OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

kenyan_cheena · 12-09-2004, 04:44 AM

In the evening's fourth bout, Arizona native Zora Folley was never really troubled on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Roger Rischer of Oakland, California.

21 year-old Folley, the 41st seed in the World Championship tournament, started fast, dominating the opening round with rapid-fire combinations and an effective jab. To his credit, Rischer was able to make a fight of it during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds, but never looked like hurting Folley. It was the 5th round that sealed the deal for Folley as he landed punches at will, including a sweetly-timed uppercut with 35 seconds remaining in the round. The punch stunned Rischer, and it was clear that he was almost done as the 6th round started. However, Folley felt that he had the fight in the bag, and cruised throught the final round, doing little more than keeping the tournament's 89th seed at a distance with an occasional series of jabs.

Folley took the decision by scores of 58-57 and 59-56 on the two other cards.

"I'm satisfied with my performance," Folley said. "I didn't set the world on fire, but a win is a win. That's all that matters at the moment."

"He was just too quick for me," lamented Rischer. "I couldn't avoid that jab, no matter what I tried. I thought that I still had a chance going into the 5th, but he just went to another level. When he landed that uppercut towards the end of the round, I just had nothing left after that."

* * *

Grand Rapids, Michigan native Tony Tucker provided by far the most impressive peformance of the night in the Co-Feature. At 6'5", 230 pounds, Tucker was one of the bigger competitors in the tournament, and because of this had been picked as a bit of a dark horse by many commentators. The 22 year-old was seeded at #25 for the tournament, showing that the federation's scouts thought quite highly of him during the October auditions.

Tucker cut an imposing figure as he entered the ring, decked out in a robe of red and gold. His opponent, the afro-haired Texan Johnny Boudreaux, stood two-and-a-half inches shorter and appeared to be slightly intimidated by Tucker as referee Marty Denkin brought the two fighters together.

Boudreaux was actually the aggressor for the majority of round one, landing some nice combinations, taking the fight up to Tucker. But late in the round, Tucker landed a powerful right cross that backed-up Boudreaux. It would merely be a precursor of what was to come in round two.

Once again, Boudreaux started the round effectively, landing a nice cross followed soon after by a left hook. But as the 27th second of the round ticked over, the domination of Johnny Boudreaux begun. It started with a right hand and was joined not long after by a damaging right cross, the pain showing on the 105th seeded Texan's face. Boudreaux tried to land a left hook, but was off balance and missed badly. A cut had opened under his left eye. Tucker scored with another big shot, a left hook that rocked Boudreaux and forced him into a clinch. Tucker pushed him away quickly and threw a crushing right hand that smashed into his opponents jaw, bringing a howl of approval from the audience. Boudreaux backpedalled, unsteady on his legs, unwittingly trapping himself in a neutral corner. Tucker showed no mercy. A right hand snapped Boudreaux's head back, and then Tucker really cut loose, firing off shots with both hands. He landed at least four punishing blows. It was a near miracle that Boudreaux had not collapsed to the canvas. His cornermen were shouting at him to get out of the corner, to get away from the ropes, but it already appeared to be too late. He covered up, and Tucker exposed his head by landing a pair of wicked rips to the ribs, followed by a clubbing left and an even more brutal right to the head. Tucker paused for a few seconds, almost as if he was admiring his handiwork, before resuming his onslaught, pounding Boudreaux on the arms and head. With that, referee Denkin had seen enough and pulled Tucker away, signalling an end to the bout at the 2:39 mark of round two. Tucker casually walked back to his corner, confidently nodding his head in the direction of his trainer and acknowledging the crowds applause.

"Beyond my wildest dreams," Tucker said, an ear-to-ear smile showing. "I knew that my chances were good, but I never expected this result. Truly."

"The brother is damn strong," Boudreaux would say later. "I'm a bit surprised they put him at number 25. He's gonna shock some people, I tell ya."

