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kenyan_cheena · 01-11-2006, 09:52 PM

TERRIFIC IN TORONTO:
LEWIS WINS IN DOMINANT STYLE

Tuesday 2 April 2002

Spurred on by an enthusiastic Maple Leaf Gardens audience, Canada's Olympic Champion Lennox Lewis improved his professional record to 2-0(1) tonight with another comprehensive victory.

Following on from his debut TKO of Missouri native Joe Cox, Lewis was victorious by unanimous decision (59-54, 59-55, 59-54) against New York's Carmine Vingo.

It was an effort that was almost as impressive as that debut of five weeks ago, with Vingo tasting the canvas midway through the final round.

Lewis took his foot off the pedal somewhat in the fourth, allowing Vingo to win the round (the only one he took in the entire fight).

The #1 seed in the Canadian Boxing League, Lewis has been untroubled in his two professional bouts, something he spoke of in the moments after the verdict was announced.

"You know, thank the Lord that I've had no problems so far," he said. "I'm ambitious in regards to how I want my career to progress and, no disrespect to my opponents, I'm not planning for any defeats in the near future. These early fights are going to be really beneficial down the track."

Indeed, at 6'5", 215 pounds, Lewis appears to have all the tools to go far in the professional ranks. He was asked if he wishes that he was competing in the World Championship tournament.

"In a word, "no"," he replied. "I've studied the schedule for the next few years in the HBF, as I'm sure some of the guys contending in the two tournaments have, aswell. It's going to be mighty tough for the fighters who are ranked in, say, the top 20 once all these tournaments are over. They're going to be tested every time they step foot in the ring. Now, fellas like myself and the other feeder league contenders, we'll have a good couple of years to work our way up from the bottom of the World Rankings. Again, no offense to my future opponents, but that will be an easier route. The experience I gain in the next few years will be invaluable. I really believe that."

UNDERCARD ACTION

* 7th seed Lou Bailey of Illinois scored his second split decision victory when he defeated Canada's Jack Munroe 57-56, 55-58, 57-56.

Munroe made a great start, winning the first and then dropping Bailey in the second. But Bailey mounted a stirring comeback, sweeping the final four rounds on two of the cards to secure an unlikely victory.

While it was Bailey's second split decision victory, it was Munroe's second split decision defeat, and he showed his frustration soon after the verdict was revealed.

* In another tight contest, Montreal's 8th seed Brett Ashby pulled off something of an upset with a split decision victory over the #5 seed Joe Lannon (58-56, 56-58, 58-56).

Ashby is 1-1 while Lannon fell to 0-2.

* 4th-seeded New Brunswick native John Ferguson had little trouble in moving to 2-0 as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Missouri's Joe Cox, 59-54, 58-56, 59-55.

* In a fight that was a great example of absolutely blowing a certain victory, Florida's Tim Anderson rallied in the last two rounds to secure an extraordinary draw against Toronto local and league 3rd seed Larry Gains.

Having pitched a shutout through four rounds, Gains slackened off in the fifth, and that was all the sniff Anderson needed. He took the round and continued to beat a tiring Gains to the punch in the final round before sensationally flooring the hometown favourite twice in the final minute of the fight. As a result, he took the round 10-7, leading to a final verdict of 56-56 on all three cards.

The celebrations in Anderson's corner were akin to winning a World Championship bout. By contrast, Gains wore an expression of absolute torment.

The Toronto native had been upset on debut by Lou Bailey in a disputed split decision verdict, and tonight's result was even more of a body blow to his chances of taking part in the tournament semi-finals.

* Lennox Lewis might be the big favourite to win the Canadian Boxing League's initial tournament, but those who discount Montreal's Robert Cleroux will do so at their own peril.

Cleroux, the league's 2nd seed, improved to 2-0 with a performance every bit as impressive as the one that Lewis put on in the main event, defeating 10th-seeded New Yorker Bobby Halpern by a dominant unanimous decision, 60-53, 59-54, 60-53. He landed 157 punches (100 more than Halpern) and, like Lewis, sent his opponent to the canvas in the final round.

The fact that Cleroux was a late inclusion in the tournament makes his success all the more extraordinary. Having never before boxed competitively, he impressed HBF scouts enough in a single sparring session for them to make him the #2 seed. He's shown in his first two bouts that he'll be capable of giving the Olympic Champion a testing time when the two inevitably meet.

Boxing experts who have previously considered Canada's best hopes for success as being a quartet might have to change that opinion. Canada definitely has a quintet of fighters who will surely make some noise in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation for many years to come...

