Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00:00The hustle and bustle of the winter holiday season is upon us with its long-standing traditions
00:00:26and sometimes freezing temperatures.
00:00:29But straddling the equator in the beautiful country of Ecuador with its amazing Amazon
00:00:34rainforest and secluded Pacific beaches, the temperature is now a balmy 72 degrees.
00:00:42And tonight from its capital city of Quito, located almost 9,000 feet above sea level
00:00:47in the majestic Andes Mountains, it promises to get a whole lot hotter as one of the nation's
00:00:53own 27-year-old Segundo Mercado fights for the vacant IVF middleweight title.
00:00:59Mercado, the only Ecuadorian ranked in the top ten in any weight division, has become
00:01:08a national hero as he strives to be the first from this tiny country to win a world title.
00:01:14But hoping to ruin the dreams of a nation, it's Philadelphia's own, perennial hot prospect
00:01:19Bernard Hopkins.
00:01:22His theatrical entrances and dramatic finishes have earned him the nickname, The Executioner,
00:01:28as well as the right to fight for a world title.
00:01:31It's number one ranked Bernard Hopkins versus number two Segundo Mercado for the IVF middleweight
00:01:37championship.
00:01:38Plus, champion but relatively unknown Frankie Lyles steps into the line of fire in his first
00:01:44title defense as he faces former two-time world champion Michael Nunn who hopes to reignite
00:01:50his career.
00:01:52It's Frankie Lyles versus Michael Nunn for the WBA super middleweight title.
00:01:57For a hot time in the old town of Quito, Ecuador, it's live from the Coliseo General Roman Yahweh
00:02:04tonight on Showtime Championship Boxing.
00:02:20It is Showtime in the city of Eternal Spring, Quito, Ecuador.
00:02:28Founded in 1534, this colonial metropolis sits high in the Andes Mountains.
00:02:34And tonight, this enchanting city, known for its active volcanoes, erupts with championship
00:02:39boxing at the Coliseo General Roman Yahweh.
00:02:43And while tonight's action unfolds in South America, this control room in New York City
00:02:48will be our command center for this evening's telecast, a joint venture between Showtime
00:02:52and Don King Productions.
00:02:55And in our studio this evening, we'll escape the hot Ecuadorian climate to take a cool
00:02:59and close look at the middleweight and super middleweight divisions.
00:03:04So once again, Showtime goes abroad, but at the same time confirms that there's no place
00:03:09like home.
00:03:13Hello again everyone, I'm Bruce Beck, your host for tonight's edition of Showtime Championship
00:03:17Boxing.
00:03:18Working with me in the studio shortly will be Bobby Chez.
00:03:21And calling the blow-by-blow south of the equator will be Sam Smith and the Fight Doctor,
00:03:26Ferdie Pacheco.
00:03:27In our main event, we salute a national hero, 27-year-old Ecuadorian Segundo Mercado, who
00:03:33hopes to bring not only pride to his homeland, but the country's first world title as well.
00:03:39But to win, he'll have to execute exceptionally well as he takes on the executioner Bernard
00:03:44Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight championship.
00:03:48And in our opening bout, little-known Frankie Lyles will defend his WBA super middleweight
00:03:53title for the first time against an opponent who used to be second to none, but who now
00:03:58is clearly second to some, two-time world champion Michael Knott.
00:04:03Let's turn now to Bobby Chez, and Bobby, let's start with the super middleweight.
00:04:07You need a scorecard to keep track of this ever-changing division.
00:04:10Well, you know, the titles change hands for many different reasons.
00:04:13It's just one of those things.
00:04:15They're not rising to the occasion each time out.
00:04:17How good is Frankie Lyles?
00:04:19Frankie Lyles is very much right now an unknown quantity.
00:04:22We haven't seen that much of him, and as we look over his record, we don't see any impressive
00:04:26opponents that he's beaten.
00:04:27So tonight, he has to demonstrate against Michael Nunn, who at one time was bound for
00:04:31glory.
00:04:32He'll demonstrate what he has.
00:04:33Some people I've talked to who know him and have seen him work said he has the possibilities
00:04:36of rising to the cream of the top.
00:04:38I don't know.
00:04:39How many lives does Michael Nunn have?
00:04:41Well, Michael Nunn is a good boxer and has always been fast, has not absorbed a lot of
00:04:45damage.
00:04:46Southpaw, awkward, hard to hit, twice clean.
00:04:48So his body has not taken a lot of damage.
00:04:50If his body and his mind are still good, he can go on for a long time.
00:04:53I know many times myself, I've been written off more than a good tax write-off, so people
00:04:57will say it's time to fold up, and then some fighters will rise to the occasion, as long
00:05:01as they have the hard work and the dedication.
00:05:03After all, if we go by big George Foreman standards, he should have ten more years,
00:05:07but I don't think ten years.
00:05:08When Roy Jones took on James Toney, he vacated his title.
00:05:11Therefore, we've got Hopkins and Mercado tonight.
00:05:14What do you expect?
00:05:15Well, once again, I don't know that much about this fighter as well.
00:05:19I'm sitting in a bad place right now.
00:05:20I'm hedging all my bets because I don't know.
00:05:22I haven't seen Mercado.
00:05:24He's south of the equator, not just south of the border.
00:05:26We don't see these fighters too often on Showtime or any of the other networks, so we can't
00:05:30gauge him.
00:05:31Once again, you go to his record.
00:05:33He doesn't have the opponents on there that we can gauge him by.
00:05:35A real old-fashioned flip of the coin toss-up.
00:05:39Will the home crowd serve as a blessing or a burden for Mercado?
00:05:44I can't see it hurting him.
00:05:45Some fighters find there's too much pressure here.
00:05:48He's advising to fight for a championship, and he's a champion of a country in essence.
00:05:54The crowd's behind him.
00:05:55He's got to boost and maybe give him an adrenaline lift.
00:05:57They can't get in the ring and fight for him.
00:05:59He's got to do the job inside there where only two men meet.
00:06:02On paper, Hopkins is a better fighter.
00:06:04Who knows?
00:06:05I don't know the difference for him and the crowd.
00:06:07Well, you've heard the catchphrase, ringside review.
00:06:10Right now, it's time to get a ringside preview of tonight's bouts from Quito, Ecuador.
00:06:15So let's get this report from Sam Smith and Ferdie Pacheco, who are at the arena named
00:06:19after General Roman Yahweh, one of the country's revered emperors and the last Inca defender
00:06:26of the empire.
00:06:30Thank you, gentlemen.
00:06:31And hello, everybody.
00:06:32And welcome to Quito, Ecuador.
00:06:33We are nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, so if Ferdie and I gasp a little before this
00:06:37fight's over, please accept our apologies early.
00:06:40This will not be an equal crowd tonight, despite the fact we're only minutes away from the
00:06:43equator, because when Segundo Mercado steps into this ring, and if he should win to become
00:06:48the first Ecuadorian to win a world title, this is going to be a big night, and we showcase
00:06:52outstanding young talent again here on Showtime.
00:06:55And if he loses, that's going to be a roof raised off this place.
00:06:58Either way, we're going to have an exciting night in this arena as this whole country
00:07:01waits for this guy to bring prominence to the country and to himself.
00:07:0510,000 feet above sea level, that's going to be a big problem for Bernard Hopkins, simply
00:07:09because Ferdie, he didn't arrive here until Tuesday.
00:07:12That's unexplainable to me.
00:07:13How anybody brings somebody to a place that's this high is unexplainable.
00:07:17My wife had a flamenco troupe come through here, try to dance, almost couldn't finish
00:07:20the concert.
00:07:21These were very young girls who'd been here a week.
00:07:23You cannot do that to a fighter and expect him to have any kind of resistance after round
00:07:285, 6, or 7.
00:07:29Big factor in this fight is how Hopkins handles those last rounds.
00:07:33And at the WVA Super Middleweight, we're looking at a new champion, defending for the first
00:07:37time in Frankie Lyles, but a guy that's been around for 9 years in Michael Nunn.
00:07:41But the big question is, which one of the Nunn shows up?
00:07:43Well, Nunn and his shadow image, Bo, you don't know which one's coming in.
00:07:50If the good one comes in, they're the best in the world.
00:07:52There's nobody better.
00:07:53But if the bad one comes in, you can look for a dreary night, and you won't know till
00:07:57the bell rings.
00:07:59If Nunn wants to, he can be the next champion of the world.
00:08:01So for the WBA title, they will have either a defending champion or one to regain his
00:08:05title as a two-time champion for Nunn.
00:08:07For the IBF, they'll have a new champion.
00:08:09And for this crowd in Quito, they certainly hope it's their man from Ecuador becoming
00:08:13the first man in Ecuador in history to win a world title.
00:08:17We're here to call the fight right now.
00:08:18That's the setup.
00:08:19Let's go back to New York.
00:08:20Here again is Bruce and Bobby.
00:08:23Thank you very much, Sam.
00:08:24So we open things up tonight on Showtime Championship Boxing with the WBA Super Middleweight
00:08:28Championship.
00:08:29As the year began, Michael Nunn held the WBA 168-pound title and was attempting to position
00:08:35himself for a unification bout.
00:08:37Steve Little destroyed those plans, only to be dethroned by Frankie Lyles.
00:08:42Who could have ever expected a year ago that the man we'd be talking about to defend the
00:08:46title would be the little-known southpaw, Frankie Lyles?
00:08:50But then again, it's been a year of turbulence and 168 pounds.
00:08:54When you follow the revolving WBA super middleweight crown that's moved from champion to challenger
00:09:00during the past 10 months, it's hard to keep up with this passage of royalty.
00:09:13Just a year ago, two-time champion Michael Nunn was hovering on the brink of greatness
00:09:18with grandiose plans to unify the super middleweight division.
00:09:22But in a simple tune-up bout against former sparring partner Steve Little, catastrophe struck.
00:09:46Steve Little, however, had little time to enjoy his championship.
00:09:49For six months later in Tucumán, Argentina, he met number one contender Frankie Lyles.
00:09:54Although a highly-counted amateur, Lyles had compiled his professional record of 24 victories
00:09:59against only one defeat in relative obscurity.
00:10:04But he made the most of his first moment in the championship spotlight.
00:10:19WBA super middleweight champion of the world, Frankie Lyles!
00:10:26Ten months have passed since the WBA super middleweight crown has passed from Nunn to Little to Lyles.
00:10:33And so tonight, will it again change hands, or will it for the first time in a year remain with the champion?
00:10:39So the WBA super middleweight crown has gone from Michael Nunn to Steve Little to Frankie Lyles.
00:10:44And if you really want to take this tongue twister further,
00:10:47keep in mind that Lyles' only loss as a professional was to a guy named Tim Littles.
00:10:52A little confused, Bobby Chess?
00:10:54Well, you know, last time we talked about the super middleweights and Frank Lyles,
00:10:57we said, Lyles beat Little, who beat Nunn.
00:10:59And even with all that, we know little to none about Lyles.
