Axis Kalambay at PTS 15 Iran Barkley
Octabar 23 1987; Palazzo dello Sport, Livorno, Italy
Kalambay’s Sumbay is often overlooked when historians call the best medium weights in the era of post-Marvin Hagler. But when someone thinks that Kalambay defeated Herola Graham (twice), Mike McCallum, Steve Collins and Iran Barkley, it is clear that he should not. The Italian silky idol was Muhammad Ali and against the free, gritty and strenuous (and let’s not forget, very good) Barkley, Kalambay showed his extensive repertoire in the last fight for the title WBA Middle Wweight to plan 15 rounds. More educational than exhilarating, Kalambay shows exactly why it was very arduous to beat to raise a free belt.

Do you know? The title of WBA was deprived of Hagler after he signed a contract for the fight with Sugar Ray Leonard instead of a compulsory pretender, Herol Graham. Kalambay upset Graham in the fight for the title of EBU – which was a crazy fight for a “bomber”, in retrospect – to get a shot in a free crown.

Watch out for: The operate of a left stabbaya is arduous to determine. At the end of the fight, Barkley is bruised, bloody and well beaten.

Boxing weight classes – except for natural growth – is rarely a recipe for success, as the aged maxim was revealed, “good” UN always beats a good diminutive “Un”. In October 1937, a 21-year-old warrior from Deptford mentioned Tommy Martin He decided to overthrow the general principle.

Less than two years earlier, Tommy was a welterweight. But now he was tailored to a heavyweight with Jim Wilde of Swansea, who weighed as much as 15. 5 pounds. According to press reports, Martin was two lighter, but his actual weight could be even lighter. “In the best part of my career I have never been more than in medium weight,” he said later. “I used to wear a belt around the waist equipped with lead weights to look heavier.”

Even more surprising is that Tommy was successful as a ponderous weight, winning the nickname “Great Britain Brown Bomber”, of course, a great bow to Joe Louis. Jim Wilde was heavily outlined by 10 rounds in Empress Hall to give Martin the first of many wins in ponderous weight. Tommy would prove that he is one of the best in the country in delicate and ponderous weight, but unfortunately as a man with a mixed race he could not box the British title due to the absurd “colorful bar” BBBOFC, which required the players from the players born in Great Britain with two white parents.

Born in reading in January 1916 in the White English Mother and Jamaican Father, Tommy moved with his family to Deptford in South London in 1917. At the age of 14 he escaped from home and got a job as a boy from boxing Billy Stewart, ultimately becoming a fighter. This and later experience at the Billy Wood stand gave Martin precise knowledge about boxing.

He had his first official professional in 1933, at the age of 17 and quickly developed a great CV won, from time to time a failure. His scalps in Welter and Middle Weighing included high -quality men, such as Harry Mason, Jack Lewis, Paul Schaeffer, Bill Hardy and Moe Moss. Until 1938 and 1939, Tommy’s Fighting Wage oscillated between a delicate and ponderous weight when he gathered a 15-handing series of wins with wins on how Frank Hough, Jack Hyams, Tino Rolando, Al Robinson and the future British heavyweight champion Jack London (to whom he gave the third Stone).

At the beginning of 1940, Tommy went to America for a campaign organized by manager Harry Levene. He made his debut in Los Angeles in April against the highly rated Bob Nestelle, who stopped Lee Ramage and King Levinsky. Martin shook his knee in the fight and lost points, but a month later Ko’dell in return. Another noteworthy victory from Tommy’s brief spell in the USA was Pat Valentino, who later challenged Ezzard Charles about the world -heavy crown. However, Martin’s most impressive victory was above Buddy Knox (then 102-11-8), who defeated the former world king Bob Olin. Tommy developed Knox in September 1940, but was overtaken in return.

Martin’s career seemed to sail on her American route. He had only three fights and lost them all: a point defeat in returning with Jacek London, stopping Freddie Mills and KO in the first round at the hands of the previous victim of Al Robinson. Tommy’s concentration turned to the war service. He served with RAF and then to a sales jacket, but was wounded by a torpedo explosion and hospitalized in Montreal. He lost, and then, after two operations, he regained his sight before he joined American maritime infantry soldiers. After leaving the services, Tommy moved to Hollywood and founded the gym, but later qualified as a physiotherapist and opened his practice in Novel York. After the wedding, he settled on the Virgin Islands, where he worked as a prison governor until his retirement. He died in 1987.

Marco Antonio Barrera in PTS 12 Johnny Tapia~
November 2, 2002; MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
This is not classic, but it is worth visiting again as a reminder of these two irresistible fighters. Barrera was probably the best at that time, while taping, try his best, he could not conjure up his highest form. Perhaps this partly applies to Barrera’s perfection, so natural, so bright in the ring, which did not allow the aging taps to be abutment. But Tapia, winning his first seven -digit payment day, showed a lot of classes. Ultimately, Barerra won the results of 118-110 twice and 116-112 to preserve his world championships in a featherweight.

Do you know? At the back of the shorts, Barrera was the name “tapia”. It was not, as it was often, a tribute to Johnny, but instead a tribute to his mother, whose maiden name was tapia.

Watch out for: Changing tactics from both. Tapia effectively falls into the opening round only so that Barrera changes the attack line. In the second half of the competition Tapia, a witness that it is sent, forces the exchange inside to refer to a larger (but not sufficient) success.