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Part One takes a look at Emanuel Augustus' beginnings on the 'B-Side' in the sport of boxing. His earliest available fight at 20 years of age versus Billy Coddington is showcased, along with two dramatic fights against Allan Vester and Terrell Finger. It also highlights his journey through the ranks as a perennial opponent for contenders and prospects. Showcased bouts: Bill Coddington, Allan Vester, Terrell Finger Highlighted: Ivan Robinson, Wilfredo Negron, Diosbelys Hurtado, Soren Sondergaard, Jon Thaxton Gor Man Productions 2022 Series playlist: ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[ CHAPTERS ]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 00:00 Introduction 02:23 Earliest bout available 05:21 Career trajectory & highlights 09:51 The Danish debacle 16:39 A shot at redemption 20:08 Outro [The Vester fight (The Danish debacle) has poor quality audio. It is not only low, but only comes out of the left channel. My crappy editing program couldn't increase it more and/or export to mono.] ▬▬▬▬[ ADDITIONAL CONTEXT ]▬▬▬▬ 'After They Fought' playlist that gives a small summary of each opponent featured in this video (spoilers): [SPOILERS BELOW] VS CODDINGTON: Being only a 4-round fight meant that there was going to be limited variability in the scoring. The draw was not the worst result, although it's clear how much not getting the win affected Emanuel - something that becomes more familiar as the years go by. VS ROBINSON: Robinson's original opponent was Pete Taliaferro (32-6), a former featherweight champion who had won a contentious 10-round decision over Augustus just four months prior. Augustus took the fight on one week's notice. During the broadcast, the commentators continually spruiked Robinson's upcoming title shot. Rounds 4 & 7 were cut from the broadcast. Late in the fight, the crowd started chanting “Burton“. In round 9 one of the commentators stated that Augustus needed a knock out to win, yet in round 10 the same commentator announced that Augustus had actually landed more punches than Robinson. He went on to say that Robinson had landed more jabs and that the jab was more influential than a power shot scoring-wise, which contradicts common boxing theory. Robinson received a unanimous decision win (97-93, 97-93, 98-92). VS NEGRON: Augustus took the fight to Negron for much of the bout, while Negron resorted to hitting low in an attempt to keep Augustus at bay. Augustus fought well enough to earn a tight decision in Negron's home country in a competitive fight. VS HURTADO: Augustus took the fight to the hard hitting Cuban, walking through Hurtado's right hand to land combinations to the body and head. Hurtado won most of the rounds though by continually finding the target with power punches. In round 6 Hurtado scored a knockdown when one of those punches forced Augustus to touch the canvas. Augustus managed to finish the fight strongly but Hurtado deservedly won a unanimous decision. VS SONDERGAARD: In one of Augustus' first notable controversies he was denied victory in Denmark despite knocking his opponent down twice over 8 rounds. Sondergaard boxed and used quick, straight punches to slow Augustus' advance and won some early rounds, but Augustus' aggression and power punching dictated the momentum of the fight. All three judges scored it 76-76. VS THAXTON: Thaxton came out swinging with his switch-hitting style, but Augustus weathered the storm and began countering Thaxton's attacks. Periods of inactivity and showboating from Augustus allowed Thaxton to win rounds. It was in round 7 that Augustus showed more intent, and he was able to stagger Thaxton with a well-timed counter. The ensuing barrage led to a TKO win and a huge upset win for Augustus. Thaxton would later say it was the worst loss of his career. VS VESTER: Early on Vester stayed at a distance to score points with straight punches and won rounds while Augustus again spent a lot of time clowning. Once Augustus started putting on consistent pressure, Vester's inexperience came into play as he was forced to resort to illegal tactics (holding/pushing). The referee allowed this, however, while admonishing Augustus for retaliating. The theme of the evening led Augustus to believe that he had no chance at winning. VS FINGER: In an action packed fight Augustus was able to match Finger's aggression and begun overwhelming the undefeated knock-out artist with his own offense, all while slipping and blocking much of Finger's attacks. Finger had no answer for Augustus' style, and the punishment Finger took over the fight culminated in the 8th round. ▬▬▬▬▬▬[ REFERENCES ]▬▬▬▬▬▬ Athletes Quarterly - ESPN - #emanuelaugustus #boxing #career #highlights #mrgor24 #tribute
