Vinny Pazienza

[TheGreatA]

Was Vinny Pazienza one of the greats?

His accomplishments:

Won titles from lightweight to super middleweight (33 lbs)

Defeated Roberto Duran (bum), Greg Haugen, Lloyd Honeyghan, Robbie Sims, Dana Rosenblatt, Tocker Pudwill

Came back from a serious neck injury to regain world title.

How would you rank him all time?

[TEDetc]

Better than that Roberto Duran bum that's for sure.

[dans]

Plus Pazienza beat Godzilla. Biggest upset this side of Buster Douglas.

[Lazy Liberal]

A hall of famer . Lots of heart but relied on it too much and received too much punishment. Early Paz was really fun to watch.

[cotto16]

Was Vinny Pazienza one of the greats?

His accomplishments:

Won titles from lightweight to super middleweight (33 lbs)

Defeated Roberto Duran (bum), Greg Haugen, Lloyd Honeyghan, Robbie Sims, Dana Rosenblatt, Tocker Pudwill

Came back from a serious neck injury to regain world title.

How would you rank him all time?

whats with the roberto duran bum comment?

[KnockoutTheFat]

Vinny Paz is such a badass he was willing to fight prime Mike Tyson

[TheGreatA]

whats with the roberto duran bum comment?

Apparently Roberto Duran is a bum because he lost to Vinny Pazienza.

[BattlingNelson]

I didn't think much of Paz TBH. I think his biggest acheivement was coming back from a major injury (wasn't it a broken back?) and have some succes.

His battles with Haugen are legendary. They hated each others guts. Still I never like Paz' style and I think he stunk the place out skillswise. But he was a couragerous fighter and he just might make it to the HOF.

[Owlzfan84]

whats with the roberto duran bum comment?

You had to see the topic from yesterday.

But in all seriousness Vinny is better then Duran. He did beat him after all.

Berbick is better then Ali as well. Plain and basic common sense.

[TheGreatA]

I didn't think much of Paz TBH. I think his biggest acheivement was coming back from a major injury (wasn't it a broken back?) and have some succes.

His battles with Haugen are legendary. They hated each others guts. Still I never like Paz' style and I think he stunk the place out skillswise. But he was a couragerous fighter and he just might make it to the HOF.

I've heard that Pazienza looked great against Gilbert Dele (when he won the LMW title) although I've never actually seen the fight. I believe it was John Scully who said it.

7. Vinny Pazienza-Gilbert Dele, WBA 154 pound title fight: In 1991 I sparred for the first time with Vinny Pazienza. I had a fight coming up against Randy Smith, a ten rounder at the "Big E" in Massachusetts in September and Paz had his WBA title try scheduled for a few days later with Gilbert Dele at the Providence Civic Center.

Now, I believe that when many people think of Vinny as a boxer they think of a blood and guts brawler that gets cut a lot and usually has to fight through a lot of blood and punches to the head to win fights. Of course, Vinny is not above going that route if that's what it takes to get the best results but from sparring so many rounds with him, sometimes twelve at a time, I knew that when he decided to stick and move and be elusive he certainly had the ability to do that in good fashion. The man could BOX when he had to. His first two fights up to that point with Greg Haugen, though, were what most people remembered him for. All out wars!

However, if you pop in a tape of his 1991 WBA title wining fight with Dele I think you will come away with a new respect for the guy and his boxing skills. I was there ringside and I remember at the time thinking how much his performance that night reminded me of the job Sugar Ray Leonard did against Marvin Hagler. It's usually the Mickey Ward-Arturo Gatti type wars that get the crowd deeply and loudly into fights but that night, with Vinny Paz showing off his elusive boxing skills (moving side to side with his hands low, shucking and jiving, shakin' and bakin'), the crowd was going crazy.

Seeing Vinny make this guy miss three or four punches in a row brought as much cheering as Vinny landing three punches did and when it was stopped in the twelfth round Vinny was way ahead on the scorecards in a fight that I consider one of the best exhibitions of BOXING that I have ever seen.

http://www.boxingscene.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3685294

This thread is a bit of a joke since some poster tried to argue that Roberto Duran was a "bum" for losing to "Vinny f***in' Pazienza".