Thread: Jimmy Ellis vs. Tony Doyle ~ March 2, 1971

Tuesday ~ March 2, 1971

The Auditorium ~ Miami Beach, Florida

Jimmy Ellis vs. Tony Doyle

Jimmy Ellis, the former WBA Heavyweight Champion was making his 2nd comeback bout
after getting 'demolish' {TKO 5} by Smokin' Joe Frazier in the World Heavyweight Championship bout back on February 16, 1970.

Following that loss, Jimmy had retired. But Jimmy returned to help his good friend Muhammad Ali
in his own return to the Ring. Jimmy was Muhammad's primary sparring partner during the second-half of 1970 and early part of 1971.

Jimmy Ellis >
"When I fought Joe Frazier I came in at 201 lbs. I came in heavier so I could slug with him. But I'm not a slugger, I'm a boxer/puncher.
When I fought Peruvian - Roberto Davila {November 10, 1970}, I came in at 189 1/2 lbs. I was much faster and quicker. Speed-boxing
is much better than slugging for me."

"I've worked out a lot with Muhammad, and I've helped that kid out {Jeff Merrit} as well. I've put in over 200 Rounds of sparring, and
I'm sharp. I want to show everybody that without a doubt, I deserve to be the next fighter to get the winner of the Frazier-Ali bout next week."

Tale of the Tape

James Ellis
Nickname... 'The Cobra' ~ 'Jimmy'
Age........... 31 years, 0 Months
Height ...... 6' 1 1/2"
Reach........ 76"
Weight....... 198 1/4 lbs.
Record....... 28-6-0 {13 KO's}
WBA.......... #2
Ring.......... #4
Style.......... Boxer/Puncher

General >
Jimmy is a solid boxer, with good hand speed and swift footwork. He has very good power in his right-hand,
and he is capable of taking an opponent out with one-punch. He has very good boxing skills to compliment
his Ring Generalship. He has a sharp left-hand, and is a very good counter-puncher. Always comes into a
bout in shape, and is well-schooled.

Defensively, Jimmy is solid {Grade B+}, and he has a sturdy chin. He is durable {Grade B+}, and has performed
well in rugged bouts.

Intangible >
Jimmy has a tendency to over-punch, and has gotten arm-weary in several long-distance bouts. Sometimes he gets
too 'right-hand happy', and leaves himself open to counters.
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Anthony Doyle
Nickname... 'Irish' ~ 'Tony' ~ 'The Salt Lake City Flash' ~ 'Young Jack Dempsey'
Age........... 26 years, 7 months
Height....... 6' 4"
Reach........ 80"
Weight....... 207 lbs.
Record....... 36-8-1 {19 KO's}
WBA.......... #10
Ring........... #16
Style........... Boxer

General >
Tony is a typical stand-up Boxer, and likes to use his Height {6' 4"} and Reach {80"} to pile up points. He has a
good left-hand {stiff jab} and a sneaky right-hand counter. Hand speed is Average {Grade B}. Boxing skills are
generally good. A willing fighter who will slug on occasion.

Defensively, Tony is a notch below Average {Grade B-}. He does have a good chin, and he can take a good punch
and has proven his durability.

Intangible >
Tony can be out-worked, and he has a tendency to wait too long to counter. Not a physically strong fighter. Lacks
a good punch.

"stand-up" boxer is a stretch Bill. Remeber 'jelly rolls' can't 'stand-up'

Anthony 'Tony' Doyle

Salt Lake City, Utah

A hell of an Amateur Heavyweight Boxer, winning numerous Titles.

As a teenager, Tony {Age; 18 years, 7 months} defeated Joe Frazier {3-2} on March 8, 1963 in Utica, New York in the Semi-Finals
at the 1963 National AAU Tournament.

At the time, Tony was a tall {6' 3 1/2"} and skinny 195 lb. 'rail'. A pure boxer with a typical straight-up stance, and a classic left-jab.

