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BOXING
MONTHLY

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2006

(following are selected entries from the magazine's
"Fight Review" section)

1 April: Los Angeles, California, USA
Carlos DeLeon (29-1(21)) MD12 Ronnie Hayes (26-3-1(17))
(cruiserweight division, IBF title fight)

Considered the top dog in what is one of boxing's most talent-deprived divisions Puerto Rico's Carlos DeLeon produced a workmanlike effort in retaining his IBF cruiserweight belt against San Diego native Ronnie Hayes. It was a fight short on drama with Hayes incapable of testing the champion and DeLeon content to do just enough to win. The International Boxing League signed DeLeon to a contract three weeks after his victory and while he appears to be the most worthy of claiming the league's inaugural junior-heavyweight championship there are many hoping that Molk and co. have the courage to place the brilliant Canadian Sam Langford into the tournament.

1 April: Paris, France
Petite Fourie (5-0(2)) TKO4 Elijah Bell (7-2(5))
(light-heavyweight division)

In a performance every bit as outstanding as his February win over the Russian Sergei Vaulin, Petite Fourie dissected the Englishman Elijah Bell with the precision of a surgeon. He opened a cut over Bell's left eye late in round one and made it his mission to target it through the next three stanzas, to the point where the referee had no choice but to stop the contest with Bell a bloodied mess at the end of the 4th. Fourie is a fantastically scientific fighter, one who seeks out his opponent's weaknesses and uses them against him. In Bell's case he took advantage of the Caribbean-born fighter's over-aggressiveness. The shot that opened the cut was a perfect counter right hand. The IBL has recognised the 23 year-old's talent, signing him to a contract less than 24 hours after his victory over Bell.

2 April: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Mark Somogyi (8-0(6)) KO2 Andre Lotts (11-9-1(7))
(light-heavyweight division)

Fighting outside of his native Australia for the first time in his career Mark Somogyi scored an outstanding 2nd round KO of local fighter Andre Lotts. After controlling the bout pretty much from the opening bell Somogyi found the mark with a smashing right hand a minute into round two, Lotts banging his head on the canvas and staying motionless for several minutes afterwards. Tired of the lack of worthy opposition down under Somogyi is determined to make a success of himself in the USA. He signed with the IBL two weeks after defeating Lotts and will no doubt have a good chance of success in the league's Inter-Continental light-heavyweight championship tournament. Ironically his involvement in it means that the Lotts fight will serve as his single US performance for some time to come.

2 April: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Adam Brooks (3-0(3)) UD4 Keith Green (2-2(1))
(heavyweight division)

21 year-old Adam Brooks is a native of Loudon, some 380 miles east of Nashville but he had the crowd firmly in his corner as he punished Green for most of the bout's four rounds. He won each of them on all three cards, flooring Green midway through round four. Brooks has a fair share of cockiness about him but isn't one to take himself too seriously as he had the crowd in stitches while being interviewed after his bout. Having been a long-distance runner in high school he's a superbly fit young man. Without a doubt his name will soon be added to what is becoming a long list of talented young American heavyweights.

3 April: Miami, Florida, USA
Cheetah Brown (5-0(5)) KO3 Phillip Bedford (3-3(2))
(heavyweight division)

In his first outing since his February television debut on Friday Night Fights 20 year-old Cheetah Brown destroyed Tampa native Phillip Bedford, flooring him once in the 1st and twice in round three for a comprehensive but one-sided victory. The Pinellas Park-born slugger has since been signed by the IBL who have made it a priority to recruit many of the sport's young talents. Brown is clearly one of them and he could do some damage in the Americas heavyweight championship tournament.

4 April: New York, New York, USA
Riddick Bowe (10-0(8)) TKO3 Vic Harris (13-7-1(7))
(heavyweight division)

Olympic silver medallist Riddick Bowe improved to 11-0 with a ho-hum victory against New Jersey's Vic Harris. Bowe scored one knockdown in each round, the referee stopping the fight after the third one came from a smashing right hand a minute into round three. It will be Bowe's final bout before competiton in the International Boxing League kicks off as he signed with the organisation on April 15. The Brooklyn native looks like being either a low seed in the challenger's tournament or a high one in the Americas Championship tournament.

