Jimmy DuPree vs. Vicente Rondon ~ 'vacant' WBA Light-Heavyweight Championship

[Bill Paxtom]

December 10, 1970

The World Boxing Association {WBA} 'strips' Bob Foster of his Championship.

Bob Foster, who wion the Title on May 24, 1968 > had yet to defend against a
#1 WBA-ranked Challenger.

Though Foster had made '4' Title Defenses of the WBA/WBC Championship, none were
against the 'mandatory' #1 WBA Challenger.

Foster had last defended his World Championship on June 27, 1970 against Mark Tessman.
Foster was supposed to sign a contract to defend against the #1 WBA-ranked Challanger
Jimmy Dupree for his next bout.

But, Foster decided to challenge Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight World Championship on
November 18, 1970 instead.

The WBA stated that they would allow Bob Foster to challenge for the World Heavyweight
Champinship, provided that Foster negotiated in 'good faith' to sign a contract to defend
against #1 WBA-ranked Jimmy Dupree, and fight him {no Later} than 90-Days after the
bout with Joe Frazier {by February 18, 1971}

During that time frame between June 27th and November 18th {140-Days} Bob Foster showed
no inclination of signing a 'fight contract' to defend his WBA-version against #1 WBA-ranked
Jimmy Dupree.

After Bob Foster's bout with Joe Frazier {November 18th}, Foster was given 20-Days by the
WBA to sign a contract to defend his WBA-version against Jimmy Dupree.

As of Decmeber 9, 1970 > Lou Vicusi {Manager for Bob Foster} did not offer up any contracts
to Al Braverman {Manager for Jimmy Dupree}.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Al Bravermam {Manager for Jimmy Dupree} >

Jimmy has been the #1 WBA Challenger since October 1, 1969 when he stopped {TKO 10}
Eddie 'Bossman' Jones. Since that time, Bob Foster has only defended his Title 'twice'.

Foster defended his WBA/WBC Title against Roger Rouse on April 4, 1970.

Then Bob wanted to challenge Heavyweight Champion - Joe Frazier. So we said OK, as long
as we got the next bout. Well, Joe Frazier broke his ankle in April 1970, and the between
Frazier and Foster was put off for 3-Months. They said it was to set for July 1970.

Next thing we know, Foster is defending his Title on June 27th against Mark Tessman.

I filed a grievance with the WBA. Then in July 1970, they told us that we'd have to fight
Willis Earls in a WBA Elimination bout, and the winner would get Bob Foster.

Well, Jimmy hadn't fought in 6-Months {since January 20, 1970} when he beat {W Dec 10}
Dich Hall up in Boston. So we took a 'tune-up' bout aginst Eddie Owens on August 6th,
and stopped him {KO 3}.

Then we went down to Houston, Texas > and on August 25th, Jimmy flattened {KO 1}
Willis Earls to maintain our #1 WBA-ranking.

So then we find out Foster is still going through with a challenge of Joe Frazier set for
November 18th. But we still haven't heard a thing about our 'mandatory bout'.

So, I had Jimmy take another 'tune-up' bout on November 10th just to stay sharp, and
he scored an easy {TKO 8} over Elliot Miller in Queens, New York at Sunnyside Gardens.

Since then, I complained '3-Times' to the WBA about not getting a fight contract. This time
they properly 'stripped' Bob Foster for failure to negotiate in good faith.

[Bill Paxtom]

Thursday ~ December 10, 1970

~ WBA Strips Bob Foster Of Title ~

The World Boxing Association has stipped Bob Foster of his title. WBA President - Bill Brennan
has stated that the WBA has withdrawn recognition of Foster as their Champion.

Bill Brennan {WBA President} >

"We had a Board Meeting in Montreal in August, and Lou Viscusi {Manager for Bob Foster}
pledged that he would have a signed agreement within 90-Days for Mr. Foster to defend
his WBA Title against #1 Challenger - Jimmy Dupree."

"Well it's been over 90-Days, and there has not been an agreement drawn up. The failure
of Bob Foster to honor his commitment, has forced us to act. We are forced to 'strip'
Bob Foster of his WBA Championship because he did not fulfill his obligation."