00:11:01And it still hasn't gotten to that point.
00:11:03We haven't seen him against someone we can gauge.
00:11:05We need to see him do just that.
00:11:07There's no doubt that Lyles is a late bloomer,
00:11:09but does he have what it takes to be a force in this division?
00:11:12We really won't know until we see what we have today.
00:11:14I've talked to some people who think he has the goods.
00:11:16He's a southpaw. They're always awkward and always hard to beat.
00:11:18They're always hard to fight.
00:11:20He's up against Michael Nunn, who at one time was considered one of the best pound-for-pound in the world.
00:11:23Tonight will be a good testing ground and a pretty good test ground.
00:11:26We'll see what happens.
00:11:29Michael Nunn, who at one time was considered one of the best pound-for-pound in the world.
00:11:31Tonight will be a good testing ground and a proving ground for him to do what he has to do
00:11:35to prove that he has the ability to go ahead.
00:11:37Michael Nunn was definitely lethargic and has lost to Little.
00:11:40So how does he restart his engine?
00:11:42The best way to restart it is by winning.
00:11:44But for him to win, what he has to do is do what he always has done the best.
00:11:47Hit and not get hit.
00:11:49Blazing speed was always his strong suit.
00:11:51Somewhere along the way, he has to find a way to bring that old fire and concentration back
00:11:55as he once had to fuel a new desire to once again win the title
00:11:58Without that in his mind, he's not going to do it.
00:12:00So does the crown stop revolving?
00:12:02And does it stay on Lyle's head?
00:12:04Or does Nunn recapture the throne?
00:12:06You know what? This is a real good pick-em fight.
00:12:08It can go either way, I think.
00:12:10Two southpaws, two guys that can box, two guys that are awkward.
00:12:12This can literally go either way.
00:12:14We could have ourselves the proverbial maybe draw.
00:12:17Alright, let's take a look now at the tail of the tape for this WBA Super Middleweight Championship.
00:12:22Nunn comes in at 160 pounds.
00:12:24Lyle's at 167.
00:12:26Lyle's has a slight height advantage.
00:12:28Nunn, who is two years older than Lyle's, also has a three-inch reach advantage.
00:12:32Here are the rules for this WBA title bout.
00:12:34Scoring done on a ten-point system.
00:12:36Three judges score the fight.
00:12:38The referee does not.
00:12:40There is no standing eight count.
00:12:42The three knockdown rule is in effect.
00:12:44Only the referee can stop the fight.
00:12:46The fighter cannot be saved by the bell,
00:12:48except in the last round.
00:12:50So let's return now to Quito, Ecuador.
00:12:52And Sam Smith with the fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco.
00:12:58Thank you, Bruce, and welcome back to Quito.
00:13:00And this crowd rather quiet right now
00:13:02as they get ready for the ring walks
00:13:04of our WBA Super Middleweight contenders
00:13:06and the guys that will go for the championship.
00:13:08Michael Nunn, along with the champion Frankie Lyle.
00:13:10And one of the things we're going to find out about this crowd
00:13:12certainly is how much they really know about boxing
00:13:14because they've got to kind of pick a favorite in this first fight
00:13:16waiting for their chance.
00:13:18And there's not much to choose between the two.
00:13:20They both look the same.
00:13:22They both kind of fight the same.
00:13:24Lyle's came here very early.
00:13:26He's been laying back there with blankets all over him
00:13:28and sleeping as much as he can.
00:13:30We're in the dressing room and he's kind of quiet and calm.
00:13:32Nunn is kind of up.
00:13:34Kind of wants to get this thing on
00:13:36and wants to finish it off.
00:13:38Proved that he has indeed regained his form.
00:13:40As Bobby says, the best way to shake the doldrums is to win.
00:13:42What they're going to have to do is
00:13:44shake the doldrums.
00:13:47What the crowd's going to do here
00:13:49they have been very receptive to a very long
00:13:51long card of boxing that we've had here.
00:13:53They've cheered the knockdowns.
00:13:55They've cheered the right fighters.
00:13:57I think they're in this fight
00:13:59and I think they're very knowledgeable
00:14:01boxing people.
00:14:03Of course, when their guy comes in
00:14:05like you said, the roof will come off.
00:14:07Well, you see the two-time former world champion
00:14:09the IBF middleweight champion
00:14:11and the WBA super middleweight champion
00:14:13before his surprising loss
00:14:15to Steve Little
00:14:17makes his way into the ring at 31.
00:14:19Is it going to be a factor
00:14:21when Nunn suddenly starts
00:14:23to lose the defensive skills
00:14:25which he is probably one of the best in the world
00:14:27and start going down?
00:14:29Or is this another chapter in a world title fight
00:14:31for Michael Nunn here tonight?
00:14:33His style requires a lot of gasoline.
00:14:35It requires a lot of breath
00:14:37and you don't have too much breath up this far
00:14:39although he's been here for three weeks.
00:14:41I thought all the time he was great
00:14:43that he was one of the finest defensive fighters
00:14:45I'd ever seen. I still think that.
00:14:47But you gotta have some offense with the defense
00:14:49and that was his fault all along.
00:14:51Well, he's fought and lost
00:14:53two and one over some big fighters.
00:14:55He won the IBF title over Frank Tate
00:14:57lost to James Toney
00:14:59defeated Victor Cordova
00:15:01and then lost to Steve Little.
00:15:03So it's been an up and down for Michael Nunn
00:15:05and he gets ready for a big night tonight
00:15:07against Frankie Lyle.
00:15:09Frank coming out of Syracuse, New York
00:15:11at 29 years of age
00:15:13and this is a guy, Bertie, that had an outstanding
00:15:15amateur career
00:15:17that has really kind of toiled
00:15:19in the shadow of so many other fine fighters
00:15:21then came to the front, surprisingly
00:15:23to win the WBA super middleweight title
00:15:25in Argentina over the aforementioned
00:15:27Steve Little. But tonight
00:15:29he said he's coming to defend
00:15:31he said I'm focused, I train better
00:15:33and I'm really ready for this fight tonight
00:15:35here in Quito, Ecuador.
00:15:37When a guy is that good in the amateurs
00:15:39he's sort of overshadowed or overlooked
00:15:41you know, that's sort of the politics of boxing
00:15:43that's the distasteful part of boxing
00:15:45a guy can be really good and not have good connections
00:15:47and he doesn't get the good fights
00:15:49so that's the kind of thing that I think
00:15:51hurts the sport. In this case
00:15:53we'll see how much he's got
00:15:55This is the test of
00:15:57Frank Lyle. We know what Michael Nunn looks like
00:15:59we don't know what Frankie Lyle looks like
00:16:01and their corner
00:16:03Jack Goa-Halloran
00:16:05a prominent former heavyweight
00:16:08is in the corner so this guy
00:16:10eats and sleeps boxing
00:16:12he lives with him and he's ready to go tonight
00:16:14so let's see how red he is
00:16:16Frank Lyle's
00:16:18making his way to the ring and certainly Ferdie
00:16:20there's two questions that must be answered
00:16:22was it a fluke that this man is the champion
00:16:24and does Michael Nunn
00:16:26have Lyle come to him or does he
00:16:28take the fight a little more to him tonight?
00:16:30Two questions I think we're going to have to answer early
00:16:32Yeah, I think that
00:16:34coming to Lyle
00:16:36coming to Michael Nunn is a done deal
00:16:38because Nunn doesn't come ahead and fight anybody
00:16:40he runs around and sees what's
00:16:42before him before he attacks
00:16:44which may take as far as a 3rd, 4th, 5th ring
00:16:46around
00:16:48you know, he has
00:16:50on his plate somebody that he can
00:16:52eat doable
00:16:54he can have that feast if he wants
00:16:56but little has to go on
00:16:58Well both fighters have been here for the last few weeks
00:17:00but they say the altitude is something that's been very difficult
00:17:02and now we're going to find out
00:17:04who it will be in the fight
00:17:06let's head upstairs
00:17:08here is our ring announcer for tonight's program
00:17:10Jimmy Lennon Jr.
