The International Boxing League

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ric915

As always KC love the write ups in this uni

Thanks, Ric. Here's the next one!

SALDIVAR IMPRESSES AGAIN

Friday 1 November 2002

Olympic gold medallist Vicente Saldivar duplicated his pro debut efforts by scoring another 4th round stoppage victory tonight at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Saldivar pounded his opponent Juan Meza throughout the contest and floored him twice in round four, the first coming from a perfect uppercut a minute in and the second after a thudding shot to Meza's ribcage almost a full sixty seconds later. Meza struggled to his feet but when Saldivar went on the attack soon after referee Lupe Garcia jumped in to save Meza from any further punishment, the fight over at the 2:07 mark.

There's no doubt that Saldivar has been a man on a mission in his first two professional bouts. In eight rounds of work he's landed an average of 31.6 punches per stanza while his opponents have only connected with 8.8. During the post-fight interview he challenged his "sworn enemy" Salvador Sanchez to produce a performance "every bit as electrifying" when Sanchez stepped out in the big main event against Ruben Olivares. Considering the talent of Olivares it was probably an unfair challenge and although Sanchez was unable to stop him the tussle was an absolute classic with Sanchez winning by unanimous decision (58-55, 59-54, 58-55).

Sanchez sent Olivares to the canvas twice, once early in the 3rd with a jolting left hook and then again with a flurry of shots late in the 4th. Those two knockdowns guaranteed his victory because otherwise it was a close, fiercely competitive contest. The fight featured not just one but two absolutely classic rounds. In the 2nd Olivares came out swinging early and caught Sanchez with some powerful shots before the Olympic Champion rallied superbly in the bottom half of it, the crowd going crazy throughout. Then in the 5th they repeated the dose, Sanchez once again fighting back after Olivares had jumped on him early.

While Saldivar and Sanchez are both 2-0 Olivares remains winless at 0-1-1. He's considered #3 in the pecking order of this particular regional group and takes on the lightly regarded and similarly winless Clemente Sanchez next month. It's a bout he should win and must win to get his campaign on track.

[kenyan_cheena]

CRIQUI OVERCOMES KOTEY,
IMPROVES TO 2-0

Saturday 2 November 2002

Frenchman Eugene Criqui turned back both a hostile audience and a determined effort from his opponent Dave Kotey to score a split decision victory in the main event of tonight's IBL fight card in Accra, Ghana (58-57, 57-58, 58-57). Criqui appeared to be in control after dominating the opening two rounds but, backed by strong support from his home crowd, Kotey rallied in the final four rounds to almost steal a victory. But his efforts weren't quite good enough and he fell to 0-2, both defeats being by split decision. In comparison Criqui has had split decision wins in his two outings and will no doubt take some confidence from them.

Earlier in the evening the trio of British competitors who are favoured to fight it out for 1st place in the group all improved to 2-0. England's Naseem Hamed seemed to be toying with South Africa's Welcome Ncita on the way to a unanimous decision win (59-55, 59-56, 59-55) while his compatriot Nel Tarleton had something of a tougher time in overcoming the fiery Irishman Barry McGuigan. Tarleton looked in trouble after the opening two rounds but he fought back superbly to take a 58-56, 57-57, 58-56 majority decision verdict. In the co-feature the outstanding Welshman Jim Driscoll punished Nigeria's Rafiu King throughout, sweeping the scorecards to win by unanimous decision (60-54 x3).

Tonight's card brought series two of the IBL's regional qualifiers to an end and it had a sting in its tail as it was revealed after the main event that Driscoll and Hamed will clash in series three. No doubt, it promises to be an intriguing contest and is one to definitely look forward to...

