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Jesse James Leija battles Micky Ward in a Jr Welterweight fight on HBO Boxing After Dark
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00:00through to the Super Bowl.
00:04Historic San Antonio.
00:06Most of us on this crew managed to sneak over and get one more look
00:10at the Alamo, the spiritual birthplace of modern Texas,
00:13and, of course, a walk along the romantic and beautiful Riverwalk
00:18in this gorgeous hill country city.
00:21And now, upcoming, the main event between hometown hero Jesse James Leha
00:25in all likelihood fighting for the last time in San Antonio
00:29as Larry pointed out to you, he's had 36 previous fights in his career
00:33here in the state of Texas.
00:36This bout was set up by two events which took place last summer,
00:39six days apart.
00:40First, July 7, Coney Island, New York.
00:43In the first round, Jesse James Leha was cut over the eye
00:46against Tector Camacho Jr.
00:47Then in the fifth round, he cut Camacho over Camacho's right eye.
00:51And then, between rounds, there was quite a brouhaha.
00:55Apparently, Camacho was informed that he was leading on the scorecards.
00:58At that point, he elected not to continue fighting in the fight.
01:02What was originally ruled a technical decision for Camacho
01:05was later changed into a no contest by the New York State Athletic Commission.
01:11Six days later, Emmanuel Burton took on Mickey Ward
01:15in what became the fight of the year for the year 2001.
01:18An incredible toe-to-to-to slugfest, somewhat like the bout you just saw
01:23in the 12th round, or the 10th round, I should say, of this fight.
01:27The two fighters, Burton and Ward, combined to throw 304 punches between them.
01:32Ward delivering 175 of those shots.
01:35I guess you could say he doesn't tire late.
01:38And off that performance and unforgettable fight,
01:42Ward was given the chance to meet Leija here.
01:45But, of course, Larry Merchant,
01:46a rematch of the controversy at Coney Island
01:49between Leija and Camacho
01:51would have been a bigger event on the boxing landscape,
01:54if perhaps not as entertaining a fight.
01:56How did we wind up with Leija Ward instead of Leija Camacho, too?
02:02Divine inspiration.
02:04One of those rare cases where boxing stumbles into the right thing
02:10by not rewarding the wrong thing.
02:13There was a proposal for an immediate rematch
02:16that would have benefited Camacho
02:20for his role in that fight,
02:24for quitting in that fight.
02:26But instead, we have Mickey Ward,
02:30who, as they say here in Texas,
02:31is tougher than an old boot.
02:33That's one word, Jim.
02:35Tougher than an old boot.
02:37He's the type of fighter, as is Leija,
02:40who trains hard,
02:42looks his opponent in the eye,
02:44and tells the truth.
02:45And the truth is,
02:47what a way to start the new year.
02:49In other words, even you would buy a ticket for this, huh?
02:51You better believe it.
02:53And Emanuel Stewart,
02:54it's a fascinating match-up on a lot of levels,
02:57not least of which being the reason
02:59that Mickey Ward has been a natural 140-pound fighter
03:03all of his career.
03:03For 16 years, he's lingered in pretty much this same weight class,
03:07whereas Jesse James Leija,
03:09fighting in lower divisions,
03:10has fought a much higher quality of opposition than Ward,
03:13including outfighting the great Azuma Nelson
03:16three times in their four fights against each other.
03:18So advantage whom?
03:20To the naturally bigger man,
03:21or to the guy who has habitually faced better opposition?
03:25Jim, I don't think there's going to be an advantage necessarily
03:27to either one of the guys.
03:28When you look at the fact that Ward
03:30has been a natural 140-pounder,
03:32and even though he may not have fought a lot of big names,
03:35much like Bernard Hopkins going into the fight with Trinidad,
03:38but he's had enough tough fights, I think,
03:40to prepare him for a good fight.
03:41And then you look at Leija,
03:44who, even though he's had a good record
03:46and fought a lot of big names,
03:48his losses against the big champions outside of Azuma,
03:51who was his own size,
03:52he lost when he stepped up to fight those guys,
03:54such as Oscar De La Hoya.
03:56Shane Mosley.
03:57Shane Mosley, because they was physically really too big for him.
04:00And even though I see Leija as a junior welterweight now,
04:05I still physically look at him still more as a lightweight
04:08from fighting with a junior welterweight.
04:10I still have not accepted him as being a junior welterweight.
04:12So I think it's going to balance out.
04:14Whoever wins the fight will win it
04:15because they're just a better fighter this night.
04:17I don't think it's going to be an advantage.
04:18And going back to the question
04:19of whether there should have been a rematch against Camacho Jr.,
04:22Leija himself says,
04:23I'm fighting a tougher opponent,
04:24a bigger, stronger guy,
04:26for less money,
04:27but of course it's boxing.
04:28It isn't supposed to make sense.
04:29That's very true.
04:30You know, Leija, in fighting Mickey Ward,
04:32Ward is not as fast as Camacho
04:34and maybe not as technically as Sam.
04:36But nevertheless, Ward has been fighting
04:38since he was seven years old.
04:39He is a really truly experienced fighter.
04:42And it's interesting that Ward
04:44is coming in the fight,
04:45bringing the significant punch to the fight,
04:47which is the left hook to the body
04:48that all of us are talking about.
04:50It's the Mexican left hook to the body
04:51that we're expecting from the Irish,
04:53but not from the one from the Mexican heritage.
04:57Multinational sport
04:58becoming more democratic all the time.
05:00Let's take a look at the tail of the tape
05:01for Jesse James Leija and Irish Mickey Ward.
05:04You can see that both are supreme veterans
05:06at 35 and 36.
05:08Feast your eyes tonight.
05:09We won't be seeing either of them
05:11for that much longer in the sport.
05:13Three-inch height advantage for Ward.
05:14Three-inch reach advantage for Ward.