00:17:12Ladies and gentlemen
00:17:14a very good evening to you
00:17:16we are todos nuestros amigos
00:17:18ecuatorianos
00:17:20bienvenidos, aficionados al box
00:17:22al coliseo rumenaui
00:17:24por un gran noche de boxeo
00:17:26ladies and gentlemen
00:17:28joining us around the world
00:17:30we do welcome you to the beautiful city
00:17:32Ecuador, known as the middle of the world
00:17:34for a big night of action
00:17:36brought to you by Don King Productions
00:17:38promotores asociados
00:17:40en la cerveza mas fina
00:17:42Corona
00:17:44bien amigos, este es la primera atracion especial
00:17:46de la noche por el titulo
00:17:48peso supermedio
00:17:50de la asociacion mundial
00:17:52de boxeo
00:17:54this bout is sanctioned by the World Boxing Association
00:17:56Presidente Gilberto Mendoza
00:17:58Supervisor Rodolfo Fortich
00:18:00along with la Comision de Boxeo Profesional
00:18:02de Pichincha
00:18:04Presentando a los jueces
00:18:06introducing to you the judges
00:18:08scoring this bout
00:18:10from ringside
00:18:12Oscar Perez
00:18:14Gonzalo Riveras
00:18:16and Bob Watson
00:18:18the referee working in this is
00:18:2020th world title bout
00:18:22Rafael Ramos
00:18:24alright fans, here we go
00:18:26with the WBA Super Middleweight Championship
00:18:29the middle of the world
00:18:31scheduled for 12 rounds of boxing
00:18:33este es el campeonato peso supermedio
00:18:35de la AMB
00:18:37de 12 rounds
00:18:39presentando
00:18:41al retador
00:18:43en la esquina azul
00:18:45presenting first the challenger
00:18:47in the blue corner
00:18:49wearing white trunks with blue trim
00:18:51un boxeador de Davenport, Iowa
00:18:53en los Estados Unidos
00:18:55pesando 168 libras
00:18:57he weighed in at the super middleweight
00:18:59level of 168 pounds
00:19:01con un record de
00:19:0343 victorias
00:19:05dos derrotas con 28 victorias
00:19:07por knockout, this outstanding record
00:19:09includes 43 wins
00:19:112 losses, 28 wins
00:19:13coming by way of knockout
00:19:15please welcome tonight's challenger
00:19:17ranked the number 3 super middleweight contender
00:19:19by the WBA, here is
00:19:21the two time world champion
00:19:23and former WBA super middleweight champion
00:19:25presentando al retador
00:19:27numero 3 en el mundo
00:19:29aqui esta
00:19:31sweet Michael
00:19:33second to none
00:19:43y al campeon en la esquina roja
00:19:45his opponent across the ring is the defending champion
00:19:47fighting out of the red corner
00:19:49wearing white trunks with blue trim
00:19:51fighting out of Los Angeles, California
00:19:53by way of Syracuse, New York
00:19:55en los Estados Unidos
00:19:57con un peso de 167 libras
00:19:59he weighed in at
00:20:01already 167 pounds
00:20:03tiene un record de 25 victorias
00:20:05una derrota
00:20:07y un sin concurso
00:20:09con 16 ganadas por knockout
00:20:11this record includes 25 wins
00:20:13only 1 loss, 1 no contest
00:20:15with 16 wins
00:20:17coming by way of knockout
00:20:19welcome the WBA super middleweight champion
00:20:21of the world tonight
00:20:23making the first defensivist title
00:20:25bienvenida
00:20:27al campeon
00:20:29Frankie Lyle
00:20:37aqui esta el referee
00:20:39Rafael Ramos
00:20:43Frank, Michael, I'm here to enforce
00:20:45the regulation of the WBA
00:20:47protect yourself at all times
00:20:50shake hands
00:20:54go back to the corner
00:20:58well the two fighters have been introduced
00:21:00the crowd may have started to pick a favorite here early on
00:21:02and you can do the same
00:21:04as we get ready for this WBA super middleweight championship
00:21:06it'll go 12 rounds
00:21:08and Rafael Ramos
00:21:10the third man in the ring in his 20th title fight
00:21:12and he will be a man
00:21:14that'll be maybe called on somewhat tonight
00:21:16even though Lyle will have to come to none
00:21:18and we'll find out exactly how much
00:21:20none's particular game plan will change
00:21:22two things I noticed coming into the ring
00:21:24also, Lyle didn't look like
00:21:26he'd worked up much of a sweat
00:21:28is that a problem in the altitude in the dressing room
00:21:30and even none looked a little dry
00:21:32that is a problem of this altitude
00:21:34I don't find that too remarkable
00:21:36both these guys are slow starters
00:21:38so they'll get warmed up in the ring
00:21:40it's not a factor in this fight
00:21:42what is a factor is whether none decides
00:21:44he's going to attack or whether he's going to be a defense
00:21:46and that we'll see after this first round
00:21:48right now he's just a defensive
00:21:50picking things off
00:21:52well for the southpaws of the world
00:21:54certainly two southpaws fighting
00:21:56for a world title tonight
00:21:58gives you of course a little hurrah for tonight
00:22:00and Michael Nunn you can see
00:22:02standing in the center of the ring
00:22:04letting Lyle come to him as he normally does
00:22:06then throws a couple of combinations
00:22:08and misses, caught a pretty good left
00:22:10off the shoulder of Lyle and sends him into the ropes
00:22:12Lyle comes out punching on the counterpunch
00:22:14he's stunned Nunn with those two punches
00:22:16he blinks
00:22:18you can tell when Nunn gets hurt
00:22:20oh
00:22:22and you see Nunn
00:22:24resorting to the swing down
00:22:26and now he's being warned
00:22:28that's a little desperation on his part
00:22:30he got gonged real good and he was just trying to buy some time
00:22:32he knows better than that
00:22:34that's a foul
00:22:36by the way Lyle's with 16 knockouts
00:22:38and his wins has had 7 of those in the first round
00:22:40none of his 28 has had
00:22:428 in the first round
00:22:4418 of his 28 inside of 4
00:22:4614 of 16 for Lyle
00:22:48inside the first 4 rounds
00:22:50so again they feel it out in the first round
00:22:52but they do get their business done
00:22:54this is a much more active round than before
00:22:56than I've ever seen Lyle fight before
00:22:58he usually just runs his first round
00:23:00halfway through round 1
00:23:02scheduled for 12
00:23:04Frankie Lyle's in conversation
00:23:06with him at the weigh in
00:23:08said he felt comfortable
00:23:11here's the champion
00:23:13he didn't know what that responsibility was
00:23:15until he actually got the title
00:23:17until he got his back
00:23:19that gets you in the gym
00:23:21you know to heighten the similarity
00:23:23oh they exchanged hearts
00:23:25not only do they look alike
00:23:27but they both have white trunks
00:23:29I mean it's like
00:23:31you're watching the two guys in the mirror
00:23:33let him go
00:23:35you see the red tassels down the right side of the trunks
00:23:37and the left of Nunn
00:23:39a couple of good left hands
00:23:41that's all by Nunn
00:23:43on his way in
00:23:45and Lyle wants him to try to keep on it
00:23:49and Nunn holds him with another left hand
00:23:51and now he holds again
00:23:53and slings his hand to the canvas
00:23:55now that's twice that he has resorted
00:23:57to dirty tactics
00:23:59which the referee has got to get tough about
00:24:01here pretty soon
00:24:03well I must say
00:24:05it's a completely different character for Nunn
00:24:07Michael Nunn starting off
00:24:09as probably one of the premier amateurs
00:24:11that everybody thought was going to be
00:24:13a sure shot pro
00:24:15a two time world champion
00:24:17being caught by James Toney
00:24:19in the 11th round
00:24:21to lose his title
00:24:23as a middleweight when he had all the cards going his way
00:24:25as you see he sends a right low
00:24:27and he gets the warning
00:24:29by the referee all the way to his corner
00:24:31and the referee has walked him all the way back
00:24:33let's listen
00:24:35here he goes
00:24:37the warning is on
00:24:39the pressure is on
00:24:41the pressure is on
00:24:43the pressure is on
00:24:45the pressure is on
00:24:47the pressure is on
00:24:49the pressure is on
00:24:51the pressure is on
00:24:53the pressure is on
00:24:55the pressure is on
00:24:57the pressure is on
00:24:59the pressure is on
00:25:01the pressure is on
00:25:03the pressure is on
00:25:05the pressure is on
00:25:07the pressure is on
00:25:09the pressure is on
00:25:11the pressure is on
00:25:13the pressure is on
00:25:15the pressure is on
00:25:17the pressure is on
00:25:19the pressure is on
00:25:21the pressure is on
00:25:23the pressure is on
00:25:25the pressure is on
00:25:27the pressure is on
00:25:29the pressure is on
00:25:32the pressure is on
00:25:34the pressure is on
00:25:36the pressure is on
00:25:38the pressure is on
00:25:40the pressure is on
00:25:42the pressure is on
00:25:44the pressure is on
00:25:46the pressure is on
00:25:48the pressure is on
00:25:50the pressure is on
00:25:52the pressure is on
00:25:54the pressure is on
00:25:56the pressure is on
00:25:58the pressure is on
00:26:00the pressure is on
00:26:02the pressure is on
00:26:04the pressure is on
00:26:06the pressure is on
00:26:08the pressure is on
00:26:10the pressure is on
00:26:12the pressure is on
00:26:14the pressure is on
00:26:16the pressure is on
00:26:18the pressure is on
00:26:20the pressure is on
00:26:22the pressure is on
00:26:24the pressure is on
00:26:26the pressure is on
00:26:28the pressure is on
00:26:30the pressure is on
00:26:32the pressure is on
00:26:34the pressure is on
00:26:36the pressure is on
00:26:38the pressure is on
00:26:40the pressure is on
00:26:42the pressure is on
00:26:44the pressure is on
00:26:46the pressure is on
00:26:48the pressure is on
00:26:50the pressure is on
00:26:52the pressure is on
00:26:54the pressure is on
00:26:56the pressure is on
00:26:58the pressure is on
00:27:00the pressure is on
00:27:02the pressure is on
00:27:04the pressure is on
00:27:06the pressure is on
00:27:08the pressure is on
00:27:10the pressure is on
00:27:12the pressure is on
00:27:14the pressure is on
00:27:16the pressure is on
00:27:18the pressure is on
00:27:20the pressure is on
00:27:22the pressure is on
00:27:24the pressure is on
00:27:26the pressure is on
00:27:28the pressure is on
00:27:30the pressure is on
00:27:32the pressure is on
00:27:34the pressure is on
00:27:36the pressure is on
00:27:38the pressure is on
00:27:40the pressure is on
00:27:42the pressure is on
00:27:44the pressure is on
00:27:46the pressure is on
00:27:48the pressure is on
00:27:50the pressure is on
00:27:52the pressure is on
00:27:54the pressure is on
00:27:56the pressure is on
00:27:58the pressure is on
00:28:00the pressure is on
00:28:02the pressure is on
00:28:04the pressure is on
00:28:06the pressure is on
00:28:08the pressure is on
00:28:10the pressure is on
00:28:12the pressure is on
00:28:14the pressure is on
00:28:16the pressure is on
00:28:18the pressure is on
00:28:20the pressure is on
00:28:22the pressure is on
00:28:24the pressure is on
00:28:26the pressure is on
00:28:28the pressure is on
00:28:30the pressure is on
00:28:32the pressure is on
00:28:34the pressure is on
00:28:36the pressure is on
00:28:38the pressure is on
00:28:40the pressure is on
00:28:42the pressure is on
00:28:44the pressure is on
00:28:46the pressure is on
00:28:48there's no guarantee
00:28:50that he's going to go
00:28:52under it
00:28:56he worked in that
00:28:58fainted as fast
00:29:00because if you faint as fast
00:29:02you catch it
00:29:06let's take a
00:29:08look right at the end of the round
00:29:10again...
00:29:12What Michael done here?
00:29:14well this was a kind of slip
00:29:16fortunately nobody slips like that which are and on his way down the bell was
00:29:24ringing and that ended round number two as the bell goes for the third round WBA
00:29:30super middleweight championship Sam Smith birdie Pacheco Showtime
00:29:34championship boxing from Quito Ecuador altitude just a shade over 9,000 these
00:29:42two gentlemen have been here a while and they have trained here and that should
00:29:45not influence this battle but the next one coming up has got big problems
00:29:53Bernard Hopkins fighting the hometown favorite
00:29:59Hopkins arriving only this past Tuesday you see none coming right out on the
00:30:05center of the ring again while continues to try to jab his way and using that
00:30:10great defensive skills that's the way he keeps his hands down there's a man
00:30:14sitting in the ring here my ringside here Muhammad Ali like that but he had
00:30:18the height to do it and the legs to get away he could get away with that he's
00:30:22very careless it's none here he puts his hands all the way down and he's in front
00:30:26of a guy that apparently has a good bang
00:30:30one of the nice things Lyle has been able to do here is that he's doubled up
00:30:34on that right hand he leads with a lead left but then doubles with the right
00:30:38hand and it's makes a pretty good there it is again that's a nice combination in
00:30:42there and that right and left landed like that and then like that
00:30:49Hey, those are court punches that landed. Big march on the judges scorecard and none looks over this corner like saying that was nothing I'll get started here pretty soon.
00:30:56That's bad. I'd like to see a fighter look to his corner.
00:31:00Speaking of Lyle again training here since December the 1st they actually went
00:31:05another thousand feet up they did train to about 10,000 literally trying to get
00:31:09acclimated to the altitude he said the first 10 days he said was pure hell he
00:31:14said I just couldn't breathe. Well, y'all don't have to wonder if he's going to miss Hanzo or Dundee in the corner.
00:31:21You see none coming back. His left-right combination backs Lyle up. Lyle tries to counter the center of the ring.
