Past light heavy & cruiser champion Virgil Hill demonstrated he can still scrounge up some walk-around chump change when carefully picking and choosing the opposition - flip side is last noche's dance partner Donnie Lalonde who clearly advertised a need for mandatory retirement for aging pugilists.
The ESPN Saturday Night Special proved anything but, as the 39 year old Hill was handed a gimme in a long faded 43 year old former light heavy titlist Lalonde ... opening candle saw Donnie stumbling into the ropes courtesy of a Hill left-hook ... never hits the canvas but is charged with a standing eight-count by referee Bill Turner.
All Hill from that point on ... then round four a stiff jab from Hill has Lalonde wobbly as if on receiving end of serious incoming mail ... was about then that ringside color commentator Teddy Atlas began seeing things us less knowledgeable fans were missing ... as out of the old "puncher's chance" bible for pugilistic losers ... and a new one ... he later sees Donnie baby getting set to toss the ol' equalizer right hand bomb. Yeah, right!
So it pretty much went Hill with the stickin' and Lalonde the dodging ... and then it's round ten and Hill has a big finishing stanza ... scores go 98-91 twice and 99-90 for Hill.
Had an opening co-feature jr. welter mismatch in past lightweight contender Billy Irwin taking out sacrificial lamb Mark Riggs at 1:45 of opening candle ... the previously unbeaten Riggs (24-0, 9 KO's) brought what little he had on a beeline to the proven past veteran Irwin ... bad move.
End came with Billy the Kid countering with short, but perfectly placed left hook to the sweet spot ... Riggs bod' stiffened as if results of water bottle spiked with embalming fluid ... I mean the dude was stiffed in the traditional sense as he landed flat on the canvas.
Irwin at age 35 still has enough in the tank to justify continuing the club fight beat as a trial horse for them promising young hopefuls ... but his better days were at 135 lightweight level.
Post Script:
Keep the faith guys and dolls ... July 12 over HBO is Mayorga-Forrest rematch plus Chop-Chop Corley vs. Zabba-Dabba Judah settling a personal spat.
Semper fi,
GEL
07-07-03
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