One-sided title fights

On another thread, milkyboy mentioned Qawi-Leon Spinks as a title fight that made him queasy to watch it. There have been a few horrible mismatches, even at world title level, where the very act of watching them has made one feel like an intruder at some horrendous accident.

My own choice for this category of blood sport was Marco Antonio Barrera's ruthless and chilling destruction of the hopelessly outgunned Paul "Livewire" Lloyd in defence of his super-bantam title in the UK a few years ago. It honestly made me question my own motives for watching it at the time. Do any other examples spring to mind when you started to wonder whether watching boxing was a proper occupation for a normally compassionate human being?

Sorry, gremlin got in and this got repeated. Can we remove one of these duplicated threads, please?

For me whilst beforehand it was not seen as a mismatch I attended the Calzaghe Lacy fight and have to say after about 8 or 9 rounds watching that become pretty painful, why his corner did not pull him out is of constant and continuing bafflement to me.

Would also add Vitali vs Danny Williams to that, whilst Danny's bravery or heart was beyond belief watching a guy getting so frequently bounced off the canvas was not for the sqeuamish.

"Do any other examples spring to mind when you started to wonder whether watching boxing was a proper occupation for a normally compassionate human being?."

Most fights to be honest.

Vitali-Briggs and to a lesser extent Pacquiao-Margarito recently.

Two that immediately sping to mind are Calzaghe vs Lacy and Mayweather vs Gatti.

Found it quite hard to watch Mayweather dismantle Gatti. Total mismatch skills wise. Throw in that Gatti was a likeable guy, how easy his face got busted up and the knock down on the break and it was a hard night's viewing.

Also felt sorry for Lacy. I admit that I got a bit caught up in his hype and thought Joe was in for a hard night. Was quite hard watching this sculpted unstoppable 'mini Tyson' being slapped round the ring for 12 rounds.

Actually wasn't that hard watching the Lacy fight at the time. Was more over awed and pumped up watching Joe put on this master class against this supposed wrecking machine. Its only in hind sight and after re watching the fight that I feel sorry for Lacy. Proper mismatch though.

tyson biggs springs to mind

and although it only lasted a round, watching maclellan bounce a washed up mugabi around was quite disturbing

Opponent was hopelessly overmatched in a few Tyson fights.

Two that immediately sping to mind are Calzaghe vs Lacy and Mayweather vs Gatti.

Found it quite hard to watch Mayweather dismantle Gatti. Total mismatch skills wise. Throw in that Gatti was a likeable guy, how easy his face got busted up and the knock down on the break and it was a hard night's viewing.

Also felt sorry for Lacy. I admit that I got a bit caught up in his hype and thought Joe was in for a hard night. Was quite hard watching this sculpted unstoppable 'mini Tyson' being slapped round the ring for 12 rounds.

Actually wasn't that hard watching the Lacy fight at the time. Was more over awed and pumped up watching Joe put on this master class against this supposed wrecking machine. Its only in hind sight and after re watching the fight that I feel sorry for Lacy. Proper mismatch though.

I have to say Calzaghe vs Manfredo Jr. Fighting a reality TV star was never going to be a close contest. He would have been better fighting Jade Goodie and probably would have if Warren could have set it up

Bloody hell threads from the captain are like buses, you wait an age for one to come along and then two appear at the same time

The likes of Calzaghe-Lacy, Mayweahter-Gatti and Tyson-a few people are all good shouts, but it's easy to forget that those opponents, on paper at least, were legitimate ones for the victors in each case. Whereas in the captain's example, you've got a fighter who simply should never have been in the ring with a champion of such stature in the first place.

Going along that line, I'd offer up Howard Clarke against Fernando Vargas, back in 1999. Vargas was looking like a megastar in the making and absolutely dismantled Clarke in four very comfortable rounds. One of the most pathetic spectacles of a so-called 'world title fight' I've ever seen was Maccarinelli-Gunn, 2007. And people wonder why Maccarinelli seemed so out of his depth against Haye?

bhb001 wrote:I have to say Calzaghe vs Manfredo Jr. Fighting a reality TV star was never going to be a close contest. He would have been better fighting Jade Goodie and probably would have if Warren could have set it up

I would have paid to watch that.

Khan-Salita was pretty one-sided, come to think about it.

88Chris05 wrote:The likes of Calzaghe-Lacy, Mayweahter-Gatti and Tyson-a few people are all good shouts, but it's easy to forget that those opponents, on paper at least, were legitimate ones for the victors in each case. Whereas in the captain's example, you've got a fighter who simply should never have been in the ring with a champion of such stature in the first place.

