One Door Opens, Another Closes: Ossie Ocasio Vs Jimmy Young II

By Kevin “The Voice” Kincade

So near, yet so far. Jimmy Young had been within a hair’s breadth of the Heavyweight Championship of the World on two occasions. The first time was in Landover, Maryland when an overweight, out of shape Muhammad Ali took him lightly and still won a split decision. The second time was in a title elimination bout with Ken Norton at Caesar’s Palace, a bout which, ultimately, decided who would own the WBC portion of the title. Jimmy ended up on the short end of the judges’ scorecards that night as well, once again, despite ringside opinions that he’d won. For two years, Jimmy had been hovering around the championship, close enough to touch it; but not close enough to grab hold. The frustration must have been maddening.

For a Philadelphia fighter, he was a contradiction in terms, at least according to the popular perception. When you say, “Philadelphia Fighter”, the image of this hungry, slick, aggressive monster with a lousy record and a great left hook immediately jumps to the forefront of your mind. They’re the kind of fighter you would put in the ring with anybody because they are tough enough to find a way to win; but the same kind of fighter you’d rather not put your charge in there with, unless you really think they’re ready.

Jimmy was a survivor, a well-honed talent; but he was not an aggressive fighter with a great left hook. He was the kind of Philadelphia fighter who could beat those guys, slick as goose grease and guaranteed to turn your best weapon against you. That’s how he’d beaten Ron Lyle. That’s how he’d retired George Foreman in Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March of 1977. There’s a cost for being such a defensive wizard, though, for being such a fighter who didn’t have enough power to bust a grape in a food fight. Unless you leave no doubt as to your dominance in the ring, you are always reliant upon the mercy of the judges. If you don’t dominate, the win is up for grabs, based on the opinion of officials who are all too often, all too human.

In the wake of his loss to Ken Norton in November of 1977, Young was still a very highly regarded heavyweight. So much so, that he was featured on the undercard of Ken Norton’s title defense against Larry Holmes in June of ’78, presumably with a shot at the winner looming in his future. His opponent that night was an undefeated 20 year old kid from Puerto Rico, named Osvaldo “Jaws” Ocasio. (No small wonder they called him Ossie with a 5-dollar handle like that.)

Jimmy didn’t show up in the best of shape for his “tune-up”. He came in looking bloated around the middle at 220 lbs. You’d think he would have learned the lesson taught by Muhammad Ali against him and, more recently, against Leon Spinks. Like Spinks, Ocasio was an undefeated hungry young man. At 6-0-1, Spinks had just upset Ali and won the heavyweight championship of the world, all because Ali took him lightly. Did Jimmy underestimate the 11-0 Ocasio? It would appear so, as “Jaws” built up a commanding lead on the cards, due to Jimmy’s inactivity. Young attempted to rally over the course of the later rounds; but, ultimately, fell short, winning on only one of the judges’ scorecards by a margin of 47-43, while losing the vote of the other two by scores of 46-45 and 46-44. Just like that, Jimmy was at the crossroads.

To his credit, Young showed up in much better condition for their rematch in January of 1979, at 214 lbs. However, while Ocasio came in to the ring 5 lbs. lighter in weight at 209, he was 100 lbs. heavier in confidence in front of his hometown crowd in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He’d beaten Young before in Vegas and now he had the chance to erase all doubt by doing it again in front of folks who wanted to see him do well.

In a clear case of irony, Jimmy Young was now in the same position George Foreman had been in not two years before, the 2nd Ranked heavyweight in the world, facing the now 8th ranked heavyweight in the world with a shot at the WBC Champion, Larry Holmes, who was sitting ringside, on the line. This time, though, it was not he who was the underdog favorite at Roberto Clemente Coliseum.

Jimmy was able to counter well in the first two rounds, easily slipping most of Ocasio’s wild punches and paying him back to the body. Obviously, he was taking the young man more serious this time out; but then, in the third, “Jaws” struck with a monster right hand. After carefully studying Jimmy’s moves for the first two rounds, he threw the punch where Jimmy “was going to be”, rather than where he was, and caught him perfect, hurting Young severely. Ocasio pursued Young for the rest of the round, dropping right hand after right hand, with a left hook or two mixed in, finding the Philadelphians jaw more often than not, sending Young walking to his corner, dazed at the end of the stanza.

Young attempted to regain control in the 4th; but Ocasio’s enthusiasm and activity kept it close for the next few rounds. Matters were just beginning to look up for Jimmy until he caught a thumb late in the 8th, which caused his left eye to immediately begin to swell. His vision impaired, the younger man began to thump his 30 year old rival on a more regular basis; and, seeing as how he was fighting in front of his hometown, even if he missed, the fans went into a bedlam for every shot he threw. The stadium was rocking as “Jaws” went on the attack, opening up a cut near Jimmy’s right eye towards the close of the 9th.

On this same plot of earth, not quite two years ago, a 28 year old Jimmy Young had George Foreman reeling from his counters to the chants of his name. Now, to the fans, he was the man on the mountaintop to be dislodged by one of their own. Ocasio beamed with confidence as he danced around the outside of Young, who was in the uncomfortable position of aggressor. Halfway through the round, “Jaws” struck again, launching an inside assault which may or may not have landed solidly. It mattered not when you have thousands of fans cheers reverberating in the ears of the judges. The momentum of this fight had been in Ocasio’s favor since the early going. It was obvious who wanted it more, it was obvious who had more hunger, it was obvious that Jimmy Young was not leaving Puerto Rico with a win, nor a shot at Larry Holmes.
The decision was close; but unanimous: 97-95 times three.

And so, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Jimmy Young had opened the door of opportunity not so long ago, that same door closed shut. In his place, another young contender, full of hopes and dreams marched onward through it towards the spotlight, as Jimmy Young’s boxing career and championship aspirations began its long, slow, decline into the dark.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]