Alexis Arguello - Discussion

[GPater11093]

Just been watching a heap of him recently picking up tricks and taht off of him.

just wanted to start a discussion on here

heres afew questions to get started

When did you think he hit his prime?

Whats his 5 best performances?

Which fight showcases his body punching to its fullest?

What made him such a good fighter?

[El Radar]

Alexis Arguello is similiar in many ways to Joe Louis. Often people see Joe Louis highlights and watch him knocking people out and presume he is a basic slugger. This is not the cause with him being a complete boxer puncher who would jab and slide his way into range before releasing bombs. Often people see Arguello knocking people out brutally and presume he was a slugger but in reality he was a classic boxer puncher. In fact often he was too patient and his fights became boring until he opened up.
His fight with Boza-Edwards apparently had Edwards being sick in his corner from the body shots, although they were not to many. Here is another example

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

6 minutes 47 seconds you will see a brutal body shot drop Royal Kobayashi to the foetal position (he was no bum either). Brutal stoppage you will be certain to see in many of his highlights.

[GPater11093]

Thanks ER

Yeh hes brutal on Boza, in a very good fight

i agree his fights get exciting when he starts to open up and normally (if his opponents survive) the last 5 are amazing.

aint saw the Kobayashi fight but ill check it out

[El Radar]

I would say he was a pretty complete fighter who could do it all but he had a mentality (like a younger JMM) were he wanted to win. His wars were against the better opponents (like Escalera, Pryor and Chacon) who were more likely to be more determined. Also he had a great sense of anticipation and timing- he knew exactly when to whip that rapier like right hand across and had a great killer insinct. One of the more complete boxers of the last 40 years.

[GPater11093]

definitly in fact i was thinking hes perhaps the most complete Boxer-Puncher that ever lived

[teeto]

Not sure how much of a plus it is, but it makes for great viewing how he likes to fight boxers off him rather than clinch, which you can see in the first Pryor fight perfectly, and with Olivares. You get Arguello against another man with a high skill level on offense and you're guaranteed a great scene. As we know, he rarely lost them.

[My2Sense]

When did you think he hit his prime?

When he moved up to 130.

Whats his 5 best performances?

Escalera I & II, Olivares, Navarette, Watt.

Which fight showcases his body punching to its fullest?

Boza Edwards.

What made him such a good fighter?

His smarts, his toughness, his resilience, his technical skill, his physical advantages, and his bone-breaking power.

[Flea Man]

There was some brutal body punches in Boza EDwards, but that shot which lifted Koyabashi off the ground in a sitting position is unbelievable!

Pater you know what I think of Alexis :good

[turpinr]

i liked the way he threw a straight right.he made it look easy.he always looked really calm too.
jim watt said he was too nice to fight !!??

[booradley]

I'll weigh in with a few random facts, opinions, and bits of trivia no one mentioned.

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect. He lost two of his first five, and did not face an opponent who actually had a win on his record until his 14th pro fight. In his 26th fight he lost by TKO to a guy who was 5-6-0.

2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

3; The fighter who beat seven shades of shit out of Olivares, and stopped him in 13, seemd to come out of nowhere. Even after this Arguello was widely regarded as just a skinny slugger.

4; When Arguello could no longer make the 126 pound limit comfortably, he seriously considered retiring rather than moving up. As boxing fans we can thank the gods that Alexis decided otherwise.

5; The first Escalera fight was the fight that really put Alexis on the map. Escalera was a fine champion who could both crack and box a bit. That's when people started to realize that Alexis was indeed something special.

6; At the time Alexis was one of only a handful of fighters to dominate 3 divisions. Back then, with fewer belts, and different weigh in rules, moving up through divisions was a lot harder.

7; If you have never seen the Arguello/Mancinni post-fight video, you have never witnessed the true spirit of a great warrior.

8; I'm getting long winded, so I'll close with this. Some of you may disagree, and you're free to do that, but if I were Jack Leow, I would make Kelly Pavlik live with tape of Arguello for at least 3 months day in and day out!

