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kenyan_cheena · 05-25-2007, 11:41 PM

(continuation of post #1222)

Those words would have surely swayed even more to side with Williams, but when the 30th seed made his way to the ring wearing an oversized sky blue Houston Oilers jacket and cap, the arena absolutely erupted. Stepping through the ropes, Williams raised his arms and nodded his head, acknowledging the crowd's standing ovation. He removed the jacket to reveal an Oilers home jersey underneath and trunks of sky blue with red and white trim, motioning to his back and the number 1 and the name MOON stenciled across his shoulder blades.

Having spoken of his love for the Oilers during the week, Williams had given no indication that he would honor his childhood hero in such a fashion but the audience completely ate it up and an unlikely "Oilers!" chant resounded around the Pavilion for a full two minutes, Williams standing in the middle of the ring nodding, arms outstretched.

A few minutes later that applause turned to abuse and derision as, accompanied to the ring by the James Brown classic "Sex Machine", Johnson defiantly strutted down the aisle. Once in the ring he removed his robe of white and in his own tribute to the Godfather of Soul went down on one knee, one of his corner crew moving over to him and placing the robe over his shoulders and back like a cape. It was a scene that the crowd clearly didn't appreciate and Johnson gave each corner of the arena a look of disdain before getting straight into Williams' face and explaining to him in an animated way how the fight would pan out.

There haven't been too many better introductions to a fight during the short life of the HBF and this one set up the contest that was to come beautifully. Johnson was clearly pumped as the referee gave final instructions to the two combatants at centre ring, "The Galveston Giant" continuing to talk and bringing his gloves down hard on Williams' before returning to his corner.

Following is a round-by-round account of the bout provided by the Houston Herald's Larry Dale...

ROUND ONE

Johnson looks intent on testing Williams early, coming forward aggressively right from the opening bell. My, he's throwing a lot of leather, catching the hometown hero with a series of crisp jabs. Williams is clearly perturbed and on the defensive, backpedalling and showing little in the way of attack.

Cleveland just can't get a shot off because Johnson is really working that jab, three four five in a row there! Williams tries to muscle inside and Johnson lands a big right hand! His man is staggered and OH! The left hook has just deposited Williams onto his backside midway through the opening round! What a start for Johnson!

Up at three, Williams looks rattled but the crowd are trying their hardest to encourage him. Johnson shouts something back at them and when the referee orders them to fight, he goes back to work, peppering Williams with that jab. I don't think Williams has landed a punch yet and he's barely thrown anything. He wraps Johnson up and burns some precious seconds off the clock by stepping back out of range and staying away from the #3 seed.

Johnson's output falls away in the final minute of the round but Williams has not done a thing to worry him or even show that he'll be able to compete. The bell sounds and Johnson spits aggressive words at his opponent before returning to his corner.

Punch totals in Round One

Johnson 29/44
Williams 0/5

ROUND TWO

Williams is able to get himself into the fight in round two, having some success with the jab and catching Johnson with a sweetly timed uppercut midway through the stanza. He also manages to avoid most of Johnson's flurries, the Galveston slugger unable to hurt him with anything substantial.

It looks like the knockdown hasn't had any lingering effects on Williams and the crowd reacts with delight to his strong showing in the round. It's only really in the final thirty seconds where Johnson lands a number of shots, all of them jabs that do little more than keep Williams on the backfoot. A nice effort there from Williams to get himself back in the contest.

Punch totals for Round Two

Johnson 12/37
Williams 19/28

ROUND THREE

Johnson wrestles back control of the bout in the third, working harder than Williams (throwing more than twice as many punches) although he fails to do any major damage. Johnson has calmed down and looks to have a clear plain laid out towards victory. The jab is a potent weapon and he knows it and is using it to the fullest. Williams is already showing some swelling around the right eye.

I don't think I've ever been witness to such a one-sided crowd as this one. Every time Williams does something even mildly successful they applaud wildly. It's incredible how much they want him to win (or want Johnson to lose).

