I was at that fight. Huge SA deal at that time. Went with the owner of the Triangle Tavern on Frio City road. He was good friends w Budweiser distributor, sponsored the card, and had great seats. Neither fighter were ever the same after this one ended. Bill Merriman was an entertaining announcer made for live fights not cable tv. Great memory.
great comment. im 25, a pro fighter myself, and have watched nearly every fight i could get my hands on since i was young. this comment you made was one of the best ones i've read surrounding the whole sport of boxing's existence. fighters then were just tougher...
This was the only fight I have ever watched where the TV announcers gave the loser a standing ovation as he left the ring very classy. To bad it is cut out of the video.
When I watch fights like this, Hearns vs Leonard 1, and Chavez vs Taylor 1 I have to wonder if 15 rounds should have remained the championship distance. I understand the argument for 12 rounds, but I have never seen the evidence for it. It seems like it may have been more of an emotional response to the Mancini vs Kim fight.
Wow, this is the only second fight of Lopez that I've watched. The first one is the Salvador Sanchez fight. And I never expected that Lopez is this good. He has better skills than I thought. His used of jabs and set ups are way better than I thought. Even his defense is better than advertised. Sanchez simply is that good in exposing his weakness.
I returned to watch this again, to see the ring announcer mainly. That guy is the best announcer ever. He got the crowd fired up and the fighters adrenalin flowing,............he takes it dead serious and does it well........
I sometimes question if Lopez is a bit overrated, but this was an ATG performance. How do you not punch yourself out after going nonstop with power for 15 rounds?
López is a badass, punching just as strong in the last round as did in the first round. I was a amateur at the time and I fought very much like Little Red but didn’t take as many punches BUT at the same time I wasn’t fighting the great fighters that López did. I’d heard about ALL the Ayala brothers and their trainer/father but somehow missed this fight great fight by Ayala a lot of fighters would have quit earlier but he threw everything but the kitchen sink at Lopez he just kept coming.
I watched this fight live back when big fights were televised every weekend on over the air television. This fight was a true classic by two guys fighting their hearts out. Danny got off to his typical slow start, but when he got going, watch out! I agree with the poster, this truly was the fight of the year. And how about the introductions?
Great unforgetable fight. I picked Sanchez to win their first after watching this even though Danny was my favorite active fighter at that time. Mike Ayala fought the fight of his life in this.
Amazing fight. I've seldom seen a fighter that had the ability to absorb punishment like Danny "Little Red" Lopez. I've seen him pick himself off the deck, and knock people out.
Lopez was rail thin but he was a much bigger man than Ayala. Lopez loved inside fighting. He was not much of a boxer at all. He just slugged and counted on his great condition, punching power and rock chin.
this was a tremendous championship fight. It was danny Lopez last sucessful title defense. Salvador sanchez TKO danny in feb 1980. I always thought that fight plus some of the other wars danny had finally caught up with him the time he faced sanchez , Still danny Lopez was an exciting and great fighter, Those were the days of great championship fights. don't see many of them today.
No doubt that wars like this will eventually take their toll. I wouldn't take anything away from Sanchez though. He was more the complete package than Danny who lacked defense. Still, Danny was an excellent and exciting fighter. More importantly, he seems like a great guy.
My dad, Phil Cobos, forced Danny's manager Benny Georgino to retire from boxing for 30 years. Dad at 160 lbs. destroyed Benny's 170 lbs. prospect Bill Lesoni in the pre pro ranks. Last time I saw Benny in 1977, he said, "Bill never got over losing to your Father".
Imagine winning a really tough fight in the 11th round by knockout, and you begin celebrating with your cornermen and all your fans cheering for you . . . . .and then being told nope - you actually didn't win and you have to resume fighting again. I'd be beyond irate. How can you possibly get back into the same mind frame you were in when you scored the knockout? What a ridiculous turn of events in this fight. The referee couldn't properly count to ten?? I mean, how does that happen??? Lopez showed great poise here - he really didn't seem affected much at all by that outrageous screw up.
Kato Kaelin OJ’s boy at the beginning. Came here because I seen a Salvador Sanchez tribute video on tik tok. What a great fight this is. Fights from the 70’s are just better.
This is a very elite group and I'm happy to see Danny is in it. My other favorite is in this group 2 times; can anyone guess who he is? Hint! a contemporary of Danny Lopez.
Ayala said himself he came into the ring after slamming one cant tell but he fought his ass off and was close to stopping Lopez who lost his next fight if I'm not mistaking
What happened in the 11th round is one of the greatest shames I have ever seen,it could deconcentrate the champion!Anyway,the strategy of Ayala to wait for Lopez in the ropes was wrong,he should chase him all around the ring in Ray Mancini's style.