[Manassa]

definitly in fact i was thinking hes perhaps the most complete Boxer-Puncher that ever lived

Ike Williams? :D

[Flea Man]

Ike Williams? :D

No, Arguello.

SUPER HANS! Legend :good

[Flea Man]

I'll weigh in with a few random facts, opinions, and bits of trivia no one mentioned.

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect. He lost two of his first five, and did not face an opponent who actually had a win on his record until his 14th pro fight. In his 26th fight he lost by TKO to a guy who was 5-6-0.

2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

3; The fighter who beat seven shades of shit out of Olivares, and stopped him in 13, seemd to come out of nowhere. Even after this Arguello was widely regarded as just a skinny slugger.

4; When Arguello could no longer make the 126 pound limit comfortably, he seriously considered retiring rather than moving up. As boxing fans we can thank the gods that Alexis decided otherwise.

5; The first Escalera fight was the fight that really put Alexis on the map. Escalera was a fine champion who could both crack and box a bit. That's when people started to realize that Alexis was indeed something special.

6; At the time Alexis was one of only a handful of fighters to dominate 3 divisions. Back then, with fewer belts, and different weigh in rules, moving up through divisions was a lot harder.

7; If you have never seen the Arguello/Mancinni post-fight video, you have never witnessed the true spirit of a great warrior.

8; I'm getting long winded, so I'll close with this. Some of you may disagree, and you're free to do that, but if I were Jack Leow, I would make Kelly Pavlik live with tape of Arguello for at least 3 months day in and day out!

Perfect post for this thread:good:good:good

[GPater11093]

I'll weigh in with a few random facts, opinions, and bits of trivia no one mentioned.

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect. He lost two of his first five, and did not face an opponent who actually had a win on his record until his 14th pro fight. In his 26th fight he lost by TKO to a guy who was 5-6-0.

2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

3; The fighter who beat seven shades of shit out of Olivares, and stopped him in 13, seemd to come out of nowhere. Even after this Arguello was widely regarded as just a skinny slugger.

4; When Arguello could no longer make the 126 pound limit comfortably, he seriously considered retiring rather than moving up. As boxing fans we can thank the gods that Alexis decided otherwise.

5; The first Escalera fight was the fight that really put Alexis on the map. Escalera was a fine champion who could both crack and box a bit. That's when people started to realize that Alexis was indeed something special.

6; At the time Alexis was one of only a handful of fighters to dominate 3 divisions. Back then, with fewer belts, and different weigh in rules, moving up through divisions was a lot harder.

7; If you have never seen the Arguello/Mancinni post-fight video, you have never witnessed the true spirit of a great warrior.

8; I'm getting long winded, so I'll close with this. Some of you may disagree, and you're free to do that, but if I were Jack Leow, I would make Kelly Pavlik live with tape of Arguello for at least 3 months day in and day out!

thanks for that really didnt know how unregarded he was early on as he does look so composed against Olivares. Thats what i love about Arguello under heavy pressure he was so composed and concentrated like Teeto said he fought off of them as he was so concentrated.

Ike Williams? :D

I havent seen alot of Ike Williams but what i have i just dont think hes as rounded as Arguello as a boxer-puncher however his offence is better. The only guy i could say are better than Arguello in terms of boxer punchers is Carlos ortiz

[Flea Man]

Apparently he begged his Mother to allow him to turn pro after handling himself well in a sparring session with Olivares. Might not be true.

[GPater11093]

Apparently he begged his Mother to allow him to turn pro after handling himself well in a sparring session with Olivares. Might not be true.

I have heard that before aswell

[Flea Man]

I have heard that before aswell

Did you get my message on facebook. About Paul Hitchin?

[GPater11093]

Did you get my message on facebook. About Paul Hitchin?

yeh just responded

How far would you agreee that Arguellos power came from his technique more than a 'natural power'?

[booradley]

There are a whole host of "quotable quotes" from Arguello. Here's one of my favorites.

Interviewer: "Did it bother you when Gannigan knocked you down."

Alexis: "Nah, first time ever I get knocked down, it scared the heck out of me, but I got used to it."

