- 1 day ago
Yory Boy Campas faces Anthony Jones in a Welterweight bout on TVKO HBO PPV Boxing. Plus an interview with Roy Jones Jr. This fight took place before the PPV Telecast started. Also Roy Jones Jr interviews Riddick Bowe in the locker room. Plus Nick Charles interviews Sugar Ray Leonard
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00:00Vander Holofield are doing it again.
00:02They forged a bond that only comes when you face an opponent who forces you to elevate your game to the highest order, just to survive.
00:09It's a rare occurrence in boxing history, but over the years there have been other tremendous rivalries.
00:15Notably, Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano, who waged mortal combat with each other.
00:21And then suddenly, Graziano knocks out Zale, and it's in the same round, the sixth round, almost at the same time.
00:29Publicist, Murray Goodman.
00:33The anticipation is who would knock out the other guy.
00:36It's strictly a punch's paradise.
00:40Writer, Bill Gallo.
00:41The first two fights were almost identical.
00:44It was almost a rubber stamp, except it was reversed.
00:48It cried for a return.
00:50I'd like to fight Tony Zale again and give him another chance to even up the score.
00:53You know, two fights, and then the last one, make it three.
00:57Make sure he was a real champion.
01:02One year after taking away Tony Zale's middleweight title, Rocky Graziano put his championship on the line in their third and final meeting in Newark, New Jersey.
01:11Arthur McCanty, Sr.
01:13I recall that fight where Graziano was taking such a beating at the ropes that he went down.
01:22He climbed the first rung of rope, went to the second rung, and went to the third.
01:28He turned around and grasped the rope with both arms spread eagle, and the referee permitted it to go on.
01:34Graziano then suffered one of the most brutal knockouts in boxing history.
01:41Burt Sugar.
01:43Zale for the first round, Zale for the second round, and Zale in the third round.
01:47And he takes out Graziano with a left hook to the body and a left to the head.
01:51And you can still see Graziano dissembling as he goes down.
01:55Tony Zale became only the second man ever to regain the middleweight title.
01:59The Zale-Graziano bouts were spectacular for their sheer brutality and still remain one of boxing's greatest rivalries.
02:10And back here at Caesars Palace, joined by super middleweight champion Roy Jones.
02:15You're a bit of a historian.
02:16Roy, what did you think of Zale-Graziano?
02:18It was a terrific matchup.
02:20Both fighters needing more than one time to prove their points, obviously.
02:24And those are the type of fights that make guys rise to that extra level.
02:30Guys like myself, for instance, we don't have many opponents that can really make us go up to that extra level.
02:37Graziano and Zale both wanted to prove that they were better men, which is much so the case tonight with Bowen Holyfield.
02:44Evander Holyfield's 33 now.
02:46You're, of course, just entering your prime.
02:49He claims he has not lost anything.
02:52Do you agree?
02:52Well, I can't agree with Evander.
02:55He doesn't want to believe that he's lost anything, mainly because he is a fighter, and who's going to say that they're starting to go downhill?
03:03I wouldn't admit to that.
03:04So you can't really expect him to admit to that.
03:07But in the Mercer fight, Evander looked very good.
03:11He came back.
03:11He showed that he still had what it takes to be a champion.
03:15But in the later rounds, when both fighters started to fade, Evander didn't pick up as much as he usually does.
03:23Late times, late rounds in fights are usually his strong point to me.
03:27And in the Mercer fight, it just wasn't the case.
03:29How do you see the pace tonight, Roy, against Bowen?
03:32Who do you see taking the fight to?
03:33I think it's going to be a quick pace tonight.
03:36I think both fighters are going to come right out, pick up from where they left off at, and right to the bombings.
03:42But Evander is in good shape.
03:45Bow looks to be in real good shape.
03:47This is going to be important because if Bow utilizes his weight against Evander, then this should make Evander fade a little bit earlier than normal.
03:54And the later rounds should all belong to Bow.
03:57I think Bow should take the fight.
03:59You know, the second fight, Evander Holifield was the more versatile guy.
04:03He had a different plan when things didn't work.
04:05He knew when to box and he knew when to brawl.
04:08Who's more versatile and why?
04:10Well, I think Bow's condition allowed Evander to be more versatile in that second fight.
04:16Evander used in and out tactics because he knew Bow couldn't catch up with him,
04:20and Bow didn't have any extra energy to use trying to catch Evander.
04:23So that enabled Evander to do what he wanted to do.
04:27This time, I think Bow is the most versatile because he has the reach,
04:30and he's an excellent inside fighter, which most people don't pick up on.
04:34He throws excellent uppercuts.
04:36And then being a tall-ranging guy, his most dangerous stuff comes from way outside.
04:41So Bow is the most versatile to me.
04:44What happens, how has Bow changed, in your opinion, Roy, since 93?
04:48Most notably against Gonzalez, which was a different type of fight.
04:52And Evander's not going to be able to stand there and get mauled against the ropes
04:55the way Gonzalez was in the last fight against Bow.
04:57And then before that, Herbie Hyde.
04:59What have you seen in Bow?
05:00Well, in Bow, I've seen a guy who realized that just because you had a reputation
05:04and you did great things in boxing doesn't mean that people are going to just let you walk over them.
05:09So he came back, and he realized that in not doing as well as he should do,
05:14it kind of lets the boxing world down.
05:16And that's the people that support you, the people that are behind you that, you know,
05:20make you want to go do the right things.
05:22These people get very disappointed when you come out and don't perform to the top of your level.
05:26So it made Bow want to take boxing more serious, I think.
05:29Now he's hungry again.
05:31He wants to prove that he's the best heavyweight around, and he's taking it a lot more serious.
05:35Okay.
05:36Roy Jones will be speaking with you throughout the evening.
05:38You'll be down at the locker rooms.
05:39But right now we're joined by a special correspondent this time, Frank DeFord.
