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kenyan_cheena · 09-30-2005, 06:59 PM

AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE MAKES
SPECTACULAR DEBUT IN JOHANNESBURG

Thursday 28 February 2002

The final day of the month played host to the first fight card of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's eighth feeder league, the African Boxing League.

Held at the sold-out Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa, the card was a great success. It featured some eye-catching performances, displays of skill and determination that confirmed the belief of HBF officials present at the event: the African Boxing League will be the most competitive of all the federation's feeder leagues.

The stand-out performance of the night came from a fearsome, hard-hitting Nigerian fighter ... named Omovo Okocha. Many were looking at this night as the introduction to the world of the man who is being regarded as Africa's great hope for success in the HBF, Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi. The #1 seed in the league earned his spot by putting on a head-turning display while sparring against the #1 seed in the federation's World Championship tournament, Gene Tunney. He was expected to come out in tonight's main event and show why he is the #1 seed, but Ibeabuchi's debut bout was, to say the least, eventful, and not for the right reasons.

By comparison, his fellow Nigerian Okocha was fantastic in the opening bout of the night, blitzing hometown favourite Jomo Motloung and winning the bout by TKO near the end of the third round. Okocha made as impressive a start as one can make to a professional boxing career, sending Motloung to the canvas with the first punch he threw seventeen seconds into the first round. It was a firecracker of a right uppercut that came from near the floor. Motloung was back to his feet by five, gazing at Okocha with absolute fear in his eyes. Motloung was able to survive the round by backpedalling and clinching, holding on for dear life as Okocha, perhaps trying too hard for the knockout blow, struggled to find his range.

Okocha kept up the pressure in the second round, showing a calmer, more controlled disposition and rocking Motloung with a killer right hook moments before the bell. Standing 6'4" and weighing 235, Okocha is an impressive physical specimen, but when he auditioned before HBF officials, they had not been absolutely sold on him. After two rounds against Motloung, it was made clear that he had been foxing in the audition, showing just enough to convince them to include him in the league and waiting for the international stage to show his true ability. Sitting ringside in the front row, HBF President Michael Vincennes and Gene Tunney could be seen talking excitedly, fascinated by the 20 year-old Nigerian's explosive start.

Motloung hit the canvas for a second time 1:14 into the third round, a perfect right cross putting him on his backside. He managed to beat the count, up at eight but looking like he'd had enough. The audience, 95% of them South African, were captivated by the Nigerian's skill and power, and they did not seem to be overly concerned about the fact that he was taking apart one of their countrymen. Motloung had nothing left, and Okocha stalked him around the ring. The end came when Motloung literally walked into a left-right combination and crumpled to the canvas. Gamely, he beat the count, but when referee William Conners asked him if he wanted to continue, Motloung did not respond, his eyes glazed over. Conners did not hesistate to call an end to the contest, and Omovo Okocha had won his professional debut by TKO at 2:50 of the third round.

***

New York's Stanley Drexxon, one of four American fighters participating in the ABL, scored a unanimous decision victory over Marien Nguesso of the Congo in the second bout fo the night. It was a tough contest, but Drexxon was just a little bit better in each round, flooring Nguesso in the fifth and taking the verdict 60-53, 59-54(x2).

***

The third bout of the evening would prove to be the highlight for the thousands of South Africans in attendance, as unfancied local boy Zolilie Letlake put on a performance that was all gritty determination to score a split decision victory over Egypt's Grantham Abdul-Kafar. After being absolutely pulverised in the first round, Letlake clawed his way back into the bout, with two of the judges awarding him three of the next four rounds. The extent of the turnaround could be summarised by a single statistic: Abdul-Kafar landed 58 punches in the opening round. In rounds two, three, four and five, he landed a combined total of ... 58 punches.

Going into the final round, the Egyptian wore a perturbed expression. Both men struggled as the round progressed, fatigue crawling over them with every punch. As the final seconds ticked away, it appeared that Abdul-Kafar had done enough to win the round, but an instant before the bell sounded, Letlake unleashed a left hook that ripped into the Egyptian's ribcage and sent him to his knees. The audience came to their feet as one, a howl of excitement flooding the arena. The final bell sounded and the fight was over, but the knockdown completely turned the round in Letlake's favour. Ultimately, and, quite incredibly, it won him the fight, 58-55, 56-57, 58-55. When the verdict was announced, Letlake erupted with joy, his trainer lifting him onto his shoulders and parading him around the ring to the applause of the partisan audience. Without a doubt, it was one of the more extraordinary victories seen so far in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation...

