Harold Brazier Saoul Mamby These were consumate, throw-back, "cuties", perhaps amongst the best over the last 20-30 years as far as being consistently near the top. These guys were dedicated to the craft of boxing and put forth a true, honest effort everytime out. They may not have been the most talented, but if you want to talk about getting water out of a rock, these guys gave all they had. I met Saoul Mamby at the Times Square Gym back in '90, and he sparred everybody and everything.
Recognise both names, but couldn't tell you the first thing about them. I bet David Haye hasn't heard of them .
Absolutely loved Brazier. He was an ESPN mainstay back in the day. Very technically sound. He was almost a text book fighter. He did all the little things correctly. He just didn't have the natural skill or power to take it to the next level. Seriously over achieved by staying as highly ranked as he did. One of my favorite, under rated fights of all time was his brutal war with Roger Mayweather. Brazier should have been seriously out classed but his technical soundness, and heart made it a helluva fight. At the time, I thought Brazier won. Watching it now I know it was sentimental and he just didn't do enough. Man, I wanted so badly for him to beat Bramble and get some recognition but it wasn't to be.
Here's a quick 6 degrees of separation for you: Harold Brazier fought Anthony Stephens who fought------ Karl's very own Hard Hittin Chris Henry..
While REED's Heard of Harold Brazier, the Name Doesn't Conjure Much, Honestly...But as a Kid, Saoul Mamby was the "Weird" Looking Guy that had the "Other" Belt in Aaron Pryor's Division, to REED...REED Couldn't Tell if Mamby was Hispanic, Black, Bi-Racial or What but Obviously, "Saoul Mamby" wasn't a "Black" Name, Per Se::... Not a Fan-Favorite of REED's, but REED Definitely Grew to APPRECIATE Mamby, Having Seen a Few of his Title Defenses on "Regular" T.V...Aaron Pryor would've MURDERED him, but Saoul Mamby's is a Name that Reminds REED of the "Good Ol' Days", when EVERY Major Network Showed Boxing FREQUENTLY... REED:dancingBaby:
You're too nice! Mamby was and still is an ugly SOB!!!! In fact, that's how I referred to him at the Times Square Gym. I was watching some sparring one day and I saw him sitting down taking in the session. He looked familiar, but I could not quite place him, so I asked Harold Weston Sr. "Who's that ugly motherfucker?", and he said, That's Mamby!
It's funny but I can't for the life of me remember why Mamby didn't fight Pryor. I remember being excited because the title was going to be unified. But then for some reason Mamby pulled out and ended up fighting and losing to Leroy Haley.... But I remember Mamby most because it seemed like he was ALWAYS fighting on the undercard of Larry Holmes.
Mamby took a wild animal named Roberto Duran the ten round limit when Manos de Piedra was at his merciless best. At the time; Saoul Mamby and Edwin Viruet were the only ones who remained upright vs. Duran, and to do that was special.
Harold Brazier, I think of the fights with Roger Mayweather and Pernell Whitaker. The Mayweather fight was really good in the late rounds. Both guys hurt and tired and coming back. I also think about how Brazier had an awful lot of fights. With Saoul Mamby, I've only seen clips of a couple of his bouts. I think of how negotiations between him and Aaron Pryor for a 140 lb. unification fell apart because of Pryor's problems (his wife shot him and his manager got arrested) and how Don King paid Mamby chicken feed when he faced Roberto Duran. And also the fact that Mamby is still fighting nowadays in his 50s.
I always dreamed of Arguello fighting Saoul Mamby for the 140 lbs title so Alexis could take him out. I just couldn't stand Mamby. Unfortunately, Arguello took on Pryor and that gave Mamby more reign time as a champion.
Brazier and Mamby were both guys who had little real physical talent but learned the game, studied it hard... they got the most of their natural abilities Both guys were tough too... Mamby had a terrific chin
I watched Vinny 'The Lion' O'Brien on his pro debut. He seems the sort that will give 110% everytime, despite not being the most gifted of boxers.
