- 5/26/2025
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00:00:57Tonight, on Boxing After Dark, you'll see the rematch
00:01:00between 130-pound champion Arturo Gatti
00:01:03and former champion Tracy Patterson.
00:01:06Their first meeting was the most memorable brawl of 1995.
00:01:11Also, check out Angel Manfredi, nicknamed El Diablo,
00:01:15as he takes on the man who had Arturo Gatti
00:01:18in so much trouble in New York last March,
00:01:21Wilson Rodriguez.
00:01:24Two 130-pound battles of great significance,
00:01:27as on a weird weekend of weather in Atlantic City,
00:01:30we bring in from the boardwalk,
00:01:32what's your sign?
00:01:33Let's get ready for another great night
00:01:35of Boxing After Dark.
00:01:37All the vital elements are being put into place
00:01:39for this doubleheader.
00:01:43And in the crowd, a variety of noteworthy boxing faces,
00:01:47identifiable either via their jewelry
00:01:50or via the glasses that betray their middle age.
00:01:54So let's get ready to powder our faces
00:01:59and get all the cosmetic niceties in place
00:02:02for another edition of the most competitive series
00:02:05of boxing matches to be found anywhere in television,
00:02:09HBO's Boxing After Dark.
00:02:13Hello again, everybody. I'm Jim Lapley.
00:02:14In just a little bit more than a year,
00:02:16you have observed the tradition of Boxing After Dark,
00:02:19competitive matches in which either man can win.
00:02:22Once again tonight, that's the case,
00:02:24as we bring you two pick'em fights at 130 pounds.
00:02:27Angel Manfredi against Wilson Rodriguez.
00:02:30The winner of that fight will be hoping to get a shot
00:02:33at a winner of the main event
00:02:35between Tracy Patterson and Arturo Gatti.
00:02:38Gatti lifted Patterson's 130-pound title
00:02:41with a very close, unanimous decision
00:02:42in Madison Square Garden in December of 1995.
00:02:45Patterson is looking for revenge tonight.
00:02:48Working with me, as always, on HBO's Boxing After Dark,
00:02:51our boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
00:02:53Larry, we've covered Arturo Gatti twice before.
00:02:55Both of those fights were spectacular in their way.
00:02:58What is it about the fighter, Arturo Gatti,
00:03:01that is so spectacular?
00:03:03You've heard of Drama Queens, Jim.
00:03:05He's a drama prince.
00:03:07Part of it has to do with his youthful look.
00:03:09People just naturally come up to him and call him kid.
00:03:13Part of it has to do with his vulnerability.
00:03:16In that amazing fight in which he came from behind
00:03:20to score a knockout over Wilson Rodriguez a year ago,
00:03:23with both of his vulnerable eyes closed,
00:03:25he made us all feel that we were in a movie.
00:03:29Over the years, I've said on a very few occasions,
00:03:31it doesn't get any better than this.
00:03:34He showed that it did.
00:03:36And whatever happens in the rest of his career
00:03:39starting tonight, Jim, he left us with a memory
00:03:41that few of us will ever forget.
00:03:43Yeah, if you saw Arturo Gatti against Wilson Rodriguez,
00:03:45as Larry suggests, you would never forget it
00:03:48unless we get a first or a second round knockout.
00:03:50In the first fight tonight between Wilson Rodriguez
00:03:52and Angel Manfredi, we'll be showing you
00:03:55a look back briefly at that battle.
00:03:57Meanwhile, Manfredi himself came into the ring
00:03:59just moments ago, and we want to show you a look
00:04:02at the unusual getup that Angel Manfredi,
00:04:05son of a steel worker from Gary, Indiana,
00:04:07brings into the ring, complete with full-length
00:04:10red stockings that he keeps on throughout the bout.
00:04:14First name is Angel.
00:04:15He has Puerto Rican heritage,
00:04:17but as he says, when I get into the ring,
00:04:19I am El Diablo.
00:04:20I become the devil, and this outfit
00:04:23is designed either to elicit fear
00:04:25or perhaps laughter from the opponent.
00:04:27Also working with us as always on HBO's Boxing After Dark,
00:04:31even as he gets ready to defend
00:04:32his 175-pound world title,
00:04:35March 21 against Montel Griffin,
00:04:37the great Roy Jones Jr., and, Roy,
00:04:39we talked about what happened with Wilson Rodriguez,
00:04:41who was ahead of Arturo Gatti until he began
00:04:43to get in trouble against Gatti's power shots,
00:04:46but he had closed both of Gatti's eyes
00:04:48and probably thought in his heart
00:04:49that he was headed toward becoming a champion.
00:04:51He says he almost retired after that.
00:04:53Is that memory gonna be good
00:04:54because it motivates him to do better
00:04:56or bad because it leaves a bad taste in his mouth?
00:04:59Well, it can work both ways, Jim.
00:05:00A, it should be good because he got in the ring
00:05:02with a guy who he really wasn't supposed to be able to beat.
00:05:06He had this guy, everything was going his way,
00:05:08and all of a sudden, bam, he got caught with a good shot
00:05:11and down he went.
00:05:12His whole dream went out the window.
00:05:14But he can use that as a positive.
00:05:17He can come back tonight and think,
00:05:18hey, I've already faced the best fighter
00:05:20in this division, possibly.
00:05:21Why should I be afraid of anyone else?
00:05:24Wilson Rodriguez, more of a boxer than Manfredi, for sure.
00:05:27He'll be hoping to outbox Manfredi, the brawler, tonight.
00:05:31And here's a look at Rodriguez.
00:05:32As you can see, 55 professional fights.
00:05:35Born in the Dominican Republic,
00:05:37he's lived most of his adult life in Spain,
00:05:40and most of those 44 wins were against
00:05:42relatively obscure opponents in European locales,
00:05:46but he proved his worth in the first couple of rounds
00:05:48against Gatti.
00:05:49And Angel Manfredi, as I mentioned,
00:05:52son of a steel worker from Gary, Indiana,
00:05:55he got in tough in his first couple of professional bouts
00:05:58and wound up with two losses and a draw
00:06:00in the first six outings.
00:06:01But since then, 16 consecutive wins
00:06:04and 16 knockouts in 19 victories, as you can see,
00:06:07Angel Manfredi has KO'd 11 of his last 12 opponents.
00:06:16Tale of the tape for Angel Manfredi and Wilson Rodriguez,
00:06:20and you'll see the five-inch reach advantage,
00:06:21two-inch height advantage that Rodriguez enjoys
00:06:24against his opponent, who is eight years younger.
00:06:29Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer
00:06:31and late-night cult item, Harold Lederman.
00:06:33The Angel Manfredi-Wilson Rodriguez fight
00:06:35is scheduled for 12 rounds.
00:06:37There is no standing gate count, no three-knockdown rule.
00:06:41Only the referee can stop the fight,
00:06:42and you cannot be saved by the bell in any round,
00:06:45including the 12th and final round.
00:06:47Jim.
00:06:48All right, Harold, and now let's get our second look
00:06:51of the evening at ring announcer Michael Buffer.
00:06:55Ladies and gentlemen,
00:06:57welcome to Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City,
00:06:59where tonight, main events in association
00:07:02with your undisputed, undefeated king of beers, Budweiser.
00:07:06This Bud's for you.
00:07:08Present a boxing world championship doubleheader.
00:07:12All the bouts are sanctioned
00:07:13by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board
00:07:15Boxing Commissioner Larry Hazard Sr.
00:07:18The first contest presented,
00:07:19along with Cedric Kushner Promotions,
00:07:21and sanctioned by the World Boxing Union,
00:07:23President John Robinson, Supervisor Jennifer Robinson.
