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kenyan_cheena · 11-26-2009, 09:01 PM

Coventry Observer

TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2006

LORD TRIUMPHS WITH
INCREDIBLE LATE RALLY

Story by James Hurd

Coventry's Ian Lord pulled off a fantastic escape act last night to claim the International Boxing League's Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship title. Fighting West Midlands rival Randy Turpin in one of the most anticipated clashes in England for years, Lord rallied from a seemingly hopeless situation to floor Turpin twice in each of the 11th and 12th rounds and take a unanimous decision verdict (114-110 on all three cards). The fight was held at a jam-packed Leamington Spa Theatre and while there was healthy support for Lord it was the local hero Turpin that the crowd was truly behind. Heading into the 10th round it appeared that Turpin would record a decisive victory. The 23 year-old had - in the opinion of most at ringside - built a healthy lead and only needed to stay on his feet and out of trouble to finish the night as the IBL's first British champion.

Those first nine rounds had been exciting, at times breathtaking. In particular rounds two through five had the crowd in raptures of applause. But they hadn't seen anything yet. After winning round ten on the back of some damaging body work and a jolting right cross Lord sent a wave of consternation through the arena when he sent Turpin to the canvas with about forty seconds left in round eleven. It was a right-left-right flurry preceeded by a pair of stiff jabs that had Turpin on his back. Southpaw Lord had wobbled Turpin earlier in the round with a stinging combination and a flushy right hook. Turpin was up at four but within twenty seconds Lord floored him again with a single crushing uppercut. This time it looked like Turpin would stay down for good but he struggled to his feet at eight and was able to reach the bell without sustaining any further damage.

Lord's outnumbered fans were going ballistic and when he dropped Turpin for a third time with another combo just fifteen seconds into the final round they exploded. Surprisingly Turpin bounced back up at two, the referee wiping off his gloves and asking him if he was okay. Turpin nodded his head but look anything but, Lord having him down on one knee a minute into the round after a crippling ribshot. Determined to last the distance Turpin was up quickly again but wore a completely stunned countenance, as if he could not comprehend what had happened to him during the last ten minutes. He still had two more minutes in which to hold out and despite absorbing a big left hook and a piercing cross Turpin made it to the bell. He shook his head in disappointment as he trudged back to his corner. When the verdict was announced Lord and his corner crew erupted in celebration, the 19 year-old completing a remarkable journey from highly-regarded prospect to the IBL's first middleweight Inter-Continental champion in the space of six months.

The title belt was handed to Lord soon after and as his corner crew paraded him around the ring on their shoulders he held the strap aloft in both hands. Overwhelmed by his achievement, tears of joy were running down his face as he laughed and shouted. It was amazing to think that a fight that had experienced such a wonderful, entertaining build up and promotion had completely lived up to all the expectations British fight fans had held for it. Lord praised Turpin during the post-fight interview before saying it was nothing but bloody-minded determination and belief that carried him to victory. He spoke of his family and how they had inspired and encouraged him during his performances throughout the tournament. Lord landed 285 of 836 punches (34.15), Turpin 207 of 774 (26.7%). With the win Lord remains undefeated at 11-0(5) while Turpin suffered his first career defeat and is now 12-1(9).

Turpin had entered the fight as favourite by virtue of his explosive efforts in the preliminaries, where he'd recorded a pair of impressive stoppage victories and a fantastic come-from-behind win over Maurice Hope in the semi-finals. By comparison Lord had been steady if unspectacular on the way to three consecutive unanimous decision nods. It was ironic that, when the result was on the line, it was Lord's punching power that won the day. The Inter-Continental belt will continue to make it's home in England until at least April as Lord's first title defense will be against London's Maurice Hope in February. Hope secured the title shot with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Germany's Franz Szuzina (99-89, 100-88, 99-89). Hope dropped Szuzina twice in round four and outlanded him 345-109. He's now 14-1-2(9) and after just missing out on a place in the inaugural title fight will be mighty determined to claim the belt. He'll certainly be a big challenge for Lord.