Going along that line, I'd offer up Howard Clarke against Fernando Vargas, back in 1999. Vargas was looking like a megastar in the making and absolutely dismantled Clarke in four very comfortable rounds. One of the most pathetic spectacles of a so-called 'world title fight' I've ever seen was Maccarinelli-Gunn, 2007. And people wonder why Maccarinelli seemed so out of his depth against Haye?

Good shout for Clake. Jennings V Cotto is another one of recent vintage. Never stood a chance.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:Good shout for Clake. Jennings V Cotto is another one of recent vintage. Never stood a chance.

Pavlik-Lockett around a similar time.

Cotto-Gomez too, although Gomez has done OK since.

captain carrantuohil wrote:Sorry, gremlin got in and this got repeated. Can we remove one of these duplicated threads, please?

All done, captain.

Lockett vs Pavlik.

Also Tex Cobb Vs Larry Holmes. Didn't Howard Cosell hang up his mic due to the beating Cobb was allowed to take?

jones - pazienza and hearns - duran, two fights where one fighter had every physical advantage and the other didn't really stand a chance

Remember Erik Morales fighting a guy called Eddie Croft or some such, was part of some WBC convention or something but Croft was a journeyman and El Terrible was pretty near his peak. The fight was as one sided and painful as one would have expected.

paperbag_puncher wrote:Lockett vs Pavlik.

Also Tex Cobb Vs Larry Holmes. Didn't Howard Cosell hang up his mic due to the beating Cobb was allowed to take?

Cossell did indeed hang up the mic, prompted another great Cobb quote when he was told of this he said he could provide no greater gift to mankind or something along those lines

Strange thing about Lloyd, who featured in the example that I mentioned, was that earlier in his career, he was also on the wrong end of a terrible drubbing by Tim Austin a weight further down the scale. Austin, who I thought was the next great bantamweight at one stage, simply tore Lloyd to ribbons. I've often thought since that here was a classic example of promoters and managers being too brave for a fighter's own good, especially when they dunked him in with a champion leagues above him for a second time. One doesn't want to see the old womanly match-making of Frank Warren repeated ad nauseam, but it's probably preferable to the butchery that ensues when champions are fed cannon-fodder.

captain carrantuohil wrote:Strange thing about Lloyd, who featured in the example that I mentioned, was that earlier in his career, he was also on the wrong end of a terrible drubbing by Tim Austin a weight further down the scale. Austin, who I thought was the next great bantamweight at one stage, simply tore Lloyd to ribbons. I've often thought since that here was a classic example of promoters and managers being too brave for a fighter's own good, especially when they dunked him in with a champion leagues above him for a second time. One doesn't want to see the old womanly match-making of Frank Warren repeated ad nauseam, but it's probably preferable to the butchery that ensues when champions are fed cannon-fodder.

That's a good point. I suppose it's a question of making sure contenders are made to earn their chances, and champions are made to earn their status.

On a separate note, Wasn't Hatton-Pacquiao for a 'title' of some kind? If so that has to be among the most one-sided title fights in favour of the challenger.

The first Foreman - Frazier fight was brutal. Smokin Joe was still at the top of his game but was battered unmercifully for less than 2 rounds.

Chris I was there for the Enzo Bobby Gunn fight, in 20 years of watching the sport and going to live events I maintain I have yet to see a more inept fighter in a world title ring. Suspect if I watch the sport for another 20 years I will still be saying the same, particularly as Enzo is not exactly Hall of Fame material himself

rowley wrote:Chris I was there for the Enzo Bobby Gunn fight, in 20 years of watching the sport and going to live events I maintain I have yet to see a more inept fighter in a world title ring. Suspect if I watch the sport for another 20 years I will still be saying the same, particularly as Enzo is not exactly Hall of Fame material himself

I know, it was an absolute shambles from the off. Even Gunn's ring walk was inept.

Pacquiao vs Cotto

To this day, I regard the Holmes v Ali fight as the most cynical exploitation I have ever seen in boxing. I watched it at the time but have never, and will never, watch it again.

There would have been every justification for having stopped the slaughter as early as the third round. Everybody involved, with the exception of Holmes and Ali, should have hung his head in shame.

Perhaps not on the same level as the above mentioned, or as brutal but Amir Khan vs Andreas Kotelnik was a 12 round shut out.

Roberto Duran vs Davy Moore has to be one of the most brutal one sided ass-kickings I've ever seen, completely ended Moore's promising fledgling career.

Froch vs Abraham was as one-sided as they come without stopping the guy. On the night every single judge had it 120 to Froch, but somehow the scores have since been altered to 120 and 2x 119 or something along those lines.

