Milton McCrory vs Colin Jones 2

Kronk fighter Milton McCrory secured the vacant World Boxing Council welterweight championship by defeating Wale’s Colin Jones on a split decision over 12 rounds at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas on August 13, 1983. It was their second meeting in five months, the first having ended in a draw after Jones’s stronger finish matched McCrory’s early boxing. The rematch was promoted by Don King after a winning purse bid of $615,000, with the money divided equally between the two fighters. McCrory entered unbeaten with 20 victories and one draw, while Jones brought a record of 24 wins, one defeat and one draw. McCrory again held pronounced advantages in height and reach, standing six feet against Jones’s 5ft 6in, but the Welshman remained the heavier puncher and the greater danger at close quarters.

McCrory began cautiously, making greater use of his jab than he had in Reno and moving laterally before Jones could establish his feet. Jones advanced behind a high guard, looking to shorten the distance and work to the body, but McCrory was prepared for that approach. The Detroit boxer stepped away after punching and tied Jones up when the challenger forced his way inside. The early rounds contained fewer open exchanges than their first contest. McCrory’s punches were straighter and more frequent, while Jones’s attacks came in shorter, heavier bursts. The American’s greater reach allowed him to score without remaining in the danger area, and he built an early lead through activity rather than force.

Jones gradually found more success as he pressed McCrory towards the ropes. His left hand to the body remained an important weapon, and he attempted to bring the right over the top whenever McCrory lowered his elbows. McCrory did not move with complete freedom, but he was more willing than before to meet Jones with combinations and then smother the reply. The Welshman’s power made every clean connection significant, although he was often required to absorb several lighter punches before landing one of his own. McCrory’s corner had plainly instructed him not to surrender the centre for long periods, and he repeatedly turned Jones after the first exchange rather than retreating in straight lines.

The decisive moment came when McCrory dropped Jones, the principal difference between this contest and the first. The knockdown gave the American a valuable additional point in a fight which remained closely contested on two of the three cards. Jones rose and continued without showing serious distress, but the incident strengthened McCrory’s position and forced the Welshman to pursue the contest with greater urgency. Jones continued to attack the body and looked for the right hand to the head, while McCrory answered with quick combinations and attempted to move before Jones could set himself for a second attack. McCrory later acknowledged that the knockdown had been the main distinction between the two meetings.

Jones had his periods of control in the second half. When he trapped McCrory near the ropes, his shorter arms and compact punching gave him the advantage. He dug at the body and attempted to keep his head against McCrory’s chest, preventing the taller man from creating room for the jab. McCrory responded by bending low, slipping along the ropes and holding when necessary. Jones had McCrory in difficulty on several occasions, but the American managed to escape before the Welshman could produce the sustained sequence required for a stoppage. Jones later recalled that McCrory had been in danger at times but had managed to bob, weave and move clear before he could be finished.

McCrory’s best work remained his boxing at long and middle range. He was quicker to the target, generally landed first and made Jones pay for the effort required to close the distance. Jones’s punches carried the greater authority, but he did not land enough of them cleanly to establish undisputed command. The fight again divided naturally between McCrory’s cleaner boxing and Jones’s pressure. Neither man dominated for long, and the rounds were often settled by whether the judges preferred McCrory’s higher output or Jones’s heavier individual blows. Unlike the first meeting, however, McCrory had the knockdown in his favour and avoided surrendering a broad stretch of the later rounds.

The official scores reflected how little separated them. Judge Anselmo Escobedo awarded McCrory the contest by 115-111, and Ray Solis also favoured the American, 115-114. Angel C. Tovar scored it 114-113 for Jones. McCrory therefore won by split decision and became WBC welterweight champion. The 115-111 card was considerably wider than the general shape of the fight suggested, but the other two totals showed the narrowness of the result. Jones had again demonstrated that his pressure and punching strength could disturb McCrory’s rhythm, yet McCrory’s speed, reach and greater discipline carried sufficient rounds to secure the title.

The verdict did not settle every argument. Jones believed the second contest might have been closer to a draw than the first, while McCrory later expressed much the same view, saying that the knockdown was the chief difference. Jones nevertheless accepted the decision without protest and described McCrory as a worthy champion. The American went on to defend the WBC title four times before losing a unification match to Donald Curry in December 1985. Jones returned to Britain, won two further contests and later challenged Curry for the WBA and IBF championships, losing by a fourth-round stoppage in January 1985. In Las Vegas, however, McCrory had done just enough. He boxed with greater care than in Reno, survived Jones’s strongest attacks and used the one knockdown to turn another finely balanced contest in his favour.

I always felt Colin Jones came away from the two McCrory fights with less than he deserved. After their first meeting ended in a draw, McCrory boxed a more disciplined rematch, using his six-inch height advantage, long jab and quicker combinations.

Jones kept pressing, digging to the body and making McCrory uncomfortable whenever he reached close range. There were moments when the Welshman appeared to have him in trouble, but McCrory moved, held and escaped before Jones could finish the job.

The knockdown proved decisive. McCrory put Jones down and won a split decision by scores of 115-111 and 115-114, with the third judge favouring Jones 114-113.

I cannot call it a robbery because McCrory boxed intelligently and won rounds. But 115-111 was too wide. The fight was close enough for another draw, and even McCrory later admitted it.