Jeffrey Haefner so you haven´t watch real fights. There are tremendous fights sush as ortiz vs maidana; pacquiao vs marquez 1; ortiz vs berto, corrales vs castillo 1; frazier vs foreman; where boxers get down but they come back.
joe sousa told me he peed in the cup for Mike for the drug test because Mike was doing heroin leading up to this fight.He said he was doing it the week of
What happened in this fight was a travesty; the fight was stopped and called over and it should have been over. The travesty wasn't because the continuation gave ayala a second chance, it was just the opposite. Ayala was done in the 10th round; he was getting beat up all night and with 13 seconds left(47:30 of this video), ayala took a hard right that hurt him and he never threw another punch the last 13 seconds. Before the start of rd.# 11, ayala was rubbing his nose while waiting for the bell. That's a subtle sign that he was still hurt and basically all done. The first punch in the 11th was a right hand that knocked ayala off balance even though it wasn't a very hard punch. It was another sign that ayala had nothing left. Ayala was shying away from fighting, even jabs were hurting him. He went down on a short left hook that had nothing behind it,.............he was all done and he voluntarily went down. All of these signs were indications that ayala was hurt, had no real chance to win nor did he want to continue. He didn't object at all went the fight was stopped in the 11th. He was brave, don't get me wrong. he showed courage and gave it everything he had. I triple checked the time and the count of the 11th round knockdown. The count was absolutely perfect. Ayala's knee hit the canvas exactly at 48:37, his knee left the canvas at 48:48. Technically, he was on the canvas for 10.5 seconds. Ironically, often the count isn't accurate but they always stay with the original decision. In this case, the count was flawless, but they reversed it. They could have verified the count using the slow motion replay available to them,........another mistake by the referee and timekeeper. They re-started the 11th round and the bell rang right away, ending the round. The result was that 11th round was exactly 1:03 up to the knockdown and a few seconds to the bell at the end. That means ayala got a huge break, because 1:50 approx. was lost in that round and ayala got 3 minutes or more to rest before the 12 round began. Lopez corner should have went ballistic, but to their credit, and Danny's, they went forward. The continuation of this fight was an unfair decision to ayala,...... not lopez. The reason I say that is because lopez continued his business and won without being hurt . Ayala, on the other hand, was thrown back into the lions' den to be slaughtered. To my amazement, ayala tried to fight back and landed a few good punches. The problem is, this young warrior took 2 more rounds of beating, risking his health and career when there was no reason for it. He showed that he was done in more ways than one, and the professionals involved all failed him. The referee should have insisted the fight was over in the 11th, the timekeeper was wrong saying padilla only counted to 9. The biggest mistake was done by ayala's corner however. I know his father was in his corner so maybe I don't have insight to their relationship etc. That notwithstanding, in my opinion, his father should never have allowed his son to continue. Did his desire to see his son become champion blind his reasoning and risk his son's safety,.................? It appeared to me that whatever the reason, his father made a terrible mistake. lopez was a very professional boxer and fought a very skilled fight. Ayala, to his credit, was a typical Mexican warrior. He showed skill, courage and bravery above and beyond expectations. He fought well, but was a little over matched against this consumate professional and his clockwork-like performance. Despite the announcers repeatedly saying the fight was very close,....it wasn't. Ayala had some good rounds and landed a lot of hard punches. He showed good skills and he prepared and performed well. Lopez, on the other hand, was brilliant in his steady, calm dismantling of the young opponent. I had lopez winning 10 of the 14 rounds. the few that ayala won were close rounds that could have gone either way. Ayala fought well in every round until the last few when he was just surviving. He was competitive each and every round. Lopez wouldn't take a backward step however, was never seriously hurt and was far more busy round after round. After each round I thought it was difficult to give the round to ayala because lopez worked non'-stop and landed a lot in every round. It was a real good fight but messed up badly by the decision to let the fight continue. Very entertaining, and hopefully ayala didn't lose anything because of this error in judgment. Hat's off to both fighters', but shame on the professionals that failed these 2 boxers on this night..............
