This giant squid washed up in New Zealand and you can see how big it is compared to a full-grown man. If one of these ever got it's tentacles around you, it could do some damage. A giant squid could cause fatal injuries to a human through immense suction-cup force, serrated tentacles, and a powerful beak if a rare encounter occurred. While they normally inhabit deep water and rarely encounter people, their strength could crush bones, cause deep lacerations, and drag a person into deep water.
Yeah, it's Randy Shields time. He was a welterweight that fought from 1974-1990, tough as $hit, he stood in there with some bangers. Crazy thing is, he looked like a strong breeze would blow him over, but looks can be deceiving because he had a chin made of pure granite, took the murderous punching Pipino Cuevas the distance, he had a notable rivalry with Sugar Ray Leonard, handing Leonard a rare loss in the 1973 National AAU Championships before Leonard won a 10-round unanimous decision in their 1978 professional matchup. It's crazy, after he retired he stopped a couple of robbers that shot up a diner he was at in LA in 1992.
Randy Shields in action
Max Boxing
Former NABF welterweight champion Randy Shields: Survival of the fittest
April 20, 2026
By: John J. Raspanti
In 1992, retired boxer Randy Shields was minding his own business at a local diner in the San Fernando Valley, CA.
In 1992, retired boxer Randy Shields was minding his own business at a local diner in the San Fernando Valley, CA.
It was nearing midnight, the cafe half-full of regulars. Shields was a regular as well. He was seated near the back of the establishment, writing a screenplay, when three gunmen burst in, one waving a shotgun that he fired into the ceiling.
Shields hit the floor and crawled to a darkened room at the back. One of the gunmen spotted him and fired. Shields felt a stabbing pain in his upper leg. He managed to back himself into the room. Bullets whizzed past him in the darkness. In all the commotion, Shields, who occasionally worked as a bodyguard at the time, remembered he had a gun.
The robbers wanted money. When Shields heard a waitress being threatened, followed by another shot, he made a decision.
“I had to do something,” he told this writer a few weeks ago.
Shields did. He stepped out of the back room, spotted the bad guys, and fired.
“It was something out of a John Wayne movie,” recalled Shields.
The gunmen fled with Shields in pursuit. In the exchange of gunfire that followed, Shields managed to shoot and injure two of the suspects. Hours later, they were captured by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Dodging and ducking have always been an important part of Shields’ life. He took up boxing as a youngster, imitating his father Sonny, who boxed and worked in the movies as an actor and stuntman.
“As long as you’re serious,” the elder Shields told his son.
Shields was.
He worked hard before competing in amateur fights. He was a natural talent, it seemed. At 15, Shields was sparring with professional fighters. He went to war with world title challenger Frankie Crawford on a daily basis.
“Frankie was tough,” remembers Shields, who also sparred with legendary Roberto Duran.
Over the course of his amateur career, Shields captured the California state championship six times. He compiled a record 88-3-1, with 67 knockouts, among them a decisive victory over future legend Sugar Ray Leonard, that earned him the 1973 National Amateur Athletic Union junior welterweight title.
“Fighting Randy Shields is like fighting a shadow,” said Leonard a few years ago. “You think he’s there, but he’s not.”
At 19, Shields turned professional. His debut at the Olympic Auditorium was hardly a gimme. Victor Abraham was a tough egg from San Diego. On the night of the fight, Shields was battling a 102-degree fever. Illness and multiple injuries would conspire against him throughout his entire career.
"I had this cold and I couldn’t breathe," Shields recalled in a story for the LA Times.
Sick or not, Shields had to fight. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
His first year in the pro game, he was off and running. Fighting in the lightweight division, the 5’11’ string bean fought an incredible 18 times, winning them all and scoring 11 knockouts.
“My dad liked to keep me busy,” said Shields.
In 1975, he stopped Carlos Barajos, defeated veteran Miguel Mayan twice, and won a hard-fought 10-round fight over Arturo “Tury” Pineda, who two years before had knocked out two-time world champion Mando Ramos.
Many considered his victory over Pineda, ranked as the second-best lightweight at the time, an upset. Shields had climbed to number six in the world. His resilience would be tested in his next two fights.
Shields was 26-0 when he met tough Vicente Mijares of Mexico. Shields was the favorite, but Mijares won the fight on cuts. The rematch went down a little over two months later. Shields got off to a lead, but Mijares won the fight by a close decision.
Shields took some time off. Within two years, he had fought 28 times. The rest did him good.
He returned to the Olympic to face veteran Ramiro Bolanos, a veteran of 61 fights. Shields boxed well, winning the match by a wide decision. Next up was super-quick Ray Lampkin, who, the year before, had given the great Roberto Duran a fight until succumbing by knockout in round 14.
Lampkin was anxious for a rematch with Duran. He’d won his last two bouts and would be fighting for the sixth time at the Multnomah County Expo Center in Portland, Oregon.
Shields dominated from the onset. He floored Lampkin in the second round and knocked him cold with a right cross a few minutes later. Two more victories followed, setting up a bout with a NABF welterweight champion, Pete Ranzany of Sacramento, CA.
The fight was over quickly due to an accidental head butt. They went at it again three months later. Shields and Ranzany battled it out until a bad cut over Shields’ left eye forced the referee to stop the contest in round 11
A few months later, Shields was fighting future Hall of Famers Wilifred Benitez and, in something of a grudge match, Leonard, who was anxious to avenge his amateur loss. The Leonard fight was competitive. To this day, Shields believes that Leonard received a hometown decision.
With no rest for the weary, two months later, he was back in the ring.
Shields was only 22 years old but had already engaged in 36 fights. Childhood illnesses weakened him. Injuries hampered him. Arguments with his contentious father nagged at him.
Shields found solace in writing poetry and short stories. He wrote for himself, allowing his imagination to run wild. He didn’t consider himself much of a writer, throwing away his work like one would a discarded old newspaper. That all changed when his mother discovered something he had written tossed in the garbage.
“Randy,” she said. “Don’t throw this away, it’s good.”
Shields listened. He started writing screenplays. People who read his work agreed with his mother. He had talent. Boxing paid the bills, but writing was his passion.
“I fought because it was something I could do,” Shields said. “I write because I love it.”
Returning to the ring wars in 1979, he faced Jose Palacios, who, 15 months before, had upset highly ranked welterweight Armando Muniz. Shields used his spearing jab to win the fight by unanimous decision.
His next fight would be against the reigning welterweight champion of the world, Pipino Cuevas in Chicago, Ill. Cuevas had defended his title eight times, winning them all by knockout. He entered the fight as a 10-1 favorite.
The fight was a barnburner from the opening bell.
Both fighters hurt their hands pounding on each other. Cuevas in the second round, Shields soon after.
“I kept hitting him with my right hand,” Shields told the Chicago writers after the fight. “I don’t care. I’ll keep throwing it when its broken. I make no excuses.”
The match was razor-close. Shields was the better boxer, but Cuevas was more powerful. Several rounds could have gone either way. Shields had a cut over his left eye. Cuevas was bleeding from his nose. The bout was a grueling affair that went the distance. One judge had Cuevas winning by six points, while the other two had the champion the victor by a single point.
Shields came up one round short of winning the world championship.
He shook off the loss and won his next five fights in a row, including capturing the vacant NABF welterweight title by knocking out Jose Figueroa at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. The victory earned Shields a shot at murderous puncher, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, who had won the WBA world title by knocking out Cuevas six months before.
Shields tore his rotator cuff a few weeks before the fight was scheduled to go down in Phoenix, AZ. His father wouldn’t postpone the bout. Shields could barely move his left arm. A shot of cortisone numbed it before the fight. His shoulder was never the same.