Punch totals for Round Three

Johnson 28/61
Williams 11/25

ROUND FOUR

With half of the fight in the books, Williams must know that he'll have to step it up if he wants to be victorious. He does just that in round four, a round which will turn out to be the most competitive of the fight.

Johnson is busy early on, keeping that jab in Cleveland's face. He lands a crushing right cross, a shot that staggers Williams but the crowd favourite comes back strongly with his best work of the contest. He tags Johnson on the jaw with a booming straight right and then cuts him over the left eye with another one moments later. He then snaps Johnson's head back with an uppercut and by this point the crowd is delirious, on their feet screaming for a knockdown.

The top-seeded Johnson rallies and for the remaining minute of the round the two are literally going toe-to-toe, throwing bombs from in close with no thought to taking a backward step. The crowd stays on their feet applauding as the combatants take a breather.

Punch totals for Round Four

Johnson 24/67
Williams 27/38

ROUND FIVE

Johnson appears concerned about the influence the crowd might have on the judges, telling his trainer between rounds that he needs another knockdown or a knockout. "Their swayin' 'em," he says, shaking his head.

Williams shows promise for much of round five, landing some hard shots and rattling Johnson for the first time in the fight with a devastating combination midway through.

But Johnson puts his foot down in the final minute, indulging in what almost seems like target practice on his clearly tiring opponent and worsening the swelling around Cleveland's eyes. Left-left-right is the strategy and Williams is just being tagged by too many shots.

When the bell sounds, Williams walks back to his corner slowly, Johnson watching him and taunting him, continuing to talk to the crowd.

Punch totals for Round Five

Johnson 35/88
Williams 17/24

ROUND SIX

One would think that Johnson has the fight in hand, but the same opinion existed as he came out for round six in his debut against Joe Beckett and everyone knows what happened then. Showing why he's the #3 seed in the World Championship tournament, Johnson produces the best single round of his career to date, succeeding in silencing the crowd for the first and only time in the fight.

A game Williams somehow stays on his feet despite being hit by all manner of punches: body blows, uppercuts, crushing hooks and flush right hands. All the while Johnson is talking to him, getting in his head as he's been doing through the whole fight and it looks like the words are finally doing their damage. Johnson opens an alarming gash over Williams' right eye as the final minute of the contest ticks away and by the time the round is over, he's thrown almost as many punches during it as Williams has through the course of the ENTIRE FIGHT.

Johnson draws the crowd's ire when he refuses to acknowledge Williams after the bell, preferring to stand upon the ring post and pound his chest with his right fist.

Punch totals for Round Six

Johnson 58/114
Williams 7/12

Punch totals for the entire fight

Johnson 186/408
Williams 81/132

***

Five minutes later, it's confirmed that, for the first time, Jack Johnson is in 1st place in Group Three of the World Championship tournament but it's also confirmed that his fears in regards to the crowd's influence were real: the final scorecards are only 57-56, 58-55 and 57-56, hard to fathom considering that he scored a knockdown in the opening round and was the better man for at least four of them.

Johnson shakes his head and flicks his hand as if attempting to swat away a pesky fly.

"No one in this entire arena wanted me to win tonight," he said, disgusted. "They tried their best to take this win away from me and, looking at the cards, they came close to succeeding. But ain't one of y'all can deny that I kicked your boy's ass! Look at him, man? He's a bleedin', swollen, mess! And someone thought the brother could beat me?!? Please, man. Get serious."

Johnson left the ring soon after, cutting the interview short and making his way back to the dressing room with his right fist raised in the air, staring straight ahead and ignoring the crowd.

Back when Johnson was a shock loser on debut to Joe Beckett, many questioned whether he was good enough to even qualify for stage two of the tournament. But now after five consecutive victories and with still one stage one bout to come, he has secured his spot there. 1st place is not wrapped up yet, but no matter what happens in his next bout against Manuel Ramos, Johnson will be there in stage two. He'll be joined by either Williams or Renaldo Snipes, who will go head-to-head next month with the reward of progression awaiting the winner.

