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kenyan_cheena · 09-30-2005, 07:20 PM

"TEAM STRIBLING" IMPROVES TO 2-0
HEADLINING HBF'S FIRST VISIT TO ARGENTINA

Monday 4 March 2002

17 year-old Georgia native Young Stribling was victorious in his second professional bout tonight, taking a hard-fought unanimous decision verdict (58-56, 59-55, 58-56) against the resilient U.S.-based German fighter Willi Besmanoff.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Luna Park in Beunes Aires, Argentina, Stribling was impressive in a main event that brought an end to a night of tough, if unspectacular, contests. Indeed, there were no awesome one-punch knockouts on this night. In fact, only one knockdown occured in all the fights combined. But it was anything but boring. The event was, above all else, a perfect illustration of the incredible level of competitiveness that exists in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. It is something that the federation's directors and its president Michael Vincennes had hoped for from the moment they announced the organisation's formation back in August 2001.

Ever since Young Stribling's convincing debut victory in late January, the media have been referring to the #7 seed - along with his father William and mother Lucilla - as "Team Stribling". The story of how Young's parents trained him from an early age in anticipation of a successful sporting career made headlines the nation over, bringing a lot of positive publicity for the Stribling family. It led to a situation where, during the past five weeks, family-orientated lobby groups have been holding the Stribling family up as an ideal for others to strive towards. Speaking for the family, William Stribling had stated that they were not comfortable being placed on such a pedestal.

"Two months ago, none of you people knew who we were," William said. "Now, you're saying we are the perfect family. That just seems pretty crazy."

The Striblings have been bombarded with requests for interviews, but have turned down every one of them.

"We don't know these people at all," William Stribling said. "We do know that they all have an agenda, and that's something we don't want to become accidentally associated with."

And so the family has simply concentrated on what is really important. Their disciplined, single-minded effort in training Young for his second bout paid off big time.

The #7 seed's strategy of feinting with both hands was not as prevalent tonight as it had been on debut. Standing two inches taller than his opponent, Stribling simply wore Besmanoff down, and was close to finishing him off for good during a punishing fifth round. The German was cut badly over his right eye early in the sixth, but it wasn't serious enough to stop the fight.

Having been totally outclassed by Roland LaStarza on debut, Besmanoff didn't fair much better against Stribling. The 17 year-old Georgia native landed 157 punches to 95 in a performance that left no doubt about his claim as one of the top contenders in the World Championship tournament...

09-30-2005, 07:20 PM	#261 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,390	"TEAM STRIBLING" IMPROVES TO 2-0 HEADLINING HBF'S FIRST VISIT TO ARGENTINA Monday 4 March 2002 17 year-old Georgia native Young Stribling was victorious in his second professional bout tonight, taking a hard-fought unanimous decision verdict (58-56, 59-55, 58-56) against the resilient U.S.-based German fighter Willi Besmanoff. In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Luna Park in Beunes Aires, Argentina, Stribling was impressive in a main event that brought an end to a night of tough, if unspectacular, contests. Indeed, there were no awesome one-punch knockouts on this night. In fact, only one knockdown occured in all the fights combined. But it was anything but boring. The event was, above all else, a perfect illustration of the incredible level of competitiveness that exists in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. It is something that the federation's directors and its president Michael Vincennes had hoped for from the moment they announced the organisation's formation back in August 2001. Ever since Young Stribling's convincing debut victory in late January, the media have been referring to the #7 seed - along with his father William and mother Lucilla - as "Team Stribling". The story of how Young's parents trained him from an early age in anticipation of a successful sporting career made headlines the nation over, bringing a lot of positive publicity for the Stribling family. It led to a situation where, during the past five weeks, family-orientated lobby groups have been holding the Stribling family up as an ideal for others to strive towards. Speaking for the family, William Stribling had stated that they were not comfortable being placed on such a pedestal. "Two months ago, none of you people knew who we were," William said. "Now, you're saying we are the perfect family. That just seems pretty crazy." The Striblings have been bombarded with requests for interviews, but have turned down every one of them. "We don't know these people at all," William Stribling said. "We do know that they all have an agenda, and that's something we don't want to become accidentally associated with." And so the family has simply concentrated on what is really important. Their disciplined, single-minded effort in training Young for his second bout paid off big time. The #7 seed's strategy of feinting with both hands was not as prevalent tonight as it had been on debut. Standing two inches taller than his opponent, Stribling simply wore Besmanoff down, and was close to finishing him off for good during a punishing fifth round. The German was cut badly over his right eye early in the sixth, but it wasn't serious enough to stop the fight. Having been totally outclassed by Roland LaStarza on debut, Besmanoff didn't fair much better against Stribling. The 17 year-old Georgia native landed 157 punches to 95 in a performance that left no doubt about his claim as one of the top contenders in the World Championship tournament... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 10-11-2005 at 01:27 AM.