What time is it?
HAWK TIME!
Yo yo, a red alert to the No Mas community - I was just informed by one of our crack committee of TV Guide-readers out there that Pryor/Arguello II is on Classic tonight at 9 p.m. It's not the first fight, which remains one of the greatest fights of all time and was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Decade. That first Pryor/Arguello showdown was one of those bouts like the Thrilla or Chavez/Taylor where you saw men actually getting old before your eyes. Neither El Flaco Explosivo nor the Hawk were ever quite the same, and a rematch may never have come about except for the controversy that surrounded the first fight. Videotapes showed Pryor drinking from a special bottle after the 12th round, a bottle which was given to him by his trainer Panama Lewis, who asked for it by name ("no no, give me the one that I mixed," Lewis is clearly heard saying). No one ever knew what, if any, illegal substance was in that bottle, but it was undeniable that Pryor, who was on queer street in the 12th round, came out swinging in the 13th as if he'd been drinking from the fountain of youth. It was enough to force the WBC to order a rematch.
Held in September of 1983, the second fight didn't quite live up to the hype, which was massive. On the other hand, it was no Corrales/Castillo rematch either. In fact, I'd say it was a borderline classic, and it's worth watching just to see these two legends in action again, the unrelenting fury of Pryor, the elegance and resilience of Arguello. If you don't happen to know who ends up winning, I'm not going to tell you what happens. Check it out for yourself, 9 p.m., ESPN Classic.
4 Comments:
This is a great fight. I actually think that Arguello did better in this one than the first one, which was electrifying - but somewhat one-sided. Both guys crying in the post-fight interview - it belongs on ESPN Classic.
Based on this recommendation alone, I watched. It was great. But I kept getting distracted by Jack Nicholson and Wayne Newton who sat next to each other in high-visibility ringside seats. Also, Emanual Stewart was Pryor's trainer -- was Panama Lewis sent packing because of the bottle controversy?
I think Panama and Pryor had a fallin out, but I don't think it was about the bottle. Yeah, Pryor was at the Kronk for a little while there.
i don't remember the timeline, but that was about the time lewis was charged with assault, for removing padding from boxer luis resto's gloves for a fight in june 1983. lewis and resto were later convicted and spent time in jail.
(lewis has always denied his guilt. he still trains fighters, but keeps a low profile. he is not allowed to be licensed as a trainer in most if not all states.)
i was a big arguello fan, i was dying for him to win the rematch.
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