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 3 November 2002

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE FIGHT CARDS
MONDAY 28/10/2002 - SUNDAY 03/11/2002 INCLUSIVE

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
SERIES 2 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
& FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES


MONDAY 28/10/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - CARIBBEAN
SABINA PARK, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

VICTOR CALLEJAS D6 CIRO MORASEN
FERNANDO BATISTA UD6 ANTONIO RIVERA
LEO CRUZ SD6 JOSE LEGRA
ROBERT BROWN MD6 MIGUEL BERRIOS
JUAN LAPORTE SD6 NESLEY HAVEN
TYRONE BURTON D6 ELIGIO MONTALVO


TUESDAY 29/10/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - ASIA/OCEANIA
SYDNEY SUPERDOME, HOMEBUSH BAY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

KAZUO KOBAYASHI UD6 JOHNNY FAMECHON
SOO-HWAN HONG UD6 KAZUO TAKAYAMA
SEUNG-HOON LEE UD6 MITSUNORI SEKI
DONG-KYUN YUM UD6 GENARIO TORRES
ALBERT GRIFFITHS UD6 JOHNNY JAMITO
JEFF FENECH UD6 SAMART PAYAKAROON


WEDNESDAY 30/10/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - SOUTH AMERICA
ESTADIO NORTE, ROSARIO, ARGENTINA

RICARDO CARDONA UD6 ANTONIO HERRERA
RICARDO GONZALEZ UD6 RAFAEL ORTEGA
ANTONIO ESPARRAGOZA TKO1 DANIEL BLANCO
ERNESTO MARCEL UD6 VICTOR LEON
EUSEBIO PEDROZA UD6 RUBEN PALACIOS
CRUZ MARCANO D6 SERGIO PALMA


THURSDAY 31/10/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - USA/CANADA
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO, LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA

DAVID DONALD UD6 SOLLY SMITH
ART HAFEY SD6 KENNEDY MCKINNEY
MAURICE LINCOLN TD4 FREDDIE MILLER
TERRY MCGOVERN MD6 KEITH NANCE
KEVIN KELLEY UD6 GEORGE DIXON
WILLIE PEP UD6 JOHNNY KILBANE


THURSDAY 31/10/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 1
GRAN STADIUM, HAVANA, CUBA

RAY FAMECHON UD6 LUIZ FEOLA
RICARDO MORALES UD6 JACK WOLFE
STEPHEN MORRIS MD6 CARMELO NEGRON
HOWARD WINSTONE D6 CARLOS MENDOZA
JOSEPH SADDLER TKO4 ALAN SIGURDSEN
ALBERTO MARTINEZ UD6 JOE TETTEH


FRIDAY 01/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - MEXICO
ESTADIO AZTECA, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ UD6 CLEMENTE SANCHEZ
DANIEL ZARAGOZA UD6 FILI NAVA
RAMON PEREZ MD6 RICARDO MORENO
JUAN ESTRADA D6 RAUL CRUZ
VICENTE SALDIVAR TKO4 JUAN MEZA
SALVADOR SANCHEZ UD6 RUBEN OLIVARES


FRIDAY 01/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 2
FORT WORTH CONVENTION CENTER, FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA

STEVIE CRUZ MD6 EVERETT RIGHTMIRE
JESAN VALENZUELA D6 MASASHI KANEDA
DELRON KHUMALO UD6 GRACIEUX LAMPERTI
FERNANDO TAVAREZ UD6 BRUNO ALVES
ALBERTO ARIZMENDI UD6 ROLLY SANTIAGO
PAUL JORGENSEN UD6 FERNANDO ZAMACOLA


SATURDAY 02/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - EUROPE/AFRICA
ACCRA SPORTS STADIUM, ACCRA, GHANA

HOGAN BASSEY MD6 SHAUN SMITH
NEL TARLETON MD6 BARRY MCGUIGAN
RUDEL DIETRICH TKO6 LORIS STECCA
NASEEM HAMED UD6 WELCOME NCITA
JIM DRISCOLL UD6 RAFIU KING
EUGENE CRIQUI SD6 DAVEY KOTEY


SATURDAY 02/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 3
ADAMS MARK HOTEL, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

