Notes From An All-Time Middleweight Tournament

[Jersey-Jim]

Notes From An All-Time Middleweight Tournament

Spurred by the success of his All-Time Heavyweight Boxing Tournament, staged via computer in 1967, Promoter Murry Woroner came back the following year with an All-Time Middleweight elimination that promised to answer some intriguing questions.

This tournament is the modern, up-to-date, reenactment of Woroner’s original tournament bring 64 champions from the past and present into a competition in which only one man will be left standing at its completion.

The Middleweight division is a division steeped in a rich and colorful history. This tournament deviates slightly from the previous “Notes From An All-Time Heavyweight Tournament and Notes From An All-Time Light Heavyweight Tournament” in one area in particular. Each bout will be scored using the rounds system as opposed to the 10 point must system.

Most of the All-Time Greats fought under a rounds system as opposed to a 5 or 10 point must system. A 15 round fight, as a result, becomes 15, separate – 3 minute, stand-alone fights. Whoever wins the majority of rounds also wins the fight. A fighter who has “a bad round” has the opportunity to erase the deficit in the subsequent round as opposed to needing a “knockdown” or a two point round to catch up.

This option has been chosen to maintain the “flavor” of Woroner’s original, computerized, All-Time Tournaments.

The following are the results of Woroner’s Semi-Finals and Finals Match-ups!

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The All-Time Middleweight Championship of the World
Semifinals

Cerdan v. Ketchel
Robinson v. Walker

Cerdan-Ketchel: In 12 bloody rounds, Marcel Cerdan was floored 5 times and Stan Ketchel twice before the Michigan Mauler finally put the Ferocious Frenchman down for the big sleep at 2:08 of the 12th round. Cerdan was decked in the 7th, twice in the 9th, and twice in the 12th.

Winner: Ketchel, KO 12.


Robinson-Walker: The arms of Sugar Ray Robinson were a bit too long for the Toy Bulldog. Robinson set himself up for the all-time finals by outpointing Walker 145-141 in a close one.

Winner: Robinson, D.


The All-Time Middleweight Championship of the World


Finals
Sugar Ray Robinson v. Stanley Ketchel

Background: It was a duel made in promoters' heaven. Ray Robinson, the angelic boxing master, v. Stan Ketchel, the demonic fury, who fought as if every round put his life on the line. Ketchel had become a ring legend in 8 years. Robinson fought everybody and beat the greatest during a 25-year career.

Sugar Ray had an assortment of punches that would rival a soda fountain. Ketchel was as tough as homemade iron. Robinson's flickering feet and hands kept him in control of a fight. It was said that Ketchel could stop any man on any given evening. What would the computer have to say about it?

The fight: The real Sugar Ray Robinson listened to his computer image on the radio and said: "I kept ducking and blocking, feinting and moving. . . . I felt every punch."

His transistorized alter ego felt one especially in the 1st round when Ketchel surprised him with a right to the head. Robinson, down for one of the few times in his life, knew that he was in a fight.

Ketchel moved in to work on the body and Robinson used his reach to punish the little battler to the head. Robinson drew blood in the 3rd and kept it flowing. In the final rounds, knowing he needed a knockout to win, Ketchel unleashed a brutal attack, but Robinson's long arms and clever combinations kept him at bay. The officials gave the mythical all-time championship to Sugar Ray 147 to 139. Even though Robinson tilted the electrons in his favor in every round except the 1st and 8th, he never had Ketchel off his feet.

Winner and All-Time Middleweight Champion: Sugar Ray Robinson, D.

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[PWillisTheMan]

Nice, look forward to following it.

[Jersey-Jim]

Coming Soon....

Each bout is scheduled for rounds.

Tony Zale vs. Quincy Taylor

Stanley Ketchel vs. Marcel Thil

Bernard Hopkins vs. Johnny Wilson

Teddy Yarosz vs. Arthur Abraham

[Jersey-Jim]

Tony Zale vs. Quincy Taylor

This fight was all action from the opening bell as underdog Quincy Taylor took the fight directly to Zale. Zale, as was the case throughout his career, once again living up to his nickname as "The Man of Steel" by absorbing everything Taylor fired at him. Zale's performance could best be described as "workman-like" as he slowly began breaking Quincy Taylor down from the 8th round on. In the 10th, a hard Zale right hand broke Taylor's nose into about a dozen pieces. Taylor's nose bled profusely and he was unable to continue. The fight was stopped with by referee Harry Kessler a minute into the 10th round.


ZALE TKO10

[Jersey-Jim]

Stanley Ketchel vs. Marcel Thil

Thil did well avoiding Ketchel's full-throttle assault during the first two rounds. He even countered several of Ketchel's wild punches. When Ketchel landed in the 3rd, Thil hit the floor like he'd been the victim of a mob hit. He staggered to his feet at the count of 9. Kessler gave Thil a chance to continue even though he didn't respond to Kessler's question - "Are you okay?"

Moments later several titanic shots to the head had Thil out on his feet. Kessler saved him from being further brutalized at the 2:55 mark.

KETCHEL TKO3

[Jersey-Jim]

Johnny Wilson came into this fight brimming with confidence and enthusiasm. "I'm old-school," he told reporters a day earlier. "What's he going to show me that I ain't seen? I fought two and a half of his career in one of mine!" When the bell rang, however, he fought like a man looking to minimize risk. When a Hopkin's uppercut opened a gash over his eye like a fresh jar of Ragu... fuggetaboutit. Harry Kessler stopped this one in the 7th with Hopkins leading on all three cards.