05:15They weighed in within a couple of pounds
05:17of the 141 agreed-upon limit
05:20in the 140-pound weight class.
05:22Leija has put on 14.5 pounds
05:25since yesterday's weigh-in.
05:26So amazingly, he enters the ring
05:28as the bigger man tonight,
05:30unofficially on our HBO scale,
05:32by six pounds over Mickey Ward.
05:34Mirage?
05:35We'll wait and see.
05:36Rules at the bout
05:37with our unofficial ringside scorer,
05:38Harold Letterman.
05:39The Jesse James Leija-Mickey Ward fight
05:41is scheduled for ten rounds
05:43using the Unified Rules
05:44and Association of Boxing Commissions.
05:45There is no three-knockdown rule.
05:47Only the referee can stop the fight.
05:49We go to the scorecards
05:50if the four rounds have been completed,
05:52but are the cut caused
05:53by an accidental headbutt,
05:54and you cannot be saved
05:55by the bell in any rounds,
05:56including the tenth of the final round.
05:58Jim.
05:59All right, thank you very much, Harold.
06:01And here comes Mickey Ward.
06:04And, Larry,
06:06exactly what kind of music
06:07will accompany Mickey Ward
06:08as he enters the ring?
06:09Well, these are some pals
06:11of Mickey's from back home.
06:15They've got a song here
06:16which starts out
06:19Who is more ready for war
06:22than Mickey Ward?
06:44I was looking maybe
06:46for Irish balladeers.
06:48I guess not.
06:49That's what I was told
06:51if you saw rapping.
06:53Hip-hop.
07:03Mixing metaphors all the way.
07:05Ward makes it in.
07:06How about a closer look, Larry Mertz?
07:1016th year.
07:12He weighed in at this fight
07:14a pound and a half more
07:15than he did
07:16in his first professional prize fight.
07:19His last round,
07:21as Jim mentioned before,
07:22in the tenth round,
07:24the fight of the year,
07:25he still had enough energy
07:27to throw 175 punches.
07:30Wow.
07:31But he still keeps his day job
07:33as a road leveler
07:35there in Massachusetts
07:36where he makes
07:38upwards of $35 an hour
07:40when there isn't any snow
07:42on the ground.
07:49A guy who's willing
07:54to give everything.
07:55He's proven that
07:57in several of his recent fights.
08:01Now, San Antonio
08:02prepares to say farewell
08:04to one of its greatest
08:06athletes ever.
08:16Regardless of what happens
08:18in his remaining career,
08:21Jesse James Lehigh
08:22will do all right.
08:23He signed a deal
08:25to be a spokesman
08:26for a soft drink.
08:29He's going into business,
08:31and he may even
08:32enter politics.
08:37You know,
08:39we're referring
08:40to both of these guys
08:41as blue-collar workers,
08:43so to say,
08:43in boxing.
08:44But one of them aspires
08:45to move into being
08:46an entrepreneur
08:47and the other one
08:48said he wants to remain
08:50a blue-collar worker.
08:51Pickett Ward says
08:51regardless of what,
08:53he wants to keep
08:53his daytime job
08:54as a construction worker,
08:56as a steamroller.
08:57Which is why Ward came
08:58to the Pre-Bite
08:59Breast Conference
09:00in a sweatshirt
09:00and a pair
09:01of corduroy pants,
09:02and Lehigh emerged
09:03in a European designer suit.
09:06Closer look
09:07at Jesse James Lehigh, Larry.
09:10Jesse's father,
09:11who is his trainer,
09:13recently underwent
09:14some brain surgery.
09:17He's out of the hospital
09:18in a week.
09:19Back in Jesse's corner.
09:23A flaw in Jesse.
09:25He cuts.
09:26In fact,
09:27he has cut so much
09:28that he has had
09:29a plastic surgeon
09:31on call
09:32after many of his fights.
09:36But he also is fighting
09:39in Texas,
09:40where he's fought 36 times
09:42and never lost.
09:44What a stat.
09:45Many reasons for Lehigh
09:47to fight on an emotional
09:48high tonight.
09:49We've seen that benefit
09:51many fighters in the past.
09:52Let's go to Michael Buffer
09:54for the official introductions.
09:58Ladies and gentlemen,
10:00DiBella Entertainment
10:01and the Bedford Agency,
10:03Incorporated,
10:04in association with Miller Lite,
10:06present the main event
10:07of the evening,
10:0910 rounds of boxing.
10:10This is in the junior
10:12welterweight division.
10:14Sanctioned by the Texas
10:16Department of Licensing
10:17and Regulation,
10:18Executive Director,
10:19Bill Kunst,
10:20Boxing Administrator,
10:21Dick Cole.
10:22The three judges
10:23at ringside
10:24scoring this contest
10:25on the 10-point
10:26must system
10:27will be
10:27Dwayne Ford,
10:29Ray Hawkins,
10:30and Gail Van Oy.
10:32And when the bell rings,
10:34your referee in charge
10:35of the action,
10:36Lawrence Cole.
10:37And now from San Antonio,
10:40Texas,
10:41for the men
10:42and women
10:43now serving
10:44in the armed forces
10:45of the United States
10:47of America,
10:49let's get ready
10:50to rumble!
10:59Introducing first,
11:00fighting out of the blue corner,
11:02wearing white,
11:03trimmed with black,
11:04and weighing in
11:04at 140 and one-half pounds.
11:07His professional record
11:08in 47 bouts,
11:10he has 37 victories,
11:13including 27 knockouts,
11:15and he has captured
11:16a world title.
11:18From Lowell, Massachusetts,
11:20ladies and gentlemen,
11:21the former WBU
11:23junior welterweight
11:25world champion,
11:26Irish Mickey Wall.
11:35And his opponent
11:36across the ring,
11:37fighting out
11:37of the red corner,
11:39wearing black,
11:39trimmed with gold,
11:41and weighing in
11:41at 138 and one-half pounds.
