Who am I?

[sweetviolenturg]

I am in the HoF and am considered the best ever in my weight class. I was born in a state not associated with boxing I signed to fight an amateur fighter in a feed store- color me surprised when it was an all time great under pseudonym who outweighed me by 25 pounds showed up. I turned conventional scoring on its head. I filed a lawsuit against a media outlet claiming a threw a fight. The jurors screwed me!

I fought all sorts- a school supply, a planet, a Mexican, and SS repeatedly.

Willie & I in 1990.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

speaking of james broad, he's one of the boxers that Maurice Smith fought and got knocked out by, what a shitty managerial

I beat an all time great, and lost one of my belts when I agreed to give him a rematch. Lost the other when we fought,

My brother avenged my loss to another all time great, twice.

My son won titles and was once attended to the ring by a celebrity who recently tried to lure Bryce Harper to my hometown. My other son, also an aspiring boxer, was murdered.

I dropped in weight to revive my career, but that didn’t pan out well.

Michael Strahan has nothing on my smile.

Leon & I in 1995.

 

[Absolut]

That’s awesome

 

[sweetviolenturg]

speaking of james broad, he's one of the boxers that Maurice Smith fought and got knocked out by, what a shitty managerial job, i thought when I saw that, you don't take someone with an extensive boxing record, ammie/pro and put your cashcow in with him, just stupid.

Yeah, that's a fight that I always wondered about. Were Smith's people that confident in his skills with his hands that they legitimately thought that he could beat "Broadaxe" Broad or what? I mean, Broad was well past his best by that point but c'mon...

 

[sweetviolenturg]

That’s awesome

Who's your favorite fighter from that era?

 

[sweetviolenturg]

I was born in a legendary fight city, but I fought out of a legendary gym elsewhere. Al Bernstein saw one of my fights and said it was the best round of boxing he’d ever seen- ahead of Hearns/ Hagler and Corrales/Castillo. I stepped into to fight a HoF all time great, when a stable mate was injured. I cracked the champ with a left- I think that made him mad. I was blown out in 1. Rumors are I smoked crack the night before the fight...

Another fighter from my gym tried his luck, while he did better, the result was the same, in a different round. Unfortunately, after boxing I had repeated stints in prison.

That fight that Al Bernstein referred to was, of course, the July of 1981 classic between "Caveman" Lee & John Locicero. A fight that took place during a heatwave that covered much of the US including Detroit where the fight took place & my native Buffalo where I watched the fight on ESPN's Top Rank Boxing. I remember sweating buckets as I watching their savage affair in which both men were repeatedly hurt by the other's powerful punches until Lee connected with the fight's final blows that left Locicero in an exhausted, battered heap on the canvas. It was a terrific fight & it remains one of my all-time favorites to this day.

 

[Absolut]

Who's your favorite fighter from that era?

So many-

In no particular order:
Hagler- I was convinced the man was a robot and you could not beat him.

Hearns- he was so dangerous and vulnerable. Felt like anything was about to happen.

Julian Jackson- just brutal.

Whitaker and Breland- watched them in the olympics and was mesmerized. I have a beat up old 84 Olympic boxing poster in my office still.

Holmes- mad dad hated him for Ali. I think it was growing up and wanting to make him mad. Plus, he he wore big glasses like me. I used to practice his jab in the basement and knock people out.

Michael Spinks- hometown champ

Alexis- so spindly and then would launch. I
Wrote him a letter in crayon as a kid saying he should change his name to the praying mantis. I was so convinced is was the baddest name ever. I think I addressed it Mr. Arguello
Boxer
Argentina. (Don’t ask, that’s where I thought he was from)

You?

 

[Absolut]

That fight that Al Bernstein referred to was, of course, the July of 1981 classic between "Caveman" Lee & John Locicero. A fight that took place during a heatwave that covered much of the US including Detroit where the fight took place & my native Buffalo where I watched the fight on ESPN's Top Rank Boxing. I remember sweating buckets as I watching their savage affair in which both men were repeatedly hurt by the other's powerful punches until Lee connected with the fight's final blows that left Locicero in an exhausted, battered heap on the canvas. It was a terrific fight & it remains one of my all-time favorites to this day.

View attachment 527397

exactly. a brutal fight with an incredible ending. I cant imagine fighting in that, doing roadwork, training in the gym with no AC- Kronk gym must have smelled from blocks away.

 

[ironfist05]

Bob & I in Canastota in 1993.
View attachment 527359

that's awesome. dude had an absolute nuke of a punch.

 

[Absolut]

I have a family member in the boxing HoF and have been involved in fights in Mexico, Panama, Canada, Germany, Australia, Philippines and the US. I don’t believe a round can be even. I don’t think Joe Calzaghe should be undefeated. In one of the most anticipated fights at MW, I thought the Mexican fighter won, easily.

anyone working this one? otherwise i'll give the answer and move on.

 

[DeJulez]

So many-

In no particular order:
Hagler- I was convinced the man was a robot and you could not beat him.

Hearns- he was so dangerous and vulnerable. Felt like anything was about to happen.

Julian Jackson- just brutal.

Whitaker and Breland- watched them in the olympics and was mesmerized. I have a beat up old 84 Olympic boxing poster in my office still.

