Round-by-round scoring
The champion's score on the left.
round 1: 10-9 Close, but Leonard edges it. Duran a bit reckless.
round 2: 9-10 Duran hurts Leonard.
round 3: 9-10 Duran on fire.
round 4: 9-10 Still on fire.
round 5: 10-10 This is one of those rare times that I scored an even round. Leonard has big moments. Duran is the constant aggressor. Duran is ducking a lot of shots. The exchanges are even.
First third...
Leonard: 47 points
Duran: 49
Duran decisively wins first third of fight.
round 6: 10-9 Very close. Leonard edges it with some clean hard shots.
round 7: 10-9 The fight moves to the center of the ring. Leonard even had Duran on the ropes for a spell. Duran comes on at the end, but Leonard edges it.
round 8: 10-9 The round is fought almost entirely in the center of the ring. Duran comes on at the end with some tremendous shots, but he is resting mostly. Leonard carries the round by a slim margin.
round 9: 9-10 Pretty much all Duran. Leonard is resting, perhaps. And holding a lot. Leonard appear to be cut by a butt. Maybe this is distracting him.
round 10: 9-10 Leonard does some impressive shining at the end and ends with a good shot. He started off the round with a good shot. But Duran outhustles him in between.
After two-thirds...
Leonard: 95
Duran: 96
Leonard carries middle third of fight, but by the slimmest of margins. For a while it looked like he was crawling back into the fight. But Duran came on big in 9 and 10. Duran clearly has the momentum going into the championship rounds. Leonard needs to do something dramatic.
round 11: 9-10 Leonard is tired. Duran has second wind. Leonard tries to put Duran on the ropes but Duran turns Leonard right back around. He is pounding Leonard throughout the round.
round 12: 9-10 Another big round for Duran. Leonard is very tired. Duran is landing clean hooks and right hands, while digging to the body. Leonard is missing a lot of punches.
round 13: 9-10 Duran has taken clear command of the fight. He is teeing off on Leonard head. Hooks, right hands. Leonard’s head snaps back several times. Even off the ropes Duran is landing punch after punch and Leonard is just leaning on him. Leonard needs a knockout to prevent Duran from snatching his undefeated record and he has nothing in the tank and although he hurts Duran in the final seconds, it has been one of Duran’s most dominant rounds in the fight.
round 14: 9-10 Both fighters are very tired. Duran outhustles Leonard and lands several clean shots. He buckles Leonard’s knees. It’s amazing how Duran makes Leonard miss. The bolo punch gets a lot of attention, but you can see clearly from the close up that it doesn’t land – it misses Duran by almost a foot - and Leonard is in any case holding and hitting in a flagrant foul. (I can’t believe people fall for gimmicks like this. Remember Leonard's low blow bolo on Hagler and the attention it received?)
round 15: 10-9 Duran gives the round away. He knows he has won big and knows Leonard doesn’t have the stuff to knock him out.
Final score...
Leonard: 141
Duran: 145
Duran romps through the championship rounds to seal the deal.
The officials scores are surprisingly close. Angelo Poletti scores a lot of rounds even (10 of them, in fact). At least the judges got the unanimous verdict right. Can you imagine how crazy a majority decision or draw would have been? I can’t even contemplate a Leonard win. You really have to wonder sometimes what people are looking at when they score a fight.
Ridiculously, the New York Times had Leonard winning the fight 144-142. This is the same New York Times that absurdly scored the Hagler-Leonard fight a draw. That rag seems to spot Leonard several rounds before the fight begins.
Some people I talk to score round 1 even and then maybe find another round for Duran in between 6-8. But then these same people often given Leonard round 5, which I don't. Almost everybody I talk to has Leonard evening up the fight in the second third. I thought that was the standard understanding of the fight, but I respect your opinion. Leonard doesn't win very many rounds at all decisively, so I guess I can see how you might give some of those to Duran.