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
TUESDAY 2 APRIL 2002
MAPLE LEAF GARDENS, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

THE CANADIAN BOXING LEAGUE

OPENING BOUT

(7) Lou Bailey SD6 (6) Jack Munroe

PRELIMINARY 1

(8) Brett Ashby SD6 (5) Joe Lannon

PRELIMINARY 2

(4) John Ferguson UD6 (12) Joe Cox

SUPPORT BOUT

(3) Larry Gains D6 (11) Tim Anderson

CO-FEATURE

(2) Robert Cleroux UD6 (10) Bobby Halpern

MAIN EVENT

(1) Lennox Lewis UD6 (9) Carmine Vingo

01-11-2006, 09:52 PM	#403 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,684	TERRIFIC IN TORONTO: LEWIS WINS IN DOMINANT STYLE Tuesday 2 April 2002 Spurred on by an enthusiastic Maple Leaf Gardens audience, Canada's Olympic Champion Lennox Lewis improved his professional record to 2-0(1) tonight with another comprehensive victory. Following on from his debut TKO of Missouri native Joe Cox, Lewis was victorious by unanimous decision (59-54, 59-55, 59-54) against New York's Carmine Vingo. It was an effort that was almost as impressive as that debut of five weeks ago, with Vingo tasting the canvas midway through the final round. Lewis took his foot off the pedal somewhat in the fourth, allowing Vingo to win the round (the only one he took in the entire fight). The #1 seed in the Canadian Boxing League, Lewis has been untroubled in his two professional bouts, something he spoke of in the moments after the verdict was announced. "You know, thank the Lord that I've had no problems so far," he said. "I'm ambitious in regards to how I want my career to progress and, no disrespect to my opponents, I'm not planning for any defeats in the near future. These early fights are going to be really beneficial down the track." Indeed, at 6'5", 215 pounds, Lewis appears to have all the tools to go far in the professional ranks. He was asked if he wishes that he was competing in the World Championship tournament. "In a word, "no"," he replied. "I've studied the schedule for the next few years in the HBF, as I'm sure some of the guys contending in the two tournaments have, aswell. It's going to be mighty tough for the fighters who are ranked in, say, the top 20 once all these tournaments are over. They're going to be tested every time they step foot in the ring. Now, fellas like myself and the other feeder league contenders, we'll have a good couple of years to work our way up from the bottom of the World Rankings. Again, no offense to my future opponents, but that will be an easier route. The experience I gain in the next few years will be invaluable. I really believe that." UNDERCARD ACTION * 7th seed Lou Bailey of Illinois scored his second split decision victory when he defeated Canada's Jack Munroe 57-56, 55-58, 57-56. Munroe made a great start, winning the first and then dropping Bailey in the second. But Bailey mounted a stirring comeback, sweeping the final four rounds on two of the cards to secure an unlikely victory. While it was Bailey's second split decision victory, it was Munroe's second split decision defeat, and he showed his frustration soon after the verdict was revealed. * In another tight contest, Montreal's 8th seed Brett Ashby pulled off something of an upset with a split decision victory over the #5 seed Joe Lannon (58-56, 56-58, 58-56). Ashby is 1-1 while Lannon fell to 0-2. * 4th-seeded New Brunswick native John Ferguson had little trouble in moving to 2-0 as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Missouri's Joe Cox, 59-54, 58-56, 59-55. * In a fight that was a great example of absolutely blowing a certain victory, Florida's Tim Anderson rallied in the last two rounds to secure an extraordinary draw against Toronto local and league 3rd seed Larry Gains. Having pitched a shutout through four rounds, Gains slackened off in the fifth, and that was all the sniff Anderson needed. He took the round and continued to beat a tiring Gains to the punch in the final round before sensationally flooring the hometown favourite twice in the final minute of the fight. As a result, he took the round 10-7, leading to a final verdict of 56-56 on all three cards. The celebrations in Anderson's corner were akin to winning a World Championship bout. By contrast, Gains wore an expression of absolute torment. The Toronto native had been upset on debut by Lou Bailey in a disputed split decision verdict, and tonight's result was even more of a body blow to his chances of taking part in the tournament semi-finals. * Lennox Lewis might be the big favourite to win the Canadian Boxing League's initial tournament, but those who discount Montreal's Robert Cleroux will do so at their own peril. Cleroux, the league's 2nd seed, improved to 2-0 with a performance every bit as impressive as the one that Lewis put on in the main event, defeating 10th-seeded New Yorker Bobby Halpern by a dominant unanimous decision, 60-53, 59-54, 60-53. He landed 157 punches (100 more than Halpern) and, like Lewis, sent his opponent to the canvas in the final round. The fact that Cleroux was a late inclusion in the tournament makes his success all the more extraordinary. Having never before boxed competitively, he impressed HBF scouts enough in a single sparring session for them to make him the #2 seed. He's shown in his first two bouts that he'll be capable of giving the Olympic Champion a testing time when the two inevitably meet. Boxing experts who have previously considered Canada's best hopes for success as being a quartet might have to change that opinion. Canada definitely has a quintet of fighters who will surely make some noise in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation for many years to come... SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD TUESDAY 2 APRIL 2002 MAPLE LEAF GARDENS, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA THE CANADIAN BOXING LEAGUE OPENING BOUT (7) Lou Bailey SD6 (6) Jack Munroe PRELIMINARY 1 (8) Brett Ashby SD6 (5) Joe Lannon PRELIMINARY 2 (4) John Ferguson UD6 (12) Joe Cox SUPPORT BOUT (3) Larry Gains D6 (11) Tim Anderson CO-FEATURE (2) Robert Cleroux UD6 (10) Bobby Halpern MAIN EVENT (1) Lennox Lewis UD6 (9) Carmine Vingo __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 07-17-2006 at 09:44 AM.