05:43Frank, what's up?
05:43Well, Nick, many of you will recall that the Vietnam War,
05:47the end of it was thwarted for a long time by a lot of silly arguments
05:51about the shape of the negotiating table.
05:55Well, like that, the fuss in the Bow Holyfield fight has not been about the fight itself,
06:00but about how the fighters would enter the ring.
06:03Now follow me.
06:04Now because neither of these guys is a champion right now,
06:07it was contractually agreed that they would walk down the aisle together.
06:11Now that's certainly very precious.
06:14But then Holyfield decided that he wanted to be ushered in by his own music, a gospel hymn.
06:20And then Bow got into the act and said,
06:21no, he wanted to have his own music, which was a James Brown song.
06:28Okay, now stay with me.
06:29Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised about that nowadays,
06:33because even the most mediocre NBA forwards have the kind of introductory fanfare
06:40that even the king of Siam never had in all his years.
06:45And more than that, hold on.
06:46Not only was this music issue a big fuss,
06:51but then after that, the guys got into a brouhaha
06:54about which one of the fighters would be introduced last,
06:58because that, of course, is the traditional top billing.
07:02Well, all of this has been allegedly resolved,
07:04but I'm not going to tell you the results,
07:06because I want you to stay tuned
07:08and see how the all-important entrance issue is worked out.
07:13And then you might as well hang on and see the fight.
07:17Now, Nick, I haven't got any theme music for you,
07:19but I'll send it back upstairs.
07:21Frank, I'm working on my stuff now.
07:23Give me a hint.
07:23Are they going to both drop from a helicopter
07:25maybe into the ring simultaneously?
07:27I can't figure this one out.
07:28But we do know one of the guys is here.
07:30About a half hour ago, Riddick Bowe arrived.
07:34And, you know, this is really the tough part, the waiting.
07:37He really hasn't had to do any training.
07:38He weighed in Thursday.
07:40Yesterday was a complete off day.
07:41He arrived moments ago.
07:43And now the waiting starts.
07:45You know, you steal yourself away in a dressing room
07:47that's never big enough.
07:48You surround yourself with people you trust.
07:51And you think.
07:52And you think.
07:53And you psych yourself up.
07:55You don't psych yourself out.
07:57Well, maybe you choreograph how it's going to go.
08:00You try to stay loose.
08:01And Bowe, yesterday in the pre-fight meeting we had with him,
08:03said, well, he had the hiccups then.
08:05But he said, that's a good sign.
08:06I always have the hiccups before a fight.
08:08I don't see him doing it right now.
08:10So he obviously looks loose to us.
08:12But, again, all we could say right now is critic Bowe wouldn't dare turn back.
08:18There he goes into the dressing room.
08:21Well, the Bowe-Holifield rubber match is coming up.
08:24But first, more potential fireworks.
08:26Earlier on tonight's card, a bombs-away welterweight stepped into the ring here.
08:30Luis Ramon Campas, also known as Yoriboy, is a classic slugger.
08:35It's an appealing style, but it's yet to produce the title Campas yearns for.
08:39And tonight, he was in against a veteran who's fought some of the finest champions in the business.
08:44Let's go now to Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, and George Foreman for the call.
08:48Ready?
08:52Round one, Yoriboy, Campas in the gold trunks against Anthony Jones and the Blue.
08:58Larry Merchant, a really well-defined style matchup here.
09:02Campas is the puncher, and Anthony Jones is the boxer.
09:06Campas was stampeding towards a title until he ran into Felix Trinidad,
09:11who stopped him after Campas had knocked Trinidad down.
09:18Trinidad says he's changed his style.
09:20He's the epitome of what we think of as the macho Mexican prizefighter,
09:27so much so that he never had clinched in a fight, he said, before that fight,
09:32and that he had very little defense or head movement,
09:36thinking that he simply was going to walk through every opponent.
09:39He found one opponent he couldn't walk through.
09:42Let's see what he does against a canny veteran.
09:45Four and a half years ago on HBO,
09:48Anthony Jones had a title shot against Brunel Whitaker at 135 pounds.
09:53At 147 pounds, he again appears to be in very good shape,
09:57even though he took this fight with only two weeks' advance notice.
10:00When he fought Whitaker, he only had eight days,
10:03and he acquitted himself fairly well, losing a decision.
10:06Anthony Jones holding up pretty well in the first round here.
10:11You can see the straightforward, relentless-pressing style of Campas,
10:16who knows only one way to go in the ring.
10:25The worry boy, Campas has 53 knockouts in 61 fights,
10:30and as Larry told you, he knocked Trinidad down,
10:33so punching power is an unquestioned commodity for him.
10:36Good hard left hook by Campas there as he doubled up with the left hook.
11:05Little smile on Campas' face now as he warms to the task.
11:11George Foreman joining us at ringside.
11:15For the punter, Yori Boy Campas in the gold trunks
11:18against the boxer, Anthony Jones, in the blue.
11:22Anthony Jones is not going to be a boxer long
11:24taking those kind of left hooks to the body.
11:28Watch those heads!
11:29Jones, in a conventional stance here,
11:38he's truly a switch hitter as a boxer,
11:40a southpaw by nature,
11:42but he'll fight as often in a conventional stance
11:44as he does in a southpaw stance.
11:46In the past, Yori Boy has been able to deliver
11:50a hard shot to the body to the head,
11:52but never finish anybody.
11:56George, he's got 53 knockouts.
11:58He must have finished somebody.
12:00Not the bodies that needed to be finished.
12:02That I will agree.
12:03You're doing things and you're not protecting yourself.
12:14You're letting the right hand drop too low
12:16and he's throwing a hook in there.
12:18Okay?
12:19So when you kill a jab, you're going to hook right back.
12:21You understand that?
12:23Keep it, get the jab, get the jab working.
12:29How you feel?