11:45His professional record,
11:4642 victories,
11:48including 17 knockouts
11:49with five losses
11:50and two draws,
11:52and he also has held
11:53two world titles.
11:55Ladies and gentlemen,
11:57presenting the pride
11:58of San Antonio, Texas,
12:01the former two-time
12:02champion of the world,
12:05Jesse James Lehigh!
12:17James Lehigh!
12:28Mickey James step back a little bit I gave you instruction in the dressing room earlier
12:32tonight I want you to obey my commands I want you to watch your heads on the inside and
12:35keep your punches in the front good luck Lehigh said to us that he wasn't going to allow his
12:44youngest son who is six years old to see this fight live because he thought it would be too
12:51brutal well he must be very happy that his youngest son wasn't here to see the preliminary bow that
12:59six-year-old is named Dean his ten-year-old son is named James James and Dean his real name
13:09is James
13:09Lehigh he uses Jesse as a tribute to his father Jesse Lehigh who was also a professional prize
13:16fighter and it's Lehigh who starts out pounding to the body while Ward is locked up well there's an
13:28immediate surprise here which is that was planned which is that Ward started to wing his right hand
13:35expecting Lehigh to be ready for his left and it's interesting too both of these guys are punching
13:41with more wide of loop to their punches as compared to this other guy who just finished fighting it was
13:47much more accurate pin punching these guys is a lot more arm punching here natural both guys do have a
13:55a little bit of a tendency to loop and bring the shots but within that there's a professionalism about
14:01best Jesse James Lehigh and an ability to do two or three different things which could ultimately be his
14:06advantage in the fight against four yes and I guess I have to look at the fact that these are
14:11more
14:11experienced guys they're a little wearing tires so maybe the punches don't come off as fast and after
14:15it's a little bit as they did years back well Doreen and Balby have had plenty of wear and tear
14:22now
14:23they're just in the 12 rounds against each other
14:27Jeffrey Lawrence Cole has been the referee for most of the major fights we've called here in Texas
14:32over the course of the past six or seven years he's one of the fine young referees he's got coming
14:37up
14:37I thought the other referee the referee the other way to Ramis also was and there's a cut over Jesse
14:42James
14:42Lehigh's right eye already accidental headbutt all right accidental headbutt says Lawrence Cole to
14:54everybody at ringside and Lehigh is bleeding one minute and 40 seconds into the back what took them so
15:00long
15:00great
15:01great
15:05great
15:06great
15:14so true to form Jesse James Lehigh is cut in the first round it was true in his last fight
15:19against
15:20Hector Camacho Jr. and after Camacho with the fight following being cut in the fifth round Lehigh
15:26openly said in the ring hey I've been cut my whole career what is he talking about
15:32everyone including me coming in this fight was primarily focusing on Ward's left hook and the thing
15:37that Ward is winging mostly tonight is an overhand right and it's interesting that Lehigh has not
15:43decided how to counter that punch because he primarily throws overhand right most every time he starts
15:48leaving his attention
15:53now Lehigh starts to bomb Ward with his left hand and lands a straight right hand shot that backs the
16:00Irishman up into the corner
16:02crowd rises to its feet as Jesse James Lehigh comes alive in the ladder stake as the brown one
16:11crowd
16:11good body shot by Lehigh to punctuate the attack
16:17Harold Lederman what does it mean that the cut was ruled an accidental headbutt
16:22okay Jim if that if the fight is stopped because of that cut before the bell rings to end the
16:28fourth round the fight is a technical draw
16:31if you if it goes beyond the end of the fourth round we go to the score cards
16:36how did it stop you got to win every round to this suspect just don't give them any
16:41that's up to Gabba
16:42see if you feel sick
16:43BAM
16:44you have him but come on
16:46your hands are free
16:47put him in the head and hit him up the middle
16:48he's right there
16:49he didn't touch with the jacks
16:50you've got to keep breathing
16:52don't let the crowd break any pain
16:53it's your feet off of the crowd Matt
16:55come on let's go
16:56let's your feet off of the crowd Matt
16:58in the opposite corner working on Lehigh's cut
17:01is the illustrious Rose Souza
17:03great cut man whom you've seen throughout the career of Arturo Gatti
17:07he's the kind of cut man who can save your chance to win a fight
17:14punches in round one according to copy box numbers Lehigh 26 out of 64
17:18Ward 15 out of 49
17:20only three of the 41 connects in the round were dead
17:28it still amazes me why Ward keeps throwing right hands even though he has Lehigh cut
17:33with the right eye which would be vulnerable for his left hook on Jeff
17:37he's majority of his punches are still right hand punches
17:40Ward is trained by his brother Dickie Eklund
17:42new chief second Pat Burns
17:44long time
17:46illustrious amateur coach
17:47in the American amateur ranks
17:49is the one who is trying to get Ward to emphasize his right hand more
17:52and there it is
17:53yes because he knows that Lehigh is going to be training mainly for his left hand
17:57now there goes Ward to get that left hook to the body
18:00yeah
18:02and Lehigh's been doing unusually an unexplained amount of
18:05pitch in particular holding on to Ward's right hand when he gets in close
18:09pitch in touch
18:09tofire
18:11Dikki ward is a habitually slow starter
18:14he tends to come on
18:15as he begins landing the left hook to the body
18:18it is signature punch
18:29watch because he couldn't
18:41He's going to have his hands full tonight.
18:44Yeah, he was warning Watt for punching, but it's actually Lehigh's holding his right
18:49hand.
18:59There's the right hand of Watt again.
19:01Surprising reliance early.
19:02There's the left hook.
19:03The money punch for Mickie.
19:10Ward steps into a southpaw stance.
19:14Time.
19:15Right there.
19:16Come on, James.
19:17And now the doctor's going to have to take a look at Takatabablai Hazard.
19:20Look at that.
19:20Here we go.
19:28Goodball!
19:30For starting.