+MrMarco855 I think they let it continue out of fear of a riot. The crowd was starting to throw shit just before it was reversed. And then the announcers commented about what a great crowd they were after probably because they had maintained themselves in that moment although it was probably only seconds away from a riot. I've never seen anything like this fight. Never seen a ref overruled by a timekeeper. Very shocking and weird.
stupaod That's a very astute point. I hadn't noticed that, I was concentrating on the ring action. You may very well be right, and if so, boxing officials needs to address this issue before some real tragedy takes place. If the decision to continue was for fear of a riot and Ayala was seriously injured or worse in that last round, it would have been a huge problem for boxing. Hispanics are great fans, very loyal and supportive of their own.. They have to understand however, the safety of the fighters has to be considered first and everything else is second. Thankfully it ended well considering what might have been. The young Ayala was in a tough spot, my heart went out to him in this bad situation,.......he had no options but to take the beating.
Ayala had a broken nose from the start .He went down when he got hit directly on the tip of the nose . Not a real hard punch just a direct hit on the nose . He was getting hit the whole fight but he was also hitting Lopez extremely well . He still fought well until the end . Great fight !!
Seem him do it in many of his fights. End of the 5th (and 12th), many rounds knocking the hell out of each other, Danny Lopez pats Ayala to acknowledge what a good fight he is putting up. I love that old school stuff. Great fighters Lopez was a great and admirable champion.
These ring announcers are total Ayala fans, crickets when Little red hits him with combos and corners Mike and then they go nuts whn Ayala throws a couple. Totally caught up with the home town crowd of Ayala's. Not taking anything away from Mike he fought tough good fight but this was Little Red's all the way. You dont take a championship by standing in the corner in those days you got to take the fight to him not wait for it to come to you.
@Vxlitile - Danny fought his heart out but Sal was an offensive machine. Danny never had much defense and was no match for the speed of Sal. No doubt but Little Red was a warrior to his soul. I havent nothing but respect for Danny and Sal, RIP.
I was close friends of Mike, Sammy and Tony JR growing up as I only lived a few yards away from the Ayala Family.. My mother would go nuts all the time about the dogs Ayala snr had keeping her awake barking morning and nights. I was a fighter amateur/pro, and was Tony Ayala Jr sparring partner for a few of his fights coming up. I also sparred Mike a few times. Tony JR punched so hard! broke my ribs twice haha... Mike and Tony JR and myself used to get wasted off our heads on alchohol and pot.. Mike was Crazy! Tony Jr was always looking for girls to take home nearly every night! When he got drunk, he would be like a tiger stalking its prey when it came to women. Tony Snr had problems with my dad for many years over a car deal that went pear shaped. Dysfunctional family is an understatement.
I lived the the Ayalas on Royston. I was 15, 16, when I went to stay with them. I was 1500 miles from home. Tony SR had 13 pit bulls in the yard. He trained them like he did his fighters. Tony used to take me to the dog fights about 2 hours outside San Antonio.I sparred with Mike a lot. Helped him get ready for his last title shot against Meza. Sammy was retired by the time I got there 86. Paulie was a good kid. I think he was confused trying to be an "Ayala" Joe souza Tony's partner, fucked me up. He was a perverted homosexual pedophile. Tony SR had more problems than just your dad, I promise. Dysfunctional is an understatement. However, Tony SR did have a good heart as fucked up as he was. MRs Ayala is an angel. I fucked my boxing career up. I had problems I am just now starting to get a grip on at 50. People like Joe Souza helped fuck me up. Boxing is a business nobody should ever get in to. It is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to shit. Boxing and being mentored by people like Tony is why I am who I am today. Did you live on ST Louis? THAT was a fucked up neighborhood! Keep in mind, I'm a white boy! I used to roam all over south east San Antonio with Paulie drinking beers smoking joints we bought at the park
I did in fact live on ST Louis, it was indeed a rough place.. Joe Souza was a dirty vile scumbag. I wonder if iv met you then? Last name rings a bell. Yes all three of those names I remember.. I used to spar Davey Moore, Duran, Cyzz, Hagler,... list goes on... Ayala Jr was hardest puncher I ever faced and sparred.. He kicked my ass in amateurs in a 3 round war. Got many stories.. Remember Paulie when he was a young kid, but didn't see him fight at all. I felt Tony snr pushed the boys too hard, especially Tony Jr, he was real tough on him and it fucked him up.. I remember once when the old man made JR do rounds and rounds just throwing left hooks, and Jr was telling the oldman that his left arm was tired.. Snr grabbed him and slapped him real hard across the face, and told him to grow a pair and stop being a girl.. Tony Jr flinched and cowered at his oldman on a few occasions. I was there when Snr made Jr wear 18oz gloves because Moore was complaining about the body punching hurting him. Jr knocked Moore down on a few occasions with that left hook.. The sparring sessions were great, great times!
