Favorite Ten Rounders

[Tommy Hearns]

I know in the Classic Forum the fifteen round distance rules all, with twelve second in command, but so what if these fights aren’t over the traditional championship distance? Time and time again, ten rounds has proven to have been enough to manufacture some truly great, and often slept on, fights. I’ll get the ball rolling:

Mando Ramos SD 10 "Sugar" Ramos

Bonus points for Raging B(_)LL and salsanchezfan for making mention of this one; a bout that stands as blatant proof that friendship doesn’t always equate to a snore fest.

Both fighters maintain a great pace throughout the fight as rarely does either man throw one punch at a time; Mando’s jab goes into overtime, helping set up those sharp right hands while “Sugar” swings in his hooks in bunches to the head and body. This goes without mentioning the ebb and flow and momentous shifts in action; whilst Mando has his opponent hanging on to the ropes to prevent a knockdown in the third, “Sugar” rallies back in the seventh and hammers the opposing Ramos along the ropes. The cut along Mando’s left eye adds a bit more to the suspense as the action reaches it’s climax in the ninth. The referee momentarily halts matters in order for the ring doctor to get a good look at the cut, and just as Mando is deemed fit to continue, “Sugar” bulls him to the ropes and tries to end matters there with an all out assault. However, it wasn’t enough to sway the affair in his favor and ultimately the quicker and cleaner landing Mando takes an SD.

Rubin Carter SD 10 George Benton

Carter circa 1962-‘63, with his shaven skull and physique etched out of granite, was looking every bit a destroyer as he wrecked contenders left and right with stunning power and ferocity; left hook specialist Florentino Fernandez was literally blasted out of the ring and Emile Griffith was dropped three times en route to a TKO stoppage, both inside the first round. Neither of those victories, however, displayed the overall intelligence and array of skills he demonstrated in this fight.

Benton himself was an extremely cagey and defensively adept technician whose strategy for this fight worked around countering Carter’s famed left hook; but Rubin (a twelve to five underdog) was ready come fight time, with a slightly altered stance and educated fight plan in tow, and showed discipline and precision with it, expertly doubling and tripling up the shot to the head and body on occasion. Benton’s evasive ability (you can see his influence on Whitaker) and sheer toughness allow him to stand his ground throughout the bout, even stunning Carter on occasion with quick right crosses, but in the end he couldn't match his opponent's firepower. The exchanges in this fight, when both men are at their most fluid and fierce, epitomize what the art of infighting is all about.

Florentino Fernandez SD 10 Gaspar Ortega

Fernandez hadn’t quite matured into the monstrous figure he was at middleweight at this point, but he was still an undefeated and dangerous force in the welterweight division regardless. He had a massive upper body and broad shoulders to whip those mighty hooks around, previously stopping 19 of his 23 victims. He even dumped the much more experienced Ortega twice in their previous bout, winning a unanimous decision over ten.

Ortega’s polished skills aid him much better this time around as he plays matador to Fernandez’s bull, or perhaps “Ox” in this case. The feeling out process was scraped from the get go as both men start trading furious combinations, Ortega getting the better of it and making Fernandez hold on. Perhaps the best bit of action comes at the end of the second round; Fernandez begins winging in his wide hooks to the body, trying to trap Ortega in a corner and go to work, only to have his wily opponent turn the tables and batter Floro with uppercuts and bloody his nose as the Cubin prospect tries fighting back valiantly once again. Fernandez continued to be a live a threat throughout, but at the end of ten rounds Ortega clearly deserved the decision. He boxed beautifully, scoring well with jabs and right hands, and negated Fernandez’s power for the most part; making him miss wildly with his ducking and weaving as well as using his elbows to protect himself against Floro’s body attack. The decision was, accordingly, greeted with boos by the crowd.

List yours.

[TIGEREDGE]

I Think Gatti Robinson Was A 10 Rounder

[Tommy Hearns]

I Think Gatti Robinson Was A 10 RounderAs was the Ward series.