19:35Come here!
19:37Goodball!
19:39Goodball!
19:41Goodball!
19:42got in the last fight, it'll take a lot of blood
19:45before this fight would be set.
19:50But Lehigh does feel a sense of urgency,
19:53and the crowd responds to that.
19:58Good left, folks, by Lehigh. You heard one.
20:06You can see applying the pressure.
20:12Lehigh, a much better combination puncher, as you see here.
20:29Right-hand lead by Ward, backs Lehigh into the rope.
20:33Both fighters had their moments in round two.
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21:10He's walking backwards, James, keeps the pressure on him.
21:13He's not throwing back.
21:14He's not fighting when he's going back.
21:18You're too straight.
21:19You're a little too straight.
21:20More angles. Come on, James.
21:28All right, right, right.
21:30Ward has a kind of cut man who can save your chance
21:32to win a fight.
21:33Ward has a cut man of exactly the same quality level,
21:38the terrific Al Gavin in his corner,
21:40should he wind up bleeding his lips.
21:48Ward explained to us that he's fought a great part
21:51of his career with his right-hand damage.
21:53And I think he just had an operation on him
21:56and finally were headed here just before he fought
21:57the game fight over in England.
22:00And as he's up, he's now beginning to throw
22:02the right hand a lot more.
22:04You've heard the expression to get your backside
22:07into your punch.
22:08He literally has his backside in his punch
22:11because a piece of bone from his pelvis
22:14was implanted into his right hand.
22:18You're kidding.
22:19Absolutely.
22:23Leia, indicating to the referee
22:25that Ward is hooking his arm.
22:28Ward turns southpaw momentarily here.
22:31Second time in the fight.
22:34Now he goes back to his conventional stance.
22:38Both guys have slowed down a lot
22:40as compared to when they were in their prime.
22:42And it's just enough to make this an even fight.
22:45undercover stance.
23:03And the front of the agents of the two fighters, yes.
23:06Thirty-six and thirty-five, there were some newspaper references
23:09here this week to The Thrilla in Manila.
23:11You know the instance in which both Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier a little bit on the backside of their
23:16careers went to Manila and
23:18Created their unforgettable heavyweight epic because neither guy was as defensively good as he had been before
23:24That's right. And both of these guys as Larry found out and Larry was interviewing
23:27They're both talking so much about retirement what they were doing after the fight if they lost
23:32Retirement is very much on both guys mind, and they want to make this fight. Maybe that best fight. Well,
23:38there's no pension funding box
23:40This is the hardest way to create a pension fund for yourself
23:45And they know that the one of this fight is probably going to be in a position to today
23:49In a fight that can bring in maybe a half a million dollars or more
23:53To a god he'll be facing off against her on my left on January 26
23:57If Gatti can get past my left the winner of this fight is going to be eager to fight him
24:01because of the larger paycheck that goes with Gatti's star
24:05And I also think that a Camacho-Rey Huff fight down the road isn't out of the question either
24:13Or Ward and Ray Alibera
24:15Once Camacho has a few more fights and
24:20He'll have a chance to redeem himself
24:22I believe if Gatti wins a fight you definitely see a Camacho fight
24:29Ward is barely missing it right here because he's looping it
24:42Yes sir
24:45You've got to win this round
24:46Give me the bucket! Give me the bucket!
24:48Give me the bucket!
24:52Give me the bucket!
24:52It's time!
24:53Let him have to look in his eyes!
24:55Right!
24:55Throwing down the hook!
24:57Back with the jammer!
24:58Lawrence Colt
24:59Calling time to allow a doctor to come into Jesse James Leha's corner
25:02Pick down his side here
25:03All right, oh man
25:05It's all right
25:06Time in!
25:07You've got to win this round!
25:08Leha gets the okay
25:09He might go one more round
25:10So you've got to win this round, James
25:12What round is this?
25:14Fourth
25:15Is this the fourth round?
25:17Fourth
25:18Fourth
25:21Let's go
25:22When he comes in, uppercut him, James
25:25Uppercut this guy
25:27He's shot
25:29That is Leha's father, Jesse Leha, leaning in to say
25:33Uppercut this guy
25:34He's shot
25:35Yeah, but he also said this is the fourth round
25:37And Jesse said, is that all?
25:39Ha ha ha ha
25:41Side back, James
25:42But, avoid that
25:44Avoid that
25:54They trade jabs
25:55Equally timed
25:56To begin round four
25:58Harold Lederman, how do you have it scored through the first three?
26:01Magic
26:01Two rounds to one
26:0229-28
26:04Jesse James Leha
26:05I thought his first two rounds were pretty darn good
26:07They did some real solid shots
26:09In the third round, Mickey Ward kept them at a distance
26:11Went to work
26:12Jesse James didn't punch as much
26:14And I thought Mickey pulled out the third
26:16Interested in that, Jim
26:17The Leha quarter knows the rules
26:19I mean, yeah, they're telling him to win this round
26:20For the simple reason
26:21They know that at the end of the fourth round
26:23If the fight gets stopped
26:24You go to the score fight
26:26They want Leha to be ahead
26:28Well, Leha is working Ward over right now
26:33Ward has been in so many of these type situations
26:35So he's very comfortable
26:37Being worked over
26:38You can never underestimate how he'll explode after all of this is over with
26:44Now we saw him lose every minute of the first six rounds to a fighter named Adolfo Sanchez
26:50Before he hit him with one big left hook to the body in the seventh
26:53And Sanchez folded up like the proverbial bolt's broken butt
26:58And once a guy's had that experience
27:00He's always going to come back after being in trouble
27:02Because he knows he's had the experience of winning a fight
27:06He was behind Miriam London
27:07When he knocked him out
27:09All right, what's the point you were going to make about Leha?