My real name isn't robert stroud. I am a bit younger than you. I came to San Antonio in 86. Torito had been in prison a couple of years already. Tony SR was working with Emmanuel Steward running Kronk West. It's a shame joe souza is dead because I still think about torturing him to death. What a piece of shit. When I was staying with them he'd molest his daughter, Maria in the living room while they watched the Playboy Channel me right there on the fucking couch. His son Aurthur had stacks and stacks and stacks of dirty magazines going around all 4 walls of his room. He was like 14. Fucked up time in my life. I was chasing a dream and would have done anything to attain it. Looking back, people like joe souza ruined my life. Bitter? No I'm ok today. I didn't end up like Torito or Sammy or any other fighter out there who has nothing today
I was at that fight. Huge SA deal at that time. Went with the owner of the Triangle Tavern on Frio City road. He was good friends w Budweiser distributor, sponsored the card, and had great seats. Neither fighter were ever the same after this one ended. Bill Merriman was an entertaining announcer made for live fights not cable tv. Great memory.
Danny Lopez' moustache is so massive you can see it when his back is turned to the camera.
The ring announcer was something else huh?
Hell of a fight old schools were tough 💯
Best fight i ever sawLopez was the deal ...im 66 yeRs old now 2019!
What a great fight. Both these fighters deserve 🏅. What guts.
Red Lopez was a great Champion
great comment. im 25, a pro fighter myself, and have watched nearly every fight i could get my hands on since i was young. this comment you made was one of the best ones i've read surrounding the whole sport of boxing's existence. fighters then were just tougher...
That ring announcer just escaped from the asylum.
MrMarco855 🤣🤣🤣
Perfect style match up. The aggressor vs the counterpuncher. Awesome fight. Thanks for the post.
This was the only fight I have ever watched where the TV announcers gave the loser a standing ovation as he left the ring very classy. To bad it is cut out of the video.
@6:30, the dopey TV commentators talked over the greatest ring announcer ever !!
Holy shit, give that announcer the belt XD
When I watch fights like this, Hearns vs Leonard 1, and Chavez vs Taylor 1 I have to wonder if 15 rounds should have remained the championship distance. I understand the argument for 12 rounds, but I have never seen the evidence for it. It seems like it may have been more of an emotional response to the Mancini vs Kim fight.
Then how can you understand the argument
@alvilla9659 because theory doesn't always equal fact.
I agree. Boxing is brutal whther 12 or 15 rounds. But 15 rounds showed where great champions made
Wow, this is the only second fight of Lopez that I've watched. The first one is the Salvador Sanchez fight. And I never expected that Lopez is this good. He has better skills than I thought. His used of jabs and set ups are way better than I thought. Even his defense is better than advertised. Sanchez simply is that good in exposing his weakness.
López recibió dos soberanas palizas de parte de Sal Sanchez.
El mentón de López era muy resistente.
I returned to watch this again, to see the ring announcer mainly. That guy is the best announcer ever. He got the crowd fired up and the fighters adrenalin flowing,............he takes it dead serious and does it well........
MrMarco855 ummmm the fighters and crowd can’t hear the announcer during the fight.
He's talking about the man doing the introductions not the commentator. 6.40
He's right as well look at the passion haha great stuff.
I sometimes question if Lopez is a bit overrated, but this was an ATG performance. How do you not punch yourself out after going nonstop with power for 15 rounds?
López had a good reign
Especially when Salvador. Sanchez destroyed. Him!!!!
@@juandoe9694 Sanchez was simply that good and not Lopez being overrated.
López is a badass, punching just as strong in the last round as did in the first round. I was a amateur at the time and I fought very much like Little Red but didn’t take as many punches BUT at the same time I wasn’t fighting the great fighters that López did. I’d heard about ALL the Ayala brothers and their trainer/father but somehow missed this fight great fight by Ayala a lot of fighters would have quit earlier but he threw everything but the kitchen sink at Lopez he just kept coming.
You are. AWESOME
TO SEE THAT-----
IT WAS VERY SENSITIVE,
ALSO
THAT WAS A GRUELING FIGHT!
SUCH. STAMINA
I grew up watching Lopez used to take the bus from Gardena to the main st gym in LA
I watched this fight live back when big fights were televised every weekend on over the air television. This fight was a true classic by two guys fighting their hearts out. Danny got off to his typical slow start, but when he got going, watch out! I agree with the poster, this truly was the fight of the year. And how about the introductions?
dude was that Kato Kaelin's talk show at the beginning? YES!
lol
@6:30 without a doubt the greatest ring announcer of all time !!!!
