Why did WBC reduce title fights to 12 rounds ?

[OCPancho]

I learn something new everyday... thanks, but when I was in Mexico... Jose Suliman, on a tv channel in Guadalajara, spoken in Spanish, said something like 15 rounds reduced to 12 was because of ring beat downs... you do speak Spanish, right... ?

I’ll look for the link.... hope I can find it...

Coming from Jose, that is worth zero cents.
He also claimed since they went 12 rounds, fatalities were eliminated .
He must have forgotten Kiko Bejines.

[Dempsey-Louis]

No, there were 3 ropes all the way to the 70's.
That fight ended the 6oz gloves for welterweights .

You know what is weird, the State of Florida was already using four ropes for the 1964 Liston-Clay bout. So maybe some commissions did react to the Paret tragedy.

But I agree they don't seem to have become common until a decade later.

I just looked at Madison Square Garden 1971 (Ali-Frazier I) - they had four ropes, but they still have turnbuckles, which throws out my theory about turnbuckles.

Then I looked at Griffith-Benvenuti I (1967) and they only had three ropes. The change seems to have come slowly through-out the sixties. (and they were still using turnbuckles; my turnbuckle theory seems for ****.)

[Zaroku]

Coming from Jose, that is worth zero cents.
He also claimed since they went 12 rounds, fatalities were eliminated .
He must have forgotten Kiko Bejines.

The announcers used to call the last three rounds, of a 15 round fight, the championship rounds.... I agree, now the announcers do the same with twelve round fights...

[OCPancho]

You know what is weird, the State of Florida was already using four ropes for the 1964 Liston-Clay bout. So maybe some commissions did react to the Paret tragedy.

But I agree they don't seem to have become common until a decade later.

I just looked at Madison Square Garden 1971 (Ali-Frazier I) - they had four ropes, but they still have turnbuckles, which throws out my theory about turnbuckles.

Then I looked at Griffith-Benvenuti I (1967) and they only had three ropes. The change seems to have come slowly through-out the sixties. (and they were still using turnbuckles; my turnbuckle theory seems for ****.)

I know for a fact, Boxing at the Olympic ( in LA ) , used 3 ropes.
I think the corner cushions were started for Fred the Animal to eat. lol
One boxer used to tell me their backs would get burned from the ropes back in the days. That was before they used velvet for rope covers/sleeves.
I remember the refs holding two ropes to prevent boxers from going through them.
Nowadays, you have two rope spacers per side.

[The Old LefHook]

I sense the OP got it right about this one and TV time slots. At that particular point in history, Cosell was squalling hard as well, over several of the events already mentioned in this thread. Ray Leonard got in on the act by making 12 rounds one of his contractual conditions for the Hagler fight. But originally, it will be about money, not safety. The mere fact that Suiliman said it was about safety, was enough to know better at the time. I knew it was a lie but was never sure why. I think this is the reason. It feels right, anyway.

[OCPancho]

I sense the OP got it right about this one and TV time slots. At that particular point in history, Cosell was squalling hard as well, over several of the events already mentioned in this thread. Ray Leonard got in on the act by making 12 rounds one of his contractual conditions for the Hagler fight. But originally, it will be about money, not safety. The mere fact that Suiliman said it was about safety, was enough to know better at the time. I knew it was a lie but was never sure why. I think this is the reason. It feels right, anyway.

Thanks.
You guys probably never heard of the Flash Gordon's fish wrap.
He used to be based in NY and sent paper to subscribers.
Flash had inside scoop in boxing.
He exposed many scandals and scams.
Like when Don King and Jose Sulaiman stripped Bobby Chacon of his belt for refusing to fight Camacho.
Bobby fought Boza Edwards for his mandatory defense.
He had an option defense after that .
Camacho was already DK's meal ticket so he wanted him to become a champ .
So, they stripped Bobby and had Camacho and Solis fight for the belt.

The fight that caused WBC to reduce title fights to 12 rounds was the Holmes-Cobb fight .
And Flash also exposed, Howard Cosell was going to get relieved from his boxing duties b/c the team of Clancy/Ryan and Albert/Pacheco were killing them in the ratings.
Howie made up that bullcrap about quitting pro boxing during the Holmes-Cobb fight .

[Dempsey-Louis]

And Flash also exposed, Howard Cosell was going to get relieved from his boxing duties b/c the team of Clancy/Ryan and Albert/Pacheco were killing them in the ratings.
Howie made up that bullcrap about quitting pro boxing during the Holmes-Cobb fight .

No clue who Flash is (but great name) but you made me take a look at Cosell's remarks after he announced he was quitting boxing.

This is an interesting (and questionable) quote from a man who claimed he was ending his association with the fight game for moral and ethical reasons.

NYTimes December 6th 1982

''I am loyal to my company, and if they asked me to do a Holmes-Cooney rematch, I would do it.''

Maybe Flash was on to something. -- It sounds to me like he was hoping they would 'beg' him back. -- I would love to see his ratings at the time. -- The man was never short for ego.

[OCPancho]

No clue who Flash is (but great name) but you made me take a look at Cosell's remarks after he announced he was quitting boxing.

This is an interesting (and questionable) quote from a man who claimed he was ending his association with the fight game for moral and ethical reasons.

NYTimes December 6th 1982

''I am loyal to my company, and if they asked me to do a Holmes-Cooney rematch, I would do it.''

Maybe Flash was on to something. -- It sounds to me like he was hoping they would 'beg' him back. -- I would love to see his ratings at the time. -- The man was never short for ego.

Wide World of Sports was getting killed by the other two networks boxing shows. They replaced Howie with Keith Jackson and company. People just go tired of Howie. Howie did the 1984 olympics though. Fkkr claimed it was an amateur boxing so he did it.
Boxing with Gil Clancy and Tom Ryan was some of the best boxing on tv imo . Lord, we were spoiled.
Dr Pacheco and Marv Albert called some huge fights too.
I remember the Bobby Czyz vs Robbie Simms fight was the highest rated non-title fight ever on tv that time.
Boxing was so hot then b/c of the success of the 1976 boxing team.

[Ben Bolt]

Thanks.
You guys probably never heard of the Flash Gordon's fish wrap.

Wasn't it Gordon's work which exposed The Ring rating scandal?

It had a devastating impact on professional boxing (not Gordon's fault, he did the right thing).

Its long tradition of lineal champions came to an end, as the alphabet **** orgs grabbed the opportunity to take charge and spread their corrupted wills.

[Ben Bolt]

Slightly off topic but am i right in thinking that the paret-griffith outcome is why we now have 4 ropes instead of 3?

Sugar Ramos staggered Davey Moore with a left and then continued to pummel him with blows until he fell, striking the base of his neck on the bottom rope and injuring his brain stem. (Wiki)

After Moore's death in 1963 several commissions, in the US and elsewhere, added a fourth rope.