The International Boxing League

[kenyan_cheena]

ALL EYES ARE ON CONNECTICUT...

Thursday 12 September 2002

During the past 24 hours much of the talk in the world of boxing had focused on the agreement between HBF President Michael Vincennes and IBL Chief Director James Molk to inject significant funds into the amateur side of the sport. Tonight that issue took a back seat to what has been the most anticipated matchup of series one of the International Boxing League's World Championship regional qualifiers, the Welterweight clash between Olympic gold medallist Ray Leonard and Florida's James Ray.

Born in North Carolina but raised in Maryland, the charismatic Leonard came into the tournament as the favourite to be crowned the IBL's inaugural Welterweight World Champion but had some major bad luck when he was drawn to take on James Ray on debut. The cousin of HBF competitors and Florida Alliance founders Elmer Ray and Terone Haynes impressed everyone who laid eyes on him during the league's Miami selection trials and is regarded by most observers as the second-best Welterweight in the United States behind Leonard, despite his lack of amateur experience.

The Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut was the venue for this much-hyped contest. The entire Florida Alliance entourage had made their presence known during the past few days, with all but James Ray himself only arriving in Ledyard on Sunday from Japan. Fresh from celebrating both the victory of Terone Haynes in the final of the HBF's South-East Asian Boxing League tournament and the 23rd birthday of Alliance member Romy Alvarez, they were in an upbeat mood. In particular Alliance leader Elmer Ray had been very vocal, talking up his older cousin's chances of success against Leonard.

"Jus' gonna be too fas', y'all," said Elmer at Monday's press conference. "Jimmy got the quickes' fists in the IBL, man. Ain't no doubtin' that. Your boy Leonard gonna fin' it hard matchin' him. Yeah, the brother won gold but he ain't ever face anyone like J, y'all. Jimmy Ray gonna shock the world come Thursday night."

Both men had looked in superb shape at yesterday's weigh-in, the barbs flying back and forth between the two camps. Nothing came of it, but the IBL had plenty of security on hand to ensure avoiding anything approaching the famous "Manchester Incident" of late March, which the Florida Alliance were involved in.

Unsurprisingly some of the biggest names in entertainment were present at ringside, the prospect of seeing a possible preview of the league's Welterweight World Championship bout attracting such superstars as Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Samuel L. Jackson, amongst others. What was surprising was the sight of Heavyweight Boxing Federation president Michael Vincennes and his wife, also at ringside. To date the bosses of boxing's two competing organisations have avoided being seen at each other's events but Vincennes had obviously made an exception in this case. Many had speculated that the amateur agreement between the HBF and IBL would be merely a prelude to an eventual merger and the sight of Vincennes in the crowd at an IBL fight card will only stoke those flames in the days to come.

***

Following the completion of the evening's co-feature between Meldrick Taylor and hometown favourite Marlon Starling the level of nervous anticipation in the arena spiked, each of the main event's competitors being backed strongly by sections of the sold-out casino. James Ray made the walk to the ring first, the boombastic assault of Public Enemy's "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" exploding from the arena's speaker system. He wore a robe of black with touches of red and white, the other six members of the Florida Alliance - Elmer Ray, Terone Haynes, Oliver McCall, Tommy Gomez, Romy Alvarez and Ariel Reyes - surrounding him, Elmer Ray out front with his left fist raised, head nodding. James Ray looked determined, confident and ready to throw down against the Olympic Champion.

By comparison, Leonard's entrance was much more low-key. He didn't have a bloated entourage, just his corner crew. All of them were dressed in white with thin red trim, Leonard looking calm and composed. Once he stepped between the ropes he eyed his opponent, bouncing on his toes and maintaining the gaze for some ten seconds. Ray returned the glare, his cousin Elmer favouring Leonard with a dark intensity. Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce Knowles performed the Star-Spangled Banner, receiving a warm round of applause before the two combatants were brought together in the centre of the ring for the pre-fight instructions...

(To be continued, with a round-by-round account of the fight from the New York Sun's Peter Roman)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Following is a round-by-round account of Ray Leonard vs James Ray, as detailed by Peter Roman of the New York Sun...

***

I have to say that this bout qualifies as one of the most eagerly awaited I've covered since competition in the HBF started back in January. The atmosphere here in the Foxwoods Resort Casino is something to behold, the anticipation thick in the air.