Hearns had knocked out 28 of 30 opponents. He expected to knock out Shields. He didn’t.
Totally outgunned, Shields hung in like grim death, absorbing punishment but refusing to go down. By round eight, blood was leaking from cuts around both eyes.
Shields refused to quit.
“Not all acts of courage are performed on the battlefield,” said Howard Cosell, who was calling the fight for ABC Sports. “This is a battlefield of its own, and the acts of courage by Randy Shields are just tremendous.”
The fight was stopped before round 13 commenced. Shields’ career was winding down. He fought five more times, his body rarely given time to heal properly. His father insisted.
“My dad was an asshole,” said Shields.
After fighting Hearns, his father matched him against another undefeated Detroit puncher, Milt McCrory. Shields fought hard but was stopped. The injuries were piling up. His father wouldn’t acknowledge what was happening.
“He didn’t care,” said Shields. “He said his job was to get me the fights. To him, it was all about money.”
“You were my brother, you should have looked after me a little bit,” says Terry Malloy to his brother Charlie in the classic film On the Waterfront.
Change the word brother to father and the dynamic between Shields and his father is complete.
After losing to McCrory, Shields didn’t fight for nine months. He returned to defeat rising prospect Jeff Morgan. He dropped down in weight to face future junior welterweight champion Johnny Bumphus in 1983. Bumphus was young and hungry. He won the fight by TKO.
Shields was tired of the constant pain. He fought one more time seven years later, winning the bout by decision but also sustaining a broken jaw in the second round. This time, his retirement was permanent. And unlike so many other fighters before him, he never felt the urge to come back.
“It was easy really,” Shields said. “I was tired of being a pawn, instead of a king.”
Since then, whenever he has any free time, he writes. He’s completed several screenplays and treatments.
Nobody ever questioned Shields’ courage, toughness, and honesty when he boxed. The same sentiment applies outside of the ring. He’s a good man who just happened to fight once upon a time.
Though he accomplished a lot in his amateur and professional boxing careers, Shields is hardly impressed. He moves through life at his own speed, rarely looking back.
For Shields, the memories are fine, but it’s his writing that sustains him.
Featured in "Blood on My Notebook" by John J. Raspanti
This is really cool, an article written in 1981 where the press interviewed Randy Shields about who he thought was going to win the first showdown between Sugar Ray Robinson and Thomas Hearns, by this point in his career Randy Shields had fought both of them.
Randy Shields and Thomas Hearns square-off during their fight in 1981
Randy Shields has been in some boxing wars in...
By: Rich Tosches, UPI Sports
Sept. 13, 1981
LOS ANGELES -- Randy Shields has been in some boxing wars in his life. He has won 38 of 46 bouts as a professional and is ranked in the top 10 in the world among welterweights.
He has the heart of a lion, a chin like a brick wall and enormous boxing skills. However, he lacks punching power and quickness. He'll more than likely never be a champion.
But Shields has fought the very best and come away without train whistles blowing in his head. He's gone 12 rounds with Thomas Hearns and 10 with Sugar Ray Leonard without leaving his feet.
He was beaten by both men, but neither fight was lopsided. Shields hit Hearns with some bombs to the body and chin before losing on cuts. Against Leonard, Shields showed off his boxing skills and kept the fight very close.
And he learned an awful lot in those 22 rounds. He knows each man's strength and each man's weakness. And after 66 grueling minutes in the ring, he knows each man's heart.
Based on those two fights, Shields says Leonard will win Wednesday night's showdown in Las Vegas, Nev., between Hearns, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, and Leonard, the World Boxing Council champion.
'Hearns can't fight inside,' Shields said. 'I scored almost whenever I wanted to against him by going inside to the body, to the head. He can't do anything with guys that get inside. You can get inside and really hurt Hearns.
'What he has to do against Leonard if he stands a chance is to neutralize his inside move. When Hearns throws a jab and misses, Leonard is going to come in with those combinations to the body and head that could turn out the lights on Hearns. What he's got to do is throw Leonard off balance and tie him up. If he can't do that, he's going to lose. And his ribs are going to be sore as hell for weeks.'
Hearns, with his unnatural (for a welterweight) 6-2 frame and 78 -inch reach, will try to keep Leonard at a distance and jab, setting up the thunderous right that has knocked out 30 of 32 opponents. For the first few rounds, Shields says, Hearns will find Leonard with that jab. He will also land a few of the overhand rights.
But Leonard won't go down. In two bouts with Roberto Duran he's learned how to survive when stunned. That ability to keep fighting, Shields says, will unnerve Hearns.
'Hearns' best chance was for an early knockout,' Shields said. 'But after seeing a couple of his best shots land without the fight ending, he'll begin to get nervous. It will be all new for him. He won't understand it.'
That's when Leonard will take control.
'Leonard will start landing those combinations,' Shields said. 'He's so damn quick you wouldn't believe it. In our fight I could see the first punch coming, and maybe the second, and stop them. But he throws three and four and five at a time. Eventually, a lot of them start getting in.'
Shields said there's a big difference in the offense of Hearns and Leonard.
'Hearns' right hand is his killer,' he said. It's like a hammer. He caught me with it three times and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. It just goes 'thud' against your head and knocks you backward.
'Leonard doesn't have that big crushing punch, but his are sharper. They sting more. He hits you with that hook and it really hurts. Like a whip. And then while you're trying to figure things out he's on you with a half-dozen more just like it. It dazes you.'
The one unknown factor in the fight, Shields said, is conditioning. He said you can never tell until the fight begins just how hard the fighters have trained. In that department, he said Hearns may have his only advantage.
'From what I've heard,' Shields said, 'Hearns has been pouring it on. It's his big day. The biggest he'll ever have. This is make or break time for him.
'And Leonard has been laying off a bit, they tell me.'
Simply, Shields thinks Hearns can end the fight early if he lands one or two of those cement-mixer right hands. But more likely, he said, Leonard will avoid the early Hearns' barrage with his amazing quickness. As the fight wears on, Hearns should tire more than Leonard.
'By the eighth or ninth rounds, Hearns should be more open for those Leonard combinations,' Shields said. 'And I don't care who you are, those combinations become a blur after a while. You see some of the punches, but not all of them.
'And Leonard only needs to land five or six of those damn things in a row to end the fight.'
One more article about the career of Randy Shields and then we'll post some photos.
Ringside Report Looks Back at Randy Shields – Boxing News
By: Daniel Sisneros
Randy Shields was one of the USA’s top amateur stars of the early 1970’s. He went 88-3-1, winning 67 by knockout! The 6 time California State Amateur Champion also has the honor of handing one of the few defeats to Sugar Ray Leonard in the amateur ranks.
He turned professional on Jan. 17, 1974 with a 6 round unanimous decision victory over highly regarded Victor Abraham. His first big test came in August of 1975 when he put his undefeated record (24-0, 14 ko’s) on the line against world ranked contender Arturo “Turi” Pineda (25-5-1, 21 knockouts). Shields boxed beautifully winning a unanimous 10 round decision at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. He won the Los Angeles showdown on scores of 6-4, 8-2, and 9-0-1. Shields had served notice to the boxing world that he was a serious threat to win a world title.
2 fights later, Randy would taste defeat for the first time, at the hands of undefeated Vicente Mijares (7-0, 2 ko). Shields was stopped on cuts and a rematch was ordered. It was nearly 3 months later when Shields would get his shot at redemption, and this time it was an elimination match for a shot at the WBC World Title. It was an all out war, but Mijares would again come out on top, this time via Unanimous Decision on scores of 6-4-2, 7-4-1, and 7-5 in rounds.
