This is one of the best shots from the fight, the brutal power of Alexis Arguello, they didn't call him "The Explosive Thin Man" for no reason. Hats off to Aaron Pryor, he had one hell of a chin, he walked through everything Arguello hit him with.
Let me just take a minute to say something right fast about the photos that I post. I know that a lot of them aren't going to be in the exact order that they occured in during the fight, and I apologize for that, I would like to get them in order but the truth is that I get confused trying to figure out what order they go in. So I'm just going to post the photos and enjoy the brilliance of the photography and images of the sport itself. Anyway, this was the end of the second Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello fight. Similar to the ending of their first fight, Aaron Pryor pinned Alexis Arguello against the ropes and hit him with a barrage but this time Arguello went down to the canvas sooner. This moment always get to me. While on the canvas, Alexis Arguello realized that he just wasn't going to beat Pryor, and rather than risk his life and permanent damage to himself, he acknowledged that Pryor was the better man and surrendered his dream. It took a tremendous amount of heart, guts, and courage to do that. Alexis Arguello was all class. It's one of the most heartbreaking yet amazing things I've ever seen in not only boxing history but sports history.
Looking back at the Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello fights, it's hard to put into words, but it's humbling. Both of these guys are two of the greatest to ever do it, and they gave us everything they had, they left it all in the ring, and I appreciate the hell out of it. These weren't fights, they were life-and-death struggles, 24-rounds of some of the most brutal, grueling physical combat you'll ever see. Alexis Arguello is a legend in this sport, a true, bonafide, all-time great, and he wanted so bad to become the first four-time world champion, it was his dream, and he took Aaron Pryor to hell trying to accomplish that dream. Alexis Arguello was a mountain that sent many climbers back to base camp. Pryor had his hands absolutely full with him, six bags of groceries in each hand trying to make it up an icy driveway full. But as great as Arguello was, he couldn't get past Aaron Pryor, nobody ever got past a prime Aaron Pryor.
Let's look at a few Aaron Pryor trading cards, shall we? This is the 2010 Ringside Boxing Round 1 Gold Aaron Pryor and the photo that was used for the image on the card.
Time for some photos of Aaron Pryor. This is from November 1976, his first professional fight against Larry Smith, great image of Pryor catching Smith with a left hand right on the nose, he would knock Smith out in the 2nd round.
Aaron Pryor celebrates after knocking out Jose Fernandez in round 1 of their bout on June 23rd, 1979. Pryor left a trail of destruction in his career, 40 fights and only 5 men heard the final bell against him.
Leonidas Asprilla going down after being hit by Aaron Pryor in the third round of their bout on April 13, 1980. In a fight where Pryor initially showed respect for Asprilla's power, he later dominated with relentless pressure, stopping Asprilla in the 10th.
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor flooring Akio Kameda in round 6 of their bout on July 4th, 1982.
Pryor set up a showdown with Alexis Argüello and brought his record to 31-0 with 29 KOs while making his fifth defense of the WBA junior welterweight title with a crunching 6th round TKO of Akio Kameda at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With Argüello lined up to face Pryor next, the pressure was on Pryor to perform well against the unbeaten Kameda in front of about 3,500 spectators. Not long into round 1, however, some cuffing punches combined with a footing issue sent Pryor down and into a somersault. He bounced up and attacked, but was stopped and it was called a knockdown. Kameda would pay for this.
Pryor landed an exaggerated right hand that put Kameda down moments into round 2. Kameda fought his way out of trouble for some of the round, but just before the bell he went down for a second time. Kameda endured more punishment before Pryor knocked him down before the bell again in round 3.
In round 5, their heads collided, which cut Pryor's eye and seemed to kick him into another gear. In the 6th, Pryor scored two more knockdowns, though to his credit Kameda got up each time. Finally Pryor bludgeoned the challenger and forced a referee stoppage, paving the way for a Pryor-Argüello superfight.
"This fight gave me some assurance of my ability to punch," Pryor said. "I was just getting loose when they stopped it. I had a lot more to give."
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor catching Kim Sang Hyun with a vicious uppercut during their fight in 1983 at the Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pryor would win the fight by TKO in the 3rd.
