Random Classics - Mike Weaver vs. Gerrie Coetzee

Often attached to great fights is some type of tie-in to a larger social occurrence, event or aspect thereof, and it tends augment the overall meaning of a bout past what it would normally mean within the masochistic realm of boxing. 


Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling II will forever be conjoined with the "U.S. vs. Germany" aspect of WWII; Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali I to the American Civil Rights movement; Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad to the September 11th Attacks; and so forth. 


A sort of greater philosophical meaning or implication isn't necessary to slingshot a fight beyond the normal "good fight" category, but it sure helps. 

Random Classics - Aaron Davis vs. Mark Breland

There existed a time, not so long ago, when amateur boxing amounted to much more than an unsatisfying hors d'oeuvre to the main course of the professional ranks. 


It's not that amateur pugilism cannot be entertaining and fun to watch, but the current system almost seems to actually discourage action fights with quick stoppages and point per punch regulations. 


This current period of general disinterest in the American amateur game in particular may not last long though, as reports say the U.S. will be sending representatives for nine of 10 weight classes to the London Olympics this summer. Even so, the attention will likely pale in comparison to the 1976 or 1984 U.S. Olympic Boxing Teams. 


In itself, that's not an insult -- those teams were legitimately great, and boxing was still a household sport at the time. But past that, amateur boxing back then was arguably better preparation for the professional ranks than it is now. Quick stoppages and emphasis on landing pecking blows that simply score points wouldn't seem to do fighters any favors when quality is king in the pros. 

Nonetheless, one amateur boxing institution that over the years has conveyor belted out very good and truly great fighters is the New York Daily News Golden Gloves. Jose Torres, Emile Griffith, Johnny Saxton, Riddick Bowe, "Sugar" Ray Robinson -- all New York Golden Gloves champions. And they were all known for participating in solid action fights before turning professional. 

Random Classics - Wilfred Benitez vs. Harold Weston I

Even if you've been a fight fan most of your life, and even if you try to educate yourself when it comes to guys far before your time that you'd never know or care about unless you were a fight fan, you're bound to encounter a few great scraps that you didn't know existed or simply hadn't yet seen.



Footage of primordial bouts has been lost, packed away or forgotten about, and sadly we may never see those gems, and we live with that. 


Other classics simply escape our consciousness for one reason or another, though. Fights like Frankie Baltazar Jr. vs. Juan Escobar, or even "Caveman" Lee vs. John LoCicero lacked really familiar names, but their tales were recounted unto younger boxing followers by responsible, bloodthirsty folk who watched them 30 or 40 years ago. Jung-Koo Chang vs. Katsuo Tokashiki was perhaps the Somsak SIthchatchawal vs. Mahyar Monshipour of the early 1980's, in that both featured two non-American fighters on foreign soil in excellent lower-weight collisions, though the latter match-up was pushed heavily on the internet, while the former relied mostly on word of mouth. 


Whatever the reason, despite how the internet has accelerated the evolution of the boxing fan, we cannot be everywhere at once. Time is limited, and fights fly under the radar. 


This one, while not quite the slugfest the above mentioned were, flew under mine for too long. 

Boxing After Dark - Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Kennedy McKinney

 

When reports of a new HBO Boxing series surfaced sometime around the New Year in 1996, the obvious intention was to showcase younger or lesser-known talent. Perhaps not quite as apparent was the network’s specific intention to expand its international reach by including fighters from abroad, as HBO would control all international rights to a boxing series for the first time ever.

For its February 3 premier, two of the four fighters chosen for the show’s maiden voyage hailed from outside of the United States: lanky Brazilian unknown Giovanni Andrade, and Mexican part-time law student (and WBO junior featherweight titlist) Marco Antonio Barrera, a 22-year-old who had been appropriately named 1995’s international fighter of the year by the BWAA.

The opening bout of the broadcast, WBO super flyweight champ Johnny Tapia vs. Andrade, did little to boost any interest at all, much less outside the U.S. Moments into the fight, Tapia caught Andrade with a punch below the equator, which appeared to set the tone. Andrade was floored by a right hand to the temple in the second round, rose, and hit the deck again near the end of the round, courtesy of a hard hook to the waistband. An unfortunate ending, Andrade chose to roll around on the canvas in feigned agony as referee Raul Caiz, Sr. stopped the fight.

Salvaging the broadcast seemed a sizable task following the disappointing outcome, but Barrera and Kennedy McKinney lightened the mood -- and then some.  The crowd of 7,900 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, CA witnessed a “Fight of the Year” caliber main event, contested on a reasonably high level of skill despite the ferocity of the exchanges.

Random Classics - Daniel Zaragoza vs. Paul Banke I, II & III

It's not as if boxing hasn't had its share of male models, singers and handsome faces, but you wouldn't generally expect a sport where guys wind up getting more facial cosmetic surgery than Joan Rivers, to highlight a bunch of lookers.


