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kenyan_cheena · 02-12-2005, 02:44 AM

JEANNETTE PREVAILS DESPITE SPIRITED OPPOSITION

Wednesday 23 January 2002

LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA

26 year-old New Jersey native Joe Jeannette was victorious in his professional debut tonight, winning by unanimous decision against his stubborn opponent, 19 year-old Al Kaufmann of San Francisco.

Never really troubled during the bout, Jeannette unleashed almost twice as many punches as his opponent (344 to 193). However, Kaufmann proved to be a tough adversary. In the fifth round, he walked into a sickening uppercut and crumbled, as if lifeless, to the canvas. Most in the packed Foxwoods Resort Casino believed the fight was over, but the Californian managed to beat the count, making it to his feet by seven. He finished the fight in impressive fashion, taking the final round on all three cards. Of course, it was not nearly enough to win him the bout, and Jeannette took a comfortable decision, 58-55 (twice), 59-54.

The one-sided scorecards did not really indicate how competitive Kaufmann had been in the fight. Jeannette landed 124 punches, Kaufmann 108. Some were surprised by this, with the fact that the fight punch percentage favoured Kaufmann (56% to 36%) even more surprising.

"No, that doesn't really mean much," said a dejected Kaufmann after the bout. "He threw a lot more punches, so it kind of makes sense that his percentage was lower. He's a busy fighter, really outworked me."

Jeannette was a portrait of modesty. "He's a tough kid," he said, motioning to Kaufmann. "He made me work hard for the victory and, I tell ya, I really didn't think that he had a hope in hell of getting up form that knockdown, but he did. He's just a real tough kid. He's gonna cause some trouble during the tournament, just wait and see."

"Your mentor Father Ciccone must be relieved," said ESPN's Dave Howard.

Jeannette laughed. "Oh, yeah. For sure, there he is in the first row." Jeannette waved to the man who has been a force of positive change in his life, Father Alfredo Ciccone, the priest at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Jeannette's hometown of North Bergen, New Jersey.

"But I don't want to get too excited about tonight," said Jeannette. "I mean, I know a win is so much better than a loss, but still ... have to keep it in perspective. Gotta move on and concentrate on the next fight. That's what Father Ciccone will tell me, and it's exactly what I plan to do."

For Jeannette (and the other members of group eleven in the W.C. tournament), that next fight will be on 27 February. Jeannette will clash with the 102nd seed in the tournament, Mike DeJohn of Syracuse, New York. DeJohn lost by unanimous decision tonight against the 22nd seed, Detroit's Johnny Summerlin.

"Just got to get back home, take a few days to recuperate, and then get right back into training," said Jeannette. "This tournament really is a marathon, and no one's gonna win it during the first five miles."

Like a number of others, Joe Jeannette has shown in his debut that he will be a force to be reckoned with as the World Championship tournament progresses...

02-12-2005, 02:44 AM	#71 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,178	JEANNETTE PREVAILS DESPITE SPIRITED OPPOSITION Wednesday 23 January 2002 LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA 26 year-old New Jersey native Joe Jeannette was victorious in his professional debut tonight, winning by unanimous decision against his stubborn opponent, 19 year-old Al Kaufmann of San Francisco. Never really troubled during the bout, Jeannette unleashed almost twice as many punches as his opponent (344 to 193). However, Kaufmann proved to be a tough adversary. In the fifth round, he walked into a sickening uppercut and crumbled, as if lifeless, to the canvas. Most in the packed Foxwoods Resort Casino believed the fight was over, but the Californian managed to beat the count, making it to his feet by seven. He finished the fight in impressive fashion, taking the final round on all three cards. Of course, it was not nearly enough to win him the bout, and Jeannette took a comfortable decision, 58-55 (twice), 59-54. The one-sided scorecards did not really indicate how competitive Kaufmann had been in the fight. Jeannette landed 124 punches, Kaufmann 108. Some were surprised by this, with the fact that the fight punch percentage favoured Kaufmann (56% to 36%) even more surprising. "No, that doesn't really mean much," said a dejected Kaufmann after the bout. "He threw a lot more punches, so it kind of makes sense that his percentage was lower. He's a busy fighter, really outworked me." Jeannette was a portrait of modesty. "He's a tough kid," he said, motioning to Kaufmann. "He made me work hard for the victory and, I tell ya, I really didn't think that he had a hope in hell of getting up form that knockdown, but he did. He's just a real tough kid. He's gonna cause some trouble during the tournament, just wait and see." "Your mentor Father Ciccone must be relieved," said ESPN's Dave Howard. Jeannette laughed. "Oh, yeah. For sure, there he is in the first row." Jeannette waved to the man who has been a force of positive change in his life, Father Alfredo Ciccone, the priest at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Jeannette's hometown of North Bergen, New Jersey. "But I don't want to get too excited about tonight," said Jeannette. "I mean, I know a win is so much better than a loss, but still ... have to keep it in perspective. Gotta move on and concentrate on the next fight. That's what Father Ciccone will tell me, and it's exactly what I plan to do." For Jeannette (and the other members of group eleven in the W.C. tournament), that next fight will be on 27 February. Jeannette will clash with the 102nd seed in the tournament, Mike DeJohn of Syracuse, New York. DeJohn lost by unanimous decision tonight against the 22nd seed, Detroit's Johnny Summerlin. "Just got to get back home, take a few days to recuperate, and then get right back into training," said Jeannette. "This tournament really is a marathon, and no one's gonna win it during the first five miles." Like a number of others, Joe Jeannette has shown in his debut that he will be a force to be reckoned with as the World Championship tournament progresses... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 04-29-2005 at 06:10 PM.