The fight almost didn't happen after reports of Pryor's managerial and health issues, which he said were caused by stress. He'd also gotten into trouble several times by this point, however.
The fight ultimately happened and Pryor delivered with a dominant performance.
A ringside report said:
"Pryor went on the attack from the outset of the first round against Kim, pinning the 28-year-old challenger on the ropes as he lashed out with combinations to the body. Pryor stayed on the offensive in the second round, working on his southpaw opponent's head with left hooks and stinging rights.
Pryor landed a barrage of unanswered punches in the third round before Referee Carlos Benocal of Panama stepped in to stop it. It was Pryor's seventh title defense since he won the crown from Antonio Cervantes in August 1980."
"I just outclassed him," Pryor said. "I outboxed him."
Aaron Pryor sparring with "Sugar" Ray Leonard at Queen City Gym on July 9th, 1978. Leonard was helping Pryor prepare for his bout against Marion Thomas. Two all-time greats.
Here are some photos of Aaron Pryor with Buddy LaRosa. Buddy LaRosa was the manager, mentor, and close friend of Aaron Pryor. As a prominent Cincinnati businessman and founder of a pizza chain, LaRosa managed Pryor from 1977 to 1987, guiding him through his prime title-winning years. He was instrumental in managing the “Hawk’s” career, even during periods of personal turmoil, and remained a lasting mentor.
This is an image from the Aaron Pryor vs "Stormin" Norman Goins fight at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on April 13th, 1979. One hell of a fight, Goins gave Pryor all he could handle up until the 9th round when Pryor knocked him out.
Aaron Pryor and Nicky Furlano before their fight at the Varsity Stadium at U of Toronto on June 22nd, 1984 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pryor defeated Nicky Furlano by a 15-round unanimous decision to retain his IBF Junior Welterweight Championship. Despite being knocked down twice in the first round, Furlano went the distance, becoming the first fighter to last 15-rounds with the hard-hitting "Hawk" since 1977.
Photos from the Aaron Pryor-Nicky Furlano fight. You have to hand it to Furlano, lasting the distance with Aaron Pryor was no easy feat, Pryor was hell on wheels, one of the most destructive forces in boxing history.
This is an awesome find I ran across, Buddy LaRosa used to run these sports profiles in the newspaper as a part of his pizzeria advertising and this is Aaron Pryor in a newspaper advertisement for Buddy LaRosa's sports, before he turned pro circa 1/11/1975. Of course he would go on to be managed by LaRosa from 1977-1987 as a professional.
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor vs Detroit Kronk legend Hilmer Kenty in 1976 in the US Amateurs. They fought eachother in the amateurs close to a dozen times if I'm not mistaken. Underneath the photo is an interesting comment from a former amateur boxer that was around the same time as Pryor. He isn't kidding, Aaron Pryor was no joke, I honestly wouldn't pick many junior welterweights in history to beat a prime Aaron Pryor. I'll tell you what, Aaron Pryor vs Julio Cesar Chavez, prime for prime, is a wet dream of a matchup.
Comments
Look at this photo of Alexis Arguello catching Aaron Pryor with a brutal left hook that turns Pryor's head completely sideways.
Wicked image of Alexis Arguello going underneath Aaron Pryor's guard to get in a body shot.
Arguello going after Pryor in the corner.
Aaron Pryor unloads the firepower.
Aaron Pryor lands a beautiful right hand right on the jaw of Alexis Arguello.
Aaron Pryor catches Arguello with a body shot.
This is one of the best shots from the fight, the brutal power of Alexis Arguello, they didn't call him "The Explosive Thin Man" for no reason. Hats off to Aaron Pryor, he had one hell of a chin, he walked through everything Arguello hit him with.
Epic photo of Aaron Pryor sitting in his corner with the Vaseline streaming down his face and murder in his eyes.
Great image of Aaron Pryor breaking right through Arguello's guard and landing a left hook right to the side of his head.
Aaron Pryor slipping shots from Arguello.
This is a fantastic shot, look at the long arm of Arguello delivering a straight left that hits Pryor like a stun gun, wow, what an image.
