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NEW Ruben Olivares Vs Alexis Argue (DVD)

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Occasionally the neanderthal comes out and in goes the boxing DVD. This one, GRANDES PELEAS CLASICAS Vol. 1, features three furious barn-burners that took place in the 1970s: Ruben Olivares Vs. Alexis Arguello; Bazooka Limon Vs. Bobby Chacon 2; and Mantequilla Napoles Vs. Armando Muniz 2. Little man fights tend to be more action-packed, especially with the caliber and big heart of the fighters involved here. And with bouts extending to fifteen rounds back then, it was all the more grueling. You think that folks like Oscar de la Hoya, Zab Judah, and the Klitschko brothers would've lasted fifteen rounds? No, I don't think so.

Note that all three bouts come with Spanish commentary.

- Ruben Olivares Vs. Alexis "El Flaco Explosivo" Arguello (November 23, 1974)

Man, I loved watching Arguello fight; he was so classy and had that distinctive gaunt frame (man was so skinny he had no shadow). There isn't really such a thing as a storied Mexican-Nicaraguan boxing rivalry, and Arguello's two-fisted debate with Olivares didn't start out as a sustained toe-to-toe slugfest but, brother, did things heat up in the latter half of the bout. The taller, rangier challenger, Alexis Arguello - known in some parts as El Flaco Explosivo - was initially the clear stalker, with the WBA Featherweight champ Ruben Olivares, having early on felt the Nicaraguan's power, settling for dancing out of range and occasionally potshotting in. Olivares would have his moments and dole out his lumps, but Arguello would simply carry on impassively and rock the Mexican with a telling hard shot every so often.

But then in the seventh round, Olivares really began to press the issue, with Arguello eagerly trading with him, and the action surged to something terrifically fast and furious. Ultimately, Arguello's classic technique and power were just too much for the hard-punching little guy. Olivares would have his best showing in the twelfth round but then, moments into the 13th round, a short left hook blast from the Explosive Thin Man would send Olivares to the canvas, and that would mark the beginning of the end. Soon, a crisp right hybrid uppercut would render the champ unable to beat the referee's count, and that's how the Explosive Plastic Man became the new WBA Featherweight title holder.

- Rafael "Bazooka" Limón Vs. Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon (April 9, 1979)

If you like your fight rugged and rife with aggression and conviction and with no let-up, then you'll love the four times that Bobby Chacon and Rafael Limón (with his towering Mexican afro) stepped into the ring and manned up against each other. This was one of those heralded rivalries, and each time these guys traded punches, they lived up to expectations. They went at it hammer and tongs; it was guts and glory, a quest to see who was mas macho. The exchanges were brutal and frequent. In this, their first rematch, it was just utter bad joss for Chacon that a bad cut on Limón would cause the fight to end on a technical draw, because the Schoolboy looked to be getting the better of it at the end there. Still, note that, while tremendous, this second bout doesn't come close to the absolute classic war that was their fourth fight. (That one became Ring Magazine's 1982 Fight of the Year)

- José "Mantequilla" Nápoles Vs. Armando "El Hombre" Muniz. (July 12, 1975)

Armando Muniz was 36-8-1 at the time (a good record), and dude had decent power. Against Nápoles, in the second of their two welterweight fights, Muniz put up a good scrap. He was game. But José "Butter" Nápoles - even with his unintimidating nickname - was the more formidable pugilist. Round after round Nápoles took it to Muniz, repeatedly rocked him with shots that were definitely more devastating than butter. In the eight round, Muniz got caught him with a volcanic left hook that deposited him to the floor. It was ugly from there on as Muniz absorbed more punishment, staggering and occasionally falling in to clinch... and yet still punching back. Muniz was never gonna quit and, hurt as he was, he still came forward, with a tiring Nápoles countering effectively. The rematch would go the distance, with Nápoles prevailing and retaining his world title. Against Nápoles, it simply was never in the cards for Muniz. To this day, the man probably prefers Margarine, too.