boxers have one quality, or sin it is pride, Taylor has never been the same, and it has always bothered me that he never got the chance to win that fight. Meldrick Taylor will forever have my respect along with the respect of every true boxing fan.
6. David Tua vs. John “The Quiet Man” Ruiz, 1996
OK, for the better part of the last decade boxing fans have had to endure a Heavyweight Champion by the name of John Ruiz, which all agree is as interesting to watch as paint drying, I would consider watching a toilet flushing more exciting than watching Ruiz. This is why I wouldn’t mind watching this fight on a loop for about a half hour. Mr. Tua decided that Ruiz shouldn’t be upright for too long and throws a punch that would KO Ruiz in 18 seconds. Thank You, Dave!
7. Rene Arostegui vs. Gustavo Magallanes, 2005
This fight was brought to my attention by a boxing fan that breaths the sport, and without him I would have never seen this gem! This fight was everything you would ever dream in a fight and it lasted 3 rounds! If I can remember correctly, there were 6-7 knockdowns in about 8 minutes, most at the hands of the loser. I would be shocked if anyone even heard of these boxers or ever will, but this fight is as entertaining as any fight ever will be, trust me.
8. Roy Jones Jr. vs. Montell Griffin II, 1997
Oh yeah, this one-rounder is spectacular! Roy suffered his first professional loss to Griffin in their first fight, though not by KO or decision, but by Disqualification for allegedly hitting Griffin when he was on the ground. After this fight Griffin decided it would be a great idea to talk shit, so Roy made him pay, and pay dearly. Roy Jones hit Montell with a punch that should go down in history…it was a full thrust of a hook/uppercut that floored Griffin to the point that beating a ten count was more obtainable than you sleeping with Britney Spears.
9. “Prince” Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin “The Flushing Flash” Kelly, 1997
Another fight to marvel at, this was f*cking exciting! 6 knockdowns in 4 rounds is enough to draw attention to a fight even without the Prince’s antics. You all remember Hamed, you loved to hate him, and this fight was your moment of grace until the 4th. Combined the 2 fighters boasted a 75-1 record and this fight lived up to it’s potential, with both fighters scoring 3 knockdowns a piece, though Hamed’s sealed the deal. A must see!
10. Felix “Tito” Trinidad vs. Bernard “Executioner” Hopkins, 2001
Tito suffered his first loss to Hopkins. Although many thought De la Hoya won their fight, but Trinidad got the decision. The most impressive part of this fight is that Hopkins fought harder than I have ever seen him fight. Flooring Trinidad and finally putting him away in the 12th. This fight isn’t very impressive unless you are familiar with both fighters, and respect the game, but definitely worth viewing.
These fights are not the best fights of the last 20 years, or the most significant, just the fights that you watch and want to show your friends for the reason that they are F’ing entertaining.
-Thank You to Justin for pointing out a few small infractions that have since been corrected.
