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kenyan_cheena · 05-05-2009, 05:28 PM

The New York Age

MONDAY, 14 AUGUST, 2006

BOWE TKO'D BY GOLOTA

Story by James Reynolds

Brooklyn-born boxer Riddick Bowe fell to the first defeat of his professional career last night, the 22 year-old Athens silver medallist stopped in round four of an International Boxing League bout by Poland's Andrew Golota. It was one of the quarter-final contests of the league's Heavyweight Challenger's tournament, the card held at London's Wembley Arena. Normally an extroverted braggart, Bowe has shown uncharacteristic maturity in recent months but fell back into old habits in the leadup to last night's action-packed fight. Earlier in the week he'd goaded Golota and questioned his ability, saying there was no way he was going to lose to "some washed-up white dude". But before round one had reached its conclusion Golota had made Bowe aware that he'd be in for a tough night. Having made a promising start Bowe was abruptly sent to the canvas by a vicious uppercut forty seconds from the bell.

Bowe survived the round and issued a strong retort in the 2nd, dominating the frame and flooring Golota with a right cross two minutes in. The former world title challenger was up quickly but Bowe maintained the momentum through the 3rd, tagging Golota with crisp, powerful shots that had him gasping for air and appearing tired. The fight took a remarkable turn in the 4th, though, Golota staggering Bowe with a pair of jolting crosses within the first minute. He then dropped Bowe for a second time midway through the round with another sizzling cross, the 10th seed suddenly looking very vulnerable. Golota grabbed the opportunity with both hands and pounded Bowe into submission, finding the mark with a four-punch combo and two separate right hands before referee Earl Morton jumped in to save a dazed Bowe from further harm three seconds before the bell.

The emotional Pole let out a passionate, victorious bellow as his corner crew flooded the ring. They lifted him onto their shoulders and paraded him around the ring like he'd just won the world championship itself, Golota holding both arms up high. Despite the fact that Bowe's professional experience amounts to less than half that of Golota's it was a big win for the 26 year-old, as many experts believed that he's exactly what Bowe claimed: washed-up. He was beaten twice by Sergey Anyukov in 2005, both fights challenges for the Russian's WBA belt. After those setbacks it appeared he'd struggle to regain the form of his earlier years. But following his stage one stoppage of Vladimir Virchis and last night's win over Bowe he now looks capable of giving the tournament a mighty shake. Golota is now 29-4(25), Bowe falling to 12-1(9). Bowe has had his critics but even they would be hesitant to pick him apart over this defeat. He showed that he's capable of mixing it with fighters much more experienced than he is and in this writer's opinion it's only a matter of time until he earns a shot at the IBL World Championship.

Golota will meet the Australian silver medallist Peter Jackson in the semi-finals. Jackson defeated Russia's Alexander Zolkin by split decision to improve to 15-0(9). The Caribbean-born 24 year-old made a confident start and looked to be on his way to a convincing win after flooring Zolkin in round three. But the Russian mounted an admirable comeback through the final five rounds and gave Jackson all he could handle before the Australian took the win by scores of 77-74, 75-76 and 78-73. The man who denied Jackson gold in Athens was much more convincing. Texas-born Californian Jack Johnson produced something akin to a master class in defeating Tonga's Simione Paea by unanimous decision (77-74, 80-71, 78-73). Johnson landed a fantastic 299 punches in the eight-rounder, connecting at 62.6% while Paea could only find the mark with 65 blows at a woeful 15.3%. It was clear to see that Johnson was out to impress, not just with his attacking flair but also his defensive brilliance. He dropped Paea with a beautifully-timed uppercut shortly before the end of the 7th and was actually talking to someone at ringside while the referee administered the count. Johnson was in a bragadocious mood before the fight and backed up his behaviour multiple times over.

The speed of Johnson's hands was something to behold. Time and again he planted a stiff left jab on Paea's chin, nose and forehead, leaving the Pacific Islander battered, swollen and bruised at the bout's conclusion. Like Jackson, Johnson is now 15-0, his victory setting up what will be one of the most anticipated semi-final clashes in these IBL tournaments. He'll take on England's super-heavyweight gold medallist Lennox Lewis, who overcame the challenge presented by New Jersey's Joe Jeannette, but only just. Lewis won by unanimous decision, but only because Jeannette was deducted a point for a low blow in the final round. If not for that the bout would have been a draw as Lewis won by identical verdicts of 75-74 on all three scorecards. The popular North Bergen-born Jeannette made an encouraging start, having the better of the opening two rounds before Lewis knocked him down with a punishing combination two minutes into the 3rd. There'd been nothing happening in the round to that point and when Lewis took the 4th and 5th with ease he appeared on his way to victory.