Tony Doyle >
"I beat Joe with one-hand. I gave him my left jab all night long. He was strong, but he was raw and not refined yet."

Big things were expected from this Southwest Mountain Region Heavyweight when he turned professional in July 1963. But 'Irish Tony'
stumbled a bit in a few bouts, but got to 18-4-2 {11 KO's} by September 1967.

A much anticipated rematch with Joe Frazier was set for October 17, 1967 and in Joe's hometown of Philadelphia at the new Spectrum.

At the time, Joe was as 'Hot-as-a-Pistol', and was 17-0-0 {15 KO's} and ranked as the #2 WBA Heavyweight.

Joe did not disappoint, and flattened Tony by a TKO 2. It was the 1st-time that Tony had ever been stopped.

Tony Doyle >
"They gave me $10,000 to come to Philadelphia. I knew it was going to be tough, because I hadn't fought in 5-Months and I was
worried as my Wife was pregnant with twins. But the fight purse {$10,000) was too good to pass up. Unfortunately for me, I never
got going and Joe ripped me apart."

But Tony rebounded, and won his next 11-Straight {8 KO's} over the next 2-years. By September 1969, Tony was 29-5-2 {19 KO's} and
ranked as the #11 WBA Heavyweight.

Tony Doyle >
"I was one-bout away from a fight with WBA Champion - Jimmy Ellis. He was willing to come out to Los Angeles to fight me in November 1969.
All I had to do, was beat Manuel Ramos at The Olympic Auditorium {September 11, 1969}. It should have been a 'Piece-of-Cake'. I was coming
of a good win {KO 8} over Amos 'Big Train' Lincoln only 2-Weeks earlier. And Manuel Ramos had not fought in nearly 1-Year, since getting
stopped {TKO 5} by George Chuvalo on September 26, 1968."

"I came out fast, and took it to him. I built up a 3-Point lead after 5-Rounds. I figured that my fast-pace and his long lay-off would effect him
down the stretch, and he would tire. But he came on strong over the last 4-Rounds and edged me by a close 10-Round Decision. That loss hurt."

Anthony 'Tony' Doyle

After getting 'upset' by Manuel Ramos on September 11, 1969 - the loss ended Tony's 11-Bout / 2-Year winning streak, which
also 'squashed' his hopes of fighting Jimmy Ellis in November 1969 for the WBA Heavyweight Championship.

Tony Doyle >
"After that loss, I took 3 1/2 months off and thought about quitting. Then on January 3, 1970 ~ I signed a contract to fight
in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom for Joseph Kellman Promotions.

* January 21, 1970 ...... W Dec 10 ~ Charles Singleton ~ 15-2-1 {9 KO's}
Charles was a pretty good 23 year-old Club-Fighting Heavyweight from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I fought him in Chicago,
and it was a good scrap. We both whacked each other pretty good. I won a clear-cut Decision. Charles retired after our bout and
never fought again.

* February 16, 1970 .... W Dec 10 ~ Getulio Bueno ~ 13-0-1 {13 KOs}
It was on the Closed-Circuit broadcast of the 'Joe Frazier ~ Jimmy Ellis' Heavyweight Championship Bout at Madison Square Garden.
Getulio was an unbeaten 23 year-old Argentinian Heavyweight who they were building up. He was only 193 lbs., but he had a
wicked punch. They wanted to put him in with me in Chicago as a 'test' before stepping him up. But I gave him a boxing lesson
over the first 5-Rounds and then cruised over the second-half of the bout. He could take a good punch, and kept trying to wing
throughout the whole bout. He was a tough kid.

* April 4, 1970 ........... W Dec 10 ~ Frank 'Snakebite' Nibblet ~ 15-36-11 {8 KO's}
I took a 'fill-in fight' in Missoula, Montana. Frank was a 31 year-old Light-Heavyweight fighter from California. But despite his losing
record, Frank was pretty tough for a 180 lb. guy. He was a 10-year veteran, and had only been stopped 'twice' in 62-Bouts. Though
he was billed as a 'Cannon-Fodder', he was a decent fighter. He was a good guy to take on when you wanted a good hard work-out.
They liked rough brawls out there in Montana, and Frank and I gave them one to cheer about.