However, if you watch the ebb and flow you will see that Leonard is able to crawl back into the fight because Duran's furious pace winds him a bit and the fight moves more to the center of the ring. This is strategic. Duran decides to take a few breathers so he can dominate down the stretch. By the 9th round, Duran clearly has his second wind and takes it over, putting Leonard back on the ropes. Watch the fight again and you will see what I'm talking about.
By the middle of the championship rounds Leonard clearly needs a knockout or several knockdowns to win. Duran puts far too much distance between Ray and himself in the final third. Leonard was exhausted. It isn't until the 14th that Duran starts to fade. Throughout the fight Leonard is only able to get things done when Duran pulled back on the fury. Otherwise he's popping Leonard with shots from all angles and particularly nailing Leonard with hooks.
When I watch the fight with people I make them aware of three key things observers often miss. So I will suggest these here.
The first is Duran's body punching. He is constantly punching underneath. Leonard does some shining to the body, but he is ineffective in coming up with solid punches underneath. Body punches are extremely important punches in boxing, but observers often miss them or don't accord them their deserved importance.
Second is Duran's constant punching. Leonard tries to tie Duran up by clutching Duran's arms under his arms. But whenever Duran has a free hand, he's banging. All these punches count. I have noted that many observes stop counting punches when one fighter is holding.
Third, Duran slips punches. Duran is the absolute master of this. He has a uncanny ability to move at the last fraction of a second. He does this so that his opponent is committed and he can counter. Duran almost always leaves exchanges having the last word. He steps up this tactic down the stretch. Leonard is missing like crazy. Also, Duran is ducking down and Leonard does not change his style to account for this. Instead of coming up with his punches, Leonard is firing hooks over Duran head or overhand rights that hit Duran's back. These are not scoring punches. The one dramatic uppercut Leonard does throw, the bolo, which gets observers excited, misses by a country mile.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker was the Willie Pep of my generation. An outstanding amateur and an Olympic gold medalist in 1984, he won his first 15 professional fights (including a win over Roger Mayweather), and his sixteenth, in 1988, was a challenge for the WBC world lightweight title!
In that fight, Whitaker dropped a controversial split decision to the outstanding Mexican lightweight Jose Luis Ramirez. Ramirez was the far more experienced fighter, sporting a record of 100-6. Whitaker was clearly advanced beyond his record, dazzling Rameriz. Whitaker's mistake was putting on too keen a defensive effort, which left Ramirez appearing to have made more of a fight of it. Most observers believe Whitaker was robbed. It would not be the first time controversy would surround a Whitaker fight.
Four fights later, Whitaker was matched with Ramirez again were matched again four and this time Whitaker was awarded a clear unanimous decision, claiming a part of the lightweight championship. He defended his claim twice, including a win over all-time great Azumah Nelson (32-1). Nelson had, in only his 14th professional fight, nearly defeated the great featherweight Salvador Sanchez, and six fights later he knocked out Wilfredo Gomez for the WBC featherweight. The fight with Whitaker was close, but Whitaker's size and skill prevailed.
In 1990, Whitaker unified the lightweight championship by picking up the WBA title in a one-round blowout of Juan Nazario. He defended the world championship three times.
By 1992, Whitaker had outgrown the lightweight division and set his sites on the welterweight champion James McGirt (59-2-1). Whitaker outpointed McGirt over twelve rounds in 1993. Whitaker would defend the welterweight championship eight times, including a controversial draw against Julio Cesar Chavez (87-0) and a rematch with James McGirt (64-3-1). The Chavez draw was a big disappointment, as most observers felt Whitaker won the fight convincingly. Whitaker also ventured into the middleweight division, defeating Julio Cesar Vasquez (53-1) over 12 rounds.
In 1997, Whitaker lost his welterweight championship to Oscar de la Hoya in a controversial 12 round decision. It is this writer's opinion that Whitaker deserved the verdict. There would be no rematch.
In 1999, Whitaker lost a lopsided decision to Felix Trinidad. It was clear Whitaker was not the same fighter he was before. Rumors had it that he was using cocaine. In fact, his victory over Andrei Pestriaev was converted to a no contest after he tested positive for cocaine.
