John LoCicero v William 'Caveman' Lee - anyone?

[littledave]

I mentioned this fight on another thread - has anyone ever heard of it or seen it? Lee was a body for Hagler in about '82 and LoCicero never did much but Al Bernstein says it's as exciting a fight as he's ever seen:

Interviewer: Besides Hagler-Hearns, what’s the most thrilling fight you ever covered?

Bernstein: An ESPN fight and I get comments on this fight all the time. William ‘Caveman’ Lee and John LoCicero. It was in the early Kronk gym days, in the Twenty Grand Showroom in Detroit with no air conditioning. It was August and amazingly hot. In the fifth round, John LoCicero and Caveman Lee put on a round of boxing that was just beyond belief. First, LoCicero went down, got up, and hit Lee with like twenty-five unanswered punches. It was ridiculous. LoCicero ultimately got knocked out in that round and it was about as exciting as anything I’ve ever seen.

[steve sonic]

One of the best fights I have ever seen. ESPN used to replay this one every so often, and rightly so. steve sonic

[CFH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9K3YHpVAJQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSRBfgfreiw

[LEGION]

Damn I thought when Cicero got up at the 9 count it should have been stopped; then he goes and unleashes some hell on Lee and had to of spent every remaining fiber left in his body on that last assault. Brutal.

Never saw that thx. for posting.

[ICB]

I see it about a year ago, didn't think it was anything special to be honest. From all the hype i read about it, i was a bit disappointed when i see it. Only the 5th round was great. Then's plenty of other closet classics that are way better.

[jdonaher1]

Really good fight and I'd put the 5th round on a list of the best rounds I've ever seen. This was like round 4 of Foreman-Lyle. Foreman down twice & Lyle down once.

[holmcall]

I mentioned this fight on another thread - has anyone ever heard of it or seen it? Lee was a body for Hagler in about '82 and LoCicero never did much but Al Bernstein says it's as exciting a fight as he's ever seen:

Interviewer: Besides Hagler-Hearns, what’s the most thrilling fight you ever covered?

Bernstein: An ESPN fight and I get comments on this fight all the time. William ‘Caveman’ Lee and John LoCicero. It was in the early Kronk gym days, in the Twenty Grand Showroom in Detroit with no air conditioning. It was August and amazingly hot. In the fifth round, John LoCicero and Caveman Lee put on a round of boxing that was just beyond belief. First, LoCicero went down, got up, and hit Lee with like twenty-five unanswered punches. It was ridiculous. LoCicero ultimately got knocked out in that round and it was about as exciting as anything I’ve ever seen.

It's in my top ten

[OumaFan]

Good fight. Hagler hammered him two fights later but no shame in that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoPTqaNcsbc

[holmcall]

From my first book:

"Detroit Heat

The fifth and last round of the 1981 Bill “Caveman” Lee-John LoCicero fight in the suffocating heat at the Twenty Grand Showrooms in Detroit would give this short battle cult-like status.

LoCicero, who got decked early in the round, got up and pummeled the Caveman with between twenty and twenty-five unanswered and savage shots, including one of the biggest overhand rights I have ever witnessed. How Lee withstood this bombardment without going down remains a
mystery. However, when LoCicero got arm weary, the Caveman regrouped and took over pummeling LoCicero until he was knocked out in the same round. Lee was hurt in the fourth. Then, early in the fifth, LoCicero was almost out, then later Lee was almost out, and then LoCicero went down and out! This was Meza-Garza but longer.

The once-promising LoCicero would never be the same, losing three of his
next four fights before retiring. As for the Caveman, he would finish with a 23-4 slate (22 KOs). An exciting fighter, only two of his twenty-seven fights went the distance. One of his losses was to Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a 1982 title fight."