1st: 1(3) Jack Johnson 5-1-0(2)
2nd: 2(30) Cleveland Williams 4-1-1(1)

3rd: 3(46) Renaldo Snipes 4-2-0

05-25-2007, 11:41 PM	#1225 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,574	(continuation of post #1222) Those words would have surely swayed even more to side with Williams, but when the 30th seed made his way to the ring wearing an oversized sky blue Houston Oilers jacket and cap, the arena absolutely erupted. Stepping through the ropes, Williams raised his arms and nodded his head, acknowledging the crowd's standing ovation. He removed the jacket to reveal an Oilers home jersey underneath and trunks of sky blue with red and white trim, motioning to his back and the number 1 and the name MOON stenciled across his shoulder blades. Having spoken of his love for the Oilers during the week, Williams had given no indication that he would honor his childhood hero in such a fashion but the audience completely ate it up and an unlikely "Oilers!" chant resounded around the Pavilion for a full two minutes, Williams standing in the middle of the ring nodding, arms outstretched. A few minutes later that applause turned to abuse and derision as, accompanied to the ring by the James Brown classic "Sex Machine", Johnson defiantly strutted down the aisle. Once in the ring he removed his robe of white and in his own tribute to the Godfather of Soul went down on one knee, one of his corner crew moving over to him and placing the robe over his shoulders and back like a cape. It was a scene that the crowd clearly didn't appreciate and Johnson gave each corner of the arena a look of disdain before getting straight into Williams' face and explaining to him in an animated way how the fight would pan out. There haven't been too many better introductions to a fight during the short life of the HBF and this one set up the contest that was to come beautifully. Johnson was clearly pumped as the referee gave final instructions to the two combatants at centre ring, "The Galveston Giant" continuing to talk and bringing his gloves down hard on Williams' before returning to his corner. Following is a round-by-round account of the bout provided by the Houston Herald's Larry Dale... ROUND ONE Johnson looks intent on testing Williams early, coming forward aggressively right from the opening bell. My, he's throwing a lot of leather, catching the hometown hero with a series of crisp jabs. Williams is clearly perturbed and on the defensive, backpedalling and showing little in the way of attack. Cleveland just can't get a shot off because Johnson is really working that jab, three four five in a row there! Williams tries to muscle inside and Johnson lands a big right hand! His man is staggered and OH! The left hook has just deposited Williams onto his backside midway through the opening round! What a start for Johnson! Up at three, Williams looks rattled but the crowd are trying their hardest to encourage him. Johnson shouts something back at them and when the referee orders them to fight, he goes back to work, peppering Williams with that jab. I don't think Williams has landed a punch yet and he's barely thrown anything. He wraps Johnson up and burns some precious seconds off the clock by stepping back out of range and staying away from the #3 seed. Johnson's output falls away in the final minute of the round but Williams has not done a thing to worry him or even show that he'll be able to compete. The bell sounds and Johnson spits aggressive words at his opponent before returning to his corner. *Punch totals in Round One* Johnson 29/44 Williams 0/5 ROUND TWO Williams is able to get himself into the fight in round two, having some success with the jab and catching Johnson with a sweetly timed uppercut midway through the stanza. He also manages to avoid most of Johnson's flurries, the Galveston slugger unable to hurt him with anything substantial. It looks like the knockdown hasn't had any lingering effects on Williams and the crowd reacts with delight to his strong showing in the round. It's only really in the final thirty seconds where Johnson lands a number of shots, all of them jabs that do little more than keep Williams on the backfoot. A nice effort there from Williams to get himself back in the contest. *Punch totals for Round Two* Johnson 12/37 Williams 19/28 ROUND THREE Johnson wrestles back control of the bout in the third, working harder than Williams (throwing more than twice as many punches) although he fails to do any major damage. Johnson has calmed down and looks to have a clear plain laid out towards victory. The jab is a potent weapon and he knows it and is using it to the fullest. Williams is already showing some swelling around the right eye. I don't think I've ever been witness to such a one-sided crowd as this one. Every time Williams does something even mildly successful they applaud wildly. It's incredible how much they want him to win (or want Johnson to lose). *Punch