12:29The man who talks to Anthony Jones in his corner is second assistant Dave Shoulders.
12:53His trainer, Luther Burgess,
12:55has been bothered by an esophageal problem for four decades now.
12:59And even though he trains effectively,
13:01he prefers not to talk to the fighter during the fight
13:03because he says his voice doesn't work so well.
13:06Watch those hands, come on.
13:09Roy Boy Campus back to work early in round number two
13:12and looking for opportunities to land that left hook.
13:18Jones switches to the southpaw stance momentarily,
13:21then comes back to a conventional stance.
13:29Good hard left hook inside by Kampus and another one.
13:36You see Kampus double and triple up on the left hook
13:38and that's a really effective technique, George.
13:41There's no doubt about it.
13:42He's doing the right stuff to get an early knockout.
13:45Why it hasn't come, I don't know,
13:46because he seems to be a good body puncher,
13:48but the head shots seem to wake the guy up.
13:51Straight right hand knocks Jones back.
13:53Anthony Jones not giving much in return
13:55and down he goes.
13:56Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
14:04You okay?
14:04Come to me.
14:05Come right to me.
14:08Anthony Jones has lost two of his last three by knockout
14:11and he's badly wobbled here
14:12with a long way to go in round number two.
14:15He'll never make it.
14:18I'm shocked that he's able to turn southpaw
14:21and get out of there.
14:25Jones now in that southpaw stance
14:29which is his natural way of fighting
14:32although he goes back to the conventional stance there
14:34and he seems to like that as much as anything
14:36and that'll be the end of it
14:37as Jones turned his back after a left hook
14:41and referee Mitch Halpern stopped it right there.
14:47It looked almost as if he got hit in the ear.
14:52He went down in a strange way.
14:54Right here, right here.
14:55Right on the side of the face.
14:57Anthony Jones in the twilight of a once promising career
15:01and that twilight is going to have night
15:06descended on it in the near future.
15:09Hold still, hold still, hold still.
15:13You wonder if he might have suffered a broken jaw there
15:16given the pain he's experiencing.
15:20Well, we still haven't seen Yuri Boykampas in a clinch
15:27but we have seen what has made him such a potential star
15:32as a welterweight.
15:34Good combinations, sharp punching.
15:38That was the first knockdown.
15:40Let's take another look at it.
15:42Good left to the body, right to the breastbone.
15:44Staying with it, following up with the right
15:48and then the left again.
15:50Now let's take a look at the very end of the fight
15:52as Jones gamely is trying to hang on
15:54but obviously doesn't have the conditioning
15:57to stay in with a fighter like this.
16:02Magic word, conditioning.
16:04No conditioning.
16:05Anthony Jones just didn't have it.
16:08Part-time fighter now.
16:09Took the fight with only two weeks' notice.
16:11His past record
16:12in no way indicative
16:14of what he's capable of doing right now
16:16and it was an easy knockout for Yuri Boykampas.
16:18Let's go to the ring for the official particulars.
16:22Referee Mitch Halpern stops the bout.
16:24The winner by a knockout
16:25in one minute, 45 seconds
16:27of the second round,
16:29Luis Yoriboykampas.
16:31Luis Yoriboykampas.
16:32Mitch!
16:33Mitch!
16:34Mitch!
16:35Mitch!
16:36Mitch!
16:36Mitch!
16:37What a nice man.
16:39It's time for Anthony Jones.
16:42Anthony Jones paid a heavy price in losing.
16:44It's been confirmed that
16:45Compass broke Jones' jaw.
16:47Well, moments ago we showed you
16:49Riddick Bowe arriving here at the scene,
16:50Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
16:52He's in the locker room
16:53and Roy Jones is with him now.
16:55Roy?
16:55Hi, Nick.
16:56In Riddick Bowe's locker room,
16:58how you feel right now, Big Daddy?
16:59I'm feeling pretty good.
17:00That's good.
17:01Most people would want to know right now
17:03exactly what's going on through your mind.
17:05Well, pretty much I'm taking it easy,
17:06just trying to relax
17:07because I don't have no wallet.
17:08There's going to be a lot of excitement
17:09and things of that nature,
17:10so I'm just taking it easy for the most part.
17:12That's good.
17:13What's your strategy?
17:14Are you planning to do the same thing
17:15you've been doing,
17:15or do you have a strategy?
17:16Well, pretty much I want to box
17:18for the most part,
17:19but I guess it pretty much
17:21depends on the event of Holyfield.
17:23I mean, if he's going to box,
17:24if he's going to try to fight,
17:25then I guess I'll take the initiative
17:27to do whatever.
17:28Okay.
17:29All right.
17:29Thank you, Riddick Bowe.
17:30Good luck to you.
17:31I'll be looking forward to seeing that thing.
17:32All right.
17:33Back to you, Nick.
17:34So that's the story now.
17:36And rivals, you know,
17:37when we talk about the main event coming up,
17:39Riddick Bowe against Evander Holofield,
17:40the curious thing about this,
17:41these guys really respect each other.
17:43In fact, they often like each other.
17:44There's no stare-downs,
17:45nothing like that.
17:46However, that is not always the case.
17:48Usually with rivals,
17:50it's an arch-enemy situation.
17:52And that leads us to Willie Pepp
17:53and Sandy Sadler,
17:54two guys who didn't have to construct
17:56any kind of grudge match.
17:57They flat-out just didn't like each other.
18:09This feud is well-anchored
18:10and on firm foundation.
18:12Pepp hates Sadler,
18:13and Sadler hates Pepp.
18:16Between 1948 and 1951,
18:19Willie Pepp and Sandy Sadler
18:20had four legendary encounters,
18:22fought four street fights.
18:24As far as featherweights were concerned,
18:26this was the rivalry.
18:28Boxing historian, Burt Sugar.