Another one I forgot:

Dick Tiger UD 10 Rubin Carter

Perhaps not as action packed and competitive as some of the other picks, but there is simply something about seeing a prime Dick Tiger in full effect that never ceases to amaze. Both men were looking for return fights against Joey Giardello, the reigning middleweight champion at the time, and accordingly trained hard for this upcoming fight.

Asserting his chilling dominance as early as the second round, Tiger turned an intriguing match up into a one-sided affair. A massive left hook set up by a feint slammed Carter to the canvas, but Rubin was game as well as in excellent shape and managed to beat the count. Tiger stayed professional and tore into his dazed opponent, dumping him with the left hook once again moments before the bell rang. Carter, who walked toward the wrong corner at the end of the round, fought bravely for the remainder of the fight, but the stage had been set. He was dropped again in the fourth and, with exception to the seventh round where he managed to wobble Tiger with a series of shots that landed flush, was shredded with combinations whenever in close. At the end of the night, Carter’s face appeared swollen and battered while Tiger looked as though he could fight ten more rounds if he wanted. It was a master class at it’s finest, one in which Tiger reinstated what is already apparent from the Fullmer, Fernandez, Hank, and Gonzalez fights; no one overpowers a prime Dick Tiger at 160. Self admittedly, it was the worst beating Carter had ever received, in or out of the ring.

[KobeIsGod]

Lennox MD Mercer. I didnt see it live but on espn classic with John Tessitore doing blow-by-blow :yep Despite this, it was a great back and forth struggle w/both men throw and absorbing their opponent's best shots. Lennox looked pretty messed up at the end but I had him winning 6-4. His reaction to the decision was pretty funny too :yep

[salsanchezfan]

Great thread idea, TH, and nice to have you back!

You took my choice with Ramos vs. Ramos! :twisted: Glad you liked it, though. I've been a big Mando Ramos fan since seeing that one (thanks, RB)!

I thought Chacon-Limon III was quite good, and also one of the worst decisions no one ever talks about. Bobby was bloodied, battered, and knocked down; nearly stopped......he managed to rally in the last couple rounds, and the judges somehow gave him the decision. Unfathomable. I love Bobby, but he got his ass kicked that night. Even the TV announce moaned "OH, they STOLE it from him" when the decision was announced. Good action though, and of course the trademark heart of both these guys was always on display.

I don't know for sure if this was scheduled for ten rounds, but I have the first fight between Jofre and the underrated Joe Medel. A ferocious fight, seeing both hurt badly (Medel was a murderous puncher; besides badly shaking the great Jofre, he also stopped the super-tough ATG Fighting Harada in their first fight), Jofre rebounded to stop Medel in the tenth. The fifth and ninth round of these are particularly good. Great see-saw action, with both guys nearly going down only to shake the other guy in the next moment.

Blake-Baltazar was great, too. Been a long time since I've seen that one, I need to get another copy.

[red cobra]

Gene Tunney-Jack Dempsey l. Maybe not a rock 'em-sock 'em type of fight, but one which has always intrigued me. Tunney landed a big right hand just moments into the fight and just dominated Dempsey after that. Gene's classic, disciplined, textbook style was masterful that night, all the while through a driving rain. If it were scheduled for 15 Tunney would have stopped him for sure, the same with the famous "Long Count" rematch.

[young griffo]

As was the Ward series.

Another one I forgot:

Dick Tiger UD 10 Rubin Carter

Perhaps not as action packed and competitive as some of the other picks, but there is simply something about seeing a prime Dick Tiger in full effect that never ceases to amaze. Both men were looking for return fights against Joey Giardello, the reigning middleweight champion at the time, and accordingly trained hard for this upcoming fight.

