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kenyan_cheena · 12-29-2004, 04:50 AM

CONTROVERSY REIGNS IN JAPAN!

* ELMER RAY BACKS UP TALK,
KNOCKS OUT BAER IN 6TH ROUND!

* 16TH SEED JIMMY YOUNG HELD TO DRAW!!

* RAY CONFRONTS YOUNG, CALLS HIM A BUM!!!

Friday 11 January 2002

YOKOHAMA ARENA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

16 year-old Florida firebrand Elmer Ray backed up his tough talk of the past week when he knocked out Denver native Buddy Baer during the last minute of the 6th and final round.

The fight between Ray and Baer, only a Support Bout on the HBF's Yokohama Arena fight card, lived up to the hype that Ray had almost single-handedly generated for it. The opening four rounds were lively and competitive, before Ray took control, dominating rounds five and six and knocking Baer out with 38 seconds remaining in the bout.

The card also featured controversy in the main event, when the tournament's 16th seed Jimmy Young was held to a draw by the 113th seed, Tony Ross. It was a difficult fight to score and Young's performance was not indicative of his status as the 16th seed, but most felt that he had done enough to take the decision.

Following the decision, Elmer Ray returned to the ring and confronted Jimmy Young. Ray had brought his own cordless microphone with him.

"You a BUM!" Ray said. "How you gonna beat Elmer Ray, man? Y'all can't even get past TONY ROSS?!" Ray's words came quickly, in a rapid-fire fashion. He was very expressive with his hands, motioning with them to emphasise his words, milking the crowd. "I'm a half-fight up on you now, man. Y'all gonna have to take 'em all out 'til May 31 just to stay close, see?!"

With that, Ray left the ring, playing up to the crowd. Some of the crowd applauded, some of them booed.

***

As will be the way with all of the HBF's World Championship / 1st Defense tournament fight cards, the night started with two bouts from the 1st Defense tournament.

* In the opener, #25 seed Billy Walker of West Ham, England won a hard-fought unanimous decision over his tough South African opponent, #33 seed Kallie Knoetze. The strongly-built South African was actually ahead on two of the cards going into the 5th round, but Walker rallied. He dominated the 5th round and then sent Knoetze crashing to the canvas early in the 6th with a single left hook. He pummelled Knoetze until the final bell, unable to finish him off. The crowd gave the fighters an appreciative round of applause. The score cards went 59-55 and 58-56 (twice).

* The next fight on the card was another highly entertaining affair between the #17 seed Bob Devere of Ireland and the #41 seed Lee Savold of St. Paul, Minnesota. Devere started the fight impressively, winning the first three rounds on one card and two of three on the other cards. But Savold rallied bravely, pounding the Irishman in the 4th round and hanging tough until the end of the fight. When the decision was announced, Savold was overjoyed. Despite his slow start, he had managed to fight back and earn a draw. The judges were split over the verdict. The Italian Giulio Mancini scored it 57-57 (rounds 1-3 to Devere, rounds 4-6 to Savold). Len Hunt of South Africa favoured Savold, 58-57. However, the American judge Glenn Trowbridge felt Devere had done enough to win, scoring the fight 58-56.

* The first World Championship tournament fight of the evening matched up two 19 year-olds. Illinois native Tom McMahon, the 65th seed in the W.C. tournament defeated Nathan Mann of Connecticut, the 49th seed. In a bout that never really reached any great heights, McMahon won by unanimous decision, 58-56 on all three cards.

***

There was a palpable level of excitement amongst the audience in the minutes prior to the Elmer Ray-Buddy Baer fight. They had greatly enjoyed the first three bouts of the night, but this was really the one that they were looking forward to, even more so than the main event. In some people's minds, Elmer Ray had gone too far with his verbal attacks on Buddy Baer, but no one could dispute the fact that he had added an extra amount of spice to the affair. Some had said that they admired Buddy Baer for his restraint in the face of Ray's behaviour, restraint that his trainer Izzy Klein had failed to show. The audience at the Yokohama Arena simply could not wait to see what would happen when the two men squared off against each other.