00:07:27The three judges scoring this bout on a 10-point must system
00:07:30will be Burton Gilliam,
00:07:32Paul Herman, and Melvina Lathan.
00:07:35And when the bell rings,
00:07:37your man in charge of the action,
00:07:39referee Wayne Hedgpeth.
00:07:42And now, ladies and gentlemen,
00:07:4312 rounds of boxing for the WBU Junior Lightweight
00:07:49Championship of the World.
00:07:5212 rounds of boxing for the WBU Junior Lightweight
00:07:55Introducing first, in the red corner,
00:07:58wearing black and yellow,
00:07:59weighing 29 and one quarter pounds.
00:08:01His professional record, 43 victories,
00:08:0424 by knockout, with eight losses and one draw,
00:08:08from Madrid, Espana.
00:08:11Introducing the challenger,
00:08:13Wilson Rodriguez.
00:08:18And across the ring, in the blue corner,
00:08:23wearing red and white, weighing 130 pounds,
00:08:27he brings a professional record of 19 victories,
00:08:3015 by knockout, with two defeats and one draw,
00:08:33from Gary, Indiana.
00:08:35Presenting the WBU Junior Lightweight
00:08:39Champion of the World, Angel Diablo Manfredi.
00:08:57Good evening, gentlemen.
00:09:04You've had your rules given to you.
00:09:06Let's have a good, clean bout.
00:09:08Obey my commands at all times, and protect yourself.
00:09:11Touch up.
00:09:12You never know what we're gonna get in these fights, Jim,
00:09:15but I can guarantee you a few things you won't get.
00:09:17Nobody's gonna break down and cry,
00:09:19nobody's gonna join or quit the Marines,
00:09:22and nobody's gonna throw repeated low blows.
00:09:25We've seen all of that lately.
00:09:31Well, I like the confidence with which
00:09:33you promise all that in advance.
00:09:36Big step up in class tonight for Angel Manfredi,
00:09:39who has never met an opponent with the kind of pedigree
00:09:43that Wilson Rodriguez brings to the ring.
00:09:45Manfredi says about Rodriguez's demonstrated skill
00:09:48against other fighters, hey, all he shows me
00:09:51is that he knows how to get knocked out.
00:09:54Well, already I can see that Wilson Rodriguez
00:09:57has much more confidence than he had
00:09:59the first time coming here to face Arturo Gatti.
00:10:05How do you see that, Roy?
00:10:06Because he's already out here,
00:10:07looks like he's in control of this fight.
00:10:09The first time against Gatti, he was out there wondering
00:10:12what's going to happen to me,
00:10:14and he saw some opportunities to hit Gatti,
00:10:16and it surprised Gatti.
00:10:18Here he looks like he knows,
00:10:19he feels like he's the champion already.
00:10:24Stick with us between rounds.
00:10:25We'll take advantage of that opportunity
00:10:27to show you a quick look back,
00:10:29in case you didn't see it at the March battle last year
00:10:32between Wilson Rodriguez and Arturo Gatti,
00:10:34which at least one good friend of mine
00:10:36earmarked the videotape, greatest fight of all time.
00:10:39Stop punching, step back.
00:10:43This is going to turn into a very interesting fight.
00:10:46Whoever is in the best condition
00:10:47probably will win this fight.
00:10:49All right, let him out.
00:10:51Rodriguez starting the exchanges
00:10:53early against Angel Manfredi.
00:10:55Manfredi coming forward.
00:10:56He has promised that he'll be the aggressor
00:10:58and make Rodriguez fight every step of the way.
00:11:01Good right hand by Manfredi.
00:11:12See the snapping jab from Wilson Rodriguez
00:11:14and the jab from Arturo Gatti.
00:11:16See the snapping jab from Wilson Rodriguez,
00:11:20part of the weaponry that did so much damage
00:11:21in the early rounds against Arturo Gatti.
00:11:24Straight right hand and a left hand body shot
00:11:27by Angel Manfredi.
00:11:28Manfredi shows quick hands as well.
00:11:30And that is a good punch by Manfredi
00:11:32because body shots will weaken a fighter
00:11:34over the long haul.
00:11:47Also shows you that he probably did his homework, Manfredi,
00:11:50and noticed in the fight with Gatti
00:11:52that the body shots were what weakened Rodriguez.
00:11:57You're right, Roy. He broke a rib of Rodriguez,
00:12:01if my recollection is correct, in the fifth round.
00:12:03And when Rodriguez protected it in the sixth,
00:12:06he stopped him with punches to the head.
00:12:09We're going to show it to you in just a moment.
00:12:11It was a tremendous left hook
00:12:13that produced the knockout for Arturo Gatti
00:12:17but prior to that, both eyes had been shut
00:12:20and doctors had to make careful evaluations
00:12:22throughout the fight as to whether it'll allow Gatti
00:12:24to continue.
00:12:26That'll be coming up right here between rounds
00:12:28as Wilson Rodriguez completes the first stand
00:12:31against Angel Manfredi.
00:12:32It was last March in the small room
00:12:35in Madison Square Garden.
00:12:36In the first couple of rounds,
00:12:37Rodriguez battered Gatti from pillar to post
00:12:39and you can see how badly swollen
00:12:41Arturo Gatti's eyes were.
00:12:42The doctor didn't know what to do.
00:12:45Let's go, Arturo.
00:12:46Let's go.
00:12:48Back. I say back, Roy.
00:12:49Hey, don't push on me, goddammit.
00:12:51I'm pushing you.
00:12:52Wait. It's okay.
00:12:53Cover your left eye. Cover your left eye.
00:12:54All right.
00:12:55Cover your left eye or it's over.
00:12:56How many fingers? I said cover.
00:12:58Two. Two fingers.
00:12:59Now.
00:13:00Oh.
00:13:01Allowed to continue,
00:13:02Gatti mounted a stirring comeback
00:13:04that climaxed with that left-hand shot.
00:13:07Fighting with both eyes closed,
00:13:09Arturo Gatti came from behind in the dark
00:13:12to take out Wilson Rodriguez
00:13:14and save his 130-pound title.
00:13:16That was last March.
00:13:19Now we're back live.
00:13:21There's the man who wound up on the canvas that night,
00:13:23Wilson Rodriguez.
00:13:24In the first round here,
00:13:26he landed just six of 35 jabs,
00:13:29so he'll need to get closer to Manfredi
00:13:31if he's going to do damage in round two.
00:13:33I thought Manfredi fought a wonderful first round.
00:13:36He dominated it both boxing
00:13:38and hit him and landed the sharper blows.
00:13:42He looks like a circus actor,
00:13:45but he is a fighter,
00:13:47and he landed some very clean punches.
00:13:50I thought he particularly did some damage
00:13:52with the right-hand lead.
00:13:53It's pretty quick when he fires that right hand
00:13:55off the back foot.
00:13:57I thought he did some damage
00:13:59with the right-hand lead.
00:14:02Like that.
00:14:14Scheduled 12-round battle here.
00:14:18Like a number of fighters these days,
00:14:20Manfredi has turned himself
00:14:22into a wall for graffiti.
00:14:26Names of his children on his back.
00:14:29Names of his children on his back.
00:14:31Some Chinese symbols on his arm.
00:14:33A cut has already opened up
00:14:35over Rodriguez's left eye
00:14:37from a right hand by Manfredi,
00:14:39which he just landed again.
00:14:41And Manfredi is doing a terrific job
00:14:43at going to Rodriguez's body earlier in this fight.
00:14:45So Manfredi with an opportunity
00:14:47created by the cut
00:14:49over Wilson Rodriguez's left eye
00:14:51might have come from one of those
00:14:52straight right-hand leads.