Big wins over Ramiro Bolanos (51-10-2, 30 ko) and Ray Lampkin (34-5-1, 16 ko) would catapult Shields into his first shot at a major title belt. It was Oct. 21, 1977 and Shields would have to travel to the Champs home town of Sacramento California where he would face NABF Welterweight Champion Pete Ranzany (35-1, 23 ko). The bout ended in round 2 due to a clash of heads, and was recorded as a technical Draw. The fight was just too promising to let things end this way, so a rematch took place just 3 months later at the same venue. This time the champion – Ranzany stopped Shields at 1:54 of the 11th bloody and bruising round.
Shields performance cemented his place as a ranked contender, and he faced mostly world class opposition after the battles with Ranzany. He went 2-2 in his next four bouts, with the two losses coming to boxing legends Wilfred Benitez, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
July 30, 1979 was the day Shields would finally get a crack at the World Title when he faced WBA Welterweight Champion Pipino Cuevas in Chicago. It was a wild affair that went the entire 15 round distance. Cuevas kept his World Title belt with a controversial unanimous decision on scores of 72-71, 72-71, and 73-67.
Shields scored two more victories after the loss against Cuevas, and was rewarded with another chance at the NABF Welterweight title that had eluded him in his 2nd bout against Pete Ranzany. This time it was for the Vacant Title, and Shields would overwhelm his opponent Jose Figueroa, completely outclassing him and stopping him via technical knockout in round 3.
Randy Shields now held the NABF Title belt, and after scoring a big win over Luis Mateo (9-1, 6 ko) was given an easy tune-up where he scored a 4th round knockout over Ray Comayagua, and then was given one more shot at the world championship. This time he would face legendary world champion Thomas Hearns (30-0, 28 by knockout). The fight took place April 25th or 1981 in Phoenix, AZ. Shields was all heart but just could not find an antidote to the punishing jab, and overwhelming firepower of “The Hitman” Hearns. The bout, scheduled for 15 rounds, was stopped at the end of the 12th round with Hearns way ahead on all 3 of the judges scorecards.
Shields would not fight for another title, but did face world champions Milton “Ice Man” McCrory, and Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus in non-title bouts.
Randy fought his last pro bout on Sept. 25, 1990 at the Country Club in Reseda, CA. going out on a winning note with a 10 round decision victory over Stewart Baynes.
It was a long and successful campaign for Shields who proved himself a worthy and world class contender. If you weren’t a world class championship level fighter, you had no chance against him. He became a favorite among Southern California boxing fans, and when it was all said and done, he finished his career with a record of 41-9-1, 21 ko’s.
Randy Shields vs "El Radar" Wilfred Benitez on August 25th, 1978 at MSG. Randy Shields corner stopped the fight after 6 rounds but Shields finished on his feet, Shields was tough as a side of beef, nobody ever knocked him out, he was stopped a few times but you just couldn't put the guy on ice. This fight was one of Benitez's best performances, getting Randy out of there in 6 was no easy feat. This fight had an odd feeling to it after what happened earlier in the evening. A near-riot occurred on the same fight card during the undercard match between Vito Antuofermo and Willie Classen. Fans were outraged by the decision in the Vito Antuofermo vs. Willie Classen prelim fight, where Classen appeared to win but the decision went to Antuofermo. The Garden erupted, leading to a near-riot where chairs were thrown, forcing some spectators to use chairs as shields. Following this, Shields reportedly felt intimidated by the crowd's reaction during his bout with Benitez.
October 6th, 1978, at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland, Randy Shields vs Sugar Ray Leonard. Randy Shields famously outpointed Sugar Ray Leonard in the amateurs, winning the 1973 National AAU Light Welterweight Championship. This loss was one of the few blemishes on Leonard's elite amateur record, which finished 145–5. The victory marked a highlight in Shields' acclaimed amateur career, which boasted an 88-4-1 record before both men moved on to successful professional careers. In 1978, their fight went the full 15-round distance with no knockdowns, Leonard win a 10-round unanimous decision. Definitely a showcase in Shields' toughness because Leonard was a ruthless combination puncher. This fight had a bizarre incident as well, Leonard accidentally hit referee Tom Kelly with a left hook as Kelly was trying to separate the fighters in the ninth round. Kelly suffered a cut left eye and was replaced by judge Harry Cecchini.
You know, it's a shame that the Randy Shields vs Sugar Ray Leonard fight doesn't seem to be available for viewing on YouTube, I know that Ray Leonard himself once said that he was sure it was aired on television.
July 30, 1979, at the International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, Randy Shields vs Jose "Pipino" Cuevas. This was a fight where everyone expected Cuevas to blow the doors off of Shields, Cuevas was one of the most brutal punchers this planet has ever produced and he was wasting everyone at that time. Shields took Cuevas the distance and made it a very close fight, Shields was the only challenger to go the distance with Cuevas during his 11 successful title defenses, another testament to how tough Shields was. This is one of my all-time favorite boxing photos and I would love to own the original, it's a photo of Randy Shields wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, standing next to Pipino Cuevas before their fight. Dude was hard as f@#+&$* nails and he's wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, it's just an awesome image.
Some great shots from the Randy Shields vs Pipino Cuevas fight. Brutal fight, Cuevas was the aggressor and opened a cut over Shields right eye in the 4th round and Shields bloodied Cuevas' nose in the 9th. Both Shields and Cuevas actually broke their hands in this fight. Cuevas broke his left hand in the second round after hitting Shields in the back of the head and Shields broke his right hand in the third after hitting Cuevas in the forehead. Man, Shields really had a hellish mindset, he said after the fight, "I kept hitting with my right hand, I don't care. I've fought with a broken hand before. I don't care if my right hand is broken or cut off, I'll still keep throwing it. I knew I could hit him."
April 25th, 1981, at the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona, Randy Shields vs Thomas "Hitman" Hearns. We all know what a murderous puncher Hearns was, and at the time of this fight, Tommy Hearns was in his absolute prime and wrecking everyone, 31-0 (29 KO). Randy ate some bombs in this one, and it's impressive as hell that he never left his feet, the guy was tougher than a Toyota Hilux.
HEARNS BEATS SHIELDS AS REFEREE HALTS BOUT AT START OF ROUND 13
By: Joe Gilmartin
April 26, 1981
Credit: The New York Times Archives
Thomas Hearns, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, used his reach and superior punching power to score a 13th-round knockout over fifth-ranked Randy Shields in a scheduled 15-round title bout today.
Shields, who had never been knocked out, was on his feet at the finish, standing in his corner awaiting the bell for the 13th round when Referee Bobby Ferrara, acting on the advice of the ring physicians, stopped the fight.
Shields was bleeding around both eyes from the eighth round on, and Ferrara stopped the ninth round for about 25 seconds so Dr. C.D. Lake and Dr. Jack Varon could examine the challenger. They ruled he could continue.
Hearns, whose record is 31-0 with 29 knockouts, was in control throughout, piling up points with a left jab and occasional thundering rights.
On the official cards, Hearns was a unanimous winner of all but the first, fifth, sixth and 11th rounds. Judge Mike Munoz gave Shields the 11th round, and Judge Joe Garcia gave him the sixth. Garcia and Ferrara scored Round 1 even, and Munoz scored the first round even. Hearns Cut Not a Factor
On points, Ferrara scored it 120-109, Garcia 119-111, and Munoz 119-110. Shields, giving away several inches in reach, fought gamely and wisely, but never came close to hurting the champion. Hearns suffered a cut over his right eye in the first round. Both fighters agreed it was caused by an accidental butt. Hearns slipped and fell to the canvas in the fifth round.
