Heavyweights Vulnerable Around the Middle

Rocky Marciano retired undefeated after knocking out light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore in the ninth round in September 1955. Now, Larry Holmes will try to equal Marciano’s 49-0 record by beating light-heavyweight champion Michael Spinks in September 1985.

Spinks is unbeaten, but history doesn’t give him much of a chance. Starting with Philadelphia Jack O’Brien’s 20-round loss to Tommy Burns in 1907, no light-heavyweight champion has ever beaten a heavyweight champion in a title match.

In 1921, Georges Carpentier was knocked out by Jack Dempsey in four rounds. In 1939, John Henry Lewis was knocked out by Joe Louis in the first round. In 1970, Bob Foster was knocked out by Joe Frazier in the second round. In 1941, Louis also scored a 13th-round knockout over Billy Conn, who earlier in the year had vacated his light-heavyweight title.

Now, here’s the punch line. Although no light-heavyweight has been able to turn the trick, a middleweight has. In 1897, Bob Fitzsimmons was the middleweight champion when he knocked out heavyweight champion James J. Corbett in the 14th round.

Two years later, Fitzsimmons lost the heavyweight title to James J. Jeffries and then began campaigning as a light-heavyweight . He won the light-heavyweight title in 1903.

Quote of the Week: Said Angelo Spagnolo, winner of the tournament to determine the Worst Avid Golfer, after pumping 27 straight balls into the water on the 17th hole at Sawgrass: “I think I need more practice with my wedge.”

Why doesn’t he take lessons?

“I have,” he said. “I don’t want to say who gave me the lessons. It might damage his reputation.”

Add Spagnolo: According to the Pittsburgh Press, he and his wife were watching a TV show that featured some attractive young females when she said, “All you think about is golf and sex.”

He said: “Don’t tell anybody that. They’ll think my sex life is as bad as my golf game.”

Said Manager Earl Weaver after Baltimore’s second 10-0 loss to the New York Yankees in three nights: “Four or five of these s.o.b.’s make you remember why you quit. . . . Four or five and you may not have to. You’ll be fired.”

From tennis pro Andres Gomez of Ecuador: “The rap on Latin players, that they are a little lazy, doesn’t bother me at all.”

Why?

“Because it’s true. Americans are workers. We are not.”

Said Wayman Tisdale after being drafted by the Indiana Pacers: “I love a challenge. I’m really a guard in a big man’s body.”

How did the fun-loving Tisdale get along with Coach Bob Knight at the Olympics?

“Coach Knight got more out of me than anybody. He probably got more out of me in two weeks than some coaches did in two years,” Tisdale said. “But I enjoyed it.”

Louisville and North Carolina had the best recruiting hauls in basketball, according to the Sporting News, which added: “Several other schools had bumper crops, among them North Carolina State, Iowa, USC and Michigan.”

USC and UCLA both landed two players rated among the top 60 preps. The Bruins got Jerome (Pooh) Richardson of Philadelphia, ranked seventh, and Rod Palmer of Dominguez, 44th. The Trojans got Tom Lewis of Mater Dei, 23rd, and Greg Kimble of Philadelphia, 49th.

Quotebook

Toby Harrah of the Texas Rangers, after a loss: “Tomorrow is a new day. If we work hard, we can get back to mediocrity.”