Holmes- mad dad hated him for Ali. I think it was growing up and wanting to make him mad. Plus, he he wore big glasses like me. I used to practice his jab in the basement and knock people out.

Michael Spinks- hometown champ

Alexis- so spindly and then would launch. I
Wrote him a letter in crayon as a kid saying he should change his name to the praying mantis. I was so convinced is was the baddest name ever. I think I addressed it Mr. Arguello
Boxer
Argentina. (Don’t ask, that’s where I thought he was from)

You?

Tyson hated Holmes because of Ali.
He wanted to beat his ass for him.
And ended up doing that.

 

[Absolut]

Tyson hated Holmes because of Ali.
He wanted to beat his ass for him.
And ended up doing that.

Which I get and I don't. I hate the Red Sox for beating my cards in the WS, twice!, but I don't really.

Holmes and Berbick were doing their jobs and certainly didn't do it as cruelly as Ali did to some opponents. Should have been more mad at Ali and his team for putting him in the ring at that point.

Chavez infuriated me for beating my favorites- and usually in a suspect manner... so I'm back to getting it...

 

[ironfist05]

My nationality is controversial. Unlike a lot of the top fighters from where I was born, I'm an orthodox boxer, and unlike a lot of the top boxers from where I live, I'm slick. I was widely avoided for a while but eventually I got my shot in a weight division up and really showed the world I was worth it. I held on to my title for a few fights, but in my arrogance, I lost on cuts to an unheralded upstart. I rematched him and beat him easy. Then I held on to my title for a while, and other than a failed expedition against another ATG a weight division above, I dominated. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after 5 years, I got schooled in my last bout and retired.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

So many-

In no particular order:
Hagler- I was convinced the man was a robot and you could not beat him.

Hearns- he was so dangerous and vulnerable. Felt like anything was about to happen.

Julian Jackson- just brutal.

Whitaker and Breland- watched them in the olympics and was mesmerized. I have a beat up old 84 Olympic boxing poster in my office still.

Holmes- mad dad hated him for Ali. I think it was growing up and wanting to make him mad. Plus, he he wore big glasses like me. I used to practice his jab in the basement and knock people out.

Michael Spinks- hometown champ

Alexis- so spindly and then would launch. I
Wrote him a letter in crayon as a kid saying he should change his name to the praying mantis. I was so convinced is was the baddest name ever. I think I addressed it Mr. Arguello
Boxer
Argentina. (Don’t ask, that’s where I thought he was from)

You?

My all-time favorite was Leonard who in my career highlight I was able to work with as a sparring partner for on a couple of occasions.

Hagler & Hearns I met but didn't work with. Here I am with them in Atlantic City Dec. 1990.

I fought an exhibition match with Mark Breland in December of 1990 in Atlantic City.

Michael Spinks & I in Atlantic City Dec. 1990.

 

[Absolut]

Ortiz?

My nationality is controversial. Unlike a lot of the top fighters from where I was born, I'm an orthodox boxer, and unlike a lot of the top boxers from where I live, I'm slick. I was widely avoided for a while but eventually I got my shot in a weight division up and really showed the world I was worth it. I held on to my title for a few fights, but in my arrogance, I lost on cuts to an unheralded upstart. I rematched him and beat him easy. Then I held on to my title for a while, and other than a failed expedition against another ATG a weight division above, I dominated. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after 5 years, I got schooled in my last bout and retired.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Which I get and I don't. I hate the Red Sox for beating my cards in the WS, twice!, but I don't really.

Holmes and Berbick were doing their jobs and certainly didn't do it as cruelly as Ali did to some opponents. Should have been more mad at Ali and his team for putting him in the ring at that point.

Chavez infuriated me for beating my favorites- and usually in a suspect manner... so I'm back to getting it...

Holmes & I in July of 1985 at his training camp for the first Michael Spinks fight & where I worked as a sparring partner for his brother, Mark. Also, Holmes & I in AC Dec. 1990.

Trevor Berbick & I in NYC July 1986.

Julio Cesar Chavez & I after sparring in Buffalo, NY April 1985.

 

[ironfist05]

Ortiz?

nope

 

[sweetviolenturg]

My nationality is controversial. Unlike a lot of the top fighters from where I was born, I'm an orthodox boxer, and unlike a lot of the top boxers from where I live, I'm slick. I was widely avoided for a while but eventually I got my shot in a weight division up and really showed the world I was worth it. I held on to my title for a few fights, but in my arrogance, I lost on cuts to an unheralded upstart. I rematched him and beat him easy. Then I held on to my title for a while, and other than a failed expedition against another ATG a weight division above, I dominated. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after 5 years, I got schooled in my last bout and retired.

Sot Chitalada?

 

[mozfonky]

Yeah, that's a fight that I always wondered about. Were Smith's people that confident in his skills with his hands that they legitimately thought that he could beat "Broadaxe"
Broad or what? I mean, Broad was well

past his best by that point but c'mon...

I don't know I'll ask if I see him.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

anyone working this one? otherwise i'll give the answer and move on.

I'm drawing a blank myself. But, I know I'll be kicking myself afterward.
Manny's brother Bobby Pacquiao, maybe?