My GOOD GOD
THE Announcer
Great. JOB
I saw loads of fights in person,tv,ppv and NEVER heard an announcer so good...Just a wonderful job !! Great fight,too..
The Ayala boys...Doomed fighter family! All the talent but drugs and other bad choices did them in!
Great unforgetable fight. I picked Sanchez to win their first after watching this even though Danny was my favorite active fighter at that time. Mike Ayala fought the fight of his life in this.
Y E S
Love listening to Bill Merriman introduce Ayala. The mans practically going into spasms. Makes me want to put on the gloves.
foreal gets u hyphy
I was fortunate enough to see him in person a handful of times.
It's a shame the fucking commentator won't shut the fuck up for a few seconds so we can actually fucking HEAR him...
He used to do the "Eyewitness wants to know"(San Antonio news)
Amazing fight. I've seldom seen a fighter that had the ability to absorb punishment like Danny "Little Red" Lopez. I've seen him pick himself off the deck, and knock people out.
Several times
thevmanvj have you seen him vs Salvador Sanchez
This one of the best fights you'll ever see !! A real classic !!!!!!!
I always enjoyed Danny when I use to fight in the eighties Danny was one of my favorite fighters back in those days. He was tough as nails.
THIS WAS A SLUGFEST IN THE FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION DANNY LITTLE RED LOPEZ ONE OF THE ALL TIME GREATS .
One of my favorite fights
Lopez was rail thin but he was a much bigger man than Ayala. Lopez loved inside fighting. He was not much of a boxer at all. He just slugged and counted on his great condition, punching power and rock chin.
At 11:45 that was Mrs. little red Lopez. The guy shoved the camera down her throat for 45 seconds, I'll bet she appreciated that.
this was a tremendous championship fight. It was danny Lopez last sucessful title defense. Salvador sanchez TKO danny in feb 1980. I always thought that fight plus some of the other wars danny had finally caught up with him the time he faced sanchez , Still danny Lopez was an exciting and great fighter, Those were the days of great championship fights. don't see many of them today.
No doubt that wars like this will eventually take their toll. I wouldn't take anything away from Sanchez though. He was more the complete package than Danny who lacked defense. Still, Danny was an excellent and exciting fighter. More importantly, he seems like a great guy.
Little Red was a BAD MAN
what makes boxing great ! courage skill and controversy.
Great fight. I will never not be able to see those ears again though.
6:08 qué buen anunciador.
Brother of Tony Ayala
Great fight to bad these fights lately don’t even come close to this war ‼️
I came, I saw, I screamed my head off! Seriously, fights like this one don't seem to happen anymore.
Ayala admitted he was completely wasted on heroin for the fight. Amazing performance considering.
If Ayala waas on heroin, what substance used the ring announcer?
gianca60 I think the ring announcer had way too much coffee!
I witnessed the introduction of the slow Mo effect when I was a kid watching fights, it was awesome.
Perfect just great
STILL SEE MIKE IN THE HOOD..
Damm where at
great fight between flashes of a blue shirt
that's what i was thinking. So annoying how some refs are constantly b/w camera and the fight.
This is a travesty. Ayala was down for 11 SECONDS!!!!( 49:37 -49:48). Carlos Padilla should be thrown in jail for endangering Ayala's life.
My dad, Phil Cobos, forced Danny's manager Benny Georgino to retire from boxing for 30 years. Dad at 160 lbs. destroyed Benny's 170 lbs. prospect Bill Lesoni in the pre pro ranks. Last time I saw Benny in 1977, he said, "Bill never got over losing to your Father".
YES
The COMMENTATOR
IS OUTSTANDING
EL. HIJO. DEL PUEBLO
I remember watching this fight in the 70s. Danny Little Red fought out of Main Street Gym (4th & Main Street Downtown LA)
Whatever they paid the ring announcer it wasn't enough. I would pay to see a fight just to see him do his thing.
Imagine winning a really tough fight in the 11th round by knockout, and you begin celebrating with your cornermen and all your fans cheering for you . . . . .and then being told nope - you actually didn't win and you have to resume fighting again. I'd be beyond irate. How can you possibly get back into the same mind frame you were in when you scored the knockout? What a ridiculous turn of events in this fight. The referee couldn't properly count to ten?? I mean, how does that happen???
Lopez showed great poise here - he really didn't seem affected much at all by that outrageous screw up.
Kato Kaelin OJ’s boy at the beginning. Came here because I seen a Salvador Sanchez tribute video on tik tok. What a great fight this is. Fights from the 70’s are just better.