"Mr. Foster has added 'strangulation' to the Division, as he has deprived leading contenders
the opportunity to challenge for the Championship. I have asked Mr. Viscusi repeatedly to
'post a forfeit' of Bob Foster's title if he has no intention of defending against the WBA's
mandatory #1 Challenger {Jimmy Dupree}. He has not, so we have had to act."

"We may have the '4' Top Contenders enter into an Elimination Group, or we may have the
#1 and #2 ranked challengers fight for the 'vacant' Championship in early-1971."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tampa, Florida

Lou Viscusi {Manager for Bob Foster}

"I don't understand the WBA. We have followed all their guidelines. This is a 'shock' to us.
Just last Friday {December 4th} we signed an agreement with Fight Promoter - Earl Gilliam
for Bob to defend the WBA Titkle on February 17, 1971 in Houston, Texas."

"I have the photostat copies right here on my desk. We just got finished with the Joe Frazier
fight only 2-Weeks ago, and we have been working on this fight contract ever since we got
back from New York. You would think that they would have given us a few more days to clear
our heads."

[Bill Paxtom]

Vicente Rondon

'El Muchachote de Barlovento' {The Big Boy of Barlovento}



Vicente Rondon
Age .......... 32 years, 7 months
Record ...... 29-5-1 {17 KO's}
Rank.......... #2 WBA
Rank.......... #9 Ring Magazine

Vicente stood at 6' 3", and was a hard-fighting power-puncher from Venezuela with
5 1/2 years of Pro experience.

Vicente was Managed by Felix Sabala Sr.

Vicente turned Professional in June 1965 after a 'stellar' Amateur career, but Vicente was late at
turning Professional at {Age; 26 years, 11 months}.

After a lighting-fast start at Middleweight by going 12-0-1 with {12 KO's} > Vicente ran into a
'road-block' from January 1968 thru January 1969 > where he lost '5-Bouts' while going
5-5 in 10-Bouts' with {0 KO's}.

The once highly-touted Venezuelan was considered a 'bust', following a disaster blow-out loss
{L TKO 8} to Bennie Briscoe on January 26, 1969 in Puerto Rico.

But Vicente at {Age; 30 years, 8 months} and with a record of 17-5-1 {12 KO's} turned around
his career and made a 'strong comeback', as from April 1969 thru Noevember 1970 > Vicente
went undefated at 12-0-0 with {5 KO's}.

Included was an impressive win {W Dec 12} over 'highly-touted' Jose Luis Garcia on May 30, 1969
to capture the Venezuelan Light-Heavyweight Championship.

Vicente also added wins over solid World-Class Light-Heavyweights;
* October 26, 1969 ...... {TKO 6} ....... Angel Oquendo
* December 6, 1969 ..... {W Dec 10} .. Avenamar Peralta
* November 7, 1970 ..... {W Dec 10} .. Roger Rouse

Though Vicente is from Venezuela, he has been fighting mostly in Puerto Rico as well as the
United States {in Miami, Florida and also Chicago, Illinois} since December 1967.

Oddly, Vicente has only had '1-Bout' in Venezuela for the past 3-Years {since December 14, 1967}.

Vicente was supposed to challenge 'old rival' and currently hot-as-a-pistol Jose Luis Garcia for the
Venezuelan Heavyweight Championship on February 1, 1971.

But the WBC 'called', and Vicente will now face American - Jimmy DuPree for the vacant WBA
Light-Heavyweight Championship on February 27, 1971 and in Caracas, Venezuela.

