[kenyan_cheena]

BOXING
MONTHLY

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 6 - JUNE 2006

MISSOURI MIDDLEWEIGHT
STEALS SHOW AT NATIONALS

Story by Frank Gould

The annual Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions was held earlier this month in Chicago and while a number of established amateurs performed to expectations there was one in particular who came almost out of nowhere to claim the middleweight title. That young man was St. Louis native Michael Spinks, a 17 year-old who has been competing in the sport for just eighteen months. Unsurprisingly Spinks was not present at last year's nationals but he booked his place in '06 by winning the regional championship in his hometown. He overcame a pair of more fancied, experienced opponents in defending champion Tony Zale and Pennsylvania's Charley Burley on the way to his unexpected Chicago triumph. Spinks' run through the tournament was one of the most exciting moments I've seen in American amateur boxing for some time and it goes without saying that the talented Missouri teenager is one to keep an eye on. He's a confident, self-assured individual who spoke with certainty of his long-term ambitions to not only win gold in Beijing but also become a multi-division world champion in the professional ranks.

All the winners from the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions:

* SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT: Jason Betters (defeated Michael Gates)

This 225-pound Los Angeles native won his first national title after bowing out of the tournament early during the last two years. Betters is regarded as one of the heaviest hitters in world amateur boxing and Gates was on the receiving end of some absolute sledgehammer blows before their fight was stopped late in round two. He's only eighteen and has said his number one goal is to win gold in 2008.

* HEAVYWEIGHT: Earnie Shavers (defeated Greg Washington)

Another fighter who possesses some real hurting bombs, Shavers has assumed the title of America's best heavyweight since Jack Johnson and Joe Jeannette turned professional in late 2004. He successfully retained his national championship by pounding Washington into submission, the bout ending midway through round three. Already 21 years old, Shavers said recently that he's considering making the jump to the professional ranks in 2007.

* LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT: Tony Tucker (defeated Dwayne Jackson)

Michigan-born Tucker finally won the light-heavyweight title, appearing in his third straight national final after Elmer Ray had outfought him in both '04 and '05. Jackson posed a difficult challenge but Tucker would not be denied, winning the final by a 25-21 scoreline. The 19 year-old looks to have a promising future and, like Shavers, has hinted at making the switch to the pros before Beijing.

* MIDDLEWEIGHT: Michael Spinks (defeated Charley Burley)

(See above).

* WELTERWEIGHT: Billy Graham (defeated John Hayes)

Athens Olympian Graham stayed on track in his quest to make the team for Beijing with a confident showing throughout the tournament. The 18 year-old New Yorker is the 5th ranked welterweight in the world and outclassed Hayes in the title match, winning it 33-21. If he continues on his current rate of improvement Graham will be a favourite for the gold medal in 2008.

* LIGHT-WELTERWEIGHT: David Munoz (defeated Howie Craven)

Of Mexican heritage, Munoz is a Los Angeles-born fighter with aggression to burn and lightning-fast fists. He stopped Craven within ninety seconds of the opening bell in their title match, the referee waving the contest over after a succession of power punches sent Craven slumping down the ropes and to the canvas. Munoz has big ambitions and isn't afraid to talk about them. Olympic glory is simply the start and if his confident words are to be believed this young man will be one of the real stars of the sport in the years to come.

* LIGHTWEIGHT: Ronin James (defeated Tameer Granger)

18 year-old New Orleans native Ronin James gained some redemption and revenge against Oakland's Tameer Granger in winning the lightweight championship, the bout a rematch of last year's final. The outgoing, extroverted speedster was far too quick and classy for Granger to handle, showing how far he's come in these last twelve months.

* FEATHERWEIGHT: Louis Reed (defeated Johnny Kilbane)

Sacramento-born Louis Reed has really made a name for himself in the past year. This was the 21 year-old's second consecutive national championship, one he said was sweeter than the last as it came after a fantastic domination of Athens Olympian and '04 champion Johnny Kilbane in the final. Both men have their sights firmly set on Beijing and judging by this month's encounter Reed is presently a clear-cut favourite.

* BANTAMWEIGHT: Tyrone King (defeated Johnathan Webb)

At 17 years of age Detroit's Tyrone King has already shown himself to be a boxer with tremendous promise. He mesmerized Webb for the duration of their contest, taking the win by a 31-12 scoreline. King bowed out in the semi-finals last year but there never seemed to be any doubt that he'd take the championship in '06. He's certainly a young fighter to keep an eye on.

* FLYWEIGHT: Frankie Genaro (defeated Antonio Lotts)

One of the most determined amateur fighters in the USA showed once again why he's unanimously admired for his fighting spirit and heart. Going into the final round of his clash with Antonio Lotts, Genaro trailed by five points but rallied to knock his opponent out thirty seconds from the bell. Genaro has now won the national flyweight title three times in the last four years ('03, '04 and '06) and with the current state of the division the 19 year-old Athens bronze medallist could very easily claim a couple more championships before Beijing.

__________

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

3 June: Milan, Italy
Bruno Arcari (26-2-1(19)) UD12 Jimmy Fulton (22-0-1(18))
(junior-welterweight division, IBF title fight)

In the first defense of the title he won in January the Italian Arcari was far too clever and classy for the talented but in-over-his-head Englishman Jimmy Fulton. The final scorecards were 118-110, 117-111 and 118-111, verdicts that accurately reflected the extent of Arcari's domination. The junior-welterweight division is currently the only one that has four different alphabet champions and by the end of the month Arcari had called out each of the other three to take him on in a unification bout. A clash with WBA champion Eddie Perkins would be the most attractive. However, Perkins held onto his belt by the skin of his teeth in a split decision win over Marvyn Rollins in April and might not be that eager to immediately put it on the line against an even tougher opponent.