00:14:59And as the blood trickles
00:15:01over Rodriguez's left eye,
00:15:03Manfredi for the moment concentrates
00:15:05mostly to the body.
00:15:07And Rodriguez now begins to go to the body
00:15:09to try to back him off.
00:15:11Manfredi is sneaking a right hand
00:15:13right over the top of
00:15:15Rodriguez's low left hand.
00:15:17Wilson Rodriguez backed Manfredi up
00:15:19with a good left-hand body shot.
00:15:21Now Manfredi starts to work upstairs
00:15:23sneaking the right hand,
00:15:25as Roy pointed out, over the left hand
00:15:27of Rodriguez.
00:15:29And Wilson holds a pretty look.
00:15:39Manfredi is also showing very good pause
00:15:41for a power puncher like himself.
00:15:43Usually those guys see blood
00:15:45and they get very excited
00:15:47and it makes them do things out of frustration
00:15:49or out of hunger because they want to hurry up
00:15:51and get it over with.
00:15:53Manfredi comes from the hometown
00:15:55There's a good one-two combination
00:15:57by Rodriguez, and he tries to capitalize
00:15:59by coming back
00:16:01with another combination behind him.
00:16:03He needs to get a feeling
00:16:05of rushness here
00:16:07because his eye is bleeding real bad.
00:16:09Straight left-hand
00:16:11lands for Angel Manfredi.
00:16:13And he's getting caught
00:16:15with the same right hand that's cutting.
00:16:21Rodriguez seems to be
00:16:23set to handle the right hand
00:16:25only when it comes behind the left.
00:16:27When Manfredi starts off and leads
00:16:29with that jumping right hand,
00:16:31Rodriguez has not yet been able to stop it.
00:16:34I got it. I got it.
00:16:52He's fighting against me.
00:16:54Don't throw yourself in there.
00:17:00Every time you throw it,
00:17:02if you're conscious, he stands still.
00:17:06The cut is real good.
00:17:10When he's standing in front of you,
00:17:12you're beating him.
00:17:17Let's see if we can find that cut.
00:17:19That right hand
00:17:21that seemed to graze
00:17:23Rodriguez may have
00:17:25opened up the cut on his eye.
00:17:27It's a bad cut, although it isn't gushing
00:17:29badly yet.
00:17:32Manfredi says he's at
00:17:34the door of the big time
00:17:36and Rodriguez is the door.
00:17:38So far,
00:17:40he is kicking the door open.
00:17:42As in the first
00:17:44two rounds, Wilson Rodriguez
00:17:46by coffee box numbers
00:17:48has landed only 20% of his total punches
00:17:50only 11 out of 71
00:17:52jabs. He's going to have to step in closer
00:17:54if he's going to make that jab
00:17:56a big factor in the fight.
00:17:58Yeah, but he's afraid to step in closer
00:18:00Manfredi is keeping his feet set very well
00:18:02and any time he comes too close
00:18:04Manfredi is set to counter him.
00:18:06Manfredi with a good power base
00:18:08as you can see, creeping forward
00:18:10against Rodriguez
00:18:12led with the left hook
00:18:14and landed on the
00:18:16button
00:18:20Now Manfredi is able to
00:18:22get across the top of the right hand again.
00:18:30This fight just shows
00:18:32a great deal about Manfredi
00:18:34because he'll have to be patient here
00:18:36with a guy with the caliber of Rodriguez.
00:18:38Good right hand again.
00:18:55Roundhouse left
00:18:57landed for Manfredi
00:18:59steps in and fires a right uppercut
00:19:01and a left hand uppercut
00:19:03that did serious damage to Wilson Rodriguez
00:19:08Angel Manfredi
00:19:10making every punch count
00:19:12he commits to the power punches
00:19:14so effectively off that power base
00:19:16He throws some very good lead shots
00:19:29Oh, there's that right hand again
00:19:31that right hand has been wearing
00:19:33Rodriguez out tonight
00:19:35Great right hand lead for Manfredi
00:19:37now he lands a little right hand counter
00:19:39inside
00:19:41Wilson Rodriguez
00:19:43trying to work his way back into the bout
00:19:45with the left hook
00:19:47and he's landed three effective left hooks
00:19:49in this round
00:19:51but Angel Manfredi keeps coming at him
00:19:53with the right hand
00:19:55Rodriguez is landing a good stiff jab
00:19:57right off of his own right hand
00:19:59and it's going right down the middle
00:20:01hitting Manfredi right in the center of the face
00:20:03Oh, that was a hook that hurt Rodriguez
00:20:07Angel Manfredi continues to show
00:20:09that he can back Wilson Rodriguez up
00:20:11and he's doing a very smart thing
00:20:13by going to Rodriguez's body still
00:20:15every time he lands a good shot
00:20:17he comes back, does Manfredi
00:20:19and lands a good body shot behind him
00:20:21Meanwhile, Rodriguez, through the latter stages
00:20:23of round three, shows a greater sense of urgency
00:20:26shortens the distance between himself and Manfredi
00:20:28and begins to land
00:20:30an effective left hook
00:20:36Take a deep breath, stay relaxed
00:20:38Listen to me, you're doing a good right hand
00:20:40but I want you to come back with that hook
00:20:42We talked about combinations, now is the time to do them
00:20:44Don't stand in front of the man, understand?
00:20:46Okay?
00:20:48Don't stand in front of him, okay?
00:20:50I don't want you standing in front of the guy
00:20:52Move around him and double that jab up a little bit
00:20:54Okay?
00:21:04What do you want me to do?
00:21:06I'm doing everything I can
00:21:08Don't stand there
00:21:10Keep your hands up
00:21:12Two or three hands
00:21:14You have to stand there in front of him
00:21:16He's a lot smarter than you are
00:21:18Don't stand there
00:21:20Toe to toe
00:21:22Here's another note
00:21:24on Manfredi
00:21:26who most of you have never seen
00:21:28He's been in nine car accidents
00:21:30In one of them
00:21:32he wound up with about 160 stitches
00:21:34in his forehead and scalp
00:21:36Ten days later
00:21:38he was in the gym
00:21:40160 stitches that is
00:21:42He claims that
00:21:44that's the only time
00:21:46he's ever been in a car accident
00:21:48He claims that
00:21:50He claims that
00:21:52that particular automobile accident
00:21:54produced a religious experience for him
00:21:56Since then
00:21:58he's been devoted to Christianity
00:22:00and carries that with him
00:22:02as part of his
00:22:04inspiration to become a great fighter
00:22:06Another good right hand by Manfredi
00:22:12And you heard Manfredi's corner
00:22:14asking him to bring the left hook
00:22:16behind those straight right hands
00:22:18He knows what the effects of the early body shots were
00:22:20when he forgot it
00:22:22But he is not throwing many against Manfredi
00:22:24Don't hold him, don't hold him
00:22:26Good point
00:22:28Rodriguez has been doing most of his work upstairs
00:22:30And he's a guy that you want to take the power out of
00:22:32with the body shots if you can
00:22:34Right Roy?