00:31:28And that's very flashy for the audience but that's all he's done this round while the other guys
00:31:32solidly put in a good workmanlike performance. I mean if that's what he's
00:31:37waiting for you know one of these flashing things. Meantime he keeps getting hit an awful lot by Lyle's and just keeps working.
00:31:44As I started to say it depends on the corner work. I mean you've got an Hanzo or Dundee telling you what to do and all of a sudden you haven't got him. How does that affect him? We'll see.
00:31:55Half a minute to go in the third round scheduled for 12.
00:32:00Lyle again coming out fighting behind a couple of jabs in the first round but none very active in round one.
00:32:09Lyle came back, took control in the second round. Good combinations.
00:32:13What I like about Lyle is the way he comes back with a hook after he's thrown a straight punch. I mean he comes back and now he's just showing up and got that miss.
00:32:20And this guy doesn't forget. I mean he just doesn't throw a punch and forget. He just says here's another one and then there's another one.
00:32:26That's the way you get points. He's building them up.
00:32:30There's a bell to end the third round and you can hear the crowd appreciating what they're hearing right now but not necessarily making one of their favorites.
00:32:39As the corners go busily to work.
00:32:42Don't eliminate your speed. You know how we get close? That slap back move, slap back, fire that three punch combination, faint, fire it again.
00:32:54Cause he's ready to go. You gotta slam that body Mike. I'm telling you. I can't do it without you man. You can do it.
00:33:00Now let's take a look at some of the spear's action in here.
00:33:03And you can see this is the middle where none comes off. Two low plunges. That one was just at the peak of the cheek and the tip of the chin.
00:33:12In both times were there no heavy damage done but it looked great.
00:33:16As you can see on there it looks marvelous except that he hadn't done any biting for the other two and a half minutes.
00:33:22And in his corner Greg Page the former great heavyweight champion said I can't do it for you.
00:33:26And he said you didn't do it for yourself. Can you do it for me?
00:33:29Just a little surprised to have Greg Page in that corner was kind of a surprise to us when he walked in and said he was going to work with Michael Nunn tonight.
00:33:37Yeah it was a surprise. He gave him good advice. He said if you're too fast you're out slicking yourself.
00:33:42You see Nunn coming out trying to flip that red jab out to lead with a right follow with a jab and then the left hand hook to get it in.
00:33:55And that's Purelli hands down and using your legs to get out of trouble.
00:33:59Almost backhanding his way in and Lyle made him pay.
00:34:03Lyle's out boxing and out thinking him and that's hard to believe when you know how good Nunn has been.
00:34:11It's just that he's working. This corner's got him working.
00:34:14I mean like three minutes out of every round. No rest. No rest.
00:34:18Frankie Lyle's with a 25-1 record actually won his first 21 fights.
00:34:2214 by knockout before he lost to Tim Littles with a USBA 168 pound title in Las Vegas.
00:34:30Lost a tough 12 round decision. That's the only remission of his otherwise perfect pro career.
00:34:36You see them starting to lean on each other a little here in the fourth.
00:34:46Now this is something that Frank Lyle doesn't need.
00:34:50He's letting Nunn rest when he had him going from outside.
00:34:55And he's not that devastating in inside punching. I mean they're doing nothing.
00:35:00You know, Ferdie, we always hear the terminology of resting around or two.
00:35:04It'll be interesting in this altitude in a 12 round championship fight when you're afforded the opportunity to do so.
00:35:09It may be even as early as this fourth round somewhat.
00:35:12Well, when you see men clench and they clench for long periods of time, that's what they're talking about resting.
00:35:17I mean that is resting.
00:35:22Now there are guys that know how to fight inside.
00:35:25Now there are guys that know how to fight inside.
00:35:27Like Carmen Basilio who had a sneaky little uppercut.
00:35:30And when you thought you were resting, you ended up resting on a canvas.
00:35:33A guy like that would get a masterpiece of an uppercut.
00:35:39You can hear the whistles in the background and that is not a sign that somebody's whistling at the beer vendors.
00:35:45They are wanting something to happen in this fourth round.
00:35:49Building seats. Just a shade over 18,000 for boxing.
00:35:52It'll be about three quarters full during this fight.
00:35:55It may be filled for the title fight featuring Sogundo Marcado.
00:35:59Young man from Quito, Ecuador.
00:36:03Nice, good hook hand.
00:36:10Now he's coming.
00:36:14Downed a couple of shots to the body and then comes upstairs.
00:36:17Lau with his mouth gaping open. He's trying to gasp for some wind right now.
00:36:24Nice rally. Nice rally by Michael Lau.
00:36:27He keeps this up. He takes his round.
00:36:31And there's the bell to end the fourth round.
00:36:33And the crowd appreciated the tail end of the round anyway.
00:36:37Let's head back to our studios in New York.
00:36:39Bruce Beck along with Bobby Chase.
00:36:43All right, Sam, Bobby, you've seen Frankie Lau's. Now what do you think?
00:36:46Tell you what, he's looking a lot like a mirror image of Michael Nunn.
00:36:49Southpaw, tall, lanky, not a big puncher.
00:36:52May punch just a little more crisp than Nunn, but Nunn, in my mind right now,
00:36:55clearly has the experience in his mind.
00:36:57He's been in with the better competition.
00:36:59I think that's going to come out as we get a little later into the fight.
00:37:01How do you have it scored right now?
00:37:03Right up until the last part of that last round, I had Lau there by a little bit.
00:37:06He might still have a slight edge or it's pulled to about even,
00:37:09but it's a dead close fight and the experience is going to be the factor right now.
00:37:12You always talk about the difficulty of fighting a Southpaw.
00:37:15What about when one fights another?
00:37:17I never thought about that too much because normally when I face one,
00:37:20it's always annoying. I guess they know each other pretty well.
00:37:22All right, let's go back to the two Southpaws south of the equator.
00:37:25Here's Sam Smith.
00:37:28Thank you, Bruce. You see this crowd and assemblance here.
00:37:32Roman Galloway Coliseum, named after the great general
00:37:36that was the last of the Inca Indians,
00:37:39emperors before it fell to the Spaniards back in 1534.
00:37:43Of course, honored throughout this great city of Quito as they're underway.
00:37:47In round number five.
00:37:49Now, does Nunn keep up the pressure he had in the fourth round?
00:37:52That's another question.
00:37:53He has been taking a round off and fighting a round.
00:37:56I have it just like Bobby. I have it 38 to 38.
00:37:59Thanks to that last little rally before that fight,
00:38:02that round before Michael Nunn.
00:38:05The only thing I saw is that he looked a little bit tired now with his mouth open.
00:38:10Maybe the nervousness of being in a really big fight
00:38:13with a guy that has a great reputation like Nunn
00:38:16is working on him a little bit.
00:38:18Doesn't seem to bother Nunn. Nunn is just going along like he always does.
00:38:21General Michael Nunn made an interesting comment when he arrived here in Quito.
00:38:24He said, I'm going to win my third world championship on Saturday night.
00:38:28If I don't win my third title, I promise to stay in Ecuador for a year.
00:38:32Rather interesting comment.
00:38:33Chamber of Commerce should use that in their next ad.
00:38:36If this guy loses it, he's going to punish himself by staying here for a year.
00:38:41Frankie Lyles said he wanted to come, do his business,
00:38:44and get out of here with his first title defense.
00:38:47He said one of the things that was very difficult as he got ready for this fight,
00:38:50though, was all of the hoop-de-la that was surrounding, of course, the Mercado fight.
00:38:54And then all of a sudden, he thought for a moment,
00:38:56and he and Freddie Roe coached in units and said,
00:38:58you know, we're kind of living in their shadow again,
00:39:01and we're kind of enjoying it because we're going about our business.
00:39:04And so is Frankie Lyles right now, and they split right.
00:39:08All of his punches landed, not with any perceptible effect,
00:39:12but just like a little low water flow.
00:39:15It's just raining on him.
00:39:17But Nunn is fighting hard.
00:39:19I mean, when he throws, it's hard.
00:39:21He just doesn't throw enough.
00:39:23Another warning to Nunn about throwing a apparent low blow again.
00:39:27I mean, it will be amazing if they don't take a round away, a point away,
00:39:32because all of his blows have been low and good so far.
00:39:35Less than a minute to go in the fifth round, scheduled for 12.
00:39:39Nunn again trying to put on that little flurry of being around to try to steal it back.
00:39:44When he tries, he looks good to him.
00:39:4914 times, Frankie just keeps on whittling away.
00:39:52Look at this.
00:39:53See, it's 3, 4, 5, 6 punches, and then look at this.
00:39:57There have now been 10 or 11 punches by Frankie Lyles,
00:40:01but nothing by Nunn.
00:40:02He's just kind of taking it.
00:40:03Well, that costs you points.
00:40:05Look at this.
00:40:06It's now about 15, 16 punches.
00:40:08You know, Nunn seems like a guy you'd be very frustrated with
00:40:10if he were a trainer or manager at this time.
00:40:12Well, they are.
00:40:13I mean, he's had a lot of them.
00:40:15Listen, if you can frustrate the great Angelo Dundee,
00:40:17I don't think you'd be frustrated by it.
00:40:19It's just that he couldn't get him to do what he wanted him to do.
00:40:23You know, Angelo builds a fire in the corner under you.
00:40:26If you don't get going, you've got more trouble in the corner
00:40:29than you've got in the ring with Angelo.
00:40:31I mean, he must have gone crazy with Nunn.
00:40:33Well, Frankie Lyles may have hugged with Nunn through the fourth,
00:40:36but he came out throwing some pretty good punches in the fifth round
00:40:39as both fighters retreat to their corner.
00:40:41And again, Frank Lyle, the champion defending his title,
00:40:44is back in the dressing room.
00:40:46You take a look at the guys getting ready.
00:40:48This, of course, is Bernard Hopkins as he gets ready to come out
00:40:51as the number one IBF contender for the middleweight title.
00:40:55However, he has to fight in the opponent's hometown,
00:40:58and it's right here in Quito.
00:41:00Very confident young man with the exception of the one problem
00:41:03coming in so late.
00:41:04Yeah.
00:41:05It's got to be a problem.
00:41:06That's not his fault. That's his manager's fault.
00:41:08Get out of the corner, okay?
00:41:10Let's take a look at the low blow.
00:41:12And I repeat, this is not an isolated incident.
00:41:15I'm going all five.
00:41:16Now, that one wasn't really low.
00:41:18That one was on the B there, between the B and the L.
00:41:23You see Nunn's corner working Rannik on him,
00:41:26really just trying to get him pumped into the fight again.
00:41:30Miro's doing the same with the champion,
00:41:32and there's the bell as we're off and running in round six.
00:41:37An even fight for either man to take it.
00:41:40One punch changes things around.
00:41:42One guy drops the other and the momentum changes.
00:41:44But there's very little to pick from between these two guys.
00:41:47I mean, Frankie doing the workman-like job,
00:41:51conscientious and working every minute that he can,
00:41:54and Nunn looking slick and beautiful and fighting when he wants to.