Being the lower seeded fighter, Baer entered the ring first, wearing a white robe with black trim. His team of supporters was about as small as one could get: his trainer Izzy Klein (proudly sporting his black eye and cut lip) and three assistants. There was a determined, steely resolve in his eyes. He was an impressive physical specimen, standing six-foot-six and one-half inches and tipping the scales at almost 240 pounds. He climbed into the ring and started shadow boxing, acknowledging the crowd's applause as ring announcer Chuck Hall called out his name.

Then things started to turn a bit crazy. A deep, bass-heavy rumble, starting out low but steadily increasing in volume, sounded over the arena's speaker system. Abruptly it stopped but was replaced instantaneously by overlapping layers of DJ scratching, at first chaotic but soon developing into a coherent rhythm. The crowd did not quite know what to think, looking around in a bemused fashion. Then the drums kicked in. A killer hip hop beat exploded out of the speakers, double and triple bass thumps and snapping snare drums penetrating through one's very skin, complimenting the inventive turntablism. Some in the crowd screamed and applauded with excitement, while others simply covered their ears. For his part, Buddy Baer wore the same determined expression he had entered the ring with.

A pair of curvacious ebony beauties emerged from the tunnel leading from the dressing rooms, wearing matching outfits of figure hugging black pants and too-small short sleeve polo shirts, coloured mostly black with trimmings of red and white. Their hair was long and braided, stretching down close to their backsides. They waved to the crowd, flashing dazzling, seductive smiles, showing off their curves with every step. They were followed soon after by a quartet of large black men, each wearing shades and baggy Lonsdale workout gear, also in tones of mostly black, with red and white trimmings. They wore their hair in cornrows, and formed a perimeter around MISTER ELMER RAY (that's what it said on the back of his robe). The boxer appeared a lightweight in comparison to those surrounding him. His robe sported the same black-red-white colour combination as his followers, his face concealed under an oversized hood. Ray's three cornermen were next, looking somewhat out of place, even though their clothing was also black, red and white. Another pair of beautiful ladies brought up the rear of the procession.

But if the crowd thought that they had seen enough, they were wrong. The moment after Ray climbed into the ring, he flipped off his hood (revealing that his hair was also styled in cornrows), grabbed the microphone from Chuck Hall and, standing in the centre of the ring, started rapping. He launched into a rapid fire series of bragadocious rhymes. For a number of seconds, he stared straight at his opponent, eyes looking like they were about to bulge out of his head. Ray's entourage stood in his red corner. The men were standing with their hands clasped behind their backs, nonchalantly nodding to the beat. The women leaned against the ropes, looking beautiful, lovely arms resting on the top rope. His cornermen were actually just outside the ring, preparing their equipment for the fight. Elmer finished rapping after about thirty seconds. The beat ceased and the scratching continued, slowly fading out, the words ELMER RAY being cut to pieces.

Ray extended his arms in anticipation of the audience's applause. Many could not help but applaude, although more because of his audacity than because of any rapping talent he may have displayed. With his entrance to the ring, Ray had continued to go out of his way to make things interesting, showing a flair and showmanship that none of the other fighters thus far had even contemplated.

Ray handed the microphone back to Chuck Hall and returned to his corner, an electrical buzz swarming amongst the audience. He removed his robe, revealing by far the most impressive-looking pair of trunks seen so far in the HBF. Knee-length, the main body of the trunks were solid black, with a red waist band. ELMER RAY was stenciled on the front of the band in white, with the name of Ray's home town, HASTINGS, Florida, stenciled on the back band, also in white. Black, red and white tassels ran up and down each side of the trunks. He wore ankle high black boots.

Referee John Branson motioned for the two fighters to come together in the centre of the ring. As he read the rules to them, Elmer Ray stared up at Buddy Baer. The difference in height between the two men was six-and-a-half inches. The difference in weight: 55 pounds. Sweat bubbled on Elmer Ray's brow, veins throbbing at his temples. There was a definite hatred in his eyes, and Baer simply took it and stared right back. Neither man broke it off until Branson said "Okay, return to your corners, and come out fighting at the sound of the bell..."