Hearns's cut healed quickly and was never a factor. Shields agreed with Ferrara that the Hearns's slip in the fifth round was not a knockdown.
Both fighters were warned repeatedly about butting. ''We did butt a lot,'' said Shields, ''but that comes with the game, and nobody was really to blame.'' The fighters apologized to each other and touched gloves several times after butting. ''Shields showed me he was a good boxer who thinks well in the ring,'' said Hearns. ''I tried two or three different styles, and each one worked only so long. He's definitely the toughest man I've fought, and the only one who was able to get away from me on the ropes.'' Gate Estimated at $160,000
Shields, who lost in 10 rounds to Ray Leonard, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, declined to pick a winner in the forthcoming meeting between the rival titleholders.
''I'm just too close to both of the,'' he said. ''But it should be a hell of a fight.'' Bob Arum, the promoter of Top Rank Inc., estimated the crowd in the 14,000-seat Veterans' Memorial Coliseum at 9,000, and the live gate at $160,000 for the nationally televised bout.
Leonard, who looked on from ringside and drew more than a few boos when introduced, said he saw several things that ''make me very confident I will be very successful against Hearns.''
Hearns said he would fight Leonard ''the same way I fought Shields, and the same way I've fought all of my opponents.''
This is a photo of Randy Shields catching "Pistol" Pete Ranzany with a shot to the left ribcage, you can see the agony on Ranzany's face. They fought twice, the first meeting between Randy Shields and Pete Ranzany in October 1978 was ruled a technical draw. The fight was halted early due to an accidental headbutt that opened a bad cut over Shields' eye, resulting in a technical draw. The two fighters had a rematch three months later and it was a real war. Shields actually fought that night with a pulled left tendon, he slipped in the 9th and made it worse, he soldiered on but Ranzany eventually overwhelmed him.
Credit: Associated Press
"Outboxed in the early rounds, Pete Ranzany, 147, of Sacramento, rallied to retain his NABF welterweight title Tuesday with a TKO at 1:54 of the 11th round over Randy Shields, 145, of North Hollywood. The fight was halted because of a deep cut over Shields' left eye. There were no knockdowns, although Shields slipped to the floor in the 4th and 5th rounds. He fell again in the 9th, clutching his ankle thereafter. He said later he pulled a tendon running in the rain last week. Ranzany was the aggressor throughout, but Shields scored with counter-punches in the early rounds of the scheduled 12-rounder. From the 6th round Ranzany had the edge."
Let's get a few photos of Randy Shields in here, this is a wicked image of Randy Shields with blood streaming down his face, gladiator days. I believe this was taken during his fight with Tommy Hearns but I'm not sure.
This is just a bada$$ image of Randy Shields taping his hands with his dog by his side, my favorite image of Randy Shields. Final thought on Shields, he was the kind of guy that would charge hell with a bucket of ice water, fought through blood, fought injured, always finished standing. Fascinating fighter.
Music break. I'll Stick Around" by the Foo Fighters is a 1995 song written by Dave Grohl about his frustration with Courtney Love, specifically regarding her behavior, perceived attempts to exploit him, and disputes over Nirvana song rights/royalties following Kurt Cobain's death. It served as a declaration of independence and survival for Grohl.
This is a great story from Sugar Ray Leonard on how he asked the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson for permission to use his nickname.
Ray Leonard said: “I managed to get hold of a free ticket to a big fight in Las Vegas, and when I saw Robinson sitting ringside, I went over and introduced myself as a fighter in the US Olympic trials. I asked if he’d be alright with me using his nickname. I can still hear his response clearly. ‘Yes, I’ve heard about you,’ he said. ‘And I’d be honored for you to use my name. Go ahead, just take care of it. It means a lot to me, as you know. But you have my blessing, good luck.’ I thought that was incredibly generous, and it somehow raised my respect for him even more. If Sugar Ray Robinson was behind me, then right there I felt certain I was going to make it.”
Gosh, reading that quote from Sugar Ray Leonard, he sure did take care of Robinson's nickname. Sugar Ray Leonard is generally considered the "best" or most accomplished of the 1980s Four Kings, primarily because he won head-to-head matchups against the other three (Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns). However, debates often favor Roberto Durán for top pound-for-pound status, and Hagler for pure middleweight dominance.
Gary Mason, British heavyweight in the 1980s, murderous puncher. I love this image of him wearing the t-shirt with a caricature of himself with bombs as fists.
Heavyweight legend Jersey Joe Walcott putting in some heavy roadwork at his training camp near McKeesport, while trainer Dan Florio, playing it shrewd, sets the pace in a Cadillac.
Speaking of Joe Frazier, you want to see how devastating his famous left hook was, check out this knockout of Doug Jones in 1967 in Philly. He pins Jones in the corner and catches him flush with the left hook, Jones falls over like a chopped down tree, his head gets hung up on the second rope. It's one of the scariest knockouts I've ever seen.
Ok, got some newly discovered photos of the great lightweight champion Rocco Tozzo, better known as Rocky Kansas, to add in here, one of my personal favorite fighters. This first photo is from his fight with Benny Leonard on July 4th, 1922 in Michigan City, Indiana, Kansas is pictured on the left.
Absolutely wicked image of Rocky Kansas sitting in the corner, gloved hands resting on his knees. Man I would love to own this photo, he was a bada$$, tougher than a woodpeckers beak, brutal body puncher.
Ok, next I'm going to post some photos of some of the rarest boxing cards on this planet, these are from the notoriously rare 1920s Romeo Y Julieta set. These cards were issued by the Romeo Y Julieta tobacco company in Cuba in the early 1920s, ridiculous rare.
These boxing cards come in a few different formats using real photographs. One series has thick black borders, a second has a white background, and a third has white borders with a picture background serving as a backdrop. The cards are so rare that a full checklist for the series is not even known. What we do know, however, is that the set includes more than Cuban boxers. PSA, for example, has graded cards featuring many other fighters, including Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, George Carpentier, and others. The cards were clearly printed through a relatively low-quality process. Cards are often drastically off-center and cut to all sorts of sizes without any real consistency. Despite all of that, they are highly desired by boxing collectors for their rarity. I'm also going to post the photos of the fighters that were used for the images on the cards if I can find them. I love this stuff, it's absolutely fascinating to me.
Jimmy Wilde, aka "The Ghost with the Hammer in His Hand", aka "The Mighty Atom", the greatest flyweight ever, murderous puncher, he holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in boxing history, he started his career going 93-0 before being handed a loss, finished with a record of 131-3-2 (99 KO).
Jack Britton, one of the greatest welterweights and most prolific fighters in boxing history, had a chin made of Tungsten, he was knocked out once in 344 career fights.
Let me get a few more photos of Jack Britton in here because it's inexcusable that I haven't posted many photos of him, the guy was a walking steel beam.
Comments
This giant squid washed up in New Zealand and you can see how big it is compared to a full-grown man. If one of these ever got it's tentacles around you, it could do some damage. A giant squid could cause fatal injuries to a human through immense suction-cup force, serrated tentacles, and a powerful beak if a rare encounter occurred. While they normally inhabit deep water and rarely encounter people, their strength could crush bones, cause deep lacerations, and drag a person into deep water.
Music break, man this song brings back memories.
Yeah, it's Randy Shields time. He was a welterweight that fought from 1974-1990, tough as $hit, he stood in there with some bangers. Crazy thing is, he looked like a strong breeze would blow him over, but looks can be deceiving because he had a chin made of pure granite, took the murderous punching Pipino Cuevas the distance, he had a notable rivalry with Sugar Ray Leonard, handing Leonard a rare loss in the 1973 National AAU Championships before Leonard won a 10-round unanimous decision in their 1978 professional matchup. It's crazy, after he retired he stopped a couple of robbers that shot up a diner he was at in LA in 1992.