totals for Round Three* Johnson 28/61 Williams 11/25 ROUND FOUR With half of the fight in the books, Williams must know that he'll have to step it up if he wants to be victorious. He does just that in round four, a round which will turn out to be the most competitive of the fight. Johnson is busy early on, keeping that jab in Cleveland's face. He lands a crushing right cross, a shot that staggers Williams but the crowd favourite comes back strongly with his best work of the contest. He tags Johnson on the jaw with a booming straight right and then cuts him over the left eye with another one moments later. He then snaps Johnson's head back with an uppercut and by this point the crowd is delirious, on their feet screaming for a knockdown. The top-seeded Johnson rallies and for the remaining minute of the round the two are literally going toe-to-toe, throwing bombs from in close with no thought to taking a backward step. The crowd stays on their feet applauding as the combatants take a breather. *Punch totals for Round Four* Johnson 24/67 Williams 27/38 ROUND FIVE Johnson appears concerned about the influence the crowd might have on the judges, telling his trainer between rounds that he needs another knockdown or a knockout. "Their swayin' 'em," he says, shaking his head. Williams shows promise for much of round five, landing some hard shots and rattling Johnson for the first time in the fight with a devastating combination midway through. But Johnson puts his foot down in the final minute, indulging in what almost seems like target practice on his clearly tiring opponent and worsening the swelling around Cleveland's eyes. Left-left-right is the strategy and Williams is just being tagged by too many shots. When the bell sounds, Williams walks back to his corner slowly, Johnson watching him and taunting him, continuing to talk to the crowd. *Punch totals for Round Five* Johnson 35/88 Williams 17/24 ROUND SIX One would think that Johnson has the fight in hand, but the same opinion existed as he came out for round six in his debut against Joe Beckett and everyone knows what happened then. Showing why he's the #3 seed in the World Championship tournament, Johnson produces the best single round of his career to date, succeeding in silencing the crowd for the first and only time in the fight. A game Williams somehow stays on his feet despite being hit by all manner of punches: body blows, uppercuts, crushing hooks and flush right hands. All the while Johnson is talking to him, getting in his head as he's been doing through the whole fight and it looks like the words are finally doing their damage. Johnson opens an alarming gash over Williams' right eye as the final minute of the contest ticks away and by the time the round is over, he's thrown almost as many punches during it as Williams has through the course of the ENTIRE FIGHT. Johnson draws the crowd's ire when he refuses to acknowledge Williams after the bell, preferring to stand upon the ring post and pound his chest with his right fist. *Punch totals for Round Six* Johnson 58/114 Williams 7/12 *Punch totals for the entire fight* Johnson 186/408 Williams 81/132 *** Five minutes later, it's confirmed that, for the first time, Jack Johnson is in 1st place in Group Three of the World Championship tournament but it's also confirmed that his fears in regards to the crowd's influence were real: the final scorecards are only 57-56, 58-55 and 57-56, hard to fathom considering that he scored a knockdown in the opening round and was the better man for at least four of them. Johnson shakes his head and flicks his hand as if attempting to swat away a pesky fly. "No one in this entire arena wanted me to win tonight," he said, disgusted. "They tried their best to take this win away from me and, looking at the cards, they came close to succeeding. But ain't one of y'all can deny that I kicked your boy's ass! Look at him, man? He's a bleedin', swollen, mess! And someone thought the brother could beat me?!? Please, man. Get serious." Johnson left the ring soon after, cutting the interview short and making his way back to the dressing room with his right fist raised in the air, staring straight ahead and ignoring the crowd. Back when Johnson was a shock loser on debut to Joe Beckett, many questioned whether he was good enough to even qualify for stage two of the tournament. But now after five consecutive victories and with still one stage one bout to come, he has secured his spot there. 1st place is not wrapped up yet, but no matter what happens in his next bout against Manuel Ramos, Johnson will be there in stage two. He'll be joined by either Williams or Renaldo Snipes, who will go head-to-head next month with the reward of progression awaiting the winner. *1st: 1(3) Jack Johnson 5-1-0(2)* 2nd: 2(30) Cleveland Williams 4-1-1(1) 3rd: 3(46) Renaldo Snipes 4-2-0 __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 05-25-2007 at 11:51 PM.