@0:14, its Kato Kaelin!!!
This is a very elite group and I'm happy to see Danny is in it. My other favorite is in this group 2 times; can anyone guess who he is? Hint! a contemporary of Danny Lopez.
Does it matter that Ayala was doped up to his eyeballs for the fight? In his words, he was, “loaded”.
I remember seeing this fight as a kid. I greatly enjoyed watching it again!
Ayala said himself he came into the ring after slamming one cant tell but he fought his ass off and was close to stopping Lopez who lost his next fight if I'm not mistaking
@@harryheath3917 still can't believe that Ayala is loaded coming into this fight. wow.
What happened in the 11th round is one of the greatest shames I have ever seen,it could deconcentrate the champion!Anyway,the strategy of Ayala to wait for Lopez in the ropes was wrong,he should chase him all around the ring in Ray Mancini's style.
Heroin... Helluva drug.
Phenomenal
Must BE 15 rounds
TO BE A CHAMP
One of boxings biggest problems, it's flooded with incompetent ged referees
Ayala reminds me of a very young Joe Pesci.
They left the gate open somewhere with that announcer!
tim ryan great fight guy,loved little red fights
Por esas gran peleas q davan esos boxeadores dabagusto
Ayala landed some bombs, Lopez kept coming and it took a toll in the later rounds
I've never seen a fighter get knocked out twice in the same fight. Pretty amazing. Great match up
Jeffrey Haefner so you haven´t watch real fights. There are tremendous fights sush as ortiz vs maidana; pacquiao vs marquez 1; ortiz vs berto, corrales vs castillo 1; frazier vs foreman; where boxers get down but they come back.
I've seen all those fights thank you. Have a nice day.
cool, i sopuse that you watch thos fights after lopez vs ayala; greetings
kevin chamorro He didn't say "get down," he said "get knocked OUT TWICE in the same fight."
CraftySouthpaw yeah I got it, it´s because the incident xD,
joe sousa told me he peed in the cup for Mike for the drug test because Mike was doing heroin leading up to this fight.He said he was doing it the week of
Not true
@@yvonneramirezlara1135 I'm telling you what I was told directly by sousa at sousa's house when I stayed there.
It was a great night for prize fighting.
I watched all of the champ's fights on our black and white as a kid.
This is why boxing is our sport.
INSANE FIGHT
Must. Watch THIS FIGHT
1st time seeing this fight
Bill. BILL. BiLL
FaNTasTic
what a tremendous boxing game !~
qué ganas le echaba el anunciador
What happened in this fight was a travesty; the fight was stopped and called over and it should have been over. The travesty wasn't because the continuation gave ayala a second chance, it was just the opposite. Ayala was done in the 10th round; he was getting beat up all night and with 13 seconds left(47:30 of this video), ayala took a hard right that hurt him and he never threw another punch the last 13 seconds. Before the start of rd.# 11, ayala was rubbing his nose while waiting for the bell. That's a subtle sign that he was still hurt and basically all done. The first punch in the 11th was a right hand that knocked ayala off balance even though it wasn't a very hard punch. It was another sign that ayala had nothing left. Ayala was shying away from fighting, even jabs were hurting him. He went down on a short left hook that had nothing behind it,.............he was all done and he voluntarily went down. All of these signs were indications that ayala was hurt, had no real chance to win nor did he want to continue. He didn't object at all went the fight was stopped in the 11th. He was brave, don't get me wrong. he showed courage and gave it everything he had.
I triple checked the time and the count of the 11th round knockdown. The count was absolutely perfect. Ayala's knee hit the canvas exactly at 48:37, his knee left the canvas at 48:48. Technically, he was on the canvas for 10.5 seconds. Ironically, often the count isn't accurate but they always stay with the original decision. In this case, the count was flawless, but they reversed it. They could have verified the count using the slow motion replay available to them,........another mistake by the referee and timekeeper. They re-started the 11th round and the bell rang right away, ending the round. The result was that 11th round was exactly 1:03 up to the knockdown and a few seconds to the bell at the end. That means ayala got a huge break, because 1:50 approx. was lost in that round and ayala got 3 minutes or more to rest before the 12 round began. Lopez corner should have went ballistic, but to their credit, and Danny's, they went forward.
The continuation of this fight was an unfair decision to ayala,...... not lopez. The reason I say that is because lopez continued his business and won without being hurt . Ayala, on the other hand, was thrown back into the lions' den to be slaughtered. To my amazement, ayala tried to fight back and landed a few good punches. The problem is, this young warrior took 2 more rounds of beating, risking his health and career when there was no reason for it. He showed that he was done in more ways than one, and the professionals involved all failed him. The referee should have insisted the fight was over in the 11th, the timekeeper was wrong saying padilla only counted to 9.