IBL Middleweight Inter-Continental Championship tournament final

(#11) Ian Lord (10-0(5)) UD12 (#4) Randy Turpin (12-0(9))

11-26-2009, 09:01 PM	#658 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 7,599 Thanks: 83 Thanked 143x in 125 posts	Coventry Observer TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2006 LORD TRIUMPHS WITH INCREDIBLE LATE RALLY Story by James Hurd Coventry's Ian Lord pulled off a fantastic escape act last night to claim the International Boxing League's Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship title. Fighting West Midlands rival Randy Turpin in one of the most anticipated clashes in England for years, Lord rallied from a seemingly hopeless situation to floor Turpin twice in each of the 11th and 12th rounds and take a unanimous decision verdict (114-110 on all three cards). The fight was held at a jam-packed Leamington Spa Theatre and while there was healthy support for Lord it was the local hero Turpin that the crowd was truly behind. Heading into the 10th round it appeared that Turpin would record a decisive victory. The 23 year-old had - in the opinion of most at ringside - built a healthy lead and only needed to stay on his feet and out of trouble to finish the night as the IBL's first British champion. Those first nine rounds had been exciting, at times breathtaking. In particular rounds two through five had the crowd in raptures of applause. But they hadn't seen anything yet. After winning round ten on the back of some damaging body work and a jolting right cross Lord sent a wave of consternation through the arena when he sent Turpin to the canvas with about forty seconds left in round eleven. It was a right-left-right flurry preceeded by a pair of stiff jabs that had Turpin on his back. Southpaw Lord had wobbled Turpin earlier in the round with a stinging combination and a flushy right hook. Turpin was up at four but within twenty seconds Lord floored him again with a single crushing uppercut. This time it looked like Turpin would stay down for good but he struggled to his feet at eight and was able to reach the bell without sustaining any further damage. Lord's outnumbered fans were going ballistic and when he dropped Turpin for a third time with another combo just fifteen seconds into the final round they exploded. Surprisingly Turpin bounced back up at two, the referee wiping off his gloves and asking him if he was okay. Turpin nodded his head but look anything but, Lord having him down on one knee a minute into the round after a crippling ribshot. Determined to last the distance Turpin was up quickly again but wore a completely stunned countenance, as if he could not comprehend what had happened to him during the last ten minutes. He still had two more minutes in which to hold out and despite absorbing a big left hook and a piercing cross Turpin made it to the bell. He shook his head in disappointment as he trudged back to his corner. When the verdict was announced Lord and his corner crew erupted in celebration, the 19 year-old completing a remarkable journey from highly-regarded prospect to the IBL's first middleweight Inter-Continental champion in the space of six months. The title belt was handed to Lord soon after and as his corner crew paraded him around the ring on their shoulders he held the strap aloft in both hands. Overwhelmed by his achievement, tears of joy were running down his face as he laughed and shouted. It was amazing to think that a fight that had experienced such a wonderful, entertaining build up and promotion had completely lived up to all the expectations British fight fans had held for it. Lord praised Turpin during the post-fight interview before saying it was nothing but bloody-minded determination and belief that carried him to victory. He spoke of his family and how they had inspired and encouraged him during his performances throughout the tournament. Lord landed 285 of 836 punches (34.15), Turpin 207 of 774 (26.7%). With the win Lord remains undefeated at 11-0(5) while Turpin suffered his first career defeat and is now 12-1(9). Turpin had entered the fight as favourite by virtue of his explosive efforts in the preliminaries, where he'd recorded a pair of impressive stoppage victories and a fantastic come-from-behind win over Maurice Hope in the semi-finals. By comparison Lord had been steady if unspectacular on the way to three consecutive unanimous decision nods. It was ironic that, when the result was on the line, it was Lord's punching power that won the day. The Inter-Continental belt will continue to make it's home in England until at least April as Lord's first title defense will be against London's Maurice Hope in February. Hope secured the title shot with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Germany's Franz Szuzina (99-89, 100-88, 99-89). Hope dropped Szuzina twice in round four and outlanded him 345-109. He's now 14-1-2(9) and after just missing out on a place in the inaugural title fight will be mighty determined to claim the belt. He'll certainly be a big challenge for Lord. IBL Middleweight Inter-Continental Championship tournament final (#11) Ian Lord (10-0(5)) UD12 (#4) Randy Turpin (12-0(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; 11-26-2009 at 09:27 PM.