The International Boxing League

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Great stuff as always, it'll be interesting to see how the trials turn out and see what the lineups for the divisions are going to be.

I finally made some more progress with picking the fighters this weekend.

The lineups for Light-Heavy, Middle and Welter are finalised. I'm currently halfway through selecting the Lightweights.

It's been a much more difficult task than I first thought. Certain nations and regions aren't that strong in different weight divisions, so I've had to make a number of fictional fighters to fill in the gaps.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I finally made some more progress with picking the fighters this weekend.

The lineups for Light-Heavy, Middle and Welter are finalised. I'm currently halfway through selecting the Lightweights.

It's been a much more difficult task than I first thought. Certain nations and regions aren't that strong in different weight divisions, so I've had to make a number of fictional fighters to fill in the gaps.

Sweet, thats good that you making progess. About those fictional fighters any top of the line guys or will they be mostly filler middle of the road cats?

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Sweet, thats good that you making progess. About those fictional fighters any top of the line guys or will they be mostly filler middle of the road cats?

A mix of both. It gives me an opportunity to introduce some fictional characters who will be successful, which will also happen in the HBF when you and the other guys who signed up make your presence known.

[kenyan_cheena]

Lightweights finished. Now just the Featherweights and the IBL initial roster will be set.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #39)

In Los Angeles, Heavyweight Boxing Federation competitor Sam McVey made a surprise appearance at the jam-packed Staples Center for the first of the IBL's American selection trials. McVey accompanied a pair of close friends and likely IBL competitors to the trials and dismissed the possibility that his employers would be upset with his presence at an IBL event.

"It's all boxing, man," said the undefeated 8th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament when interviewed by ESPN reporter Jaqueline Meadows. "I'm here to support my boys. If Mr. Vincennes can't appreciate that, too bad, man."

McVey went on to introduce his two friends: 20 year-old Los Angeles-born Middleweight James Toney and 18 year-old fellow Oxnard native Roberto Garcia, a Lightweight.

Considered one of the most talented boxers in the nation, Toney fell short of a spot on the Olympic team when he was beaten by Pittsburgh's Harry Greb in the selection semi-final. Greb was then surprisingly KO'd by Michael Spinks in the final, who famously went on to achieve Olympic gold for the USA in Sydney.

"I'm looking forward to some redemption, some payback," said Toney confidently. "I'm tellin' you right now, James Toney is gonna be the last man standing when the Middleweight tournament is over. See what Spinks did? The brother moved up to Light-Heavy because he knows that the Middleweight division'll be too hot for him."

Born just four months apart, Garcia and McVey grew up in the same Oxnard neighbourhood and have been friends since their early teens.

"He's like a big brother, you know?" said Garcia. "We've grown up together. We started boxin' together and I'm really excited that we'll both be fighting professionally at the same time. The future is real bright for us, I gotta say."

Garcia is regarded as perhaps the most powerful puncher amongst the American Lightweights, something that did him little good when he ran into eventual gold medallist Pernell Whitaker early during the Olympic selection trials. Whitaker clearly outboxed the Californian and Garcia will be hoping to turn the tables in the professional ranks.

"Just watching Sammy V's first four fights has given me so much inspiration," Garcia said. "I feel that I have a good shot at winning the World Championship. I wouldn't be competing if I didn't."

Toney and Garcia are just two of the many hopefuls present at the IBL's Californian selection trials. No doubt, the coming week will unearth a plethora of Pacific coast boxing talent for the IBL to run their gaze over...

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

Previous post has been edited and expanded.

I'll be doing another post tonight (Friday night Oz time, about seven hours from now) to wrap up the summary of the start of the selection trials (Manchester, Osaka, Buenos Aires) and then tomorrow I'll get back into the HBF and also finalise the IBL roster.

Of course, the rosters won't be revealed until the selection trials are over, but I'll give plenty of hints and confirmations along the way as to the makeup of them.

k_c

[Romdawg88]

Cool, great stuff as always KC. The Greb/Toney fight if it goes down should be all kinds of fun, of course I wonder how long before Toney ends up as a 270+ tub of fat in the HBF.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #45)

***

There was an atmosphere akin to that of a rock concert in Osaka today as the Japanese selection trials commenced. It had been reported last Friday that some 300 people were already camped out in front of the Osaka Dome in anticipation of the trials and the number of people on hand today was more than triple that amount.

