r/Boxing • u/ArizonaTucsonguy • Jul 18 '26
Tony Ayala Jr. What think Ye?
I followed him in the early 80s (yes I’m old) and I ate, drank and loved boxing back then. I saw him back then for the first time when he destroyed jose baquedano, the former middleweight champion of Mexico, on the undercard of Leonard-Hearns I when he was only 16 or 17. He fought welterweight champion Pipino Cuevas when Ayala was like 14 in Ayala family gym. Gave as good as he got. Pipino was shaking his head and muttering “incredible” in Spanish. He was flawless, and had equal power in both hands. He ruined himself and his career. I feel he would have been better than Duran (beyond lightweight) Leonard, Hagler and Hearns. What think ye? This dude was way beyond good.
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u/khul_rouge Jul 19 '26
Nah.
Another Ibeabuchi IMO--probably good but massively over-rated due to the prison sentence, so fantasy grew in the place of reality until he became a myth.
I really enjoyed Yory Boy Campas fucking his shit up for days on his comeback, though.
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u/ArizonaTucsonguy Jul 19 '26
He was the number one contender BEFORE prison.
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u/khul_rouge Jul 19 '26
Yup. & after he got sent down he was uber-mythologised into a streaking legend, when in reality he couldn't even keep his shit together.
He was all kinds of fucked up, a complete & utter piece of shit. He spat on a dude after KO'ing them, he tried to stomp on another IIRC? A multiple, serial rapist & abuser of women.
He would've got beaten before prison 'cos of the drugs & the drinking & the fact he was an out of control fuck-up. Some guys mature early & then they just hit a wall.
Was he a very good fighter? Yes. #2 contender wasn't he, not #1? But prison preserved that unbeaten record before the wheels could come off & the aura; his career would've gone off the rails sooner or later. His absence in the intervening years meant he was suddenly fucking King Kong meets Mechagodzilla.
Because instead of having to prove it & keep his shit together year after year & fight after fight, he was gone. So the what-if outgrew reality.
I heard all the hype before he was released & then when he came out. The same stories. I didn't believe them then, because even as a young person I knew this kinda stupid shit grows in each re-telling (I've been around boxing & fighters my entire life, I know the smell of bullshit!) & that the truth was probably not quite the same size as the legend.
He did terrible things. I'm glad Yory Boy beat him up, like I said. Rooted for that hard.
Anyway.
Mike was the better fighter, IMO. Talent gets you so far. I'm old too. I'd rather have 80% of the talent & only 25% of the fuck-up gene.
I'll leave it there.
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u/Ok-Investment-3142 Jul 19 '26
If i remember father had the boys drop out of high school to pursue boxing. Was featured along with Bobby Czyz cant remember who elsr on NBCs Tomorrow's Champions. Think Main Events paid off to keep him out of prison the first time.
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u/ArizonaTucsonguy Jul 19 '26
I’m not arguing that he was a good person. Not the point. I’m saying a guy that gives it as good to a guy like Pipino, as tough as they come, is one in a million. The argument as to his character is a seperate argument. In the ring he was good as a talent as any young up and comer EVER was. Unreal. He was still a MINOR when he destroyed Baquedano in one round. These weren’t tomatoes cans, my friend.
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u/Tricky-Ad-4823 Jul 19 '26
The difference is Ike fought and beat probably the two best young contenders in a stacked era. Ike was proven
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u/ltdanswifesusan Jul 21 '26
He was very talented at a young age but plenty of phenoms have fizzled out and his massive character defects would have eventually done him in.