In 2001, Whitaker fought one more fight, a fight in which he broke his clavicle, and hung up the gloves for good.
Whitaker retired with a record of 40-4-1. However, only two of those blemishes were deserved. He deserved wins over Ramirez, Chavez, and de la Hoya. His final record should read 43-2.
Whitaker, a left hander, was a defensive wizard, proving to be very difficult to hit cleanly. He was awkward offensively and often befuddled his opponents. His fight with Chavez is an excellent illustration of his ability to stay in the field of danger while avoiding taking any significant punishment. He was one of those rare instances of a master boxer. The fact that he accomplished such a high level of performance while having relatively few ring bouts (he claimed his first title in only his 20th bout) makes his career even more astonishing. At the same time, this was disappointing for fight fans, as we would like to have seen a lot more of Whitaker in the ring. He was a real joy to watch, and one of the greatest lightweights and welterweights in ring history.
In that fight, Whitaker dropped a controversial split decision to the outstanding Mexican lightweight Jose Luis Ramirez. Ramirez was the far more experienced fighter, sporting a record of 100-6. Whitaker was clearly advanced beyond his record, dazzling Rameriz. Whitaker's mistake was putting on too keen a defensive effort, which left Ramirez appearing to have made more of a fight of it. Most observers believe Whitaker was robbed. It would not be the first time controversy would surround a Whitaker fight.
Four fights later, Whitaker was matched with Ramirez again were matched again four and this time Whitaker was awarded a clear unanimous decision, claiming a part of the lightweight championship. He defended his claim twice, including a win over all-time great Azumah Nelson (32-1). Nelson had, in only his 14th professional fight, nearly defeated the great featherweight Salvador Sanchez, and six fights later he knocked out Wilfredo Gomez for the WBC featherweight. The fight with Whitaker was close, but Whitaker's size and skill prevailed.
In 1990, Whitaker unified the lightweight championship by picking up the WBA title in a one-round blowout of Juan Nazario. He defended the world championship three times.
By 1992, Whitaker had outgrown the lightweight division and set his sites on the welterweight champion James McGirt (59-2-1). Whitaker outpointed McGirt over twelve rounds in 1993. Whitaker would defend the welterweight championship eight times, including a controversial draw against Julio Cesar Chavez (87-0) and a rematch with James McGirt (64-3-1). The Chavez draw was a big disappointment, as most observers felt Whitaker won the fight convincingly. Whitaker also ventured into the middleweight division, defeating Julio Cesar Vasquez (53-1) over 12 rounds.
In 1997, Whitaker lost his welterweight championship to Oscar de la Hoya in a controversial 12 round decision. It is this writer's opinion that Whitaker deserved the verdict. There would be no rematch.
In 1999, Whitaker lost a lopsided decision to Felix Trinidad. It was clear Whitaker was not the same fighter he was before. Rumors had it that he was using cocaine. In fact, his victory over Andrei Pestriaev was converted to a no contest after he tested positive for cocaine.
In 2001, Whitaker fought one more fight, a fight in which he broke his clavicle, and hung up the gloves for good.
Whitaker retired with a record of 40-4-1. However, only two of those blemishes were deserved. He deserved wins over Ramirez, Chavez, and de la Hoya. His final record should read 43-2.
Whitaker, a left hander, was a defensive wizard, proving to be very difficult to hit cleanly. He was awkward offensively and often befuddled his opponents. His fight with Chavez is an excellent illustration of his ability to stay in the field of danger while avoiding taking any significant punishment. He was one of those rare instances of a master boxer. The fact that he accomplished such a high level of performance while having relatively few ring bouts (he claimed his first title in only his 20th bout) makes his career even more astonishing. At the same time, this was disappointing for fight fans, as we would like to have seen a lot more of Whitaker in the ring. He was a real joy to watch, and one of the greatest lightweights and welterweights in ring history.
