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kenyan_cheena · 11-15-2004, 03:26 AM

THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
EMBRACES THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Friday 21 December 2001

The Heavyweight Boxing Federation has used the Christmas shopping season
as a staging ground for a massive promotional blitz for their impending
World Championship tournament.

Federation boxers and officials, along with a number of suitably reimbursed celebrities made numerous appearances at shopping centres, malls and megamarts in the U.S., Asia and Europe.

* 18 year-old California native Sam McVey, the number eight seed for the tournament, is headlining the Federation's first fight card at Atlantic City's Trump Plaza on 7 January.

McVey, along with hip-hop artists and New Jersey natives Naughty By Nature and Redman, were the main attraction of an in store appearance by the Federation at Ocean One Mall. A ring was set up in the Mall's centre court, where McVey, along with two of the other fighters on the card, Michigan's Tony Tucker (25th seed for the tournament) and Arizona's Zora Folley (41st seed), conducted a two hour demonstration of light sparring and boxing fundementals, including a clinic for youngsters complete with punching bags and speed balls.

This was followed by a 30 minute live performance by Naughty By Nature and Redman, who will be performing as a prelude to the Atlantic City fight card.

* Meanwhile, in London, England, Canada's top seeded boxer in the tournament, Sam Langford, along with the Federation's number one seed for their 1st Defense tournament, Rocky Marciano, made an appearance at Harrod's.

They put on a display of enthusiastic sparring in a ring set up on the road outside the famous department store that (unbeknownst to most in the crowd) almost turned into a full-blown fight when the two boxer's competitive natures got the better of them.

Langford stars in the main event on the Federation's second fight card at the London Arena on Wednesday the 9th of January, where he will face off against John Holman of Chicago, Illinois. Marciano will take part in the night's second bout, his first step towards what he hopes will be an eventual shot at the World Championship.

* Pandemonium errupted in Japan when the Federation came to town. Jimmy Young and Floyd Patterson, the 16th and 17th seeds respectively for the World Championship tournament, made an appearance at Yokohama's Landmark Plaza Shopping Mall, setting off scenes that would be worthy of a rock 'n' roll band.

The Japanese have embraced the Heavyweight Boxing Federation, and tickets for the third fight card of the championship tournament, to be held at the Yokohama Arena on 11 January, sold out within hours of going on sale.

Many have said that Young and Patterson's group sixteen will be the hardest group to predict a winner in, as it also features Florida native Elmer Ray, who impressed many in the tournament auditions with his power and aggression. Ray is the youngest fighter in the tournament, just 16 years-old. Patterson is only 17.

* Thousands flocked to the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to see the HBF's number one seed, New York's Gene Tunney.

The card, set for 12 January at the Aladdin is the culmination of the tournament's first week, headlined by Tunney and the hard-hitting man from Ohio, Earnie Shavers.

Tunney and Shavers spent almost three hours autographing various items of Lonsdale merchandise, including boxing gloves, trunks and training suits.

Also in attendance was Grand Slam tennis champion and Las Vegas native, Andre Agassi, who posed for photos with both Tunney and Shavers, and also HBF President Michael Vincennes. Agassi spoke of his admiration for the sweet science and boxers in general.

Tunney was literally overwhelmed by the response that the HBF has received.

"Never in my wildest dreams, could I have pictured being in this situation, even six months ago," he said. "It's incredible."

11-15-2004, 03:26 AM	#12 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,268	THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION EMBRACES THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Friday 21 December 2001 The Heavyweight Boxing Federation has used the Christmas shopping season as a staging ground for a massive promotional blitz for their impending World Championship tournament. Federation boxers and officials, along with a number of suitably reimbursed celebrities made numerous appearances at shopping centres, malls and megamarts in the U.S., Asia and Europe. * 18 year-old California native Sam McVey, the number eight seed for the tournament, is headlining the Federation's first fight card at Atlantic City's Trump Plaza on 7 January. McVey, along with hip-hop artists and New Jersey natives Naughty By Nature and Redman, were the main attraction of an in store appearance by the Federation at Ocean One Mall. A ring was set up in the Mall's centre court, where McVey, along with two of the other fighters on the card, Michigan's Tony Tucker (25th seed for the tournament) and Arizona's Zora Folley (41st seed), conducted a two hour demonstration of light sparring and boxing fundementals, including a clinic for youngsters complete with punching bags and speed balls. This was followed by a 30 minute live performance by Naughty By Nature and Redman, who will be performing as a prelude to the Atlantic City fight card. * Meanwhile, in London, England, Canada's top seeded boxer in the tournament, Sam Langford, along with the Federation's number one seed for their 1st Defense tournament, Rocky Marciano, made an appearance at Harrod's. They put on a display of enthusiastic sparring in a ring set up on the road outside the famous department store that (unbeknownst to most in the crowd) almost turned into a full-blown fight when the two boxer's competitive natures got the better of them. Langford stars in the main event on the Federation's second fight card at the London Arena on Wednesday the 9th of January, where he will face off against John Holman of Chicago, Illinois. Marciano will take part in the night's second bout, his first step towards what he hopes will be an eventual shot at the World Championship. * Pandemonium errupted in Japan when the Federation came to town. Jimmy Young and Floyd Patterson, the 16th and 17th seeds respectively for the World Championship tournament, made an appearance at Yokohama's Landmark Plaza Shopping Mall, setting off scenes that would be worthy of a rock 'n' roll band. The Japanese have embraced the Heavyweight Boxing Federation, and tickets for the third fight card of the championship tournament, to be held at the Yokohama Arena on 11 January, sold out within hours of going on sale. Many have said that Young and Patterson's group sixteen will be the hardest group to predict a winner in, as it also features Florida native Elmer Ray, who impressed many in the tournament auditions with his power and aggression. Ray is the youngest fighter in the tournament, just 16 years-old. Patterson is only 17. * Thousands flocked to the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to see the HBF's number one seed, New York's Gene Tunney. The card, set for 12 January at the Aladdin is the culmination of the tournament's first week, headlined by Tunney and the hard-hitting man from Ohio, Earnie Shavers. Tunney and Shavers spent almost three hours autographing various items of Lonsdale merchandise, including boxing gloves, trunks and training suits. Also in attendance was Grand Slam tennis champion and Las Vegas native, Andre Agassi, who posed for photos with both Tunney and Shavers, and also HBF President Michael Vincennes. Agassi spoke of his admiration for the sweet science and boxers in general. Tunney was literally overwhelmed by the response that the HBF has received. "Never in my wildest dreams, could I have pictured being in this situation, even six months ago," he said. "It's incredible." Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 04-28-2005 at 10:54 PM.