00:41:57Sometimes enough to win the round and sometimes not.
00:42:00You take a look at the activity of these two fighters.
00:42:03Lyle's most active years, 90 and 91.
00:42:06Six fights in 97 and 91.
00:42:08He won all 13 of those.
00:42:10Had only seven fights in the last three years, however.
00:42:12The other side, of course, Michael Nunn, very active, 85, 86, 87.
00:42:16Had a total of 26 fights, won them all in those three years.
00:42:19Only 13 fights in the last six years, however.
00:42:22Well, of course, Michael Nunn,
00:42:24former two-time world champion.
00:42:26Middleweight, super middleweight,
00:42:28WBA title that he lost.
00:42:30He's trying to regain it again tonight.
00:42:32And he leans on Lyle's again here in the sixth round.
00:42:36Not much happening with the shots to the body because they're so weak.
00:42:40They're just kind of play shots.
00:42:42Not really hurting anybody.
00:42:44But men again have apparently elected him to be satisfied
00:42:47to take off this round and fight slowly.
00:42:50Slowly.
00:42:52They are working themselves into an even round here.
00:42:55One of them or the other is going to take the match.
00:42:57Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
00:42:59How many more times can he warn him before he takes a point?
00:43:03That's the third time that he's said to him,
00:43:05keep the blows out.
00:43:08You know, Freddie, both these fighters started out
00:43:10very actively in the first two rounds.
00:43:12They coasted a bit on the floor.
00:43:14The more active fifth round and now in the sixth,
00:43:16they seem to again have started around coasting a bit.
00:43:19And now Nunn starts coming out punching a little bit here.
00:43:22That was a great, great series of punches by Nunn.
00:43:25But now, see, he stops.
00:43:27He's got to come right back.
00:43:28He can't let this guy get off again.
00:43:33Nunn, of course, trying to preserve his energy.
00:43:36Maybe that just under 10,000 feet,
00:43:38maybe he's starting to take his toll there.
00:43:40Well, I tell you, it takes its toll on your brains,
00:43:41if not on your body.
00:43:42You start thinking about it.
00:43:43Uh-oh, I better save some.
00:43:44I'm only starting here.
00:43:45I better get...
00:43:46You know, and he's fighting in flurries
00:43:47like he's thinking about altitude.
00:43:49I don't think it's exactly...
00:43:50They're exactly wearing down.
00:43:52I mean, you can't see any wild evidence of it.
00:43:55But certainly it's got to be on their mind.
00:43:57I mean, I think, you know...
00:44:00If Nunn had the consistency that Lyles did
00:44:05to work all the time,
00:44:06he could probably have blocked him.
00:44:07Oh, now that one is a very low blow.
00:44:09And this has got to cost him.
00:44:10That's it.
00:44:11That's it.
00:44:12In the sixth round...
00:44:15So on more than a half a dozen occasions,
00:44:18low blows were thrown by Nunn.
00:44:20Maybe three or four of those
00:44:21were acknowledged by the referee.
00:44:23And now this one in the sixth
00:44:24brings a one-point deduction to Michael Nunn.
00:44:26And in a close fight, Bernie,
00:44:28that is a very serious deduction right now.
00:44:30Well, for example,
00:44:32I thought Michael was winning the run
00:44:35and looking good.
00:44:36Winning the round and looking good.
00:44:37And now you take a point off,
00:44:38makes it an even round.
00:44:39So, you know, good luck.
00:44:41Neither guy got anything out of that.
00:44:43We have gone halfway through the schedule.
00:44:4512 riders.
00:44:46The barrel just ends the sixth round.
00:44:51It's the championship time, son.
00:44:52Come on.
00:44:53Frankie, what are you going to do?
00:44:56You're working your body fine in there, right?
00:44:58You're taking the punches on the way there.
00:45:00You're a little bit too tight.
00:45:01Take a half-step back
00:45:02and fire the uppercut through the middle.
00:45:04When he's leaning on you,
00:45:05half-step back,
00:45:06bring up the uppercut right through the chin.
00:45:08Right there.
00:45:09Now you're good about it.
00:45:10You don't have nothing left.
00:45:11He's got nothing, man.
00:45:12When he's leaning on you,
00:45:13you half-step back and rip the uppercut.
00:45:15You hear me, son?
00:45:16Let's take a look and see
00:45:17on the final low blow
00:45:18that brings the one-point deduction here.
00:45:21No question about it.
00:45:22Not a lot of doubt.
00:45:23There is no question about it.
00:45:27So, with a one-point deduction
00:45:28in the sixth round against Nunn,
00:45:30Frankie Lyles,
00:45:31in almost a dead-heat fight,
00:45:33may have taken a slight advantage
00:45:35as both fighters are anxious
00:45:36to get underway in the seventh round.
00:45:39If we continue on a very tight fight,
00:45:41let me bring to mind
00:45:43in this fight,
00:45:44in the super middleweights,
00:45:45there's been only one draw.
00:45:46As you see, Nunn coming out early.
00:45:49Oh.
00:45:51The reaction is he's mad
00:45:52because he's complaining about low blows.
00:45:55And now...
00:45:56Uh-oh.
00:45:57Another one of those days.
00:45:59Another one of those days.
00:46:00And now Lyles is complaining to the referee.
00:46:03Hey, he's hitting me low again.
00:46:05So, as Nunn complains,
00:46:07then Lyles is complaining.
00:46:09And now they're back fighting again.
00:46:11Only one draw in the super middleweight title fight.
00:46:14Bertie, you were there June 1989.
00:46:16Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hitman Hurd.
00:46:19Oh, yeah. What a wonderful night.
00:46:20That's two magnificent fighters.
00:46:22Now, you see,
00:46:23Nunn continues to punch low.
00:46:25He just doesn't regard it.
00:46:26He's not doing it intentionally.
00:46:27I mean, but it is going south.
00:46:28Don't worry.
00:46:29See, another low one.
00:46:30Just...
00:46:31Look at...
00:46:33See, now,
00:46:34Lyles wants to come on.
00:46:35Lyles says,
00:46:36I gotta get this back.
00:46:37I can't let this go.
00:46:38And all of a sudden,
00:46:39Nunn quits.
00:46:40That's his old self.
00:46:41He just quit.
00:46:47You know, it's almost one of those situations
00:46:49on a one-point deduction
00:46:50and a continued warning.
00:46:52A fighter abandons any kind of a body game plan at all,
00:46:55but Nunn, no.
00:46:56He keeps going there.
00:46:57He didn't abandon it,
00:46:58but it sure made him mad.
00:46:59And he's been fighting
00:47:00with a great deal more fierceness
00:47:01than he's shown before.
00:47:02I mean, he's almost, like,
00:47:03lost his head,
00:47:04which is unusual for this guy.
00:47:09Halfway through.
00:47:11A seventh round.
00:47:12Oh, I mean,
00:47:13this guy's going for a knockout.
00:47:14I mean, Michael Nunn
00:47:16wants knockout time.
00:47:17He doesn't want anything else.
00:47:20Now, Frankie,
00:47:21they're gonna start counting him.
00:47:22Second down,
00:47:23but he's tossed him down here.
00:47:24Yeah, and Frankie
00:47:25shouldn't stay down
00:47:26to kill time,
00:47:27because that's the way
00:47:28temptation creeps in
00:47:29to count you.
00:47:30Hey, if you hurt that bad,
00:47:31you should bounce up
00:47:32and act like it's nothing.
00:47:35Also, you don't want to show the other guy
00:47:36that you're getting tired.
00:47:37He is getting tired.
00:47:39I don't know about the altitude,
00:47:40but I do know about the body shots,
00:47:41and that does get you tired.
00:47:44Even though they've been
00:47:45so far south of the border,
00:47:46Nunn has really launched
00:47:49a heavy body attack.
00:47:50It seems to have wilted Frank Lyle.
00:47:54Lyle's definitely going backwards
00:47:56from where he was earlier,
00:47:57even though he's gamely
00:47:58coming ahead on Nunn.
00:47:59Nunn just hop-shotting him now
00:48:01with that great counterattack
00:48:02that he's got.
00:48:03He's got a wonderful jab.
00:48:04We haven't seen much of it.
00:48:05I mean, you know,
00:48:06he's in a mode of attack now.
00:48:08He's not doing what he used to do
00:48:10with that jab,
00:48:11but he's got a wonderful jab
00:48:12when he wants to use it.
00:48:19Slings another right hand
00:48:20and also a blow on Lyle.
00:48:23Lyle just kind of
00:48:24raises his eyebrows,
00:48:25saying, well, what else is new?
00:48:28Lyle's to the point of exhaustion
00:48:29where he's not trying to block him.
00:48:30He's just ducking down
00:48:31with each attack.
00:48:33You see Nunn coming out
00:48:34with a good right hand,
00:48:35and he follows with a combination.
00:48:37Lyle trying to cover the ropes.
00:48:39Nunn fighting right up the middle
00:48:40as the bell sounds,
00:48:41and Michael Nunn
00:48:43has ignited a little fire here.
00:48:45Excellent round.
00:48:46Excellent round for Michael Nunn.
00:48:49Don't forget,
00:48:50coming up our main event tonight,
00:48:51and it should be a great one.
00:48:52They'll battle 12 rounds
00:48:53for the middleweight champion
00:48:54of the IBF,
00:48:56and it's gonna be
00:48:57Bernard Hopkins
00:48:58who had a chance
00:48:59for a world title before
00:49:00going up against Segundo,
00:49:02and his name is Mercado,
00:49:03and they're gonna know it forever
00:49:04here in Ecuador,
00:49:05and there he is
00:49:06in his dressing room
00:49:07at every place you go.
00:49:08All you hear is the chant
00:49:10for this young man
00:49:11and Ecuador.
00:49:12They are really pumped.
00:49:13Young man has been trying
00:49:14to be shielded
00:49:15from all of the activities,
00:49:17but you can't keep him away
00:49:18from everything
00:49:19as he gets ready
00:49:20for tonight's title fight.
00:49:21Coming up next
00:49:22on Showtime.
00:49:24Well,
00:49:25this is the kind of
00:49:26hammering action
00:49:27that you see.
00:49:28You see pinpoint accuracy
00:49:29on the part of Nunn,
00:49:31and the other guy
00:49:32is just kind of flailing
00:49:33trying to keep him off.
00:49:34For the first time,
00:49:35it looked like the momentum
00:49:36swung definitely
00:49:37to Michael Nunn.
00:49:38Let's see if he follows up
00:49:39what he usually does
00:49:40and do it.
00:49:41Let's see if he does.
00:49:42Let's see if he understands
00:49:43that he's on the way
00:49:44to a knockout victory
00:49:45if he can keep it up.
00:49:46Eighth round of a scheduled
00:49:4712 riders underway.
00:49:49WBA super middleweight champion
00:49:50from Quito, Ecuador.
00:49:52Sam Smith,
00:49:53Cody Pacheco,
00:49:54here in Ecuador.