Randy Shields in action
Max Boxing
Former NABF welterweight champion Randy Shields: Survival of the fittest
April 20, 2026
By: John J. Raspanti
In 1992, retired boxer Randy Shields was minding his own business at a local diner in the San Fernando Valley, CA.
In 1992, retired boxer Randy Shields was minding his own business at a local diner in the San Fernando Valley, CA.
It was nearing midnight, the cafe half-full of regulars. Shields was a regular as well. He was seated near the back of the establishment, writing a screenplay, when three gunmen burst in, one waving a shotgun that he fired into the ceiling.
Shields hit the floor and crawled to a darkened room at the back. One of the gunmen spotted him and fired. Shields felt a stabbing pain in his upper leg. He managed to back himself into the room. Bullets whizzed past him in the darkness. In all the commotion, Shields, who occasionally worked as a bodyguard at the time, remembered he had a gun.
The robbers wanted money. When Shields heard a waitress being threatened, followed by another shot, he made a decision.
“I had to do something,” he told this writer a few weeks ago.
Shields did. He stepped out of the back room, spotted the bad guys, and fired.
“It was something out of a John Wayne movie,” recalled Shields.
The gunmen fled with Shields in pursuit. In the exchange of gunfire that followed, Shields managed to shoot and injure two of the suspects. Hours later, they were captured by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Dodging and ducking have always been an important part of Shields’ life. He took up boxing as a youngster, imitating his father Sonny, who boxed and worked in the movies as an actor and stuntman.
“As long as you’re serious,” the elder Shields told his son.
Shields was.
He worked hard before competing in amateur fights. He was a natural talent, it seemed. At 15, Shields was sparring with professional fighters. He went to war with world title challenger Frankie Crawford on a daily basis.
“Frankie was tough,” remembers Shields, who also sparred with legendary Roberto Duran.
Over the course of his amateur career, Shields captured the California state championship six times. He compiled a record 88-3-1, with 67 knockouts, among them a decisive victory over future legend Sugar Ray Leonard, that earned him the 1973 National Amateur Athletic Union junior welterweight title.
“Fighting Randy Shields is like fighting a shadow,” said Leonard a few years ago. “You think he’s there, but he’s not.”
At 19, Shields turned professional. His debut at the Olympic Auditorium was hardly a gimme. Victor Abraham was a tough egg from San Diego. On the night of the fight, Shields was battling a 102-degree fever. Illness and multiple injuries would conspire against him throughout his entire career.
"I had this cold and I couldn’t breathe," Shields recalled in a story for the LA Times.
Sick or not, Shields had to fight. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
His first year in the pro game, he was off and running. Fighting in the lightweight division, the 5’11’ string bean fought an incredible 18 times, winning them all and scoring 11 knockouts.
“My dad liked to keep me busy,” said Shields.
In 1975, he stopped Carlos Barajos, defeated veteran Miguel Mayan twice, and won a hard-fought 10-round fight over Arturo “Tury” Pineda, who two years before had knocked out two-time world champion Mando Ramos.
Many considered his victory over Pineda, ranked as the second-best lightweight at the time, an upset. Shields had climbed to number six in the world. His resilience would be tested in his next two fights.
Shields was 26-0 when he met tough Vicente Mijares of Mexico. Shields was the favorite, but Mijares won the fight on cuts. The rematch went down a little over two months later. Shields got off to a lead, but Mijares won the fight by a close decision.
Shields took some time off. Within two years, he had fought 28 times. The rest did him good.
He returned to the Olympic to face veteran Ramiro Bolanos, a veteran of 61 fights. Shields boxed well, winning the match by a wide decision. Next up was super-quick Ray Lampkin, who, the year before, had given the great Roberto Duran a fight until succumbing by knockout in round 14.
Lampkin was anxious for a rematch with Duran. He’d won his last two bouts and would be fighting for the sixth time at the Multnomah County Expo Center in Portland, Oregon.
Shields dominated from the onset. He floored Lampkin in the second round and knocked him cold with a right cross a few minutes later. Two more victories followed, setting up a bout with a NABF welterweight champion, Pete Ranzany of Sacramento, CA.
The fight was over quickly due to an accidental head butt. They went at it again three months later. Shields and Ranzany battled it out until a bad cut over Shields’ left eye forced the referee to stop the contest in round 11
A few months later, Shields was fighting future Hall of Famers Wilifred Benitez and, in something of a grudge match, Leonard, who was anxious to avenge his amateur loss. The Leonard fight was competitive. To this day, Shields believes that Leonard received a hometown decision.
With no rest for the weary, two months later, he was back in the ring.
Shields was only 22 years old but had already engaged in 36 fights. Childhood illnesses weakened him. Injuries hampered him. Arguments with his contentious father nagged at him.
Shields found solace in writing poetry and short stories. He wrote for himself, allowing his imagination to run wild. He didn’t consider himself much of a writer, throwing away his work like one would a discarded old newspaper. That all changed when his mother discovered something he had written tossed in the garbage.
“Randy,” she said. “Don’t throw this away, it’s good.”
Shields listened. He started writing screenplays. People who read his work agreed with his mother. He had talent. Boxing paid the bills, but writing was his passion.
“I fought because it was something I could do,” Shields said. “I write because I love it.”
Returning to the ring wars in 1979, he faced Jose Palacios, who, 15 months before, had upset highly ranked welterweight Armando Muniz. Shields used his spearing jab to win the fight by unanimous decision.
His next fight would be against the reigning welterweight champion of the world, Pipino Cuevas in Chicago, Ill. Cuevas had defended his title eight times, winning them all by knockout. He entered the fight as a 10-1 favorite.
The fight was a barnburner from the opening bell.
Both fighters hurt their hands pounding on each other. Cuevas in the second round, Shields soon after.
“I kept hitting him with my right hand,” Shields told the Chicago writers after the fight. “I don’t care. I’ll keep throwing it when its broken. I make no excuses.”
The match was razor-close. Shields was the better boxer, but Cuevas was more powerful. Several rounds could have gone either way. Shields had a cut over his left eye. Cuevas was bleeding from his nose. The bout was a grueling affair that went the distance. One judge had Cuevas winning by six points, while the other two had the champion the victor by a single point.
Shields came up one round short of winning the world championship.
He shook off the loss and won his next five fights in a row, including capturing the vacant NABF welterweight title by knocking out Jose Figueroa at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. The victory earned Shields a shot at murderous puncher, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, who had won the WBA world title by knocking out Cuevas six months before.
Shields tore his rotator cuff a few weeks before the fight was scheduled to go down in Phoenix, AZ. His father wouldn’t postpone the bout. Shields could barely move his left arm. A shot of cortisone numbed it before the fight. His shoulder was never the same.
Hearns had knocked out 28 of 30 opponents. He expected to knock out Shields. He didn’t.
Totally outgunned, Shields hung in like grim death, absorbing punishment but refusing to go down. By round eight, blood was leaking from cuts around both eyes.
Shields refused to quit.
“Not all acts of courage are performed on the battlefield,” said Howard Cosell, who was calling the fight for ABC Sports. “This is a battlefield of its own, and the acts of courage by Randy Shields are just tremendous.”
The fight was stopped before round 13 commenced. Shields’ career was winding down. He fought five more times, his body rarely given time to heal properly. His father insisted.
“My dad was an asshole,” said Shields.