Cheekbones get shattered, noses wind up cartilage-free, scar tissue where cuts chronically open up is repaired, etc. This is a sport of blood. 


And they say you should never fight an ugly guy, because he's got nothing to lose. 


Daniel Zaragoza was an outstanding example of why that advice is perfectly sound. 

Random Classics - Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton

Frequency of enjoyable skirmishes aside, the definition of a good fight has been the same in every era of boxing:

Action - the more two-way and sustained, the better.


And boxing fans usually have a list of fights - whether they've actually scrawled it out or not - to show folks who exclaim things like "Boxing is fixed!" and "Boxing is boring!"...and the chronically untrue assertion made by fights fans that have been around for a while, "There just aren't any good fights anymore!"


In this era, we point to fights like Corrales vs. Castillo I, Vazquez vs. Marquez (pick one), or Ward vs. Gatti I maybe, to dispel such claims. 


Holmes vs. Norton would've been one of the go-to fights for the die-hards of the late 70's had they needed it.


The early 70's saw some of the best heavyweight fighters and matchups in the history of the division, but the action slowed considerably as the decade came to a close. Aside from a very nice burst of activity in the early and mid-90's with guys like Holyfield, Bowe, Tyson and Lewis, it's been mostly drab ever since. 


In the 1970's, a heavyweight fight won the "Fight of the Year" honors 7 out of 10 years. 


Compare that to the 1980's, where a heavyweight fight never took home that trophy.


It's difficult to follow greatness, but especially so when today's heavyweight top 20 lineup looks more like an amateur bowling team than a collection of gladiators.

Random Classics - Matthew Saad Muhammad vs. 'Yaqui' Lopez I & II

"War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will."     - On War, Carl von Clausewitz


One of the more notable warriors in the sport of boxing, Matthew Saad Muhammad, had but one will when stepping through the ropes: lay waste to the guy standing across from him at the opening bell. 


Not exactly a shrinking violet himself, Alvaro "Yaqui" Lopez wasn't the same type of destroyer that Saad Muhammad savored being. What he lacked in any department, he made up for with a grinding tenacity, will, and surreal toughness. 


And in a sport where hyperbole and bluster often give way to the reminder that getting punched doesn't feel good, true, unwavering warriors are deservedly celebrated. 


Rarer still, is managing to bang a sizable dent into the fabric of a truly great era of fighters in a given division, by way of unforgettable smash-up. 


These men did it twice, making a fraction of what guys these days haul in for tip-toeing around the ring and faking low blows. 

Random Classics - Acelino Freitas vs. Jorge Barrios

PhotoL Hector Gabino/AFP/Getty Images

To observant fans and media, Freitas vs. Barrios wasn't one of those matchups whose promotion and build-up flew under the radar, only for the fight to become a seemingly unanticipated success. Those who paid attention were well aware of its potential to draw a large live crowd as well, regardless of the outcome. 


Many fans probably tuned in to the Showtime triple-header for a glance at then-rising future star "Panchito" Bojado, and the Freitas-Barrios main event looked to be an undefeated headliner who could bang, against an eccentric character with a boisterous posse and decent knockout percentage.


A nice cherry on top to South American fight fans, matching a Brazilian against an Argentinian in Miami - one of the few U.S. cities with a respectable concentration of both Brazilians and Argentinians - would surely serve as a mere extension of the famed Brazil-Argentina football rivalry. 

Random Classics - George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle

During the week of January 24, 1976, it's more likely that sports fans were debating missed field goals from Superbowl X the weekend before to the tune of their brand new "Frampton Comes Alive" records, than worrying about the comeback of a hulking figure once considered the most feared guy around. 


George Foreman would give them a little under 15 minutes worth of a jarring wake up though, as he went on to deliver one of the more classic performances of his career, with a little help from fifth-ranked heavyweight contender Ron Lyle. 


The tumultuous battle was more natural disaster than prizefight - like two sizable structures taking turns battering one another to see which falls first. 


The two-way walloping is still a fan favorite over 30 years later. 

Random Classics - Kennedy McKinney vs. Welcome Ncita I

When most boxing fans hear the name "Kennedy McKinney," they think of the classic brawl between he and a 22-year old Marco Antonio Barrera in February 1996.

Often forgotten is the Mississippi native's tumultuous rise to the top long before the Barrera fight, which featured about as many well-documented hurdles as is it did highlights.

A ranked player in the amateurs since the mid-80's, McKinney became well-known for his work ethic, and steadily placing in the US Amateur Championships a few years in a row. McKinney then earned the right to represent the US at bantamweight in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, beating future champion Junior Jones in the Olympic box-offs, and avenging previous losses in the qualifiers.

Despite Kennedy winning gold at 119 lbs., much of the talk following the Seoul games centered around Roy Jones Jr.'s highly controversial decision loss to Korean fighter Park Si-Hun. Regardless, McKinney still experienced a period of celebrity status upon arriving home.

According to McKinney, this was precisely when he began abusing alcohol and cocaine.