Both of these young men stand 5'10" but the 21 year-old Florida native weighed-in three pounds heavier at 147. It shows on his more muscular frame, Leonard all wiry and long by comparison. While Leonard appears laid-back and almost serene, Jimmy Ray looks ready to explode, like steam is going to start shooting from his ears at any moment. The sweat is bubbled viciously across his forehead, his trunks the now familiar Alliance colours of black, red and white. Leonard's are white with thin red piping, his surname stenciled around the waistband in red.

Referee Freddie Hernandez calls the two combatants to the centre of the ring and Leonard is smiling at Ray, who clearly doesn't appreciate what he takes as a sign of disrespect. Ray spits a couple of words Leonard's way before Hernandez steps in, telling the two to return to their corners...

ROUND ONE

The crowd are on the edge of their seats by the time the opening bell sounds and as the round progresses it's clear that this fight is a matchup of two of the most defensively able fighters in the IBL. Both are showing promising aggression, unloading lightning-fast combinations and probing with flicking jabs, but most of their shots miss. It's truly akin to one of those fights in a martial arts movie where each combatant can't land a telling blow. James Ray appears to have the better of the early going but Leonard lands the biggest punch of the round, a hard right that snaps Ray's head around and brings applause from the audience fifteen seconds before the bell.

***

Some in the crowd are a bit restless, perhaps expecting a more explosive start. Personally, I thought it was a fascinating opening round. It's clear that both men are aware of each other's abilities, aware that one mistake could see them on their backsides on the canvas. If this fight remains a chess match, I'm all for it. I'll have to give that opening round to the Florida native because, even though Leonard connected with that big right hand, Ray was the busier of the two to that point.

Roman's scorecard for Round One: James Ray 10-9

Punch Totals, Round One

James Ray: 12/78 (.154)
Ray Leonard: 9/31 (.290)

ROUND TWO

Leonard steps up his aggression in the 2nd frame, catching Ray with a solid left-right salvo early in the round. But the defensive prowess of James Ray has a bunch of boxing experts at ringside mouths agape. His ability to slip Leonard's punches, to parry and roll with them, in addition to his footwork, is magnificent. One of Leonard's strengths during his amateur career was his punching accuracy. His hand speed won him a bunch of fights but he's surely never come up against anyone who has been able to avoid his offensive overtures with such ease.

The Florida Alliance member sticks a hard left jab in Leonard's face midway through the round, the punch backing up the Olympic Champion. Ray looks fantastic, moving forward with confidence and now he tags Leonard with a blinding flurry that has the crowd on their feet as round two draws to an end. James Ray thumps his chest and shouts as he moves back to his corner.

***

It would be true to say that, to date, neither the HBF or IBL has held a bout featuring two fighters of such high talent. I can only wonder what these two will do when they come up against a lesser level of opposition, but against each other they are showing what it will take to emerge as a World Champion. I'm going to give that 2nd round to James Ray, also. Leonard may have increased his aggression but Ray maintained his. He also made the Maryland native look incapable of landing a punch for much of the round.

Some time ago Florida Alliance leader Elmer Ray said that James Ray is the most talented of the entire entourage. Tonight he's showing that those words have a distinctly truthful ring about them. Elmer, Terone and the other members of the entourage have been very vocal with their encouragement at ringside and they stood and applauded with the round's completion.

Roman's scorecard for Round Two: James Ray 10-9
Roman's scorecard after Round Two: James Ray 20-18

Punch Totals, Round Two

James Ray: 17/69 (.246)
Ray Leonard: 8/76 (.105)

Punch Totals after Round Two

James Ray: 29/147 (.197)
Ray Leonard: 17/107 (.159)

(to be continued!!!)

[Romdawg88]

WAY TO GO JAMES!!!! This is going to be it, this is going that big win in a high profile bout that the Alliance just hasn't been able to get yet.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

WAY TO GO JAMES!!!! This is going to be it, this is going that big win in a high profile bout that the Alliance just hasn't been able to get yet.

Glad you're enjoying it, Romy. The rest of the fight will be posted by this time tomorrow, along with the undercard highlights.

[Brooks TVB]

I gotta pull for Leonard. Did Ray hire Mcnamee to train him or what?

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #442)

ROUND THREE

During the intermission, Leonard's trainer Janks Morton has told his charge in no uncertain terms to get his act together. On the other side of the ring James Ray looks all hyper, as if he can't wait to get back into the action. The 3rd travels a path similar to round two, but if anything Ray only improves on his efforts while Leonard is strangely subdued. His trainer continues to encourage him, calling him "Sugar" Ray and imploring him to be more aggressive.

