By Jim Amato
STING LIKE A BEE...ALI WAS THE " GREATEST " TO ME
To me Muhammad Ali was the best heavyweight I've ever seen. He had tremendous hand speed and an outstanding jab.When he returned to boxing after his enforced three year layoff he was not nearly as fast with his feet or his hands as in his youth. He had filled out physically and was now much stronger. He was no longer a boy but now a full fledged man. Even though his hand and foot speed had diminished he was still too fast for most of his contemporaries. He was also punching much harder. If Oscar " Ringo " Bonavena were alive today he could testify to that.
Ali had great upper body strength and was able to match muscle with some of the strongest boxers of his era like Liston, Foreman, Lyle and Norton. What stood out the most for Ali and ended up being part of his demise after his boxing career ended was his ability to take punishment. He not only had a tremendous chin but the heart of a lion to go with it. This enabled Ali to weather the bombarding attacks of Frazier, Shavers, etc...
Even past his prime he always seemed to be able to find a way to win. In Frazier III, Norton III, Jimmy Young and Leon Spinks II, Ali just got by on guts and guile.
To me the best of Ali would have beaten the best of Holyfield, Lewis, Louis, Tyson or Vitali. Any of the past heavyweight champions and top contenders. He vary may well have been " The Greatest Of All Time " !!!
WHY BOB FOSTER WAS FEARED...
Bob Foster has to be considered one of the most explosive hitters of all time. To me that is a very rational statement. If you lived in the Bob Foster era you knew the aura that he brought into the ring with him. If they feared him they might have a chance of surviving. If you were dumb enough to be brave you usually walked out of the ring with your head in yor hands.
Bob has three KO's that would fit into any highlight reel. The crushing title winning KO of the great Dick Tiger. The two round massacre of the terrified Vincente Rondon. Add to that the brutal one punch dispatch of a very talented Mike Quarry and your talking about power personified.
Think about this. Foster took only two rounds to drill Rondon into dreamland. This was the same Rondon who traveled the ten round route with Earnie Shavers who was later proclaimed as the "Puncher Of The Century". What does that say about "Bad" Bob ? I think most of the light heavyweights who fought him would say OUCH !!!
OHIO GREAT-BILLY "KELLY" WAGNER
Billy was a top notch light heavyweight during the late 1960's and early 70's. His high point was a nationally televised bout with Mike Quarry from Madison Square Garden. It was shown on ABC's Wide World Of Sports. The result was a hotly disputed draw. Good action fight but the draw verdict may have cost Billy a possible shot at champion Bob Foster's crown.
Later Wagner would fight and lose to the streaking Jorge Ahumada of Argentina in seven rounds. Ahumada used that win as a springboard to a title match with Foster. Their encounter ended in a very controversial draw. Foster retired and Ahumada was matched with England's John Conteh for the vacant W.B.C. crown. Conteh won a very tough but well deserved decision and the title. Later Ahumada would challenge fellow countryman Victor Galindez and would again be on the short end of a close verdict.
As for rugged Billy Wagner...He was so close but yet so far. He did Cleveland proud !
NINO BENVENUTI; Not Good Enough ?
He was a celebrated Olympic hero and undefeated as a professional until losing an extremely debatable verdict in Korea. Nino came to New York and captured the American fans with his suave, arrogant demeanor. He took two out of three against the great Emile Griffith and he was the middleweight champion of the world.
There was an impressive defense against the capable Don Fullmer, brother of Gene who Nino dominated. There was a questionable diqualification win over Fraser Scott in a fight that seemed to be going Scott's way.
We saw Nino come from behind to salvage his title with a stunning one punch knockout over the legendary Luis Rodriguez. He DREW with rugged Doyle Baird in a non-title contest at the Akron Rubber Bowl but most people thought he lost. He was unable to continue in Australia against under rated Tom "The Bomb" Bethea in another non-title bout. To Nino's credit he halted Bethea in a title fight rematch. He also stopped Baird in a non-title return.
Nino had some very ill advised thoughts about moving up to challenge Bob Foster for the light heavyweight crown. First he had to get by former titleholder Dick Tiger. The stronger Tiger handled Nino with ease thus ending Nino's illusion of competing against Foster.
It looked like a safe defense when he agreed to meet ranked but undistinguished Carlos Monzon of Argentina. The best thing on the Monzon resume was a draw with rugged American Bennie Briscoe. This fight marked the beginning of the reign of "King Carlos". Monzon out toughed and outlasted Benvenuti to win the middleweight crown via a twelfth round knockout. Nino would get a chance to regain his former fame but before that happened he lost a decision to another Argentine warrior, Jose Chirino. Monnzon-Benvenuti II was a total mismatch. The bout was stopped in the third round.
This was the end of Nino's career. Looking back I remember the Italian boxing heroes... Graziano. Marciano, LaMotta, Basilio and DeMarco. Throw in a clever but tough Giardello and you can get a picture of what I was looking for. Nino didn't fit the bill. He was not of the same mold. I've never seen a fighter complain to the referee like Nino used to. In my eyes he was real whiner. Hagler and Hopkins would have worn him down and stopped him. Hearns and Leonard would have knocked him out. Toney and McCallum would have out cuted him. Iran Barkley would have outslugged him.
MAMBY BACK FOR FIFTH DECADE !
Saoul Mamby at the age of 57 has embarked on a comeback. The former W.B.C. 140 pound titleholder recently won a decision over Thundluang Sitjanaat who reportedly had an 11-1 record. They fought as junior middleweights.
It was Mamby's 85th fight in a career that began in 1969. He has now fought in five different decades. I know Roberto Duran has accomplished that feat. I'm not sure if anyone else has.
Mamby first challenged for a world title in 1977 when he lost a fifteen round verdict to Saensak Muangsurin in Bangkok, Thailand. On February 23, 1980 in Seoul, South Korea, Mamby halted Sang Hyun Kim in the fourteenth round to capture the W.B.C. crown. After five defenses he lost the title to Leroy Haley. Among his defenses was a KO win over the great Esteban DeJesus. He failed in attempts to regain the crown against Haley and Billy Costello.
The list of champions and top contenders that Mamby has met in his long and distinguished career is astounding. Roberto Duran, Antonio Cervantes, Buddy McGirt, Maurice Blocker, Gary Hinton, Javier Castillejo, Jorge Vaca and Rene Arrondondo. Add in swapping leather with top notch fighters like Ronnie Shields, Monroe Brooks and Edwin Viruet and you've had quite a ride !
To top it off Mamby was only stopped once in his career. That was on August 13, 1993 when he lost in the first round to a then up and coming Derrell Coley.