***

In an All-American contest, James Eldren of New Orleans took a unanimous decision victory over Delbert Craw of Mingo County, West Virginia. Eldren is a good friend of the #1 seed in the federation's U.S Atlantic Coast League, Harry Wills. Wills was in Eldren's corner tonight, just as Eldren had been for him in his own debut. When Eldren started fast, flooring Craw midway through the first round, it appeared that he might be in for an easy night. But Craw showed stubborn resistance from that point on, even winning a couple of rounds. But he was never able to seriously hurt Eldren, and the New Orleans fighter duplicated his friend's debut success, taking the decision 58-55, 59-54 (x2).

***

The #2 seed in the African Boxing League, Anaclet Wamba of the Congo showed some lightning fast handwork during his unanimous decision victory over Ghana's Charles Mbarga. Wamba used constant variety, throwing an array of different combinations and switching his attack from the head to the body at will. Mbarga gave a good account of himself, but just could not compete with Wamba's quickness. The #2 seed landed 185 punches to 107, and took the unanimous decision, 59-56 on all three cards.

***

Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi entered the ring at the Carnival City Big Top Arena with an air of confidence and self-assuredness. He left the ring simply happy that he hadn't been knocked out. The #1 seed in the ABL made a far from impressive debut tonight, showing to the world and (more importantly) his competitors a serious mental flaw in his make-up.

Ibeabuchi looked simply fantastic in the first four rounds. He was dominating his opponent, Roy Harris of Texas, to the point of toying with him. Through those opening four rounds, Ibeabuchi had landed 132 punches to 45. He had been close to finishing Harris off in the first round and also in the fourth round, when he sent the Texan to the canvas.

But then, something inexplicable happened. After absorbing four rounds of punishment, Harris started fighting back. And Ibeabuchi, appearing to taunt his opponent, started missing with his punches. Amazingly, in the fifth round, Ibeabuchi did not land a single punch. Harris connected with 46. The Texan continued his comeback in the final round, rocking Ibeabuchi on at least four separate occasions, to the delight of the audience. The two men finished the bout toe-to-toe, with Harris getting the better of the exchanges and looking like a world-beater.

Of course, Harris's extraordinary rally had come too late, and Ibeabuchi took the decision 59-55, 58-55, 57-56.

Interviewed soon after the bout, the #1 seed dismissed the concerns expressed about his late meltdown, but, without a doubt, there would have been ten other fighters watching Ibeabuchi's performance very carefully. The other top seeds, Wamba and Eldren, must have surely drawn some confidence from what they saw.

***

HBF President Michael Vincennes was delighted with the evening.

"I couldn't be happier," he said. "These bouts were beyond my expectations, they really were. Considering that we put this all together in two weeks, it's just amazing. I thought that this league might reveal a couple of prospects, but I have to say, I saw at least four in there tonight. I can't wait to see what will happen on this league's next card in five weeks."

Vincennes was asked about the venue for that second card.

"It's undetermined at the moment. We would love to take the league to some of the other African nations, such as Nigeria and Ghana. But we'll just have to see what we can come up with. The South African officials have told me that they'd love to continue hosting this league, so if we can't work something out elsewhere, there will always be that option."

And so, as of tonight, all eight of the HBF's feeder leagues have staged their first fight card. Action in the feeder leagues will resume in two weeks, when the U.S. Atlantic Coast and South-East Asian leagues (headlined by Harry Wills and Terone Haynes respectively) hold their second fight cards.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2002
CARNIVAL CITY BIG TOP ARENA, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE

