[Gunsmoke]

Introduction

The World Wide Boxing Union Quarterly reports on the goings on in the world of the WWBU. The WWBU Quarterly will be published in January (reporting on Oct-Dec of the previous year), April (Jan-Mar), July (Apr-Jun) and October (Jul-Sep). It will cover all of the important fights of the previous three months and list the official WWBU rankings at the close of the quarter.

The World Wide Boxing Union was formed in 1896 and the first fight card was run under it’s auspices in January 1897. There are eight weight divisions officially recognized by the WWBU, Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight (or Cruiserweight as the British call them), Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight. The WWBU must sanction all bouts and all fights must take place in a sanctioned venue. The city of Gateway, in the mid-west portion of the US, has been the hub of the WWBU activities so far, earning the sobriquet of “Fight Town”.

The Heavyweight division was the first to start activity in 1897; the Middleweights joined the fun in 1998, with the Light Heavyweights, Welters and Lightweights starting in 1899. The final three weight classes did not start till 1900. A fighter will only be ranked after 15 wins or 25 fights, whichever comes first. This allows the WWBU ranking committee a decent body of work in which a fighter’s quality can be fairly judged.

The WWBU World Title will become active in a weight class once there are eight ranked fighters. The top four fighters will then take part in an elimination tournament with the number one ranked fighter taking on the ranked four fighters and the second facing the third. The two winners will then fight for the title.

WWBU fights are judged by three ringside judges, who score each round of the action using the 10-point must system. A fighter cannot be saved by the bell if knocked down at the end of any round and only the in ring referee may stop the bout. The WWBU restricts the lengths of bouts a fighter may participate in based on the fighter’s level of experience. A fighter only fight 4 round bouts if they have less the 2 bouts experience, those with less than 5 bouts can only fight in six rounders. For fighters with less than 10 fights experience the fighter is limited to eight round contests, once the fighter has over 10 bouts they are able to participate in any length of bout.

Behind the Scenes

The WWBU is a universe using mixed eras of fighters. The fighters are randomly added to the universe based on formulas and a slight random factor, which should ensure that I have enough fighters in each class to last 100 years of universe. The WWBU grew from a HW only universe to one that covers all eight traditional weight classes in an organic manner (i.e. I decided to slowly up the weight classes I was covering as I went) so some of the weight classes, read LHW and MW, are a bit funky. Here are the WWBU weight classes:
 WWBU HW = HW
 WWBU LHW = CW, LHW
 WWBU MW = SMW, MW, JMW
 WWBU WW = WW, JWW
 WWBU LW = LW, JLW
 WWBU FW = FW, JFW
 WWBU BW = BW, JBW
 WWBU FLY = FLY, JFLY

The WWBU is running using variations on Cube’s scheduling and aging rules. There are four groups of fighters in my universe:
 World
 Prospects
 Beginners
 Tomato Cans

The World group represents the Top 20 ranked fighters in a particular weight class. Prospects are veteran fighters who aren’t good enough for the World group and unranked prospects that are taking the next step in their careers. The Beginners group is for fighters taking part in their first few bouts, a fighter in the Beginning group has a (Wins – 5) * 10% chance of moving on to the Prospects group. If a fighter takes a loss in the Prospects group then the same check is undertaken to see if they remain in the Prospects group or fall back to the Beginners group. The Tomato Cans group is used for fictional record builders.

Fighters in the Beginners group will only be matched with fighters in the Tomato Cans group. Fighters in the Prospects group will fight either another Prospect or a Tomato Can. Fighters in the World group will only fight other fighters in the World group, the only exception to this is prior to the world title becoming active in a weight class World group fighters may fight Tomato Cans.

Fighters will start out with a Draw Power of one. As the fighter’s career progresses, the fighter will gain drawing power based on his Draw Power rating in Title Bout, as well as his career stage and achievements.

Fighter aging is handled separately from the Career stages in Title Bout. The Fighters start in the Beginners stage and after 5 fights progress to Pre-Prime. Once the fighter has fought 20 bouts he moves onto the Prime stage and earns 100 career points. The career points are calculated in the same manner as Cube was doing it.

However the fighters will have aging checks at 80 points, 60, 50, 40 and 20. An Aging Check is a percentage chance (based on the fighter’s career points) that the fighter is affected by aging; the check is passed if the number generated is below the fighter’s current Career Points. If the aging check is failed then the fighter is affected by an aging effect. An aging effect will affect random attributes and will reduce a fighter’s capabilities. When a fighter reaches 30 career points remaining, the Post-Prime aging effect is applied and when the fighter falls to 10 points remaining the End stage effects will be applied.

Feel free to ask for further details about any of these systems if you want to know more.

It takes me a while to process each month. Lately it has been taking me somewhere around a week to complete a month’s worth of fights depending what else is going on in my life, so there will be Quarterly update every few weeks.

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Quarterly
Volume 1, Jan 1902

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the WWBU Quarterly. In our first issue we’re going to do a state of the union recap on each of the weight division s in the WWBU. The WWBU has been active since 1897, but due to the standards mandated by the WWBU rankings committee no World titles have yet to become active. In this edition of the WWBU quarterly we will be looking back at the important bouts of the last quarter of 1901 as well as the state of play in each of the weight divisions.

The Quarter in Review
October 1901
HW: #1 Greg Page v Dan White, 6 Rounds, Cario Park
The WWBU’s marquee name was in action in October as the undefeated #1 ranked HW Greg Page (20-0-0) fought a keep busy fight against Dan White (0-1-1) in a six round walkover. Page looked to be toying with White through the first couple of rounds before he ended the fight in the third round with devastating minute of work forcing the referee to stop the bout to save White from punishment.

FLY: Little Dado v Rosendo Alvarez 10 Rounds, Memerorial Hall
Little Dado (13-0-0) took on the hard hitting Rosendo Alvarez (13-1-0) in a rematch of a June bout that saw Dado take a close but unanimous decision through his superior technical boxing abilities. Alvarez had kept busy with two knockout victories in the intervening months, the renewed confidence seemed to help him as he started the bout fast forcing Dado into several exchanges in the first three rounds that the little Philippine had avoided in their first meeting. Dado was hurt for the first time in his career when Alvarez landed an uppercut bomb in the fourth round that had him dazed and confused, however Dado managed to survive the round and come back to win a close fifth. Alvarez would once again land his uppercut to effect in the sixth and seventh, Dado rallied for the eighth but had nothing left for the remainder with Alvarez taking the final two rounds comfortably. In a tight bout the judges scored the bout 96-94 for Alvarez, 94-96 for Dado and 97-93 for Alvarez to give him the Majority Decision.

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 21-0-0 TKO3 Dan White 0-2-1
FLY Rosendo Alvarez 14-1-0 MD10 Little Dado 13-1-0
FW Ricardo Cardona 13-0-1 MD10 Vic Foley 10-1-0
BW Jiro Watanabe 11-0-0 KO3 Israel Contreras 12-2-0
WW Felix Trinidad 14-1-0 KO6 Bruce Finch 10-2-0
MW Daniel Santos 9-1-0 KO7 Vergil Cooper 14-2-0

November 1901
MW: #1 Mike O’Dowd v #3 Eric Lucas, 12 Rounds, Festival Hall
The popular and much proclaimed top MW, the “St Paul Cyclone” Mike O’Dowd (22-0-0) took on his first true test in a number of months in the tough Canadian Eric Lucas (17-2-1). Lucas is known for being a tough guy to fight, with solid skills but every time he had stepped up against a quality fighter he had struggled to control the bout. The trend would continue as O’Dowd dominated this match up and except for a brief period in the fourth round was never in any trouble, cruising to an easy unanimous 118-109 decision.

LW: Jack McAuliffe v Isaac Hlatshwayo, 10 Rounds, Wilburton Hall
The Irish Napoleon of the Ring Jack McAuliffe (13-0-1) would face up to hard hitting South African Isaac Hlatshwayo (12-1-0) in a rematch of a bout from September 1900 in which McAuliffe had a easy eight round unanimous decision victory. Hlatshwayo was looking to avenge his first up loss, by starting out on fire, pushing McAuliffe back to a neutral corner and then pounding on him for the first round. However one round of dominance is all McAuliffe would allow as he slowed the bout down into a technical tussle for the next two rounds. From the fourth round onwards McAuliffe started to open up again and frequently caught him with the big shots from both hands as the bout continued, and other than a rally in the seventh round Hlatshwayo was badly beaten the rest of the way. McAuliffe would get the unanimous decision with 97-92 from all judges.

Results of Note
MW Mike O’Dowd #1 23-0-0 UD12 Eric Lucas #3 17-3-1
LW Jack McAuliffe 14-0-1 UD10 Isaac Hlatshwayo 12-2-0
WW Felix Trinidad 15-1-0 TKO2 Tommy Cross 9-3-1
HW Denver Ed Martin 12-0-0 UD10 Bennie Knoetze 11-2-0
MW Paul Delaney 12-1-0 MD10 Lou Cafaro 7-1-3
MW George Abrams #2 17-3-0 TKO2 Matthew Rutherford 0-6-0
WW Billy Backus 11-0-2 UD6 Randy Kimber 1-2-0
BW Jiro Watanabe 12-0-0 TKO4 Michael McCollum 0-4-1
HW Audley Harrison #3 20-3-0 KO8 Keith Marsh 4-5-0

December Fights
LW Tracy Harris Patterson v George Lavigne, 10 Rounds, Festival Hall
Undefeated LW Tracy Harris Patterson (10-0-0) would take his first step up in class in taking on the more seasoned George Lavigne (14-1-1) who has been in some wars the last few times in the ring. Lavigne’s battle tested skills were on show from the outset, when after 2 minutes of prodding Lavigne landed a hard right hook that left Patterson shaken and holding on for the end of the first stanza. Lavigne would then take advantage of a still shell shocked Patterson, before Patterson smothered the action in the third. Lavigne started the fourth round with a smoking combination that had Patterson on his wheels for the remainder of the round trying to avoid the wall of leather that was flying his way from the hard chasing Lavigne. Lavigne refused to go to his corner before the fifth round pacing back and forth like a frustrated Jaguar waiting for it’s prey, but his agitated state seemed to work against him as his attacks lacked steam and Patterson genuinely won his first round of the fight. The resurgence was short lived as Lavigne re-established his dominance over the next two rounds till a minute into the eighth he fells Patterson with a short right. Patterson gets back up but is soon down again this time for a four count. At the 2:15 minute mark Patterson was down again, this time from a hard body shot, before he made it to his feet at the count of eight and remarkably the referee didn’t stop the bout. However, the end was nigh for the brave Patterson as he soon walked into a deadly combination that felled him for good.