I love that one. Perhaps Fleaman can come up with a few.

[mcvey]

Williams certainly had faster feet.
Carlos Ortiz might get a shout ,though his one shot power was not in this class imo.
Eder Jofre?

[scartissue]

I'll weigh in with a few random facts, opinions, and bits of trivia no one mentioned.

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect. He lost two of his first five, and did not face an opponent who actually had a win on his record until his 14th pro fight. In his 26th fight he lost by TKO to a guy who was 5-6-0.

2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

3; The fighter who beat seven shades of shit out of Olivares, and stopped him in 13, seemd to come out of nowhere. Even after this Arguello was widely regarded as just a skinny slugger.

4; When Arguello could no longer make the 126 pound limit comfortably, he seriously considered retiring rather than moving up. As boxing fans we can thank the gods that Alexis decided otherwise.

5; The first Escalera fight was the fight that really put Alexis on the map. Escalera was a fine champion who could both crack and box a bit. That's when people started to realize that Alexis was indeed something special.

6; At the time Alexis was one of only a handful of fighters to dominate 3 divisions. Back then, with fewer belts, and different weigh in rules, moving up through divisions was a lot harder.

7; If you have never seen the Arguello/Mancinni post-fight video, you have never witnessed the true spirit of a great warrior.

8; I'm getting long winded, so I'll close with this. Some of you may disagree, and you're free to do that, but if I were Jack Leow, I would make Kelly Pavlik live with tape of Arguello for at least 3 months day in and day out!

I agree with most of this except for #3. In fact, Arguello was already well known at that time having beaten Art Hafey, Enrique Garcia, Famoso Gomez, Valentin Galeano and of course Jose Legra, not to mention his title shot. But most of all, the report I saw on Boxrec is completely untrue. In fact, Olivares was, figuratively speaking, beating the crap out of Arguello. I believe it was the 10th and 12th he really lathered Arguello against the ropes in leather. The reports from the magazines I have, not to mention the fact that I have seen the fight, state that the momentum was entirely with Olivares going into the 13th. If you see the fight you will see Olivares resume his attack in the 13th. He was not winded at all as the 'report' in boxrec suggests. Olivares simply walked into a left hook. And with Arguello being one of the best finishers around, that was it on the followup. Also remember that Olivares lost the first five rounds, which will tell you how the fight was going since Ruben was ahead on points at the end. I always felt this said alot about Olivares, at 5'5" beating on an all time great who stood 5'10". I always liked Arguello, who I thought peaked beautifully at 135, but he got lucky that night against Olivares.

Scartissue

[booradley]

I agree with most of this except for #3. In fact, Arguello was already well known at that time having beaten Art Hafey, Enrique Garcia, Famoso Gomez, Valentin Galeano and of course Jose Legra, not to mention his title shot. But most of all, the report I saw on Boxrec is completely untrue. In fact, Olivares was, figuratively speaking, beating the crap out of Arguello. I believe it was the 10th and 12th he really lathered Arguello against the ropes in leather. The reports from the magazines I have, not to mention the fact that I have seen the fight, state that the momentum was entirely with Olivares going into the 13th. If you see the fight you will see Olivares resume his attack in the 13th. He was not winded at all as the 'report' in boxrec suggests. Olivares simply walked into a left hook. And with Arguello being one of the best finishers around, that was it on the followup. Also remember that Olivares lost the first five rounds, which will tell you how the fight was going since Ruben was ahead on points at the end. I always felt this said alot about Olivares, at 5'5" beating on an all time great who stood 5'10". I always liked Arguello, who I thought peaked beautifully at 135, but he got lucky that night against Olivares.

Scartissue

I haven't seen Olivares/arguello in forever. I'll see if it's on you tube. what I meant when I referred to Arguello coming out of nowhere was that, as I recall, he was not favored to win. Very few people thought we were watching the rise of an all time great at that time.

