At that point, commentator Gil Clancy pointed out something that I had also noticed, "The big difference that I see so far is that Garza is much the shorter puncher of the two......he'll beat Meza to the punch because Meza is a wide puncher." Then, a split-second after he said that, it happened.

Jaime began to throw a counter hook after Meza had missed with a short combo. Unfortunately for him, he kept his right arm low which created an opening. Meanwhile, Meza, by missing with his right dipped and in so doing was in excellent position to trigger his own hook.

His blow was launched just before Garza's. So there it was in plain sight.....hooking with the hooker. We all rose and started screaming because we knew what had just occurred. Ready for a devastating result, we were not disappointed. Meza had beaten Garza to the punch with shocking effect.

The savage hook struck Garza on the sweet point of his jaw, snapping his head violently to the side. His body twisted grotesquely and crashed hard to the canvas, his head bouncing dangerously off the canvas. Garza's eyes rolled up into his head. He was in bad shape but made avail ant effort pull himself upright after rolling under the ropes. His effort was too little too late. Referee LoBianco reached the count of ten a split-second before Garza fully regained his feet, but he would have been in no shape to continue even if he had beaten the count. A new and jubilant champion had been crowned. 

The ko was named 1984's Knockout of the Year by KO Magazine. Juan Meza became the first challenger in boxing history to be dropped in round one, get up and knock out the world champion in the same first round. That's the kind of ebb and flow I like even if it all took place in one round.

Julio Gonzalez-Julian Letterlough: In February 2001, I watched a televised fight from Columbus, Ohio between Julio Gonzalez and the late Julian Letterlough that featured five knockdowns and incredible be band flow. What I witnessed has stayed with me to this day. The artillery went off twenty-seconds into the first round when Gonzalez (26-0, 16 KO's) dropped Letterlough (15-1-1, 15 KO's) with two jabs and a right hand flush to the jaw. Then, at the 2:20 mark of the 3rd, Letterlough caught Gonzalez with a clean counter right hand also flush on the chin. It decked him. Both fighters continued to trade bombs in the fourth round and then at 2:48 of the 5th, Letterlough drilled Julio with a brutal left hook to the head. Gonzalez hit the canvas for the second time...this time he fell face forward.
 

They would trade back and forth for the next several rounds taking turns rocking each other with hooks, uppercuts, straight shots and engaging in furious flurry's.. Gonzalez smothered Julian in the tenth scoring heavily to the body. However, with 57-seconds remaining in that round, he got caught with another perfect right hand flush on the jaw. He went down like he had been shot with an elephant gun. His head slammed against the floor and bounced dangerously off the canvas.

With his eyes rolling back into his head, I would have bet my home that he was done. But somehow, someway, he got up himself upright using the ropes to climb back up. He barely made it, but he found the strength to survive the round. Then, incredibly, at 1:24 of the 11th, Gonzalez caught Letterlough coming in with a crisp combination. Letterlough, off balance, went down for the second time. The fans were up and roaring and in total disbelief. At the end of this savage war, Gonzalez had done just enough over the course of twelve back and forth rounds to garner one of the hardest earned victories one could imagine. Whew! My jaw aches just writing about it!

Proving he was the real McCoy, Gonzalez would go on to upset Dariusz Michalczewski in 2003 to win the WBO Light Heavyweight Title.....which he would later lose to Clinton Woods in 2005. His current record is 40-3 and he is still very much in the mix.

Ernie Shavers-Roy "Tiger" Williams: The last two rounds of the Ernie Shavers-Roy "Tiger" Williams fight in December 1976 had to be seen to be believed (luckily I have the tape). The Tiger started strong in the ninth and landed a number of solid shots He seemed in charge but then tired midway though the round and Ernie came on, bombing away. Roy had to hold on and regroup. With about a minute to go, it happened. Roy snapped off one of the hardest left hooks I have ever seen and staggered Ernie who was now in big trouble. After some follow-up shots, Shavers looked ready to go as Tiger mixed short left hooks with two or three short right leads on top of Shaver's shaven head. Ernie had no answer and likely was saved by the bell. He staggered back to his corner a very tired boxer. The crowd, which included Joe Louis, was up and roaring; they were anticipating the kill. Clearly, this was the Tiger's time.
 

The last round began and Shavers came out visibly exhausted while Williams appeared confident and ready to end matters and finally emerge as a serious heavyweight contender. He quickly moved Ernie into a corner and applied brutal, non- stop punishment until the Referee called a standing 8 count. Tiger, thinking the fight had been stopped, turned around and raised his hands in victory but when he turned back to see a determined Shavers still standing, his spirit visibly sagged. Still, he came on and hit Shavers with blows that would surely have knocked out anybody else.

Then, all of a sudden, Ernie started to connect with some medium hard blows to Roy's body which slowed him down. But then he connected with up. He was now hurt and Ernie sensed it. He moved the Tiger into a corner and began throwing his own bombs. Roy Williams could not withstand the ferocious onslaught and the Referee now gave him a standing eight, incredibly the second in the round! Ernie stood poised, albeit exhausted, and ready to move in. As the referee ordered Roy to begin fighting, he took a step forward, hesitated, and then collapsed in the corner a beaten man. Ernie sagged over the ropes too tired to celebrate. The fight was over. Ernie had won, but the Tiger had indeed roared and I'll never forget it.

Bob Satterfield vs. Rex Layne-Lee Oma: Satterfield's fight with Rex Layne (29-1-2 coming in) in 1951, and one I witnessed on TV, was typical of his unpredictable bouts. In this one, he came out bombing and quickly knocked the granite-chin Layne down for an eight count in the first round, no easy trick. Layne appeared totally out on his feet, but somehow managed to last out the round. Bob had let him off the hook, and Rex slowly came on and ever-so-gradually began to dictate the pace and take control. Hard core Satterfield fans, of which there were many, knew Bob had committed a fatal mistake; they what was coming. Layne floored Satterfield hard with a left hook in the 8th. Bob went down like he had been shot but somehow got back up at the count of six. However, he was totally out on his feet and referee Mark Conn stopped the bout. Layne really impressed in that fight, displaying an effective jab, decent speed, and showed how good his chin was by taking a flush Satterfield right hand and getting back up. This was a classic that included thunderous punching and great heart; two contenders in there primes bringing there top games into the ring. Layne would later be "ruined" by Rocky Marciano

But perhaps the classic Satterfield fight was in the Chicago Stadium in 1950 against Lee Oma ( 62-26-3 coming in). Satterfield was floored for a nine count in the 5th round and barely made it to his feet. Oma moved in for the kill but Satterfield suddenly dropped him with a quick right. Oma, still on the floor when the round ended, was saved by the bell. Satterfield then knocked him cold with a savage right in the next round that had the Stadium crowd oohing and ahhing with the unpredictable ebb and flow. That oohing and ahhing was what boxing was and is all about in those days and always sent shivers down my spine.

Had enough? If not, there will be a part two...