After fighting Hearns, his father matched him against another undefeated Detroit puncher, Milt McCrory. Shields fought hard but was stopped. The injuries were piling up. His father wouldn’t acknowledge what was happening.
“He didn’t care,” said Shields. “He said his job was to get me the fights. To him, it was all about money.”
“You were my brother, you should have looked after me a little bit,” says Terry Malloy to his brother Charlie in the classic film On the Waterfront.
Change the word brother to father and the dynamic between Shields and his father is complete.
After losing to McCrory, Shields didn’t fight for nine months. He returned to defeat rising prospect Jeff Morgan. He dropped down in weight to face future junior welterweight champion Johnny Bumphus in 1983. Bumphus was young and hungry. He won the fight by TKO.
Shields was tired of the constant pain. He fought one more time seven years later, winning the bout by decision but also sustaining a broken jaw in the second round. This time, his retirement was permanent. And unlike so many other fighters before him, he never felt the urge to come back.
“It was easy really,” Shields said. “I was tired of being a pawn, instead of a king.”
Since then, whenever he has any free time, he writes. He’s completed several screenplays and treatments.
Nobody ever questioned Shields’ courage, toughness, and honesty when he boxed. The same sentiment applies outside of the ring. He’s a good man who just happened to fight once upon a time.
Though he accomplished a lot in his amateur and professional boxing careers, Shields is hardly impressed. He moves through life at his own speed, rarely looking back.
For Shields, the memories are fine, but it’s his writing that sustains him.
Featured in "Blood on My Notebook" by John J. Raspanti
This is really cool, an article written in 1981 where the press interviewed Randy Shields about who he thought was going to win the first showdown between Sugar Ray Robinson and Thomas Hearns, by this point in his career Randy Shields had fought both of them.
Randy Shields and Thomas Hearns square-off during their fight in 1981
Randy Shields has been in some boxing wars in...
By: Rich Tosches, UPI Sports
Sept. 13, 1981
LOS ANGELES -- Randy Shields has been in some boxing wars in his life. He has won 38 of 46 bouts as a professional and is ranked in the top 10 in the world among welterweights.
He has the heart of a lion, a chin like a brick wall and enormous boxing skills. However, he lacks punching power and quickness. He'll more than likely never be a champion.
But Shields has fought the very best and come away without train whistles blowing in his head. He's gone 12 rounds with Thomas Hearns and 10 with Sugar Ray Leonard without leaving his feet.
He was beaten by both men, but neither fight was lopsided. Shields hit Hearns with some bombs to the body and chin before losing on cuts. Against Leonard, Shields showed off his boxing skills and kept the fight very close.
And he learned an awful lot in those 22 rounds. He knows each man's strength and each man's weakness. And after 66 grueling minutes in the ring, he knows each man's heart.
Based on those two fights, Shields says Leonard will win Wednesday night's showdown in Las Vegas, Nev., between Hearns, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, and Leonard, the World Boxing Council champion.
'Hearns can't fight inside,' Shields said. 'I scored almost whenever I wanted to against him by going inside to the body, to the head. He can't do anything with guys that get inside. You can get inside and really hurt Hearns.
'What he has to do against Leonard if he stands a chance is to neutralize his inside move. When Hearns throws a jab and misses, Leonard is going to come in with those combinations to the body and head that could turn out the lights on Hearns. What he's got to do is throw Leonard off balance and tie him up. If he can't do that, he's going to lose. And his ribs are going to be sore as hell for weeks.'
Hearns, with his unnatural (for a welterweight) 6-2 frame and 78 -inch reach, will try to keep Leonard at a distance and jab, setting up the thunderous right that has knocked out 30 of 32 opponents. For the first few rounds, Shields says, Hearns will find Leonard with that jab. He will also land a few of the overhand rights.
But Leonard won't go down. In two bouts with Roberto Duran he's learned how to survive when stunned. That ability to keep fighting, Shields says, will unnerve Hearns.
'Hearns' best chance was for an early knockout,' Shields said. 'But after seeing a couple of his best shots land without the fight ending, he'll begin to get nervous. It will be all new for him. He won't understand it.'
That's when Leonard will take control.
'Leonard will start landing those combinations,' Shields said. 'He's so damn quick you wouldn't believe it. In our fight I could see the first punch coming, and maybe the second, and stop them. But he throws three and four and five at a time. Eventually, a lot of them start getting in.'
Shields said there's a big difference in the offense of Hearns and Leonard.
'Hearns' right hand is his killer,' he said. It's like a hammer. He caught me with it three times and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. It just goes 'thud' against your head and knocks you backward.
'Leonard doesn't have that big crushing punch, but his are sharper. They sting more. He hits you with that hook and it really hurts. Like a whip. And then while you're trying to figure things out he's on you with a half-dozen more just like it. It dazes you.'
The one unknown factor in the fight, Shields said, is conditioning. He said you can never tell until the fight begins just how hard the fighters have trained. In that department, he said Hearns may have his only advantage.
'From what I've heard,' Shields said, 'Hearns has been pouring it on. It's his big day. The biggest he'll ever have. This is make or break time for him.
'And Leonard has been laying off a bit, they tell me.'
Simply, Shields thinks Hearns can end the fight early if he lands one or two of those cement-mixer right hands. But more likely, he said, Leonard will avoid the early Hearns' barrage with his amazing quickness. As the fight wears on, Hearns should tire more than Leonard.
'By the eighth or ninth rounds, Hearns should be more open for those Leonard combinations,' Shields said. 'And I don't care who you are, those combinations become a blur after a while. You see some of the punches, but not all of them.
'And Leonard only needs to land five or six of those damn things in a row to end the fight.'
One more article about the career of Randy Shields and then we'll post some photos.
Ringside Report Looks Back at Randy Shields – Boxing News
By: Daniel Sisneros
Randy Shields was one of the USA’s top amateur stars of the early 1970’s. He went 88-3-1, winning 67 by knockout! The 6 time California State Amateur Champion also has the honor of handing one of the few defeats to Sugar Ray Leonard in the amateur ranks.
He turned professional on Jan. 17, 1974 with a 6 round unanimous decision victory over highly regarded Victor Abraham. His first big test came in August of 1975 when he put his undefeated record (24-0, 14 ko’s) on the line against world ranked contender Arturo “Turi” Pineda (25-5-1, 21 knockouts). Shields boxed beautifully winning a unanimous 10 round decision at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. He won the Los Angeles showdown on scores of 6-4, 8-2, and 9-0-1. Shields had served notice to the boxing world that he was a serious threat to win a world title.
2 fights later, Randy would taste defeat for the first time, at the hands of undefeated Vicente Mijares (7-0, 2 ko). Shields was stopped on cuts and a rematch was ordered. It was nearly 3 months later when Shields would get his shot at redemption, and this time it was an elimination match for a shot at the WBC World Title. It was an all out war, but Mijares would again come out on top, this time via Unanimous Decision on scores of 6-4-2, 7-4-1, and 7-5 in rounds.
Big wins over Ramiro Bolanos (51-10-2, 30 ko) and Ray Lampkin (34-5-1, 16 ko) would catapult Shields into his first shot at a major title belt. It was Oct. 21, 1977 and Shields would have to travel to the Champs home town of Sacramento California where he would face NABF Welterweight Champion Pete Ranzany (35-1, 23 ko). The bout ended in round 2 due to a clash of heads, and was recorded as a technical Draw. The fight was just too promising to let things end this way, so a rematch took place just 3 months later at the same venue. This time the champion – Ranzany stopped Shields at 1:54 of the 11th bloody and bruising round.