Leonard-Duran Scorecard
First, round-by-round scoring and round descriptions. The champion's score is on the left.
Round 1: 10-9 Close, but Leonard edges it. Duran a bit reckless.
Round 2: 9-10 Duran hurts Leonard.
Round 3: 9-10 Duran on fire.
Round 4: 9-10 Still on fire.
Round 5: 10-10 This is one of those rare times that I scored an even round. Leonard has big moments. Duran is the constant aggressor. Duran is ducking a lot of shots. The exchanges are even.
First third summary: Leonard: 47 points. Duran: 49 points. Duran decisively wins first third of fight.
Round 6: 10-9 Very close. Leonard edges it with some clean hard shots.
Round 7: 10-9 The fight moves to the center of the ring. Leonard has Duran on the ropes for a spell. Duran comes on at the end, but Leonard edges it.
Round 8: 10-9 The round is fought almost entirely in the center of the ring. Duran comes on at the end with some tremendous shots, but he is resting mostly. Leonard carries the round by a slim margin.
Round 9: 9-10 Pretty much all Duran. Leonard is resting, perhaps. And holding a lot. Leonard appear to be cut by a butt. Maybe this is distracting him.
Round 10: 9-10 Leonard does some impressive shining at the end and ends with a good shot. He started off the round with a good shot. But Duran outhustles him in between.
After two-thirds: Leonard: 95 points. Duran: 96 points. Leonard carries the middle third of fight, but by the slimmest of margins. For a while it looked like he was crawling back into the fight. But Duran comes on big in 9 and 10. Duran clearly has the momentum going into the championship rounds. Leonard needs to do something dramatic.
Round 11: 9-10 Leonard is tired. Duran has second wind. Leonard tries to put Duran on the ropes but Duran turns Leonard right back around. He is pounding Leonard throughout the round.
Round 12: 9-10 Another big round for Duran. Leonard is very tired. Duran is landing clean hooks and right hands, while digging to the body. Leonard is missing a lot of punches.
Round 13: 9-10 Duran has taken clear command of the fight. He is teeing off on Leonard head. Hooks, right hands. Leonard’s head snaps back several times. Even off the ropes Duran is landing punch after punch and Leonard is just leaning on him. Leonard needs a knockout to prevent Duran from snatching his undefeated record and he has nothing in the tank and although he hurts Duran in the final seconds, it has been one of Duran’s most dominant rounds in the fight.
Round 14: 9-10 Both fighters are very tired. Duran outhustles Leonard and lands several clean shots. He buckles Leonard’s knees. It’s amazing how Duran makes Leonard miss. The bolo punch gets a lot of attention, but you can see clearly from the close up that it doesn’t land – it misses Duran by almost a foot - and Leonard is in any case holding and hitting in a flagrant foul. (I can’t believe people fall for gimmicks like this. Remember Leonard's low blow bolo on Hagler and the attention it received?)
Round 15: 10-9 Duran gives the round away. He knows he has won big and knows Leonard doesn’t have the stuff to knock him out.
Final score: Leonard: 141; Duran: 145. Duran romps through the championship rounds to seal the deal. Very impressive win. Even more impressive when taken in its totality. Duran whips Leonard's ass.
The officials scores are surprisingly close. Angelo Poletti scores a lot of rounds even - 10 of them, in fact! At least the judges got the unanimous verdict right. Can you imagine how crazy a majority decision or draw would have been? I can’t even contemplate a Leonard win. You really have to wonder sometimes what people are looking at when they score a fight. Leonard and his camp believed they won on the night of the fight.
Ridiculously, The New York Times had Leonard winning the fight 144-142! This is the same New York Times that absurdly scored the Hagler-Leonard fight a draw. That Times seems to spot Leonard several rounds before the fight begins.