18:30Rarely does New York
18:32and the fight fan
18:34get worked up over featherweights.
18:38But at 126 pounds,
18:41there had never been a better boxer
18:43and boxing master than Willie Pepp.
18:45And now he was fighting
18:47this almost freak of nature.
18:50At 126 pounds,
18:51Sandy Sadler was almost six feet tall.
18:53Former trainer, Gil Clancy.
18:56You saw a fighter
18:58with all the great skills
18:59that Willie Pepp had
19:00matched against a guy
19:01that was such an imposing
19:03physical figure.
19:05And it was just
19:05a perfect measure of styles.
19:08In their first meeting,
19:09the champion Pepp
19:10was knocked out
19:10in the fourth round
19:11by the lightly regarded Sadler.
19:13Some said Pepp was finished,
19:15but three months later,
19:16the two went 15 vicious rounds,
19:19and Pepp took back
19:20the featherweight title
19:20by putting on one of the greatest
19:22boxing displays ever.
19:24Writer Bill Gallo.
19:25When I think of Pepp's title,
19:26I only think of one thing.
19:27I think of fight number two,
19:2815 rounds.
19:29One of the great fights of all time.
19:32One of the great fights,
19:33bar none.
19:35Former featherweight champion,
19:37Willie Pepp.
19:38I remember I ran like hell
19:39for 15 rounds.
19:41And he hit me a few times,
19:42but I go into the second.
19:44Bill Gallo.
19:45He had a man
19:47boxing beautifully,
19:49and he told you he ran.
19:50When Willie Pepp
19:51went back,
19:53he was doing business.
19:55He was throwing
19:55lefts and combinations
19:58and right hands
19:59and stepping away.
20:00He's doing beautiful stuff.
20:02That wasn't running.
20:03That was boxing.
20:05But Pepp and Sadler
20:06weren't through.
20:09Sadler went on
20:10to win the third meeting
20:11as well as the fourth
20:12in two of the craziest fights ever.
20:16Gil Clancy.
20:17You could see Pepp
20:18doing everything he could,
20:19stepping on his foot,
20:21feinting one way,
20:22going the other way,
20:23doing everything,
20:24and Sadler stalking
20:25with that big,
20:26long left hand
20:27and the good right hand
20:28that he had.
20:29So it was suspense
20:31from the minute
20:31the bell rang
20:32until the end of the fight.
20:34But what people remember
20:34most from that rivalry
20:35is the bout Pepp won.
20:37Burt Sugar.
20:38That second fight
20:39is forever.
20:40Forever in memory
20:42of any fight fan
20:43who saw it at the Garden.
20:46With a guy here
20:47who knows something
20:48about rivalries
20:49that go on and on,
20:50Sugar Ray Leonard,
20:51you and Tommy Hearns,
20:52you and Roberto Duran,
20:54does that sometimes
20:54make you more tentative?
20:55You know a guy
20:56almost too well
20:57the way Bo and Holofield do?
20:59Well, I'll tell you what,
21:00having those type of rivalries,
21:02you don't necessarily
21:03go through a feel-not process
21:04because you know each other.
21:05You're very familiar
21:06with each other.
21:07You're also aware
21:07of the fact
21:08that this guy can hurt you,
21:09this guy can beat you,
21:10so these grudge matches,
21:13they turn out to be
21:14the most exciting fights.
21:15Ray, you're a big believer
21:16in Styles making fights.
21:18We've talked about it
21:19for almost 20 years.
21:20Is that what makes this
21:21such a great rivalry
21:22and can you be specific?
21:23I think so.
21:23I think Styles do make fights.
21:25In fact, the fight
21:26with Riddick Bowe
21:27and Evander Holyfield
21:28is a perfect matchup.
21:29It's a contrast of Styles.
21:31You have Evander Holyfield
21:32who can box,
21:34but for the most part,
21:35because all his fights
21:36are wars,
21:37he goes in there
21:37with one thing in mind,
21:39to stay aggressive,
21:39throw inside punches
21:41and left hook.
21:42With Riddick Bowe,
21:43again, you don't know
21:43what to expect from him.
21:45He utilizes his left jab.
21:47He's a big man
21:48who tries to take advantage
21:49of his strength and size,
21:50so these two fighters
21:51match up perfectly.
21:53Ray, how does Holyfield
21:54neutralize or nullify
21:56Bowe's superior size?
21:58I think it's no big secret,
21:59Nick.
21:59The best way to approach Riddick Bowe
22:04is for Holyfield to box him,
22:06to go in and out.
22:07Don't stay inside,
22:08because what happens,
22:09Bowe, with his size and strength,
22:11has a tendency to lay on Holyfield
22:13and tire him out.
22:14The best bet is to box lateral movement,
22:16in and out, in and out,
22:17use his jab,
22:18and work inside with body shots.
22:20Well, what about the uppercut of Bowe?
22:21Once you're inside,
22:22shouldn't Holyfield really get in
22:23and take away, nullify all that reach,
22:25and maybe pin his head
22:26to Bowe's chest?
22:27Well, he doesn't,
22:28Evander Holyfield doesn't want
22:29to stay inside,
22:30because when he's inside like that,
22:31he's more susceptible
22:32to Bowe's big uppercut.
22:35That's what happened
22:35in the first fight.
22:36He has to get inside,
22:37throw his punches,
22:38then get outside.
22:39You know, the one thing,
22:40I remember your Hearns,
22:41the Hearns fight,
22:42the first one here in 1981
22:43here at Caesar's Palace,
22:45and you became the brawler.
22:46But your ability to change styles
22:48and really to go to plan B
22:49when things weren't working well,
22:50I thought that's what made you
22:52such a special fighter.
22:53Does either guy have that?
22:54Can they make adjustments?
22:55Oh, I think the adjustment
22:57will be made because of
22:58the tempo of the fight,
22:59the pace of the fight,
23:00and all the other intangibles,
23:02because these guys
23:02are very nervous.