Awesome shot of Pryor parrying an uppercut from Arguello.
Arguello slips a right hand from Pryor and lands a body shot.
Arguello catches Pryor again with that straight left, look at the expression on Pryor's face, he looks like he was just tased.
Epic shot with the mist.
Great shot of Pryor missing with a left and connecting with a right.
Let me just take a minute to say something right fast about the photos that I post. I know that a lot of them aren't going to be in the exact order that they occured in during the fight, and I apologize for that, I would like to get them in order but the truth is that I get confused trying to figure out what order they go in. So I'm just going to post the photos and enjoy the brilliance of the photography and images of the sport itself. Anyway, this was the end of the second Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello fight. Similar to the ending of their first fight, Aaron Pryor pinned Alexis Arguello against the ropes and hit him with a barrage but this time Arguello went down to the canvas sooner. This moment always get to me. While on the canvas, Alexis Arguello realized that he just wasn't going to beat Pryor, and rather than risk his life and permanent damage to himself, he acknowledged that Pryor was the better man and surrendered his dream. It took a tremendous amount of heart, guts, and courage to do that. Alexis Arguello was all class. It's one of the most heartbreaking yet amazing things I've ever seen in not only boxing history but sports history.
Looking back at the Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello fights, it's hard to put into words, but it's humbling. Both of these guys are two of the greatest to ever do it, and they gave us everything they had, they left it all in the ring, and I appreciate the hell out of it. These weren't fights, they were life-and-death struggles, 24-rounds of some of the most brutal, grueling physical combat you'll ever see. Alexis Arguello is a legend in this sport, a true, bonafide, all-time great, and he wanted so bad to become the first four-time world champion, it was his dream, and he took Aaron Pryor to hell trying to accomplish that dream. Alexis Arguello was a mountain that sent many climbers back to base camp. Pryor had his hands absolutely full with him, six bags of groceries in each hand trying to make it up an icy driveway full. But as great as Arguello was, he couldn't get past Aaron Pryor, nobody ever got past a prime Aaron Pryor.
Let's look at a few Aaron Pryor trading cards, shall we? This is the 2010 Ringside Boxing Round 1 Gold Aaron Pryor and the photo that was used for the image on the card.
2010 Ringside Boxing Mecca Turkey Red Gold Aaron Pryor and the photo that was used for the image on the card.
This photo was also used for the image on his 2010 Ringside Boxing Round 1 - Authentic Memorabilia card and his 2015 Leaf Legends of Sport card.
This is the other 2010 Ringside Boxing Mecca Turkey Red Aaron Pryor card and the photo that was used for the image on the card.
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter - Framed Mini Relics Aaron Pryor and the photo of Pryor that was used for the image on the card.
That image of Pryor was also used on the 2008 Topps Co-Signers card.
Time for some photos of Aaron Pryor. This is from November 1976, his first professional fight against Larry Smith, great image of Pryor catching Smith with a left hand right on the nose, he would knock Smith out in the 2nd round.
Aaron Pryor celebrates after knocking out Jose Fernandez in round 1 of their bout on June 23rd, 1979. Pryor left a trail of destruction in his career, 40 fights and only 5 men heard the final bell against him.
Leonidas Asprilla going down after being hit by Aaron Pryor in the third round of their bout on April 13, 1980. In a fight where Pryor initially showed respect for Asprilla's power, he later dominated with relentless pressure, stopping Asprilla in the 10th.
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor flooring Akio Kameda in round 6 of their bout on July 4th, 1982.
Pryor set up a showdown with Alexis Argüello and brought his record to 31-0 with 29 KOs while making his fifth defense of the WBA junior welterweight title with a crunching 6th round TKO of Akio Kameda at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With Argüello lined up to face Pryor next, the pressure was on Pryor to perform well against the unbeaten Kameda in front of about 3,500 spectators. Not long into round 1, however, some cuffing punches combined with a footing issue sent Pryor down and into a somersault. He bounced up and attacked, but was stopped and it was called a knockdown. Kameda would pay for this.