Some people I talk to score round one even and then maybe find another round for Duran in between 6-8. But then these same people often given Leonard round 5, which I don't. Almost everybody I talk to has Leonard evening up the fight in the second third. I thought that was the standard understanding of the fight, but I respect your opinion. Leonard doesn't win very many rounds at all decisively, so I guess I can see how you might give some of those to Duran.
However, if you watch the ebb and flow you will see that Leonard is able to crawl back into the fight because Duran's furious pace winds him a bit and the fight moves more to the center of the ring. This is strategic. Duran decides to take a few breathers so he can dominate down the stretch. By the 9th round, Duran clearly has his second wind and takes it over, putting Leonard back on the ropes. Watch the fight again and you will see what I'm talking about.
By the middle of the championship rounds Leonard clearly needs a knockout or several knockdowns to win. Duran puts far too much distance between Ray and himself in the final third. Leonard was exhausted. It isn't until the 14th that Duran starts to fade. Throughout the fight Leonard is only able to get things done when Duran pulled back on the fury. Otherwise he's popping Leonard with shots from all angles and particularly nailing Leonard with hooks.
When I watch the fight with people I make them aware of three key things observers often miss. So I will suggest these here.
The first is Duran's body punching. He is constantly punching underneath. Leonard does some shining to the body, but he is ineffective in coming up with solid punches underneath. Body punches are extremely important punches in boxing, but observers often miss them or don't accord them their deserved importance.
Second is Duran's constant punching. Leonard tries to tie Duran up by clutching Duran's arms under his arms. But whenever Duran has a free hand, he's banging. All these punches count. I have noted that many observes stop counting punches when one fighter is holding.
Third, Duran slips punches. Duran is the absolute master of this. He has a uncanny ability to move at the last fraction of a second. He does this so that his opponent is committed and he can counter. Duran almost always leaves exchanges having the last word. He steps up this tactic down the stretch. Leonard is missing like crazy. Also, Duran is ducking down and Leonard does not change his style to account for this. Instead of coming up with his punches, Leonard is firing hooks over Duran head or overhand rights that hit Duran's back. These are not scoring punches. The one dramatic uppercut Leonard does throw, the bolo, which gets observers excited, misses by a country mile.
Round 1: 10-9 Close, but Leonard edges it. Duran a bit reckless.
Round 2: 9-10 Duran hurts Leonard.
Round 3: 9-10 Duran on fire.
Round 4: 9-10 Still on fire.
Round 5: 10-10 This is one of those rare times that I scored an even round. Leonard has big moments. Duran is the constant aggressor. Duran is ducking a lot of shots. The exchanges are even.
First third summary: Leonard: 47 points. Duran: 49 points. Duran decisively wins first third of fight.
Round 6: 10-9 Very close. Leonard edges it with some clean hard shots.
Round 7: 10-9 The fight moves to the center of the ring. Leonard has Duran on the ropes for a spell. Duran comes on at the end, but Leonard edges it.
Round 8: 10-9 The round is fought almost entirely in the center of the ring. Duran comes on at the end with some tremendous shots, but he is resting mostly. Leonard carries the round by a slim margin.
Round 9: 9-10 Pretty much all Duran. Leonard is resting, perhaps. And holding a lot. Leonard appear to be cut by a butt. Maybe this is distracting him.
Round 10: 9-10 Leonard does some impressive shining at the end and ends with a good shot. He started off the round with a good shot. But Duran outhustles him in between.
After two-thirds: Leonard: 95 points. Duran: 96 points. Leonard carries the middle third of fight, but by the slimmest of margins. For a while it looked like he was crawling back into the fight. But Duran comes on big in 9 and 10. Duran clearly has the momentum going into the championship rounds. Leonard needs to do something dramatic.
Round 11: 9-10 Leonard is tired. Duran has second wind. Leonard tries to put Duran on the ropes but Duran turns Leonard right back around. He is pounding Leonard throughout the round.
Round 12: 9-10 Another big round for Duran. Leonard is very tired. Duran is landing clean hooks and right hands, while digging to the body. Leonard is missing a lot of punches.