6 June: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Mark Lyons (3-0(3)) KO3 Albert Franklin (4-2(2))
(heavyweight division)

Judging by what he's shown in his brief career to date, Lyons looks to be the latest name we can add to the growing list of up-and-coming American heavyweights. Standing 6'1" and weighing in at 230 pounds this 23 year-old possesses some serious knockout power but doesn't take himself too seriously, as evidenced by an amusing post-fight interview. It's been rumoured that he took up boxing to escape a life of drug dealing on the tough streets of Baltimore. If true, that might just be the wisest decision he'll ever make, especially when his obvious talent is taken into account. The International Boxing League were quick to take note of his abilities, signing him to a contract a couple of weeks after his defeat of Franklin.

10 June: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Felix Trinidad (3-0(3)) KO2 Luis Rivera (5-1(3))
(junior-welterweight division)

Trinidad's camp is aiming to keep him busy through the early months of his pro career, this win over Rivera coming just three weeks after he knocked out Noah Villegas. Rivera was thought to be a tougher challenge but Trinidad disposed of him with breathtaking ease. There were rumours that his father had been in serious contract discussions with the International Boxing League at the beginning of the month, rumours Felix Sr squashed during the post-fight interview. With Trinidad fighting at junior-welterweight there is no chance that he'll join the IBL in the near future as it would require him to compete at either lightweight or welterweight, something that he is not prepared to consider.

14 June: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Jimmy Krug (3-0(2)) UD4 Angelo Vitali (5-2(3))
(bantamweight division)

Perhaps it's too early to be certain, but Jimmy Krug just might be the answer to America's terrible lack of depth in the bantamweight division. The 19 year-old Newark native has made an impressive and promising start to his professional career, showing fantastic boxing skills. In particular, his jab is a potent weapon, one he's used to subdue each of his first four opponents. It had been Krug's dream to represent the USA in Athens but he was defeated in controversial circumstances during the selection trials, the judging in his quarter-final bout being highly questionable. At the time he implied that it had been deliberate in order to assist eventual representative Paulie Ayala's chances. He took a break from the sport following the trials, not returning to the ring until making his pro debut this past February.

17 June: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sergio Palma (29-2(24)) KO10 Hector Martinez (25-1-1(19))
(junior-featherweight division, WBA title fight)

The talented Argentinian Palma retained his belt for the fifth time since claiming it eighteen months ago, controlling the fight almost from the opening bell before flooring Martinez twice in the 10th round. Of those not under the banner of the IBL Palma is the top dog in his division. With the talent level there seriously diluted he might be eyeing a move to featherweight and a clash with WBA/WBC champion Jim Driscoll. Palma has already ruled out joining the IBL, voicing an opinion similar to that of lightweight king Patricio Marquez while pledging his allegiance to the alphabet soup gang.

17 June: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Pernell Whitaker (12-0(8)) UD8 Javier Lopez (22-3-1(16))
(lightweight division)

Lopez was a considerable step up compared to the quality of opposition Whitaker has faced to date but it didn't matter. The Athens gold medallist pitched a near shutout against the rugged but slow Mexican, taking the verdict by scores of 80-73, 79-73 and 80-72. It has been suggested that Whitaker could be in line for a shot at IBF Champion Joe Brown before the end of the year but the Virginian's camp has dismissed such a possibility, saying their plan is to bring the 22 year-old along slowly with the aim being a title fight in early 2008.

20 June: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Brutus Brody (4-0(4)) TKO1 Larry Banks (11-5-1(7))
(heavyweight division)

There appears to be no end in sight to the flood of talented American heavyweight boxers emerging in 2006. Detroit's Brutus Brody looks to be the very definition of the word "intimidation". The 27 year-old came seemingly out of nowhere to debut in March and has scored five stoppage victories in less than four months, all inside of two rounds. He's raw, bad-tempered, powerful and a man of few words, something that has added to the intrigue and sense of mystery surrounding him. What is known is that he grew up homeless on the streets of Detroit from his early teens, having lost both parents at a young age through drug-related incidents. He served five years in the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility from '99 through '04 on charges of weapons and drug possession, but it's unclear how he came to be involved in boxing. Brody is definitely a fighter to keep an eye on.

22 June: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Ron E. Vincent (3-0(2)) UD4 Brian Hall (3-3(1))
(heavyweight division)

The story behind this talented young Suffolk native is quite an interesting one. Vincent is an ordained minster who pastors a small church in his hometown and has taken up boxing to help fund various community projects. He's said that he struggled with his "calling" for some time and was on the verge of quitting his religious duties to dedicate more time to training. Known as "REV" due to his initials and the other, more obvious reason, the 21 year-old has since decided to juggle both devotions and is apparently doing an admirable job of it. In the ring he's calm, cool and collected, blessed with surprising hand speed. He's also a superbly fit, tough individual who, with time and development, looks capable of becoming a top contender in the division.

24 June: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Francisco Ortiz (35-2(29)) TKO3 Gregorio Heureaux (22-6-1(15))
(lightweight division)

Back in action just three months after his classic confrontation with Patricio Marquez, former WBA Champion Ortiz fought in his homeland for the first time since 2003 in what was essentially a "keep busy" outing. It had been assumed that a rematch with Marquez would be arranged but the Mexican WBC/WBA champ has instead become interested in the possibility of an even more lucrative undisputed championship showdown against IBF king Joe Brown. Where that leaves Ortiz is unclear, although a shot at the currently vacant but lightly regarded WBO strap has been discussed.