The Plot Twist

When it comes to a good book or movie everyone loves the ending they didn’t see coming. Few will forget the way they gasped as it was revealed that Vader is really Luke’s father or that the only reason a creepy Billy Joe Osment could see Bruce Willis was because he was dead throughout The Sixth Sense – and maybe for some, the fact that the really ugly chick in The Crying Game was actually just a really ugly guy. These moments leave audiences buzzing with excitement and become water cooler fodder for years to come.

In the world of sports the aspiration for a great plot twist is equally as paramount. Witnessing the dramatically unexpected embodies the essence of athletic competition and often is the reason crowds stay to the final minutes of a blow-out game or why colorfully corpulent individuals and their fellow shirtless buddies remain ardently supportive of their favorite football team in sub-freezing weather – win or lose. We never know what’s going to happen next, and in those rare, ephemeral moments when something memorable does transpire it leaves a smile on our faces and a lump in our throats making every boring pitch out, free throw or practice putt worth enduring.

In this piece Asylum Sports Networks relives three of the most dramatic rounds in recent boxing history. Conveniently spaced in nearly 15-year intervals, each clip represents a truly amazing conclusion to bouts whose outcome resonated throughout the Sweet Science and which gripping moments transcended the world of sport for its participants and the fortunate bystanders who witnessed them.

Muhammad Ali vs. George Forman (1974)

Background:
Muhammad Ali returns to boxing from a draft evasion suspension and is thoroughly beaten by Joe Frasier and Ken Norton. A young George Foreman becomes Heavyweight Champion by demolishing the aforementioned Norton and Frasier (he knocked the legendary Smokin’ Joe down six times in a mere four minutes) to become the most feared fighter on the planet. An aging Ali should have no chance against this dynamic and monstrous knockout machine. This fight took place in the heart of Zaire, Africa and was aptly dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle” by the ever loquacious Don King.

The Fight:
Ali befuddles onlookers by questionably reverting to his new “rope-a-dope” technique early in the bout. This strategy employed by Ali was to lure Foreman to the ropes and allow him to punch away his abundant energy as the challenger simply attempted to avoid or absorb these shots. Though Foreman had begun to tire, every hellacious punch he released had fight-ending potential.

The Clip – Round 8:
Picking up the action at the 2-minute mark of round 8, Foreman continues his assault as Ali keeps his back on the ropes. In the final seconds of the round Ali suddenly comes off the ropes initiating one of the most memorable and replayed sequences in boxing history.

Interesting Things to Watch For in the Clip
(Time references relate to the video clip, not the displayed round time)
- Note the contemptuous intensity, full head of hair and well-crafted body of the 1974 Foreman – a stark contrast from the lovably chubby, bald, grill-peddling, Foreman people know today. 
- At 0:04 notice how Ali so artfully slips five potentially decapitating shots by Foreman, as further testament to Ali’s tremendous defense even against the greatest of fighters.
- At 1:48 note how Foreman’s exhaustion seems to aid Ali’s finishing offensive, vindicating “The Greatest’s” utilization of baffling defensive tactics.

The Aftermath:
Becoming, at that point, the only man aside from Floyd Patterson to regain the Heavyweight crown, Ali’s fame grew to unsurpassed heights. His storied career would see him regain the title a third time and become perhaps the most transcendent athlete the world has ever known.

Foreman would retire after losing to Jimmy Young, but return to the ring many years later, astoundingly recapturing the Heavyweight title in his forties.

Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor (1990)

Background:
Only a month after Mike Tyson was shockingly upset by James “Buster” Douglas, Chavez is considered the best fighter, pound-for-pound on the planet. A hero in Mexico, Julio Cesar Chavez has amassed an unprecedented 68-0 record coming into the bout. Meldrick Taylor, a 1984 Gold medalist, is an American fighter whose status of one of the best in the world is owed to the handiwork of his extraordinarily fast hands. Also undefeated, Taylor’s style seems the perfect foil for Chavez in a contest billed as “Thunder and Lightning.”

The Fight:
A vocally enthusiastic crowd at the Las Vegas Hilton witnesses Meldrick Taylor release endless and mind-numbingly rapid combinations upon the reigning champion. At times landing four or five punches before his opponent could react, Taylor builds a surprisingly substantial lead on the scorecards as Chavez can only manage to land one heavy punch at a time. Chavez’s telling blows eventually cause Taylor’s face to swell and bleed freely from the mouth and nose as the final round approaches. Sensing an end to his historic reign, Chavez’s corner urgently implores their embattled warrior “to do it for you family, Julio.”

The Clip – Round 12:
The clip begins about a minute into the 12th and final round as it is evident both fighters are exhausted from their brutal and entertaining scrap. Chavez’s desperation is apparent while Taylor opts to meet his foe with aggression instead of logically retreating, as this blueprint has paid great dividends for him to that point. What would transpire in the final moments of this bout is still discussed, hotly debated and referred to with near legal precedence today as it indelibly changed the lives of several parties involved. The action in this fight was worthy of distinction as the best fight of 1990 without the final round. The final 20 seconds would propel this fight into boxing immortality.

