[kenyan_cheena]

Friday 30 November 2001

The Heavyweight Boxing Federation's announcement
of the 128-man field for their World Championship Tournament
and the 64-man field for their "1st Defense" Tournament has
garnered criticism by some sections of the media.

The decision to exclude Brockton native Rocky Marciano
from the World Championship Tournament and place him in the
"1st Defense" Tournament has been greeted with scepticism by
many who covered the Federation's October tournament "auditions".

"Without a doubt, of all the boxers who auditioned for the
tournament, Marciano impressed me the most," said the New York Age's
noted sports journalist James Reynolds. "That kid is dynamite. None of
the others could match his aggression, or the desire he displayed.
In my opinion, denying him the chance to be the Federation's
first World Champion is really a slap in the face."

HBF President Michael Vincennes was quizzed about the decision
to leave Marciano out of the World Championship Tournament.

"Who can say which one of these young men will emerge as Champion?"
Vincennes said. "None of them have ever fought in a professional
boxing match before, so who can say how they will perform under
those circumstances? We have seeded all the competitors based on their
auditions. But you never can tell in sports. Mr Marciano was impressive
in the auditions, I won't deny that. But so were many others.
It's really up to them as to how far they can go in the tournament."

An attempt was made to contact Mr Marciano, but he could not be reached.
His trainer Allie Colombo made a brief statement on Marciano's behalf.

"I'd be lying if I said Rocky wasn't disappointed," said Colombo. "But
he's put that out of his mind. He's a confident guy, and he knows that
if he trains hard and performs to his ability in the ring, there's no
reason why he can't earn that shot at the Championship."

Friday 7 December 2001

Greenwich Village native Gene Tunney spoke about being named the
number one seed for the World Championship tournament.

"It's a tremendous honor to be thought of with such regard," said Tunney.
"I'm humbled when I think that out of all the men who auditioned, I was
considered to be worthy of the number one seed. All I can do is prepare
for the tournament to the best of my ability, so that I can give a good
account of myself and repay the faith that the HBF has shown in me."

Tunney may be the number one seed for the tournament, but during the two weeks since the announcement of the tournament seedings, it has been number five seed Riddick Bowe who has been making the headlines.
Bowe has made some outrageous comments, claiming that there is no one in the tournament who has the ability to cope with his size, strength or speed.

"Go through them, from 1 to 128, ain't no one who can contend with me,"
Bowe said.

Bowe was asked what he thought of the news out of Canada that the man who defeated him to win the Gold Medal in Sydney, Lennox Lewis, was planning to turn professional.

"He didn't show up for the auditions," Bowe said. "He's not in the
tournament, so he's not in the picture."

"But would you welcome a rematch with him in the future?" a reporter asked.

"I'd love that. I'd love it. That would be sweet redemption.
Bowe versus Lewis for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Has a nice ring to it, don't it?"

Bowe's braggadocious ways and winning smile have made him a favourite
with the press and an overnight celebrity without a punch being thrown.

The same can be said for number three seed Jack Johnson, whose wit and
choice of company have drawn much attention. Johnson arrived at a recent
training session accompanied by a trio of blonde beauties, all dressed
in figure-hugging, Lonsdale tracksuits.

"What can I say? Gentlemen prefer blondes," Johnson said with a
cheeky smile, before climbing into the ring and completing an
impressive sparring session in which he displayed excellent counter
punching skills.

The tournament's other top seeded boxers, number two seed Sonny Liston
and number four seed Larry Holmes, have steered clear of the media
spotlight. Liston has been hard to track down. Between training sessions,
his training team often have no idea where he is. Holmes has been, without
a doubt, the most focused of the contenders.

"There are no outside distractions in his life at the moment,"
said his trainer Saoul Mamby. "He is determined to become the HBF's
first World Champion."

With only a month to go until the first fight card of the HBF's
World Championship tournament, the excitement and anticipation
continues to build...