LHW Don LaLonde v Bob Garner, 10 Rounds, Rikaard Centre
Don LaLonde (11-0-0) who has been lauded as the first superstar of the LHW division has been slowly stepping up his competition over the last six months faces off against Bob Garner (12-2-1). Garner is a solid fighter, but he had previously lost to LaLonde by KO in January as well as a loss after that against Leslie Stewart and a Draw with Alain Simon. LaLonde wasted no time in putting his stamp on the evening in the first minute and a half with an overhand right that landed Garner on his knee for an eight count. Garner seemed to recover but he would be knocked down again at the start of the second and then twice more in the fourth. From that point on the bout degenerated into a boxer working on a punching bag with the ref stopping the one sided beating in the ninth round well after many in the crowd were calling for the stoppage to occur.

Results of Note
LW George Lavigne 15-1-1 KO8 Tracy Harris Patterson 10-1-0
LHW Don LaLonde 11-0-0 TKO9 Bob Garner 12-3-1
LW Jack McAuliffe 15-0-1 KO3 Joey Limas 10-3-1
HW Alfio Righetti #4 17-0-1 Draw Jeffrey Flores 4-5-1
BW Ronnie Jones 11-0-0 UD10 Felix Friedemann 13-4-0
FW Jaime Garza 12-1-0 TKO5 Kid Tano 11-5-1
LHW Danny Nardico 11-0-0 UD10 Alain Simon 10-2-1
WW Fritzie Zivic 9-0-0 UD8 Packy McFarland 12-2-0
BW Jiro Watanabe 13-0-0 TKO6 Tony Weldon 1-4-0
HW Kevin Isaac #6 18-6-0 TKO9 Jimmy Clark #5 17-5-0

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Frankie Daniels
3. Audley Harrison
4. Alfio Righetti
5. Kevin Isaac

Greg Page has proven to be the best of the contenders for the heavyweight crown, having defeated at least once every top 5 fighter other than Alfio Righetti. Righetti’s recent draw with struggler Jeffrey Flores has people wondering whether he is a paper tiger or a real contender. As it is the jostling for places in the initial championship tournament continues as the fighters wait till the WWBU makes the title active (requires eight ranked fighters, currently there are six).

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

With only two fighters ranked so far in the division, it will be a while before the LHW world title will be fought for. Both Michael Bennett and Victor Robledo have been impressive in their progress to being ranked with only one blemish on their records each. Of the prospects yet to qualify for a ranking Don LaLonde (11-0-0) and Danny Nardico (11-0-0) are garnering the most excitement from the pundits and the fans.

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Rocky Mosley Jr.
4. Eric Lucas

O’Dowd has been the crowd’s darling as well as the acclaimed best fighter in the division for the past 18 months since being ranked in mid 1900. George Abrams is the only boxer to have pushed O’Dowd so far with two majority decision losses to O’Dowd on his ledger already. Mosley Jr. and Lucas are both solid fighters but neither seems to have the pedigree to go with O’Dowd at this stage. With several other fighters close to being rated, most experts expect that the MW title will become active in the next 6 to 12 months.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad

The Welterweight division and Lightweight divisions have only been active since 1899 and therefore are only just starting to have ranked fighters. Felix Trinidad, despite a disappointing KO loss to Bruce Finch (later avenged) rocketed his way to be the first ranked WW with seven fights in the last year. While there are some fighters close to being ranked, it seems like the required eight ranked fighters is some time away.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jack McAuliffe
2. George Lavigne

Jack McAuliffe and George Lavigne have proven over the past year that they are the two best LWs around at the moment. The two have met each other twice before with McAuliffe holding the advantage head to head with an eight round decision victory and a ten round draw being the results. Most observers can’t wait till the two fighters get in the ring again.

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant

The bottom three divisions (FW, BW and FLY) have only been active since 1900, and there are no ranked fighters in any of these weight classes. There are some bright young fighters around (Ricardo Cardona and Jaime Garza at FW, Jiro Watanabe at BW and Fermin Gomez at FLY) but none of them have met the WWBU’s minimum criteria to be ranked as yet.

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant

See FW comments.

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant

See FW Comments

[Gunsmoke]

I'm slowly changing the format of the WWBU Quarterly, but feel free to way in with any comments.

I hope you enjoy,

Cheers,
Mark

[GForce]

Good to see you back at it!

GH

[CONN CHRIS]

Very nicely set up universe Mark. I realy like the details of how you manage it. I thought long about how to manage mine and opted for less labor intensive methods due to my desire to have a huge universe of fighters but it still takes me 7 to 10 days to work through a month. ( I have about 2,900 fighters at the moment with roughly 500 due to be added in the next year; after that approximately 100/year will be added for a while until I get to about 4,200 fighters. Then additions will be made to roughly match retirements)
I also like the mixing of eras, for me that has always been the biggest attraction of TBCB back to the board game days. I love reading the mixed era posts here mainly to see the interesting match ups. (the era specific universes are great fun to read about too, don't mean to imply that I dislike them because I do not)

I look forward to following along!

Christopher

[Brooks TVB]

It is a very good setup. I too look forward to seeing it progress.

[Gunsmoke]

Luckily (well Lucky if anyone was actually reading about my universe ) I do my posts in Word prior to posting here so I will have the missing editions of the WWBU Monthly up soon.

[bear]

That's good to hear.

Bear

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

Luckily (well Lucky if anyone was actually reading about my universe ) I do my posts in Word prior to posting here so I will have the missing editions of the WWBU Monthly up soon.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

Luckily (well Lucky if anyone was actually reading about my universe ) I do my posts in Word prior to posting here so I will have the missing editions of the WWBU Monthly up soon.

That's good to hear Mark. I have tried using Word, but the copy and paste to the board always comes out rather fouled up. I must not be doing something right.

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Quarterly
Volume 2, April 1902

It was an exciting quarter of fistic action as the top fighters in all weights continued to ply the trade on the way to the various titles becoming active in the respective divisions. Greg Page, the world #1 ranked HW, would stay particularly active, with fights in the year’s first three months keeping him at the forefront of the publics mind. The first quarter contained plenty of action to keep all fight fans happy.

The Quarter In Review
January 1902
January would be an exciting month of action in the WWBU. The biggest card of the month occurred on the 10th at the McGovern County Community Hall, with a headlining bout of #1 HW Greg Page (21-0-0) taking on frequent opponent world #3 Audley Harrison (20-3-0). All three of Harrison’s losses have occurred against Page, and rather than avoiding him Harrison seems intent on trying to topple him despite the frequent setbacks. This bout would be an even more demoralizing loss for Harrison as Page dominated from the start, stunning Harrison with power shots and keeping him from ever establishing any offence at all. Harrison to his credit didn’t go down at all till the sixth, but he was near defenceless on the ropes in the third and fifth and was fortunate/unfortunate that the bout wasn’t stopped at those points. Page put the exclamation point on his victory in the sixth and last round with a dominating show of power punching; sending Harrison to the canvas twice for eight counts before the ref stepped in and halted the action. In the co-main Vergil Cooper (15-2-0) boxed his way to be the fifth ranked MW fighter in a strong showing against Fernando Janilli (10-2-0). Janilli needs to find his way again after starting his career 10-0.

In an earlier fight card at the McGovern County Community Hall on the 3rd, rising MW sensation Rocky Graziano would take on the powerful Blair Richardson. The reputation of Rocky Graziano has been on the rise in the last six months culminating in this top of the card clash. Graziano (11-0-0) has shown heavy fists so far in his career with 10 of his victories coming via stoppage; meanwhile Richardson (7-0-1) has also shown similar levels of power on occasion, with his last 4 victories coming via early knockout. For both fighters it is their first real test of their careers. Graziano starts out on fire backing Richardson against the ropes and unleashing a torrent of power punching, but Richardson weathered the storm and then smartly countered with hard shots of his own as the round ended. Richardson would continue to play the smart countering game that work successfully at the end of the first, through the next four rounds with the spoils being slightly in Richardson’s favour over that period. But after five rounds of taking Graziano’s powerful blows on his upper arms Richardson was visibly starting to tire, and The Rock moved in like a shark at the first sign of weakness punishing Richardson mercilessly in the sixth. The seventh looked like it could’ve been the last round of the bout several times as Graziano wailed away at Richardson, who valiantly managed to maintain his footing through out. Richardson emerged from his shell at start of the eighth, surprising Graziano with his sudden pluck, but he ran out of steam and Graziano took the final stanza. All three judges scored the bout 78-75 in favour of Rocky Graziano.

Also in action this month were world #1 WW Felix Trinidad who battered his way to a 1st round TKO and #2 LW George Lavigne who KO’d his opponent in the second round.

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 22-0-0 TKO6 Audley Harrison #3 20-4-0
MW Rocky Graziano 12-0-0 UD8 Blair Richardson 7-1-1
WW Felix Trinidad #1 16-1-0 TKO1 Paddy Buttle 1-3-0
MW Vergil Cooper 15-2-0 UD10 Fernando Janilli 10-2-0
LW George Lavigne #2 16-1-1 KO2 Lonnie Rendell 1-7-1
WW Billy Backus 12-0-2 UD8 Andrew Chessen 1-5-1
LHW Michael Bennett #1 16-1-0 UD12 Victor Robledo #2 15-2-0

February 1902
The MW ranks would see the biggest fight of the year to this point with #1 ranked Mike O’Dowd (23-0-0) taking on the #2 ranked George Abrams (17-3-0). Abrams and O’Dowd have met three times previously as they have risen through the ranks, with O’Dowd winning all three by decision, two by majority decision and one by a close unanimous decision. After a tight first three rounds in which O’Dowd probably held the advantage on the scorers’ cards, O’Dowd opened up in the fourth punishing Abrams around the ring. Abrams refused to go down; however at this point in the fight it looked like a when rather than an if he’ll be stopped. However after this powerful showing, O’Dowd went into his shell and Abrams continued to work hard and drag himself back into the fight, to the point that after ten our scorecard had the fight even at 95-95. O’Dowd dug deep and won the eleventh with some well-timed counters on the suddenly tigerish Abrams. O’Dowd looked to be cruising in the twelfth when Abrams caught him with a hard right cross that backed him up and Abrams was on him like a rabid Rottweiler throwing punches from everywhere to take the final round. It would all come down to the judges with our card reading 114-114, the judges scores were 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 all for Mike O’Dowd. Abrams looked crestfallen, as he seemed to have put in much better last eight rounds and to fall so far short on official scores.

