OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

kenyan_cheena · 05-09-2005, 08:07 AM

(...continuation)

In the minutes leading up to the first contest of the night, the air was charged with the electricity of excited chatter. But it wasn't just the fights that would soon be taking place that those in attendance were discussing. It wasn't only Rocky Marciano, Sammy Langford or Tom Sharkey that had tongues waving. Likewise, it wasn't simply the impending return to the ring of Elmer Ray on Friday night, or the HBF's African debut on Saturday. No. If anything, most of the talk concerned the story of the day: the possible expansion of the HBF. The boxing public had been able to speculate on the story that had appeared in the morning edition of the New York Age for most of the day, and the names of a number of boxers who had taken gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, such as the light welterweight Ray Leonard of Maryland, the middleweight Michael Spinks of St. Louis and Italy's welterweight champion Nino Benvenuti were circulating throughout the crowd.

Minutes earlier, HBF President Michael Vincennes had adamantly denied that the HBF was expanding, but this did nothing to stop the talk that had enveloped the arena. No one really cared that parts of the story might have been inaccurate. The fact that the federation would most likely not be involved in an expansion of the sport of boxing matter little, because everyone in the arena knew what was the most important part of James Reynolds's story: there was a group of businessmen who appeared to have the will and the financial backing to expand the sport of boxing. That was all that mattered, and it was exciting.

When Vincennes entered the arena, he was greeted by cheers and handshakes from some, but indifference and even scorn from others. Strangely, astonishingly, this man who had been looked upon as a genius and a visionary only 24 hours earlier, was now being regarded as somewhat of a spoiler. The HBF President chose to focus on those who offered him hospitality, rather than those who gazed at him coldly. His wife by his side, Vincennes took his seat at ringside and waited for the action to begin...

(COMING SOON: ALL THE ACTION OF THE CONSECO FIELDHOUSE FIGHT CARD)

05-09-2005, 08:07 AM	#143 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,289	(...continuation) In the minutes leading up to the first contest of the night, the air was charged with the electricity of excited chatter. But it wasn't just the fights that would soon be taking place that those in attendance were discussing. It wasn't only Rocky Marciano, Sammy Langford or Tom Sharkey that had tongues waving. Likewise, it wasn't simply the impending return to the ring of Elmer Ray on Friday night, or the HBF's African debut on Saturday. No. If anything, most of the talk concerned the story of the day: the possible expansion of the HBF. The boxing public had been able to speculate on the story that had appeared in the morning edition of the New York Age for most of the day, and the names of a number of boxers who had taken gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, such as the light welterweight Ray Leonard of Maryland, the middleweight Michael Spinks of St. Louis and Italy's welterweight champion Nino Benvenuti were circulating throughout the crowd. Minutes earlier, HBF President Michael Vincennes had adamantly denied that the HBF was expanding, but this did nothing to stop the talk that had enveloped the arena. No one really cared that parts of the story might have been inaccurate. The fact that the federation would most likely not be involved in an expansion of the sport of boxing matter little, because everyone in the arena knew what was the most important part of James Reynolds's story: there was a group of businessmen who appeared to have the will and the financial backing to expand the sport of boxing. That was all that mattered, and it was exciting. When Vincennes entered the arena, he was greeted by cheers and handshakes from some, but indifference and even scorn from others. Strangely, astonishingly, this man who had been looked upon as a genius and a visionary only 24 hours earlier, was now being regarded as somewhat of a spoiler. The HBF President chose to focus on those who offered him hospitality, rather than those who gazed at him coldly. His wife by his side, Vincennes took his seat at ringside and waited for the action to begin... (COMING SOON: ALL THE ACTION OF THE CONSECO FIELDHOUSE FIGHT CARD) Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 05-10-2005 at 10:33 PM.