But Jeannette stormed back into the contest in the 6th, giving the pro-Lewis crowd reason for concern when he put their man on his backside with a strong uppercut ten seconds from the bell. Lewis was back in command in the 7th before Jeannette finished strongly, although he unfortunately shot himself in the foot with that low blow early in the final round. Jeannette was deeply disappointed afterwards, frustrated that he'd been unable to duplicate the deeds from the previous Sunday of his good friend and fellow Jersey native Mickey Walker, who had upset Holman Williams in the middleweight version of the Challenger's tournament. Jeannette fell to 14-2(10) but there's every reason to believe he'll be a strong contender for the world title in the years to come. As for Lewis, he will most likely go in against Johnson as a slight favourite. Both have shown they possess great talent but Lewis' size advantage might just be enough to sway the fight his way. The 6'5" Briton weighed in at 235 for last night's fight while Johnson, who stands 6'1", tipped the scales at just 210. Lewis also enjoys a ten-inch reach advantage, something that will surely have a bearing on the outcome.

Some boxing experts have actually commented that they're surprised Johnson is campaigning at heavyweight at this early stage of his career as it seems he'd be a more natural fit at cruiserweight (or junior-heavyweight, as it's known in the IBL). It could be that he's more comfortable knowing he doesn't have to make sure he's under 200 pounds each time he steps in the ring. When his love of the night life is taken into account, that seems the most likely scenario. One thing is certain, and that is that he'll have to train his backside off for this upcoming clash with Lewis. Johnson was accused of taking it easy in the lead-up to his stage one bout against Gerrie Coetzee. If he does that for Lewis, he won't just be defeated, he'll be embarrassed and dominated, also.

***

Results

(#11) Jackson SD8 (#14) Zolkin
(#8) Johnson UD8 (#16) Paea
(#2) Golota TKO4 (#10) Bowe
(#5) Lewis UD8 (#13) Jeannette

Semi-finals

(#5) Lennox Lewis (16-0(10)) vs (#8) Jack Johnson (15-0(11))
(#2) Andrew Golota (29-4(25)) vs (#11) Peter Jackson (15-0(9))

