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ITALIAN DUO HELD TO DRAWS AT HOME
Thursday 29 August 2002
In an unusual start to the International Boxing League's Future Contender series, Italian fighters Carmelo Bossi and Tiberio Mitri were both held to draws at the Stadio Am Stcora in Calgary, Italy on a fight card that featured two other drawn bouts. In the minds of many the FC series is the IBL's answer to the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's Qualifying League and if tonight's event was any indication competition in it will be fierce. IBL Chief Director James Molk devised the series as a training ground for fighters who the league believes have the potential to one day challenge for a World Championship but might be a little bit too raw at the moment.
Bossi was up against the lightly regarded Korean Jae-Do Yuh in the Main Event. Favoured to top the group, Bossi was expected to have little trouble but Yuh gave a great account of himself, never taking a backward step and frustrating Bossi throughout the contest. If anything, Yuh was probably the better fighter on a round-by-round basis and the final scorecards read 57-57, 60-56 (Yuh), 57-57. Bossi landed 154 of 590 punches (26.1%), Yuh 138 of 426 (32.4%).
In the Co-Feature Mitri clashed with South Africa's Michael Cronje. Mitri dominated in rounds one, two and six but allowed Cronje to get back into the bout in the middle rounds, two judges awarding him the 3rd, 4th and 5th. Cronje worked hard throughout the fight, even when he was taking a beating. The scorecards were a mess, one judge favouring Mitri 59-55, another giving his verdict to Cronje 58-56 and the third showing a 57-57 result. Mitri outlanded his opponent by quite a margin, much of it due to his superiority in the opening two rounds.
Mitri 175/529 (33.1%)
Cronje 114/558 (20.4%)
No doubt it will be interesting to see what happens in this competitive group in the upcoming fight cards...
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 29 AUGUST 2002
STADIO AM STCORA, CALGARI, ITALY
IBL FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION - GROUP ONE, SERIES ONE
OPENING BOUT
Laurent Dauthuille TKO2 Julio Alvares
PRELIMINARY 1
Artie Levine D6 Hastings Gayle
PRELIMINARY 2
Jose Gonzalez D6 Solly Krieger
SUPPORT BOUT
Tony Sibson UD6 Hugo Corro
CO-FEATURE
Tiberio Mitri D6 Michael Cronje
MAIN EVENT
Carmelo Bossi D6 Jae-Do Yuh
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