James Ray's highlights include a booming left-right combo a minute in, some effective body work and a series of pinpoint jabs that have Leonard on the back foot. Ray nods his head confidently and eyeballs the Olympic Champ following the bell, some in the audience applauding while others are somewhat stunned by the way the bout is progressing.

***

My, my, my. Is it possible that another Olympic Champion is going to taste defeat on debut? James Ray looks absolutely fantastic here through three rounds. Everything that has been written and said about him seems to be right on the mark. Ray Leonard is going to have to seize control of this contest immediately, even just to salvage a draw.

Roman's scorecard for Round Three: James Ray 10-9
Roman's scorecard after Round Three: James Ray 30-27

Punch Totals, Round Three

James Ray: 17/83 (.205)
Ray Leonard: 7/51 (.137)

Punch Totals after Round Three

James Ray: 46/230 (.200)
Ray Leonard: 24/158 (.152)

ROUND FOUR

Once again, Morton tears into Leonard, asking him if he's serious about winning the fight or not. The trainer's frustration is clear to see, Leonard looking perturbed. He comes out much more enthusiastic and aggressive in the 4th, an extra spring in his step. Perhaps a minute in Jimmy Ray connects with a hard uppercut, the shot forcing Leonard into a clinch. But from that moment on the Olympian controls the round, appearing to be "into" the fight to a greater extent than in any of the previous three rounds.

A nice pair of hooks sends the sweat flying from Ray's head, Leonard starting to get in a groove now. In contrast to the previous rounds he's now making James Ray miss, Leonard showing excellent evasive skills with, at times, his arms tauntingly at his side. He finishes the round with his best work of the fight, a solid right hand followed up with a smashing uppercut that stuns the Florida native for the first time in the bout. Leonard has him trapped in a neutral corner as the round draws to a close and tags him with a left-right combo just before the bell. The crowd is excited by Leonard's promising rally, many of them hopeful that he can get himself back in the contest.

***

A solid three minutes there for Leonard, easily his best of the fight. Not that it surprises me, as it would be an absolute shock to have seen him go through the bout without winning a round. It'll be interesting to see if he can build on this in the 5th. This fight is really at an interesting point because James Ray must know that a good finish will secure it for him while Leonard has to keep on pressing and maintaining the pressure.

Roman's scorecard for Round Four: Ray Leonard 10-9
Roman's scorecard after Round Four: James Ray 39-37

Punch Totals, Round Four

James Ray: 6/64 (.094)
Ray Leonard: 15/80 (.187)

Punch Totals after Round Four

James Ray: 52/294 (.177)
Ray Leonard: 39/238 (.164)

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

ROUND FIVE

Leonard looks so much more confident as he comes out for the 5th, as if all he needed was that good effort in round four to kick himself into gear. The round opens slow, neither man prepared to launch any offense of note before Leonard finds the target with a winging right, snapping Ray's head around. But the 21 year-old fires back immediately with a straight right, catching Leonard square on the nose.

Ray challenges Leonard to move in and when the Marylander does he tags his man with a stiff jab, Ray's head jolting backwards. My, Leonard is a different fighter to those opening rounds and James Ray better keep his wits about him if he wants to avoid disaster. Leonard catches him with a huge uppercut! That was the biggest punch of the fight, without doubt! Ray is staggered and he backs off! He's definitely shaken and Leonard fires out a trio of jabs, the final two landing. James Ray shakes his head and flicks out a couple of jabs of his own.

The round is winding down and Leonard lets his hands go now, a left and a right scoring and a hard left hook bouncing off Ray's head! This fight has finally exploded here in round five and the crowd are loving it! The bell sounds and Ray Leonard walks back to his corner with both hands raised.

***

There's no doubt about it, Ray Leonard is in this fight up to his eyeballs. James Ray looks to be tiring now, either that or he thought it was all over after the 3rd because both of these men have taken a 180 degree turn in the last two rounds. Having appeared so in control in round three, Ray now looks frustrated, perplexed. He shouldn't be because he fought a great fight through those first three rounds. If he can get back to that in the final stanza he should win but Leonard will be carrying a load of momentum with him into the 6th.

Roman's scorecard for Round Five: Ray Leonard 10-9
Roman's scorecard after Round Five: James Ray 48-47

Punch Totals, Round Five

James Ray: 12/34 (.353)
Ray Leonard: 27/71 (.380)

Punch Totals after Round Five

James Ray: 64/328 (.195)
Ray Leonard: 66/309 (.214)

ROUND SIX

Another indication of how much this fight has turned. Early on it was Leonard's trainer berating his charge, now Ray's trainer and father Marlon is the one doing the pleading. "Don't you let this one get away from you, Jimmy Ray," he says sternly. The two fighters touch gloves to start the final round, the crowd on their feet in ovation. The action is fast and frantic, both men clearly going all out in this final stanza. Leonard finds the mark with a flush left hook early before Ray plants a right hand square on Leonard's chin about a minute in.