HOPKINS - TKO 7

[Jersey-Jim]

Abraham started fast and looked great over the first three rounds of his encounter with Yarosz. When Teddy awoke from his "comatose-like" early round offense in the 3rd, it became a different fight. Yarosz speeded around the ring like a crisp-punching rabbit with Abraham in hot pursuit. When Abraham did catch him, the "rabbit" fought like a lion and both fighters took punishment in the exchanges. Teddy dropped Arthur for 9 in the 11th but Abraham recovered. And in the 15th, Abraham's final do-or-die body assault had Yarosz looking like a slab of meat swinging from a hook. The final bell brought us to the scorecards.

YAROSZ W15 unan.(9-4, 7-6, 8-5)

[Jersey-Jim]

Something tells me the first round isn't going to pass without an upset or two!

[Jersey-Jim]

Next First Round Matchups

Ray Robinson vs. George Chip

Carlos Monzon vs. Terry Downes

Marvin Hagler vs. Solly Krieger

Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Hugo Corro




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[Jersey-Jim]

Ray Robinson and George Chip fight to a draw in an entertaining shootout that saw Robinson drop Chip in 1st and 12th round. Chip, however, came roaring back and turned it into a dog-fighter, countering Robinson's speed and precision with sporadic all-out assaults that caught the judges eyes and had the fans chanting - "Chip - Chip - Chip!!!" as the 15th round wound it's way down.

In the end, the judges scored a Majority Draw!

[Jersey-Jim]

Carlos Monzon and Terry Downes stood toe-to-toe for 11 thrilling rounds of action. In the end, Monzon was just too accurate with pin-point combinations and counters that took fearless Terry Downes apart. The fight was finally stopped in the 11th after Terry arose from knockdown number 3. Many historians feel Monzon's style gives him a distinct advantage over fighters like Ray Robinson and Marvin Hagler. Time will tell....

Monzon TKO11

[Jersey-Jim]

Marvin Hagler "owned" Solly Krieger in what turned out to be the most one-sided fight of the tournament so far. Whether he was leading or countering - Hagler landed consistent, hard, bone-jarring punches to which Krieger had no answer. By the 9th, Krieger was finished. A hard combination dropped Krieger in the 10th, and the follow-up forced Harry Kessler to stop the fight with 8 seconds remaining in the round.

Hagler TKO10

[Jersey-Jim]

Bob Fitzsimmons finally has the opportunity to redirect the bombs that once toppled men who outweighed him by 30 pounds or more (see Bob's Heavyweight exploits for more details) against history's top - 160 pounders! His first test comes in the very first round against Argentina's - Hugo Corro. Fitz's power exclipes the power of a John Mugabi. But against Corro, he struggles to string combinations of punches together. He drops Corro in the 14th, but can't finish him. Bob Fitzsimmons has all sorts of problems with Hugo Corro and leaves the decision in the hands of the judges. When the final decision is announced... Fitz breathes a sigh of relief. Was Corro underrated as a champion... or did he have Fitz's number?

Fitzsimmons W15 unan. (8-7, 8-7, 9-5)

[Jersey-Jim]

Upcoming 1st Round Fights


Gene Fullmer vs. Gerald McClellan

Nigel Benn vs. Billy Soose

Joey Archer vs. Jermain Taylor

Fred Apostoli vs. Randy Turpin

[Jersey-Jim]

Ray Robinson and George Chip will fight a rematch at the conclusion of the first round of the tournament to determine who moves on to the next round.



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[Jersey-Jim]

Fullmer and McClellan meet in the center of the ring - like two gunfighters. These fighters, however, exchange leather instead of lead. And lots of it! Both fighters exchange brutal fire in the trenches, along the ropes and at ring center. Fullmer finally folds for the count under a hailstorm of leather in the 9th. Harry Kessler could have counted to 100. This is the first upset of the tournament!

McClellan KO 9

[Jersey-Jim]

Billy Soose is will inducted into the Hall of Fame this spring (2009). A book entitled - Billy Soose - The Champion Time Forgot chronicles his career. Against Nigel Benn, Billy appeared to be following the Michael Watson blueprint - surviving Benn's offensive bursts while countering with his accurate counterpunches. It seemed to be working, too, until the 8th round when Soose's right eye began swelling badly. Benn kept applying tremendous pressure against Soose until the 11th. Something had to give - either Benn's stamina... or Soose. The referee rescued Soose who could no longer defend himself a 2:22 of the 11th round.

Benn TKO 11

[Jersey-Jim]

After an entertaining opening round, a Jermain Taylor hook opens a hideous cut over Joey Archers right eye. A round later, Archer's face looked like he'd been thrown through a windshield. A disappointing end to what otherwise may have been a very close fight.

Taylor TKO3

[Jersey-Jim]

Apostoli clubbed Turpin to the canvas in the 2nd for the count of 8. Turpin beat the count and the war was on. A seesaw fight with each fighter taking turns dominating the other. The one difference being... Apostoli's face compiling about 3 fights worth of visible punishment. In the end, Apostoli's left eye is swollen shut and sporting a bad gash under the eyebrow. A one-eyed fighter is no match for Turpin on this night.

Turpin TKO 9

[Jersey-Jim]

Upcoming 1st Round Fights

Nino Benvenuti vs. Joey Giardello

Jeff Smith vs. Ben Jeby

Billy Papke vs. Gorilla Jones

Thomas Hearns vs. Frank Klaus


2nd Round Bouts That "Sizzle" Will Be Broadcast in Round-By-Round Format!


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