[Bill Paxtom]

Saturday ~ Febrary 27, 1971

Nuevo Circo {Bull Ring} ~ Caracas, Venezuela

Attendance .... { 10,500 }

'vacant' WBA Light-Heavyweght Chamoionship

Tale of the Tape

Jimmy Dupree {Jersey City, New Jersey}
Age.......... 34 years, 10 months
Height...... 6' 0"
Reach...... 72"
Weight..... 173 1/4 lbs.
Record .... 32-5-2 {20 KO's}
Rank........ #1 WBA / #1 Ring

Vicente Rondon {Caracas, Venezuela}
Age......... 32 years, 7 months
Height...... 6' 3"
Reach...... 77"
Weight..... 175 lbs.
Record..... 29-5-1 {17 KO's}
Rank........ #2 WBA / #9 Ring

Betting-Favorite........ Jimmy DuPree { 7-5 }

Fight Purses
* Jimmy DuPree ......... $30,000
* Vicente Rondon........ $20,000

[Bill Paxtom]

~ The Bout ~

Round 1

Jimmy DuPree came out looking confiendt, and went right aftert the tall Venezuelan.

During the 'first-exchange', Jimmy nailed Vicente with a good 'right-left' to the chin, and
Rondon backed away in fear.

Jimmy then pursued, and slung hard left-hands into Vicente's body. By the {1:00 Mark}
a nervous Rondon was backing away fast.

DuPree contined to press, and jarred the 6' 3" Rondon with solid '3-Punch' combinations.
Rondon looked both nervous and tight, and was completely over-matched.

Jimmy clearly dominated Round 1,and won by a {10-9} score.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 2

A replay of Round 1, as the American continued to press-and-punch, while the home-country
Venezuelan was retreating.

Rondon could not cope with Dupree's strength, and was reluctant to counter, despite having a
3" Height and 5" Reach advantage.

DuPree again caught Rondon with 'sharp' punches, and by the {2:00 Mark} he had the
Venezuelan 'groggy' as he over-whelmed him with '2-Punch' combinations.

Jimmy kept up the pressure on Round, and at the {2:40 Mark} he caught the Venezuelan
'flush-on-the-chin' with a right-hook and left-hook, and dropped him.

Rondon was up at the '3-Count', but was groggy and in bad-shape.

After the Count, Jimmy tore into the Venezuelan, and ripped him with left-hooks for the
last 10-Seconds of the Round.

Rondon was literally saved-by-the-Bell.

Jimmy DuPree dominated, and won Round 2 by a {10-8} score.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 3

Jimmy Dupree came out looking to end it, and started 'swinging' with wide-punches. But
Vicente Rondon was smartly moving, and rolling with the incoming bombs.

Jimmy did land '2' good left-hooks at the {1:20 Mark}, but the power in the punches was
not the same as in Rounds 1 and 2.

By the {2:00 Mark}, Jimmy was starting to miss with his swings, and Vicente was gaining
confidence.

Then like hitting-the-wall, DuPree started to slow down significanlty. As Jimmy slowed down,
the Venezuelan started to punch back with left-jabs, and one-two's. By the {2:30 Mark} Vicente
was doing the leading and Jimmy was on the defensive.

Round 3 was scored 'Even'.

[Bill Paxtom]

Round 4

Coming out for Round 4, both fighters looked 360* different from the Opening Round.

Jimmy DuPree now looked unsure, and Vicente Rondon had the look of confidence.

Immediately, Rondon opened up quickly, and started scoring with rapid-fire 'left-right-lefts',
and DuPree was missing with his counters.

Just past the {1:00 Mark}, Rondon landed a hard right-hand that opened up a 'bad-cut' on
the bridge of Dupree's nose, and the cut started to bleed profusley.

Then at the {2:10 Mark}, the Venezuelan ripped a cut over the American's right eye-brow
with a fast 'left-right'.

As Rondon scored with quick 'left-right-lefts', the 10,500 Venezuelan's in the Nuevo Circo
{Bull Ring} were cheering deliriously for their fighter.

Vicente Rondon was completely dominant in Round 4.
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Round 5

Jimmy DuPree came out very slowly, and now had the look of defeat. On the other side,
Rondon was excited and bouncing up-and-down on his toes.

At Center-Ring, it was all the Venezuelan, as he hit the American at will with more of his
rapid-fire 'left-right-lefts'.

DuPree was on the receiving end of bad-beating. At the {1:20 Mark} DuPree suffered a
'cut' on his left eye-brow after taking a solid right-hand to the area.