27:14I don't remember, Jim
27:18I'm sure it was good
27:25One of the broadcasting's most honest moments ever
27:31I'm sure it wasn't going to change the course of this fight
27:35Oh, don't tell yourself
27:38I guess the point I want to make is that there's no way that Jesse James Lehar
27:47Will allow the fight to be stopped on the cut
27:51Oh, not if he can avoid it
27:53You know, and as far as the people in Leha's corner knowing the rules about that
27:57Hey, if you work with a fighter who gets cut this month, you'd better know that stuff
28:08Leha's not used to fighting these type fights
28:10Jesse's used to fighting very patient fights but he picks his punches very good
28:14And Ward has got him now fighting the type of fight that he wants
28:21Leha's blood is going to turn Mickey Ward's blonde hair red
28:25If Ward keeps leaning in on him the way he has up to this point
28:28The back of his head has already died red
28:34He'll be calling in the red ward
28:44Quick left hook by Jesse James Leha
28:46Ward misses over the top with the right hand
28:49The two fighters slap gloves as if to say yep
28:52This is what we expected
28:54How are you guys?
28:55How are you guys?
28:55How are you guys?
28:56How are you guys?
28:56You got it, you got it?
28:58You got it?
28:58All right man
28:58You got it, you got it, he's right
28:59Come here, I need it working
29:13It's taken us four rounds to find the action in round one that produced that cut on Jesse James Lehigh.
29:20And the reason it's taken so long is because Lehigh cuts so easily that it doesn't take a big dramatic
29:25punch or butt to do it.
29:27This, we believe, right here, is going to be the action that caused the bleeding you're seeing.
29:37When you look at the track record of Lehigh, it points to me to one thing.
29:42He has sharp bone ridges, much like Sean O'Grady used to have.
29:45And the only thing that would have ever stopped him from getting cut was an operation,
29:48where they filed the edges of his bones down.
29:51He will always get cut from the least blows because of the bones.
29:54You know, if that was the action that cut Lehigh, I'm not sure it was a butt that cut him.
29:59Because I never saw the head hit the right side of his face.
30:02You've got to take a little bit off. Just walk it in. No blows. Very good.
30:06All right. Time in. Marks.
30:08Marks.
30:10Marks.
30:10Marks.
30:11Marks.
30:12Marks.
30:13Marks.
30:14Emanuel, in each of the last two rounds, the fighters have gotten more than a minute's rest between rounds
30:19because extra time has been allotted for the doctor to come in and look at Jesse.
30:23Does that favor either of the two fighters?
30:25Well, at this case here, both guys seem to be in good shape,
30:28but just studying the appearance of each guy's eyes,
30:31I think that Ward seems to be maybe a little better condition than Jesse,
30:35so in that case, I think it would benefit Jesse.
30:37Not to mention, of course, that Joe Sousa gets an extra 20 or 30 seconds for work.
30:41Yes, the doctor is looking.
30:42And he's doing a good cut down like that can do a lot in that time.
31:00Uppercut by Leon.
31:01Ward just pulling baller.
31:04Look at the dime!
31:07Well, Leon seems to be much more effective inside.
31:10Mickey Ward has been, hasn't held him very well inside in possibly town.
31:15He's taking a lot of body shots when they're across court.
31:27Arm punches by Leja, not much on them.
31:31He looks a little tired today.
31:32So, surprisingly, yeah, Mickie's catching a lot of punches.
31:35He's a much better defense than I have expected.
31:38Maybe that's a result of all the hours he's been working
31:41with his half-brother Eklund and Pat Burns,
31:43but his defense is much better.
31:45When you say catching, you mean blocking.
31:48Yeah, I'm sorry, you're right.
31:49He's catching him on the elbows.
31:50Here's the left hook to the body, doubled up by Ward,
31:54and he misses wildly with a right,
31:56but he's determined to land it and throwing it hard.
32:05As the fight goes on, you're going to see Ward
32:07probably throw more of his left hook combination.
32:10He shoots a look, hit a pat left hook to the head sometimes
32:13just to relax and then he loads up and clenches the left hook to the body.
32:16Shoulders Leja off and busts him with a left hook to the chin.
32:20Ward's overall strength starting to become a factor in the fight.
32:25Leja's punch is losing steam here in round five.
32:30Little rally by Jesse gets the crowd back into it momentarily.
32:35Jesse's punching a lot more than he's used to punching.
32:45Ward, awkward, not graceful.
32:48But he makes the left hook and he busts Leja back to the big left hook.
32:52Jesse James Leja trying to show Ward he wasn't hurt by that left hook.
33:22And the one woman in the ring at this moment.
33:25I don't know.
33:26Oh, Jesus.
33:28As they work on Jesse Leja's cut.
33:31Oh, it's too long.
33:31Too big.
33:34Is Selena Murayra down the road from her home in Austin, Texas,
33:41where she is a student studying for an MBA at the University of Texas
33:49and simultaneously works at a high-tech firm.
33:53You throw in the round card girl too.
33:56And Selena Murayra's a very busy young Leja.
33:59They're complaining, Vince.
34:02They're complaining from the corner of Ward
34:04that they're just giving Leja too much time to recover.
34:08Come on, he's a warrior!
34:10And now we're going to stop the fight for an accidental headbutt rule
34:12and we'll go to the scorecards.
34:14Look at him, he's a warrior!
34:15He's going to the scorecards.
34:17They're stopping the fight because of the cut on Jesse Leja
34:20and they're going to be going to the scorecards.
34:23Stopping the fight.
34:23We're going to the scorecards.
34:24And Dick Eklund and Pat Burns are going wild,
34:27as Laurie mentioned in Nicky Ward's corner,
34:29because they think Leja's getting a break here.
34:33Well, if they go to the scorecards
34:35and they feel that Leja's ahead,
34:37we're pretty much having Leja benefit
34:40from the similar, the same thing,
34:42didn't have him with Camacho!
34:44Camacho!
34:44Yeah, and I don't see Leja complaining about this.