23:04Trust me, the stress
23:05and the anticipation
23:07of this major fight,
23:08it's like a bragging rights.
23:10Both guys want to win
23:12and win impressive,
23:13to say I'm the baddest guy
23:14on the block.
23:15So you think there's really
23:16a need, a dire need, Ray,
23:18for both guys to win explosively,
23:19as you say?
23:19Oh, I think without question.
23:21To me, personally,
23:22I think these are two best
23:23heavyweights in boxing today,
23:25and they want to prove that
23:26once and for all.
23:27Composure's going to be a key
23:29in this, not getting ahead
23:30of yourself,
23:30because, you know,
23:31Bo went for the knockout
23:32in the last fight right away.
23:34Composure, Nick,
23:35is the key,
23:36because, again,
23:37what these guys are feeling
23:38right now,
23:39you would want to feel.
23:40They're going to go in the ring
23:41with one thing in mind
23:42to win.
23:43The nerves,
23:44big time butterflies
23:45and what have you.
23:46So the more pause
23:48in the visual
23:48will be victorious.
23:50We've seen 24 scintillating
23:51rounds, Sugar Ray Leonard,
23:53between Riddick Bowe
23:53and Evander Holofield.
23:55And for more on that story,
23:56particularly one memorable one,
23:58let's go ringside
23:58to Jim Lampley.
24:00All right.
24:00Thank you very much, Nick.
24:01And what a pleasure it is
24:02to have our good friend,
24:04Sugar Ray Leonard,
24:04back on these airwaves,
24:07guesting up there
24:07with Nick Charles.
24:08Before I turn to my colleagues,
24:10George Foreman
24:10and Larry Merchant,
24:11just a couple of notes.
24:12Still to come,
24:13down here in the ring,
24:14a terrific preliminary bout,
24:15because it's a chance
24:16to see a rising
24:18122-pound star
24:19Marco Antonio Barrera
24:20undefeated in 36 fights
24:22even though he's
24:22only 21 years old
24:23against a good quality
24:24opponent in Eddie Lee Croft.
24:26That'll be coming along
24:27a little bit later.
24:28We also want to apologize
24:29in advance
24:30to those of you
24:31on the East Coast
24:32who may feel
24:33a little bit inconvenienced
24:34by our unusually
24:35late starting time
24:36of 11.30 Eastern time
24:38for the main event.
24:40That happened
24:40because we had promised
24:42our viewers all along
24:43that Bo Holyfield
24:45would not conflict
24:46with the Fox Television
24:47on-air presentation
24:48of Tyson Buster Mathis Jr.
24:51We knew
24:51that Tyson Buster Mathis Jr.
24:53was probably going to
24:54take place sometime
24:55between 10 and 11 p.m.
24:57Eastern time.
24:58Therefore,
24:58we committed long ago
24:59to a starting time
25:00of 11.30 Eastern,
25:018.30 Pacific
25:02for Bo Holyfield.
25:04Once the Tyson fight
25:05went down,
25:06we didn't want to penalize
25:07any of those of you
25:08who have built your plans
25:10around that starting time.
25:12So consequently,
25:12we're sticking with it.
25:14But again,
25:14we apologize
25:15to those of you
25:16on the East Coast
25:16who are having to stay up
25:18a little later
25:18than you might normally
25:19stay up
25:19to see Bo Holyfield.
25:21If we had it to do over again
25:22and we knew
25:23we weren't against
25:24Tyson Mathis,
25:25believe me,
25:25we'd have brought it to you
25:26at a more normal
25:27and comfortable time.
25:28Now, more on the business
25:29of Bo Holyfield
25:30and George Foreman.
25:31You heard Ray Leonard
25:32talking about some
25:33of the strategic imperatives here.
25:34One thing that strikes me
25:36in looking back
25:36at the first two fights,
25:37is both fighters
25:39landed close to half
25:41or in Holyfield's case
25:42more than half
25:43of the power shots
25:44when they're throwing
25:45right crosses,
25:46left hooks,
25:47uppercuts.
25:48They're landing
25:48half or more than
25:49half the time.
25:50Now, it seems to me
25:51that either guy,
25:52if he wanted to,
25:53would be skilled enough
25:54to defend himself better
25:55and not get hit that much.
25:57Why doesn't it happen that way?
25:59Each time they both
26:01got into the ring
26:01saying,
26:02I got to prove to everybody
26:03I'm tough.
26:04I can take it.
26:05Evander Holyfield
26:05the first time
26:06was being told by everyone
26:07he's no true heavyweight.
26:09He can't take a big,
26:10big, a big,
26:11a good big man
26:11can whip a good little man.
26:13He had to listen
26:13to all of that.
26:14So he had to stand
26:15toe to toe.
26:16Second time around,
26:17Riddick Bowe,
26:18hey, I'm going to show
26:19this guy I can knock him out
26:20just like I've knocked
26:21everybody else out.
26:22I'm going to take it
26:23and give it.
26:23So this time around
26:24they've got a whole lot
26:25to settle.
26:26They don't have to go
26:27and then trade the punches
26:28to prove to everybody
26:29they can do it now.
26:30It's going to be
26:31a little more skillful,
26:31I would say.
26:32You think it will be
26:33more skillful?
26:33There won't be as much
26:36in the middle of the ring.
26:37They haven't got anything
26:38to prove, Nance,
26:38about who can win
26:39this thing with a lot
26:40of skill.
26:41And Evander Holyfield
26:42wants a knockout.
26:43And the way you get
26:43a knockout is to make
26:44certain you don't get
26:45a knockout.
26:46So this time, hey,
26:47he's going to protect
26:47himself now.
26:49Holyfield making an
26:49interesting point in our
26:50meeting yesterday.
26:51He says, yeah, I can go
26:52in and hit Bowe anytime.