00:49:55Who's back,
00:49:56and the former champion,
00:49:57Bobby Charles,
00:49:58in our studios in New York.
00:49:59And right now,
00:50:00the defending champion,
00:50:01Frankie Lyles,
00:50:02who seems to be wilting,
00:50:03is now getting hammered
00:50:04here by Michael Nunn.
00:50:06They've got it handed again.
00:50:08You know,
00:50:09Nunn is just
00:50:10so upset
00:50:11and he keeps looking
00:50:12at the referee and talking
00:50:13when he gets butted,
00:50:14when he gets an elbow.
00:50:15He keeps looking at him
00:50:16playing the referee games.
00:50:17He fights,
00:50:18but all dying.
00:50:24A little cut on the bottom
00:50:25of the lip there of Lyle.
00:50:26How about the scoring so far
00:50:27for everybody you got?
00:50:28I got it dead even.
00:50:2966-66.
00:50:30They took a point away
00:50:32from Michael Nunn,
00:50:34and they've been swapping rounds.
00:50:36Now it looks like
00:50:38that Nunn is on a run,
00:50:39but still,
00:50:40by points,
00:50:41it's 66-66.
00:50:42It might as well be
00:50:43the first round.
00:50:44We're just starting.
00:50:46Lyle trying to take
00:50:47the fight to Nunn again.
00:50:52Great foot movement
00:50:53as he backs him up
00:50:54into the ropes.
00:50:56A little confidence
00:50:57he's etched on the face
00:50:58of Nunn now.
00:50:59Worrying as that's
00:51:00on the face
00:51:01of Frankie Lyle.
00:51:02It looks like he's not
00:51:03having a good time.
00:51:04He's really getting
00:51:05pummeled in his stomach a lot.
00:51:10A little in-fighting again
00:51:11as Ernie pointed out.
00:51:13A lot of times,
00:51:14a fighter will have
00:51:15that one key punch inside.
00:51:17Guys are just trying
00:51:18to wail away on the outside
00:51:19with looping punches.
00:51:20Nothing up the middle
00:51:21right now.
00:51:24You can see that
00:51:25wide left hand of Nunn.
00:51:28Pretty good right hand
00:51:29lands on Lyle.
00:51:32When talking
00:51:33to Michael today,
00:51:34he told me,
00:51:35he said,
00:51:36I love the way
00:51:37Chavez lands that left hand
00:51:38over by the liver.
00:51:39He says,
00:51:40that's going to be my shot.
00:51:41He certainly has
00:51:42landed it enough.
00:51:43He can send a crate of
00:51:44Chavez
00:51:46in appreciation
00:51:47of that left hook
00:51:48because he has been
00:51:49hammering it any chance
00:51:50he gets.
00:51:51Left hook,
00:51:52right hook.
00:51:53On to the body.
00:51:54Lyle's quietening down
00:51:55in the latter rounds
00:51:56here now.
00:51:57Has played right
00:51:58into Michael Nunn's game.
00:52:00That was hard enough
00:52:01to do that.
00:52:02That wasn't hard enough
00:52:03to do that.
00:52:04His play acting out.
00:52:06He is now looking
00:52:07for any excuse
00:52:08he can have.
00:52:09Body attack is coming.
00:52:10He's now bending
00:52:11him over.
00:52:12See it?
00:52:14Stopped Nunn
00:52:15in his tracks
00:52:16with one punch.
00:52:17One big right hand
00:52:18and then follows
00:52:19with a combination
00:52:20Nunn tried to lean on him
00:52:21to smother the punches.
00:52:22Boy, he got hammered.
00:52:23If he wasn't
00:52:24in great shape,
00:52:25he would have gone down.
00:52:26That's a surprise punch
00:52:27coming in.
00:52:28Just when things
00:52:29are going your way.
00:52:32Lyle's just
00:52:33arm punching here
00:52:34at the end of the round.
00:52:35He really doesn't
00:52:36have anything.
00:52:37You know that?
00:52:38He doesn't have anything.
00:52:40And there's the bell
00:52:41to end the eighth round.
00:52:43Let's head back
00:52:44to our New York studios
00:52:45where, gentlemen,
00:52:46you've seen his fight.
00:52:47He has ebbed and flowed
00:52:48in this one tonight.
00:52:51Bobby, it is clear
00:52:52that Lyle's is out
00:52:53working Nunn.
00:52:54Yeah, I think that he's
00:52:55winning the fight
00:52:56and he's not winning it
00:52:57by any large margins,
00:52:58but only brief moments
00:52:59of brilliance
00:53:00by Michael Nunn.
00:53:01He's not working
00:53:02early enough in the round.
00:53:03Tries to pull the round
00:53:04out late, but it's
00:53:05not enough work.
00:53:06Frankie Lyle's is just
00:53:07out working him.
00:53:08But right now, I think
00:53:09that the toll is being
00:53:10taken on Frank Lyle's body
00:53:11that he's wearing down
00:53:12a little more quickly.
00:53:13One time when he pushed
00:53:14him to the ground,
00:53:15he didn't get up right away.
00:53:16He wanted to get the rest.
00:53:17He's tired.
00:53:18What does Nunn have to do
00:53:19in the next few rounds?
00:53:20I think he's got to put
00:53:21on the pressure
00:53:22and force the fight.
00:53:23He's got to work
00:53:24a little earlier.
00:53:25The body shots are
00:53:26starting to work
00:53:27for Michael Nunn.
00:53:28Stay with that
00:53:29and he's got to rip
00:53:30some uppercuts inside
00:53:31and he can pull this out.
00:53:32Could Nunn be stealing
00:53:33the rounds late
00:53:34with those flurries?
00:53:35With any judge,
00:53:36it's possible.
00:53:37Sugar Ray Leonard
00:53:38was one of the best
00:53:39at doing it.
00:53:40Thank you, gentlemen.
00:53:41Bell sounds to start
00:53:42our ninth round
00:53:43of a scheduled 12-rounder.
00:53:44Michael Nunn on the left.
00:53:45And the champion,
00:53:46Frankie Lyle,
00:53:47is now working himself
00:53:48to the left side
00:53:49of your screen.
00:53:50A Showtime Championship
00:53:52boxing brings you
00:53:53the WBA Super Middleweight title.
00:53:55A title that Michael Nunn
00:53:56once held and would like
00:53:58to regain it tonight
00:53:59from the champion.
00:54:00The last two rounds
00:54:01have been Nunn on the attack.
00:54:02You see him come out
00:54:03and dance,
00:54:04that's not an exhausted guy.
00:54:05This guy's got
00:54:06everything he wants.
00:54:07The other guy
00:54:08is looking to clinch,
00:54:09looking to buy some time
00:54:10with the referee
00:54:11complaining.
00:54:12You know,
00:54:13the difference between
00:54:14seeing a fight at ringside
00:54:15and seeing it,
00:54:16you know, in the studio
00:54:17is never more evident
00:54:18because you can see
00:54:19what's in their face
00:54:20and how their body
00:54:21sags with the attack.
00:54:22That middle-of-the-round
00:54:23attack by Nunn
00:54:24really took everything
00:54:25out of Frankie Lyle
00:54:26because if he hadn't
00:54:27been able to catch him
00:54:28with that one punch,
00:54:29that would have been
00:54:30the end of it.
00:54:35Frankie Lyle's trying
00:54:36to come back
00:54:37with some counter hit
00:54:38by Michael Nunn
00:54:39to see him back up
00:54:40against the ropes.
00:54:42There's that work ethic
00:54:43we spoke of
00:54:44and we're watching,
00:54:45but now,
00:54:46it's not like it was
00:54:47in the earlier rounds.
00:54:48It's not with Brio,
00:54:49it's not with Zing,
00:54:50it's just arm punches,
00:54:51not getting anything
00:54:52in there.
00:54:53It is just about time
00:54:54certainly to start
00:54:55thinking about
00:54:56Will Lyle's
00:54:57defend his title
00:54:58or will he lose it?
00:54:59He's held it
00:55:00for four months
00:55:01and five days.
00:55:02The shortest anyone
00:55:03has ever held
00:55:04a super middleweight
00:55:05numbers is Murray Sutherland.
00:55:06Held the title
00:55:07for only three months
00:55:08and 25 days.
00:55:09So,
00:55:10not a long run for Lyle's.
00:55:11He'd like to make it
00:55:12a lot longer.
00:55:13He'll have to work
00:55:14in the last
00:55:15three and a half rounds.
00:55:19Still a little blood
00:55:20just in the
00:55:21bottom part of the mouth
00:55:22but on the mouthpiece
00:55:23of Frankie Lyle's
00:55:24no problem.
00:55:25That occurred
00:55:26back in the seventh round.
00:55:27Again,
00:55:28both men
00:55:29in a
00:55:30just
00:55:31tie up
00:55:32the other fellow
00:55:33and let the time go by.
00:55:34In a time consuming mode,
00:55:35they're not
00:55:36picking up the pace
00:55:37of that last round.
00:55:40Those were two home runs
00:55:41by none
00:55:42that didn't come close.
00:55:44You know,
00:55:45he has an unusual
00:55:46style of birdie.
00:55:47In fact,
00:55:48he throws that left hand
00:55:49and just kind of
00:55:50rocks back on his heels
00:55:51in order to duck
00:55:52what's coming at him
00:55:53and comes back
00:55:54with the right hand.
00:55:55He's very hard
00:55:56to hit flush.
00:55:57You know,
00:55:58the times he's been beat
00:55:59he was very careless
00:56:00at the time.
00:56:01When his synapses
00:56:02are all working,
00:56:03when his reflexes are working,
00:56:04he's a hard man to hit.
00:56:06The fact that his legs
00:56:07will take him out of trouble,
00:56:08his height
00:56:09will take him out of trouble.
00:56:12He just got hit
00:56:13a real hard shot.
00:56:14Every time,
00:56:15every time
00:56:16none gets hit
00:56:17a flush hard shot,
00:56:18he falls in
00:56:19and tries to tie up.
00:56:20He's smart.
00:56:23You see him still
00:56:24ripping those shots
00:56:25to the body.
00:56:26Maybe caught on the belt buckle
00:56:27but he's still throwing them.
00:56:29Lyles again,
00:56:30it almost seems
00:56:31at the end of each round
00:56:32is almost arm punching
00:56:33to the end of the round
00:56:34to the end.
00:56:44And Michael Dunn again
00:56:46ducking away
00:56:47from a couple of the
00:56:48punches thrown by Lyles.
00:57:05Come on, Frank.
00:57:14Come on, Frank.
00:57:20Don't give him anything.
00:57:21Don't give him anything.
00:57:22You're the champ.
00:57:23Don't let this guy rest.
00:57:24Okay?
00:57:25You're letting him rest
00:57:26when you're doing nothing.
00:57:27You're the champ, son.
00:57:28You're the champ.
00:57:30You can't get slack.
00:57:31Don't put that jab under there.
00:57:32Okay?
00:57:34Bottom, alright?