On the under card WW prospect Fritzie Zivic (10-0-0) would hand Lefty Flynn (12-1-0) his first loss as a professional with an eight round demolition job in which Flynn had to be saved by the bell in several rounds to survive the fight. The #2 ranked HW Frankie Daniels (23-3-0) was in action against career opponent Jeffrey Flores, who gave him a battle he’ll remember before going to the canvas five times in the last four rounds to all but give him the decision.

Greg Page (#1 ranked HW) would stay in action taking on Title tournament hopeful Kevin Isaacs (currently ranked fifth) who has recently broken a sting on three straight losses (including a 6th round KO against Page in March 1901) with TKO victory over Jimmy Clark. Page is the overwhelming favourite, and he showed it in the first round with a dominant display of power, that all but forced Isaacs to his knees. Page would fall into a outside sniping style game plan in the second, taking the round on a late flurry before settling into his strategy in the third and fourth finally felling Isaacs with a perfectly timed right hook early in the fourth for a count of four. Isaacs survived the round, but Page saw his opponent starting to weaken and went on the attack in the fifth, taking punches to deliver his powerful blows in close. Once again Page slowed the action down, choosing to use his boxing skills in the next three rounds before exploding in the ninth, KO’ing Isaacs with a nasty hook to the head. On the under card FLY weight power house Fermin Gomez (10-1-0) lost his undefeated record against the slick boxing Little Dado (14-1-0) who once again outboxed a basic slugger taking the unanimous decision.

Also in action LW #1 Jack McAuliffe (16-0-1) was overwhelming to the crowds satisfaction against career opponent Alan Newell, LHW #1 Michael Bennett won a clear unanimous decision over Albert Cauley without having to extend himself and MW #3 Rocky Mosley Jr. was far too accomplished for Ryan Garfield who struggled to land any punches during the bout, let alone a meaningful blow.

Results of Note
MW Mike O’Dowd #1 24-0-0 UD12 George Abrams #2 17-4-0
LW Jack McAuliffe #1 16-0-1 TKO6 Alan Newell 2-8-1
HW Greg Page #1 23-0-0 KO9 Kevin Isaac #5 18-7-0
WW Fritzie Zivic 10-0-0 UD8 Lefty Flynn 12-1-0
LHW Don LaLonde 12-0-0 KO6 Pete McIntyre 10-2-1
FLY Little Dado 14-1-0 UD10 Fermin Gomez 10-1-0
BW Jiro Watanabe 14-0-0 UD8 Billy Peacock 9-1-0
WW Billy Backus 13-0-2 UD10 Tommy Cross 9-4-1
FLY Tancy Lee 10-2-1 UD10 Dommy Ursua 10-2-1
HW Frankie Daniels #2 23-3-0 UD12 Jeffrey Flores 4-6-1
LHW Michael Bennett #1 17-1-0 UD6 Albert Cauley 1-3-1
MW Rocky Mosley Jr #3 16-1-1 UD8 Ryan Garfield 1-5-0

March 1902
Rex Layne (#7, 15-3-0) would try to force his way into the HW championship tournament with a victory over the world #1 Greg Page (23-0-0). Layne was the rank outsider, who was known for his lapses against vastly inferior opponents as he rose through the ranks. Unfortunately he turned in a less than stellar effort on the training track for the biggest bout of his career so far, as he came in carrying at least 25 lbs extra baggage over his prime fighting weight. Page meanwhile looked like the efficient machine he always does, invincible and unforgiving. Page showed his intentions at the opening bell with a beautifully timed left hook that nearly took Layne’s head off. Layne managed to survive the round long battering, but must have felt like he’d been run over by a train. The second was a continuation of the battering, with the first signs of it’s effect with Layne having to cover up in the waning seconds of the round. The third started more promisingly for the crowd as Layne went on the offensive, but Page caught him flush with a straight right that stopped him dead in his tracks and then whaled away before the referee stopped the bout just as the bell rang to end the third round. Page the winner by an impressive third round TKO.

On the under card, LW contender (ranked #2) George Lavigne dispatched his opponent Luis Sams in quick order, and in a rematch of a 10 round draw, middleweight contenders Rocky Mosley Jr (#2 ranked, 16-1-1) fought Eric Lucas (ranked #4, 17-3-1). Mosley Jr was gritty, but he could not keep up with the recently battle hardened skills of the Canadian. Lucas ran out to a 117-111 (twice) and 116-112 unanimous decision victory.

In a match up between two much bally hoed MW prospects Rocky Graziano (12-1-0) lost his first bout to the superbly talented Charley Burley (11-0-0). Burley showed his boxing ability from the opening seconds of the bout, establishing the tempo of the fight in his favour with his right hand rocking Graziano every time he tried to throw a lead with his left hand. Burley retained control through the second and third rounds before dropping the hammer on the bell to end the third. Landing a perfectly timed uppercut that had Graziano staggering about during the break in the action. Burley sensing the end coming stalked Graziano in the early part of the fourth before he launched a left cross that sent Graziano to the floor for the count of four. Burley maintained the pressure on the resumption and Graziano would succumb to it after another minute when another uppercut had Graziano looking at the lights once again. Graziano made it to his feet at the count of four once again, but he looked finished and Burley ended the contest with a sizzling combination.

In other action during the month a fat and lackadaisical Alfio Righetti eked out a unanimous decision over the tough opponent Keith Marsh to retain his all important ranking (#3) for the long expected title tournament. That’s two straight sub par performances from Righetti whose handlers must be starting to worry about their charge. LHW #1 Michael Bennett dominated Gary Bootland knocking him down twice on his way a six round unanimous decision. MW #5 ranked contender Vergil Cooper scored a 7th round TKO victory over Hugh Schlabach in a stay busy fight.

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 24-0-0 TKO3 Rex Layne #7 15-4-0
MW Charley Burley 11-0-0 KO4 Rocky Graiano 12-1-0
MW Daniel Santos 11-1-0 UD10 Vinnie Pazienza 9-1-2
LW George Lavigne #2 17-1-1 KO4 Luis Sams 1-3-1
MW Vergil Cooper #5 16-2-0 TKO7 Hugh Schlabach 1-6-1
LHW Danny Nardico 12-0-0 KO9 Frank Bullard 10-3-1
HW Alfio Righetti #3 18-0-1 UD8 Keith Marsh 4-6-0
WW Sharmba Mitchell 11-0-0 UD8 Andrew Chessen 1-6-1
MW Eric Lucas #4 18-3-1 UD12 Rocky Mosley Jr #2 16-2-1
LHW Michael Bennett #1 18-1-0 UD6 Gary Bootland 1-4-0

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Frankie Daniels
3. Alfio Righetti
4. Audley Harrison
5. Jimmy Clark

Audley Harrison drops from #3 to #4 and Kevin Isaac drops out of the top 5 due to losses to Greg Page

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. Eric Lucas
3. Rocky Mosley Jr.
4. George Abrams
5. Vergil Cooper

Lucas rises to #2 after his impressive win over Mosley Jr. Abrams slips to #4 after his loss to O’Dowd. Vergil Cooper joins the rankings at #5.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad

No Change

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jack McAuliffe
2. George Lavigne

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant

None Qualified

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant

None Qualified

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant

None Qualified

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Quarterly
Volume 3, July 1902

It was an exciting run to the middle of the year that resulted in none of the world titles becoming active. But the action drew in the fans and kept fight pundits talking about the merits of the fabulous pugilists ad nauseum. The quarter would start with one of the best rounds of excitement ever seen and ended with a Heavyweight shake up that will shape the weight division for the near future.

The Quarter In Review
April 1902
In the trilogy match up of the pre-eminent Lightweights in the world, the number 1 ranked Jack McAuliffe (16-0-1) would battle George Lavigne (17-1-1). In their two previous encounters McAuliffe holds the advantage with the first fight ending unanimous decision victory for McAuliffe after eight rounds. The second bout ended in a very tightly contested draw in which Lavigne almost had the victory when he knocked McAuliffe down for a count of nine in the third round. Lavigne will be hoping to find McAuliffe’s button once again, as his swarming tactics seemed to work to his advantage in their last battle. This time the bout would be over 12 rounds to determine who the better fighter was. Despite the length of the bout, Lavigne came into the bout looking slightly under done, and McAuliffe immediately showed what that would cost him as he scampered about the ring launching shots from all angles as he dominated the action in the first stanza. Lavigne would try to slow down the bout in the second but a late flurry from McAuliffe stole the round and then McAullife launched a furious two handed assault in the third that left fans at ringside speechless at the mastery they were witnessing. Lavigne managed to slow the bout down in the fourth with judicious use of clutching as well as earning some respect from McAuliffe with some heavy handed combinations that left Irishman a bit more circumspect.

The fifth round will go down as one of the rounds of year, if not the best round in WWBU history. It could’ve been fought on a shoe shine stand, the two boxers barely inches apart as first one then the other held the advantage. With a minute to go in the round Lavigne stunned McAuliffe with a hard right hand to the ribs that seemed to leave McAuliffe hurt as he leaned to the left to protect his tender side. Lavigne seized his advantage with a well timed flurry of punches, starting with a left hand to McAuliffe’s temple then followed with a hard right hook to the ribs and another left to the jaw. McAuliffe’s looked stunned by the assault but somehow his instincts and training took over and he quickly gathered himself launching a barrage of punches that largely missed their target but succeeded in moving Lavigne back. Lavigne prodded and probed for an opening as the round entered it’s waning moments, McAuliffe’s defense suddenly airtight. Then it happened, Lavigne launched a right hook aimed at the injured ribs of the Irishman with 5 seconds remaining of the timekeeper’s clock. The hook landed and McAuliffe seemed to visibly wince, Lavigne then doubled up with the right hook this one aimed at the jaw. The blow landed and sounded like gunshot, with McAuliffe’s head seemingly turning round full circle. Lavigne landed a left hand for good measure, but the damage was done, McAuliffe’s legs failed him as he fell to the canvas. He would barely move as the referee counted him out and Lavigne and his handlers celebrated his unbelievable victory in front of suddenly silent and stunned crowd. The Kid had knocked out Napoleon.