Shields performance cemented his place as a ranked contender, and he faced mostly world class opposition after the battles with Ranzany. He went 2-2 in his next four bouts, with the two losses coming to boxing legends Wilfred Benitez, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
July 30, 1979 was the day Shields would finally get a crack at the World Title when he faced WBA Welterweight Champion Pipino Cuevas in Chicago. It was a wild affair that went the entire 15 round distance. Cuevas kept his World Title belt with a controversial unanimous decision on scores of 72-71, 72-71, and 73-67.
Shields scored two more victories after the loss against Cuevas, and was rewarded with another chance at the NABF Welterweight title that had eluded him in his 2nd bout against Pete Ranzany. This time it was for the Vacant Title, and Shields would overwhelm his opponent Jose Figueroa, completely outclassing him and stopping him via technical knockout in round 3.
Randy Shields now held the NABF Title belt, and after scoring a big win over Luis Mateo (9-1, 6 ko) was given an easy tune-up where he scored a 4th round knockout over Ray Comayagua, and then was given one more shot at the world championship. This time he would face legendary world champion Thomas Hearns (30-0, 28 by knockout). The fight took place April 25th or 1981 in Phoenix, AZ. Shields was all heart but just could not find an antidote to the punishing jab, and overwhelming firepower of “The Hitman” Hearns. The bout, scheduled for 15 rounds, was stopped at the end of the 12th round with Hearns way ahead on all 3 of the judges scorecards.
Shields would not fight for another title, but did face world champions Milton “Ice Man” McCrory, and Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus in non-title bouts.
Randy fought his last pro bout on Sept. 25, 1990 at the Country Club in Reseda, CA. going out on a winning note with a 10 round decision victory over Stewart Baynes.
It was a long and successful campaign for Shields who proved himself a worthy and world class contender. If you weren’t a world class championship level fighter, you had no chance against him. He became a favorite among Southern California boxing fans, and when it was all said and done, he finished his career with a record of 41-9-1, 21 ko’s.
Randy Shields vs "El Radar" Wilfred Benitez on August 25th, 1978 at MSG. Randy Shields corner stopped the fight after 6 rounds but Shields finished on his feet, Shields was tough as a side of beef, nobody ever knocked him out, he was stopped a few times but you just couldn't put the guy on ice. This fight was one of Benitez's best performances, getting Randy out of there in 6 was no easy feat. This fight had an odd feeling to it after what happened earlier in the evening. A near-riot occurred on the same fight card during the undercard match between Vito Antuofermo and Willie Classen. Fans were outraged by the decision in the Vito Antuofermo vs. Willie Classen prelim fight, where Classen appeared to win but the decision went to Antuofermo. The Garden erupted, leading to a near-riot where chairs were thrown, forcing some spectators to use chairs as shields. Following this, Shields reportedly felt intimidated by the crowd's reaction during his bout with Benitez.
October 6th, 1978, at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland, Randy Shields vs Sugar Ray Leonard. Randy Shields famously outpointed Sugar Ray Leonard in the amateurs, winning the 1973 National AAU Light Welterweight Championship. This loss was one of the few blemishes on Leonard's elite amateur record, which finished 145–5. The victory marked a highlight in Shields' acclaimed amateur career, which boasted an 88-4-1 record before both men moved on to successful professional careers. In 1978, their fight went the full 15-round distance with no knockdowns, Leonard win a 10-round unanimous decision. Definitely a showcase in Shields' toughness because Leonard was a ruthless combination puncher. This fight had a bizarre incident as well, Leonard accidentally hit referee Tom Kelly with a left hook as Kelly was trying to separate the fighters in the ninth round. Kelly suffered a cut left eye and was replaced by judge Harry Cecchini.
You know, it's a shame that the Randy Shields vs Sugar Ray Leonard fight doesn't seem to be available for viewing on YouTube, I know that Ray Leonard himself once said that he was sure it was aired on television.
July 30, 1979, at the International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, Randy Shields vs Jose "Pipino" Cuevas. This was a fight where everyone expected Cuevas to blow the doors off of Shields, Cuevas was one of the most brutal punchers this planet has ever produced and he was wasting everyone at that time. Shields took Cuevas the distance and made it a very close fight, Shields was the only challenger to go the distance with Cuevas during his 11 successful title defenses, another testament to how tough Shields was. This is one of my all-time favorite boxing photos and I would love to own the original, it's a photo of Randy Shields wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, standing next to Pipino Cuevas before their fight. Dude was hard as f@#+&$* nails and he's wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, it's just an awesome image.
Some great shots from the Randy Shields vs Pipino Cuevas fight. Brutal fight, Cuevas was the aggressor and opened a cut over Shields right eye in the 4th round and Shields bloodied Cuevas' nose in the 9th. Both Shields and Cuevas actually broke their hands in this fight. Cuevas broke his left hand in the second round after hitting Shields in the back of the head and Shields broke his right hand in the third after hitting Cuevas in the forehead. Man, Shields really had a hellish mindset, he said after the fight, "I kept hitting with my right hand, I don't care. I've fought with a broken hand before. I don't care if my right hand is broken or cut off, I'll still keep throwing it. I knew I could hit him."
Look at these two images again, just wow, Shields really busted up Cuevas' nose.
April 25th, 1981, at the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona, Randy Shields vs Thomas "Hitman" Hearns. We all know what a murderous puncher Hearns was, and at the time of this fight, Tommy Hearns was in his absolute prime and wrecking everyone, 31-0 (29 KO). Randy ate some bombs in this one, and it's impressive as hell that he never left his feet, the guy was tougher than a Toyota Hilux.
HEARNS BEATS SHIELDS AS REFEREE HALTS BOUT AT START OF ROUND 13
By: Joe Gilmartin
April 26, 1981
Credit: The New York Times Archives
Thomas Hearns, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, used his reach and superior punching power to score a 13th-round knockout over fifth-ranked Randy Shields in a scheduled 15-round title bout today.
Shields, who had never been knocked out, was on his feet at the finish, standing in his corner awaiting the bell for the 13th round when Referee Bobby Ferrara, acting on the advice of the ring physicians, stopped the fight.
Shields was bleeding around both eyes from the eighth round on, and Ferrara stopped the ninth round for about 25 seconds so Dr. C.D. Lake and Dr. Jack Varon could examine the challenger. They ruled he could continue.
Hearns, whose record is 31-0 with 29 knockouts, was in control throughout, piling up points with a left jab and occasional thundering rights.
On the official cards, Hearns was a unanimous winner of all but the first, fifth, sixth and 11th rounds. Judge Mike Munoz gave Shields the 11th round, and Judge Joe Garcia gave him the sixth. Garcia and Ferrara scored Round 1 even, and Munoz scored the first round even. Hearns Cut Not a Factor
On points, Ferrara scored it 120-109, Garcia 119-111, and Munoz 119-110. Shields, giving away several inches in reach, fought gamely and wisely, but never came close to hurting the champion. Hearns suffered a cut over his right eye in the first round. Both fighters agreed it was caused by an accidental butt. Hearns slipped and fell to the canvas in the fifth round.
Hearns's cut healed quickly and was never a factor. Shields agreed with Ferrara that the Hearns's slip in the fifth round was not a knockdown.
Both fighters were warned repeatedly about butting. ''We did butt a lot,'' said Shields, ''but that comes with the game, and nobody was really to blame.'' The fighters apologized to each other and touched gloves several times after butting. ''Shields showed me he was a good boxer who thinks well in the ring,'' said Hearns. ''I tried two or three different styles, and each one worked only so long. He's definitely the toughest man I've fought, and the only one who was able to get away from me on the ropes.'' Gate Estimated at $160,000
Shields, who lost in 10 rounds to Ray Leonard, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, declined to pick a winner in the forthcoming meeting between the rival titleholders.