34:48Now, maybe this decision was made by a referee
34:51and they had no say,
34:54but Jesse James Leja has some credibility here to protect.
35:00It seemed to me that it's just a reversal
35:03of what happened when he fought Camacho.
35:04Well, it's not really the reversal.
35:06That's not fair.
35:07No, because Camacho was cut in the fifth round,
35:08only fought with the cut for about 30 or 45 seconds,
35:11and then quit.
35:12Yeah, and the referee made a very decisive decision himself.
35:20He didn't leave it to anybody,
35:22but at the other hand,
35:23I didn't see a lot of protest coming out of Leja's corner.
35:29Well, I think the cut had gotten bigger.
35:30It is now almost a half moon.
35:33It covers the entire...
35:34It is a very, very bad cut.
35:37Now, Harold Letterman,
35:38did you hear Joe Sousa say something
35:39that might shed some light here?
35:40Yeah, absolutely.
35:41During that one-minute rest,
35:43Joe Sousa was yelling at the doctor,
35:45oh, my God, it's too bad.
35:46You know, the cut is too big.
35:48I think that the Leja corner knew
35:50that they were ahead on the scorecard.
35:52That's exactly what I'm trying to say.
35:54And they're telling the doctor
35:54to tell the referee to stop the fight.
35:56The doctor told Lawrence Cole to stop the fight.
35:58Lawrence stopped it.
35:59We go to the scorecard.
36:01I mean, as I heard it...
36:02So you think that Sousa did a sales job
36:04on the doctor is what you're saying?
36:06I mean, Jim, as you see,
36:09I've got it 49 to 46,
36:11four rounds to one,
36:12favorite Jesse James Leja.
36:13In my mind, you know,
36:14he's just ahead of the fight,
36:16and I think they know it.
36:17Well, the obvious observation is
36:20what goes around comes around.
36:22This is the way Leja looks...
36:24That's exactly what I'm saying.
36:25...against Hector Camacho Jr.,
36:27and it may turn out to be the way he wins here
36:29if the scorecards coincide with what Harold has.
36:32But remember, in the preceding fight
36:34between Leonard Doreen and Raul Balbi,
36:37these same three judges
36:38who are scoring the fight here,
36:40just as they scored the preceding fight,
36:42went directly against Letterman,
36:44and saw it the opposite way.
36:47I...my point is this.
36:48I believe that if Leja's corner
36:51realized that he was losing the fight,
36:53they would not have stopped the fight,
36:54and I would stand by that.
36:56I think the only reason they were happy
36:58with the stoppage
36:58and maybe encouraged the referee
36:59because they felt that they was ahead on points,
37:01much like Camacho felt in his fight.
37:03But are the guests...
37:04And I'll stand by that.
37:05Because part of the allegation
37:06regarding Camacho Jr.
37:07is that he knew,
37:08that he was told
37:09that he was ahead on points.
37:11Who's to say that's not the case here?
37:13I think it is a bad cut.
37:14What do you think of the cut?
37:15I think it's a bad cut,
37:16but I just, you know,
37:17in Leja's case,
37:18I've never known him
37:19to stop him because of a cut.
37:20I know that, man.
37:21It's over.
37:22You can't do it.
37:29Ironic name on the head blade.
37:33His head looks like
37:35it's been opened with a blade.
37:40Now let's take a look at a replay
37:42of the reaction of Pat Burns
37:44and Dickey Eklund.
37:46Eklund is the blonde there
37:47with his hands on his head.
37:49Burns was the man behind him
37:50on the other side of the corner
37:51as they got the word
37:53from Lawrence Cole
37:54that the fight was to be stopped
37:56and that we were going to go
37:57to the official scorecards
37:58and now Michael Buffer
37:59has the results.
38:00Let's go into the ring.
38:08Ladies and gentlemen,
38:09in round number one,
38:11there was an accidental headbutt.
38:12The wound suffered by Jesse James Leha
38:15got so severe that the doctor advised
38:18your referee, Lawrence Cole,
38:20to call a halt of the bout
38:21at the end of the previous round.
38:24We go to the scorecards.
38:26We will have a technical decision.
38:28The scoring totals are as follows.
38:31Dwayne Ford scores the bout 48-47
38:35for Mickey Ward.
38:40Ray Hawkins scores the bout 48-47
38:43for Jesse James Leha.
38:46Gail Van Hoy scores the bout 49-46
38:51for the winner on technical split decision,
38:54Jesse James Leha.
38:58.
39:15Ladies and gentlemen,
39:16a round of applause for both fighters.
39:18They're both willing to do it again.
39:20Let's give them both a round of applause.
39:27And you can see that Leija landed 30 more punches than Ward.
39:33Ward was seen to throw 23 more, so a much higher connect percentage for Leija.
39:41In the last couple of rounds, perhaps Ward landed the harder shots,
39:45but still, Leija used his superior boxing skills to score more frequently, it seemed.
39:52Through the first five rounds.
39:54Power punches, Leija still with the edge.
39:57Although Ward threw more, Leija landed, by CompuBox estimate, more than half his power punches.
40:05And while the crowd celebrated, Jesse seemed as embarrassed as elated by this.
40:10Let's go to Larry Merchant in the ring and hear what the fighters have to say.
40:14All right, first, Jim, I'm going to talk to referee Lawrence Cole.
40:18You tell us what you saw and how and why you stopped the fight.
40:23The first round, there was a clash of heads that caused an accidental headbutt.
40:27Progressively through the fight, it kept getting worse, worse and worse.
40:31Took the advice of the doctor.
40:32Obviously, we brought him to the corner one time during the round.
40:36Brought the doctor in twice in between rounds.
40:39And then he told me, on his advice, he wanted, because the cut was so severe, that the fight
40:43should be terminated.
40:44The doctor told you that?
40:46Yes.
40:46Because we thought that we heard from Jesse's corner yelling at you to stop the fight.
40:52Did you hear that?