[scartissue]

That is true. For me he came out of nowhere with the Legra fight. I couldn't believe that one at the time and was curious as hell as to who was this Arguello dude. Although losing to Marcel - no shame, seriously underrated feather - I was again stunned when he took out Hafey. He really grew into that frame of his at 130 (he is my #1 Jr. lightweight of all time) and again at 135. I think he pushed the envelope at 140 despite the excellent showing against Pryor. In a nutshell, an alltime great at 130-135.

Scartissue

[Manassa]

I'd still say Ike Williams was the most complete boxer-puncher, if we're talking about the Joe Louis type grounded, jabbing, stalking combination puncher.

Or maybe Joe Louis himself was.

Williams was known in his time to be a crippling body puncher, like Arguello. He was also known for his left hook like Arguello was known for his right, and, like Arguello, was just as potent with any other punch. Arguello might have had a marginally better defence and higher accuracy, but Williams was definitely quicker on his feet and with his hands.

There's not much in it, I think I just prefer the Louis/Williams/Carter style.

[Flea Man]

There are a whole host of "quotable quotes" from Arguello. Here's one of my favorites.

Interviewer: "Did it bother you when Gannigan knocked you down."

Alexis: "Nah, first time ever I get knocked down, it scared the heck out of me, but I got used to it."

I love that one. Perhaps Fleaman can come up with a few.

Funnily enough this one goes with what Pater is asking;

'I'd take precision any day over power; as far as being tactical you know you have to see what's going on in there and also understand that for every punch that you or your opponent throws there's always a counter shot or two which you have to be ready to fire or defend.'

Manassa; I wouldn't say you're wrong. Louis, Williams and Arguello are amongst the best boxer-punchers of all-time, Arguello being the most 'static'.

Williams had much faster feet, luckily Arguello's lack of great movement allowed him to be in perfect position to set his feet. I think this is why he managed so many K.O's with either hand.

Pater; personally I think Arguello was heavy handed, but supplemented this with his accuracy and timing:good

[Thinman]

I'll weigh in with a few random facts, opinions, and bits of trivia no one mentioned.

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect. He lost two of his first five, and did not face an opponent who actually had a win on his record until his 14th pro fight. In his 26th fight he lost by TKO to a guy who was 5-6-0.

2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

3; The fighter who beat seven shades of shit out of Olivares, and stopped him in 13, seemd to come out of nowhere. Even after this Arguello was widely regarded as just a skinny slugger.

4; When Arguello could no longer make the 126 pound limit comfortably, he seriously considered retiring rather than moving up. As boxing fans we can thank the gods that Alexis decided otherwise.

5; The first Escalera fight was the fight that really put Alexis on the map. Escalera was a fine champion who could both crack and box a bit. That's when people started to realize that Alexis was indeed something special.

6; At the time Alexis was one of only a handful of fighters to dominate 3 divisions. Back then, with fewer belts, and different weigh in rules, moving up through divisions was a lot harder.

7; If you have never seen the Arguello/Mancinni post-fight video, you have never witnessed the true spirit of a great warrior.

8; I'm getting long winded, so I'll close with this. Some of you may disagree, and you're free to do that, but if I were Jack Leow, I would make Kelly Pavlik live with tape of Arguello for at least 3 months day in and day out!

Boo, you are a fan of Alexis as I am, and seems to be we both liked him a lot..... but I would like to clarify some of your points.... Let me expand....

Point 1
BoxRec does not have the records of all the boxers.... and that's why you see that most of Alexis oponents records at the begining of his pro career are pretty much blank.....which means BoxRec never got their records and therefore the info is incomplete....

The boxer you make reference with the record of 5-6-0 is Jorge Reyes, who did not defeat Arguello by TKO as it is said on BoxRec......It is misleading.... Arguello did not lose that fight the way that we understand a TKO.... He broke his left hand and couldn't continue fighting and therefore Reyes was declared the winner.....

Olivares team found out about Arguellos fracture and requested an Xray on Alexis hand around the time they fought.... they wanted to know if Alexis had any kind of metal on his hand, because he was dropping oponents with his left hook very easy.....

Point 5

Not true..... before Arguello beat Escalera, Alexis was already well known by many... you cant beat Olivares without people knowing...... I think the fights that put Arguello on the map were his fights against Marcel, Haffey, Hernandez, and of course Olivares....