A bronze medallist in the Middleweight division at the Sydney Olympics, Tokyo's Koichi Wajima caused quite a stir amongst the crowd when he made an appearance early in the day. He addressed the large audience, wishing them all the best of luck.

"I hope that as many Japanese boxers as possible qualify for the IBL's roster," Wajima said. "The world knows how much we love this sport as spectators, but I'd love it if they saw how much we can excel in it as competitors."

A number of other well-known amateur fighters were in attendance, including Featherweights Mitsonuri Seki and Kazuo Takayama and Lightweight Jaguar Kakizawa.

"We knew that this would be one of the most popular trials, but just seeing how many people are here today is astonishing," said International Boxing League Chief Director Raymond Bell. "It's actually beyond what we were expecting. Who knows? Perhaps one of the IBL's first World Champions is out amongst this huge crowd."

Indeed, who knows? With the level of excitement for the sport in Japan, it would not be a great surprise to see one of the nation's countrymen crowned as an inaugural International Boxing League World Champion...

***

The IBL's South American selection trials kicked off at the Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where a healthy turnout was expected.

The locals lived up to those expectations, with the enthusiasm that the Heavyweight Boxing Federation has stirred for the sport in the country benefitting the IBL.

It's a given that South America is a region that will produce many of the league's finest fighters, especially in the lower weight divisions. One such fighter, Olympic Featherweight bronze medallist Sergio Palma was present and he made a passionate speech to his fellow Argentinians.

"We've all seen the achievements of Oscar Bonavena and Gregorio Peralta," said the 21 year-old Palma. "But we also know that they are just the start of what our great nation can achieve in this sport. I am so proud that I'll have the chance to represent Argentina in the boxing ring. I want to wish each and every one of you the best of luck for the coming week."

One of the men Palma mentioned, HBF World Championship tournament 18th seed Oscar Bonavena actually sent a letter of encouragement for all those in attendance at the trials. He said he would have loved to be there, but training for his vital upcoming 17 May fight against Tony Alongi prevented him from doing so. When the letter was read out, it elicited applause from the gathered audience...

***

To say that the first day of Britain's IBL selection trials was eventful would be something of an understatement. The MEN Arena in Manchester, England is the venue for the trials and based on today's happenings, it could be a heated week.

Amongst the many in attendance were two men who had a history prior to today. Both hailing from London, 24 year-old Nigel Benn (a Middleweight) and Jamaican-born Welterweight Lloyd Honeyghan (21 years old) have trained at the same gym for the last two years and its been said that during that time a bitter animosity has grown and festered between the two.

Apparently, when Honeyghan started training at the gym back in 2000, Benn did not take kindly to his presence. Both men are talented boxers, and the Middleweight felt that his status as the gym's top dog was being threatened by the brash, admired youngster who many had started calling the "Ragamuffin Man".

This has led to Benn making a number of attempts to drive the Jamaican out of the gym, all to no avail. Honeyghan has taken Benn's invective in his stride, his easy-going island attitude serving to only amplify Benn's disdain.

Today, both fighters showed up at the Arena accompanied by dozen-strong entourages. Their paths did not cross during the morning's medical and fitness check-ups, but once the two camps came across each other in the afternoon, it wasn't long before fireworks ensued.

The wild brawl that took place was, of course, instigated by a member of Benn's entourage, who spotted one of Honeyghan's dreadlocked companions. It's fortunate that none of those involved were armed, or the incident could have had a deadly outcome. As it was, the two camps gave each other a pretty severe beating. Ironically, the two fighters themselves were not involved in the melee, as they were preparing to take part in the first series of sparring sessions.

Even so, this news will not please IBL Chief Director James Molk. It's only three weeks since Mexican fighters (and bitter enemies) Salvador Sanchez and Vicente Saldivar were involved in a similar brawl at a Mexico City nightclub. These continual incidents will surely have a negative impact on the public's perception of the International Boxing League...

[Ian Lord]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Cool, great stuff as always KC. The Greb/Toney fight if it goes down should be all kinds of fun, of course I wonder how long before Toney ends up as a 270+ tub of fat in the HBF.

Excellent line there Rom about Toney. Great stuff KC.

It's a pity that Honeyghan and Benn are different weights. A fight between those two would be an absolute classic. But, you never know, maybe they'll have a catchweight contest to settle their differences!!!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ian Lord

Excellent line there Rom about Toney. Great stuff KC.

