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kenyan_cheena · 06-15-2007, 10:43 PM

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Tuesday 30 July 2002

Story by James Reynolds for the New York Age

On Friday the 20th of September, Bronx-born Lightweight fighter Richie Plunkett will make his International Boxing League debut against Portland's Ray Lampkin at the Mountaineer Race Track & Resort in Chester, West Virginia. In recent days a number of experts have singled out Plunkett as one of the fighters to keep an eye on in the opening series of IBL bouts and after watching him train yesterday, I can see why.

Of both Italian and Irish heritage, this 27 year-old slugger is an absolute whirlwind of aggression and activity when he steps in a boxing ring. Observing him during a series of frantic three minute sparring sessions, I was impressed by his workrate, power and stamina. IBL scouts painted Lampkin as a skilled boxer, though not overly aggressive. Against Plunkett he'll have his hands full as, going on what I saw, the New Yorker will have little trouble outworking him.

"It was pretty strange actually," Plunkett said, when I asked about the time after the Atlantic City selection trials. "I knew that I'd worked my butt off and that they were impressed with me but the feeling I had afterwards was kind of hollow. I'm not the kind of guy who craves attention but it was weird how some of the other guys at that trial garnered a lot of publicity and I didn't. I remembered them all and I couldn't help thinking "Wait a minute? I was just as good as they were, if not better". It made me a little worried and for a while I thought I might miss out on the regional tournament. But everything's turned out nicely and I'm looking forward to my debut."

More than any other city in the world, New York has the greatest representation of fighters in the HBF and IBL and that level of saturation is what has been sighted as the reasoning behind the apparent slighting of Plunkett after the trials. As he said, he's over it now and is looking forward with great enthusiasm.

A fanatical, lifelong Yankees fan, Plunkett told me that he was looking forward to tonight's interleague matchup between his Bronx Bombers and my Dodgers.

"I think interleague was a great idea for MLB," he said. "Never made sense to me why the teams from the two leagues stayed separate and never played each other save for the Series. Sure, it was unique, I guess, but have you ever been to a Yankees-Dodgers game, Mr. Reynolds? Or Yankees-Mets? Of course, you have. There's an excitement in the air like nothing else. New Yorkers just love seeing our teams go up against each other and I can't wait for tomorrow night. It's also going to be great to see the Atlantic semis with the HBF. That Louisiana guy Harry Wills, I'm excited about watching him fight in the flesh. It's going to be a great night."

With the amount of NYC fighters, I asked Richie if he thought the city would ever have an entourage like Elmer Ray's Florida Alliance or USC out in California. Plunkett shook his head no.

"It's every man for himself here," he replied. "We might all be representing Gotham but there's no way we're going to do anything to give each other an advantage. I think it's a pride thing where we stand alone but with the number of guys from here, the odds must be pretty good for one of us to win a world title. You've got Tunney and Bowe at the top of the HBF and I'd be surprised if either of them don't end up in the World Championship tournament final. Then there's a bunch of us in the IBL who look like having a real shot. NYC's going to contend, don't worry about that."

Richie Plunkett impressed me as a very level-headed individual, one who'll give his opponent fits every time he steps into the ring. I, for one, am anticipating his professional debut with a lot of enthusiasm and I'd advise every one of you reading this column to do the same...

06-15-2007, 10:43 PM	#226 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,412	NEW YORK STATE OF MIND Tuesday 30 July 2002 Story by James Reynolds for the New York Age On Friday the 20th of September, Bronx-born Lightweight fighter Richie Plunkett will make his International Boxing League debut against Portland's Ray Lampkin at the Mountaineer Race Track & Resort in Chester, West Virginia. In recent days a number of experts have singled out Plunkett as one of the fighters to keep an eye on in the opening series of IBL bouts and after watching him train yesterday, I can see why. Of both Italian and Irish heritage, this 27 year-old slugger is an absolute whirlwind of aggression and activity when he steps in a boxing ring. Observing him during a series of frantic three minute sparring sessions, I was impressed by his workrate, power and stamina. IBL scouts painted Lampkin as a skilled boxer, though not overly aggressive. Against Plunkett he'll have his hands full as, going on what I saw, the New Yorker will have little trouble outworking him. "It was pretty strange actually," Plunkett said, when I asked about the time after the Atlantic City selection trials. "I knew that I'd worked my butt off and that they were impressed with me but the feeling I had afterwards was kind of hollow. I'm not the kind of guy who craves attention but it was weird how some of the other guys at that trial garnered a lot of publicity and I didn't. I remembered them all and I couldn't help thinking "Wait a minute? I was just as good as they were, if not better". It made me a little worried and for a while I thought I might miss out on the regional tournament. But everything's turned out nicely and I'm looking forward to my debut." More than any other city in the world, New York has the greatest representation of fighters in the HBF and IBL and that level of saturation is what has been sighted as the reasoning behind the apparent slighting of Plunkett after the trials. As he said, he's over it now and is looking forward with great enthusiasm. A fanatical, lifelong Yankees fan, Plunkett told me that he was looking forward to tonight's interleague matchup between his Bronx Bombers and my Dodgers. "I think interleague was a great idea for MLB," he said. "Never made sense to me why the teams from the two leagues stayed separate and never played each other save for the Series. Sure, it was unique, I guess, but have you ever been to a Yankees-Dodgers game, Mr. Reynolds? Or Yankees-Mets? Of course, you have. There's an excitement in the air like nothing else. New Yorkers just love seeing our teams go up against each other and I can't wait for tomorrow night. It's also going to be great to see the Atlantic semis with the HBF. That Louisiana guy Harry Wills, I'm excited about watching him fight in the flesh. It's going to be a great night." With the amount of NYC fighters, I asked Richie if he thought the city would ever have an entourage like Elmer Ray's Florida Alliance or USC out in California. Plunkett shook his head no. "It's every man for himself here," he replied. "We might all be representing Gotham but there's no way we're going to do anything to give each other an advantage. I think it's a pride thing where we stand alone but with the number of guys from here, the odds must be pretty good for one of us to win a world title. You've got Tunney and Bowe at the top of the HBF and I'd be surprised if either of them don't end up in the World Championship tournament final. Then there's a bunch of us in the IBL who look like having a real shot. NYC's going to contend, don't worry about that." Richie Plunkett impressed me as a very level-headed individual, one who'll give his opponent fits every time he steps into the ring. I, for one, am anticipating his professional debut with a lot of enthusiasm and I'd advise every one of you reading this column to do the same... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 08-09-2007 at 02:51 AM.