AARON PRYOR w rsf 6 AKIO KAMEDA
July 4, 1982; Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
AARON PRYOR, as was his custom, reacted to the opening bell like a man who had been told the fella in the opposite corner was on route to kidnap his children. The “Hawk” was predominantly irresistible in this form but, as southpaw Kameda proved, not impossible to hit. With the challenger being socked this way and that, the challenger – who would later be Terry Marsh’s final opponent – scored with a counter combination that briefly decked the WBA super-lightweight boss. Embarrassed and enraged, Pryor leapt to his feet in cartoon style and windmilled after his foe before being hauled off by the referee who then administered the eight count. Needless to say, what followed from Pryor was a comprehensive hammering.
DID YOU KNOW? This was the third time that Pryor had been floored in the opening round after Antonio Cervantes and Dujuan Johnson did the same to the American.
WATCH OUT FOR: Pryor’s next opponent Alexis Arguello respectfully provide co-commentary. Pryor, eager to take on Arguello, admitted in the aftermath that his future rival’s presence at ringside weighed heavily on his mind throughout this fight.
