The story
below was written by my good friend, Phil Rice.
By Phil
Rice: The mid-1980s represent something of a golden age for televised boxing.
ESPN and USA had weekly boxing shows that often included all of the preliminary
matches as well as the main events, so fans got a chance to see the
up-and-coming fighters alongside the hard-working club-fighters who might not
ever get beyond four-round status. HBO and Showtime programs featured big name
attractions, and if a fan watched the cable listings closely, other boxing
shows could be found on more obscure channels. But cable television was new
and, though the technology was spreading at an enormous rate, as late as 1984
the majority of homes in the United States still picked up their television
signal via antennae, which meant their viewing options consisted of ABC, NBC,
CBS, and sometimes PBS.
The good
news for the boxing fans without cable was that some of the sports' biggest
match-ups were still shown live on network telecasts for free, though the
viewer was usually forced to wait through various competitions, such as figure
skating or skeet shooting, to get to the boxing match. And this is why Sunday,
February 22, 1983 found me sitting in front of the television with CBS Sports
Sunday on the screen. The telecast featured an indoor track meet, which was not
something that would have normally appealed to my tastes but I was willing to
keep the show on in anticipation of the intriguing boxing match being offered
afterwards. Howard Davis, Jr. was set to box Tony Baltazar in a lightweight
match-up.
Davis was a
well-known athlete even to the casual sports fan because he had won a gold
medal in the 1976 Olympics and had received the Val Barker Award as the
outstanding boxer at those games. Afterwards he was considered a star-in-the-making
and accordingly signed a huge contract with CBS Sports, but unlike his
teammates Ray Leonard, John Tate, Leo Randolph, and brothers Leon and Michael
Spinks, as of 1983 Davis had yet to fulfill his promise by winning a
professional world championship. Not that he hadn't tried. In 1980 he traveled
to Scotland to wrest the WBC crown from Jim Watt, but Watt retained the title
with a unanimous decision.
Following
his loss to Watt, Davis fought sporadically against good but carefully chosen
opponents. With his record stalled at 21-1, he was now looking to drum up
interest in a title shot against Ray Mancini, who had won the WBA title from
Arturo Frias in an exciting one-round donnybrook. Mancini, a power puncher with
a tough chin and enormous heart, was a popular champion and a television
favorite, but most boxing insiders gave the slick boxing Davis a comfortable
edge in the match-up. Conventional wisdom suggested that Mancini's only chance
would be to land a knockout punch, and Davis's skills were considered more than
up to the task of keeping him out of harm's way while he piled up the points
with combinations from the outside.
In the midst
of the build-up to a possible Davis-Mancini battle steps Tony "The
Tiger" Baltazar. According to the pre-fight commentary, the fundamental
elements of a classic boxer versus puncher encounter were present: a highly
skilled defensive master with quick feet and fast hands against a powerful and
presumably plodding tough guy with a big punch. The fact that the flashy boxer had
shown a questionable chin in previous fights added the necessary element of
suspense to the match-up, but the odds still heavily favored the
supremely-skilled boxing master over the rugged slugger.
On paper
Baltazar was an obvious choice as a tune-up for Davis because he brought many
of the same weapons into the ring as Mancini—he was a tough power puncher with
an excellent left hook who could be expected to last the distance in a losing
effort. To again borrow the old boxing cliché, he only had a puncher's chance
in the contest. At least that is what the boxing pundits suggested going into
the bout. But, unbeknownst to most of the television viewers, "The
Tiger" was much more than a rough brawler. The first clue came when
commentator Gil Clancy mentioned that Baltazar "had a great amateur
background. He was the National AAU champion . . . ."
Once the
bell for round one rang, the Olympic champion began to discover what patrons of
the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles had known for years—that Tony Baltazar
was a well-trained, fine-tuned fighting machine with good defensive skills.
And, as advertised, he also had power to spare.
My casual
round-by-round summary of the fight:
Rd 1:
Baltazar wins the round by confidently coming after Davis and landing a few
punches. Davis moves around but does little offensively, apparently content to
use the opening round to size up his opponent.
Baltazar's
round, 5-4.
Rd 2: Davis
comes out more assertive, throwing combinations and trying to take control of
the fight while keeping the action on the outside. Baltazar is aggressive but
seems to be impatient and anxious.
Davis's
round, 5-4.
Rd 3: Davis
is moving, throwing double and triple jabs followed by a right hand, using the
ring; Baltazar is throwing a good jab but it's obvious that he's no match for
Davis on the outside. He lands a good hook towards the end of the round but not
much else.
Davis's
round, 5-4.
Rd 4:
Baltazar does not seem frustrated by Davis's speed and movement. Davis stays in
command for the first minute and a half of the round, but then Baltazar lands a
combination that changes the tenor. Suddenly Davis is not moving as much and
Baltazar is able to get inside more effectively. With fifteen seconds to go in
the round, Baltazar lands a thudding left hook to the body that gets
everybody's attention.
Baltazar's
round, 5-4.