On the under card WW #1 Felix Trinidad (17-1-0) destroyed Paddy Buttle (1-4-0) in first round whirlwind of power punching prompting the referee to stop the contest before Buttle was separated from his senses permanently. Also Rosendo Alvarez (15-2-0) became the first ranked Flyweight when he out slugged fellow prospect Yul-Woo Lee (10-2-1) knocking Lee down three times during the match to take the comfortable unanimous decision victory.

In other action, HW #1 Greg Page (25-0-0) fought a four round decision victory over previously undefeated Rolf Godfrey (1-1-0) that left the crowd somewhat disappointed in the star HW. MW #5 Vergil Cooper (17-2-0) took the opportunity to fight the full twelve rounds against career battler Reno Fah (4-15-1) taking the overwhelming 12 round unanimous decision punctuated by a knockdown in the seventh round. LHW #1 Michael Bennet (19-1-0) despite his recent activity would come into this six round bout looking like he had not trained. To belie his outward appearance Bennett would prove to be too quick and skilled for the overmatched Geoff James (1-2-0). In an uninspiring 4 round brawl Felix Friedemann (15-4-0) became the first BW to become ranked with a majority decision victory over Justin Tighe (1-1-0).

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 25-0-0 UD4 Rolf Godfrey 1-1-0
LHW Michael Bennett #1 19-1-0 UD6 Geoff James 1-2-0
WW Felix Trinidad #1 17-1-0 TKO1 Paddy Buttle 1-4-0
LW George Lavigne #2 18-1-1 KO5 Jack McAuliffe #1 16-1-1
MW Vergil Cooper #5 17-2-0 UD12 Reno Fah 4-15-1
BW Ruben Olivares 12-0-0 TKO2 Jiro Watanabe 14-1-0
WW Billy Backus 14-0-2 TKO4 Jimmy Leto 13-2-1
FW Jaime Garza 14-1-0 TKO1 Al Corbett 9-1-0
FLY Tancy Lee 11-2-1 MD10 Fermin Gomez 10-2-0

May 1902
The “St Paul Cyclone” Mike O’Dowd (MW #1, 24-0-1) fought fellow MW contender Rocky Mosley Jr. (#3, 16-2-2). Mosley Jr was coming off a disappointing outing against Eric Lucas where he was outpointed over the 12 round distance. O’Dowd with his imposing undefeated record started the bout full of beans drawing the usually circumspect Mosley Jr into a slugging match by the end of the first. The bout settled down a bit in the second but Mosley Jr was giving as good as he was receiving to this point. The third looked to be fairly even till the end of the first minute when O’Dowd landed a right hook that had Mosley Jr hurt and on his wheels the rest of the round. As the round was coming to a close a nasty head clash opened a huge gash above O’Dowd’s right eye. With blood pouring everywhere the doctor was called to ringside to inspect the damage. The cut was right the forehead bone and the doctor called off the fight. The result a Technical Draw after three rounds left the outraged crowd on the edge of a vicious riot were it not for the timely intervention of the boys in blue.

LW #1 George Lavigne (19-1-1) fresh off his triumph of last month, won an eight round keep busy fight in brutal manner by knocking out Dan Flanagan (1-5-0) in the sixth round. In a powerful display the top ranked lightweight put Flanagan on the canvas six times (one was ruled a push) before the game pug lay down for good. On the under card MW sensation Charley Burley (12-0-0, all by stoppage) knocked out fellow prospect Paul Delaney (13-2-1) in the seventh round. Delaney was game throughout and seemed to throw Burley’s timing off at times with neat defensive manoeuvring, but Burley eventually found his chin in the fourth before knocking him down twice more in the seventh the last the finisher.

LHW #1 Michael Bennett (20-1-0) would fight a return fixture against the hungry Argentine Victor Robledo (#2, 15-3-0) who is looking for revenge for his unanimous decision loss in January. Bennett came into the bout obese by his normal standards while Robledo looked dry. Bennett would carry his weight better than Robledo his obsessive preparation, and despite a flash knockdown in the fourth round, he never looked overly troubled taking the majority decision.

Continuing the revenge theme of the month Heavyweights Jimmy Clark (#5, 17-6-0) and Kevin Isaacs (#6, 19-7-0) would reprise their bout from February where Isaacs won via ninth round TKO on a nasty cut on Clark’s face. In a sometimes plodding battle, Kevin Isaacs proved to be the superior boxer as he boxed well from the outside and even showing some power with a near knockout in the fifth round on a uppercut that landed square. The unanimous decision was probably to close in the scoring (115-111, 115-112 and 116-111) but still was the right result. Underneath the battle of the two behemoths FW Jaime Garza (15-1-0) became the first ranked Featherweight with a ninth round KO over William Abelyan (10-1-0).

Results of Note
LHW Michael Bennett #1 20-1-0 MD12 Victor Robledo #2 15-3-0
MW Mike O’Dowd #1 24-0-1 Tech. Draw Rocky Mosley Jr #3 16-2-2
LW George Lavigne #1 19-1-1 KO6 Dan Flanagan 1-5-0
HW Kevin Isaacs #6 19-7-0 UD12 Jimmy Clark #5 17-6-0
BW Ruben Olivares 13-0-0 KO2 Israel Contreras 12-4-0
MW Charley Burley 12-0-0 KO7 Paul Delaney 13-2-1
FW Jaime Garza 15-1-0 KO9 William Abelyan 10-1-0
WW Fritzie Zivic 11-0-0 KO10 Tommy Cross 9-5-2
WW Vince Martinez 12-0-0 UD8 Raul Athos Landini 7-2-1
BW Ronnie Jones 12-0-0 UD10 Billy Peacock 9-2-0
MW Daniel Santos 13-1-0 UD10 Blair Richardson 8-2-1
BW Mark Johnson 12-0-0 KO1 Justin Tighe 1-2-0

June 1902
The two top contenders in the Heavyweight division would face off in an extremely important box off that may eliminate the loser from the contention for the initial championship tournament. Number one ranked Greg Page (26-0-0) entered the bout undefeated and coming off a string of impressive victories over some of the other contenders for the crown such as Audley Harrison, Kevin Isaacs and Rex Layne since the start of the year. During this time Frankie Daniels (23-4-0), the second ranked HW for the entire year, remained largely inactive waiting for the tournament to begin to crown the king. Daniels however has been waited out, and agreed to this big money bout. Page seemed to show Daniels power some respect in the opening round as the two warriors traded relatively evenly through the stanza. Page opened up in the second and felled Daniels with sudden right hook that had Daniels down for a count of six. It took till the fourth before Daniels emerged from his shell again as he backed Page up against the ropes and landed some hard shots, but Page caught him with left hand over the top of Daniels’ right handed punch that had Daniels down once again. Daniels would regain his feet but only just survived the remainder of the round. Daniels would refuse to be cowed as he attacked through the fifth round taking some shots to keep Page under pressure. But it would not last with an explosive left hand blow from Page knocking Daniels down for a count of four and then mercilessly chasing Daniels around the ring before applying the finishing blow as time was expiring to end the sixth round. On the under card BW #1 Felix Friedemann (16-4-0) took a unanimous decision over Murray Bacon (0-1-1) in match that was closer in the ring than on the judges’ scorecards.

In the first 12 round bout held at Flyweight, Rosendo Alvarez (#1, 15-3-0) would fight Little Dado (#2, 16-1-0) in the rubber match between the two fighters. In their first meeting Little Dado would out box Alvarez on the way to close unanimous decision, while in the return bout Alvarez was able to keep Dado on the back foot with well timed power shots and take control of the bout to earn a split decision revenge victory. Dado started out of the gate, much better than Alvarez, who took two rounds of action before he settled down to the job. Alvarez would look competitive in the third and fourth stanza’s but from that point Dado took more and more control of the bout. Alvarez would not win another round as Dado showed a master class in the technical boxing skills taking Alvarez’s heart and will to fight with it as the slugger appeared to deflate little by little as each round passed. Dado wins via a clear unanimous decision to take the number 1 ranking.

In a bout that took on more significance after Frankie Daniels was battered by Greg Page earlier in the month Audley Harrison (#4, 21-4-0) would batter Kevin Isaacs (#5, 19-8-0) into submission with a consistent assault in rounds four and five prompting a stoppage by the referee. Harrison started the bout on fire with a solid round of action that seemed to point to a quick victory for the large Brit. However Isaacs frustrated Harrison the next two rounds as every time he closed in he would clinch and hold, while picking him off from outside with well aimed jabs. Harrison though would punctuate his power with a one shot knock down in the fourth that had Isaacs barely able to rise before the end of the count. The battering would continue in the fifth period prompting the referee to jump in between the combatants to ensure Isaacs suffered no permanent injury.

In other fights Welterweight #1 Felix Trinidad (18-1-0) kept his run of five straight stoppage wins going with a three round destruction of the hapless Trevor Bird (3-9-0) before Bird’s corner threw in the towel. Bird announced his retirement after the fight. Also Middleweight #4 George Abrams (18-4-0) off his loss to Mike O’Dowd fought a keep busy fight against inexperienced and limited Ernest Mojica (0-2-1) and won every round by a big margin cruising through in a glorified sparring session.

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 25-0-0 KO6 Frankie Daniels #2 23-4-0
FLY Little Dado #2 16-1-0 UD12 Rosendo Alvarez 15-3-0
WW Felix Trinidad #1 18-1-0 TKO3 Trever Bird 3-9-0
BW Felix Friedemann #1 16-4-0 UD4 Murray Bacon 0-1-1
HW Audley Harrison #4 21-4-0 TKO5 Kevin Isaac #5 19-8-0
MW George Abrams #4 18-4-0 UD6 Ernest Mojica 0-2-1
LHW Don LaLonde 13-0-0 TKO8 Danny Nardico 12-1-0
WW Vince Martinez 13-0-0 MD10 Paul Fugii 13-4-1
LHW George Nichols 9-0-2 Maj. Draw Albert Yvel 7-0-2

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Alfio Righetti
3. Audley Harrison
4. Jimmy Clark
5. Frankie Daniels

Harrison moves to number 3 with win over Isaacs, Clark moves to number 4 despite loss to Isaacs. Daniels drops to 5 with KO loss to Page and Righetti gains the number two slot through inactivity.