It's a pity that Honeyghan and Benn are different weights. A fight between those two would be an absolute classic. But, you never know, maybe they'll have a catchweight contest to settle their differences!!!

A distinct possibility...

[Romdawg88]

Have to love it, the IBF hasn't even fully selected it's roster but they've alright had plenty of fights go down. While the Sanchez/Salidivar brawl helped further a fued that will score the IBF some good ratings when the fight comes off I'm sure Molk would be pleased with far less action until the real boxing starts. One out of the ring brawl is ok, two or more is pushing it abit on the public image front.

[kenyan_cheena]

Ah, sweet relief! I've finally selected the entire 600 man roster for the IBL.

The next step is to determine which selection trial each of them will be picked from...

[kenyan_cheena]

MOLK MAKES SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT ON IBL SCHEDULING

Tuesday 7 May 2002

Speaking at a specially arranged news conference in Johannesburg, where he is overseeing the International Boxing League's South African selection trials, IBL Chief Director James Molk has made an announcement concerning the league's scheduling, an announcement that has created an immediate difference between the way the HBF and IBL will run their Championship tournaments.

"As you are aware, the Heavyweight Boxing Federation has a system with their tournaments where all the competitors have been seeded according to an estimate of their talent," said Molk. "These seedings allow for the top four seeds in each of their groups to avoid fighting each other early in the tournament. Just last night, the federation held a fight card where the top three seeds in the World Championship group all improved their records to 4-0. They have not had to fight each other yet because of the HBF's scheduling policy. They have "protected" - I guess that's the best word to use - the top seeds, allowing them to start their careers in bouts against fighters that they should realistically defeat."

Molk paused to take a sip of water before continuing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a policy that the International Boxing League will not be implementing," said Molk. "We will not be seeding the fighters in our World Championship qualifying tournaments and as a consequence of this, it will be entirely possible that the two fighters who are considered to be the best in each regional group could fight each other in their debut bout!"

This brought an astonished commotion from the gathered media, several journalists all trying at once to get questions in. Molk ignored their pleas and continued.

"Of course, anybody who knows anything about scheduling sporting events knows that planning is involved. What we will be doing is allocating each fighter in each group a random number from one to twelve. We have a schedule of matchups for each of the eleven fight cards for the regional qualifiers, where for example fighter number one fights number two, three fights four, five fights six, and so on. One of these eleven schedules will be picked at random for each fight card in each regional group in all five of our weight divisions, so the number allocated to each fighter will determine who he fights in each series of the tournament. As an example, I can reveal that both Salvador Sanchez and Vicente Saldivar will be in our Mexico regional group for the Featherweight division qualifiers. Let's just speculate that Sanchez is allocated number five and Saldivar number nine. If the first fight card schedule selected features the matchup between number five and number nine, these two men, who as you would probably know share a mutual hatred of each other, would be fighting each other in their debut bout! This is the type of thing that could not have happened with the HBF's scheduling. Of course, it's also entirely possible that they won't fight each other until their eleventh bout, or their tenth or sixth. The answer will not be known until the schedules are revealed. That is something that will be done five weeks prior to each fight card. This means that the International Boxing League's contestants will not be able to simply look at their schedule and know that they have a number of fights ahead of them that they are confident of winning. Oh, no. They will have to wait to see who they will go up against. I believe that this scheduling policy will cause a lot of excitement amongst the boxing following public also, in addition to bringing in the definite possibility of some classic, exciting, World Championship calibre matchups in the early stages of our qualifying tournaments."

With that, and despite the protestations of the gathered media, Molk excused himself, stating that it was now time for him to return to the Carnival City Big Top Arena for the commencement of the second day of the South African selection trials...

[kenyan_cheena]

Coming up in the IBL:

A full review of the first week's selection trials from Johannesburg, Manchester, Osaka, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles!

[kenyan_cheena]

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH:
IBL TRIALS UNVEIL TREASURE TROVE
OF WEST COAST BOXING TALENT

Friday 10 May 2002

A quartet of classy Middleweights, a flashy Welterweight and a talented, previously unknown of Light-Heavyweight from Arizona are numbered amongst the most impressive of what has been a plethora of boxing talent on show during the past five days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Yes, the first week of selection trials for the International Boxing League's World Championship tournament regional qualifiers have almost come to a close, and it would be true to say that the league and it's officials have been overwhelmed by the quantity of skilled boxers that have discovered in Los Angeles.