00:22:36That's right
00:22:38Any strong guy you want to try to take the power out of
00:22:40And Manfredi is very strong
00:22:48Come on, come on
00:22:50Wilson is getting disgusted
00:22:52with himself because he's getting hit
00:22:54with the same punch over and over again
00:23:00And Manfredi able to finish most of the
00:23:02exchanges so far in the fight
00:23:04Rodriguez by punch stat
00:23:06numbers is throwing more punches
00:23:08but Manfredi is landing more
00:23:10and landing much more effectively
00:23:12Manfredi is showing pretty good defense
00:23:14here too Jim
00:23:18And showing great composure in there
00:23:20That's what's most impressive to me
00:23:26You can't tell the contents
00:23:28of what the package looks like
00:23:30from outside
00:23:32You would never imagine looking at Manfredi
00:23:34that he would be this kind of disciplined
00:23:36very well structured fighter
00:23:39Rodriguez with a rally here
00:23:41getting a little bit braver
00:23:43landed the left hook twice
00:23:45backed Manfredi up
00:23:47and stepped up to shorten the distance
00:23:49once again
00:23:51Now Manfredi comes back
00:23:53and begins backing Rodriguez up again
00:23:55I think Manfredi is much too strong
00:23:57for Rodriguez to stand there
00:23:59and pound with
00:24:01Body shot by Manfredi
00:24:03and Rodriguez wobbles slightly
00:24:05as he goes back to the ropes
00:24:07That was a good hook
00:24:09that hurt Manfredi by Rodriguez just then
00:24:11Winging that left hand shot
00:24:13and getting it home over the right hand guard
00:24:15Manfredi is hurt right now
00:24:17Manfredi is in trouble right now
00:24:19Oh good try by Rodriguez
00:24:21Manfredi is in trouble
00:24:23Manfredi is in trouble
00:24:25Manfredi is in trouble
00:24:27Manfredi is in trouble
00:24:29Good try by Rodriguez
00:24:31Breathe in
00:24:33Breathe in
00:24:35Breathe in
00:24:37Breathe in
00:24:39Breathe in
00:24:41Breathe in
00:24:43Breathe in
00:24:45Breathe in
00:24:47Breathe in
00:24:49Breathe in
00:24:51Breathe in
00:24:53Breathe in
00:24:55Breathe in
00:24:57Breathe in
00:24:59Breathe in
00:25:01Breathe in
00:25:03Give him a little water
00:25:08Harold Letterman
00:25:10give us your score after 4 rounds
00:25:12You know Larry it's very interesting
00:25:14so often in a round what happens at the very end
00:25:16is sort of the cumulative effect
00:25:18of what has happened in the first 2 minutes of the round
00:25:20and that's what happened in round 4 of this fight
00:25:22Angel Manfredi won the first 3 rounds
00:25:24was winning the 4th
00:25:26Wilson Rodriguez came on
00:25:28Manfredi
00:25:30We are in sync Harold
00:25:34Spelled S-Y-N-C-H
00:25:44Wilson Rodriguez threw 72 punches
00:25:46by CompuBox numbers in round 4
00:25:48and landed 29 of them
00:25:50far and away his best round statistically
00:25:52and just watching it with the naked eye
00:25:54you would have made the same judgment
00:25:56and that rally at the end of the round
00:25:58persuaded as you saw Harold Letterman
00:26:00to score the 4th for Rodriguez
00:26:02so he has something to build on now
00:26:04as we begin round number 5
00:26:06and we should mention that
00:26:08his corner has done a very good
00:26:10very professional job
00:26:12on that cut over his left eye
00:26:14which looked like a very bad cut
00:26:16when it first showed itself
00:26:18and it looks like it's in a very bad place
00:26:20right on the eyelid
00:26:22I also can say that
00:26:24Manfredi may be starting to fall a little now
00:26:26he has to tighten back up
00:26:28and pay attention
00:26:30sometimes when you get so far in front of a guy
00:26:32you get kind of bored and complacent
00:26:34Manfredi likes to throw punches from odd angles
00:26:36a couple of them recently
00:26:38have drifted very wide
00:26:40leaving an opening down the middle
00:26:42for Rodriguez
00:26:44he took advantage of it in round 4
00:26:46seems a little bit more cautious now
00:26:48in round 5
00:26:50this Rodriguez guy can surprise you
00:26:52this is exactly what he did
00:26:54to Arturo Gatti
00:26:56in the first fight
00:26:58he caught Arturo by surprise
00:27:00can't go to sleep on him
00:27:02yeah but that happened in the first couple of rounds
00:27:04and unlike Gatti
00:27:06Manfredi's eyes are still open
00:27:08when it happened
00:27:10Gatti's eyes were still open too
00:27:12yeah that's true
00:27:14just didn't stay that way for long
00:27:16Manfredi is still thinking
00:27:18Manfredi is still throwing some very good body shots though
00:27:20both men trying to work to the body in this round
00:27:22you saw Wilson Rodriguez digging
00:27:24right and left to the body
00:27:26a moment ago
00:27:28Manfredi who commits more to every punch
00:27:30does more damage when he goes to the body
00:27:32than does Rodriguez
00:27:36Rodriguez a little bit more of an arm puncher
00:27:38Manfredi does a much better job
00:27:40of getting leverage
00:27:42a power puncher
00:27:49oh there's that right hand
00:27:51two times
00:27:53a good double right hand lead by Manfredi
00:27:55very seldom do you see that kind of thing Roy
00:27:57and he does it again
00:28:07Manfredi blocking most of those shots
00:28:09that Rodriguez used to answer the uppercut
00:28:11now Angel comes back going to the body again
00:28:13oh good right hand over the top by Manfredi
00:28:19Manfredi doing a good job in this round
00:28:21of mixing his attack
00:28:23body then upstairs, body then upstairs again
00:28:25the eye has a very bad bruise under it now
00:28:27from the right hand
00:28:29I was just about to say Roy
00:28:31this is reverse deja vu
00:28:33it's now Rodriguez's eye that's closing
00:28:35and it's hurting him bad right now
00:28:37I see him messing with it with his gloves
00:28:39and there's a look at Arturo Gatti
00:28:41the 130 pound world champion
00:28:43who will be defending his title
00:28:45against the man from whom he won it
00:28:47JT Patterson
00:28:49that'll be coming up in the main event
00:28:51here on HBO's Boxing After Dark
00:28:58and here's a look at Jane Warwick
00:29:00born in Wimbledon, England
00:29:02home of the All England Club
00:29:04been traveling Europe for seven years
00:29:06queen of the German catalogs
00:29:08she's appeared in two German movies
00:29:10now modeling full time here in the USA
00:29:12represented by KO Models
00:29:15we're very happy that Jane
00:29:17is paying American taxes now
00:29:19there you saw those
00:29:21two quick right hands
00:29:23the first one had more
00:29:25on it than the second one
00:29:27but I very rarely have seen
00:29:29that kind of a combination
00:29:31and if Rodriguez keeps getting
00:29:33hit with these overhand rights
00:29:35he's gonna get knocked out soon
00:29:37with the first five rounds of the fight
00:29:39Angel Manfredi has succeeded in landing
00:29:4150% of his punches
00:29:44those are excellent numbers
00:29:46when you land 50% of your blows
00:29:48117 out of 234
00:29:50and you're throwing as many power shots
00:29:52as Manfredi is throwing
00:29:54you are doing damage to your opponent
00:29:56hard left hand shot
00:29:58there for Manfredi
00:30:00who temporarily switched stances
00:30:02and then goes back into his conventional stance
00:30:04and throws the right hand lead again
00:30:06a very versatile young fighter
00:30:08he's showing some stuff here tonight
00:30:10Roy
00:30:14I think the bodywork has almost drained
00:30:16Wilson Rodriguez's power
00:30:22if you assume that Manfredi is well ahead
00:30:24on the scorecards at this moment
00:30:26it's pretty hard to envision a scenario
00:30:28by which Rodriguez can win the fight
00:30:30unless Manfredi makes a mental error
00:30:32somewhere along the way
00:30:39that was clearly Angel Manfredi
00:30:42that was clearly Angel Manfredi
00:30:44carries more weight in his punches
00:30:46he's landing more consistently to this point