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. Eric Lucas
3. Rocky Mosley Jr
4. George Abrams
5. Vergil Cooper

No Change

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Billy Backus

Backus gains the number two ranking.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

Lavigne takes number one position with KO win over McAuliffe.

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu

Garza and Bungu gain rankings.

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Friedemann

Friedemann becomes number one BW.

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

Alvarez and Dado gain rankings, and Dado takes number one ranking with decision win over Alvarez.

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 4, August 1902

Felix Trinidad has carved a reputation for being an action fighter and this Latino is starting to gain public acclaim for his skill and derring-do. This month felt like the boxing world held it’s breath for the month with a paucity of top level bouts. Only the ever active George Abrams would take a tough fight in Canadian Eric Lucas.

July In Review
In a somewhat slow month for significant fights, one of the glamour fighters in the WWBU, welterweight Felix Trinidad (#1, 19-1-0), took one minute to floor Canadian Andrew Chessen (1-7-2) on the canvas for the first time and then finally finishing the encounter another 90 seconds later with pile driver of an overhand left. This was Trinidad’s 17th stoppage victory in 19 wins. In the most significant battle of the month middleweights Eric Lucas (#2, 18-4-1) and George Abrams (#4, 19-4-0), did battle. Abrams had been obsessively training since his loss to O’Dowd in February and showed some decent form against Ernest Mojica. Lucas meanwhile has been celebrating his significant win over Rocky Mosley Jr. that earned him the number 2 ranking. In technical boxing fans delight, both fighters displayed ample defensive capabilities as they parried and thrust through the majority of the fight. The ninth round was the lowlight as the fighters threw a total of 16 punches between them. The judges scored the bout 117-113, 117-115 and 115-115 for majority decision victory to George Abrams.

Lightweight fan favourite, Jack McAuliffe (#2, 17-1-1), fought his first comeback bout against Geoffrey Mallard (1-2-0) since his loss to George Lavigne. Prior to the fight, McAuliffe was a man about town as he seemingly spent more time socialising than training. It didn’t seem to make any difference however as he dismantled Mallard on the way to mercy stoppage by the referee in the fourth round. Vergil Cooper (#5, 18-2-0) claims that none of the top MW in the world will fight him and that is why he keeps fighting boxers who have been unkindly referred to by the pundits as Tomato Cans. Tonight’s can was Nathan Heil (0-1-1) who came in out of shape and dually did very little to make this bout any more than a time waster.

The crowd booed through this sparring session of a bout as the lone ranked bantamweight, Felix Friedemann (17-4-0) boxed his way to a 12 round decision win over the limited Primo Cacciatore (1-10-2). This was not a main event that promoted the sport of boxing in any way. In the co-main event Heavyweight WWBU #2 Alfio Righetti (19-0-1) wore down the gritty Jeffrey Flores (4-7-1) before knocking him out in the ninth round. Righetti showed some maturity in this fight in not going for the quick kill but working the tough Flores over before ending the contest in the ninth round.

Results of Note
WW Felix Trinidad #1 19-1-0 KO1 Andrew Chessen 1-7-2
BW Felix Friedemann #1 17-4-0 UD12 Primo Cacciatore 1-10-2
LW Jack McAuliffe #2 17-1-1 TKO4 Geoffrey Mallard 1-2-0
MW George Abrams #4 19-4-0 MD12 Eric Lucas #2 18-4-1
HW Alfio Righetti #2 19-0-1 KO9 Jeffrey Flores 4-7-1
MW Vergil Cooper #5 18-2-0 UD4 Nathan Heil 0-1-1
WW Sharmba Mitchell 12-0-0 UD10 Packy McFarland 14-3-0

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Alfio Righetti
3. Audley Harrison
4. Jimmy Clark
5. Frankie Daniels
6. Kevin Isaac
7. Rex Layne

No Change

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Rocky Mosley Jr.
4. Vergil Cooper
5. Eric Lucas

Lucas falls to number 5 with his loss to Abrams, with Abrams replacing him at #2.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Billy Backus
3. Reuben Shank

Shank joins the rankings at number 3.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Friedemann

No Change

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 5, September 1902

As the year rolls on there remain no world titles in play as yet as the Heavyweight division waits with baited breath for the eighth fighter to get to 15 wins or 25 bouts. There has been some pressure from the top contenders to make the title active, with Jimmy Clark (ranked #4) being particularly vocal as he left the ring after his victory. The WWBU has refused to countenance making the titles available till after there are eight ranked fighters. With three fighters with 14 wins, you would expect that the public will not have long to wait now.

August In Review

In an important heavyweight eliminator, Alfio Righetti (#2, 20-0-1), won a well fought victory over Rex Layne (#7, 15-5-0). Layne was trying to steal his way into the forthcoming HW World title tournament by being ranked in the top 4 by trying to topple Italian golden boy Righetti. Earlier in the year Layne challenged Greg Page to gain a high ranking, but he was dispatched quickly by the powerhouse. It looked like a similar story early as Righetti had Layne in all sorts of trouble in the first round. Layne however recovered and the next four rounds honours were even with some good action. Righetti’s well schooled boxing style had Layne confused at times once the initial bursts of energy wore off and he started to take control of the contest. Sensing the bout slipping away Layne stepped up his efforts in the eighth and ninth rounds but he was punched out by the tenth and Righetti would knock Layne down in the twelfth just to put the finishing touch on a well earned win. In the co feature, rising middleweight sensation, Charley Burley (13-0-0) was grievously tested early before he cruised to a unanimous decision win over Curtis Parker (13-3-1), the first time Burley has heard the final bell in his short career. The first two rounds didn’t show what was to come as Burley mesmerised Parker early with his speed and skills, however it all changed in the third round. At the bell Parker decided that this would be his time on the attack and probed for an opening before unloading a left hook that knocked Burley down. It looked dire for the Burley camp early in the count but Burley clambered to his feet at the count of eight and was deemed ready to continue. Parker would try to end it in the next two rounds, but Burley weathered the storm and then regained control with three rounds of explosive boxing, before putting things into cruise control.

WW Billy Backus (#2, 16-0-2), had a scare in his first outing since earning his ranking in the WWBU against one time Felix Trinidad opponent, Paddy Buttle (1-6-0). With a capacity crowd packed into the Fordham Recreation Center, Buttle felled Backus in the opening minute of the first round and dominated the action through the first two stanzas. Backus however found his range in the third round and would only be challenged once more in the fifth when Buttle landed a pair of heavy blows that seemed to leave Backus stunned. Backus took the win here, but opponent’s would have noted his lack of composure under fire.

In other action in the month Flyweight Little Dado (#1, 17-1-0), punctuated this win with a last round knockdown in this one sided and sometimes boring encounter against the very green Pete Millard (1-2-0). Light Heavyweight Victor Robledo (#2, 16-3-0), took 4 rounds before knocking down Marcus Antill (2-6-0) in the fifth round and taking over the fight from there to grab the unanimous decision win. Featherweight top contender Jaime Garza (16-1-0), destroyed Bradley Bacon (0-2-1) in a bout that was only designed to keep his name in front of the public. Heavyweight Jimmy Clark (#4, 18-6-0) wanted a fight to regain lost confidence and he showed glimpses of old form in amongst some uninspiring stuff in this majority decision win over Mick Cornell (2-1-0).

Results of Note
HW Alfio Righetti #2 20-0-1 UD12 Rex Layne #7 15-5-0
WW Billy Backus #2 16-0-2 UD8 Paddy Buttle 1-6-0
FW Jaime Garza #1 16-1-0 KO2 Bradley Bacon 0-2-1
FLY Little Dado #1 17-1-0 UD6 Pete Millard 1-2-0
LHW Victor Robledo #2 16-3-0 UD8 Marcus Antill 2-6-0
HW Jimmy Clark #4 18-6-0 MD6 Mick Cornell 2-1-0
BW Ruben Olivares 14-0-0 KO5 Israel Contreras 12-5-0
WW Fritzie Zivic 11-1-0 UD10 Jimmy Leto 14-2-1
MW Charley Burley 13-0-0 UD10 Curtis Parker 13-3-1

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Alfio Righetti
3. Audley Harrison
4. Jimmy Clark
5. Frankie Daniels
6. Kevin Isaac
7. Rex Layne

No Change

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Rocky Mosley Jr.
4. Vergil Cooper
5. Eric Lucas
6. Daniel Santos

Santos joins the rankings at number 6.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Billy Backus
3. Reuben Shank

No Change

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

Cardona joins the rankings at number 3

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Friedemann
2. Jiro Watanabe

Watanabe comes in at number 2.

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 6, October 1902

September was a month that was highlighted by a meeting between two very familiar foes. Heavyweights Greg Page and Audley Harrison would once again fight (the fifth time, with Page winning the previous four), the media were not impressed with him fighting Harrison again. Page was defiant saying “Audley is a big man and he pushes me to be the best I can be like no other fighter out there.” When pressed with the names of a couple of the other of the young rising heavyweights out there Page claimed “none of the others have earned the right to challenge him yet.” With the slow ticket sales for the fight it appears that the public can have enough of a particular match up. The result of the Page-Harrison slugfest would have important ramifications for the upcoming World Title Tournament as Tom Kennedy earned his ranking this month making the title active.

September In Review

In what is becoming a semi-regular event heavyweights Greg Page (#1, 27-0-0), and Audley Harrison (#3, 21-5-0), got in the ring across from each other. Page had won the previous four occasions that these two had met and he had become an obsession for Harrison, who has stated that he cannot rest till he defeats Page. Page looked like he had taken Harrison lightly with a sub par preparation, but it would lead to one of the more entertaining bouts seen so far in the WWBU. Page starts the bout on fire and has Harrison in some trouble in the second after a hard right hook landed well, however he could not sustain his tempo and Harrison fought back hard in the third and fourth. The next two rounds were all Page and Harrison seemed to be in some trouble. The seventh round started as the previous round had finished with Page on the offensive, however a careless right hook was countered perfectly by Harrison and Page found himself seated on his pants. It took to a count of five before Page regained his feet. Harrison could not finish the job before the bell rang with Page hugging like he was his long lost brother. Once again Page gathered himself over the break and went on the offensive but this time Harrison walked through his blows and then deposited him on the canvas once again, though this time it was more a loss of balance than a genuine knockdown.

