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kenyan_cheena · 02-13-2008, 09:54 PM

ALL EYES ARE ON CONNECTICUT...

Thursday 12 September 2002

During the past 24 hours much of the talk in the world of boxing had focused on the agreement between HBF President Michael Vincennes and IBL Chief Director James Molk to inject significant funds into the amateur side of the sport. Tonight that issue took a back seat to what has been the most anticipated matchup of series one of the International Boxing League's World Championship regional qualifiers, the Welterweight clash between Olympic gold medallist Ray Leonard and Florida's James Ray.

Born in North Carolina but raised in Maryland, the charismatic Leonard came into the tournament as the favourite to be crowned the IBL's inaugural Welterweight World Champion but had some major bad luck when he was drawn to take on James Ray on debut. The cousin of HBF competitors and Florida Alliance founders Elmer Ray and Terone Haynes impressed everyone who laid eyes on him during the league's Miami selection trials and is regarded by most observers as the second-best Welterweight in the United States behind Leonard, despite his lack of amateur experience.

The Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut was the venue for this much-hyped contest. The entire Florida Alliance entourage had made their presence known during the past few days, with all but James Ray himself only arriving in Ledyard on Sunday from Japan. Fresh from celebrating both the victory of Terone Haynes in the final of the HBF's South-East Asian Boxing League tournament and the 23rd birthday of Alliance member Romy Alvarez, they were in an upbeat mood. In particular Alliance leader Elmer Ray had been very vocal, talking up his older cousin's chances of success against Leonard.

"Jus' gonna be too fas', y'all," said Elmer at Monday's press conference. "Jimmy got the quickes' fists in the IBL, man. Ain't no doubtin' that. Your boy Leonard gonna fin' it hard matchin' him. Yeah, the brother won gold but he ain't ever face anyone like J, y'all. Jimmy Ray gonna shock the world come Thursday night."

Both men had looked in superb shape at yesterday's weigh-in, the barbs flying back and forth between the two camps. Nothing came of it, but the IBL had plenty of security on hand to ensure avoiding anything approaching the famous "Manchester Incident" of late March, which the Florida Alliance were involved in.

Unsurprisingly some of the biggest names in entertainment were present at ringside, the prospect of seeing a possible preview of the league's Welterweight World Championship bout attracting such superstars as Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Samuel L. Jackson, amongst others. What was surprising was the sight of Heavyweight Boxing Federation president Michael Vincennes and his wife, also at ringside. To date the bosses of boxing's two competing organisations have avoided being seen at each other's events but Vincennes had obviously made an exception in this case. Many had speculated that the amateur agreement between the HBF and IBL would be merely a prelude to an eventual merger and the sight of Vincennes in the crowd at an IBL fight card will only stoke those flames in the days to come.

***

Following the completion of the evening's co-feature between Meldrick Taylor and hometown favourite Marlon Starling the level of nervous anticipation in the arena spiked, each of the main event's competitors being backed strongly by sections of the sold-out casino. James Ray made the walk to the ring first, the boombastic assault of Public Enemy's "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" exploding from the arena's speaker system. He wore a robe of black with touches of red and white, the other six members of the Florida Alliance - Elmer Ray, Terone Haynes, Oliver McCall, Tommy Gomez, Romy Alvarez and Ariel Reyes - surrounding him, Elmer Ray out front with his left fist raised, head nodding. James Ray looked determined, confident and ready to throw down against the Olympic Champion.

By comparison, Leonard's entrance was much more low-key. He didn't have a bloated entourage, just his corner crew. All of them were dressed in white with thin red trim, Leonard looking calm and composed. Once he stepped between the ropes he eyed his opponent, bouncing on his toes and maintaining the gaze for some ten seconds. Ray returned the glare, his cousin Elmer favouring Leonard with a dark intensity. Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce Knowles performed the Star-Spangled Banner, receiving a warm round of applause before the two combatants were brought together in the centre of the ring for the pre-fight instructions...

