This is My List of My Favorite Closed-Circuit Fights. Part 1.
- Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran 1.June 20, 1980. Olympic Stadium; Montreal, Canada. I was in Dallas, Texas in June of 1980, and managed to take a bus to the Tarrant County Coliseum in Fort Worth, to watch my first ever closed-circuit broadcast of a live fight. Sugar Ray Leonard was one of my favorite boxers, and I was there to root him on against the rugged Roberto Duran. The back and forth 15 round war was brutal, and in the end, Duran was the unanimous decision winner. That Friday night in Texas erased any doubts in my mind, that I was a boxing fan for life.
- Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran. November 25, 1980. Superdome; New Orleans, Louisiana. For the much anticipated rematch between Leonard and Duran, I paid $35 (instead of the $20 in June), and made the hour or so drive to the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey to see it. Leonard had trained to box this time, and appeared much more muscular than in the first bout, while Duran looked pretty much the same to me. Ray boxed brilliantly from the outset, put also landed hard shots to Duran’s head as well. Leonard spun off the ropes this time, and didn’t allow Duran to bully him like he had in Montreal. By the sixth round, Ray’s confidence was building, and in the seventh, he openly taunted Duran with his moves. Shockingly, Duran put his hands up and quit a round later, and Leonard was the welterweight king again. One of my favorite moments as a boxing fan, no doubt.
- Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns. September 16, 1981. Caesar’s Palace Outdoor Arena; Las Vegas, Nevada. Another trip to Atlantic City Convention Hall to see the ‘Showdown’ between the welterweight champs, Leonard and Hearns. My seat was in the first row at the old arena, and I was nervous to be honest, because of Tommy’s punching power. The bout was even for the first 3 rounds or so, with Tommy the aggressor for the most part. In the 6th, Ray hurt Tommy badly with left hooks, and it appeared for a minute he would finish him. Hearns survived, but Ray hurt him badly again in the 7th. From that point on, Tommy got on his bicycle and boxed, and was winning every round from then out. Trailing in the 13th, Leonard rallied, hurt and knocked Hearns down in the 13th, then stopped him in the 14th. It was as exciting a fight as I had seen at that point, and I hugged every person I saw when referee Davey Pearl halted the action. Still a great memory, lo these decades later.
- Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney. June 11, 1982. Caesar’s Palace Outdoor Arena. Las Vegas, Nevada. For this Friday night show, I drove three miles to the Coliseum in Voorhees, New Jersey to catch the action. Howard Cosell was the lone voice that night, and to me it would be a chance for Larry Holmes to prove to the world that he was the heavyweight champion, and end any questions. Cooney had been hyped by his managers, but was never tested, and built his record up by beating fighters with one foot in the grave. It was a pleasure to see Larry deal with Cooney’s left hook, and knock him out in the 13th round. After 4 long years, Holmes finally started to gain the respect he deserved, and the win ended any hopes Cooney ever had of winning a championship.
- Thomas Hearns vs. Roberto Duran. June 15, 1984. Caesar’s Palace Outdoor Arena. Las Vegas, Nevada. After work from my airline job, I drove to Liberty Bell Racetrack outside of Philadelphia, paid my $15, and took a seat on a bench to watch the fight on a tv at the racetrack. They didn’t have any big screens that night, but I didn’t care because of how the fight went. I absolutely couldn’t stand Duran, and to see Thomas starch him and knock him senseless in the second with a perfect right hand, is still my favorite knockout of all time. Tommy did as he predicted with his 2nd round knockout, and it definitely on my list as one of my favorite closed-circuit shows ever.
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