26:54The trick is to hit him
26:55without getting hit back.
26:56But it's exactly that
26:57kind of action that
26:59provided us with some
26:59spectacular memories
27:00in Bowe Holyfield 1 and 2.
27:02And as Nick suggested,
27:03we'll see one of them
27:04in just a moment.
27:05Before we get to it, Larry,
27:06you saw the interview
27:07that Roy Jones Jr. did
27:08with Riddick Bowe
27:09just a little bit earlier.
27:10We spent close to an hour
27:12with Bowe and close to an
27:13hour with Holyfield
27:13yesterday.
27:14And my own observation
27:15was I don't think I've
27:16ever seen either guy
27:18more relaxed, more
27:19comfortable, more
27:20confident, more ready
27:22for what they're about
27:22to do.
27:23Your take.
27:24Well, first, I want to
27:25assure everybody that
27:26my thumb is okay.
27:27I'm a very fast healer.
27:29I thought that Riddick
27:31was a little nervous,
27:33and rightly so.
27:34He should be nervous
27:34at this point in time.
27:35There were two things
27:36that I was struck by.
27:37One is he's been
27:39growing a beard
27:39all these weeks
27:41up until this point,
27:42and he looked perfectly
27:43clean-shaven.
27:44Reminded me of the times
27:45that I wrote a few books,
27:46and every time I'd start out,
27:48I'd grow a beard
27:48and promise myself
27:50I'm not going to shave
27:51until I finish this book.
27:52Well, he's finished
27:54his training,
27:54and he's ready to fight,
27:55so he got his shave tonight.
27:57The second thing is
27:58the story about the hiccups
28:00that Frank DeFord
28:01outlined for us earlier.
28:03It's really quite remarkable.
28:05I had never heard
28:05this before.
28:06Riddick Boat told us
28:07that he has had hiccups
28:09for three weeks,
28:11three weeks of hiccups,
28:13and he said,
28:14it'll only go away
28:15on fight night,
28:16and sure enough,
28:18it's gone away.
28:19That's a nervous tick
28:20I haven't heard of before,
28:21but he looks like
28:23he's ready to rumble.
28:24Well, let's hope
28:25that both are ready
28:26to rumble in the way
28:27they were in Holyfield Bowe 1
28:29and Bowe Holyfield 2.
28:31Now, we told you,
28:3224 of the most memorable rounds
28:33in heavyweight history,
28:34but one of them stands out
28:36above all others.
28:38Round 10 in the first fight.
28:46Round 10 begins.
28:47If they complete this round,
28:49Riddick Bowe will have gone
28:51just as far as he's ever gone
28:52before in a professional
28:53prize fight.
28:54Riddick Bowe is able
28:57to land three good combinations
28:59now.
28:59Evander Holyfield can have
29:00his first visit to the campus.
29:02He's been a gentleman
29:03all this time.
29:04He can't understand
29:04someone being so dirty.
29:06So you see Holyfield
29:07going down in this round,
29:08and Bo stuns him
29:09with an uppercut,
29:10and just like that,
29:11the champion struggles
29:13to stay on his feet.
29:14What a heart by Holyfield.
29:16He's gonna stay on his feet.
29:17He's hanging in there.
29:19Gets away from a right hand,
29:20blocks another one.
29:22Bo throwing and throwing,
29:23now goes to the body.
29:25Holyfield somehow standing up,
29:27but staying too close to ball.
29:29Referee.
29:30Joe Cortez watching.
29:32Champion gets the benefit
29:33of the doubt.
29:35That was a right uppercut
29:36that started that sequence.
29:38Now, Bo has got to start
29:39all over again.
29:40And Holyfield weathers the storm
29:42and comes back throwing.
29:45If Cole spawns over all over again,
29:48he can do it all over again.
29:50Let's see if he has the patience.
29:51Get him out, get him out, get him out.
29:53Get him out, get him out.
29:53Evander Holyfield's incredible powers
29:56of recovery once again on display.
29:59Remember how he came back
30:00from the knockdown against Cooper
30:01and threw one of the great left hooks
30:04you've ever seen
30:04about 30 seconds later.
30:06At that time, Evander could see.
30:08This time, Evander Holyfield
30:10has no vision at all.
30:12That left jab has been
30:14the most devastating thing
30:15in his life.
30:17Holyfield is only resting
30:18from all of those touches
30:19he threw.
30:20And Holyfield goes back
30:21to the right-hand lead.
30:23It's been the only weapon
30:25which has been consistently
30:26good to him tonight.
30:27Don't rest.
30:32Rest with your jab.
30:33Bo should be taking
30:34that kind of advice.
30:35Look at Holyfield.
30:37What a warrior.
30:41Reversing the tide of the battle.
30:43The champion now has Bo wobbling.
30:47And he lands the right hand.
30:49Everybody in the Thomas and Mac Center
30:51are on their feet.
30:52It doesn't bother Bo
30:54because he knows
30:54he was only resting at that point.
30:56Now, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.
30:57He's been to Holyfield.
30:58He's got a heart.
31:01If he weighs 205,
31:03his heart weighs about 204.
31:05This is an amazing show, guys.
31:07I don't think he can win the fight
31:09at this rate.
31:10But just to have recovered
31:11from that beating
31:12is astonishing,
31:13I think, to most of us
31:15at ringside.
31:16If he could...
31:16Bo goes right back
31:17to the left jab,
31:18start all over,
31:19forget he's knocked
31:20this guy almost out.
31:21Go back to the left jab,
31:22start everything off.
31:23It can all happen again.
31:24This round should be greeted
31:27with a standing ovation
31:28at the end.
31:29You've seen the best
31:30of both men.
31:35A right hand by Holyfield.
31:38And another.
31:42Round 10 continues
31:44after the bell.
31:45Okay, we just saw it.