(SHORTLY: ELMER RAY VS BUDDY BAER, ROUND-BY-ROUND)

12-29-2004, 04:50 AM	#27 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,139	CONTROVERSY REIGNS IN JAPAN! * ELMER RAY BACKS UP TALK, KNOCKS OUT BAER IN 6TH ROUND! * 16TH SEED JIMMY YOUNG HELD TO DRAW!! * RAY CONFRONTS YOUNG, CALLS HIM A BUM!!! Friday 11 January 2002 YOKOHAMA ARENA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN 16 year-old Florida firebrand Elmer Ray backed up his tough talk of the past week when he knocked out Denver native Buddy Baer during the last minute of the 6th and final round. The fight between Ray and Baer, only a Support Bout on the HBF's Yokohama Arena fight card, lived up to the hype that Ray had almost single-handedly generated for it. The opening four rounds were lively and competitive, before Ray took control, dominating rounds five and six and knocking Baer out with 38 seconds remaining in the bout. The card also featured controversy in the main event, when the tournament's 16th seed Jimmy Young was held to a draw by the 113th seed, Tony Ross. It was a difficult fight to score and Young's performance was not indicative of his status as the 16th seed, but most felt that he had done enough to take the decision. Following the decision, Elmer Ray returned to the ring and confronted Jimmy Young. Ray had brought his own cordless microphone with him. "You a BUM!" Ray said. "How you gonna beat Elmer Ray, man? Y'all can't even get past TONY ROSS?!" Ray's words came quickly, in a rapid-fire fashion. He was very expressive with his hands, motioning with them to emphasise his words, milking the crowd. "I'm a half-fight up on you now, man. Y'all gonna have to take 'em all out 'til May 31 just to stay close, see?!" With that, Ray left the ring, playing up to the crowd. Some of the crowd applauded, some of them booed. *** As will be the way with all of the HBF's World Championship / 1st Defense tournament fight cards, the night started with two bouts from the 1st Defense tournament. * In the opener, #25 seed Billy Walker of West Ham, England won a hard-fought unanimous decision over his tough South African opponent, #33 seed Kallie Knoetze. The strongly-built South African was actually ahead on two of the cards going into the 5th round, but Walker rallied. He dominated the 5th round and then sent Knoetze crashing to the canvas early in the 6th with a single left hook. He pummelled Knoetze until the final bell, unable to finish him off. The crowd gave the fighters an appreciative round of applause. The score cards went 59-55 and 58-56 (twice). * The next fight on the card was another highly entertaining affair between the #17 seed Bob Devere of Ireland and the #41 seed Lee Savold of St. Paul, Minnesota. Devere started the fight impressively, winning the first three rounds on one card and two of three on the other cards. But Savold rallied bravely, pounding the Irishman in the 4th round and hanging tough until the end of the fight. When the decision was announced, Savold was overjoyed. Despite his slow start, he had managed to fight back and earn a draw. The judges were split over the verdict. The Italian Giulio Mancini scored it 57-57 (rounds 1-3 to Devere, rounds 4-6 to Savold). Len Hunt of South Africa favoured Savold, 58-57. However, the American judge Glenn Trowbridge felt Devere had done enough to win, scoring the fight 58-56. * The first World Championship tournament fight of the evening matched up two 19 year-olds. Illinois native Tom McMahon, the 65th seed in the W.C. tournament defeated Nathan Mann of Connecticut, the 49th seed. In a bout that never really reached any great heights, McMahon won by unanimous decision, 58-56 on all three cards. * There was a palpable level of excitement amongst the audience in the minutes prior to the Elmer Ray-Buddy Baer fight. They had greatly enjoyed the first three bouts of the night, but this was really the one that they were looking forward to, even more so than the main event. In some people's minds, Elmer Ray had gone too far with his verbal attacks on Buddy Baer, but no one could dispute the fact that he had added an extra amount of spice to the affair. Some had said that they admired Buddy Baer for his restraint in the face of Ray's behaviour, restraint that his trainer Izzy Klein had failed to show. The audience at the Yokohama Arena simply could not wait to see what would happen when the two men squared off against each other. Being the lower seeded fighter, Baer entered the ring first, wearing a white robe with black trim. His team of supporters was about as small as one could get: his trainer Izzy Klein (proudly sporting his black eye and cut lip) and three assistants. There was a determined, steely resolve in his eyes. He was an