00:30:48I don't think he'll be making any mental errors
00:30:50because right now tonight
00:30:52he has more to prove than any other of the fighters
00:30:54that are showing here on this card tonight
00:30:58comes from the hometown of the great middleweight
00:31:00Tony Zale and some observers say
00:31:02if you ever got Manfredi into the ring
00:31:04with Arturo Gatti
00:31:06you have a 130 pound version
00:31:08of Zale Graziano
00:31:10with all the action that that suggests
00:31:12this could be true
00:31:16we heard tonight that Tony Zale
00:31:18is in a nursing home in Gary
00:31:20known as the man of steel
00:31:22when he was one of the great middleweights
00:31:24of the 40's
00:31:32Manfredi's father has been in the steel mills
00:31:34for 32 years
00:31:36and one of his sons is also here
00:31:38as an architect
00:31:42this town could use some new buildings
00:31:45Manfredi landing a solid right hand shot
00:31:47to the side of Wilson Rodriguez's head again
00:31:49he did it moments earlier
00:31:51while Larry was talking to you about Tony Zale
00:31:53and the right hand continues to be
00:31:55the most effective weapon throughout the bout
00:31:57for Angel Manfredi
00:31:59and Rodriguez continues to carry his left hand load
00:32:01although he is being the aggressor right now
00:32:03you have to assume Rodriguez has been carrying
00:32:05the left hand load for 55 fights
00:32:07it just may not have gotten him in as much trouble
00:32:09in some of the others as it has here
00:32:11which is why you shouldn't develop those bad habits
00:32:20Rodriguez with another of his sporadic comebacks
00:32:25only once in the fight has he been able to
00:32:27wobble Manfredi and there's a good chance
00:32:29he'll be able to
00:32:32and there's a good combination to punctuate the round
00:32:34for Wilson Rodriguez
00:32:57and there's a look at Brenda Settle
00:32:59Jersey Shore gal
00:33:01full time model here in Atlantic City
00:33:03star of various casino billboards
00:33:05around town
00:33:07represented by KO Models
00:33:13keep your left hand up
00:33:15if you don't keep your hand up
00:33:17he's going to keep coming in
00:33:19and don't stand there
00:33:21but keep that left hand up
00:33:25well Roy looks like they're telling him
00:33:27I'm not telling him what you're telling him
00:33:29keep the left hand up
00:33:31even though he's carried a load
00:33:33for 55 fights
00:33:35if it starts to harm you
00:33:37you need to pick it up
00:33:39what was it Rocky Marciano said
00:33:41was the best advice for young fighters Larry
00:33:43keep your left hand up and keep punching
00:33:49another round for Manfredi
00:33:51on the Harold Letterman scorecard
00:33:53despite Rodriguez's
00:33:55tiny comeback at the end of the round
00:33:57past the midway point of the bout now
00:33:59into the 7th
00:34:05Rodriguez by far the more experienced of the two fighters
00:34:07Angel Manfredi by far the more self assured
00:34:09in the ring tonight
00:34:11and it's been that way
00:34:13from the opening bell
00:34:15you get the sense that Manfredi was probably just about
00:34:17this confident in his first two or three fights
00:34:19he's a guy who thinks that he was born to do this
00:34:21well his first fight was
00:34:23against a guy who had fought 10 rounders
00:34:25and he lost the decision
00:34:43yeah I think
00:34:45Manfredi has really taken most of the power
00:34:47out of Rodriguez with the early body shot
00:34:52breathe breathe
00:34:54body shots usually prove to be a great
00:34:56investment over the long haul
00:35:01that's that overhand right again
00:35:03right over the top of the left hand
00:35:08as the bout has gone on
00:35:10Manfredi's got more and more room to throw
00:35:12that right hand so now he's putting a little bit more
00:35:14of an arc on it going for a little bit
00:35:16more power early in the bout it was simply
00:35:18a straight right hand shot
00:35:20but now he's coming over the top a little more
00:35:26a lot of this is probably because now
00:35:28Wilson Rodriguez is also coming forward
00:35:30before he had to reach out there and catch him
00:35:36chopping right hand again
00:35:38lands for Manfredi, Rodriguez comes back
00:35:40with a jab, a left hook, an uppercut
00:35:42right cross
00:35:44a lot of these punches are being blocked
00:35:46as Manfredi does a pretty good job
00:35:49now Rodriguez lands a right hand over the top
00:35:51giving Manfredi a little of his own medicine
00:35:53and Angel comes back with a straight right of his own
00:35:55that lands right on the cut eye
00:35:57of Wilson Rodriguez
00:35:59Angel has good head movement too
00:36:01he's slipping a lot of the straight punches by Rodriguez
00:36:04good clean fight so far
00:36:06there's been practically nothing for referee
00:36:08Wayne Hedgepeth to do
00:36:14Manfredi's body shots
00:36:16stopping Wilson Rodriguez in his tracks
00:36:24Manfredi's body shots
00:36:26stopping Wilson Rodriguez in his tracks
00:36:34a letter of movement like that
00:36:36when you try to back him up
00:36:38don't let him back you up
00:36:40cos you're giving him a little room
00:36:41you understand?
00:36:42you're giving him that extra step
00:36:43that he's jumping in with
00:36:49when you double that jab up
00:36:50come back with that right hand
00:36:53now you're forgetting
00:36:54we worked on this
00:36:56here and underneath
00:36:58up the middle
00:37:00Here, and underneath, up the middle.
00:37:03Touch him right here, and then up the middle.
00:37:06Then the hook.
00:37:07I want you to do that.
00:37:08You understand?
00:37:09Let them hands go.
00:37:10You let him take them back.
00:37:15You have to throw punches.
00:37:17I'm just thinking, throwing punches.
00:37:20You have to get strength from whatever you have it.
00:37:23We can't lose any time.
00:37:31So, Rodriguez's corner tries to communicate a sense of urgency to him as round 8 begins.
00:37:36Yeah, the faster he goes, the further he falls behind, seems to be the message.
00:37:41And they tell him to throw punches, but they're not telling him what punches to throw.
00:37:45And this has to be very disencouraging to Wilson Rodriguez.
00:37:49Well, but he's a veteran, Roy.
00:37:51He ought to know what to do by now.
00:37:53He should have a younger opponent sized up, shouldn't he?
00:37:57Well, not necessarily.
00:37:59He hasn't faced a lot of American opponents, for one.
00:38:12And your corner always should be able to look at a fight and see more than you can,
00:38:15because they're on the outside looking in.
00:38:17They're watching both fighters.
00:38:19You can only see the guy in front of you.
00:38:20You can never hardly see yourself.
00:38:28That was a good uppercut by Rodriguez.
00:38:33Well, maybe he thought he saw something there.
00:38:36Three straight uppercuts.
00:38:38Wilson Rodriguez somewhat at odds with his corner between rounds
00:38:42as they asked him to throw more punches,
00:38:45telling him he was going to lose the fight if he didn't.
00:38:47And he, in effect, said to them, I'm doing the best I can.
00:38:51And you wonder how many times Rodriguez will come to the USA
00:38:54if every time he has to meet a young gun like Gotti or Manfredi.
00:38:57He's getting worn out over here.
00:38:59If I were him, I wouldn't come back after this one.
00:39:03Rodriguez did all of his training for this fight in Madrid.
00:39:07Didn't come here to the USA until six days ago.
00:39:23Angel Manfredi trains at a police athletic league gym in Gary, Indiana.
00:39:27Often has to go to Chicago to the Windy City gym,
00:39:30where Andrew Gulotta works out, to find sparring partners.
00:39:35And I'm sure there aren't too many sparring partners
00:39:37who want to get worn out by somebody like Manfredi.
00:39:40No, I can't imagine there would be.
00:39:48Rodriguez tries another uppercut.