Hagler vs Sibson was one sided as I recall, which says more about the calibre of Hagler that the limitations of Sibson. Both excellent boxers, but Hagler just so much better

I think you are remembering the fight night scores wrongly to be honest BALTI. I don't remember it ever being 3 shutouts.

If I could access Youtube here at w*rk I'd find it. I'm 99% sure I'm not mistaken, because I checked it since, thinking the same as you.

Chavez against Greg Haugen, never stood a chance and Chavez could have ended the fight whenever he wanted but decided to dish out four rounds of punishment instead

Cotto vs Jennings - Only made so Cotto could have an easy fight to be champ again

Fairly sure the scorecards haven't changed Balti, remember hearing them announced and being surprised it wasn't a complete shut out, not a single round Abraham could have won

At least one judge did give Abrahm a round because I remember the interview with Froch after and he said "one judge had the cheek to give Abraham a round" or something along those lines.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Fairly sure the scorecards haven't changed Balti, remember hearing them announced and being surprised it wasn't a complete shut out, not a single round Abraham could have won

Yeah, you're right. They were announced as 120, 120, and 119. I'm still convinced I saw a video of it with the scores shown on-screen as 3x 120.

Chavez-Holligan was worse, ghosty, and precisely what I was talking about. Yes, the Haugen fight was one-sided, but it didn't seem ridiculous that a man with Haugen's record should be sharing a ring with the Mexican. In Holligan's case, it was like two different worlds colliding.

One of the great advantages of a single global boxing authority would be the ability to enforce rankings stringently and thereby keep a close eye on who should be permitted to fight whom. A number 12 contender for the IBF title, or a top tenner for the other belts, is allowed to be selected for a voluntary defence. It therefore follows that their credentials must be scrutinised with microscopic thoroughness before they are allowed to step into the ring with a world champion. To get in, it is clear that a boxer should beat someone who already holds such a ranking.

The old ladder system may be a bit dated, but no-one has come up with a better one. You challenge someone, and if you beat them, you take their place. You lose your place for inactivity or evasion, and thus, rankings become determined by the results of fights, and are fluid and meaningful. Who knows, we might even get those great official world title eliminators back (like Sibson-Dwight Davison), which used to generate almost as much anticipation as world title bouts themselves.

A lot of Chavez fights were one sided and must confess not seen the Holligan for some time, Rosario and Taylor are the performances of his I love watching

What about Foreman against Roman, at that time their must have been 10-15 more worthy challengers

Quite forgotten about King Roman! Should have ended up as champ, mind, since George should undoubtedly have been tossed for hitting him while he was on the canvas.

Ali-Dunn and Ali-London were both pitiful mismatches, but somehow seemed less like a car crash to watch than others that I've seen. Perhaps I'm just imagining this, but Ali struck me in both cases as a rather merciful executioner, who took no pleasure in what he had to do and meted out the bare minimum necessary to finish the job.

Think some of the smarter fighters are like that Captain, almost like they enter an unwritten agreement with the fans, almost you know the fight is a joke, I know it's a joke I'll not rub it in your face by blowing the guy over in a matter of minutes.

I actually thought the way ali utterly humiliated London with those feints was a little cruel but I suppose he was merciful to finish it quickly. The flurry he uses to end the fight is on of my top ali moments mind, absolutely blazing handspeed.

captain carrantuohil wrote:Quite forgotten about King Roman! Should have ended up as champ, mind, since George should undoubtedly have been tossed for hitting him while he was on the canvas.

Ali-Dunn and Ali-London were both pitiful mismatches, but somehow seemed less like a car crash to watch than others that I've seen. Perhaps I'm just imagining this, but Ali struck me in both cases as a rather merciful executioner, who took no pleasure in what he had to do and meted out the bare minimum necessary to finish the job.

Think you're bang on there, captain. For instance, after five rounds of the second Quarry fight (not that Quarry was a fighter with no right to share the ring with Ali, but still) Ali was playing around with ringside cameramen in his corner, joking that "this is an easy way to make a living." Likewise, I saw an interview with Dundee not long ago in which he stated that he often had to positively beg Ali to close the show sometimes, as he was merely toying with them and drawing things out longer than they needed be.

Liston vs Floyd Patterson

Guererro v Katsidis..Kats took untold punishment...

Hearns - Duran..................
Hilton - Callaghan.............Thought Matthew was going to do him some damage..
Pavlik - Lockett
Holyfield - Ocasio
Holmes - Cobb
Hearns - Medal

Most of Ali's early title fights.