40:53No, I didn't hear that.
40:54I looked over at the doctor, and he looked at me.
40:56But prior to this, he's put a thumbs up that he was okay to go.
40:59He looked at me and crossed his arms.
41:01That meant to terminate the fight.
41:03Thank you very, very much.
41:04Okay, now let's go across here to the fighters.
41:08Jesse, this is a coincidental circumstance here.
41:13Yeah.
41:13At the same time as your fight with Hector Camacho, at that time you said you've been
41:20cut all your life, you never quit, you never stopped fighting, and you criticized him very
41:26strongly, so now you have to defend what happened here.
41:28Well, I didn't stop the fight, and I didn't say a word to the doctors.
41:31You stopped the fight.
41:32I don't feel either one of us should have won the fight.
41:33I don't feel I should have won the fight.
41:35I don't think he should have won the fight, because the fight was just getting good.
41:37And, you know, but...
41:39You didn't protest the stoppage either, did you?
41:42I didn't say a word.
41:42You didn't say anything in your corner, I want to go on.
41:44I just, the doctor came in, it was his third time in the ring, and I knew the cut was
41:48bad.
41:49I could, it was bleeding really bad in my, I knew it was bad, but I didn't talk to the
41:53doctor to stop the fight, I didn't say, hey, this is whatever, I just kept fighting.
41:56He kept coming forward, I had to fight.
41:59I haven't seen it, I see it.
42:00In all fairness to you, this is a much, much more severe cut, it seems, in my recollection,
42:07than the one that Hector Camacho suffered.
42:11One more thing, though, is I don't have to prove myself, I'm a proven warrior, just as
42:14much as this guy is, I don't have to prove myself, I've proven myself throughout my 50
42:19something fights when I've been cut and I kept fighting, I didn't have a choice to say
42:23to stop the fight or not to stop the fight, the doctor made that decision.
42:27I don't care, I don't feel I won, I don't think he should have won, I think the fight
42:30should have been called in no contest, again, whatever.
42:31But, I'll fight him anywhere, anytime, again, I'll fight him in Boston.
42:36So, so, so, so Mickey, you tell us what you saw, did you realize it was getting to that
42:42point where the fight might be stopped?
42:45I, I had a feeling it could have been stopped, but I wasn't sure, you know, it's kind of
42:49hard to, you know, they put Vassar, whatever they put on, I couldn't really see how bad it
42:52was, but, um, just unfortunate for both of us, not just for me, um, taking a loss, so I
42:56think it should have just been a call to technical to draw, not, um, because no one deserves to
43:01win the fight.
43:01All right, okay, so, so let me ask you this, Jesse, the last time you walked out, you thought
43:06you had lost the decision at the end of the round, it was turned to a no contest.
43:11Uh, will you go to the, or ask your people to go to the Texas State Commission and say,
43:16let's call this a no contest, just as that was?
43:19Yeah!
43:19Yeah!
43:20I could tell them to do it now.
43:21Hey, it, it, it doesn't matter.
43:23I could tell them to do it now.
43:24They could call it a no contest.
43:25That's not going to give me any more money or any more fame or anything else.
43:29Hey, I could let them do it.
43:31You know why?
43:31Because we both fought.
43:32We were, and the fight was a great fight, I think, and, uh, make it a no contest.
43:36You know what?
43:37I've proven myself, he's proven himself.
43:38Did you see, did you guys see the first fight?
43:40Did you think yours was going to be that fast and furious?
43:44Which first fight?
43:45The earlier fight?
43:46Oh, no, I didn't get to see the fight.
43:47I was busy getting ready for this guy.
43:49Yeah, I, I didn't see it either, but I, people come back and told me it was a great,
43:51great fight.
43:52I wanted a great fight, Larry.
43:53You know what I mean?
43:54It's unfortunate it happened.
43:55I'm not away from Jesse.
43:56He's a great warrior.
43:57Just like myself.
43:58It's unfortunate.
43:58I think he should have been calling no contest.
44:00I don't know why.
44:00Okay.
44:01All right.
44:01You've made the point.
44:04Let's ask this.
44:05Both of you have talked almost poignantly about coming toward the end of your careers.
44:12And, uh, maybe this would have been it.
44:14So give us your thoughts at this moment about it.
44:17About if this would have been, uh, I don't want it to go out this way.
44:20No one does.
44:20I mean, shit, I mean, I think it should have been a no contest.
44:23It's like Jesse says, you know, we're two warriors.
44:25I mean, we want to lose it.
44:26I don't want to lose it on my back in this way.
44:28You know what I mean?
44:28What about you, Jesse?
44:30I feel the same.
44:31Uh, it, it, unfortunately, it stopped this way.
44:34If they want to make it a no contest, hey, let them do it.
44:37They've done it before.
44:38I've been, they've done everything to me before in this sport.
44:40But the thing is, I wouldn't mind fighting him again.
44:42The thing is, uh, what I want to get my point across is we both fought.
44:46The fans were the, were the winners here.
44:49There was no winner or losers between him and I.
44:51Thank you very much, guys.
44:52Back to you, Jim.
44:54All right.
44:54Well, the best reason of all to turn it into a no contest would be,
44:57if Cole was wrong in deducing that the cut was caused in round one by an accidental butt.
45:03And personally, after looking at the replay once, Emmanuel,
45:06I think that's open to question.
45:07So let's take a look one more time at what happened in round one,
45:10at the moment where the cut seemed to begin for Leha,
45:13and you tell me if you see a butt that would have caused a cut on the right eye,
45:18as opposed to maybe that left-hand punch.
45:21Yes, that's the, to begin well.
45:23I have a very serious problem with the fact that it was ruled an accidental butt,
45:26which I did not see, to the right eye.
45:29That, to begin well.
45:30I don't, I know, I saw no butt to the right eye.
45:33Now, maybe the cut was caused when Ward scraped his glove across Leha's right eye there.