Ray steps in and connects with a hard uppercut, a mask of determination showing on the Florida slugger's face. Both men are throwing now, standing toe-to-toe in the centre of the ring and it's Leonard who emerges from the exchange with the advantage! As the final minute of the fight dawns Leonard snaps the jab out, a pair of shots on target. The crowd is in heavy voice, cheering for whoever they're supporting in this thrilling contest. Once again Leonard is able to land that jab, James Ray's defenses not what they were earlier in the fight.

It appears that Leonard is the one finishing the stronger, Ray only able to poke out his jab while Leonard is looking to land the harder punches. He works the body and then tags Ray with a jolting right cross. The timekeeper signals the final ten seconds but Leonard doesn't back off. He swings for the fences one last time, a big uppercut missing Ray's chin by an inch. The final bell tolls and the two combatants embrace, exchanging words of admiration and respect. The crowd are up on their feet applauding as the two corner crews and media representatives flood the ring.

***

I'm sorry to say this about James Ray but I think he's blown it. Ray Leonard took that final round in a manner every bit as convincing as his efforts in the 5th, so as far as I can see this bout is going to be a draw. However, the judges might see those earlier rounds as being closer than I did, so you never know. What a great fight. Maybe some people will look at the punch totals and say it wasn't anything special, but they'll be missing the point entirely. We can only hope that these two young men go deep into the World Championship tournament because a twelve or even a fifteen rounder between them would be something to see...

Roman's scorecard for Round Six: Ray Leonard 10-9
Roman's scorecard after Round Six: 57-57, a draw

Punch Totals, Round Six

James Ray: 11/83 (.133)
Ray Leonard: 27/102 (.265)

Punch Totals after Round Six

James Ray: 75/411 (.182)
Ray Leonard: 93/411 (.226)

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Five minutes later the ring was crowded to capacity, IBL Chief Director James Molk amongst the dozens of people crammed in there. Ray's fellow Florida Alliance members had climbed between the ropes, also, and they congratulated him on his showing. Soon after ring announcer Sam Taub had the scorecards in his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have tallied their scorecards and here is the decision," began Taub. "Judge Lee McCowan of the USA scores the bout 59-55 ... to Ray Leonard."

This verdict was greeted with a round of boos from a significant portion of the crowd, Taub waiting for the unrest to settle before continuing.

"Judges Don O'Neil and Julie Lederman, also from the USA, have both scored the fight 57-57. The verdict in tonight's main event is a draw!"

This was much more palatable to the crowd, most of them applauding what they felt was a fair verdict.

"Gave me a big scare," said a relieved Leonard. "The guy is quick, he's got a great defense and he's aggressive. That's a great combination and it's just a mystery to me how he barely fought as an amateur. He made me work my butt off just to get level and avoid defeat and I think he's gonna be go far throughout this tournament."

Ray was left to lament his drop in intensity during the bottom half of the bout.

"Let the brother back in, y'all," he said, shaking his head. "Had it in the bag, man. In the bag an' I let it slip away. Damn, we was so close. Don't know, y'all. Guess I got lazy those las' couple rounds. But all cred' to the brother, you know? He fought back hard. Got big respec' fo' him and I wish him all the bes' fo' the res' o' the tourney."

Elmer Ray offered his own take on the fight.

"Think Leonard was a little shock'd at the start, y'all," he said. "Jimmy's hand speed maybe freak him out some, see? But as it go on he adjust and the brother finish strong, no doubtin'. Gotta say it was a killer fight, y'all. J do us proud, man. He do us proud. He show all o' y'all he gonna be a force in the IBL, man. He push the bes' Welterweight in the worl' to the brink on debut. That's damn impressive, y'all. Damn impressive."

It must be said that this fight lived up to the hype. Both men showed that they'll be right in the mix throughout the tournament and it will be fascinating to see how they perform in their upcoming bouts. No doubt, Leonard will be hoping for some easier competition in series two...

UNDERCARD HIGHLIGHTS

* Olympic bronze medallist Billy Graham had hoped to kick the night off with a victory. The New Yorker appeared to do his part but the judges decided that his Canadian opponent Maxie Berger had done enough to earn a draw, the scorecards reading 58-58, 60-56 (Graham), 58-58.