32:03Memorable stuff
32:03for ebb and flow,
32:05possibly unequaled,
32:06certainly in recent memory.
32:08I believe Evander Holofield
32:09lost that fight,
32:10but he showed
32:10he had a cast iron jaw
32:12and a will to match
32:13in that one.
32:14So, the second fight,
32:15of course,
32:16was far different.
32:17Holofield came out
32:18with renewed vigor
32:18and maybe having to deal
32:19with the first loss
32:21of his career,
32:22came back and won it.
32:23Now it's number three,
32:24and the man in the middle
32:25tonight will be
32:26referee Joe Cortez,
32:28who is down with Riddick Bowe
32:29live in the locker room
32:30for instructions.
32:30Let's go there now.
32:37I say break.
32:38I want you to break clean.
32:40If there's a knockdown,
32:41you score the knockdown,
32:41you go to the first
32:42neutral corner,
32:43and you say it,
32:43I'll tell you to come out.
32:44Okay?
32:45Three knockdown rules
32:46in effect.
32:47If the man goes down,
32:48go to that neutral corner,
32:49don't come out any sooner
32:50because I have to
32:51stop the count.
32:52If the man goes down,
32:53don't hit him
32:53while he's down,
32:54automatic one-point deduction,
32:56or you may be disqualified.
32:58We don't want to do
32:58none of that tonight.
32:59It's a big fight.
33:00Millions of people
33:00watching this
33:01are going to be
33:01good sportsman-like conduct.
33:03I want punches kept up.
33:04I don't want any low punches.
33:06I don't want any kidney punches,
33:07any rabbit punches,
33:08and I don't want
33:09holding and hitting.
33:10All right?
33:11I expect a good,
33:11clean fight at all times.
33:13If the mouthpiece comes out,
33:14when it comes out,
33:15just keep fighting.
33:16When I call,
33:17see a low in the action,
33:18I'll call time,
33:19we have it replaced.
33:20All right?
33:21Just watch the head
33:22buzz inside,
33:23elbows,
33:24good sportsman-like conduct.
33:25I expect that from you.
33:26Okay?
33:26You're the chief second.
33:28Mr. Fudge,
33:29you're responsible
33:29for your corner.
33:30I expect your corner
33:31to be in control,
33:32keep control of them,
33:34and good luck to you guys.
33:35Good luck, all right?
33:36Well, coincidentally,
33:41you may have noticed
33:41when we showed you
33:42that monumental 10th round
33:43in the first meeting,
33:44the referee was
33:45the same Joe Cortez,
33:46and the Holofield camp
33:48accused him,
33:48the corner accused him
33:49of losing control
33:50of the fight,
33:51claiming that Riddick Bowe
33:52was rabbit-punching Evander
33:53and also hitting him low.
33:55The strategy tonight
33:56from Holofield's corner
33:58is if Bowe does that,
34:01Holofield should hit him
34:02twice below the belt,
34:03and then the referee
34:04will take notice.
34:04So it's going to be
34:05an interesting fight
34:06in that sense.
34:08Bowe just shook it off
34:09yesterday when we talked
34:10to both fighters,
34:11saying he is certainly
34:12not a dirty fighter,
34:13and that had nothing to do
34:14with him winning
34:14the first fight.
34:16What a rivalry this is,
34:17and it's coming up shortly.
34:18The saga continues
34:19with the third installment.
34:21You know, there's been
34:21some riveting series
34:22of fights in this sport,
34:23but few, if any,
34:25could surpass
34:25the six battles
34:26between the man
34:27now known
34:28as the Raging Bull
34:29and a guy
34:30still considered by many
34:31the finest pound-for-pound
34:33fighter who ever lived.
34:46He was there
34:47for a tough night
34:48no matter how many times
34:49he fought with me,
34:49and I knew he was there
34:50for a tough night.
34:53Jake LaMotta
34:53and Sugar Ray Robinson
34:55fought six times
34:56from 1942 to 1951,
34:58and even though Robinson
34:59won five of them,
35:00they were all pitched battles.
35:02Former trainer Gil Clancy.
35:04LaMotta and Robinson
35:05had to be the greatest
35:06rivalry of all time.
35:07Jake LaMotta
35:08was an absolutely
35:09great fighter.
35:11He could brawl,
35:12he was tough,
35:13he could also box,
35:14but he was in with
35:15a guy like Ray Robinson
35:16with all that speed
35:17and hand speed
35:18that he had
35:18and all that grace
35:19and also punching power.
35:21This game comes along
35:22once in a lifetime.
35:23Former middleweight champion
35:25Jake LaMotta.
35:26No matter how many times
35:27you fought,
35:28you fought the same way.
35:29I chased him,
35:31I came in forward,
35:32forward, forward.
35:33He ran backwards
35:34and stopped in the bus
35:35and spots him
35:37with barrages
35:37and then ran some more.
35:40And that's the way
35:40it was all the time.
35:42Even when I was hurt,
35:44I would go in
35:45and fight him
35:45and just walk right into him.
35:48Boxing historian
35:49Steve Farwood
35:50was Jake trying
35:52to pressure Ray
35:52into fighting
35:53close range,
35:54trading punches,
35:56and it was Ray
35:56trying to be the matador,
35:58keeping his distance,
35:59fighting an arm's length away.
36:00Both fighters meshed
36:01so well physically
36:02that neither fighter
36:03was able to impose
36:04his style
36:05over the other one
36:06that clearly.
36:07So I mean,
36:07for close fights,
36:08all the fights were close.
36:09The only time
36:10Jake was victorious
36:11was the second meeting.
36:13It was Ray Robinson's
36:14first loss
36:15in 40 career fights.
36:17Referee,
36:17Arthur McCanty Sr.
36:19Sugar Ray Robinson
36:20was never knocked
36:21off his feet.
36:22Never, never.
36:23And LaMotta
36:24knocked him down.
