|
HAYNES BACK TO HIS
DESTRUCTIVE BEST IN JAPAN
Thursday 27 June 2002
Sending a message out to the "doubters and haters", Florida's Terone Haynes scored a crushing 3rd round knockout of Australia's Allan Horace at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan today.
Appearing in the main event of the final preliminary fight card of the HBF's South-East Asian Boxing League tournament, Haynes was in a destructive mood, sending Horace to the canvas twice in round two before finishing him off late in round three, the Australian being counted out at the 2:23 mark.
Haynes and his entourage, his cousin Elmer Ray amongst them, made their way to the ring accompanied by the old school Public Enemy classic "You're Gonna Get Yours", Haynes dressed in his customary all black and wearing a sour sneer on his countenance.
Having been taken into the sixth and final round in both of his previous fights (going the distance five weeks ago in Manila), Haynes was looking for an early night and started the contest impressively. He hurt the Australian with at least three hard single punches, Horace backpedalling for much of the opening round before landing what would turn out to be his only clean shots of the fight: a left hook followed by a jolting straight right as the final seconds of the round ticked away.
Only twenty seconds of round two had elapsed before Horace found himself on his backside, a thunderous left hook sending him literally airborne and sideways. Clearly stunned, he only just beat the count and no one would have complained if the referee had declared him counted out right there. But the fight continued and Haynes hunted him down, looking for that one big punch to finish the Aussie off with. Horace was on the canvas for a second time midway through the round courtesy of a stinging body shot, pain contorted over his face as he slumped to his knees. This time he was up at six and although Haynes rattled his cage with a punishing combination late in the round, Horace was still standing when the bell sounded.
Round three would prove to be an unfortunate one for Horace as the "Hastings Hammer" unleashed big time: 0:12, a jolting, flush uppercut; 0:40, a winging right hand that snapped Horace's head around on his shoulders and sent the sweat into the front row; 0:54, a crushing right hand that collided brutally with the Australian's jaw; 1:25, a left hook that buckled Horace at the knees.
Horace showed tremendous (some would say foolish) courage to stay in there, but at the 1:42 mark, after a rapid four punch salvo from Haynes, referee Jay Edison could be heard asking the Aussie if he wanted him to stop the fight. Both combatants looked at him incredulously, an almost comical pause in the action before Haynes put the finishing touches on a powerhouse performance.
A hard right hook sent Horace into the ropes. He covered up but Haynes fired away, lefts and rights bouncing off his arms and body until Horace lowered his arms to protect his torso. A left hook landed flush and after the follow up straight right Horace was gone: his eyes glazed over, his body sagged and he slid down the ropes, Haynes' right hand cocked at the ready but not used.
The Florida Alliance member strolled to a neutral corner, a swagger in his step, shouting towards the ringside media contingent as the referee applied what was an almost redundant count. Horace did not move and the bout was over at the 2:23 mark of round three.
(to be continued)
|