Neither man would be accused of being a power puncher, but it seemed that the judges were more impressed by some of the hard shots that Berger was able to land throughout the fight with the South African judge awarding him the 4th (where Graham had outlanded him 51-18) and the 5th, during which Graham threw 100 more punches.

Graham found it difficult to comprehend the verdict, asking more than once for a recount of the cards. He landed 167 of 521 punches (.321), Berger 91 of 291 (.313). The verdict was heavily booed by the crowd, some of them launching into a continuous chant of "Highway robbery!"

* Brash, outspoken New Yorker James "Buddy" McGirt has said on more than one occasion that his primary goal during these regional qualifiers is a victory over Olympic Champion Ray Leonard. McGirt lost to Leonard in the Sydney selection trials and has been burning to gain some semblance of revenge ever since.

Tonight McGirt made his professional debut against the tough Mississippi native Eddie Perkins, who had impressed IBL scouts at the Houston selection trials. After an exciting tussle the quick-fisted Perkins emerged as a split decision victor, overcoming a spirited performance from McGirt to take the win by a 59-57, 57-59, 59-57 verdict.

It wasn't the start that McGirt was hoping for and he could have been accused of looking beyond his talented opponent, despite the effort he gave. Some of the statements he made leading into the evening indicated that his focus was not squarely on Perkins. The victorious Mississippi native landed an impressive 181 of 503 shots (.360), McGirt finding the mark with 132 of 438 (.301).

* Hometown favourite Marlon Starling gave the crowd a great memory to take home with them when he defeated Philadelphia's Meldrick Taylor by unanimous decision in the evening's Co-Feature (59-55 on all three cards). Starling floored Taylor with a smashing left-right-left combination midway through the opening round and controlled the fight through until the final stanza, where Taylor rocked him with a series of combinations and power punches trying for a miracle knockout.

While neither man is expected to qualify for the World Championship tournament, Starling in particular showed enough to indicate that he could provide plenty of nuisance value as the regional qualifiers progress.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2002
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO, LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA

IBL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
REGIONAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT, SERIES ONE
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
REGION: NORTH AMERICA EAST


OPENING BOUT

Billy Graham D6 Maxie Berger

PRELIMINARY 1

Johnny Greco UD6 Clyde Gray

PRELIMINARY 2

Johnny Saxton MD6 Vic Cardell

SUPPORT BOUT

Eddie Perkins SD6 James McGirt

CO-FEATURE

Marlon Starling UD6 Meldrick Taylor

MAIN EVENT

James Ray D6 Ray Leonard

***

Series Two Matchups...

MELDRICK TAYLOR (0-1-0) vs CLYDE GRAY (0-1-0)
JOHNNY GRECO (1-0-0) vs RAY LEONARD (0-0-1)
EDDIE PERKINS (1-0-0) vs MAXIE BERGER (0-0-1)
BILLY GRAHAM (0-0-1) vs VIC CARDELL (0-1-0)
JOHNNY SAXTON (1-0-0) vs MARLON STARLING (1-0-0)
JAMES RAY (0-0-1) vs JAMES MCGIRT (0-1-0)

[Romdawg88]

Damn, I really thought James was going to win that fight but Leonard just took it from him in those final three rounds. It ain't getting any easier for James next round either as McGirt will be a tough out as well.

[Brooks TVB]

Leonard v Ray was a great fight. Great story too Kenyan.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, I really thought James was going to win that fight but Leonard just took it from him in those final three rounds. It ain't getting any easier for James next round either as McGirt will be a tough out as well.

When you made your excited post after I posted the first two rounds I could only think "You're going to be disappointed, Romy." It's getting crazy how close the Alliance has been to a big win but they just keep coming up short. Yep, I think McGirt will give him plenty of trouble. Leonard's gonna have a much easier time.

Originally Posted by Brooks TVB

Leonard v Ray was a great fight. Great story too Kenyan.

Thanks for the kind words, Brooksie. It's always good to see you active around here.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

When you made your excited post after I posted the first two rounds I could only think "You're going to be disappointed, Romy." It's getting crazy how close the Alliance has been to a big win but they just keep coming up short. Yep, I think McGirt will give him plenty of trouble. Leonard's gonna have a much easier time.

Man, after I read the fourth round description I had this sense of dread that Ray was going to blow it and it just kept growing as I read the rest of the fight until the end. I was really disappointed that Ray couldn't win that fight, the Alliance just hasn't been able to break through in the big moments.