Each time that Dupree tried to fire back he missed misserably. By the {2:00 Mark} Dupree
looked completely exhausted.

To prevent from getting hit, Dupree then moved in close on Rondon, and leaned on him while
trying to smother his arms.

Over the last-minute of the Round, the Venezuelan was getting increasingly stronger showing
excellent stamina, while DuPree was fading badly.

Vicente Rondon was again completely dominant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of Round 5, the Ring Physician checked out the bad 'facial cuts' on Jimmy DuPree.
But though they were bad, he let the bout continue.

Round 6

Vicente Rondon came out strong, and landed several quick '2-Punch' combinations on DuPree.

Then the Venezuelan caught DuPree with a 'jarring' left-hook to the face at the {0:30 Mark},
and DuPree desperately clinched Rondon and held on to clear the 'cob-webs'.

While DuPree continued to try and stay in close on Rondon to smother him, the tall-and-lanky
Venezuelan tried to stay clear to give himself some punching-room.

To keep DuPree away, the Venezuelan started used his long left-jabs repeatedly into DuPree's
face and kept him from getting inside and close during the middle-session of the Round.

By the {2:20 Mark}, DuPree looked ready-to-go, as he was moving slowly and looked weary.

At the {2:35 Mark}, Rondon caught Dupree with a solid 'left-right-left' to the head, and the
American was staggered. Rondon then added in a series of left-jabs on the cut over DuPree's
left-eye, and the American turned away momentarily.

As Rondon moved in, DuPree turned his back. The Venezuelan then unloaded with a quick
succession of 'left-right' uppercuts into Dupree's head.

The American then collapsed with his back into the Ropes. Rondon then moved in to fire away
on a defenseless DuPree.

But Referee - Zachary 'Zach' Clayton moved in and pushed Vicente Rondon away and halted
the bout at {2:58}.

[Bill Paxtom]

February 27, 1971

~ Vicente Rondon Defeats Jimmy DuPree For WBA Light-Heavyweight Title ~

Venezuelan - Vicente Rondon came back from a 2nd-Round Knockdown and early bout
jitters to overwhelm American - Jimmy DuPree and stop him by a Knockout at 2:58 of
Round 6.

The Venezuelan {175 lbs.} was nervous during the early going, and appeared scared
in the Ring with the veteran Dupree {173 1/4 lbs.}, as the American nearly chased
the 6' 3" tall Rondon out of the Nuevo Circo {Bull Ring}.

DuPree hammered the Venezuelan with left-hooks in Round 2, and dropped Rondon
late in the Round with a vicious left-hook to the chin. Rondon who was 'groggy', was
saved by the bell ending Round 2.

But the lanky Venezuelan started to come back late in Round 3, as he withstood DuPree's
early attack, and rallied late with stiff left-hand's into the American's face.

Rondon turned the tide in Round 4 when he cut the usually durable Dupree on he bridge
of the nose, and over his right-eye with 'rapid-fire' left-right-left combinations. Rondon's
fierce-action was met by delerious-cheers from the { 10,500 } Venezualan spectators,
as the Nuevo Circo was sent into a frenzy.

In Round 5, Rondon hit the visibly-tired American at will, and raked him over with a series
of '3-Punch' combinations, inclduing opening a cut over DuPree's left-eye. After Round 5,
the Ringside Physician checked Dupree for 'facial-cuts' but allowed the bout to continue.

With a weary fighter in front of him, Rondon unleashed a series of 'left-right-left' punches
on his opponent, and staggered the DuPree as well as opening up a cut over the American's
left eye-brow.

As DuPee tried to move-in on Rondon and hold on, the Venezuelan moved away and used
left-jabs to keep DuPree from grabbing him to clinch. Rondon then scored with a series
of left-hands on DuPree's cut left eye-brow, forcing the tired American to turn away.

With a hurt fighter in front of him, Rondon unloaded with a succession of hard 'left-right'
uppercuts, driving DuPree backards and collapsing with his back on the Ropes while
'out-on-his-feet'.

American Referee - Zach Clayton then jumped in and pushed Vicente away and halted
the bout at 2:58 of Round 6.