"Then 3-weeks later, I was back in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom. It was to be my most important fight, as I was to take on
Roberto Davila. Roberto was the Peruvian Heavyweight Champion. He was a 29 year-old fighter, with a lot of experience. His
record was 38-17-0 {30 KO's}. He was a muscular guy at 6' 2", and solid at 205 lbs. Only 6-Months earlier {October 31, 1969} he had
taken George Foreman the distance {8-Rounds} in a grueling fight. What was important, was that the winner of our fight was to
get to fight Sonny Liston at the Chicago Amphitheatre in June 1970."

* April 27, 1970 ......... W Split Dec 10 ~ Roberto Davila ~ 38-17-0 {30 KO's}

the 'Aragon' Ballroom used to 'be' a great place until 'certain' investors 'tried' to close it down.

Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

the 'Aragon' Ballroom used to 'be' a great place until 'certain' investors 'tried' to close it down.

Joseph Kellman put on a few good boxing shows there in 1969 and 1970, before the Rock Shows
took over.

Very early in their careers Doyle and Jerry Quarry had a very hard fight at the Olympic in Los Angeles.

Aragon Ballroom

Capacity; 4500

* April 10, 1970 ......... Rotary Convention / Mason Priffit / Pink Floyd

* April 27, 1970 ......... Eddie Perkins vs. Clyde Gray ~ Tony Doyle vs. Roberto Davila

* May 1, 1970 ........... Second City Cast / Al Kooper / The Byrds

Franco American

April 27, 1970

Aragon Ballroom ~ Chicago, Illinois

Overview

'Irish' Tony Doyle > {Phoenix, USA}
vs.
Roberto Davila 'El Granazo de Surquillo' > {Lima, Peru}

Fight Promoter; Joseph Kellman

According to the to AP report, the winner of this bout was supposed to fight Sonny Liston in June 1970 at the Amphitheatre in Chicago.

* Roberto Davila was billed as the Peruvian Heavyweight Champion, and he was listed as having a record of 38-17-0 {30 KO's}
* Tony Doyle was listed as the #13 Heavyweight, and with having a record of 31-6-1 {19 KO's}

Weights
* Tony Doyle ......... 210 lbs. ....... Height; 6' 4" ...... Reach; 80" ....... Age; 25 years, 9 months
* Roberto Davila .... 206 lbs. ....... Height; 6' 2" ...... Reach; 77" ........ Age; 29 years, 9 months

Fight Overview

Tony got off to his usual fast start, and peppered Roberto with 'double' left-jabs from long range. Tony was in total control
and was the effective boxer. Roberto pressed, but did not land any effective punches as he was either short or missed with
his counters. Tony took each of the first 3-Rounds.

In Round 4, Roberto became more aggressive as he worked his way inside and scored with some decent lefts and rights to
the body. Tony appeared to be taking the Round off, as he stayed outside around the perimeter of the Ring.

Roberto was able to back up Tony in Round 5, and out-worked him with an assortment of both head punches and body-blows.
Roberto worked Tony to the Ropes, and scored with well-timed left-hands as he again stayed in close on his taller opponent.

In Round 6, Tony got back in gear and boxed beautifully by using 'double-and-triple' left jabs. It was Tony's best Round as he
scored with repeated hammering jabs into Roberto's head. Tony was scoring freely as a game Roberto did not land with any of
his counters.

But in Round 7 the fight turned around. It was all Roberto as he came out winging. He stunned Tony early in the Round with a
looping right-hand to the head. Then he moved inside and worked Tony's body with some solid blows. Roberto was getting the
better of each exchange. Late in the Round, Roberto moved Tony back into a corner, and scored with '2' quick right uppercuts
that 'stunned' Tony. Roberto then unloaded with a barrage over the last 10-Seconds of the Round to bring the Aragon Ballroom
crowd to their feet.