***

05-05-2009, 05:28 PM	#319 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 7,598 Thanks: 81 Thanked 143x in 125 posts	*The New York Age* MONDAY, 14 AUGUST, 2006 BOWE TKO'D BY GOLOTA Story by James Reynolds Brooklyn-born boxer Riddick Bowe fell to the first defeat of his professional career last night, the 22 year-old Athens silver medallist stopped in round four of an International Boxing League bout by Poland's Andrew Golota. It was one of the quarter-final contests of the league's Heavyweight Challenger's tournament, the card held at London's Wembley Arena. Normally an extroverted braggart, Bowe has shown uncharacteristic maturity in recent months but fell back into old habits in the leadup to last night's action-packed fight. Earlier in the week he'd goaded Golota and questioned his ability, saying there was no way he was going to lose to "some washed-up white dude". But before round one had reached its conclusion Golota had made Bowe aware that he'd be in for a tough night. Having made a promising start Bowe was abruptly sent to the canvas by a vicious uppercut forty seconds from the bell. Bowe survived the round and issued a strong retort in the 2nd, dominating the frame and flooring Golota with a right cross two minutes in. The former world title challenger was up quickly but Bowe maintained the momentum through the 3rd, tagging Golota with crisp, powerful shots that had him gasping for air and appearing tired. The fight took a remarkable turn in the 4th, though, Golota staggering Bowe with a pair of jolting crosses within the first minute. He then dropped Bowe for a second time midway through the round with another sizzling cross, the 10th seed suddenly looking very vulnerable. Golota grabbed the opportunity with both hands and pounded Bowe into submission, finding the mark with a four-punch combo and two separate right hands before referee Earl Morton jumped in to save a dazed Bowe from further harm three seconds before the bell. The emotional Pole let out a passionate, victorious bellow as his corner crew flooded the ring. They lifted him onto their shoulders and paraded him around the ring like he'd just won the world championship itself, Golota holding both arms up high. Despite the fact that Bowe's professional experience amounts to less than half that of Golota's it was a big win for the 26 year-old, as many experts believed that he's exactly what Bowe claimed: washed-up. He was beaten twice by Sergey Anyukov in 2005, both fights challenges for the Russian's WBA belt. After those setbacks it appeared he'd struggle to regain the form of his earlier years. But following his stage one stoppage of Vladimir Virchis and last night's win over Bowe he now looks capable of giving the tournament a mighty shake. Golota is now 29-4(25), Bowe falling to 12-1(9). Bowe has had his critics but even they would be hesitant to pick him apart over this defeat. He showed that he's capable of mixing it with fighters much more experienced than he is and in this writer's opinion it's only a matter of time until he earns a shot at the IBL World Championship. Golota will meet the Australian silver medallist Peter Jackson in the semi-finals. Jackson defeated Russia's Alexander Zolkin by split decision to improve to 15-0(9). The Caribbean-born 24 year-old made a confident start and looked to be on his way to a convincing win after flooring Zolkin in round three. But the Russian mounted an admirable comeback through the final five rounds and gave Jackson all he could handle before the Australian took the win by scores of 77-74, 75-76 and 78-73. The man who denied Jackson gold in Athens was much more convincing. Texas-born Californian Jack Johnson produced something akin to a master class in defeating Tonga's Simione Paea by unanimous decision (77-74, 80-71, 78-73). Johnson landed a fantastic 299 punches in the eight-rounder, connecting at 62.6% while Paea could only find the mark with 65 blows at a woeful 15.3%. It was clear to see that Johnson was out to impress, not just with his attacking flair but also his defensive brilliance. He dropped Paea with a beautifully-timed uppercut shortly before the end of the 7th and was actually talking to someone at ringside while the referee administered the count. Johnson was in a bragadocious mood before the fight and backed up his behaviour multiple times over. The speed of Johnson's hands was something to behold. Time and again he planted a stiff left jab on Paea's chin, nose and forehead, leaving the Pacific Islander battered, swollen and bruised at the bout's conclusion. Like Jackson, Johnson is now 15-0, his victory setting up what will be one of the most anticipated semi-final clashes in these IBL tournaments. He'll take on England's super-heavyweight gold medallist Lennox Lewis, who overcame the challenge presented by New Jersey's Joe Jeannette, but only just. Lewis won by unanimous decision, but only because Jeannette was deducted a point for a low blow in the final round. If not for that the bout would have been a draw as Lewis won by identical verdicts of 75-74 on all three scorecards. The popular North Bergen-born Jeannette made an encouraging start, having the better of the opening two rounds before Lewis knocked him down with a punishing combination two minutes into the 3rd. There'd been nothing happening in the round to that point and when Lewis took the 4th and 5th with ease he appeared on his way to victory. But Jeannette stormed back into the contest in the 6th, giving the pro-Lewis crowd reason for concern when he put their man on his backside with a strong uppercut ten seconds from the bell. Lewis was back in command in the 7th before Jeannette finished strongly, although he unfortunately shot himself in the foot with that low blow early in the final round. Jeannette was deeply disappointed afterwards, frustrated that he'd been unable to duplicate the deeds from the previous Sunday of his good friend and fellow Jersey native Mickey Walker, who had upset Holman Williams in the middleweight version of the Challenger's tournament. Jeannette fell to 14-2(10) but there's every reason to believe he'll be a strong contender for the world title in the years to come. As for Lewis, he will most likely go in against Johnson as a slight favourite. Both have shown they possess great talent but Lewis' size advantage might just be enough to sway the fight his way. The 6'5" Briton weighed in at 235 for last night's fight while Johnson, who stands 6'1", tipped the scales at just 210. Lewis also enjoys a ten-inch reach advantage, something that will surely have a bearing on the outcome. Some boxing experts have actually commented that they're surprised Johnson is campaigning at heavyweight at this early stage of his career as it seems he'd be a more natural fit at cruiserweight (or junior-heavyweight, as it's known in the IBL). It could be that he's more comfortable knowing he doesn't have to make sure he's under 200 pounds each time he steps in the ring. When his love of the night life is taken into account, that seems the most likely scenario. One thing is certain, and that is that he'll have to train his backside off for this upcoming clash with Lewis. Johnson was accused of taking it easy in the lead-up to his stage one bout against Gerrie Coetzee. If he does that for Lewis, he won't just be defeated, he'll be embarrassed and dominated, also. * Results (#11) Jackson SD8 (#14) Zolkin (#8) Johnson UD8 (#16) Paea (#2) Golota TKO4 (#10) Bowe (#5) Lewis UD8 (#13) Jeannette Semi-finals (#5) Lennox Lewis (16-0(10)) vs (#8) Jack Johnson (15-0(11)) (#2) Andrew Golota (29-4(25)) vs (#11) Peter Jackson (15-0(9)) * __________________ The Greatest Prize in Sports (a TBCB Dynasty) The Greatest Prize in Sports: Almanac kenyan_cheena's NBA 2K11 Off Topic Dynasty Major League Baseball: 1990 and Beyond... (an OOTP11 Dynasty) Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 05-05-2009 at 07:59 PM.