(To be continued, with a round-by-round account of the fight from the New York Sun's Peter Roman)

02-13-2008, 09:54 PM	#441 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,621	ALL EYES ARE ON CONNECTICUT... Thursday 12 September 2002 During the past 24 hours much of the talk in the world of boxing had focused on the agreement between HBF President Michael Vincennes and IBL Chief Director James Molk to inject significant funds into the amateur side of the sport. Tonight that issue took a back seat to what has been the most anticipated matchup of series one of the International Boxing League's World Championship regional qualifiers, the Welterweight clash between Olympic gold medallist Ray Leonard and Florida's James Ray. Born in North Carolina but raised in Maryland, the charismatic Leonard came into the tournament as the favourite to be crowned the IBL's inaugural Welterweight World Champion but had some major bad luck when he was drawn to take on James Ray on debut. The cousin of HBF competitors and Florida Alliance founders Elmer Ray and Terone Haynes impressed everyone who laid eyes on him during the league's Miami selection trials and is regarded by most observers as the second-best Welterweight in the United States behind Leonard, despite his lack of amateur experience. The Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut was the venue for this much-hyped contest. The entire Florida Alliance entourage had made their presence known during the past few days, with all but James Ray himself only arriving in Ledyard on Sunday from Japan. Fresh from celebrating both the victory of Terone Haynes in the final of the HBF's South-East Asian Boxing League tournament and the 23rd birthday of Alliance member Romy Alvarez, they were in an upbeat mood. In particular Alliance leader Elmer Ray had been very vocal, talking up his older cousin's chances of success against Leonard. "Jus' gonna be too fas', y'all," said Elmer at Monday's press conference. "Jimmy got the quickes' fists in the IBL, man. Ain't no doubtin' that. Your boy Leonard gonna fin' it hard matchin' him. Yeah, the brother won gold but he ain't ever face anyone like J, y'all. Jimmy Ray gonna shock the world come Thursday night." Both men had looked in superb shape at yesterday's weigh-in, the barbs flying back and forth between the two camps. Nothing came of it, but the IBL had plenty of security on hand to ensure avoiding anything approaching the famous "Manchester Incident" of late March, which the Florida Alliance were involved in. Unsurprisingly some of the biggest names in entertainment were present at ringside, the prospect of seeing a possible preview of the league's Welterweight World Championship bout attracting such superstars as Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Samuel L. Jackson, amongst others. What was surprising was the sight of Heavyweight Boxing Federation president Michael Vincennes and his wife, also at ringside. To date the bosses of boxing's two competing organisations have avoided being seen at each other's events but Vincennes had obviously made an exception in this case. Many had speculated that the amateur agreement between the HBF and IBL would be merely a prelude to an eventual merger and the sight of Vincennes in the crowd at an IBL fight card will only stoke those flames in the days to come. * Following the completion of the evening's co-feature between Meldrick Taylor and hometown favourite Marlon Starling the level of nervous anticipation in the arena spiked, each of the main event's competitors being backed strongly by sections of the sold-out casino. James Ray made the walk to the ring first, the boombastic assault of Public Enemy's "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" exploding from the arena's speaker system. He wore a robe of black with touches of red and white, the other six members of the Florida Alliance - Elmer Ray, Terone Haynes, Oliver McCall, Tommy Gomez, Romy Alvarez and Ariel Reyes - surrounding him, Elmer Ray out front with his left fist raised, head nodding. James Ray looked determined, confident and ready to throw down against the Olympic Champion. By comparison, Leonard's entrance was much more low-key. He didn't have a bloated entourage, just his corner crew. All of them were dressed in white with thin red trim, Leonard looking calm and composed. Once he stepped between the ropes he eyed his opponent, bouncing on his toes and maintaining the gaze for some ten seconds. Ray returned the glare, his cousin Elmer favouring Leonard with a dark intensity. Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce Knowles performed the Star-Spangled Banner, receiving a warm round of applause before the two combatants were brought together in the centre of the ring for the pre-fight instructions... (To be continued, with a round-by-round account of the fight from the New York Sun's Peter Roman) __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports** Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 02-13-2008 at 09:56 PM.