Interesting Things to Watch For in the Clip
(Time references relate to the video clip, not the displayed round time)
- Note how incredibly crisp and fast Taylor’s uppercuts are even in the 12th round. In earlier rounds these combinations were a complete blur, with individual punches nearly imperceptible to the eye without slow motion replay. One of the fastest punchers the sport has ever seen.
- Also notice the abundance of blood on Taylor’s trunks. Besides broken orbital bones on his face, it was estimated after the bout that Taylor swallowed nearly 2 pints of his own blood in this fight due to cuts in his mouth and nose. Though unnoticed through most of the bout, the damage Chavez was inflicting was truly devastating.
- At 0:33 Jim Lampley agrees with Ray Leonard that Chavez likely has nothing left. A position Lampley said he would recant if he were given a single moment to relive in his distinguished career.
- At 1:47 referee Richard Steele asks Taylor if he is okay. Notice Taylor become distracted and look to the right at what was his trainer, Lou Duva, climbing on the ring apron out of the camera’s shot. 

The Aftermath:
Rarely has two seconds had so much impact upon three men’s lives, immortalizing one and haunting the others.

For Chavez, beating his greatest opponent in such dramatic fashion made elevated him to the status of cultural icon in Mexico and allowed his reign as the sport’s best fighter to continue for three more years. Chavez’s unblemished record would be extended to 87-0 until he was dominated by Taylor’s close friend and fellow 1984 Gold Medalist, Pernell Whitaker. Chavez would go on to beat Taylor in a less competitive rematch years later and to this day Chavez is considered by many to be the best Mexican fighter in the history of boxing.

Though Meldrick Taylor would go on to win another title, he was never the same after this fight. The damage sustained from the Chavez bout changed his ability to take punches and ultimately cut his once-limitless prime short. What viewers witnessed on that St. Patrick’s Day evening was the fleeting and final 35 minutes and 58 seconds of a rare and captivating prime of one of the most gifted fighters of his era.

Referee Richard Steele, though regarded as one of the best to ever officiate in the sport was routinely booed and rebuked by crowds over a decade after his controversial decision to halt this bout. In retrospect many members of the boxing community concede that in light of Taylor’s decline and the circumstances presented to him at the given moment, Steele likely made the right call, though it appeared dubious at the time.

Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo (1995)

Background:
Having both established reputations as exciting fighters willing to freely engage in memorable exchanges, a lightweight title unification bout was set between the rugged Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Corrales was known for his ferocious punch, having stopped several world class opponents in recent years. Castillo had likewise assembled an impressive resume, notably coming the closest any fighter had to beating Floyd Mayweather (a feat that stands today). The pair was regarded amongst the best fighters in the game and the matchup seemed enticing from the moment the bout was announced. Little did anyone know the lightning in a bottle this bout would become.

The Fight:
On May 7, 2005, at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Corrales and Castillo engaged in a back-and-forth battle of escalating and brutal proportions. Each exciting round was punctuated by frightfully vicious shots from each combatant with the fight seeming to be nearly even going into the 10th round. Though the 10th round promised to be another entertaining stanza like those that had preceded it, few would have predicted the epic conquest that would ensue.

The Clip – Round 10:
Entering Round 10, neither fighter had full vision in his left eye as Castillo suffered from a significant cut and Corrales’ was nearly swollen shut. Otherwise this clip contains nothing short of the most compelling two minutes and five seconds boxing can offer.

Interesting Things to Watch For in the Clip
(Times references relate to the video clip, not the displayed round time)
- At 0:43 and at 1:18 show two incidents of Corrales intentionally spitting out his mouthpiece to buy additional recovery time. Some would conclude this tactic significantly aided Corrales’ efforts, especially the rest awarded during the point deduction. Castillo would jokingly present a box of mouthpieces to Corrales at the press conference for their rematch in reference to this apparent strategy.
- Warning: At 1:31 Joe Goosen utters potentially offensive, but memorable instructions while improperly coaching his fighter as he replaces his mouthpiece. Even more astounding than the fact that no warning was issued for the unlawful exchange is that his fighter actually acted upon the illicit instructions. 

The Aftermath:
Diego Corrales would lose his next three fights, including a rematch to Castillo. Living his life as recklessly outside of the ring as he did inside of it, he tragically died in a fatal motorcycle crash on the two year anniversary of his historic first bout with Castillo. Corrales was traveling at an unsafe speed on a bullet bike only hours after witnessing Floyd Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas.

Castillo would defeat Corrales in their second but, though losing his title for coming in overweight. A potential third bout was scheduled, however Castillo failed to make weight for the bout yet again and Corrales’ camp angrily withdrew from the fight. Castillo has enjoyed mixed success in the twilight of his great career.

Posted by chaz