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Quiroga's name came up in the 'Boxing tragedies' thread. If you haven't seen this fight, you haven't seen one of the most violent boxing matches of all time. Something to see and something you won't forget. Whole fight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrIuJYibyaQ
One of the best fights I seen
All time favorite. Absolute melody of chaos over 12 rounds between 2 undefeated seriously promising fighters! Great styles clash with Roberts short hand speed and condor like frame of Kid Akeem. Akeem was trying to lift him off the mat with uppercuts and Quiroga was a buzzsaw inside. Kid just never developed to fight his height. Cuts, bombs and brass balls but what a tragic end for a top prospect who found new life and promise working with the likes of Roman and Mayweather. They don't do it like that anymore, that early and that even up going in. Not really.
I don't think that either one of them knew enough about fighting to be in a fight like that. They had skills and, obviously, all the heart in the world, but they didn't know how to fight hard and survive it.
There is an element of pro wrestling in a a good pro fight. You get in, throw punches, put on a good fight, but you walk away, you don't die. That is how guys did it years ago, when they fought (like in this fight) with 4oz gloves, and did it every 2 weeks. You stay at the end of punching range, you slip and you roll and you parry. You get paid and get on the train, fight once on the way, and rematch the guy in Cleveland.
Some of that was in this fight. Akeem using his shoulder to push Quiroga into his right hand, or Quiroga stepping around to his right. They were guys that were learning and were pretty slick. But they got to fighting with those tiny gloves and they had been sparring with big gloves...That is a whole different game defensively. You cannot lay up and cover up with tiny gloves, like Akeem was trying to do, and it essentially killed him.
It was a hell of a scrap.
I remember the aftermath and putting that debate back on the front burner. Wasn't 4 though huh..it was 6 oz? A sad statement on a State commission, Texas...go figure, letting a sanctioning body headed by a crook dictate the terms. Lee's reasoning after the fact was the camps had a chance to protest. The commision doesn't want to lose a huge hometown fight for local and everyone nudges and winks and neglects its responsiblity to a rule they had on the books I believe. Wasn't the IBF the only body mandating 6 oz in championship fights? Not sure. I think it can be said that Akeem was greenish at least at high level and certainly had never been in a war. He would have also been more served with having gone rounds in a fire fight prior, he had a habit of smothering his gift of range and once he had a guy sit inside, in and out with a body-head short attack he had to give as good as he got just to keep his head above water or sink. The 6 oz sped up his damage big time but his lack of know how on the ropes was there. Quiroga was indeed talented. He had been deep and was the more experienced of two. Had been cut up, hurt and well traveled. Its the unpredictable and brutal world of the ring and while its good and overdue that they instituted new guidlines we still continue to see tragedy before and after.