They Just Fought Dumb

[The Old LefHook]

Remember the fighter that frustrated you round after round, fight after fight?

Maybe he was lazy, or usually he just would not punch, for mysterious reasons. You could see everything he should be doing, and you were yelling at the television set for him to do it.

The 20th anniversary caused me to watch the Ward/Gatti series again today.

Maybe I should not be so hard on a fighter as limited as Ward. But still, this guy was hardly ever doing what he should have been doing in the ring with Gatti. You keep screaming "PUNCH," but he usually doesn't. You scream "JAB," but he hardly ever does. The ptitful part is that he takes punches almost better than anyone. In that category he is on the Chuvalo/Marciano level.

Ward did not have the instinct to understand everything that was happening in the ring at all times. There were moments when all he had to do was launch another lefhook to the liver to probably win by KO, but he never realized it.

* * * * *

Mike Weaver was another guy who seemed to usually be fighting as dumb as he could.

[Willie Pep 229]

Where does limited talent end and dumb begin?

Bramble stood on front of Rosario. Camacho showed us just one fight before that 1. you don't stand in front of Rosario and 2. how to beat him.

When it was all said and done, Bramble has to be called 'dumb' but did he really have a choice. Up to that point he had stood in front of every one he beat.

With that said do we call Michael Moorer dumb? Tommy Morrison showed us how to beat Foreman II.

[QueensburyRules]

Where does limited talent end and dumb begin?

Bramble stood on front of Rosario. Camacho showed us just one fight before that 1. you don't stand in front of Rosario and 2. how to beat him.

When it was all said and done, Bramble has to be called 'dumb' but did he really have a choice. Up to that point he had stood in front of every one he beat.

With that said do we call Michael Moorer dumb? Tommy Morrison showed us how to beat Foreman II.

- - The undefeated highly talented and powerful Moorer fell under the inane blandishments of Looney Teddy who had a festering pustule hatred for George as he did for most fighters, so he forced Moorer to go toe to toe for the KO.

The rest is history.

[markusmod]

Felix Trinidad when he fought Wright

[markusmod]

Ruiz when he fought Roy Jones. Gave him too much respect, should have just jumped on him.

[Anthony342]

De La Hoya when he fought Trinidad in the last 3 rounds. You always gotta finish strong because you never know what the judges are thinking. Emanuel Stewart said the same thing on the Ringside episode they did I believe on Holyfield when Lewis fought him the first time. He said he told Lennox to pick up the pace in the later rounds because he didn't like the body language of the judges. That's what I liked about someone like Mosley. Even when he knew it was ahead, he'd go for the stoppage if he could get it. There's an old adage in boxing and MMA that if you can help it "never leave it in the hands of the judges."

Leonard in the first Duran fight. He later admitted to being pulled into a firefight with Duran because of comments Duran made in press conferences leading up to that first fight, but seemed to learn how to fight smarter after that. He usually engaged when he had to, like in the first Hearns fight or when he saw he had someone hurt (Howard, Lalonde).

[QueensburyRules]

De La Hoya when he fought Trinidad in the last 3 rounds. You always gotta finish strong because you never know what the judges are thinking. Emanuel Stewart said the same thing on the Ringside episode they did I believe on Holyfield when Lewis fought him the first time. He said he told Lennox to pick up the pace in the later rounds because he didn't like the body language of the judges. That's what I liked about someone like Mosley. Even when he knew it was ahead, he'd go for the stoppage if he could get it. There's an old adage in boxing and MMA that if you can help it "never leave it in the hands of the judges."

Leonard in the first Duran fight. He later admitted to being pulled into a firefight with Duran because of comments Duran made in press conferences leading up to that first fight, but seemed to learn how to fight smarter after that. He usually engaged when he had to, like in the first Hearns fight or when he saw he had someone hurt (Howard, Lalonde).

- - Oscar offended boxing racial stereotypes by "running" for a points win like Leonard of l'l floydy instead of knocking out Tito JC Sr style. When Canelo goes to the ropes to counter punch, he has no stamina. When Ali or l'l floydy ropa dopa or cower in the corner, they smart boxers.

Leonard in a fog after Duran leffy hook concussed him in the 2nd round had no choice but to operate on instincts that allowed him to survive, but lose those rounds.

The first time the much bigger, stronger Lewie was visibly shying away from head to head contact with Vander who in turn was trying to out muscle Lewie. Two dumb strategies cancelled out each other for the draw though Lewie was credible at scoring easy jab points at distance.

[Willie Pep 229]

- - Oscar offended boxing racial stereotypes by "running" for a points win like Leonard of l'l floydy instead of knocking out Tito JC Sr style. When Canelo goes to the ropes to counter punch, he has no stamina. When Ali or l'l floydy ropa dopa or cower in the corner, they smart boxers.

Leonard in a fog after Duran leffy hook concussed him in the 2nd round had no choice but to operate on instincts that allowed him to survive, but lose those rounds.

The first time the much bigger, stronger Lewie was visibly shying away from head to head contact with Vander who in turn was trying to out muscle Lewie. Two dumb strategies cancelled out each other for the draw though Lewie was credible at scoring easy jab points at distance.

Duva told Taylor he had to win the last round agsinst Chavez I. He didn't and it cost him.

I think it too simple to assume there's one answer to every situation as suggested by some above, there isn't. Sometimes you run, sometimes fight; sometimes, like Leonard in Montréal the matter is taken out of your hands.

I always like to dispell the Billy Conn myth that all he had to do is stay away from Louis for the final three rounds. He was close but not that close.

Math wise he had to win at least one of the three rounds on two of the (particular) judges scorecards.

It had to be the right two judges; he was still at risk of being burnt by a majority draw and no title.

If he lost all three rounds on all three scorecards he loses a SD.

[The Old LefHook]

Dispelled it for yourself maybe. Louis was slapped silly by a miniature man, then got lucky.

[Willie Pep 229]

Dispelled it for yourself maybe. Louis was slapped silly by a miniature man, then got lucky.

Well there are those who didn't know that Conn still had to win one more round. It was for them not you tough guy.

What the hell does Louis losing have to do with the point I was making about the score after 12?

Yea, Louis was behind on all three scorecards; he had to be for the issue to exist.

????