In Round 8, Roberto picked up where he left off and gave Tony all sorts of trouble over the first-half of the Round as he continued
to land punches to both the head and body while backing Tony up the Ropes. Just when it looked like Roberto would take Tony
down, Tony rallied with a series of left-right combinations to the head. Tony then backed up Roberto, and caught him with several
hard punches to the head that drove Roberto backwards. Tony then moved inside, and scored with a good flurry to shake Roberto just
before the Bell.

In Round 9, Roberto came out hard and took the fight to Tony. Roberto ripped away with left and right punches from all angles. Tony
was in a bit of trouble, but resorted to firing 'triple' left-jabs to keep Roberto off of him and get some distance. Roberto continued to
stalked and charged forward. During one exchange as Roberto attacked, he came in with a right-hand lead, Tony ducked and Roberto
stumbled by and flew into the Ropes, where he was suspended in mid-air while tangled in the middle Rope strand. Late in the Round,
Tony was able to land a few 'bip-bip-bip' left jabs over the last 30-Seconds to neutralize Roberto.

Coming out for Round 10, the fight was 'up-for-grabs'.

Roberto came out for Round 10 with a charge, and immediately 'stung' Tony with several good head shots to open the Round. Tony was
having difficulty keeping Roberto off of him, and was forced to the Ropes. Roberto forced the fight, and landed several sharp right-hands
as he drove Tony into a 'Neutral-Corner'. Later in the second-half of the Round, Tony was able to land a few punches to stall Roberto's
attack. Near the end of the fight, the two fighters closed with several vicious exchanges near the corner which brought the crowd to
their feet once again.

After the Bell, both fighters hugged at Center-Ring.

Scoring
* Referee - Stanley Berg ........ 46-45 {Tony Doyle}
* Judge - Ed Albrecht ............ 46-45 {Tony Doyle}
* Judge - Harold Marovitz ...... 45-45 {'Even'}

Tony Doyle was awarded the Majority Decision, which was boo'ed by the Aragon Ballroom crowd.

Jimmy Ellis vs. 'Irish' Tony Doyle

Fight Review

It was Jimmy {198 lbs.} who was sleek-and-fast, and he got off to a fast start. Right away he out-jabbed the taller Tony Doyle {207 lbs.}
with quick left-hands to the face. Tony was forced to back up, right from the get-go.

Jimmy easily controlled Rounds 1 and 2, by utilizing his hand-speed. Tony could not match Jimmy in quickness.

In Round 3, Tony was able to get off with some good jabs during the first-half of the Round, and did well as Jimmy stayed outside.
But Jimmy was quick to the task over the least-minute, and scored with a variety of left-right combinations forcing Tony to back
up along the Ropes.

In Round 4, Jimmy went back to speed-boxing and out-jabbed Tony over the first-minute. Tony, unable to match Jimmy in speed,
laid back and loaded-up looking to counter. The opening came at the {1:40 Mark}, as Tony caught Jimmy coming in with a strong
right-hand to the jaw.

Jimmy was hurt, and Tony opened up with a series of combinations to Jimmy's head. Tony then drove Jimmy backwards with
another strong right-hand and Jimmy's legs buckled. Tony continued to fling punches over the next minute. But Jimmy bobbed
and weaved, and was able to clear his head at the {2:40 Mark} and rode out the rest of the Round as Tony slowed down.

In Round 5, Jimmy was cautious over the first-half of the Round. Tony was again looking to counter, and waited. Jimmy started
to work his left-hand at the {2:00 Mark}, and scored with several lefts to Tony's face and head. Tony again was forced to back
away.

In Round 6, Jimmy was the aggressor, and charged forward with a two-fisted attack. More lefts-and-rights to the face had Tony
continually giving ground. Jimmy scored with a 'jarring' left-right to Tony's head late in the Round, forcing to Tony to grab-and-hold
over the last 25-Seconds.