OPENING BOUT

(6) Omovo Okocha TKO3 (10) Jomo Motloung

PRELIMINARY 1

(9) Stanley Drexxon UD6 (5) Marien Nguesso

PRELIMINARY 2

(8) Zolilie Letlake SD6 (4) Grantham Abdul-Kafar

SUPPORT BOUT

(3) James Eldren UD6 (7) Delbert Craw

CO-FEATURE

(2) Anaclet Wamba UD6 (11) Charles Mbarga

MAIN EVENT

(1) Ike Ibeabuchi UD6 (12) Roy Harris

09-30-2005, 06:59 PM	#249 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,311	AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE MAKES SPECTACULAR DEBUT IN JOHANNESBURG Thursday 28 February 2002 The final day of the month played host to the first fight card of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's eighth feeder league, the African Boxing League. Held at the sold-out Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa, the card was a great success. It featured some eye-catching performances, displays of skill and determination that confirmed the belief of HBF officials present at the event: the African Boxing League will be the most competitive of all the federation's feeder leagues. The stand-out performance of the night came from a fearsome, hard-hitting Nigerian fighter ... named Omovo Okocha. Many were looking at this night as the introduction to the world of the man who is being regarded as Africa's great hope for success in the HBF, Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi. The #1 seed in the league earned his spot by putting on a head-turning display while sparring against the #1 seed in the federation's World Championship tournament, Gene Tunney. He was expected to come out in tonight's main event and show why he is the #1 seed, but Ibeabuchi's debut bout was, to say the least, eventful, and not for the right reasons. By comparison, his fellow Nigerian Okocha was fantastic in the opening bout of the night, blitzing hometown favourite Jomo Motloung and winning the bout by TKO near the end of the third round. Okocha made as impressive a start as one can make to a professional boxing career, sending Motloung to the canvas with the first punch he threw seventeen seconds into the first round. It was a firecracker of a right uppercut that came from near the floor. Motloung was back to his feet by five, gazing at Okocha with absolute fear in his eyes. Motloung was able to survive the round by backpedalling and clinching, holding on for dear life as Okocha, perhaps trying too hard for the knockout blow, struggled to find his range. Okocha kept up the pressure in the second round, showing a calmer, more controlled disposition and rocking Motloung with a killer right hook moments before the bell. Standing 6'4" and weighing 235, Okocha is an impressive physical specimen, but when he auditioned before HBF officials, they had not been absolutely sold on him. After two rounds against Motloung, it was made clear that he had been foxing in the audition, showing just enough to convince them to include him in the league and waiting for the international stage to show his true ability. Sitting ringside in the front row, HBF President Michael Vincennes and Gene Tunney could be seen talking excitedly, fascinated by the 20 year-old Nigerian's explosive start. Motloung hit the canvas for a second time 1:14 into the third round, a perfect right cross putting him on his backside. He managed to beat the count, up at eight but looking like he'd had enough. The audience, 95% of them South African, were captivated by the Nigerian's skill and power, and they did not seem to be overly concerned about the fact that he was taking apart one of their countrymen. Motloung had nothing left, and Okocha stalked him around the ring. The end came when Motloung literally walked into a left-right combination and crumpled to the canvas. Gamely, he beat the count, but when referee William Conners asked him if he wanted to continue, Motloung did not respond, his eyes glazed over. Conners did not hesistate to call an end to the contest, and Omovo Okocha had won his professional debut by TKO at 2:50 of the third round. * New York's Stanley Drexxon, one of four American fighters participating in the ABL, scored a unanimous decision victory over Marien Nguesso of the Congo in the second bout fo the night. It was a tough contest, but Drexxon was just a little bit better in each round, flooring Nguesso in the fifth and taking the verdict 60-53, 59-54(x2). * The third bout of the evening would prove to be the highlight for the thousands of South Africans in attendance, as unfancied local boy Zolilie Letlake put on a performance that was all gritty determination to score a split decision victory over Egypt's Grantham Abdul-Kafar. After being absolutely pulverised in the first round, Letlake clawed his way back into the bout, with two of the judges awarding him three of the next four rounds. The extent of the turnaround could be summarised by a single statistic: Abdul-Kafar landed 58 punches in the opening round. In rounds two, three, four and five, he landed a combined total of ... 