Rd 5:
Baltazar comes out in the fifth and lands a tremendous hook that sends Davis
sprawling on the canvas. He struggles to his feet on unsteady legs as the
referee counts. Baltazar comes right after him, and Davis immediately shows his
world class sprinting ability. At first Baltazar seems a little overanxious,
then he calms down—but he calms down a little too much. Davis is able to move
around the ring and by mid round his head seems clear and he is throwing
combinations again. As the round winds down Baltazar shows his own boxing
skills with a powerful jab followed by precise combinations.
Baltazar's
round, 5-3.
Rd 6: The
first half of the round is evenly contested with Baltazar continuing to come
forward and Davis skillfully moving. In the final minute of the round Baltazar
slows down slightly and Davis flashes several combinations to gain an edge in
scoring.
Davis's
round, 5-4.
Rd 7:
Another evenly contested round in the opening minute, but this time it's
Baltazar who lands the more effective combinations to close the round. He bulls
Davis in the corner on occasion and uses his superior strength on the inside.
Balatzar's
round, 5-4.
Rd 8: Davis
starts the round looking determined to take back control of the fight. He moves
less and keeps his hands busy. Baltazar doesn't keep up the pace but he does
land some solid punches to the body. In the final minute a perfect left hook
drops Davis on his seat.
Baltazar's
round, 5-3.
Rd 9:
Sensing the fight slip away, Davis comes out aggressively looking to trade, but
Baltazar is ready for him. It's a spirited round with Davis taking a very
slight edge thanks to his speed and quantity of punches.
Davis's
round, 5-4.
Rd 10: Davis
continues to be aggressive, and he again gains a very slight edge in an
exciting round.
Davis's
round, 5-4.
The fight is
officially scored on the round system with a supplemental points system to be
used in the event of a draw. Because I was, as a fan, pulling for Baltazar, my
scoring gives Davis the benefit of the doubt on the close rounds to offset my
favoritism. My scorecard shows the fight even at 5 rounds apiece. Using the
supplemental scoring system, Baltazar wins 45-43, thanks to the two knockdowns.
But the official scorecards were 7-3, 8-2, and 5-4-1 for Davis, thus rendering
the supplemental scoring system moot. The Olympic champion is still on course
for a title shot.
Baltazar
shakes his head when he hears the lopsided scoring as if he senses what is
about to happen. When the final verdict in favor of Davis is announced he looks
over at Frank Baltazar, his father and chief second, who flashes a cynical and
resigned expression that seems to say "well son, we knew you'd have to
knock him out to get the win."
Despite
being on the victorious end of a highly debatable verdict (most observers felt
Baltazar earned the victory), Howard Davis, Jr. proved that he was not only a
brilliant boxer but that he possessed a champion's heart. He received more than
he bargained for in his opponent this day—Baltazar was clearly a more complete
fighter than Mancini—and he had weathered the storm admirably. He had also
showed a willingness to get into the trenches and trade punches if necessary,
though that was certainly not his preference.
His flawed
performance made a fight with Mancini even more intriguing, but it never
happened. When he did get another title shot it was against Edwin Rosario for
the WBC title. Rosario was a skillful boxer-puncher with good power, and he was
at the peak of what would prove to be his athletic prime. Davis lost a split
decision, with two knockdowns—both from left hooks—making the difference in the
scoring. He retired in 1996 with his goal of becoming a World Champion in the
pro ranks unfulfilled, but his legacy of being one of the finest amateur boxers
ever to lace up the gloves remains untarnished.
Stepping in
against Howard Davis marked the big-time debut for Tony Baltazar, and his
outstanding performance instantly elevated him to genuine contender status. As
he would further demonstrate in subsequent fights, Baltazar possessed a
professional demeanor, a sturdy chin, a tremendous heart, great power, and one
of the best left hooks in the sport. Just five months after the Davis fight he
was in the ring with Robin Blake, a tall power puncher who was receiving tons
of media exposure. Baltazar and Blake traded bombs back and forth in one of the
most exciting fights of the year. Once again Baltazar raised his stock in a
losing effort, this time by ninth round technical knockout.
Unfortunately,
like Davis, Baltazar never brought home a world title, but his resume is
littered with victories over world-class opponents, most notably a decision
victory over Roger Mayweather in 1984. Regardless of such baubles, "Tony
the Tiger" proved that he was one of the best lightweights of his
generation. Howard Davis, one must assume, would agree with that assessment.
More so than
probably any other sport, assessing a boxer's career by looking at the final
tally of wins and losses barely provides even a clue as to the athlete's true
worth. Perhaps that's a point for the rest of us—that simple two dimensional
analyses are ultimately superficial and deceptive. On February 22, 1983, Howard
Davis, Jr. was awarded a victory, and from that day forward Tony Baltazar
carried an "L10" on his record. But the story is much deeper and
richer than those simple facts illustrate. The story is one of growth and
fortitude, of living and breathing. And so it is that a single boxing match in
the career of two legendary pugilists can stand as a definitive moment for
each, regardless of whose hand was raised after the final bell.
Phil Rice, a
native of Tennessee, currently lives and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. He may be
contacted at phil@canopicpublishing.com.