Asserting his chilling dominance as early as the second round, Tiger turned an intriguing match up into a one-sided affair. A massive left hook set up by a feint slammed Carter to the canvas, but Rubin was game as well as in excellent shape and managed to beat the count. Tiger stayed professional and tore into his dazed opponent, dumping him with the left hook once again moments before the bell rang. Carter, who walked toward the wrong corner at the end of the round, fought bravely for the remainder of the fight, but the stage had been set. He was dropped again in the fourth and, with exception to the seventh round where he managed to wobble Tiger with a series of shots that landed flush, was shredded with combinations whenever in close. At the end of the night, Carter’s face appeared swollen and battered while Tiger looked as though he could fight ten more rounds if he wanted. It was a master class at it’s finest, one in which Tiger reinstated what is already apparent from the Fullmer, Fernandez, Hank, and Gonzalez fights; no one overpowers a prime Dick Tiger at 160. Self admittedly, it was the worst beating Carter had ever received, in or out of the ring.
I'd love to see this fight but reading this post gives me a great picture of how it went down.
Top stuff :good

[Quick Cash]

Gatti-Ward 1, 2 & 3. No titles on the line

[Jack Dempsey]

Dempsey Tunney II

[Drew101]

Ward-Augustus
Tommy Cordova-Kelvin Seabrooks

[heerko koois]

smith- Bruno.....

[Tommy Hearns]

Great thread idea, TH, and nice to have you back!

You took my choice with Ramos vs. Ramos! :twisted: Glad you liked it, though. I've been a big Mando Ramos fan since seeing that one (thanks, RB)!

I thought Chacon-Limon III was quite good, and also one of the worst decisions no one ever talks about. Bobby was bloodied, battered, and knocked down; nearly stopped......he managed to rally in the last couple rounds, and the judges somehow gave him the decision. Unfathomable. I love Bobby, but he got his ass kicked that night. Even the TV announce moaned "OH, they STOLE it from him" when the decision was announced. Good action though, and of course the trademark heart of both these guys was always on display.

I don't know for sure if this was scheduled for ten rounds, but I have the first fight between Jofre and the underrated Joe Medel. A ferocious fight, seeing both hurt badly (Medel was a murderous puncher; besides badly shaking the great Jofre, he also stopped the super-tough ATG Fighting Harada in their first fight), Jofre rebounded to stop Medel in the tenth. The fifth and ninth round of these are particularly good. Great see-saw action, with both guys nearly going down only to shake the other guy in the next moment.

Blake-Baltazar was great, too. Been a long time since I've seen that one, I need to get another copy.Thanks, it's good to be back. Quick question: How'd you ever get a copy of Chacon-Limon III?

[salsanchezfan]

Thanks, it's good to be back. Quick question: How'd you ever get a copy of Chacon-Limon III?




Santa Claus (a.k.a. RB) :D

[Russell]

Great little write-ups, Hearns.

[Raging B(_)LL]

Interesting thread, and glad to have you back TH, long time no see.

Besides the bouts already mentioned, I would nominate the two Merqui Sosa/Charles Williams bouts, especially the first one which ended in a double TKO after the ring doctor ruled both fighters were too beat up to continue.

Another good one was the Jorge Paez/Tracy Spann fight. Paez got dropped hard by a right hook (Spann was a southpaw) in the 4th I think, and he barely beat the count but managed to survive the round. He lost a point in the 6th if I remember correctly for repeatedly putting his left glove in Tracy`s face in an attempt to obstruct his vision, and after several warnings the referee took a point off.

But it was a seesaw battle and a highly entertaining fight, which ended with a split decision win for Paez. The fight was very close however, and could have easily gone Spann`s way in my opinion, but Jorge did come on strong in the last two rounds which probably swung the fight his way.

Two other favourites would be the Dick Tiger/Henry Hank and Mauro Mina/Henry Hank fights. The Tiger/Hank bout was a barnburner, both men stood their ground and it was bombs away for most of the fight. Hank stood his ground with him every step of the way, but Tiger did land the more telling blows and it was clear that he was the stronger of the two.

