Michael Dokes vs John L Gardner

Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA - 12th June 1981

[@michaelmoran9399]

John L was one of our better British Champions but the yanks in this Era had a lot of top Heavyweights

[@antoniokasto4293]

Looked like dokes had bobby Lewis is his corner good trainer trained ron lyle some fast hands not a big puncher drugs killed Michael ruined his career RIP mike

[@simonlevett4776]

The Americans didn't research John's record very well, at about 2.30 we are told that John has lost twice but never been stopped. That's strange as i seem to remember John being flattened in the first round in September 1977 by an obscure fighter called Ibar Arrington.

[@TheGreatest1974]

True

[@grudeman]

Golden age of boxing! Gardner was a very very good fighter, dokes had some of the fastest hands for a heavyweight I've ever seen, fantastic fighter also

[@EstradaDuran-sg6co]

good fighter? lmao he was a can

[@ressikanflute]

Damn... decent fight. Gardner did more in three rounds than Zanon, Evangelista, and Rodriguez did in in four world title fights.

[@EstradaDuran-sg6co]

gardener got raped lmao

[@peggs1]

Gardner was a fabulous boxer.

[@EstradaDuran-sg6co]

😂

[@seanscanlon9067]

@@EstradaDuran-sg6co He was, he just lacked punch power.

[@Supreme91007]

He was the greatest at bum level 😂😂😂😂

[@TheMrBennito]

Wow, Gardner is good, didn't know him, good body movement!

[@converse91970]

Great finish from Dokes, and a class act checking on Gardiner’s welfare at the end. I lived not too far away from where Gardiner came from in Hackney, East London.

[@seanscanlon9067]

It looks initially like Gardiner stumbled or tripped over his own feet and then Dokes took that as him being wobbled and so he went on the attack and really came on strong.

[@antoniokasto4293]

Sure he came from homerton way ? Big gambler lives Leicestershire area now I think ? He got badly stabbed of a junkie in Gateshead Newcsstle in bar

[@converse91970]

@@antoniokasto4293 Thanks, yes I thought he lived over that way. Sorry to hear about John being stabbed - that’s terrible!

[@Alfredromeothatsme]

John L Gardner came into my Mecca Bookmakers betting shop in Hackney back in 1978 or 1979 and placed a 400 pound bet on Navratilova to win Wimbledon. She duly won and he came in to collect a few weeks later; the odds he picked up were either 7/4 or 9/4, can't quite remember now. Prior to him coming into my shop there had been a general warning released about him. Apparently he had filled up at a local petrol station and had no money to pay. He left jewelry with the attendant as collateral promising to come back later to pay the bill. The jewelry turned out to be plastic rubbish and hence the warning released.

[@sichere]

John L Gardner had a bar in Spain and was apparently visited by an East London firm who beat him with chains and hung him over a cliff so that he would sign his bar over to them - He was also stabbed 14 times in one of the three pubs he ran in Gateshead. He had some hard fights and a hard life and not much luck.

[@harryheathheath5050]

Dokes was a well oiled working machine here before he started smoking big

[@warrenmcstay9162]

I also had John as a client in a betting shop, however a lot more recently. Very trustworthy and generally regarded as a sound bloke.

[@antoniokasto4293]

A huge gambler lost lot of money over the years Terry lawless manager could not do anything with him

[@MadAngel209]

If he would've left drugs alone, Michael Dokes would've been a great champion.

[@stevegasparutti8341]

Too stiff - drugs may have loosened him up

[@harryheath9928]

Yeah true but here this was a prime time Dokes crisp sharp with some real speed and that left to the body has knocked men out on the floor and out of the ring!

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Gardner moved like Marciano but lacked rockys power

[@antoniokasto4293]

No where near as good as rocky marciano but similar style

[@wbamitch]

Picturesque stoppage there with gumshield flying out. Great hand speed by Dokes.