45:39Yeah, but I, I still have a lot of doubts about that.
45:41And that's why I want to join in with the curse of both Mickey and with Jesse.
45:46No contest.
45:47I really feel that that would be the only way that this fight should be ruled.
45:50Yeah, give Leha credit.
45:51He didn't resist the notion that maybe no contest would be the better call.
45:55Larry, you got final feelings about that?
45:58I think they were all expressed in the ring.
46:00I think, you know, Jesse James Leha knows that nothing that can happen in a fight like this can stain
46:09his career.
46:11And that he yelled bloody murder last July at Coney Island.
46:18And, uh, so he knows how, how it feels to happen to somebody else.
46:23Yep.
46:24Well, uh, a, an anticlimactic evening.
46:28You have more?
46:29Yeah, I'd just like to say, uh, it, it occurred to me while we were watching these fights tonight
46:33that, uh, we flatter ourselves when, uh, we call ourselves, uh, the heart and soul of boxing.
46:42And I think, uh, what we saw tonight in both fights, um, the fierceness of that first fight,
46:50the blood that spills, uh, two hungry young guys going at each other in that lightweight fight,
46:59two tough old buzzards going at each other in this last fight.
47:04They are the real heart and soul of boxing.
47:07Yeah, that's right. And for both Doreen and Leha, as we watched their faces,
47:11it was the artery and spill of boxing, uh, as both fights saw blood on the canvas.
47:19Well, an action-filled night in El Paso.
47:22We'll have a final word on, or in San Antonio, I should say.
47:25We'll have a final word on what happened here in the ring in just a moment.
47:28Right now, let's look ahead to some upcoming programs on HBO.
47:32It's bonus time, because Sex and the City is ringing in the new year with six brand new shows.
47:38Remember this?
47:39Steve, I'm pregnant.
47:40I don't think I want to have a baby anymore.
47:42I love you, Carrie.
47:43Well, it's time to find out what happens, starting with...
47:45When it comes to relationships, I couldn't help but wonder, what are we fighting for?
47:49Who needs drogating?
47:51Wait a minute. Is your hair falling?
47:53I don't want to talk about it!
47:55Trey and I hardly ever yell. We're wasps. Wasps don't yell. It's genetic.
47:59What am I?
48:00You are the man who gave me a cardboard baby!
48:03It was funny!
48:05No, it wasn't!
48:06I've never lived with a man. This and the fact that I want them out an hour after I climax.
48:11You let them stay a whole hour?
48:12So celebrate in style with the Emmy winner for outstanding comedy, Sex and the City.
48:17The first of six brand new shows premieres Sunday night at 9 on HBO.
48:22Get ready for the season premiere of Oz.
48:27Dear Lord, we ask you to continue the recovery of the Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier.
48:32Survive the gas explosion.
48:34And all new prison.
48:35I ain't seen war like what's coming.
48:37If you can broker a peace between these two, you save a lot of lives.
48:41Imagine that.
48:42Saeed Schillinger and I in a three-way.
48:44Whoever killed Patrick Heenan took a gold chain from new inmates.
48:48I want you to go to the warden and tell him you saw Henry Stanton murder Patrick Keenan.
48:52But I didn't.
48:53We need criminals.
48:54You kill my boys, we gotta pay.
48:56Fine.
48:56Put this on my tab, okay?
49:05Oz.
49:06The season premiere.
49:08Sunday night at 10 on HBO.
49:12January 26, Shane Mosley defends his welterweight title against the last man to have beaten him in the ring,
49:17Vernon Forrest.
49:18It happened in the Olympic trials in 1992.
49:20Also 140-pounders Arturo Gatti and Tehran Millett.
49:23February 2, a special night of live boxing on HBO.
49:26Two undisputed champions in separate fights from different venues.
49:30I get to go to Miami.
49:31Roy Jones faces Glenn Kelly.
49:32Larry has to go to Philadelphia.
49:34Bernard Hopkins takes on Carl Daniels.
49:36No offense, Philadelphia.
49:37We love you too.
49:38HBO.
49:39The heart and soul of boxing.
49:41January 21 looks for Picture Perfect.
49:43The stories behind the greatest photos in sports.
49:46This documentary takes a look at how and why some of the most compelling photos in sports history were taken.
49:51Picture Perfect only on HBO.
49:53January 21.
49:54Earlier tonight, Raul Balbi of Argentina came into the ring to defend his version of the World Lightweight Championship against
50:03Leonard Doreen,
50:04who now fights out of Montreal but spent most of his career as a 254 amateur fight star in Romania.
50:11Doreen, with both eyes cut and nearly closed, got the split decision in the fight.
50:16He now has that belt.
50:17Then, Jesse James Leha took on Irish Mickey Ward and six months after Leha at first lost a decision in
50:25New York and then ultimately got a no contest against Hector Camacho Jr.
50:30on a cut like this and a stoppage like this.
50:32Saw what goes around comes around as he was the beneficiary of the same situation tonight.
50:38Next on HBO, stay tuned for Real Sex 26, Lessons in Love and Lust.
50:44You all need to learn.
50:46So now, for the entire HBO crew, I'm Jim Lampley saying so long from San Antonio, Texas.
50:52The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein.
50:55Tonight's edition of Boxing After Dark was produced by David Harmon and directed by Mark Payton.
51:00Associate producers, Michael Reisman and happy birthday Betsy Ronan.
51:05Assistant to the producer, Joe Gonzalez.
51:07Production manager, Mark Hayton.
51:08Technical supervisor, Bob Hunter.
51:10Technical director, Doug Getz.
51:12Get well soon, Tammy Kotel.
51:14Good night and happy new year.
51:25We'll you there.
52:05This has been a presentation of HBO Sports,
52:08the network of champions.
52:17Next on HBO.
52:19Looking for some tips to spice up your love life?
52:22Here's everything you always wanted to know.
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