"Simply unbelieveable," said IBL Chief Director Douglas Moran. "Of course, we knew that this particular trial would be hugely popular. But we have honestly underestimated the level of boxing talent that this region possesses. Just in the Middleweight division alone, there's four fellas who are seriously of World Championship calibre. It's mindblowing."

Those "four fellas" are 20 year-old local James Toney, 19 year-old Texas-born Terry Norris (who lives in Campo), 21 year-old San Franciscan Freddie Apostoli and a 22 year-old from Fresno named Bert Lytell. To say that the rivalry between the four of them during these past five days has been intense would be a gross understatement. Each of them has done everything they can to impress during some seriously heated amateur style bouts, while Norris and Toney, the more extroverted of the quartet, have engaged in some major league trash talking.

"I just don't know what's gonna happen when they actually get in the ring with each other for real," said Moran. "The pride and desire and determination to be the best is just palpable. They have just been literally working their asses off."

18 year-old Jack Thompson is one of a number of Los Angeles natives (in addition to Toney) that have caught the eye of IBL scouts. Having only boxed in a handful of amateur bouts during the past year, the 5'8" Welterweight impressed with his quick hands and feet, proving an evasive opponent. He is blessed with excellent defensive skills and the enthusiasm was evident when Moran spoke about him.

"That kid is like grease lightning," Moran said, laughing. "Most of those guys he was in against barely laid a hand on him. He's just full of pep and he's also got some good power in those fists of his."

Without a doubt, though, the most fascinating and, apparently, most talented of all the fighters the IBL has seen this week is an 18 year-old Los Angeles-born, Prescott, Arizona resident who goes by the name of John Henry Lewis. If the modest young man is to be believed, he's never boxed seriously in his life prior to this week. But just a look at the notes taken on him by IBL scouts during the sessions of the past few days paint a picture of an individual with talent to burn:

* Speed of a Welterweight
* Great aggression
* Power in both hands
* Excellent defence
* This kid has never boxed before???

"It's just intriguing, because no one had heard of him before this week," Moran said. "But he's real, has tremendous talent and he's a perfect gentleman."

Another Light-Heavyweight that will surely be included in the league's regional qualifiers is the accomplished amateur from San Jose, Eddie Booker. Like Middleweight slugger James Toney, Booker was unsuccessful in his attempt to find a position on the 2000 Olympic team, losing to eventual Silver medallist Bob Foster in the selection final. But he has shown during the past five days that he's still as determined to make a mark in the sport.

"Yeah, Eddie will definitely be there," Moran said. "I don't think I'll get in trouble for saying that, because it's obvious what a talent he is. Just thinking about the makeup of that Light-Heavyweight division is scary."

Scary, indeed. With Olympians Bob Foster and Michael Spinks already confirmed starters and with talent the likes of Lewis and Booker, competiton in the division, just amongst the United States fighters, will be fierce.

"These past five days have just made us completely re-evaluate how huge this thing is gonna be," said Moran. "And I'm just speaking on what we've seen here in Los Angeles. Who can say how much talent we'll have unearthed worldwide by the time the trials are through?"

[kenyan_cheena]

MANCHESTER MASTER:
DRISCOLL ON FIRE AT IBL SELECTION TRIALS

Friday 10 May 2002

Back during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Welsh Featherweight Jim Driscoll was heavily favoured to take out the Gold medal but was sensationally stopped by Panama's Ernesto Marcel in the tournament's second round. It was a disappointment that Driscoll was slow to recover from, having been considered, along with Mexico's Salvador Sanchez, the form Featherweight boxer in the world going into the Games. The manner of Marcel's victory didn't make it any easier to handle.

The Panama native had sent Driscoll to the canvas with what many considered something of a lucky, desparation punch, a looping right hook that caught the Welshman flush on the jaw early in round three. Driscoll was up at five but Marcel made the most of his opportunity, swarming the still groggy favourite and pounding him into submission, a trio of smashing right hands leaving the referee with no option but to stop the contest and save Driscoll from further harm, 1:23 into the round.

Driscoll recently admitting that he had, at just 20 years of age, considered giving up on the sport after his Olympics disaster. He didn't step back into the ring until midway through 2001. Despite his lingering disappointment, it didn't take long for him to get back into a groove, winning a pair of amateur tournaments in Europe before the year was through.