Hank/Mina was another great fight, with Hank throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Mina in the early going, but Mina blocked many of the punches coming his way and used his excellent jab to pile up the points. By the 7th round it looked like Hank had punched himself out, and was on the backfoot for the remainder of the fight. He fought in spurts only after that, and Mina kept sticking that jab in his face all night long to good effect, excellent action packed bout this was.

[salsanchezfan]

Interesting thread, and glad to have you back TH, long time no see.

Besides the bouts already mentioned, I would nominate the two Merqui Sosa/Charles Williams bouts, especially the first one which ended in a double TKO after the ring doctor ruled both fighters were too beat up to continue.

Another good one was the Jorge Paez/Tracy Spann fight. Paez got dropped hard by a right hook (Spann was a southpaw) in the 4th I think, and he barely beat the count but managed to survive the round. He lost a point in the 6th if I remember correctly for repeatedly putting his left glove in Tracy`s face in an attempt to obstruct his vision, and after several warnings the referee took a point off.

But it was a seesaw battle and a highly entertaining fight, which ended with a split decision win for Paez. The fight was very close however, and could have easily gone Spann`s way in my opinion, but Jorge did come on strong in the last two rounds which probably swung the fight his way.

Two other favourites would be the Dick Tiger/Henry Hank and Mauro Mina/Henry Hank fights. The Tiger/Hank bout was a barnburner, both men stood their ground and it was bombs away for most of the fight. Hank stood his ground with him every step of the way, but Tiger did land the more telling blows and it was clear that he was the stronger of the two.

Hank/Mina was another great fight, with Hank throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Mina in the early going, but Mina blocked many of the punches coming his way and used his excellent jab to pile up the points. By the 7th round it looked like Hank had punched himself out, and was on the backfoot for the remainder of the fight. He fought in spurts only after that, and Mina kept sticking that jab in his face all night long to good effect, excellent action packed bout this was.




..........Good stuff RB. Hey, it's just about time for me to replace my Sanchez collection, having given it all away a bit ago on VHS. Time to upgrade. How many of his do you have again? :huh


..........I shall be in touch. :D

[Raging B(_)LL]

..........Good stuff RB. Hey, it's just about time for me to replace my Sanchez collection, having given it all away a bit ago on VHS. Time to upgrade. How many of his do you have again? :huh


..........I shall be in touch. :D

Hey there Sal, how you been man?

I have about a dozen of his bouts, most of them in very good condition. Send me an e-mail or pm, we will disscuss the details in private.

[Titan1]

Bobby Czyz-Robbie Sims.

[Dempsey1238]

Great thread idea, TH, and nice to have you back!

You took my choice with Ramos vs. Ramos! :twisted: Glad you liked it, though. I've been a big Mando Ramos fan since seeing that one (thanks, RB)!

I thought Chacon-Limon III was quite good, and also one of the worst decisions no one ever talks about. Bobby was bloodied, battered, and knocked down; nearly stopped......he managed to rally in the last couple rounds, and the judges somehow gave him the decision. Unfathomable. I love Bobby, but he got his ass kicked that night. Even the TV announce moaned "OH, they STOLE it from him" when the decision was announced. Good action though, and of course the trademark heart of both these guys was always on display.

I don't know for sure if this was scheduled for ten rounds, but I have the first fight between Jofre and the underrated Joe Medel. A ferocious fight, seeing both hurt badly (Medel was a murderous puncher; besides badly shaking the great Jofre, he also stopped the super-tough ATG Fighting Harada in their first fight), Jofre rebounded to stop Medel in the tenth. The fifth and ninth round of these are particularly good. Great see-saw action, with both guys nearly going down only to shake the other guy in the next moment.

Blake-Baltazar was great, too. Been a long time since I've seen that one, I need to get another copy.

I gave you 2 fights that were ten rounders, and 1 of em was complete, and I DIDNT SEE 1 fight or the 2nd fight on your ten round list.