5 April: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Mark Elwood (9-0(6)) KO2 Darius King (11-2-1(7))
(heavyweight division)

In an eye-catching performance Fremont native Mark Elwood ventured into the heavyweight division for the first time and scored a surprising KO win over an opponent who outweighed him by 25 pounds in Minnesota's promising young slugger Darius King. It looked like being a tight contest through the opening round but when Elwood planted a right hand on King's chin thirty seconds into round two it was all over. King hit the canvas and was out cold, the referee not even bothering to administer a count. Elwood confirmed that despite his fantastic showing he wouldn't be making a habit of fighting as a heavyweight, at least not in the short term. Before April was over he had joined the exodus to the International Boxing League and despite having just ten professional bouts under his belt looks good enough to make a challenge for it's world junior-heavyweight title.

6 April: Berlin, Germany
Max Schmeling (11-0(8)) KO5 Fritz Metzelder (10-4(7))
(heavyweight division)

23 year-old Schmeling continued a steady if unspectacular opening to his professional career, doing just enough to control the contest through the first four rounds before stopping Metzelder with a stinging body shot late in the 5th. Schmeling signed a contract with the IBL on the 20th and looks like being an early favourite to be crowned the league's first Inter-Continental Heavyweight Champion. The German people have high hopes for the Olympic bronze medallist and it will be interesting to see how he handles those expectations.

6 April: Berlin, Germany
Scott Mundt (9-0(7)) KO1 Philipp Jansen (7-4-1(4))
(heavyweight division)

Back in action for the first time since February Scott Mundt was in an aggressive frame of mind and Jansen just happened to be the unfortunate soul standing across the ring from him. Mundt dropped him twice in the first sixty seconds of the bout, Jansen failing to beat the count on the back of a devastating left hook. The bout was over at the 1:06 mark, Mundt's record now an impressive 10-0(8). Fighting on the same card as fellow German heavyweight Max Schmeling Mundt certainly outdid him with his destructive victory. The Connecticut-born slugger added his name to the long list of fighters joining the IBL a week after the win.

8 April: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Fulgencio Obelmejias (31-1-1(23)) TKO9 Jamal Hammonds (27-3(21))
(super-middleweight division, IBF title fight)

Obelmejias is regarded as South America's premier boxer and he showed exactly why against Hammonds, dominating the Louisiana native through the first eight rounds before the referee put him out of his misery after a punishing barrage late in the 9th. It was Obelmejias' sixth successful defense of his IBF belt and won't be his last. The 26 year-old revealed after the fight that he had rejected an offer to join the IBL, citing the fact that he'd have to move up to the light-heavyweight division to compete there. For the moment Obelmejias feels he can perform his best at 168 but did not rule out the possibility of a switch down the road.

8 April: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Joe Gans (11-0(7)) KO6 Esteban Rodriguez (8-4-1(5))
(middleweight division)

Two-time Olympic champion Joe Gans is the most popular athlete in his entire homeland of Panama and he kept his perfect record intact with a stoppage win over Puerto Rico's Esteban Rodruguez on the undercard of the Obelmejias-Hammonds title fight. Gans was eighteen when he took gold for the first time in Sydney. Six years later he appears on the verge of professional success also. He said after his win over Rodriguez that what he's seen and heard of the IBL fascinates him, apparently so much that he decided to sign with the organisation the following week.

