[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Such a lovably, fan friendly guy that Morrison cat is. It's really heart warming to see how he has taken to the public. So thats the second much hyped bomber, like that bum Hanson, that had a disappointing outing. Maybe these cats would be better off working on their game instead of talking about how their going to kill everyone.

Oh yeah, I saw that Pats/Colts post you made over in the Talk Sports forum and I know a site where you can get a live stream of the game if you want to watch it. Let me if your interested.

I would have liked to see him blow the guy away, but it wasn't to be. I was tempted to make him a little nicer but that would have been out of character for him. Besides, one thing the HBF/IBL really does need more of is badasses, dudes the crowds and fans love to hate. Morrsion should fit the bill nicely.

Thanks for your thoughts about the Pats-Colts game, but I'll pass on the live stream thing. I'll be getting ready for work while it's on anyway, but I would have liked to be able to tape it or at least watch the replay when I get home from work in the evening. No big deal, though.

Well, here's the conclusion of the IBL's debut fight card...

(continuation of post #287)

Main Event

The bad taste that Morrison had put in the crowd's mouth quickly dissolved when their hometown hero Harry Greb made his way into the arena for the main event. They applauded when they realised that Charley Burley was part of the entourage, dressed in baggy jeans and a white Nike jumper. He waved to the crowd and smiled in acknowledgement. Like Burley had done to start the evening, Greb wore the colours of the Pittsburgh Steelers, although whereas Burley's robe had been black with gold trim, Greb's was gold with black trim. The former Olympic hopeful had spoken of how proud he was to be the headline act of the league's debut event and that pride was clear to see in his eyes as he made the walk to the ring.

Greb's opponent Ronnie Harris wasn't being mentioned in the same breath as the Middleweight division's top contenders but he looked fiercely determined in the moments before the opening bell. The 22 year-old Ohio native sported a crazy afro and wore eye-catching trunks of alternating blue, yellow, white and red vertical stripes. Once the fight started it became clear that Harris was not going to just lay down for Greb as he had the better of a frenetic opening round. Both men threw over a hundred punches but landed less than 20% of them. The crowd didn't seem to mind as they cheered on the combatants.

The hometown hero looked fantastic in round two, somehow doubling his workrate and tagging Harris throughout. The highlights of Greb's assault were a smashing right hand fifty seconds in, a sizzling combo midway through the round and a left hook that caught Harris on the forehead thirty seconds from the bell. Even so, Harris stayed on his feet, his defiance admirable in the face of such a parochial crowd and first class opponent. He put himself right into the fight in an explosive 3rd round, using an accumulation of precision shots to take the round in convincing fashion. Harris wasn't swinging for the fences but he was working his backside off. Greb needed a breather after his efforts in round two and he'd allowed himself just that in the 3rd.

Round four was very similar to the opener, both fighters throwing numerous shots but failing to find the mark most of the time. It was a terribly even affair and going into the 5th some at ringside were beginning to feel concerned. Harris was still right in the fight and if he could keep it going for the final two rounds the possibility was there for an upset. Greb temporarily allayed those fears in round five with a dominant stanza. Harris looked to be tiring and he could not have thrown more than twenty punches in the round. The Pennsylvanian took full advantage, landing a bunch of scoring blows and also scrambling Harris' circuits with a flurry of shots as the round drew to a close.

The final round would prove to be the best of the fight as the two warriors went all out for victory, Harris digging deep to produce a brave finish. It was hard fought and brutal and with forty seconds left it would have been hard to split them. But Greb came home strongly, first catching Harris with a hard right cross and then a jolting uppercut. Harris somehow stayed on his feet and as the final ten seconds were indicated the crowd came to their feet in ovation. Greb and Harris ended the fight locked in a clinch and remained in that embrace when the final bell sounded. Greb spoke words of praise to his courageous opponent, both fighters acknowledging the crowd's applause while also claiming victory.

On the edge of their seats for the next five minutes, the crowd was finally put out of their misery when Wally Jackson climbed between the ropes to reveal the verdict. The fight had been much, much tighter than predicted and it was a scary reality that the hometown hero might come out on the wrong end of the scorecards.