[@fanoolproductions6878]

Dokes throws bombs dude

[@fanoolproductions6878]

Power and speed combined

[@antoniokasto4293]

Fast hands not powerful but fast drugs ruined him

[@bobyoung9242]

cleaned johns windows down earth bloke lovely fellow

[@kc1973able]

John got his window cleaned there with that last left hook from Dokes 🥊

[@kentaappel]

Good win for Dokes. He had a lot of talent too bad he had to get into drugs as it hurt his career.

[@Old299dfk]

And to think, if Sykes had kept his nose clean he could've been there. What a show that would've been.

[@gerwulfthered154]

Dan Gee@ Sykes was bang average

[@stevex8409]

Dokes was a few levels above Sykes.

[@MrNewtonian]

John showed courage, did Sykes?

[@antoniokasto4293]

Yes Paul
Late start in life and to much time in jail Paul died in pinderfield hospital pneumonia he was living like a tramp near Wakefield bus station an alcoholic ect wasted talent

[@vencidrazhev]

The best!!!😂😂😂Very,very good,very fast!

[@nickfeery7080]

Gardener was a very good pressure fighter but he was too light for Dokes, Dokes was very fast and powerful for a big man

[@danielshaw8049]

Gardner was too small as a Heavyweight. He would do good as a Cruiserweight.

[@krismartinez1355]

Man even that old bag felt it cross the pond

[@0utlawjase1]

Dokes is fast

[@michaeloakes2408]

Dynamite Dokes was different class

[@timanderson8610]

Man I always thought Dokes could've been such a great fighter. Such a shame how it went for him.

[@listennow1537]

America brought it!

[@agt155]

ref goes to take out his gumshield...no need for that.

[@arthurjuniorsouza7634]

Michael dokes ❤

[@lewisgreen2957]

Beautiful jabs from Dokes. Similar to The Hitman.

[@jimcameron4672]

John wasn't really a big knock out puncher

[@antoniokasto4293]

Good work rate ect he is 20 stone now lives Leicester way as far as I know ! He got stabbed in a bar in Gateshead some junkie he barred from his bar three tons ..sure his wife tried to help him ? She got stabbed as well a nurse from Gateshead told me years ago

[@857noel]

Good fight

[@tonishampioni5193]

the greatest boxing performance of all times wow

[@HarryHeath-pb6rv]

Well Dokes never looked better them blazing hands

[@rikward6955]

gardner just coul drrtake it

[@tintomara6209]

Dokes another fighter ruined by Don King

[@fitzieo1]

John L Gardner. Would have best the count. He was just getting warmer up. A bit of a home town decision here. I believe John would have gone into stop Dokes in the next round that's probably why they ended it as soon as he went down. Very poor ref.

[@patrickcolon8809]

This would be a great comment for "The Onion." Gardner was just getting warmed up by pounding the crap out of Dokes' fists with his head. One more round of that, and Dokes' fists would have surely gone down for the count.

[@gntdriver2840]

home town decision? really?...dokes was a class above Gardner and it showed,also Dokes home town is hundreds of miles from this venue.

[@chrismartinez5350]

You klown this isnt snatch you fool

[@vlLEGTxSQUADX]

Gardener was sleep wtf you mean

[@ericguy1573]

@BestCanKeanRob2 lenny mclean becoming world champ he got beat by legitimate boxers who were not even british champions, !!!...johnny waldron was a light heavy, yet beat lenny twice...

[@stevegasparutti8341]

Gardiner was the real low point of UK boxing. Terrible .

[@hambutty1]

No he wasnt. He just wasnt World Class. Dokes was

[@Old299dfk]

He did a number on Sykes, that takes some doing. He deserved to be there.

[@neilrogers6767]

He never coasted in a fight, he always gave it 100%. Gardner was tenacious. Dokes was quality at his best.

[@kevindurand7230]

And obviously your talent eclipsed him any day

[@michaelmoran9399]

Gardener was one of our better Heavyweights your talking shite.

[@brutusbrabo]

That final left hook nearly took his head off!