00:57:35Come on, buddy.
00:57:36Let's go.
00:57:37Come on, buddy.
00:57:39Well, Bernie,
00:57:40it's apparently
00:57:41you haven't been around boxing
00:57:42a hundred years for nothing.
00:57:43You said exactly that same thing
00:57:44and he's resting.
00:57:45He's letting that off the hook
00:57:46sometimes.
00:57:47Well, I was a corner man
00:57:48for about 20 years
00:57:49so I know all the dialogue.
00:57:50He's got a great little
00:57:51corner man, Freddie Roach
00:57:52who was one of the savage
00:57:53angel-faced killers
00:57:54I ever saw in my life
00:57:55quite brave beyond words.
00:57:56And, of course,
00:57:57the heavyweight
00:57:58kept saying
00:57:59you're the champ.
00:58:00You're the champ.
00:58:01You gotta say more than that.
00:58:02You gotta tell this guy
00:58:03what to do to keep
00:58:04his sight.
00:58:06Bernie, how about
00:58:07any style changes?
00:58:08Left-hander to left-hander?
00:58:09Are they doing anything
00:58:10different than you'd expect?
00:58:11No, they're not.
00:58:12You know,
00:58:13what that looks like
00:58:14is just like an algebraic equation.
00:58:15Right-hander against
00:58:16right-hander.
00:58:17Left-hander against
00:58:18left-hander.
00:58:19No offense.
00:58:20When left-hander
00:58:21against right-hander
00:58:22you've got something
00:58:23to talk about.
00:58:24Something happened
00:58:25and you slipped on it.
00:58:26You slipped on something
00:58:28Of course,
00:58:29paint that was
00:58:30added to the canvas
00:58:31just a couple of days ago.
00:58:32A little slippery on
00:58:34one side.
00:58:35One slipping
00:58:36a little bit.
00:58:37Riles having trouble
00:58:38finding none here
00:58:39in this town.
00:58:40Yeah, none has gone right
00:58:41into a defensive posture.
00:58:42Maybe they think
00:58:43they're that far ahead
00:58:44that they can afford
00:58:45to give away a round.
00:58:46I don't think so.
00:58:47I think when you've got
00:58:48them 86 to 84
00:58:49but, uh,
00:58:50believe me,
00:58:51it could just be
00:58:52the same way
00:58:53the other way
00:58:54depending on how
00:58:55the judges like their fight.
00:58:56We've got three judges
00:58:57and this is a very close fight.
00:58:58To me,
00:58:59it's a very close fight.
00:59:00Keep in mind that
00:59:01none did have a
00:59:02one-point deduction
00:59:03back in the 6th round
00:59:04for continuing
00:59:05throwing low-balls
00:59:06on Frankie Riles.
00:59:07Then they try to
00:59:08exchange low-balls
00:59:09for the next two rounds.
00:59:10Complaints coming
00:59:11from both sides.
00:59:12Well, it's almost
00:59:13the first time
00:59:14that I've ever seen
00:59:15none get mad
00:59:16and I've watched
00:59:17almost every one of his fights.
00:59:18He's so cruel
00:59:19in there.
00:59:20You almost want
00:59:21to make him mad.
00:59:26So many people
00:59:27talked about
00:59:28when he lost his
00:59:29IBF middleweight title
00:59:30there.
00:59:31Got hit real hard
00:59:32with the right hand.
00:59:33When none
00:59:34gets hit hard,
00:59:35his leg doesn't even wobble.
00:59:36I mean,
00:59:37it's hard to explain
00:59:38but sitting in ringside,
00:59:39you see a punch
00:59:40go right through him
00:59:41and wobble.
00:59:42That was a short
00:59:43chopping punch.
00:59:44And he's going
00:59:45up left-hand
00:59:46over the top.
00:59:47You can see it again
00:59:48catching Riles
00:59:49just in behind
00:59:50the right ear.
00:59:54Not again
00:59:55fighting comfortably.
00:59:56Again,
00:59:57as I brought it out
00:59:58and lost to James Toney.
00:59:59He was ahead
01:00:00on everybody's scorecard.
01:00:01Got caught with the left hand
01:00:02and down he goes
01:00:03and out.
01:00:04In May of 91
01:00:05to lose his title.
01:00:06Well,
01:00:07either one of these men
01:00:08needs a definitive
01:00:09knockdown.
01:00:10Never been left-handed
01:00:11by none.
01:00:12Punched back
01:00:13with another left hand.
01:00:14Another left hand.
01:00:15Riles is in trouble
01:00:16on the ropes.
01:00:17Half a minute to go.
01:00:20Well,
01:00:21I ordered that up
01:00:22and I got it.
01:00:23You need something
01:00:24and that was it.
01:00:26Now,
01:00:27if he wants to tack down,
01:00:28he's there for the takedown.
01:00:31Down,
01:00:32clearly winged
01:00:33after that flurry
01:00:34into it.
01:00:35Riles
01:00:36just wants to finish
01:00:37this 10th round.
01:00:38Then he comes back
01:00:39with another left hand.
01:00:40Another left hand.
01:00:41Combination
01:00:42Riles answer
01:00:43with one of his own.
01:00:44As the bell ends,
01:00:45a threat
01:00:46and exciting
01:00:4710th round.
01:00:49Go on.
01:00:50You said it in the fucking thing.
01:00:51Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.
01:00:52Take your time, man.
01:00:53You're not doing good.
01:00:54You're not doing good.
01:00:55He want to give it up, man.
01:00:56You want to give it.
01:00:57You gotta set up.
01:00:58Yeah.
01:00:59Let him have a laugh.
01:01:00The way he do it, baby.
01:01:01Get out of here.
01:01:02Come on.
01:01:03The way you're doing it right.
01:01:04You gotta have it.
01:01:05That's what you do.
01:01:06That's what you do.
01:01:07You see,
01:01:08you just got to give him.
01:01:09Come on, go on.
01:01:10You can get away from him.
01:01:11Let's take a look
01:01:12at that furious action.
01:01:13And this is just exactly
01:01:14about the time
01:01:15I said
01:01:16either one
01:01:17Either one needs a knockdown to get a clear grip on this fight
01:01:21Then he begins none begins to launch this attack
01:01:23You can see there's some crisp punches the main thing is to keep coming from all sides some land some don't but
01:01:30At the end of the round you see the effect the effect of all those punches is that?
01:01:35Frankie Lyle has wilted and he this was after the bell right right we can have another one of those
01:01:42All of you go back and put this fight in a bottle it turned out it's surprising Michael
01:02:03For at least that round he was totally in command and had worn out his man
01:02:08I mean you got and let's say you got to reach back and give
01:02:12Frankie Lyle's a lot of credit. I mean at this altitude. He's been in here taking these punches, and they're not just a few
01:02:25Well despite having a total of 28 knockouts in his 45 fights Michael Dunn has been the distance
01:02:31Seven times he's gone ten seven times. He's gone twelve
01:02:38Finishing early as we alluded to at the start of the show
01:02:49You know if they did and they landed like that
01:02:59Frankie Lyle's of his 26 flights has been 12 rounds three times
01:03:08In the world title
01:03:23From the time I first saw Michael Dunn I had my mouth open on the way he had a radar
01:03:28In his head and in his body and the way he uses legs to avoid punches
01:03:32It was like Ali's like Sugar Ray Leonard is like the great sugar a Robinson
01:03:35These guys that have this defensive gift
01:03:38I mean so few of them in boxing so few that when you see a good one
01:03:42You really say boy if he just had a little offensive power
01:03:45He'd be one of the ring greats of all time
01:03:46That's exactly what none is missing is that offensive power 28 knockout certainly is something that certainly consider
01:03:53But it never has been his real forte does it over the distance of the fight?
01:03:58You see both fighters really tiring down the 11
01:04:02While just kind of hacking away with a left foot, yeah, and that was like right on the neck
01:04:06It's like a sloppy thing, you know
01:04:09It was like hitting a guy with a tree trunk
01:04:18Keep him at distance
01:04:20Not again, I think left handed out
01:04:24While standing this fight always dangerous always looking for that one little changes, I'm still talking to the referee
01:04:31I mean he is that one of the referee that he said to me all week long
01:04:37You know 30 there's one thing when you're talking about of the guy that has the defensive skills of God
01:04:42Also has to come a little situation in the back as the bell ends the 11th
01:04:46You have to be a little cocky when you can do that and in the ring. He certainly is
01:04:54Three minutes son, come on. I love you three minutes
01:05:00Okay
01:05:30I
01:05:36Just sense the corner and it thinks that they get the championship one and the one was bleeding for him to keep it
01:05:42I mean what a difference in dialogue what a difference in feeling the difference in temperature and in different corners all
01:05:48I'm sure somebody has said in there to Michael none. All you need to do is take this round. Don't quit here
01:05:54Just do what you've been doing
01:05:57I
01:05:59Gave the last round even though he was taking a slack in the track route
01:06:03Because he just kept coming back and landing meaningful short little shots
01:06:08Less than three minutes away from Frankie Lyle making his first title defense or Michael none
01:06:13Becoming a three-time world champion and repeating as the WBA super middleweight title holder
01:06:20Greg page was really good in the corner. He just kept exhorting him
01:06:24Encouraging him. He's got it done
01:06:26Talking the guy's been tops in this field for years and Greg page
01:06:30He knows he's looking at it. And of course in the other corner, you got Frankie wrote you was also great
01:06:35So and O'Hara, so these guys have good corner work tonight, but the altitude and each other
01:06:42Have made them fight a very very close fight
01:06:45Party, would you mark this down as a little bit of a different look for Michael now?