10 April: London, England
Ashley Jackson (5-0(4)) KO5 James Parkinson (5-3(3))
(welterweight division)

Jackson maintained his impressive career start with a confident showing against Parkinson. The teenager used a potent right jab to built a lead through the opening four rounds before a crunching uppercut early in the 5th turned Parkinson's legs to jelly. He never looked like beating the count, the fight over and done with at the 0:37 mark. The International Boxing League have a high opinion of the teenager as they signed him to a contract a couple of days before this magazine went to print. Despite his inexperience he could make some noise in the welterweight division's Inter-Continental tournament.

10 April: London, England
Allan Thomas (8-0-1(5)) UD6 Jimmy Garrett (6-4(4))
(light-heavyweight division)

England's two-time Olympian and Sydney silver medallist Allan Thomas stayed undefeated with an easy victory over a limited opponent. The 23 year-old was never stretched by Garrett, who was more concerned with surviving than winning the fight. It was an outing that did little more than pad Thomas' record because it did little to convince this observer that he's ready for the big time. The IBL have signed him so they must believe he'll be a worthy competitor in their upcoming tournaments.

13 April: New York, New York, USA
Max Rasmuth (4-0(2)) TKO3 Steven De Luca (2-3(1))
(welterweight division)

Rochester-born welterweight Max Rasmuth moved to 5-0 after dismantling Queens native Steven De Luca inside of three rounds. Using a lightning-fast jab to establish control Rasmuth became more aggressive in round three, landing a number of jolting crosses. With De Luca unable to avoid his shots and failing to land any himself the fight was stopped a minute from the bell. Rasmuth frustrated De Luca with his southpaw stance and defensive prowess throughout the brief contest, his footwork and quickness making it near-impossible for De Luca to get within scoring range. Not simply regarded as a talented prospect, Rasmuth is also thought of as one of the real gentlemen in the sport, something that is unusual in someone so young.

14 April: Lagos, Nigeria
Dick Tiger (24-0-1(18)) TKO11 Taribo Keshi (21-1(17))
(light-heavyweight division, IBF title fight)

The IBF's light-heavyweight king maintained his undefeated record, giving his childhood friend and the current holder of the Nigerian light-heavyweight title Taribo Keshi a shot at the world. IBF president Michael Jacobs had expressed some reservations over the fight as he felt that the two combatants' relationship would have an adverse affect on their performance. He could not have been more wrong as Tiger and Keshi produced one of the contests of the year to date. Keshi gave a great account of himself and on the basis of his efforts the International Boxing League offered him a contract, which he accepted. Keshi had Tiger in all sorts of trouble in round three and then again in the 7th but the champion weathered the storm and took control in round eight. He dominated from that point on and the bout was stopped late in the 11th with Keshi out on his feet after absorbing five unanswered shots. Tiger announced a week after the fight that he would be joining his friend in the IBL, yet another blow to the alphabet soup collective.

15 April: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Eddie Perkins (33-2(24)) SD12 Marvyn Rollins (29-1-1(22))
(junior-welterweight division, WBA title fight)

Fighting on the undercard of the Norton-Franks heavyweight clash Perkins only just retained his title, turning back a mighty determined challenge from Cleveland's Marvyn Rollins. It was a close, competitive fight throughout and in the end a 7th round knockdown that Perkins scored proved to be the difference. He took a 114-113, 113-114, 114-113 split decision verdict. A rematch is being planned for August and like the Venezuelan Obelmejias, Perkins has expressed reservations in regards to competing under the IBL's banner. He would be required to make the jump to the welterweight division, something he's not comfortable with right now.

16 April: Manchester, England
Charlie Beniston (4-0(3)) UD4 Harvey Williams (3-2(1))
(featherweight division)

Beniston is one of the most promising young boxers in the United Kingdom, a native of Nottingham who enjoyed an excellent but brief amateur career before turning pro last October. At 5'11" he's tall for a featherweight and has put that height advantage to good use, especially in his win over Williams. He peppered the London native with a piston-like jab, keeping him on the backfoot and out of range for most of the fight. Beniston is a confident, proud individual who has spoken on more than one occasion of his determination and ambition to relieve the Welshman Jim Driscoll of the featherweight world championship and bring it to England.