I would like to add that Arguello is among the boxers who won three or more titles in different divisions and defended all of them succesfully.... meaning never lost his titles in the ring, and I think only him and Floyd are the ones who can claim such thing.

Peace. :good

[My2Sense]

Not true..... before Arguello beat Escalera, Alexis was already well known by many... you cant beat Olivares without people knowing...... I think the fights that put Arguello on the map were his fights against Marcel, Haffey, Hernandez, and of course Olivares....


That's right, most people (except in Escalera's native Puerto Rico, perhaps) actually picked him to beat Escalera even the first time, and he was already being talked about for a possible magafight down the road with Duran.

[Flea Man]

Boo, you are a fan of Alexis as I am, and seems to be we both liked him a lot..... but I would like to clarify some of your points.... Let me expand....

Point 1
BoxRec does not have the records of all the boxers.... and that's why you see that most of Alexis oponents records at the begining of his pro career are pretty much blank.....which means BoxRec never got their records and therefore the info is incomplete....

The boxer you make reference with the record of 5-6-0 is Jorge Reyes, who did not defeat Arguello by TKO as it is said on BoxRec......It is misleading.... Arguello did not lose that fight the way that we understand a TKO.... He broke his left hand and couldn't continue fighting and therefore Reyes was declared the winner.....

Olivares team found out about Arguellos fracture and requested an Xray on Alexis hand around the time they fought.... they wanted to know if Alexis had any kind of metal on his hand, because he was dropping oponents with his left hook very easy.....

Point 5

Not true..... before Arguello beat Escalera, Alexis was already well known by many... you cant beat Olivares without people knowing...... I think the fights that put Arguello on the map were his fights against Marcel, Haffey, Hernandez, and of course Olivares....

I would like to add that Arguello is among the boxers who won three or more titles in different divisions and defended all of them succesfully.... meaning never lost his titles in the ring, and I think only him and Floyd are the ones who can claim such thing.

Peace. :good

Good points as well, I think Boo will appreciate these.

Pater; good thread, I could talk about El Flaco Explosivo all day:good

[My2Sense]

1; Alexis Arguello was not a talented and promising prospect.

Actually, he was noted for his raw talent (namely his punching power) following his blowout of Legra and record of KOs, but he didn't yet have the skills or polish to make full use of that potential.


2; He lost his first bid for a world title when Ernesto Marcel scored a VERY clear 15 round decision over him. The ref considered stopping it after the 7th, but Arguello said he was okay and wanted to continue.

Although I had Marcel winning, I don't agree that that was a clear decision at all, and most other people generally didn't either. Also, he had Marcel hurt far worse during the middle rounds, and if that fight was held anywhere else but in his native Panama it very possibly would've been stopped in Arguello's favor.

[Flea Man]

Actually, he was noted for his raw talent (namely his punching power) following his blowout of Legra and record of KOs, but he didn't yet have the skills or polish to make full use of that potential.




Although I had Marcel winning, I don't agree that that was a clear decision at all, and most other people generally didn't either. Also, he had Marcel hurt far worse during the middle rounds, and if that fight was held anywhere else but in his native Panama it very possibly would've been stopped in Arguello's favor.

Although Arguello had his moments I too had it pretty clearly for Marcel.

I will re-watch and re-score this weekend and post my card up :good(regardless of whether you care or not:lol:gives me something to do)

[booradley]

Boo, you are a fan of Alexis as I am, and seems to be we both liked him a lot..... but I would like to clarify some of your points.... Let me expand....

Point 1
BoxRec does not have the records of all the boxers.... and that's why you see that most of Alexis oponents records at the begining of his pro career are pretty much blank.....which means BoxRec never got their records and therefore the info is incomplete....

The boxer you make reference with the record of 5-6-0 is Jorge Reyes, who did not defeat Arguello by TKO as it is said on BoxRec......It is misleading.... Arguello did not lose that fight the way that we understand a TKO.... He broke his left hand and couldn't continue fighting and therefore Reyes was declared the winner.....