Enraged Page lost all form and went after Harrison in a very uncultured manner flailing like a madman, it was effective in keeping Harrison off him for a round. It took a stern talk from his corner to get his focus back on the job but Page looked like a cold hearted killer in round 10. In one of the most brutal batterings seen, he smacked Harrison around the ring, depositing him on the canvas for the first time in the match 1:20 into the round with a big hook followed by a fusillade of punches as Harrison fell. Rising at the count of four Harrison would last only another 30 seconds before Page found his chin again with a brutal uppercut. Harrison would once again beat the count, this time at seven. Looking less than cognisant of his surroundings Harrison would last a minute of stumbling around and leaning on the ropes before Page once again knocked him to the ground just as the bell rang. Amazingly Harrison had the bottle to fight on and he would continue to take the fight to Page, beating the now tired Page to the punch in the penultimate round before he put another twist in the tale with a final second knockdown of Page with a short right hand. With our unofficial scorecard reading 102-102 entering the last round Page put up and admirable effort of boxing with him just edging the big brit in the last. The judges scored the bout 112-110 for Page, 111-111 a draw and 112-110 for Page to give Page the majority decision win to maintain his unbeaten record. In the co-main featherweight top contender Jaime Garza (17-1-0), showed devastating power in overwhelmed his opponent Albabi El-Farihm (3-13-2) with the referee jumping in to stop the bout after just over 2 minutes to save El-Farihm from serious damage.

Flyweight kingpins Little Dado (#1, 18-1-0), and Rosendo Alvarez (#2, 15-4-0), once again stepped in the ring against each other and for the third time in four close bouts, Dado proved to be too skilled for the stronger Alvarez. Reports had been in that Alvarez had been seen at several night spots around town in the lead up to this bout. Dado started the bout well, but Alvarez fought back well to even the contest after four rounds. Alvarez would trade well with Dado early on, but as the bout wore on his true conditioning showed through as Dado increasingly took control of the bout to take the unanimous decision win.

In the first 12 round encounter between two ranked welterweights, number one ranked Puerto Rican dynamo Felix Trinidad (20-1-0), Reuben Shank (#3, 15-3-1) would disappoint the thronging masses with a quick stoppage victory for Trinidad. Trinidad spent the first minute of the bout feeling out Shank and determining the threat. After a gauging his opponent he then launched an assault that landed Shank on the mat once before forcing the referee to intervene to stop the slaughter. LW #2 Jack McAuliffe (18-1-1), kept himself in touch against Jamie Thatcher (1-1-0) winning a lucky TKO win on cuts after partying his way in the lead up to the bout. MW #5 Eric Lucas (19-4-1) beat his limited opponent Sean Becker (1-3-0) easily knocking him down once and inflicting several cuts.

Results of Note
HW Greg Page #1 27-0-0 MD12 Audley Harrison #6 21-5-0
WW Felix Trinidad #1 20-1-0 TKO1 Reuben Shank #3 15-3-1
FLY Little Dado #1 18-1-0 UD12 Rosendo Alvarez #2 15-4-0
LW Jack McAuliffe #1 18-1-1 TKO2 Jamie Thatcher 1-1-0
FW Jaime Garza #1 17-1-0 TKO1 Albabi El-Farihm 3-13-2
LHW Don LaLonde 14-0-0 UD10 Bob Garner 12-5-0
WW Sid Barbarian 10-0-0 UD8 Vince Martinez 13-1-0
LHW George Nichols 10-0-2 SD10 Albert Yvel 7-1-2

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Alfio Righetti
3. Jimmy Clark
4. Frankie Daniels
5. Kevin Isaac
6. Audley Harrison
7. Rex Layne
8. Tom Kennedy

Harrison looses to Page and drops to number 6. Tom Kennedy joins the ranking.

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Rocky Mosley Jr.
4. Vergil Cooper
5. Eric Lucas
6. Daniel Santos
7. Robin Reid

Robin Reid joins the rankings at number 7

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Billy Backus
3. Reuben Shank

No Change

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Friedemann
2. Jiro Watanabe

No Change

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly Special,
October 1902

Welcome to the very first edition of the WWBU Monthly Special. This special edition will commemorate the tournament that will crown the first champion of a weight division in WWBU history. The division is pugilism’s glamour division, the Heavyweights. Four fighters will enter the tournament full of hopes of glory. The four fighters will face off in elimination bouts, paring the tournament down the final pairing of two fighters who will fight to be the very first Heavyweight champion of the World.

The Heavyweight Title Tournament

The Heavyweight Title Tournament will involve the top four ranked contenders as ranked by the WWBU as at the end of September, 1902. Those four fighters in ranking order are; Greg Page, Alfio Righetti, Jimmy Clark and Frankie Daniels. Three of these fighters have been active since the WWBU’s earliest days in 1897 and have come a long trail to reach this chance at history. We will profile the fighters and then take you through the match ups and the WWBU Monthly’s predictions.

Ranked 1 Greg Page (27-0-0 19 KOs) is considered the king waiting to be crowned by most aficionados of the fight game. Blessed with great natural size and athleticism with natural ability to box, Page is heavy handed boxer/puncher who earns stoppage wins through an accumulation of heavy blows rather than single heavy punches. Of the fighters in this tournament Page has already defeated two of the other three, holding a decision and sixth round KO victories over Frankie Daniels and fourth round knockout win over Jimmy Clark. Perhaps Page’s biggest challenge will be overcoming overconfidence, which would be brimming at an all time heading into this important period of his career.

Ranked 2 Alfio Righetti (20-0-1 10 KOs) Righetti is the beloved hero of Italy, with some towns shutting down during the parties being held in honor of his victories. Feted in his homeland and regarded as the man most likely to upset the Page victory procession, there is some pressure on this insular young man. Tall and angular in his movements, Alfio does well cutting off the ring and with his reach is able to pick off opponents without putting himself at risk. Righetti has not met any of the other fighters in the tournament as yet. His form earlier in the year was spotty as he struggled to a draw against battler Jeffrey Flores and skimped in his preparation for a bout with Keith Marsh, where he pulled out a slender victory. Since then though he has looked strong in his last outings with a ninth round KO of Flores and a clear unanimous decision win over Rex Layne.

Ranked 3 Jimmy Clark (18-6-0 9 KOs) An uncomplicated brawler, Clark is a kill or be killed fighter. Using hooks and crosses, Clark’s roundhouse style can be easy to avoid and counter if he gets ragged and looses his form. He does not have overwhelming power in his fists, but has been known to cause problems for those with chinks in their whiskers, Clark has been knocked down numerous times last 5 bouts. With his previous KO losses to Page and Daniels (both last year) Clark would be considered the rank outsider in this tournament by the bookmakers.

Ranked 4 Frankie Daniels (23-4-0 14 KOs) A harder punching slugger with the ability to counterpunch, Daniels is a tough fighter with a stone chin that has seen off many heavy punchers and shown no cracks. However in his last bout against Page, he suffered a six round KO loss as Page’s size and boxing ability wore him down and he suffered the first stoppage loss of his career. Regarded as one of the harder punchers in the division at this time, Daniels had an impressive KO rate early in his career, but as he has stepped up his competition he has been taken the distance more frequently. Ranked as high as number 2 in June of this year, many concede that Daniels has probably risen as far as he will go.

Page v Daniels: Having fought each other twice previously, both victories to Page one by unanimous decision and the other a six round KO, there is not much that these two fighters do not know about each other. Page is the much bigger man and in their last encounter in June he bullied Daniels around the ring and had his way with the game battler. Most see this bout ending in much the same result, the variable being Page’s dedication to training which has been lacking previously, most notably in his latest bout with Audley Harrison. Daniels has a punchers chance, but don’t expect this fight to last the distance.

Righetti v Clark: This is the bout which intrigues most of the fight games avid watchers with Righetti still a largely untested fighter. Clark is most certainly a chin gauge and if Righetti survives a long bout here, many will see that as a sign that the young Italian will present problems for Page. Righetti’s last bout against Layne showed him struggling with Layne’s early power, before he took control of the bout in the middle rounds. Righetti does have some power though and Clark a history of falling to well timed counters. The bookies favor Righetti by a late round stoppage and it is hard to go past their logic.

The marquee match up for the great prize of the championship would be between Greg Page and Alfio Righetti. Page would go in as the favorite; however there would be many Italian Americans in the audience and around the nation that will be following the underdog. Righetti will trouble Page at times with his reach and height, but Page has the edge in pure boxing talent and power and will eventually overwhelm Righetti and win by late stoppage or a decision win going away. The great variable being the 15 round distance as no fighter has had to go that distance as yet and it will be hard to tell which fighter it favors, if any, till we reach the thirteenth round.

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 7, November 1902

Daniels Santos used his elevation to the rankings to go in search of fame and glory by taking out the biggest fish in the Middleweight Ocean in Mike O’Dowd. O’Dowd is the acclaimed best Middleweight on the planet (only waiting for WWBU accreditation of that claim in the form of a championship belt). Santos, a young slugger who is all heart and confidence, and has shown significant power in all his lead in bouts. O’Dowd has never been floored before so is known as having a top level chin. The boxing pundits think that he is taking this fight too early in his career, but the ever confident Santos has shrugged off the journalists concerns. In other intriguing battles, the two top featherweights, Jaime Garza and Vuyani Bungu will fight and in a potentially very important bout Middleweights George Abrams and Rocky Mosley Jr. will be in the ring to help determine the middleweight pecking order.

October In Review

The experts were not convinced that Daniel Santos (#6, 15-2-0), was ready to be thrown in with a battle tested veteran like Mike O’Dowd (#1, 25-0-1), who not only has the edge in experience, but is also is considered the best fighter in the division. The experts were right, however Santos made the fight much closer than many thought he would. It was obvious from early on in the fight that Santos was struggling to find range on his bombing right hand, as O’Dowd boxed rings around him, building a large early lead. The fifth saw the first glimmer of hope for Santos as O’Dowd seemed to be trying to take a round off and Olivares finally was able to find a target for his heavy fists. O’Dowd corrected his ways in the sixth and seemed to be cruising once again, when Santos landed a fully loaded right hand that sounded like a gunshot off of O’Dowd’s chin. The St Paul Cyclone was suddenly on the canvas for the first time in his so far glorious career. Regaining his feet at the end of the eight count he would manage to last the final 30 seconds of Santos’ onslaught to take his seat at round’s end.