01:06:49Maybe a total different look to trying to become a great champion that he might be
01:06:54I think this is his first step in that direction. He's certainly different from the Michael that I've seen
01:06:59He's taking chances that the other Michael none would never take he's gone to the body
01:07:04No matter whether they take points away from or not the older Michael none will never punch the body again
01:07:12Halfway through the 12th and final round of his title fight
01:07:16This crowd really hasn't picked a favorite in this fight. They've been very right down the middle and have enjoyed most of the rounds
01:07:24So like you heard a few whistles early on
01:07:27Simply that fourth round when they decided to coast a bit, but outside of that they've been well entertained
01:07:31I think if you like fine boxing you like to see a guy use his head on defense and still come hammering ahead on
01:07:37Offense you got to give this thing overall just a feeling of it to Michael
01:07:41If you like those those guys that just work and work and work and won't give up you got to think that maybe
01:07:46Frankie Lyle's kept his championship. I don't
01:07:54It's one of those things on Frankie Lyle who seems to be
01:07:59Losing energy by the second here in the last minute
01:08:02You try to call caution to the wind and going for the knockout hoping to win, but you can't catch them
01:08:08Sometimes you get
01:08:11And none is going to put a punctuation mark on the 12th round. He's not going to leave any doubt
01:08:19Judges Bob Watson, Oscar Perez, Gonzalo Oliveras
01:08:24One Venezuelan the other two from the US
01:08:28Will have the cards in their hands and they'll make the decision on this fight tonight
01:08:32And look, he gamely tried to fight him. Look at that, four moves of the head and he avoided four punches
01:08:38And back comes the mouthpiece of Frankie Lyle. He is an exhausted man. Frankie Lyle is tired
01:08:44And there's the bounce and
01:08:46Don believes he's won it, Lyle believes he's retained it
01:08:51And you can see them standing on their feet in the background here
01:08:56In Ecuador, they have certainly appreciated their first ever world championship fight here in Ecuador
01:09:03Lyle again, looked as if he started to ebb a bit, particularly around the 6th or 7th round
01:09:12The low blows with a one-point deduction certainly was a situation that none getting a one-point deduction
01:09:18Lyle slowly started to slow down a bit there
01:09:21None started to pick up, he saw him at that outburst in the 7th round
01:09:25But he thought that he caught a low blow
01:09:28Maybe that is when the adrenaline really started to kick in
01:09:32They exchanged rounds up until particularly the 10th round
01:09:36And in my book, that's where Michael Nunn, if he indeed wins this fight tonight, would have won his third world title
01:09:43Lyle's gamely fighting on in the last two rounds but just unable to catch up
01:09:49With a great defensive fighter in Michael Nunn who is trying to go to 44-2
01:09:55In the 12th round, again, Nunn, look how he came out at Lyle
01:09:59He catches him with a combination, Lyle just arm punching right now
01:10:02And Nunn with that great defensive skill, stepping away from everything Lyle had to throw here in the 12th round
01:10:09That was early on
01:10:10At the end of the round, you see Nunn coming at him again, good left hook to the head
01:10:15Came right up the middle, Lyle will gamely try to throw some punches
01:10:18But the end was near in the 12th
01:10:22And you saw the punctuation mark put on by Michael Nunn in the 12th round
01:10:28Not a former middleweight champion, moving up to the super middleweight after he lost that title
01:10:32That he had won from Frank Tate
01:10:36In the super middleweight, defeated Victor Cordova
01:10:39Defeated him in a rematch, quite convincingly I might add, after a controversial victory to get the title
01:10:46And then finally coming up and losing that title, which he may have won
01:10:50Which he may have come up and regained as he lost to Steve Little
01:10:54Who Lyle's beat for the title, and you can see them anxiously awaiting the decision in the ring
01:11:00And Jimmy Lennon will have it for us in just a moment
01:11:02It'll be interesting to see what the reaction of the crowd will be, plus or minus for the two fighters
01:11:13Coming up is this ring will be cleared
01:11:17And then will be refilled, and I mean filled with all kinds of dignitaries
01:11:21Our main event coming up on Showtime
01:11:23It'll be the IVF vacant middleweight championship of the world
01:11:27And the two combatants stepping in is Bernard Hopkins of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
01:11:31And the hometown favorite from Quito, Ecuador
01:11:34Segundo Mercado
01:11:36Mercado again, hailed as one of the outstanding young middleweights to come up 18-2
01:11:41But has he had the fights to match that of Hopkins?
01:11:45On our main event tonight, coming up in just a few moments on Showtime
01:11:51Well, they tallied the cards
01:11:54The three judges have put the numbers down
01:11:57Does Lyle retain the title, or is Michael Dunn the three-time world champion?
01:12:01Let's head up to Jimmy Lennon for the decision
01:12:11Ladies and gentlemen, after 12 rounds of boxing
01:12:14We have a unanimous decision
01:12:16El juez Riveres tiene la pelea 115-112
01:12:21115-112
01:12:24El juez Wasson vio la pelea 117-111
01:12:29117-111
01:12:32El juez Perez vio la pelea 114-113
01:12:37114-113
01:12:39A favor del ganador Frankie Lyle
01:12:49Despite the fact it looked like he was wilting
01:12:52Has apparently put together enough in this fight
01:12:55At the discretion of the judges to retain his championship
01:12:59And you heard the numbers
01:13:01Three points on one card, six on another
01:13:03And a scant one point on the third card
01:13:07But again, the championship has gone to Frankie Lyle
01:13:10As he defends his title
01:13:11And you see Michael Dunn almost in total disbelief here
01:13:16His handlers trying to quiet him for the moment
01:13:19And of course all the dignitaries gathering themselves in the ring
01:13:22Well, gentlemen, we have seen a rather interesting situation here
01:13:26And Furley will talk to the champion coming up in just a moment
01:13:29Let's head back to New York and get the impression
01:13:32Bruce, Bobby, quite a fight here
01:13:37Thank you, Sam. So Frankie Lyle's a unanimous decision
01:13:39Bobby, your thoughts?
01:13:40Well, I had him working and outworking Michael Dunn
01:13:43Throughout the whole early parts of the fight
01:13:45I really had him ahead by as many as five points at one time
01:13:47But Michael closed the gap
01:13:48I wound up having it six rounds to six
01:13:50But the one point deduction, 115-114
01:13:53One point difference
01:13:54I had Lyle winning by a point
01:13:56Because of the point taken
01:13:57So it goes back to that one low blow
01:13:59That's happened many times
01:14:00We've seen it with Nigel Benn and Chris Schumacher
01:14:02We've seen it a thousand times in other fights
01:14:04You gotta play by the rules
01:14:07And Dunn just was too far behind when he made that charge
01:14:09In 10, 11, and 12
01:14:11You know, I gave him a late charge, as I think you did
01:14:13It was just too far behind
01:14:14You can't let that much slip away
01:14:16And many times you'll find, especially south of the border
01:14:18The judges like fighters who work
01:14:21All right, right now we're set to go back ringside to Keto
01:14:24And here's Sam and Furley
01:14:28Thank you, gentlemen
01:14:29They're starting to buzz about that decision
01:14:31Still some conversation going on about it
01:14:33Before our main event coming up
01:14:36Let's get the impression of the man that's retained his title
01:14:38Frankie Lyle, let's go upstairs to Ferdie Pacheco
01:14:40All right, Frankie, congratulations
01:14:42On what must be one of the toughest nights of your life
01:14:44Yeah, it was a tough bout
01:14:46I gotta give Michael Dunn a lot of credit
01:14:48First of all, I got a couple of thank yous
01:14:50I have to thank Mr. Vic in Cleveland
01:14:52And my family and friends in Syracuse, New York
01:14:54For all their support
01:14:55Because without everybody, I couldn't have done it
01:14:57And Don King in Showtime
01:14:58Let me tell you
01:15:00This was an extremely hard fight to judge
01:15:02Extremely hard
01:15:04Bobby Chess in New York had you winning
01:15:06So here we are, two experts looking at it a different way
01:15:08It was a very tough fight
01:15:10Did it turn on the low blow, did you think?
01:15:12I mean, you know, that one point away
01:15:14No, not at all, you know
01:15:16Mike was a lot tougher than what I anticipated
01:15:18More than anything, I tried to out-hustle him
01:15:20Because I couldn't get a lot of shots off
01:15:24Mike is a very, very skilled fighter
01:15:26I thought maybe the weight might have had a lot to do with his performance
01:15:28But he gutted it out
01:15:30And we had a tough fight
01:15:32I'd like to do it again, to be honest
01:15:34Well, I think that's a fight that people would pay to see again
01:15:36Because both of you are very even
01:15:38We frankly didn't know whether the altitude was bothering you
01:15:40Was it bothering you?
01:15:42Yes, it was, I couldn't get my second win
01:15:44So therefore, I couldn't really get sharp
01:15:46I kept sucking in the corners
01:15:48But I did what I had to do, I gutted it out
01:15:50And I wanted to out-hustle him
01:15:52I gotta take my hand off the mic and give him a kiss
01:15:54Alright, Mike
01:15:56Alright, Michael, I just finished saying to him
01:15:58I had you ahead, Bobby Chess had Frankie ahead
01:16:01I don't know how close that first fight was
01:16:03Two people in two different cities looking at it different
01:16:05Did the altitude bother you?
01:16:07No, the altitude didn't bother me
01:16:09I tried to pick it up in the last couple rounds
01:16:11Because I knew the fight was close
01:16:13But the last round, I tried to pick it up and let it go
01:16:15I think I hurt him toward the end of the fight
01:16:17So I figured I'd done enough to win the fight
01:16:19Unfortunately, I didn't
01:16:21This is the first time I've seen you attack the body with such force
01:16:23What I was doing, I was hitting him to the body
01:16:25They kept saying I was hitting him low
01:16:27So then I kind of tried to lay off
01:16:30Well, I know I was hitting him good to the body
01:16:32But all the shots I was hitting him to the body
01:16:34I know he wasn't low
01:16:36I love you, but three times
01:16:38Did those body blows take a lot out of you?
01:16:40No, like I said, it was tough for me to get my second win
01:16:42But like I said, I got to take off my hat to Michael Dunn
01:16:44And give him a whole lot of credit
01:16:46Because Mike's a great champion
01:16:48And I did what I had to do
01:16:50I'm very, very happy
01:16:52I'm happy with the people that I have working with me
01:16:54Jackal Holler and his wife, Freddie Roach
01:16:56Reuben and Mr. Spaulder
01:16:59Roy Jones and I have a score to settle
01:17:01It's a story behind it
01:17:03I lost to Roy, I was the world champion
01:17:05Going to the Olympic trials
01:17:07I lost to him in a controversial 3-2 split decision
01:17:09I think it was because of Ray Leonard
01:17:11I'd like to fight Roy Jones
01:17:13And then bring Ray Leonard out of retirement
01:17:15And get him too
01:17:17And there's no one here that thinks you're out of boxing
01:17:19Because you gave a tremendous performance
01:17:21And you added something you've never had before
01:17:23A tremendous offensive fight
01:17:25So I think that you're still
01:17:27Not only one of the finest defensive fighters
01:17:29I've ever seen, now you've got an offense to go with
01:17:31Let's talk to the man who makes the fights
01:17:33Don King, that's a rich, rich
01:17:35Pasture you're in right now
01:17:37With a junior
01:17:39They certainly, I thought that Frankie did a good job
01:17:41He was very aggressive, he out-hustled Michael
01:17:43Michael was fighting good, it was a good fight
01:17:45An excellent fight for both fighters
01:17:47I thought it was tremendous
01:17:49And Frankie Lyle just was hustling and out-gutting him
01:17:51And going on down the line
01:17:53But this is what makes a great fight, Freddie
01:17:56And I'm very delighted to be in Ecuador
01:17:58With this great fight
01:18:00I think it delighted fight fans who wanted to see
01:18:02That type of fight out of none
01:18:04And that type of fight out of the champion, Frankie Lyle
01:18:06So let's go back to ringside
01:18:08And prepare ourselves for a great fight
01:18:10Coming up
01:18:12So Frankie Lyle
01:18:14Defends his title and thus joins
01:18:16The WBC champion, Nigel Benn
01:18:18And IVF champion, Roy Jones Jr
01:18:20He may get Jones
01:18:22But I'm not sure about Sugar Ray Leonard