''I'm just too close to both of the,'' he said. ''But it should be a hell of a fight.'' Bob Arum, the promoter of Top Rank Inc., estimated the crowd in the 14,000-seat Veterans' Memorial Coliseum at 9,000, and the live gate at $160,000 for the nationally televised bout.
Leonard, who looked on from ringside and drew more than a few boos when introduced, said he saw several things that ''make me very confident I will be very successful against Hearns.''
Hearns said he would fight Leonard ''the same way I fought Shields, and the same way I've fought all of my opponents.''
Epic photo of Randy Shields and Tommy Hearns staring eachother down before the start of the fight.
Images from the Shields vs Hearns fight.
The money shot from the fight, damn Shields had a granite chin.
This is a photo of Randy Shields catching "Pistol" Pete Ranzany with a shot to the left ribcage, you can see the agony on Ranzany's face. They fought twice, the first meeting between Randy Shields and Pete Ranzany in October 1978 was ruled a technical draw. The fight was halted early due to an accidental headbutt that opened a bad cut over Shields' eye, resulting in a technical draw. The two fighters had a rematch three months later and it was a real war. Shields actually fought that night with a pulled left tendon, he slipped in the 9th and made it worse, he soldiered on but Ranzany eventually overwhelmed him.
Credit: Associated Press
"Outboxed in the early rounds, Pete Ranzany, 147, of Sacramento, rallied to retain his NABF welterweight title Tuesday with a TKO at 1:54 of the 11th round over Randy Shields, 145, of North Hollywood. The fight was halted because of a deep cut over Shields' left eye. There were no knockdowns, although Shields slipped to the floor in the 4th and 5th rounds. He fell again in the 9th, clutching his ankle thereafter. He said later he pulled a tendon running in the rain last week. Ranzany was the aggressor throughout, but Shields scored with counter-punches in the early rounds of the scheduled 12-rounder. From the 6th round Ranzany had the edge."
Let's get a few photos of Randy Shields in here, this is a wicked image of Randy Shields with blood streaming down his face, gladiator days. I believe this was taken during his fight with Tommy Hearns but I'm not sure.
Randy Shields delivering a brutal right hand.
This is just a bada$$ image of Randy Shields taping his hands with his dog by his side, my favorite image of Randy Shields. Final thought on Shields, he was the kind of guy that would charge hell with a bucket of ice water, fought through blood, fought injured, always finished standing. Fascinating fighter.
Music break. I'll Stick Around" by the Foo Fighters is a 1995 song written by Dave Grohl about his frustration with Courtney Love, specifically regarding her behavior, perceived attempts to exploit him, and disputes over Nirvana song rights/royalties following Kurt Cobain's death. It served as a declaration of independence and survival for Grohl.
This is a great story from Sugar Ray Leonard on how he asked the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson for permission to use his nickname.
Ray Leonard said: “I managed to get hold of a free ticket to a big fight in Las Vegas, and when I saw Robinson sitting ringside, I went over and introduced myself as a fighter in the US Olympic trials. I asked if he’d be alright with me using his nickname. I can still hear his response clearly. ‘Yes, I’ve heard about you,’ he said. ‘And I’d be honored for you to use my name. Go ahead, just take care of it. It means a lot to me, as you know. But you have my blessing, good luck.’ I thought that was incredibly generous, and it somehow raised my respect for him even more. If Sugar Ray Robinson was behind me, then right there I felt certain I was going to make it.”
Gosh, reading that quote from Sugar Ray Leonard, he sure did take care of Robinson's nickname. Sugar Ray Leonard is generally considered the "best" or most accomplished of the 1980s Four Kings, primarily because he won head-to-head matchups against the other three (Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns). However, debates often favor Roberto Durán for top pound-for-pound status, and Hagler for pure middleweight dominance.
Another great image of Victor "The Animal" Galindez, dressed as a king and sitting in his throne.
Mike Tyson and Rick James.
Gary Mason, British heavyweight in the 1980s, murderous puncher. I love this image of him wearing the t-shirt with a caricature of himself with bombs as fists.
Heavyweight legend Jersey Joe Walcott putting in some heavy roadwork at his training camp near McKeesport, while trainer Dan Florio, playing it shrewd, sets the pace in a Cadillac.
Sick image of light heavyweight legend John Conteh doing push-ups on two tree stumps.
"Sweet Pea" Pernell Whitaker, one of the greatest to ever do it, holding his lightweight title in the 1990s.
"The Brown Bomber" Joe Louis playing the violin.
Awesome image of "Smokin" Joe Frazier hitting the heavy bag.
Speaking of Joe Frazier, you want to see how devastating his famous left hook was, check out this knockout of Doug Jones in 1967 in Philly. He pins Jones in the corner and catches him flush with the left hook, Jones falls over like a chopped down tree, his head gets hung up on the second rope. It's one of the scariest knockouts I've ever seen.
Mmm, just brutal.
Ok, got some newly discovered photos of the great lightweight champion Rocco Tozzo, better known as Rocky Kansas, to add in here, one of my personal favorite fighters. This first photo is from his fight with Benny Leonard on July 4th, 1922 in Michigan City, Indiana, Kansas is pictured on the left.
This is a photo of Rocky Kansas (left) facing off with Pal Moran before their fight on April 26, 1926.
Rocky Kansas on the cover of Boxing and Wrestling News in February of 1933.
A couple of great fight pose photos of Ricky Kansas.
Absolutely wicked image of Rocky Kansas sitting in the corner, gloved hands resting on his knees. Man I would love to own this photo, he was a bada$$, tougher than a woodpeckers beak, brutal body puncher.
Another photo of Rocky Kansas I would love to own, sitting in his corner before a fight with a smile on his face.
Ok, next I'm going to post some photos of some of the rarest boxing cards on this planet, these are from the notoriously rare 1920s Romeo Y Julieta set. These cards were issued by the Romeo Y Julieta tobacco company in Cuba in the early 1920s, ridiculous rare.
These boxing cards come in a few different formats using real photographs. One series has thick black borders, a second has a white background, and a third has white borders with a picture background serving as a backdrop. The cards are so rare that a full checklist for the series is not even known. What we do know, however, is that the set includes more than Cuban boxers. PSA, for example, has graded cards featuring many other fighters, including Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, George Carpentier, and others. The cards were clearly printed through a relatively low-quality process. Cards are often drastically off-center and cut to all sorts of sizes without any real consistency. Despite all of that, they are highly desired by boxing collectors for their rarity. I'm also going to post the photos of the fighters that were used for the images on the cards if I can find them. I love this stuff, it's absolutely fascinating to me.
Rocky Kansas
George "KO" Chaney, the nickname says it all, murderous puncher.
Pete "Kid" Herman, one of the greatest bantams in history.
Jimmy Wilde, aka "The Ghost with the Hammer in His Hand", aka "The Mighty Atom", the greatest flyweight ever, murderous puncher, he holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in boxing history, he started his career going 93-0 before being handed a loss, finished with a record of 131-3-2 (99 KO).
What in the holy heck are you doing here? How'd you get into this thread? Always hogging the spotlight!
Jack Britton, one of the greatest welterweights and most prolific fighters in boxing history, had a chin made of Tungsten, he was knocked out once in 344 career fights.
Speaking of Jack Britton, a few cool fight pose sequences here.
Let me get a few more photos of Jack Britton in here because it's inexcusable that I haven't posted many photos of him, the guy was a walking steel beam.