With new respect for his young opponent, and a will to get out of the ring with this potentially dangerous man, O’Dowd went on the attack in the seventh absorbing a wicked right hand from Santos to land a cascade of leather. O’Dowd would move up another gear in the eighth and ninth and Santos was unable to go with him as O’Dowd beat him to the punch repeatedly. O’Dowd went back into his shell after that, allowing Santos to regain his confidence of earlier in the fight, and in most ringside experts views taking the tenth and eleventh, before a blistering minute of activity in the twelfth by O’Dowd put any thoughts of come from behind win on ice. The judges scored the fight 115-112, 114-113 and 116-111 all for the victor Mike O’Dowd. In another year or so, a rematch could be a blistering display of boxing between two talented fighters. In the co-main event, Mexican Bantamweight sensation Ruben Olivares (15-0-0) emerged onto the world stage on the under card with convincing 6 round demolition job on previously undefeated slugger Ronnie Jones (12-1-1).

Two nights later, the two highest ranking Featherweights would take centre stage as Jaime Garza (#1, 17-1-1), and Vuyani Bungu (#2, 15-2-1) fought to an entertaining but controversial draw. The fight looked like it was going to be fizzer early, as Garza stunned Bungu with a hard right and had Bungu befuddled through the remainder of the round. Bungu would box on the outside in the second and it was this style that showed Garza’s weaknesses as a fighter with Bungu picking him apart. The rounds seemed to be passing Garza by as he was seemingly beaten by a million punches, however near the of the fifth Garza landed a big hook flush on Bungu’s chin, stunning him and drawing him into a slugfest in a corner. The next two rounds saw some furious action as first Garza then Bungu would have the upper hand.

The eighth round saw the crowd rise to its feet in appreciation as Garza forced Bungu to the ropes pummelling him badly, but just as the bell was to be rung Bungu put Garza on the mat with an uppercut. Garza beat the count as the bell tolled, but looked badly hurt as he headed to his corner. Bungu put Garza down again in the ninth, before Bungu decided to defend his way to the win, which would prove to be a costly decision. Garza would come on strong in the tenth and eleventh, before Bungu took the twelfth. With the ringside experts predicting a close but unanimous win for Bungu, it was a shocker when the crowd found that the judges were hopelessly undecided with scores of 114-114, 114-112 for Bungu and 114-112 for Garza. A poor reflection on judging souring what was an entertaining and hard fought bout. On the same night, in an important crossroad fight, Rocky Mosley Jr. (#3, 16-3-2), would loose to George Abrams (#2, 20-4-0), putting his future as a serious title contender in doubt. In a defensive fight Mosley Jr. held a slight lead after six rounds. However, Mosley Jr. seemed to lack condition to go the full 12 rounds and Abrams took over the second half of the bout to take a comfortable win.

The two top ranked Bantamweights fought for bragging rights as Felix Friedemann (#1, 17-5-0), and Jiro Watanabe (#2, 16-1-0). In a scrappy start to the fight Watanabe had control of the bout, fighting smartly from outside, keeping Friedemann on his heels with a hard right hand every time he tries to attack. After three rounds of this treatment, Watanabe stepped up the pace and punished Friedemann through the next two and half rounds before the referee steps in and stops the contest in Watanabe’s favour. Lightweight top contender George Lavigne (#1, 20-1-1) looked in devastatingly good touch as he KO’d Sean Mulroy (0-2-1) in the first round. Light Heavyweight #1 Michael Bennett (21-1-0) cruised to an easy, unanimous points win over Davey Moss (0-2-1) despite seemingly not training as hard as he could.

Results of Note
FW Jaime Garza #1 17-1-1 Draw Vuyani Bungu #2 15-2-1
MW Mike O’Dowd #1 25-0-1 UD12 Daniel Santos #6 15-2-0
BW Jiro Watanabe #2 16-1-0 TKO6 Felix Friedemann #1 17-5-0
LW George Lavigne #1 20-1-1 KO1 Sean Mulroy 0-2-1
MW George Abrams #2 20-4-0 UD12 Rocky Mosley Jr. #3 16-3-2
BW Ruben Olivares 15-0-0 TKO6 Ronnie Jones 12-1-1
FW Gerardo Espinosa 13-0-0 KO10 Jackie Graves 11-1-0

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Greg Page
2. Alfio Righetti
3. Jimmy Clark
4. Frankie Daniels
5. Kevin Isaac
6. Audley Harrison
7. Rex Layne
8. Tom Kennedy

No Change

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo
3. Leslie Stewart

Leslie Stewart joins the rankings at number 3.

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Vergil Cooper
4. Rocky Mosley Jr.
5. Eric Lucas
6. Robin Reid
7. Daniel Santos

Mosley Jr. falls to number 4 after his loss to Abrams and Santos falls to seventh with his loss to O’Dowd.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Billy Backus
3. Reuben Shank
4. Packy McFarland

McFarland joins the rankings at number 4.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jiro Watanabe
2. Felix Friedemann
3. Ruben Olivares

Watanabe takes top spot with his win over Friedemann and Olivares debuts at number 3.

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

Now we are all up to date, the next issue of WWBU Monthly will be issued in the next week.

Cheers,
Mark

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 8, December 1902

November saw the start of the Heavyweight World Title Tournament, with some very surprising results. With the public concentrating on the two important HW clashes several important battles were overshadowed. Ruben Olivares will carry the hopes of Mexico on his shoulders when fights Jiro Watanabe for the top ranking in the Bantamweight division. In a important eliminator undefeated welterweight Billy Backus fights the always tough Packy McFarland. Also in an important crossroads bout, Vergil Cooper and Eric Lucas would maneuver for rankings as the Middleweight division moves ever closer to the world title becoming active.

November In Review
The main event of the month would involve the two most decorated fighters in the Heavyweight Champion of the World, however in a stunning result Greg Page (27-1-0) suffered a DQ loss to Frankie Daniels (24-4-0). These two fighters had met twice previously to this bout, with Page taking both fights, the most recent a sixth round knockout win. Page started on fire, battering Daniels around the ring. The second round was slightly more subdued as Page looked for the picture perfect KO punch, but third saw the referee almost step in too stop the slaughter with the Daniels skulking back to his corner and Page stalking him as he paced waiting for the onslaught to continue. Page had been warned twice in the earlier rounds for roughhouse tactics, but when he felled Daniels with a low blow the referee had no option but disqualify him to the stunned silence of the fans in the stands and the outrage of Page’s corner. The police moved quickly to protect the officials and Daniels’ corner from missiles from the crowd but several got through and Daniels’ wife was badly gashed by a well aimed iron filling that was callously thrown from the stands. Page had to be physically removed from the ring as he ranted and raved his way back to the dressing room. Daniels, after recovering from his felling, could not believe his luck as he slowly realised that he would be fighting for the championship in a couple of months time.

In the co-main, the second semi final of the Heavyweight World Title Tournament took place with Alfio Righetti (21-0-1) taking a decision win over a battered Jimmy Clark (18-7-0). Clark started the contest on fire with an opening two minute burst that had Righetti looking overwhelmed by the circumstances, but Righetti began to emerge from his shell as the round ended. The second stanza saw a grand round of action as several significant blows found their way home, with Clark maintaining a slight edge in effectiveness at the bell. The next two rounds saw good exchanges as Righetti continued to establish his game plan on the fight. Clark seeing the way the fight was travelling came out steaming in the fifth and had Righetti in trouble against the ropes early in the round, but Righetti ate the punishment before landing a succession of clean crosses and hooks that result in Clark landing on the canvas for an eight count. Righetti kept his head and boxed beautifully over the next 5 minutes of action. Late in the seventh round a nasty cut had opened above Clark’s right eye, which Righetti had clawed at for a couple of minutes needed to be checked by the ringside physician before getting the all clear to continue the bout. Righetti would show flashes the rest of the way but largely cruised his way to the final bell. The judges all saw the bout as a unanimous decision for the young Italian by scores of 116-111, 116-112 and 115-112. Also in action that night Flyweight #1 contender Little Dado (19-1-0) was far too talented for Robert Burdine (1-3-1) who gamely chased the fleet footed Dado around the ring to no avail.

The fight for the honour of being top dog in the Bantamweight division, number 1 ranked Jiro Watanabe (17-1-0), stuns the previously undefeated Mexican, Ruben Olivares (#3, 15-1-0) with a first round KO. In their first meeting Olivares, in his typical cavalier style, starched Watanabe in the second round, with the ref stepping in to save the Japanese fighter. In the early stages of the round, it looked as though Olivares was out for a repeat performance as he stalked Watanabe around the ring. After catching up to Watanabe, the Japanese star would grab and hold Olivares prompting the referee’s intervention. Near the 2 minute mark it appeared as though Watanabe hit Olivares with an intentional head butt, which stunned Olivares, Watanabe then followed up with a wicked assault that culminated with an overhand right that landed flush. Olivares gamely tried to regain his feet, as the referee counted, but he was unable to stand up and the ref counted him out on his knees.

A battle between two fighters who figure to matter in the Welterweight division, Billy Backus (#2, 16-1-2) would find Packy McFarland (#4, 16-3-0) packing too much firepower. Backus, who was undefeated through 18 fights, fought a clever outside fight in the early stages of the bout. However McFarland began to catch him in the fifth round, before flooring him for the full measure with an uppercut in the seventh round. In a bid to work his way back to contender status Eric Lucas (#5, 20-4-1) wins a vindicative unanimous decision over the tricky Vergil Cooper (#3, 18-3-0). In the first meeting between these two fighters, Cooper blew Lucas away with a torrid two round TKO victory. Lucas starts the bout on fire, putting Cooper on the back foot with a consistent offense. But Cooper hit back hard and threw six Lucas held a very narrow lead on most experts cards. From that point on Lucas’ greater stature and bulk seemed to wear on Cooper, who while he had flashes of power, could not effectively counter Lucas. Lucas takes the bout with the unanimous decision 117-111, 115-114 and 116-112.