He continued his good form into the new year but when James Molk introduced the International Boxing League to the world in early April, the decision was an easy one for Driscoll. He announced the next day that his amateur career, which had spanned close to 300 fights, was over and he would be turning professional immediately.

Well, it now appears certain that Driscoll has finally left those Olympic demons behind him. This week, he has been the man to watch at the IBL's Manchester selection trials, showing skills that many observers believe will take him all the way to the World Championship bout.

"He's got it all," said the IBL's European representative, Malcolm North. "A masterful defense, superb boxing skills and he's one of the smartest ring technicians I've ever seen. You can see that he's always one move ahead of his opponent. And I'll just add, he's as fit and as tough as they come. He's going to be huge, there's no doubt about that."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

The Cardiff-born Driscoll may have been the most impressive of all those who have trialed in Manchester this week, but he is by no means the only one to have garnered positive feedback. Another Featherweight by the name of Naseem Hamed really turned some heads with his unusual fighting style and combination of "stunning power, excellent hand speed, and slick defense" (quote taken from IBL scout's notes). This 19 year-old from Sheffield, England is brash, loud and confident and has brought some light-heartedness to what has been at times a tense five days.

"He's an exciting fighter," said North. "And he's injected some fun into the proceedings. He's a charismatic kid, a character and I have a feeling people are going to either love him or hate him."

A 20 year-old Cornwall native, Light-Heavyweight Bob Fitzsimmons has also drawn much praise from scouts. He displayed a super effective punching style during his bouts, landing short, damaging blows that put a number of opponents on their backsides. He's also considered to be one of the fittest of all those who have come into consideration during the trials.

"Those punches of his are like mule kicks," North said. "And they're so short and sharp and fierce. He's really something to see."

There's another trio of fighters who have made a name for themselves this week, including a man who was in the news back on Monday. Middleweight slugger Nigel Benn has emerged at these trials as the premier fighter in his division, showing an aggression and hunger to succeed that others have been unable to match. That's despite the incident of Monday, when members of his supporting entourage clashed with those of Jamaican-born Welterweight Lloyd Honeyghan. The two men train at the same London gym and share a mutual animosity and Benn will surely take some enjoyment from the fact that he appears to have impressed the IBL scouts to a greater degree than his adversary.

The scouts have also had good things to say about Scottish Lightweight Ken Buchanan and London-born Welterweight Ted Lewis. Buchanan has an excellent defense and one of the most superb left jabs some of these scouts have seen.

"It's a thing of beauty," said IBL scout Dave Brown. "Just like a piston, the way he pumps it out there. It'll be a difficult punch for his opponents to solve, that's certain."

Lewis has drawn plaudits for his aggression and all around punching ability. He seems to lack knockout power, something that his swarming, voluminous style will most likely compensate for.

"We are really happy with how the week has progressed," said North. "We've unearthed some fighters who will really give those regional qualifiers a shake and some others who have a lot of potential for the future."

[Romdawg88]

I'm really digging the way the scheduling for the IBF is going to be set up that should lead to some fun times. As for the tryouts great stuff as always.

[kenyan_cheena]

PROMISING WELTERWEIGHT DUO
IMPRESSES AT BUENOS AIRES TRIALS

Friday 10 May 2002

Coming into this week's opening selection trials, the International Boxing League had modest expectations in regards to what the Buenos Aires stopover would unearth. No one would be silly enough to believe that they would be besieged by the best boxing talent the world has to offer, but five days into the trials and the league's officials have been pleasantly surprised by what they have found here.

"Much better than we expected," said IBL Chief Director Stephen Joseph. "A lot of it has to do with the contageous enthusiasm that the trialists have shown, but there's also some real, serious talent here."

Amongst that talent is a pair of Welterweights who will surely be competitive in the league's regional qualifiers: 19 year-old Nicolino Locche and 23 year-old Ubaldo Sacco.

Locche, born in Las Heras, Mendoza, has impressed the IBL's scouts with a defensive ability that must be seen to be believed, one that frustrated his opponents during the dozen trial bouts he's been involved in.

"They just can't hit the guy," said IBL scout Dick Jamison. "I've never seen such evasiveness before. He'll be tough to beat, that's certain. And he has a bit of smart ass to him, also."

Indeed, Locche was not shy when it came to showing his pleasure at making his opponents look foolish,