58 punches. Going into the final round, the Egyptian wore a perturbed expression. Both men struggled as the round progressed, fatigue crawling over them with every punch. As the final seconds ticked away, it appeared that Abdul-Kafar had done enough to win the round, but an instant before the bell sounded, Letlake unleashed a left hook that ripped into the Egyptian's ribcage and sent him to his knees. The audience came to their feet as one, a howl of excitement flooding the arena. The final bell sounded and the fight was over, but the knockdown completely turned the round in Letlake's favour. Ultimately, and, quite incredibly, it won him the fight, 58-55, 56-57, 58-55. When the verdict was announced, Letlake erupted with joy, his trainer lifting him onto his shoulders and parading him around the ring to the applause of the partisan audience. Without a doubt, it was one of the more extraordinary victories seen so far in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation... * In an All-American contest, James Eldren of New Orleans took a unanimous decision victory over Delbert Craw of Mingo County, West Virginia. Eldren is a good friend of the #1 seed in the federation's U.S Atlantic Coast League, Harry Wills. Wills was in Eldren's corner tonight, just as Eldren had been for him in his own debut. When Eldren started fast, flooring Craw midway through the first round, it appeared that he might be in for an easy night. But Craw showed stubborn resistance from that point on, even winning a couple of rounds. But he was never able to seriously hurt Eldren, and the New Orleans fighter duplicated his friend's debut success, taking the decision 58-55, 59-54 (x2). * The #2 seed in the African Boxing League, Anaclet Wamba of the Congo showed some lightning fast handwork during his unanimous decision victory over Ghana's Charles Mbarga. Wamba used constant variety, throwing an array of different combinations and switching his attack from the head to the body at will. Mbarga gave a good account of himself, but just could not compete with Wamba's quickness. The #2 seed landed 185 punches to 107, and took the unanimous decision, 59-56 on all three cards. * Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi entered the ring at the Carnival City Big Top Arena with an air of confidence and self-assuredness. He left the ring simply happy that he hadn't been knocked out. The #1 seed in the ABL made a far from impressive debut tonight, showing to the world and (more importantly) his competitors a serious mental flaw in his make-up. Ibeabuchi looked simply fantastic in the first four rounds. He was dominating his opponent, Roy Harris of Texas, to the point of toying with him. Through those opening four rounds, Ibeabuchi had landed 132 punches to 45. He had been close to finishing Harris off in the first round and also in the fourth round, when he sent the Texan to the canvas. But then, something inexplicable happened. After absorbing four rounds of punishment, Harris started fighting back. And Ibeabuchi, appearing to taunt his opponent, started missing with his punches. Amazingly, in the fifth round, Ibeabuchi did not land a single punch. Harris connected with 46. The Texan continued his comeback in the final round, rocking Ibeabuchi on at least four separate occasions, to the delight of the audience. The two men finished the bout toe-to-toe, with Harris getting the better of the exchanges and looking like a world-beater. Of course, Harris's extraordinary rally had come too late, and Ibeabuchi took the decision 59-55, 58-55, 57-56. Interviewed soon after the bout, the #1 seed dismissed the concerns expressed about his late meltdown, but, without a doubt, there would have been ten other fighters watching Ibeabuchi's performance very carefully. The other top seeds, Wamba and Eldren, must have surely drawn some confidence from what they saw. * HBF President Michael Vincennes was delighted with the evening. "I couldn't be happier," he said. "These bouts were beyond my expectations, they really were. Considering that we put this all together in two weeks, it's just amazing. I thought that this league might reveal a couple of prospects, but I have to say, I saw at least four in there tonight. I can't wait to see what will happen on this league's next card in five weeks." Vincennes was asked about the venue for that second card. "It's undetermined at the moment. We would love to take the league to some of the other African nations, such as Nigeria and Ghana. But we'll just have to see what we can come up with. The South African officials have told me that they'd love to continue hosting this league, so if we can't work something out elsewhere, there will always be that option." And so, as of tonight, all eight of the HBF's feeder leagues have staged their first fight card. Action in the feeder leagues will resume in two weeks, when the U.S. Atlantic Coast and South-East Asian leagues (headlined by Harry Wills and Terone Haynes respectively) hold their second fight cards. SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2002 CARNIVAL CITY BIG TOP ARENA, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE OPENING BOUT (6) Omovo Okocha TKO3 (10) Jomo Motloung PRELIMINARY 1 (9) Stanley Drexxon UD6 (5) Marien Nguesso PRELIMINARY 2 (8) Zolilie Letlake SD6 (4) Grantham Abdul-Kafar SUPPORT BOUT (3) James Eldren UD6 (7) Delbert Craw CO-FEATURE (2) Anaclet Wamba UD6 (11) Charles Mbarga MAIN EVENT (1) Ike Ibeabuchi UD6 (12) Roy Harris __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...