18 April: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Juan de la Cruz (3-0(3)) KO2 Dave Harris (3-4(1))
(heavyweight division)

Filipino heavyweights are rare, talented ones even moreso. But that's exactly what the boxing world appears to have in Juan de la Cruz. This 22 year-old from Manila is a 5'10" ball of muscle and bad intentions. He tipped the scales at 225 for his bout against Harris and decimated the Aussie in front of a hostile Sydney crowd. Possessing a hair-trigger temper de la Cruz is a fascinating prospect and it will be interesting to follow his progress.

20 April: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Greg Gorecky (4-0(2)) KO3 Allan Lister (3-2(1))
(middleweight division)

This 24 year-old Canadian has already overcome the adversity of a painfully difficult childhood to get where he is today. The fact that he's now 5-0 and looks to be one of his nation's most promising fighters of the past ten years just makes him even more extraordinary. Gorecky peppered Lister with a lightning left jab, keeping the Vancouver native off balance for much of the fight before flooring him for a full count midway through the 3rd. Gorecky was in negotiations with the IBL when this issue went to print and looks likely to be a starter in their Americas middleweight championship tourney.

22 April: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
John Mugabi (29-2-2(27)) KO3 James Patton (25-3(18))
(junior-middleweight division, WBO title fight)

"The Beast" was unleashed in Atlantic City, pummeling the highly regarded local James Patton into oblivion inside of three rounds to stretch his undefeated streak to twenty fights, eight of which have been in defense of his WBO belt. It was Mugabi's twelfth consecutive stoppage win, seven of which have come inside of four rounds. The Ugandan recently expressed his frustration over being unable to secure a lucrative unification bout against WBC/IBF Champion Mike McCallum and has openly accused the Jamaican of ducking him. Just 48 hours after his defeat of Patton, Mugabi announced that he had relinquished his belt and joined the IBL as a middleweight. It's a huge signing for the league, one that will make it's middleweight world championship tournament even more talent-packed than it already figures to be.

22 April: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Mickey Walker (10-0(8)) TKO2 Freddie Stanton (7-5-1(5))
(middleweight division)

Walker took to the ring in the opener of Mugabi's AC fight card and made short work of an overwhelmed Freddie Stanton. The Elizabeth native pounded Stanton mercilessly until the referee stepped in to end the carnage two minutes into the 2nd. Walker is a good friend of heavyweight Joe Jeannette and trains at the same North Bergen gym as him. While Jeannette signed with the IBL back in February Walker deliberately delayed doing the same until this month so that he could stay active for as long as possible before the league's tournaments begin. He'll be a definite starter in the Americas Middleweight Championship tournament but might even pinch a low seed in the Challenger's tournament. Wherever he ends up Walker will be one to keep an eye on in the months ahead.

24 April: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Nicolas Fillion (4-0(1)) UD4 Kevin Begovic (2-2(1))
(lightweight division)

Fillion was much too clever and sharp for Begovic to handle in this contest, not only beating him to the punch but also keeping out of harm's way with some excellent defensive skills. Fillion was born and raised in the Saguenay borough of Chicoutimi and is an organised young man. He's currently still enrolled in Quebec City's Universite Laval, just in case his boxing career doesn't pan out. Based on his performances to date we at Boxing Monthly have a feeling that won't be a problem.

25 April: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Eric Bengtson (5-0-1(3)) MD6 Brett Seymour (5-3-1(3))
(welterweight division)

Hometown favourite Bengtson had some trouble overcoming Seymour, taking the verdict by scores of 58-56 (twice) and 57-57. To this observer a draw would not have been a terrible result as both men had their moments. Bengtson is a good friend of the hard-hitting middleweight from Chippewa Falls, Jake Morrison, who actually accompanied him to the ring on this night. The 19 year-old confirmed after the bout that he's "all but signed" a contract to fight under the banner of the IBL and will be taking part in the league's upcoming tournaments.