00:39:51That is a straight left hand.
00:39:53Temporarily stops Manfredi from punching.
00:39:56That was good shots by both fighters.
00:40:01I have to admit I'm a little amazed that Rodriguez's eye
00:40:05hasn't sprung more leaks than it has up to now,
00:40:09given how bad it looks.
00:40:13Well, he's a well-conditioned fighter.
00:40:16You pointed out, Larry, that the cut man in his corner,
00:40:18a fellow named Enrique Soria Martin,
00:40:21has done a pretty doggone good job with the cut.
00:40:41Don't let him steal the round the last ten seconds.
00:40:43I don't want that.
00:40:46You understand?
00:40:48Keep going.
00:40:50Keep going around him.
00:40:52Keep going.
00:40:53Give me the...
00:40:58Eight rounds.
00:40:59How do you have it?
00:41:00Larry, 6-2, 78-74, Angel Manfredi.
00:41:04I thought Wilson Rodriguez got busy enough
00:41:06to steal that eighth round, but I'll tell you something.
00:41:08Angel's giving him a spanking.
00:41:10And, you know, Roy Jones, I think, said it first.
00:41:12They're only in a fight.
00:41:13Real, real good defense by Angel Manfredi.
00:41:15I mean, he means an awful lot.
00:41:16He's blocking an awful lot of Wilson Rodriguez's punches
00:41:19and certainly is the harder hitter.
00:41:22I have it 5-2-1 even.
00:41:26And you saw the close-up shot of Wilson Rodriguez's eye
00:41:29as they slide the salve.
00:41:33Just at the end of the one-minute period between rounds.
00:41:36If our scores are close, Harold,
00:41:38Rodriguez is gonna have to do something dramatic and soon.
00:41:42I think that's what his corner's been trying to get across to him.
00:41:45I was beginning to wonder, did Manfredi bleed
00:41:47all the punches he's taken tonight?
00:41:49And he said he had 160 stitches, but we see no cuts.
00:41:53All we see still is a nosebleed.
00:41:55A nosebleed. Yeah, the nose is bleeding.
00:41:57It's pouring right now.
00:41:58Now, not all of the 150 to 160 stitches,
00:42:02however many there were,
00:42:03not all of them were on the exterior of the skin.
00:42:05Some of them in the interior next to the skull, Roy.
00:42:09And he claims that the doctors told him
00:42:11that the clean side of his face,
00:42:13the left side of his face,
00:42:14which wasn't cut in the automobile accident,
00:42:16would be more likely to cut in the ring
00:42:18than would the side that was surgically repaired.
00:42:21Well, they put him back together good.
00:42:23Steve Austin.
00:42:27Well, he was in ER because he drove a car into a pole
00:42:32and just managed to survive.
00:42:36Broke the telephone pole.
00:42:39Totaled the car.
00:42:41And Freddie says he pays $300 a month in automobile insurance.
00:42:45I told him I'm not sure it's worth it for him to drive.
00:42:49I can't understand why Wilson Rodriguez is backing up now.
00:42:52He's behind in this fight.
00:42:53He should be the one showing desperation.
00:43:01Right now, Rodriguez is doing just enough to lose the rounds,
00:43:06and that means to lose the fight.
00:43:09Corner asks for more uppercuts.
00:43:15Rodriguez, once again, not entirely thrilled
00:43:18with what he hears from his corner men.
00:43:20He's the one who has to fight the fight.
00:43:23You know, if he showed a sense of urgency
00:43:25and took all of these last four rounds, five rounds,
00:43:29he would still have a close decision here.
00:43:31Oh, he'd have a chance to win the fight
00:43:33if he could take the last five rounds.
00:43:36Oh, he'd have a chance to win the fight
00:43:37if he could take the last four rounds,
00:43:39but there's nothing in the momentum of the bout
00:43:41to suggest that that dramatic a change is going to take place.
00:43:45Manfredi, as you can see, is backing up a lot now,
00:43:48but he continues to land shots when he plants his feet and fires.
00:43:51He's fighting a very smart fight.
00:43:52He's boxing now because there's no sense in him taking chances
00:43:55when he's already ahead.
00:43:56It's interesting because Manfredi wanted to come here
00:43:58and impress people, but he has clearly decided
00:44:01that to win the fight will be impressive enough,
00:44:03and he's doing an excellent tactical job
00:44:06of shutting the door round by round on Wilson Rodriguez.
00:44:10The two right hands made that cut
00:44:12open up and start back bleeding again.
00:44:15Now let's see if Rodriguez tries to steal the round again
00:44:17with a flurry in the last 15 seconds.
00:44:19You heard Manfredi's corner suggesting
00:44:21that he should watch out for that.
00:44:24Let's stop moving.
00:44:30Time!
00:44:39Tracy Harris Patterson lost his 130-pound world championship
00:44:43in December of 1995 to Arturo Gatti
00:44:46in a fight that Patterson believes he should have won.
00:44:49He disputed the judges' scorecards in that fight
00:44:52asked for a rematch, and got it.
00:44:54Tonight, his second chance at Arturo Gatti
00:44:57and a chance to reverse the decision
00:44:59in that first close bout in Madison Square Garden.
00:45:06Here you see Manfredi sharpshooting that right eye.
00:45:11You saw Rodriguez blink as a spurt of blood
00:45:17went into the eye.
00:45:23No, no, I don't want to come out.
00:45:25I'm going to stay here.
00:45:27No, no, I'm going to sit here.
00:45:31What do you mean you're not going to come out?
00:45:33Is Rodriguez quitting?
00:45:35Or what?
00:45:36He wants to quit.
00:45:37You told his corner he wasn't going to come out.
00:45:39Tip round.
00:45:40He wants to quit. He's had enough.
00:45:45Well, for a guy who wants to quit,
00:45:46he sure throws a lot of punches in the first 15 seconds.
00:45:49Maybe this is his last hurrah here.
00:45:51He's obviously angry at his corner man
00:45:53for making him come out to fight the 10th round.
00:45:58Through 9 rounds, Rodriguez has thrown,
00:46:01by punch stat computations,
00:46:03more than 100 punches more than Manfredi.
00:46:05But Manfredi has landed 61 punches more than Rodriguez.
00:46:09So it's been a one-sided bout
00:46:11in terms of accurate punching
00:46:13and the damage that's been done.
00:46:15Good left hand by Manfredi.
00:46:17Manfredi is seeing like he's coming out
00:46:20to give this his last hurrah.
00:46:22He seems like he wants to say,
00:46:23if I can't knock him out this round, I'm quitting.
00:46:27Wilson Rodriguez opening up.
00:46:32Last hurrah, as Roy Jones suggests.
00:46:37Give Rodriguez credit for angry courage.
00:46:40He's doing now, I think,
00:46:42what Gaddy did in their fight.
00:46:44Roy, you suggested earlier
00:46:46he could take it to heart and learn from it,
00:46:48and I think he's trying to pull a Gaddy here.
00:46:50I hope he is.
00:46:51This is the best thing that he could do.
00:46:55Manfredi wobbling after that long right hand
00:46:58by Wilson Rodriguez.
00:47:01Rodriguez has got himself there in the fight,
00:47:03and down goes Manfredi.
00:47:08And there's a cut over
00:47:09Wilson Rodriguez's right eye now.
00:47:13You see that Manfredi got up easily,
00:47:15takes the full eight from Wayne Hedgepeth.
00:47:18Rodriguez now fighting with cuts over both eyes
00:47:20and blood flowing on both sides of his face.
00:47:28He looks like Gaddy at this moment
00:47:30with blood streaming from both eyes.
00:47:37Manfredi needs to have a good body shot
00:47:39to weaken this guy.