"Ladies and gentlemen, judge Arno Pokrandt of Germany has scored the bout 58-57 to Harry Greb."

As expected, the crowd cheered. Jackson waited for their volume to subside before continuing.

"Judge Pavel Karding of Poland scores it 58-57 to Ronnie Harris."

This brought rumbles of concern from the audience but little booing.

"Judge Burt Clements of the USA has also scored the fight 58-57, to the winner ... HARRY GREB!!!"

The name was not halfway out of his mouth before the arena erupted, relief and jubilation let loose in a torrent of applause.

Punch totals

Harry Greb - 153/623 (24.6%)
Ronnie Harris - 111/321 (34.6%)

Greb spoke for an extended period to Harris, clearly expressing his admiration for the Canton native's performance and commiserations for the verdict.

"That was so much tougher than I expected," said a relieved Greb afterwards. "The guy came with so much determination, you know? I thought I had him under my thumb there in the 5th but he stepped up again in the 6th and I'm just lucky I finished the round as strong as I did. That's how close I was to defeat, really. I don't think I could have done it without the incredible support of this crowd-"

This brought another deafening ovation, Greb smiling and clapping in return.

"The way you got behind not just myself and Charley but everyone who fought tonight was just fantastic. So thank you so much for that."

The night was not quite over yet as, with the two fighters still in the ring, IBL Chief Director James Molk took up the microphone to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd also like to thank each and every one of you for helping to make this such an incredible night," he said, to which the crowd responded with a round of applause. "When I envisioned how this night would progress I never thought it would be as great as it's turned out and all of you are a huge part of that success. So thank you, all of you, so much for your great support. The time has now come when we reveal the matchups that these twelve fine fighters will face in five weeks from now. As you know the league used a lottery sytem to determine our series one clashes and we'll continue to use it as the tournaments progress."

Molk was handed a small, folded card by one of his associates.

"I'll now read out the matchups for series two of the Middleweight division's North America Central region ... Paul Pirrone versus Ronnie Harris ... Mike O'Dowd versus Greg Moe ... Ted Wright versus Stanley Ketchel ... Tony Zale versus Jake Morrison-"

The crowd reacted to this in numerous ways: low toned oohing and aahing, shouting, screams of approval, general talkativeness. Zale vs Morrison figured to be an absolutely insane matchup. However, the crowd was also getting anxious. With only four fighters left to be named, neither of their favourites had been mentioned yet. Molk continued.

"Harry Greb versus ... Charley Burley!!!"

With that the building went bananas, shouts and screams of excitement, delight and, in some cases, anger. Clearly some were unhappy that their two boys would have to go up against each other so early in the tournament but that was not the majority consensus. A look at Molk's face showed that he was somewhere in the middle. Surely it's a clash he would have preferred to come later in the event, but he was also showing excitement over the prospect of seeing two of the division's best set to go head-to-head.

"The final matchup is Frank Battaglia versus Wilfie Greaves," Molk finished, almost as an afterthought.

The IBL Chief Director walked over to Greb and shook his hand, speaking to him for several minutes. Burley was there also, his body language towards his fellow Steel City native different to how it was when they'd walked to the ring together. Greb was smiling and laughing but he must have been feeling something close to sick on the inside. Most of the crowd remained in the arena until the ring was cleared, Greb and Burley taking the time to sign autographs before making their way back to the dressing rooms. There was a crackling electricity in the air, as if what had taken place tonight was merely an appetiser of what was to come...

Series Two matchups

Middleweight division,
North America Central region

PAUL PIRRONE (0-1-0) vs RONNIE HARRIS (0-1-0)
MIKE O'DOWD (0-1-0) vs GREG MOE (0-1-0)
TED WRIGHT (0-1-0) vs STANLEY KETCHEL (1-0-0(1))
TONY ZALE (1-0-0) vs JAKE MORRISON (1-0-0(1))
HARRY GREB (1-0-0) vs CHARLEY BURLEY (1-0-0)
FRANK BATTAGLIA (1-0-0(1)) vs WILFIE GREAVES (0-1-0)