Olivares team found out about Arguellos fracture and requested an Xray on Alexis hand around the time they fought.... they wanted to know if Alexis had any kind of metal on his hand, because he was dropping oponents with his left hook very easy.....

Point 5

Not true..... before Arguello beat Escalera, Alexis was already well known by many... you cant beat Olivares without people knowing...... I think the fights that put Arguello on the map were his fights against Marcel, Haffey, Hernandez, and of course Olivares....

I would like to add that Arguello is among the boxers who won three or more titles in different divisions and defended all of them succesfully.... meaning never lost his titles in the ring, and I think only him and Floyd are the ones who can claim such thing.

Peace. :good

Alexis Arguello is #1 on my list of all time favorites. Little Red is #2. The other spots change periodically depending on what I've been watching and/or reading. The #1 and #2 spots never change.

When I say Alexis was not a highly regarded prospect, that's relative to many other prospects over the years. Take for example Matt Korobov. That kid was on HBO in his 6th pro fight. Arguello did not enjoy that kind of notariety.

I always wondered what was up with the Reyes fight. I did not know the full story until now.

I've developed the habit of pointing out Arguello's early failings from some of the crap that goes on in the general forum. Todays younger fans seem to think that a few losses makes a fighter a bum. In my opinion Alexis is the ultimate proof that such an idea is muddle headed at best.

Prior to the Olivares fight Arguello was sort of "on again/off again." Erensto Marcel is hardly the first name that comes to mind when I think of great featherweights. It seems like the loss to Marcel woke something up in Alexis, because after that he went on a wild ass tear and won (I think) 25 straight including two world titles. I don't think many people realized Alexis was truly something special until he beat Escalera the first time.

On another note, you mentioned PBF. At 130 in 15 rounder, Alexis lights his ass up in the 14th. He'd find a way, because that's what Alexis did; find a way:yep

[GPater11093]

Williams certainly had faster feet.
Carlos Ortiz might get a shout ,though his one shot power was not in this class imo.
Eder Jofre?

Jofre is a good shout.

I agree with most of this except for #3. In fact, Arguello was already well known at that time having beaten Art Hafey, Enrique Garcia, Famoso Gomez, Valentin Galeano and of course Jose Legra, not to mention his title shot. But most of all, the report I saw on Boxrec is completely untrue. In fact, Olivares was, figuratively speaking, beating the crap out of Arguello. I believe it was the 10th and 12th he really lathered Arguello against the ropes in leather. The reports from the magazines I have, not to mention the fact that I have seen the fight, state that the momentum was entirely with Olivares going into the 13th. If you see the fight you will see Olivares resume his attack in the 13th. He was not winded at all as the 'report' in boxrec suggests. Olivares simply walked into a left hook. And with Arguello being one of the best finishers around, that was it on the followup. Also remember that Olivares lost the first five rounds, which will tell you how the fight was going since Ruben was ahead on points at the end. I always felt this said alot about Olivares, at 5'5" beating on an all time great who stood 5'10". I always liked Arguello, who I thought peaked beautifully at 135, but he got lucky that night against Olivares.

Scartissue

I thought the fight was reasonably close with Olivares winning. I thought both fighters turned it up in the 11th and 12th and it was about even but it did look like if it kept going htis way Olivares would be first to go.

I wathce dthe fight on Wednesday so its still quite fresh in my mind

Good points as well, I think Boo will appreciate these.

Pater; good thread, I could talk about El Flaco Explosivo all day:good

so could i Flea

[red cobra]

The strongest impressions I have of Alexis Arguello are
1. The absolutely devastating way he was able to cut, lacerate and shred Alfredo Escalera in that 1st fight of theirs, prompting Howard Cosell to comment that it seemed that Arguello had "razor blades" in his gloves.
2. The utterly devastating combination he dealt to poor Diego Alcala in that 1 round execution of a title defense in '78.
3. The one punch destruction of Kevin Rooney
4. The beating he handed Boom Boom Mancini and his display of class afterwards in consoling Mancini.
5. His great display of heart before the inevitable end against Aaron Pryor.
6. The way my wife at the time was so completely so much of a fan of Arguello and for a completely different reason than mine.