00:47:42Manfredi dropping the left hand,
00:47:43but now he lands the hard left.
00:47:48And Freddie's left is down again.
00:47:49Another chance for Rodriguez to land the right.
00:47:51He missed over the top.
00:47:55He just hurt Manfredi again,
00:47:56but he can't see.
00:47:57The blood is getting in his eyes very bad.
00:48:00Angel Manfredi with both hands too low in this round
00:48:03has gotten clocked three or four times,
00:48:05and Rodriguez looking for a chance
00:48:07to land that right hand one more time,
00:48:09but now I think Wilson has run out of gas.
00:48:14He just winced at one of those body shots inside.
00:48:24And Rodriguez can't see these shots coming now.
00:48:35That was a boxing after dark round.
00:48:38Crowd-pleasing round.
00:48:44You see, you're gonna rip his head off.
00:48:46You see how it is?
00:48:48You're ready.
00:48:51You are the champion.
00:48:53You are the champion.
00:48:55You are the champion.
00:48:57Anything you want.
00:48:58You can do anything you want.
00:48:59Anything you want.
00:49:01Give me the Vaseline, Luis.
00:49:03Anytime you want it, you can take this guy out.
00:49:08Here you see the right hand
00:49:11that ignited that round.
00:49:14One of the best rounds we've had recently,
00:49:17and it didn't take much of a right hand
00:49:19to put him down after that initial right hand.
00:49:23But Manfredi fought back,
00:49:26and we've got two more championship rounds to go.
00:49:30It would be fascinating to see
00:49:31if the judges scored that a two-point round
00:49:33because Manfredi did a lot of damage
00:49:35and landed 60% of his punches by copy box numbers.
00:49:38But it was Wilson Rodriguez who scored the knockdown.
00:49:41I think it's safe to say we may have World War III here.
00:49:45Now Manfredi seems inspired by the damage
00:49:47he sustained in the last round
00:49:49to go for a knockout here in the 11th.
00:49:52Why isn't Rodriguez doing the same thing?
00:49:56Why isn't he on Manfredi all over again?
00:49:59Well, he might have run out of gas in that last round, Roy.
00:50:02I don't think he ran out of gas.
00:50:03It takes just as much to take a punch
00:50:05as it does to take a knockdown.
00:50:07It takes just as much to take a punch
00:50:08as it does to throw one.
00:50:14Obviously, Rodriguez isn't capable at this moment
00:50:17of mounting the same kind of furious rally
00:50:19that got him through the tent.
00:50:21Maybe his corner should have popped him
00:50:22upside the head to upset him.
00:50:25Verbally, they've done that.
00:50:32There's the straight right hand
00:50:33that's done so much damage for Angel Manfredi
00:50:36throughout the fight.
00:50:39Oh, there are the body shots
00:50:41that have weakened Rodriguez.
00:50:46For the moment, it appears
00:50:47that the Rodriguez rally is over.
00:50:53Looks like he pushed all of his money
00:50:55into the pot in that last round.
00:50:58He's still here.
00:51:00He has a little bit left.
00:51:02I think he needs the fury
00:51:04that he felt against his corner
00:51:05when they pushed him into the ring
00:51:06to fight a round he didn't want to fight.
00:51:10He was able to use that adrenaline
00:51:12against Manfredi.
00:51:14But here in the 11th,
00:51:15the well has run dry.
00:51:31Rodriguez has a lot of energy.
00:51:53Rodriguez's arms are getting tired now.
00:51:55When you see him start to stretch those arms out,
00:51:57you can tell that they're starting to hurt a little.
00:51:59He's got his hands, shoulders and biceps
00:52:03start to tighten up.
00:52:05But I still think he is the stronger
00:52:07of the two fighters right now.
00:52:09Freeze! Freeze!
00:52:10I don't think he thinks so, though.
00:52:12At least he's not fighting as though he thinks so.
00:52:21Watch your head. Watch your head.
00:52:24Two hard left-hand shots in close by Angel Manfredi.
00:52:30Rodriguez just trying to get through the 11th.
00:52:34Maybe he'll mount one more rally in the 12th.
00:52:38His eyes are giving him a fit.
00:52:43This is the last round, you understand?
00:52:45He's gonna come out strong, keep them hands up,
00:52:47and you work them, punch for punch.
00:52:48Don't let him get off.
00:52:49Don't get hit with nothing stupid.
00:52:52Nothing stupid. Watch your right hand.
00:52:53He got hit with one stupid punch. That don't make sense.
00:52:55Right. Last round.
00:52:57This is the last round.
00:52:59Agua, agua, agua.
00:53:00Water, water.
00:53:02Venga, va.
00:53:03Wilson, un asalto.
00:53:05That's the last round. You have to start.
00:53:07You come out first.
00:53:11This is the last round, you understand?
00:53:13You know, rear's on the line, you understand?
00:53:15Come on, baby. Let's go.
00:53:17You understand? Let's go. Let's do it.
00:53:19Come on.
00:53:21This is the last round. You can beat him.
00:53:23We can win this fight.
00:53:27See the scars on the right side of Angel Manfredi's forehead
00:53:31from his 150-plus stitches
00:53:34sustained in an automobile accident three years ago.
00:53:38Briefly, Harold, how do you have it going into the last round?
00:53:41Larry, 106-102.
00:53:43Angel Manfredi, eight rounds to three.
00:53:45I think that 11th round really pulled it out for Angel.
00:53:47Now it would be a miracle for Wilson Rodriguez
00:53:50to win this fight.
00:53:51I have it 7-3 to 1.
00:53:55A three-point edge for Manfredi.
00:53:59Angel Manfredi electing to step up the activity
00:54:02in the first half minute of the 12th round,
00:54:05seizing any initiative that Rodriguez might have generated.
00:54:08But Rodriguez lands a left hook.
00:54:11And Manfredi comes back with wild right hands
00:54:14to stop Rodriguez's momentum.
00:54:17Brief, brief.
00:54:18The smartest thing Manfredi did
00:54:20was he came out and went immediately to Rodriguez's body.
00:54:24That took all of the potential energy
00:54:26that Rodriguez may have had for this last round.
00:54:32It's a point you've made before, but it's worth repeating.
00:54:35Roy Jones is the only man in the world
00:54:38who has ever been able to do that.
00:54:40And he's done it.
00:54:42It's a point you've made before, but it's worth repeating.
00:54:45Roy Jones, the largely unexposed Angel Manfredi
00:54:48stepping up in class tonight
00:54:50against a much more experienced fighter,
00:54:51has fought an exceptionally smart fight all the way.
00:54:54Yes, he has.
00:54:57He's had a little something different in every round.
00:55:00He's been the aggressor,
00:55:02pursuing Wilson Rodriguez around the ring.
00:55:05In the middle portions of the bout,
00:55:06he made Rodriguez come to him.
00:55:08When he got in trouble in the 10th round,
00:55:11he was able to weather the storm and then fight back.
00:55:13In the 11th and 12th, he has taken away
00:55:16any possible initiative
00:55:17Rodriguez may have been able to mount.
00:55:18There was another right hand
00:55:20that he's landed all night long.
00:55:23I think he's fought more like an angel than a devil,
00:55:25but to tell you the truth, he's fought a beautiful fight.
00:55:29Key to the fight,
00:55:30his effectiveness with the straight right hand.
00:55:32Early on, he established that punch
00:55:35and used it to open up cuts
00:55:36over both of Wilson Rodriguez's eyes.
00:55:41Oh, that hurt Rodriguez bad.
00:55:45Didn't look like much.
00:55:46But it hit him right on one of those cuts.
00:55:49I agree.
00:55:51Stop punching.
