I continue my list of the fights I watched on HBO over the years.
6. Ray Mancini vs. Livingstone Bramble 2. February 16, 1985. I went over my cousin Paul’s house to see this one while my mom babysat. This was a rematch of their first war on June 1, 1984 in Buffalo, New York. Bramble stopped Ray in the fourteenth round of that one, and I wanted ‘Boom Boom’ to exact revenge. The bout was much closer, and went the fifteen round distance in Reno that Saturday night. However the result was a unanimous decision for Bramble, and it wasn’t long after the defeat that Ray announced his retirement from the ring.
7. Larry Holmes vs. David Bey. March 15, 1985. Larry Holmes was defending his IBF heavyweight belt on HBO, but this time I went to my cousin Paul’s house to watch it with him. My mother wasn’t babysitting, and I dealt with the fact that Paul didn’t talk much because I wanted to see the bout. At least he liked boxing, so we had that much in common, as the action from the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas began. Larry started off slowly, but finished well enough to stop Bey in ten rounds. His goal was to top Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record, and Larry’s now stood at 47-0.
8. Pinklon Thomas vs. Mike Weaver. June 15, 1985. This time my mom was babysitting when I went over my cousin’s house, and I went over to see this one out of boredom as much as anything else. Thomas was the WBC heavyweight champ after decisioning Tim Witherspoon, and his opponent was Mike ‘Hercules’
Weaver. Mike had a great physique, but was never in the bout, and Pinklon knocked him out with a single right hand in the eighth round at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
9. Larry Holmes vs. Michael Spinks. September 21, 1985. Another trip to watch a fight while my mom babysat, and for this one I was torn. I liked both fighters, and no matter who won, I was gonna be disappointed. I had a chance to see Michael train at the Rivera in Vegas that summer, and the card as held on the 30th anniversary of Rocky Marciano’s last bout in 1955. Larry was trying to tie Marciano’s record that night, and bring him one step closer to his goal of 50-0. The bout itself was not riveting in it’s action, with Spinks fighting spastically, moving and running as he threw punches. Larry wasn’t as aggressive as I thought he would be, and never threw his right hand. After fifteen rounds, Michael won a unanimous decision, and Larry’s undefeated record was gone. While happy for Spinks, I felt bad for Larry, and quite frankly, I wish the fight had never taken place.
10. Tim Witherspoon vs. Tony Tubbs. January 17, 1986. One last trip to my cousin’s house to watch a fight with him, saw me sit through a dreadful performance by two lazy slobs. Tubbs was never in shape, and Witherspoon always had an excuse. Even though Witherspoon won the bout and captured
Tubbs’ WBA belt that night, I wasn’t impressed. After a drug test, it was discovered he had traces of marijuana in his system, and was fined as a result. It was a pathetic nights at the fights, watching two guys who looked like they should have worked at a gas station.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