36:25It was embarrassing
36:26for Sugar Ray
36:27because he never went down.
36:28And LaMotta won
36:29that fight on a decision.
36:31Yo, Clancy.
36:32On a good night,
36:33Jake could beat anybody,
36:34including Ray Robinson.
36:35He had a good night
36:36and that was one of the nights
36:38that he was a little better
36:40than Ray.
36:41The last fight
36:42was called
36:43the St. Valentine's Day Massacre,
36:45February 14, 1951.
36:47It took place in Chicago
36:48where the original
36:49St. Valentine's Day Massacre did,
36:50but it wasn't Al Capone
36:52doing the damage this time.
36:53It was Sugar Ray,
36:54Arthur McCanty Sr.
36:56LaMotta took
36:57a tremendous beating
36:59from Sugar Ray,
37:00so much so
37:01that he just
37:02wouldn't go down.
37:04Robinson hit him
37:05with everything
37:05and Robinson could really hit.
37:07Robinson hit him
37:08with his best punches,
37:09left hooks,
37:09right crosses.
37:11Writer Bill Gallo.
37:12Almost every round,
37:14Sugar Ray had
37:15Jake against the ropes.
37:17Every round would end
37:18with Jake against the ropes.
37:20I remember that vividly.
37:21Jake LaMotta.
37:23The referee stopped the fight
37:24in the 13th round
37:25while I was still
37:26on my feet
37:27when Robinson
37:28pounded me up
37:29against the ropes.
37:30If the referee held up
37:31another 30 seconds,
37:33Robinson would have collapsed
37:35from hitting me.
37:36A fitting end
37:37to a storied rivalry.
37:39Although they battered
37:40each other in the ring,
37:41these two men
37:42always respected each other
37:43and became good friends.
37:45Before Sugar Ray died
37:46in 1989,
37:48he was best man
37:49in LaMotta's wedding.
37:51When Jake and Sugar Ray
37:53fought,
37:53what we saw
37:54was savagery,
37:55artistry,
37:55and a consuming pride
37:56in both men
37:57that wouldn't
37:58be extinguished.
37:59Wonderful thing
38:00about boxing,
38:00there's nothing
38:01separating the two fighters,
38:02Bow and Holofield,
38:03once they hit that ring.
38:04But right now,
38:04there's a thin wall
38:06between the locker rooms.
38:07We just saw Joe Gortez
38:08and Riddick Bowes.
38:09He stepped aside
38:10out of there
38:11and now he's with
38:12Evander Holofield.
38:12Let's go there now.
38:14All right, Evander,
38:14I'll be the referee
38:15for your fight tonight.
38:16When I say break,
38:17I want you to break clean.
38:19If there's a knockdown,
38:19you score a knockdown,
38:21you go to the first
38:21neutral corner,
38:22you stay there
38:22until I tell you
38:23to come out.
38:24Three knockdown rules
38:24in effect, okay?
38:26If the man goes down,
38:27stay that neutral corner,
38:28don't come out any sooner
38:29because I will have
38:30to stop the count.
38:31While the man is down,
38:32don't hit him
38:32while he's down,
38:33automatic one-point deduction
38:34or you may be disqualified,
38:36all right?
38:36I want the punches up,
38:37I don't want any low punches.
38:39Just like I told
38:39the other camp,
38:40no low punches,
38:41I want a good,
38:42clean fight,
38:42I want good sportsman-like conduct.
38:44I don't want any rabbit punches,
38:46any kidney punches.
38:47If the mouthpiece comes out,
38:49you keep fighting.
38:50When there's a low in the action,
38:51I will call time
38:52and we'll have the mouthpiece
38:53replaced, all right?
38:55Give me a good,
38:55clean fight,
38:56obey my commands
38:57at all times, all right?
38:59If there's an accidental headbutt,
39:01we go to the scorecard
39:02after three completed rounds,
39:03all right?
39:04Any questions, guys?
39:06You're Chief Second?
39:06I want you to keep
39:07control of your corner.
39:09You're responsible
39:09for your corner.
39:10I want good sportsman-like conduct
39:11at all times.
39:12Any questions?
39:13Yeah, I would just like
39:14to bring out that,
39:15you know,
39:16bold rabbit punches a lot,
39:18you know.
39:18Well, I'm there
39:19to enforce these rules.
39:21And like I told him
39:21on the other side,
39:22it's like I'm telling you guys,
39:23I want good sportsman-like conduct.
39:25Any unnecessary fouling,
39:26any rough tactics
39:27may cause you some points.
39:29We don't want to do that tonight.
39:30Too important of a fight.
39:32All right?
39:33I think that's what
39:33they're concerned about, Joe.
39:34The control of the fight,
39:35pulling behind the head,
39:36pushing his head down,
39:37pushing the vendor's head down,
39:38hitting behind the head,
39:39that's what they're concerned about.
39:40Well, okay,
39:41I'm going to be taking,
39:41I'll be taking control of the fight.
39:43You're controlling the fight, right?
39:43I, you know,
39:44I've done your fight before.
39:45We haven't had no problems.
39:46I don't expect any problems tonight.
39:48Fine.
39:48Then you control the fight.
39:49Okay, thank you.
39:50Good luck.
39:51You're clear.
39:51Good luck.
39:52Good luck.
39:52Good luck.
39:52Good luck.
39:52Good luck.
39:53Good luck.
39:53Good luck.
39:54Good luck.
39:54Good luck.
39:55Good luck.
39:55Good luck.
39:56Good luck.
39:56Good luck.
39:57Good luck.
39:57Good luck.
39:58Good luck.
39:59Good luck.
40:00Good luck.
40:01Good luck.
40:02Good luck.
40:03Good luck.
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40:06Good luck.
40:07Good luck.
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40:09Good luck.
40:10Good luck.
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40:17Good luck.
40:18Good luck.
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