[kenyan_cheena]

These two men may have looked ready to rumble as they entered the ring, but the first round turned out to be, for the most, uneventful. McVey landed half-a-dozen scoring shots during the last thirty seconds, but spent the early part of the round feinting, sizing up his opponent.

The exchanges intensified in the second, with McVey and Godoy standing toe-to-toe for the back end of the round. McVey was able to hurt the Chilean with a hard uppercut, but Godoy stood his ground and was able to score with some nice body shots.

Both men coasted through the third round, almost as if they had made a mutual agreement to take a breather. However, the fourth would prove to be the best round of the fight. It started with an early exchange of punches, McVey appearing to have benefitted from the lack of action in the third round. One minute into the fourth, Godoy was shaken for the first time in the fight when the Californian landed a crunching hook that brought a howl of approval from the audience. Soon after, a lethal right cross sent Godoy back against the ropes. But he fired right back, connecting with a shot that seemed to be part uppercut and part hook. The action moved into close quarters, McVey scoring with a short, sharp left hook. The referee separated the fighters, and McVey found himself hemmed into a neutral corner. He tried to fight his way out, unleashing a hook to the body. But Godoy retaliated immediately, landing his best shot of the fight, a right hook that stunned McVey. He leaned on the ropes for support, but Godoy was unable to follow up, and the number eight seed slid out of the corner. Godoy followed, unloading a series of big shots to the crowd's delight. Unfortunately, none of them really landed. McVey showed his defensive skill by either avoiding, parrying or taking the shots on his arms. The round ended, and the two warriors glared at each other, a grudging mutual respect showing. It was great theatre, and the crowd really ate it up.

That fourth round would prove to be Arturo Godoy's one and only chance of causing an upset. McVey dominated the fifth and sixth rounds of the contest, landing stinging jabs and crunching uppercuts. It was a testament to the Chilean's determination and heart that he stayed on his feet. As the fight drew to a close, blood was trickling from a cut above Godoy's right eye.

McVey was the winner by a comfortable unanimous decision, 59-55 (twice) and 58-56.

"I really enjoyed that!" McVey said. "I can't wait another five weeks to get it on again, I tell ya."

"He's a tough customer, isn't he?" said ESPN's Bill Farris, smiling at McVey's exuberance.

McVey was speechless for a moment, nodding his head. "Arturo Godoy has the heart of a lion," he said. "I wasn't going easy on him. I was really trying to take him outta there. But he can take a shot. I really wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament."

"There must be some relief, being that you are the top seed in your group?"

McVey nodded. "I won't deny that. You know, all of us sixteen top seeds have more pressure on us than the other guys. We are expected to win. The HBF put us here because they think that we are the best. We have to prove them right. So, it's a good kind of pressure to have, because it will make me and all the other guys work even harder to win every fight."

Speaking through an interpreter while applying pressure to the cut above his eye, Godoy conveyed his disappointment, but also his optimism.

"I really thought I had a chance tonight," he said. "He is the number one guy in the group, but what does that really mean? Everyone in this tournament starts at zero, not five or six or seven. But I guess that if he really is the best in the group, it can only get easier for me from here."

Soon after, the fighters left the ring and HBF President Michael Vincennes took over the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for attending this event tonight," he said. "I can't tell you how happy I am - and how happy all the staff of the federation are - at how greatly you have supported these young men. Your enthusiasm is to be applauded!"

The audience responded in kind, offering a standing ovation to the federation's president.

"I just want to mention that the action won't stop any time soon," Vincennes said, after the crowd's applause had died down. "The Heavyweight Boxing Federation's second fight card will be broadcast live from London, England on ESPN2 on Wednesday the 9th, starting at 2pm in our east and 11am in the west. The card will feature Canada's Sam Langford, the number nine seed in our World Championship tournament, and Brockton's own, Rocky Marciano, the number one seed in the 1st Defense tournament."

The crowd responded with another round of applause, one of them shouting out "Maar-ci-aaano!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of the evening," Vincennes said. "Once again, I want to thank you all for your support. Good night, and have a safe trip home."

The crowd gave a last round of applause, before making their way out of the Plaza...