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kenyan_cheena · 10-23-2007, 10:14 PM

(continuation of post #267)

Atlantic City will play host to not one but two fight cards this week, with the HBF in town on Wednesday at the Trump Taj Mahal before local favourite Mickey Walker headlines Thursday night's Boardwalk Hall IBL event. Both nights will be huge for Jersey Pride, the entourage headed by HBF fighter Joe Jeannette. No less than three members of the group will be in action and fans have said they'll make their presence felt in and outside of both venues.

"It's gonna be a fantastic couple of days for boxing in Jersey," said Jeannette. "Knowing that we'll have plenty of support is really goin' to pump up the guys, no doubt."

Jeannette has been heavily involved in Mickey Walker's preparation and speaks highly of the 18 year-old.

"The kid is like a sponge with the information he absorbs," said Jeannette. "I got a real good feeling about him as far as this tournament goes and I'm thinking we're gonna see something special from him on Thursday night."

***

Japan and Italy are also hosting two fight cards each during the coming week. This busy seven days of boxing action kicks off tomorrow with a Heavyweight Boxing Federation card at the Osaka Castle Hall before the moment that Japanese boxing fans have been waiting for finally arrives on Friday when Tokyo's Ariake Stadium welcomes the IBL. It will be the first time that a Japanese fighter will step into a boxing ring competitively for either the IBL or HBF and there will be a grand total of four of them in action with Olympic bronze medallist Koichi Wajima headlining what should be a fantastic fight card.

"The build up to this week has been amazing," said Japan Times journalist Hiroshi Nakajima. "Everyone knows how popular boxing has been here thanks to the HBF but the IBL will be something else entirely. Our fight fans will be able to cheer for their fellow countrymen and it's just going to be an incredible night."

By contrast, boxing has struggled to gain a foothold in Italy. The football mad nation has not taken to the sport with anything near the enthusiasm of places like Japan but some of its HBF competitors have found success in recent weeks, none moreso than Sante Amonti in the federation's World Championship tournament. Administrators of the sport are hoping that those breakthroughs, coupled with International Boxing League fight cards on Tuesday and Thursday, will be the start of a climb in boxing's popularity throughout the land of the Caesars.

"I'm jealous of those Japanese fighters," said Nino Benvenuti, the Sydney gold medallist who will appear in Tuesday night's main event. "They're going to have such great support behind them. That's not something we can say here, at least not yet. I'm hoping we can change that during the course of these tournaments."

***

The first week of regional qualfiers comes to a conclusion at the Olympia Stadium in Panama City where silver medallist Joe Gans will start his quest to capture the IBL's World Middleweight Championship. The Caribbean-born 18 year-old is a hero in the central American nation and along with Lightweight Roberto Duran will be carrying the hopes of all Panamanian boxing fans on his shoulders...

10-23-2007, 10:14 PM	#270 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,390	(continuation of post #267) Atlantic City will play host to not one but two fight cards this week, with the HBF in town on Wednesday at the Trump Taj Mahal before local favourite Mickey Walker headlines Thursday night's Boardwalk Hall IBL event. Both nights will be huge for Jersey Pride, the entourage headed by HBF fighter Joe Jeannette. No less than three members of the group will be in action and fans have said they'll make their presence felt in and outside of both venues. "It's gonna be a fantastic couple of days for boxing in Jersey," said Jeannette. "Knowing that we'll have plenty of support is really goin' to pump up the guys, no doubt." Jeannette has been heavily involved in Mickey Walker's preparation and speaks highly of the 18 year-old. "The kid is like a sponge with the information he absorbs," said Jeannette. "I got a real good feeling about him as far as this tournament goes and I'm thinking we're gonna see something special from him on Thursday night." *** Japan and Italy are also hosting two fight cards each during the coming week. This busy seven days of boxing action kicks off tomorrow with a Heavyweight Boxing Federation card at the Osaka Castle Hall before the moment that Japanese boxing fans have been waiting for finally arrives on Friday when Tokyo's Ariake Stadium welcomes the IBL. It will be the first time that a Japanese fighter will step into a boxing ring competitively for either the IBL or HBF and there will be a grand total of four of them in action with Olympic bronze medallist Koichi Wajima headlining what should be a fantastic fight card. "The build up to this week has been amazing," said Japan Times journalist Hiroshi Nakajima. "Everyone knows how popular boxing has been here thanks to the HBF but the IBL will be something else entirely. Our fight fans will be able to cheer for their fellow countrymen and it's just going to be an incredible night." By contrast, boxing has struggled to gain a foothold in Italy. The football mad nation has not taken to the sport with anything near the enthusiasm of places like Japan but some of its HBF competitors have found success in recent weeks, none moreso than Sante Amonti in the federation's World Championship tournament. Administrators of the sport are hoping that those breakthroughs, coupled with International Boxing League fight cards on Tuesday and Thursday, will be the start of a climb in boxing's popularity throughout the land of the Caesars. "I'm jealous of those Japanese fighters," said Nino Benvenuti, the Sydney gold medallist who will appear in Tuesday night's main event. "They're going to have such great support behind them. That's not something we can say here, at least not yet. I'm hoping we can change that during the course of these tournaments." * The first week of regional qualfiers comes to a conclusion at the Olympia Stadium in Panama City where silver medallist Joe Gans will start his quest to capture the IBL's World Middleweight Championship. The Caribbean-born 18 year-old is a hero in the central American nation and along with Lightweight Roberto Duran will be carrying the hopes of all Panamanian boxing fans on his shoulders... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...** Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 10-24-2007 at 01:12 AM.