Results of Note
HW: Frankie Daniels #4 24-4-0 DQ4 Greg Page #1 27-1-0 – HW World Title Tournament
HW: Alfio Righetti #2 21-0-1 UD12 Jimmy Clark #3 18-7-0 – HW World Title Tournamant
BW: Jiro Watanabe #1 17-1-0 KO1 Ruben Olivares #3 15-1-0
WW: Packy McFarland #4 16-3-0 KO7 Billy Backus #2 16-1-2
MW: Eric Lucas #5 20-4-1 UD12 Vergil Cooper #3 18-3-0
FLY: Little Dado #1 19-1-0 UD6 Robert Burdine 1-3-1
LHW: Fred Lenhart 7-1-0 SD8 Don LaLonde 14-1-0
FW: Ricardo Cardona #3 16-1-1 UD8 Joe Newell 1-5-0
LHW: Victor Robledo #2 17-3-0 SD8 Marcus Antill 2-7-0
BW: Leo Espinosa 11-0-0 MD10 Chan-Yong Park 10-1-1
MW: Johnny Wilson 9-0-0 UD8 Denny Moyer 11-1-0
MW: Charley Burley 14-0-0 TKO2 Timmy Bermuda 0-1-1

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Frankie Daniels
2. Greg Page
3. Alfio Righetti
4. Kevin Isaac
5. Audley Harrison
6. Jimmy Clark
7. Rex Layne
8. Tom Kennedy

Daniels takes #1 spot with his shock win over Greg Page (#2), Jimmy Clark falls to #6 after his loss to Alfio Righetti.

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo
3. Leslie Stewart
4. Jacob Mofokeng

Mofokeng joins the rankings at #4 with his 15th win.

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Eric Lucas
4. Rocky Mosley Jr.
5. Vergil Cooper
6. Robin Reid
7. Daniel Santos

Lucas rises to #3 based on his win over Vergil Cooper, who falls to #5.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Packy McFarland
3. Reuben Shank
4. Billy Backus

McFarland moves to #2 after defeating Billy Backus, who falls to #4.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jiro Watanabe
2. Felix Friedemann
3. Ruben Olivares

No Change

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 9, January 1903

Another month full of action in the WWBU ranks as fighters jockeyed for position in the rankings and anticipation built for the Heavyweight title fight that will be taking place as you read this edition. Jaime Garza and Ricardo Cardona was the biggest fight on the offing, with the Featherweight division still someway from having an active WWBU world title the loser may still figure into the initial title tournament picture. Also in an previously unheralded event on the 22nd of December, Middleweight Charley Burley won his 15th fight to become the eighth ranked fighter in the division. The WWBU announced the next day that the top four fighters would face off in eliminators in February 1903 to determine who will fight for the Middleweight crown.

December In Review

The month’s biggest attraction was in the Featherweight division with a long anticipated fight between Jaime Garza (#1, 18-1-1) and Ricardo Cardona (#3, 16-2-1) saw Garza once again stop a skilful opponent. Garza started the fight well swarming Cardona in the first round and landing with some hard right and left hands. By the half way mark of the round the momentum shifted and Cardona visibly seemed to work out Garza’s style, managing to stylishly jab and thrust his way through Garza’s porous defence. The opening of the second stanza looked to be a continuation, with Cardona successfully avoiding Garza’s hard salvos while landing his own counter punches. But it only takes one opening for a murderous puncher like Garza to win, and when that opening came he took the opportunity and landed a full force left hook that left Cardona prone for the full measure.

An important crossroads fight was on the offing as the highest profile Heavyweight action of the month with Kevin Isaacs (#4, 20-9-0) fighting the perennially frustrated Audley Harrison (#5, 22-5-0). Through the first third of the bout Harrison boxed intelligently and patiently, waiting for opportunities to use his height, weight and reach advantages to their fullest. The fifth round saw Harrison start to throw the leather with abandon as he had Issaacs hurt several times during the round. Harrison continued on at the start of the sixth, but sensing the bout slip through his fingers Isaacs fought back hard and even took the round on some cards, the first he arguably took for the fight. The seventh round was uneventful, but the eighth saw Issacs land a thunderous right on the bell to end the round that had Harrison in some trouble. Issacs had spent all his credit and Harrison took over in the last four rounds, Issacs doing all he could to just avoid going to the canvas. The judges had the bout 116-112 (x2) and 117-112 all for Harrison the winner by unanimous decision.

In other action, important eliminator took place, with the Middleweight title soon to be become active, Rocky Mosley Jr (#4, 17-3-2) completely outboxed and outfoxed his less experienced, only sometimes explosive Daniel Santos (#7, 15-3-0), who has failed in both attempts to move into the top 4 in the Middleweight division. Welterweight star Felix Trinidad (#1, 21-1-0) had a brief struggle with Danny Carswell (0-1-1) before stopping in the fourth round. LW kingpin George Lavigne (21-1-1) took his time figuring out Johnny Irving (1-6-0) before finishing him off with a devastating sixth round attack that had the young fighter all but out against the ropes before the referee stepped in. FLY #1 Little Dado (20-1-0) took on Richard Frame (1-2-0) to stay in ring shape, after a somewhat cautious start, Dado opened up in the second stanza forcing the referee to step in to save Frame. Top Bantamweight Jiro Watanabe (#1, 18-1-0) put Chris Knighton (1-1-0) down in the first round and the bout was never really in doubt after that. LHW contender Jacob Mofokeng (#4, 16-2-0) struggled to defeat the dogged Albert Cauley (2-5-1).

Other Results of Note
HW Rex Layne #7 16-5-0 UD12 Tom Kennedy #8 15-7-0
MW Charley Burley 15-0-0 UD10 Alex Hilton 13-7-0
WW Sharmba Mitchell 15-0-0 MD10 Fritzie Zivic 12-2-0

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Frankie Daniels
2. Greg Page
3. Alfio Righetti
4. Audley Harrison
5. Kevin Isaac
6. Jimmy Clark
7. Rex Layne
8. Tom Kennedy
9. Denver Ed Martin

Harrison takes #4 ranking after defeating Issac who slips to #4. Martin joins ranings at number 9.

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo
3. Leslie Stewart
4. Jacob Mofokeng

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Eric Lucas
4. Rocky Mosley Jr.
5. Vergil Cooper
6. Robin Reid
7. Daniel Santos
8. Charley Burley

Burley joins rankings at number 8. Eliminators set for World title, O’Dowd versus Mosley Jr. and Abrams to take on Lucas.

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Packy McFarland
3. Reuben Shank
4. Billy Backus
5. Sharmba Mitchell

Mitchell joins the rankings at number 5.

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jiro Watanabe
2. Felix Friedemann
3. Ruben Olivares

No Change

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvarez

No Change

[Gunsmoke]

WWBU Monthly,
Volume 10, February 1903

It was finally here, the crowning of the first Heavyweight champion in WWBU history. While it was not the glamour match up of two undefeated fighters that some where hoping for (because of Page’s disqualification). The event still had boxing fans everywhere anticipating fight night. The Italian superstar, Alfio Righetti was the raging hot favourite, but as discussed before he is susceptible to early power (see his three first round knockdowns in his career) and Daniels has power that can worry even the best chins. It would be a month to remember as the WWBU really caught the imagination of the fans.

Title Bouts

13-01-1903 HW World Title
The biggest bout to this point of WWBU still nascent history featured the top ranked Frankie Daniels (#1, 24-5-0) taking on Italy’s boxing hero Alfio Righetti (#3, 22-0-1) for the WWBU Heavyweight title. Daniels was somewhat fortunate to find himself in the title bout when he was losing to Greg Page when Page was disqualified for his frequent fouling. Meanwhile Righetti struggled in the very early going against Jimmy Clark before establishing his game plan and cruising his way to a clear unanimous decision victory. It would appear the Daniels would need to catch Righetti early in the fight if he were to take the championship, with experts expecting an easy win for Righetti.

Unfortunately for fight fans everywhere Daniels appeared to believe he was lucky to be in this position and had sabotaged his chances by coming in looking positively obese. Righetti jumped on him from the outset and dominating the action till Daniels catches him with a hard right hand midway through the second round. Righetti was visibly hurt as he once again showed susceptibility in the early going. Righetti would survive the round and then take over the bout as he boxed rings around his under prepared opponent with swelling starting to be a significant factor from the fourth round as a result of all the strong rights he was eating. Righetti was never troubled from there, knocking Daniels down in the eighth and winning all rounds except the 14th on his way a dominant 148-136, 148-136 and 148-136 unanimous decision. Righetti is the first crowned champion of the WWBU.

Other Results of Note
HW Rex Layne #7 17-5-0 UD6 Mick Cornell 2-2-0
LHW Jacob Mofokeng 17-2-0 UD4 Ian Moss 1-1-0
MW Robin Reid #6 16-1-0 TKO4 Sean Becker 1-4-0
WW Reuben Shank #3 16-3-1 UD8 Randy Kimber 2-5-0
FW Baby Arizmendi 10-0-0 SD8 Leo Roy 11-1-0
BW Jiro Watanabe #1 19-1-0 KO4 Graham Millard 1-3-0
FLY Rosendo Alvarez #2 16-4-0 UD4 Duncan Demery 0-1-1

Current Rankings and Analysis

Heavyweight Division
Champ – Alfio Righetti
1. Frankie Daniels
2. Greg Page
3. Audley Harrison
4. Kevin Isaac
5. Jimmy Clark
6. Rex Layne
7. Tom Kennedy
8. Denver Ed Martin

Righetti wins the World title with his win over Daniels.

Light Heavyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Michael Bennett
2. Victor Robledo
3. Leslie Stewart
4. Jacob Mofokeng

No Change

Middleweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Mike O’Dowd
2. George Abrams
3. Eric Lucas
4. Rocky Mosley Jr.
5. Vergil Cooper
6. Robin Reid
7. Daniel Santos
8. Charley Burley

No Change

Welterweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Felix Trinidad
2. Packy McFarland
3. Reuben Shank
4. Billy Backus
5. Sharmba Mitchell

No Change

Lightweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. George Lavigne
2. Jack McAuliffe

No Change

Featherweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jaime Garza
2. Vuyani Bungu
3. Ricardo Cardona

No Change

Bantamweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Jiro Watanabe
2. Felix Friedemann
3. Ruben Olivares

No Change

Flyweight Division
Champ – Vacant
1. Little Dado
2. Rosendo Alvanrez

No Change