In Round 7, Jimmy took complete command and dominated Tony with a variety of solid punches to the head. At the {1:45 Mark},
Jimmy shook Tony with a hard right-hand, and then followed up with a barrage that sent Tony down at the {1:55 Mark}. Tony took
the 'Mandatory 8-Count', but soon was met with more of the same. Jimmy scored at will with lefts-and-rights to Tony's head.

Jimmy shook Tony again with a hard left-hook at the {2:44 Mark}, and then dropped him with a jolting right-hand to the jaw. Tony got
up at the '8-Count' at the {2:56 Mark} and just barely made it through the end of the Round. Tony walked back to his corner on wobbling legs.

In Round 8, Jimmy surprisingly came out very conservative. He only pecked away with left-jabs, and did not press the action on a hurt
Tony. Tony was able to clear his head by the mid-way point of the Round, and made an effort to score with some long-range left jabs.
Jimmy went to counter-punching over the last minute, and neither fighter did much scoring.

In Round 9, again Jimmy fought conservatively and did little, other than flick out light left-hands with an occasional right-hand lead.
On the other hand, Tony was back to waiting to counter, and did not offer up anything effective in the Round, other than a decent
medium-power 'left-right-left' during the middle of the session.

In Round 10, Jimmy again came out with little aggression, and pawed at Tony with left-hands at Center-Ring. Tony did the same thing,
by sticking out long left-hands with no power on them, using his glove as a paw.

At the {1:40 Mark}, Jimmy stepped it up, and landed a medium-power right-lead and left hook. The punches appeared to shake Tony,
who then backed away. Jimmy then moved forward, and became more aggressive, as he fired off a '3-Punch' combination, and a follow
up hard right-hand. Jimmy continued to press over the next 30-Seconds, while looking for an opening to launch a finisher.

At the {2:20 Mark} Jimmy landed a glancing left-hook to Tony's head which stunned him. Jimmy slowly moved in, and fired off a 'right-left',
and then caught Tony with a hard left-hook to the head that dropped him. Referee - Cy Gottfried counted out Tony Doyle at {2:42} of Round 10.

After Bout Analysis

Jimmy Ellis looked good. He was sleek {198 lbs.} and sharp. All those sparring sessions with Muhammad Ali and
Jeff 'Candy Slim' Merrit in late-1970 and early-1971 proved beneficial.

Jimmy dominated the entire fight, except for some 'rocky moments' in Round 4. Jimmy showed that he was back,
as he stopped a 'tough' Tony Doyle, who was a Top 20 challenger. At {Age; 31} Jimmy showed that he still had
a lot left-in-the-tank.

Jimmy Ellis >
"I proved that I'm the next Heavyweight to challenge for the Championship. The winner of the Championship Bout
between Joe Frazier - Muhammad Ali next week should to give me the next opportunity. All I need is one more
'strong fight', and then I'll be ready."

"I expected a bit more from Tony Doyle. I guess he was worried about my right-hand, and didn't want to take any
chances early. I got a little careless in Round 4, and he caught me coming in. I'll admit it, I was hurt bad for a few
moments. But I came back, and dropped him 'twice' in Round 7. I had the fight 'in-the-bag' so I cruised until the
last Round before I opened up on him."
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Tony Doyle lost the bout and a big opportunity. A win here, and 'Irish Tony' would have secured a Title Bout for the
late-Summer of 1971. Tony at {Age; 26 1/2} is still a young man, but too many tough fights {46-Bouts in 8-Years}
have apparently taken there toll.

Tony Doyle >
"I got smeared tonight. Jimmy was too fast for me. I only caught him once, as I had him in big trouble in Round 4,
but I couldn't finish him. He was too smart, and boxed really well tonight. And he punches harder than you think.
Now you can see why nobody wants to fight Jimmy Ellis. He's one tough cookie."

"I won't quit just yet. I'm still ranked in the Top 20. I have to put together a few wins, and then I'll give it one more try."