00:55:56I don't mean hurt him like legs, Buckle.
00:55:57I mean hurt him like pain.
00:56:00I know what you're saying. It stings.
00:56:01Yeah.
00:56:02And it's all you can think about for a few seconds.
00:56:06Oh, there's another one right on the cut.
00:56:09Good target work by Angel Manfredi.
00:56:13Oh, that's a clean right hand on the cut.
00:56:15Yep.
00:56:17And a solid left hook in there.
00:56:19I'm glad this is the last round.
00:56:21I don't know if I can take much more of this.
00:56:22Professional performance for the 22-year-old
00:56:25out of Gary, Indiana,
00:56:28who is hoping and praying for a potential shot
00:56:30at the first round.
00:56:32Who is hoping and praying for a potential shot
00:56:35at the winner of the next match
00:56:37between Arturo Gatti and Tracy Patterson.
00:56:40Wilson Rodriguez makes it through,
00:56:43and we'll wait for the judges' scorecards in this one.
00:56:46An apparent victory for Angel Manfredi
00:56:50in his first big national exposure
00:56:52here on Boxing After Dark.
00:56:54Talk about closing the show.
00:56:57By CompuBox numbers in the 12th round, Roy,
00:57:00Angel Manfredi landed 51 out of 81 punches, 63%.
00:57:04He showed brutal punching accuracy throughout the round.
00:57:07A heck of a percentage.
00:57:09Yep.
00:57:10And Wilson Rodriguez, on the other hand,
00:57:1213 out of 65,
00:57:14as he was completely unable to mount the kind of rally
00:57:17that he was hoping for in the first round.
00:57:19And he's got a lot of work ahead of him.
00:57:21Completely unable to mount the kind of rally
00:57:24that might have given him a chance
00:57:26to turn the fight around.
00:57:31Geraldo.
00:57:33Jim, 116, 111, nine rounds to three, Angel Manfredi.
00:57:37One thing I want to do, I want to put in a nice word
00:57:39for Dr. Kenneth Remsen of the Jersey State Athletic Commission.
00:57:41He was in there a good nine times after every single round,
00:57:44watching that Rodriguez cut
00:57:46to make sure that Rodriguez was able to continue.
00:57:48Really, really important safety factor.
00:57:50But Manfredi was too much, too aggressive,
00:57:52hit too hard, good balance.
00:57:53He won the fight.
00:57:57Roy Jones signaling to his buddies,
00:58:00Smoke Gaynor and Al Cole at ringside,
00:58:03how he scored the fight.
00:58:05A little sneak preview for Smoke and Al.
00:58:09They deserve it after all those years in the gym with you.
00:58:11And now let's go to Michael Buffer
00:58:12for the official results.
00:58:20Ladies and gentlemen, here at Bally's Park Place,
00:58:22Atlantic City, we go to the scorecards.
00:58:26Melvina Latham scores the bout 116 to 111.
00:58:30Paul Herman scores it the same, 116 to 111.
00:58:33And Burton Gilliam scores it 117 to 110 for the winner.
00:58:38And still WBU junior lightweight champion of the world,
00:58:44Angel El Diablo.
00:58:47And the winner of the world junior heavyweight
00:58:49champion of the world, Angel El Diablo Manfredi.
00:58:54Woo!
00:58:55Woo!
00:58:56Get up.
00:58:57Get up.
00:58:58Get up.
00:58:58I'm waiting for you.
00:59:00Get up.
00:59:00Get up.
00:59:01Get up.
00:59:02Get up.
00:59:03And now the winner of the world,
00:59:04the three-game challenger, Elisabeth Rodriguez.
00:59:07Woo!
00:59:08Woo!
00:59:09Woo!
00:59:09Woo!
00:59:10Woo!
00:59:11Woo!
00:59:12Woo!
00:59:12Woo!
00:59:12Woo!
00:59:13Woo!
00:59:13Woo!
00:59:14Woo!
00:59:14Woo!
00:59:15Woo!
00:59:15Woo!
00:59:15Woo!
00:59:16Woo!
00:59:16Woo!
00:59:16Woo!
00:59:16Woo!
00:59:17And that's a tough, hard-fought victory.
00:59:20What put you ahead?
00:59:21How did you control him through the early rounds?
00:59:24Well, this is how it goes.
00:59:25First, I'd like to thank the Lord.
00:59:26I'd like to thank HBO.
00:59:28After Dark for putting me here.
00:59:30I'd like to thank Lou DiVella.
00:59:31I'd like to thank Sadra Kushner.
00:59:32I'd like to thank WBU.
00:59:34Well, mainly, you know, I took my time.
00:59:36I got a lot of experience, you know, just because I'm 22.
00:59:38Like I said, I got a lot of experience.
00:59:40And when he caught me with that, when he dropped me,
00:59:43my legs twisted.
00:59:44So he caught me off balance.
00:59:46But I was not hurt.
00:59:46I was mentally there.
00:59:48It was a good shot, though.
00:59:49Is he the best fighter you've fought?
00:59:51Well, I'd say he was a good fighter, a very good fighter.
00:59:54He took some blows.
00:59:55I cut him up real bad.
00:59:56They should have stopped the fight.
00:59:57Those cuts were deep.
00:59:58But he was a very hard and tough fighter.
01:00:02Give us your thoughts on the Gaddy Patterson fight
01:00:05and your thoughts about fighting the winner.
01:00:07Well, you know, A, I'm a champion.
01:00:10Like I said, I fight all over the world,
01:00:12not just United States, all over the world.
01:00:14I am ready for anybody now.
01:00:16Gaddy Patterson, whoever wants to come forward and challenge
01:00:20Angel Manfredi, come forward.
01:00:21The Lord put me here, and the Lord's protecting me.
01:00:23And nobody's going to stop me, baby.
01:00:25All right.
01:00:26Thanks for telling us what you think.
01:00:28Jim, everybody's got a belt.
01:00:32So Angel Manfredi gets what he came here for,
01:00:35the recognition that goes with his unanimous decision
01:00:38victory over Wilson Rodriguez.
01:00:39He showed his susceptibility to the mistake
01:00:42when he got decked by Rodriguez on that right hand in the 10th.
01:00:45Other than that, completely in control of the fight.
01:00:47Would he be ready for someone of the class of Arturo
01:00:50Gaddy or Tracy Patterson?
01:00:51I think, indeed, he would.
01:00:53He's a very strong fighter.
01:00:54He showed poise.
01:00:55He showed a lot of confidence.
01:00:57And he showed a lot of patience.
01:00:58I think that is the main thing that young fighters
01:01:00have to be able to overcome.
01:01:02There are going to be some guys that you just cannot knock out.
01:01:05Given his style, who would Manfredi
01:01:07stand a better chance against, a slugger like Gaddy
01:01:10or a skilled boxer-puncher like Tracy Patterson?
01:01:14Woo.
01:01:15Hard to decide.
01:01:16A lot of people want to see him against Gaddy
01:01:18because we know how exciting a fight like that would be.
01:01:21I don't know, though.
01:01:22Patterson is not a guy who will back down
01:01:23from someone who puts a lot of power shots on him.
01:01:26When a guy hits Patterson hard, Patterson also becomes a banger.
01:01:30He can bang.
01:01:31Yeah, he can bang. You're right.
01:01:33We'll see more of Tracy Patterson
01:01:34when we get ready for the main event in just a moment.
01:01:36Larry, before we go to that,
01:01:38your observations about Angel Manfredi?
01:01:41He's a fighter, whatever he looks like.
01:01:44He's a fighter, and he belongs in this class of competition,
01:01:47and I could see him fighting and doing well
01:01:49against either of the fellows in our main event.
01:01:53All right.
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