Pryor landed an exaggerated right hand that put Kameda down moments into round 2. Kameda fought his way out of trouble for some of the round, but just before the bell he went down for a second time. Kameda endured more punishment before Pryor knocked him down before the bell again in round 3.
In round 5, their heads collided, which cut Pryor's eye and seemed to kick him into another gear. In the 6th, Pryor scored two more knockdowns, though to his credit Kameda got up each time. Finally Pryor bludgeoned the challenger and forced a referee stoppage, paving the way for a Pryor-Argüello superfight.
"This fight gave me some assurance of my ability to punch," Pryor said. "I was just getting loose when they stopped it. I had a lot more to give."
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor catching Kim Sang Hyun with a vicious uppercut during their fight in 1983 at the Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pryor would win the fight by TKO in the 3rd.
The fight almost didn't happen after reports of Pryor's managerial and health issues, which he said were caused by stress. He'd also gotten into trouble several times by this point, however.
The fight ultimately happened and Pryor delivered with a dominant performance.
A ringside report said:
"Pryor went on the attack from the outset of the first round against Kim, pinning the 28-year-old challenger on the ropes as he lashed out with combinations to the body. Pryor stayed on the offensive in the second round, working on his southpaw opponent's head with left hooks and stinging rights.
Pryor landed a barrage of unanswered punches in the third round before Referee Carlos Benocal of Panama stepped in to stop it. It was Pryor's seventh title defense since he won the crown from Antonio Cervantes in August 1980."
"I just outclassed him," Pryor said. "I outboxed him."
Aaron Pryor sparring with "Sugar" Ray Leonard at Queen City Gym on July 9th, 1978. Leonard was helping Pryor prepare for his bout against Marion Thomas. Two all-time greats.
Here are some photos of Aaron Pryor with Buddy LaRosa. Buddy LaRosa was the manager, mentor, and close friend of Aaron Pryor. As a prominent Cincinnati businessman and founder of a pizza chain, LaRosa managed Pryor from 1977 to 1987, guiding him through his prime title-winning years. He was instrumental in managing the “Hawk’s” career, even during periods of personal turmoil, and remained a lasting mentor.
This is an image from the Aaron Pryor vs "Stormin" Norman Goins fight at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on April 13th, 1979. One hell of a fight, Goins gave Pryor all he could handle up until the 9th round when Pryor knocked him out.
Aaron Pryor and Nicky Furlano before their fight at the Varsity Stadium at U of Toronto on June 22nd, 1984 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pryor defeated Nicky Furlano by a 15-round unanimous decision to retain his IBF Junior Welterweight Championship. Despite being knocked down twice in the first round, Furlano went the distance, becoming the first fighter to last 15-rounds with the hard-hitting "Hawk" since 1977.
Photos from the Aaron Pryor-Nicky Furlano fight. You have to hand it to Furlano, lasting the distance with Aaron Pryor was no easy feat, Pryor was hell on wheels, one of the most destructive forces in boxing history.
Got a few Aaron Pryor magazine covers to show, this is Aaron Pryor on the cover of Boxing Illustrated in September 1981.
This is a classic magazine cover.
Love the design of this cover.
Epic cover with the Gold tooth showing.
Pryor and Arguello.
Sick image of Aaron Pryor wearing The Ring championship belt.
This is an awesome find I ran across, Buddy LaRosa used to run these sports profiles in the newspaper as a part of his pizzeria advertising and this is Aaron Pryor in a newspaper advertisement for Buddy LaRosa's sports, before he turned pro circa 1/11/1975. Of course he would go on to be managed by LaRosa from 1977-1987 as a professional.
This is a photo of Aaron Pryor vs Detroit Kronk legend Hilmer Kenty in 1976 in the US Amateurs. They fought eachother in the amateurs close to a dozen times if I'm not mistaken. Underneath the photo is an interesting comment from a former amateur boxer that was around the same time as Pryor. He isn't kidding, Aaron Pryor was no joke, I honestly wouldn't pick many junior welterweights in history to beat a prime Aaron Pryor. I'll tell you what, Aaron Pryor vs Julio Cesar Chavez, prime for prime, is a wet dream of a matchup.
Yeah. Music break.