12-09-2004, 04:44 AM	#17 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 7,424 Thanks: 73 Thanked 130x in 113 posts	In the evening's fourth bout, Arizona native Zora Folley was never really troubled on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Roger Rischer of Oakland, California. 21 year-old Folley, the 41st seed in the World Championship tournament, started fast, dominating the opening round with rapid-fire combinations and an effective jab. To his credit, Rischer was able to make a fight of it during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds, but never looked like hurting Folley. It was the 5th round that sealed the deal for Folley as he landed punches at will, including a sweetly-timed uppercut with 35 seconds remaining in the round. The punch stunned Rischer, and it was clear that he was almost done as the 6th round started. However, Folley felt that he had the fight in the bag, and cruised throught the final round, doing little more than keeping the tournament's 89th seed at a distance with an occasional series of jabs. Folley took the decision by scores of 58-57 and 59-56 on the two other cards. "I'm satisfied with my performance," Folley said. "I didn't set the world on fire, but a win is a win. That's all that matters at the moment." "He was just too quick for me," lamented Rischer. "I couldn't avoid that jab, no matter what I tried. I thought that I still had a chance going into the 5th, but he just went to another level. When he landed that uppercut towards the end of the round, I just had nothing left after that." * * * Grand Rapids, Michigan native Tony Tucker provided by far the most impressive peformance of the night in the Co-Feature. At 6'5", 230 pounds, Tucker was one of the bigger competitors in the tournament, and because of this had been picked as a bit of a dark horse by many commentators. The 22 year-old was seeded at #25 for the tournament, showing that the federation's scouts thought quite highly of him during the October auditions. Tucker cut an imposing figure as he entered the ring, decked out in a robe of red and gold. His opponent, the afro-haired Texan Johnny Boudreaux, stood two-and-a-half inches shorter and appeared to be slightly intimidated by Tucker as referee Marty Denkin brought the two fighters together. Boudreaux was actually the aggressor for the majority of round one, landing some nice combinations, taking the fight up to Tucker. But late in the round, Tucker landed a powerful right cross that backed-up Boudreaux. It would merely be a precursor of what was to come in round two. Once again, Boudreaux started the round effectively, landing a nice cross followed soon after by a left hook. But as the 27th second of the round ticked over, the domination of Johnny Boudreaux begun. It started with a right hand and was joined not long after by a damaging right cross, the pain showing on the 105th seeded Texan's face. Boudreaux tried to land a left hook, but was off balance and missed badly. A cut had opened under his left eye. Tucker scored with another big shot, a left hook that rocked Boudreaux and forced him into a clinch. Tucker pushed him away quickly and threw a crushing right hand that smashed into his opponents jaw, bringing a howl of approval from the audience. Boudreaux backpedalled, unsteady on his legs, unwittingly trapping himself in a neutral corner. Tucker showed no mercy. A right hand snapped Boudreaux's head back, and then Tucker really cut loose, firing off shots with both hands. He landed at least four punishing blows. It was a near miracle that Boudreaux had not collapsed to the canvas. His cornermen were shouting at him to get out of the corner, to get away from the ropes, but it already appeared to be too late. He covered up, and Tucker exposed his head by landing a pair of wicked rips to the ribs, followed by a clubbing left and an even more brutal right to the head. Tucker paused for a few seconds, almost as if he was admiring his handiwork, before resuming his onslaught, pounding Boudreaux on the arms and head. With that, referee Denkin had seen enough and pulled Tucker away, signalling an end to the bout at the 2:39 mark of round two. Tucker casually walked back to his corner, confidently nodding his head in the direction of his trainer and acknowledging the crowds applause. "Beyond my wildest dreams," Tucker said, an ear-to-ear smile showing. "I knew that my chances were good, but I never expected this result. Truly." "The brother is damn strong," Boudreaux would say later. "I'm a bit surprised they put him at number 25. He's gonna shock some people, I tell ya." Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 04-29-2005 at 12:00 AM.