The biggest mistake was done by ayala's corner however. I know his father was in his corner so maybe I don't have insight to their relationship etc. That notwithstanding, in my opinion, his father should never have allowed his son to continue. Did his desire to see his son become champion blind his reasoning and risk his son's safety,.................? It appeared to me that whatever the reason, his father made a terrible mistake.
lopez was a very professional boxer and fought a very skilled fight. Ayala, to his credit, was a typical Mexican warrior. He showed skill, courage and bravery above and beyond expectations. He fought well, but was a little over matched against this consumate professional and his clockwork-like performance. Despite the announcers repeatedly saying the fight was very close,....it wasn't. Ayala had some good rounds and landed a lot of hard punches. He showed good skills and he prepared and performed well. Lopez, on the other hand, was brilliant in his steady, calm dismantling of the young opponent. I had lopez winning 10 of the 14 rounds. the few that ayala won were close rounds that could have gone either way. Ayala fought well in every round until the last few when he was just surviving. He was competitive each and every round. Lopez wouldn't take a backward step however, was never seriously hurt and was far more busy round after round. After each round I thought it was difficult to give the round to ayala because lopez worked non'-stop and landed a lot in every round.
It was a real good fight but messed up badly by the decision to let the fight continue. Very entertaining, and hopefully ayala didn't lose anything because of this error in judgment. Hat's off to both fighters', but shame on the professionals that failed these 2 boxers on this night..............
+MrMarco855 I think they let it continue out of fear of a riot. The crowd was starting to throw shit just before it was reversed. And then the announcers commented about what a great crowd they were after probably because they had maintained themselves in that moment although it was probably only seconds away from a riot. I've never seen anything like this fight. Never seen a ref overruled by a timekeeper. Very shocking and weird.
stupaod That's a very astute point. I hadn't noticed that, I was concentrating on the ring action. You may very well be right, and if so, boxing officials needs to address this issue before some real tragedy takes place.
If the decision to continue was for fear of a riot and Ayala was seriously injured or worse in that last round, it would have been a huge problem for boxing. Hispanics are great fans, very loyal and supportive of their own.. They have to understand however, the safety of the fighters has to be considered first and everything else is second.
Thankfully it ended well considering what might have been. The young Ayala was in a tough spot, my heart went out to him in this bad situation,.......he had no options but to take the beating.
Ayala had a broken nose from the start .He went down when he got hit directly on the tip of the nose . Not a real hard punch just a direct hit on the nose . He was getting hit the whole fight but he was also hitting Lopez extremely well . He still fought well until the end . Great fight !!
What astute observation and commentary, MrMarco855.
little red all time great
El Torito's bro
Very deserving of ‘fight of the year’ Amazing skill and heart
Remember this fight, It was a great one
Wow. In rounds I had it 7-7 going into the 15, Lopez ahead of course due to the knockdowns. Wild fight.
Boy, I don’t know who worked harder... the fighters or the ring announcer!
I snuck in when I was a kid and watched this fight. I grew up on the Southside and watched as many home fights I could of the brothers.
This was an amazing fight, I skipped over this fight so many times and I am so glad I gave this fight a watch.
Nice! Alhambra’s pride - Little Red.
Classic Fight!.....Classic Ring Announcer!
Got too meet lil red lopez back in the day super koool
The ring announcer was ahead of his time!!!
To bad tony ayala el torito jr was a waste of time
Who says he was a waste of time .You ? Well who the hell are you
@@robertrodriguez787 Im someone who knows a waste of time when i see one thats who i am
Mike Ayala is a great fighter but Danny was something else!
12:00 that cameraman should be sacked.😅
That was Danny lopez wife
I bet Tony Ayala would have been all over Danny's wife
Lopez power was out of this world.
pretty damn good chin too
Seem him do it in many of his fights. End of the 5th (and 12th), many rounds knocking the hell out of each other, Danny Lopez pats Ayala to acknowledge what a good fight he is putting up.
I love that old school stuff. Great fighters Lopez was a great and admirable champion.
Actually he made one more defense against Jose Caba after this fight
What happened to the salvador Sanchez fight that was on this same card. Nobody has it?
Salvador Sánchez won by unanimous decision to Fel Clemente.
