[kenyan_cheena]

AMERICAN | PUGILIST

*** Published bi-weekly out of Chicago, Illinois since 1950 ***

Monday 3 April 2006
Volume 57, Edition 7

HAYNES RELINQUISHES
(AND TRASHES) WBO BELT,
SIGNS WITH IBL

Story by Lucious Holt

When Roy Jones makes a statement, best believe the man will follow through with it. So it was this past Saturday when WBO Heavyweight Champion Terone Haynes relinquished his title and signed what is reportedly a three-year contract with the International Boxing League. Back on the 3rd of March Jones had said that if a unification bout between Haynes and German IBF Champion Marko Friedrich had not been agreed to by the end of March Haynes would be doing exactly what he did on the weekend. Saturday was the 1st of April and Jones stayed true to his words. Jones, two of his cousins and his entire stable of fighters arrived at an unidentified conference room somewhere in Pensacola dressed in black suits and shades, Haynes with his WBO belt slung over his shoulder.

Representing the IBL was the organisation's vice-president Michael Vincennes. Jones delivered an almost five-minute diatribe on how both the WBO and IBF had "messed around" with his "team", after which Haynes announced that he was officially relinquishing his title ... before dropping the belt into a trash can while wearing a smile from ear to ear! He then played up for the camera, acting like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Haynes, Jones and Vincennes sat down at a table and the former WBO champion signed his IBL contract. But the spectacle wasn't over yet. Jones had promised that it would be "one in, all in", that the entire "Florida Alliance" would be joining Haynes in the IBL. And so Holman Williams (middleweight), Elmer Ray (cruiserweight), James Ray (welterweight) and his newest charge Romy Alvarez (heavyweight) all followed Haynes' lead and signed their name on IBL contracts also.

There was then a period of mutual congratulations, Vincennes shaking hands and posing for photos with Jones and his team. It was quite an amusing scene and 100% entertaining, the moment also representing how far the IBL has come in such a short period of time. Not only have they snared the signature of one of the most exciting heavyweights in world boxing, they've also acquired a quartet of fighters who in this writer's opinion are all capable of equaling Haynes achievement of winning a world championship, even in what will be the more challenging ranks of the IBL.

Highlights of the footage were shown extensively on evening news sports bulletins while it was broadcast in an extended version on ESPN's Sportscenter and in its entirety on HBO as a thirty-minute special report.