[kenyan_cheena]

LEONARD-RAY SETS NEW RATINGS RECORD

Friday 13 September 2002

Last night's HBO broadcast of the International Boxing League fight card from Connecticut has set a new record for boxing television ratings with 16.4 million viewers tuning in to watch the event. This figure surpassed the previous record of 15.6 million which occured back on May 31 for one of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's cards. HBO programming director Milt Jacobs was ecstatic about the news this morning.

"The IBL has been achieving really strong ratings ever since competition in their tournaments kicked off a couple of weeks ago," he said. "Their first card topped 15 million and a some others have come close. But last night was just incredible."

The card at Ledyard's Foxwoods Resort Casino was headlined by the much anticipated Welterweight clash between Olympic gold medallist Ray Leonard and Florida Alliance member James Ray. The bout ended in a draw after Leonard fought back in its bottom half, overcoming early struggles to avoid defeat. James Ray's cousin and fellow Alliance member Elmer Ray was in the main event of the May 31 card that previously held the ratings record so it's clear that the Florida Alliance is quite a draw card.

"The fight really caught the public's imagination," said Jacobs. "You had the charismatic young Olympian who is regarded as the best Welterweight in the world and the inexperienced but fantastically talented James Ray, who many think is capable of challenging Leonard for that world's best title."

It seems a forgone conclusion that the next card to feature Leonard and Ray, scheduled for five weeks from now, will also prove a ratings bonanza for Home Box Office...

[kenyan_cheena]

BRAWL ERUPTS AFTER
CONTROVERSIAL STOPPAGE IN LONDON

Friday 13 September 2002

Police have had to make several arrests following a wild brawl at an International Boxing League fight card at the London Arena tonight. The evening had progressed without trouble until the final round of the main event when the Welterweight bout between local favourite Ted Lewis and the hopelessly outclassed German Reinhardt Kohler was stopped due to a severe cut that had opened over Lewis' right eye.

Lewis had dominated the fight in comprehensive fashion up to that point, taking a 50-45 lead on all three scorecards into the final round and outlanding Kohler 206-55, landing an incredible 76 punches in the 4th round alone. However, Kohler had been able to cut him in round three and despite the efforts of Lewis' corner, the wound was still ripe for the picking during the 6th. Kohler made the most of the opportunity, a left hook worsening the cut a minute into the round. Moments later Lewis was directed to the ring doctor who declared the fight over, Kohler a shock winner by TKO.

It wasn't long before scores of Lewis fans had launched into a chorus of boos, disgusted with the doctor's decision. Plastic beer cups (some full, some not) and food were soon being hurled into the ring, the fighters, corner crews, referee and other officials rushed from the arena. Security tried to disperse the crowd but the scene quickly turned ugly, a full-blown brawl exploding out amongst the crowd. Police were called in to quell the situation, which they did quite promptly.

A clearly shaken Lewis was interviewed in the change rooms afterwards, the 16 year-old expressing his dismay over the crowd's behaviour. He showed great maturity in the face of such a disappointing defeat, blaming himself for the outcome.

"I had the fight won," Lewis said, shaking his head. "All I had to do was stay outside but I kept being aggressive and gave him a chance. I paid for it and taught myself a tough lesson."

IBL Chief Director James Molk was not available to comment on the incident but will no doubt have something to say during the next 24 hours. It was the second boxing-related brawl that has taken place in an English venue following the "Manchester Incident" involving HBF fighters back in March.

***

Fighting in the Co-Feature 23 year-old Frenchman Roger Menetrey scored an easy unanimous decision win over Australia's Liam Maghee (59-56, 60-55, 59-57). Menetrey impressed IBL scouts during the May selection trials with his aggressiveness and punching power and will no doubt be one to watch as the Future Contender series continues.


SUMMARY OF RESULTS
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2002
LONDON ARENA, LONDON, ENGLAND

IBL FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION - GROUP TWO, SERIES ONE


OPENING BOUT

Luther Rawlings MD6 Michael Watson

PRELIMINARY 1

Stanley Hayward MD6 Jonty Coetzer

PRELIMINARY 2

Frederico De Souza D6 Sang-Hyun Kim

SUPPORT BOUT

Gerardo Morales UD6 James Page

CO-FEATURE

Roger Menetrey UD6 Liam Maghee

MAIN EVENT

Reinhardt Kohler TKO6 Ted Lewis

[Jeff1787]

I sure enjoy your write-ups.....