These ring announcers are total Ayala fans, crickets when Little red hits him with combos and corners Mike and then they go nuts whn Ayala throws a couple. Totally caught up with the home town crowd of Ayala's. Not taking anything away from Mike he fought tough good fight but this was Little Red's all the way. You dont take a championship by standing in the corner in those days you got to take the fight to him not wait for it to come to you.
@Vxlitile - Danny fought his heart out but Sal was an offensive machine. Danny never had much defense and was no match for the speed of Sal. No doubt but Little Red was a warrior to his soul. I havent nothing but respect for Danny and Sal, RIP.
There being influenced by the crowd that goes of every time Ayala land a good punch.but the fight was close and well fought on both parts.
best san antonio fighter ever.
Dream match up Lopez vs Prince Naseem Hamad , thoughts anyone?
What 15th round
Ayala a much better fighter than Lopez just the size difference is so much
One of the highlights of my boxing career, looking back, was having the honor to see Bill Merriman lin action live
I was close friends of Mike, Sammy and Tony JR growing up as I only lived a few yards away from the Ayala Family.. My mother would go nuts all the time about the dogs Ayala snr had keeping her awake barking morning and nights. I was a fighter amateur/pro, and was Tony Ayala Jr sparring partner for a few of his fights coming up. I also sparred Mike a few times. Tony JR punched so hard! broke my ribs twice haha... Mike and Tony JR and myself used to get wasted off our heads on alchohol and pot.. Mike was Crazy! Tony Jr was always looking for girls to take home nearly every night! When he got drunk, he would be like a tiger stalking its prey when it came to women. Tony Snr had problems with my dad for many years over a car deal that went pear shaped. Dysfunctional family is an understatement.
I lived the the Ayalas on Royston. I was 15, 16, when I went to stay with them. I was 1500 miles from home. Tony SR had 13 pit bulls in the yard. He trained them like he did his fighters. Tony used to take me to the dog fights about 2 hours outside San Antonio.I sparred with Mike a lot. Helped him get ready for his last title shot against Meza. Sammy was retired by the time I got there 86. Paulie was a good kid. I think he was confused trying to be an "Ayala" Joe souza Tony's partner, fucked me up. He was a perverted homosexual pedophile. Tony SR had more problems than just your dad, I promise. Dysfunctional is an understatement. However, Tony SR did have a good heart as fucked up as he was. MRs Ayala is an angel. I fucked my boxing career up. I had problems I am just now starting to get a grip on at 50. People like Joe Souza helped fuck me up. Boxing is a business nobody should ever get in to. It is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to shit. Boxing and being mentored by people like Tony is why I am who I am today. Did you live on ST Louis? THAT was a fucked up neighborhood! Keep in mind, I'm a white boy! I used to roam all over south east San Antonio with Paulie drinking beers smoking joints we bought at the park
Remember Ray Medal, Jesse Benavides, Eddie Rangel?
I did in fact live on ST Louis, it was indeed a rough place.. Joe Souza was a dirty vile scumbag. I wonder if iv met you then? Last name rings a bell. Yes all three of those names I remember.. I used to spar Davey Moore, Duran, Cyzz, Hagler,... list goes on... Ayala Jr was hardest puncher I ever faced and sparred.. He kicked my ass in amateurs in a 3 round war. Got many stories.. Remember Paulie when he was a young kid, but didn't see him fight at all. I felt Tony snr pushed the boys too hard, especially Tony Jr, he was real tough on him and it fucked him up.. I remember once when the old man made JR do rounds and rounds just throwing left hooks, and Jr was telling the oldman that his left arm was tired.. Snr grabbed him and slapped him real hard across the face, and told him to grow a pair and stop being a girl.. Tony Jr flinched and cowered at his oldman on a few occasions. I was there when Snr made Jr wear 18oz gloves because Moore was complaining about the body punching hurting him. Jr knocked Moore down on a few occasions with that left hook.. The sparring sessions were great, great times!
My real name isn't robert stroud. I am a bit younger than you. I came to San Antonio in 86. Torito had been in prison a couple of years already. Tony SR was working with Emmanuel Steward running Kronk West. It's a shame joe souza is dead because I still think about torturing him to death. What a piece of shit. When I was staying with them he'd molest his daughter, Maria in the living room while they watched the Playboy Channel me right there on the fucking couch. His son Aurthur had stacks and stacks and stacks of dirty magazines going around all 4 walls of his room. He was like 14. Fucked up time in my life. I was chasing a dream and would have done anything to attain it. Looking back, people like joe souza ruined my life. Bitter? No I'm ok today. I didn't end up like Torito or Sammy or any other fighter out there who has nothing today
Se confió malvares !!!👍