[booradley]

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[WhataRock]

Actually, he was noted for his raw talent (namely his punching power) following his blowout of Legra and record of KOs, but he didn't yet have the skills or polish to make full use of that potential.




Although I had Marcel winning, I don't agree that that was a clear decision at all, and most other people generally didn't either. Also, he had Marcel hurt far worse during the middle rounds, and if that fight was held anywhere else but in his native Panama it very possibly would've been stopped in Arguello's favor.


Just watched this fight recently My2...and if anything it was clear. Dont think it was even particularly close.

Marcel was really handling Alexis early on..which is no surprise for the slow starting Arguello ..but I mean he was really winning these rounds big.
Alexis was waiting a bit, trying to measure him up and Marcel was clocking him with most of what he threw..especially lead right hands. Now Ernesto was fairly economical himself, when I say he was landing most of what he threw thats because he was pot shotting and counterpunching, he wasnt just throwing for the sake of it. He was quite picky and it was paying off.

He staggered him I reckon about 4 or 5 times in in the first 1/3 of the fight..And whilst he never had him in any great trouble...Many of these rounds werent close, Alexis had a hard time landing anything significant.

Around the 9th from what I can gather Alexis really turns it around..Only a couple of rounds earlier he was taking a bit of a beating but in these rounds he really turned it on.

From about the 8th-12th it was mostly Arguello..and one of those rounds was very big, with Marcel looking weary and the bell coming at exactly the right time for him in I think the 10th.
Marcel to his credit made Alexis miss a lot...He was still very crafty but he was going ultra defensive, just really doing enough to keep Arguello from really hammering home the advantage..The odd counter right hand snapping Alexis' head back and making him reset his attacks.
Something had the Panmanian crowd worried though because you could see a few things fly into the ring at this stage.

But with about 10 mins to go on my film..Marcel turns the fight comprehensively back in his favour. It was one of the most amazing 2nd winds Ive ever seen because he looked so tired on a couple of rounds before but now in the final rounds of the fight he was throwing a lot of leather and bouncing on his toes.

2 of these rounds were nearly as big as the big one for Arguello...As Marcel fired the fuck up with two handed attacks which stagger Alexis at least once and has him holding on tight on several occasions.
Arguello looked a little winded at this point...perhaps he had punched himself out a little.

Overall I thought it was a pretty easy fight to score..with only a few hard rounds where you had to seperate the two (plus my copy has a few parts where there was no video for a little bit) ..Both had mostly fairly clear rounds but in the end Marcel was the clear winner...the dejected Arguello seemed like he had accepted his fate when the fight was over.

Marcel was such an awesome fighter...One of my favorites to watch right now. And you could already see a green Argeullo had greatness written all over him.

[cotto20]

Standing at 5''10 exceptionally tall for a fighter who weighed under 140 pounds. Arguello was a thinking man's warrior.

In his prime years In his prime Arguello was considered nigh invincible. In a boxing magazine in 1978 “Alexis Arguello is regarded by some people as the perfect fighter. He is thought to be--pound for pound, inch-for-inch and punch for punch--the best puglist in the world...a fighter without a flaw.”

Arguello was a tall, heavy handed, hard jabbing boxer fighter, his punchers carried great levarge, whether it be to the head or body. He had the strength, defence and skills to excel in four weight divisons, reigning as champion in three.

He knocked out Ruben Olivares to the the WBA Featherweight Title in 74, and defended it four times before stopping Alfredo Escalera for the WBC Super Featherweight Title and defended it eight times.

He moved to Lightweight, outboxed Jim Watt for the WBC Title, which he defended four times, before losing two wars with Aaron Pryor for the Junior Welterweight Title.

All in all he won 19 of his 22 title fights, beating 10 titlists.

Arguello's Resume Of Wins...........
Ruben Olivares
Alfredo Escalera x2
Rafael Limon
Bobby Chacon
Ruben Castillio
Cornelius Boza Edwards
Jose Luis Ramirez
Jim Watt
Ray Macini