Round 13: 9-10 Duran has taken clear command of the fight. He is teeing off on Leonard head. Hooks, right hands. Leonard’s head snaps back several times. Even off the ropes Duran is landing punch after punch and Leonard is just leaning on him. Leonard needs a knockout to prevent Duran from snatching his undefeated record and he has nothing in the tank and although he hurts Duran in the final seconds, it has been one of Duran’s most dominant rounds in the fight.
Round 14: 9-10 Both fighters are very tired. Duran outhustles Leonard and lands several clean shots. He buckles Leonard’s knees. It’s amazing how Duran makes Leonard miss. The bolo punch gets a lot of attention, but you can see clearly from the close up that it doesn’t land – it misses Duran by almost a foot - and Leonard is in any case holding and hitting in a flagrant foul. (I can’t believe people fall for gimmicks like this. Remember Leonard's low blow bolo on Hagler and the attention it received?)
Round 15: 10-9 Duran gives the round away. He knows he has won big and knows Leonard doesn’t have the stuff to knock him out.
Final score: Leonard: 141; Duran: 145. Duran romps through the championship rounds to seal the deal. Very impressive win. Even more impressive when taken in its totality. Duran whips Leonard's ass.
The officials scores are surprisingly close. Angelo Poletti scores a lot of rounds even - 10 of them, in fact! At least the judges got the unanimous verdict right. Can you imagine how crazy a majority decision or draw would have been? I can’t even contemplate a Leonard win. You really have to wonder sometimes what people are looking at when they score a fight. Leonard and his camp believed they won on the night of the fight.
Ridiculously, The New York Times had Leonard winning the fight 144-142! This is the same New York Times that absurdly scored the Hagler-Leonard fight a draw. That Times seems to spot Leonard several rounds before the fight begins.
Some people I talk to score round one even and then maybe find another round for Duran in between 6-8. But then these same people often given Leonard round 5, which I don't. Almost everybody I talk to has Leonard evening up the fight in the second third. I thought that was the standard understanding of the fight, but I respect your opinion. Leonard doesn't win very many rounds at all decisively, so I guess I can see how you might give some of those to Duran.
However, if you watch the ebb and flow you will see that Leonard is able to crawl back into the fight because Duran's furious pace winds him a bit and the fight moves more to the center of the ring. This is strategic. Duran decides to take a few breathers so he can dominate down the stretch. By the 9th round, Duran clearly has his second wind and takes it over, putting Leonard back on the ropes. Watch the fight again and you will see what I'm talking about.
By the middle of the championship rounds Leonard clearly needs a knockout or several knockdowns to win. Duran puts far too much distance between Ray and himself in the final third. Leonard was exhausted. It isn't until the 14th that Duran starts to fade. Throughout the fight Leonard is only able to get things done when Duran pulled back on the fury. Otherwise he's popping Leonard with shots from all angles and particularly nailing Leonard with hooks.
When I watch the fight with people I make them aware of three key things observers often miss. So I will suggest these here.
The first is Duran's body punching. He is constantly punching underneath. Leonard does some shining to the body, but he is ineffective in coming up with solid punches underneath. Body punches are extremely important punches in boxing, but observers often miss them or don't accord them their deserved importance.
Second is Duran's constant punching. Leonard tries to tie Duran up by clutching Duran's arms under his arms. But whenever Duran has a free hand, he's banging. All these punches count. I have noted that many observes stop counting punches when one fighter is holding.
Third, Duran slips punches. Duran is the absolute master of this. He has a uncanny ability to move at the last fraction of a second. He does this so that his opponent is committed and he can counter. Duran almost always leaves exchanges having the last word. He steps up this tactic down the stretch. Leonard is missing like crazy. Also, Duran is ducking down and Leonard does not change his style to account for this. Instead of coming up with his punches, Leonard is firing hooks over Duran head or overhand rights that hit Duran's back. These are not scoring punches. The one dramatic uppercut Leonard does throw, the bolo, which gets observers excited, misses by a country mile.
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