impressive physical specimen, standing six-foot-six and one-half inches and tipping the scales at almost 240 pounds. He climbed into the ring and started shadow boxing, acknowledging the crowd's applause as ring announcer Chuck Hall called out his name. Then things started to turn a bit crazy. A deep, bass-heavy rumble, starting out low but steadily increasing in volume, sounded over the arena's speaker system. Abruptly it stopped but was replaced instantaneously by overlapping layers of DJ scratching, at first chaotic but soon developing into a coherent rhythm. The crowd did not quite know what to think, looking around in a bemused fashion. Then the drums kicked in. A killer hip hop beat exploded out of the speakers, double and triple bass thumps and snapping snare drums penetrating through one's very skin, complimenting the inventive turntablism. Some in the crowd screamed and applauded with excitement, while others simply covered their ears. For his part, Buddy Baer wore the same determined expression he had entered the ring with. A pair of curvacious ebony beauties emerged from the tunnel leading from the dressing rooms, wearing matching outfits of figure hugging black pants and too-small short sleeve polo shirts, coloured mostly black with trimmings of red and white. Their hair was long and braided, stretching down close to their backsides. They waved to the crowd, flashing dazzling, seductive smiles, showing off their curves with every step. They were followed soon after by a quartet of large black men, each wearing shades and baggy Lonsdale workout gear, also in tones of mostly black, with red and white trimmings. They wore their hair in cornrows, and formed a perimeter around MISTER ELMER RAY (that's what it said on the back of his robe). The boxer appeared a lightweight in comparison to those surrounding him. His robe sported the same black-red-white colour combination as his followers, his face concealed under an oversized hood. Ray's three cornermen were next, looking somewhat out of place, even though their clothing was also black, red and white. Another pair of beautiful ladies brought up the rear of the procession. But if the crowd thought that they had seen enough, they were wrong. The moment after Ray climbed into the ring, he flipped off his hood (revealing that his hair was also styled in cornrows), grabbed the microphone from Chuck Hall and, standing in the centre of the ring, started rapping. He launched into a rapid fire series of bragadocious rhymes. For a number of seconds, he stared straight at his opponent, eyes looking like they were about to bulge out of his head. Ray's entourage stood in his red corner. The men were standing with their hands clasped behind their backs, nonchalantly nodding to the beat. The women leaned against the ropes, looking beautiful, lovely arms resting on the top rope. His cornermen were actually just outside the ring, preparing their equipment for the fight. Elmer finished rapping after about thirty seconds. The beat ceased and the scratching continued, slowly fading out, the words ELMER RAY being cut to pieces. Ray extended his arms in anticipation of the audience's applause. Many could not help but applaude, although more because of his audacity than because of any rapping talent he may have displayed. With his entrance to the ring, Ray had continued to go out of his way to make things interesting, showing a flair and showmanship that none of the other fighters thus far had even contemplated. Ray handed the microphone back to Chuck Hall and returned to his corner, an electrical buzz swarming amongst the audience. He removed his robe, revealing by far the most impressive-looking pair of trunks seen so far in the HBF. Knee-length, the main body of the trunks were solid black, with a red waist band. ELMER RAY was stenciled on the front of the band in white, with the name of Ray's home town, HASTINGS, Florida, stenciled on the back band, also in white. Black, red and white tassels ran up and down each side of the trunks. He wore ankle high black boots. Referee John Branson motioned for the two fighters to come together in the centre of the ring. As he read the rules to them, Elmer Ray stared up at Buddy Baer. The difference in height between the two men was six-and-a-half inches. The difference in weight: 55 pounds. Sweat bubbled on Elmer Ray's brow, veins throbbing at his temples. There was a definite hatred in his eyes, and Baer simply took it and stared right back. Neither man broke it off until Branson said "Okay, return to your corners, and come out fighting at the sound of the bell..." (SHORTLY: ELMER RAY VS BUDDY BAER, ROUND-BY-ROUND)** Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 06-08-2005 at 09:08 AM.