RUBEN CASTILLO UD6 CLAUDIO REDONDO
JUAN SANCHEZ SD6 DWIGHT HAWKINS
JORGE JIMENEZ SD6 PATRICK FORD
ANUCHA THONGLAO UD6 GENE SMITH
GEORGE SMITH UD6 AUBURN COPELAND
BENNY BASS UD6 RYAN PARKER


SUNDAY 03/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 4
ERICSSON STADIUM, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

JET BALLY SD6 HELMUT MULLER
JIMMY PERRIN MD6 MARK FORREST
KIYOSHI HATANAKA UD6 RONNIE CLAYTON
JOHNNY DUNDEE UD6 FRANCOIS SALVATERRE
CHRISTOPHER BATTALINO UD6 MASAMI NAGAI
CHRIS MULLIGAN UD6 TERRY SPINKS

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 3 November 2002

INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 04/11/2002 - SUNDAY 10/11/2002 INCLUSIVE

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
SERIES 3 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
& FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES


MONDAY 04/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL
WRIGLEY FIELD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

WILFIE GREAVES vs TED WRIGHT
GREG MOE vs RONNIE HARRIS
FRANK BATTAGLIA vs STANLEY KETCHEL
HARRY GREB vs PAUL PIRRONE
MIKE O'DOWD vs JAKE MORRISON
CHARLEY BURLEY vs TONY ZALE


TUESDAY 05/11/2002

REGIONIONAL QUALIFIERS - EUROPE
MILLENIUM DOME, LONDON, ENGLAND

MARCEL CERDAN vs GRATIEN TONNA
LAURENT BOUDOUANI vs TOM BOGS
LUIS FOLLEDO vs ODDONE PIAZZA
NINO BENVENUTI vs RANDY TURPIN
NIGEL BENN vs LEO STAROSCH
MAURICE HOPE vs ALAN MINTER


WEDNESDAY 06/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA WEST
ESTADIO SALTILLO, SALTILLO, MEXICO

MARCOS GERALDO vs BERT LYTELL
FREDDIE STEELE vs BOBBY JONES
JAMES TONEY vs MICHAEL OLAJIDE
DENNY MOYER vs TERRY NORRIS
LUPE AQUINO vs GEORGE DUKE
FREDDIE APOSTOLI vs JAVIER AGUIRRE


THURSDAY 07/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA EAST/CARIBBEAN
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA

RUBIN CARTER vs GENE ARMSTRONG
ELISHA OBED vs DONATO PADUANO
MIKE MCCALLUM vs YAMA BAHAMA
HARRY SMITH vs KID TUNERO
JEFF SMITH vs JOEY ARCHER
HOLMAN WILLIAMS vs MICKEY WALKER


THURSDAY 07/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 1
THE ARENA, CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA

HASTINGS GAYLE vs JAE-DO YUH
SOLLY KRIEGER vs MICHAEL CRONJE
LAURENT DAUTHUILLE vs TONY SIBSON
HUGO CORRO vs JOSE GONZALEZ
CARMELO BOSSI vs JULIO ALVARES
TIBERIO MITRI vs ARTIE LEVINE


FRIDAY 08/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - ASIA/OCEANIA/AFRICA
SURELERE STADIUM, LAGOS, NIGERIA

GIOVANNI PRETORIUS vs MICHAEL DYSON
SHINJI TAKEHARA vs CHARLIE WEIR
KOICHI WAJIMA vs CEFERINO GARCIA
DAVE SANDS vs TROY WATERS
TADASHI MIHARA vs LES DARCY
DICK TIGER vs MASASHI KUDO


FRIDAY 08/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 2
THE POWERHOUSE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

DIEGO KEMPES vs LOMANA WAMBA
DON FULLMER vs JUAN RIVERO
GUILLERMO CARRILES vs MARIANO RONALDO
HIROMI KAMAMOTO vs CHARLEY JOSEPH
TEBIRO DIAW vs COLEY WELCH
STEVE BELLOISE vs DAVID GIBBS


SATURDAY 09/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - SOUTH AMERICA
OLYMPIA STADIUM, PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

JUAN ROLDAN vs CARLOS HERRERA
ANDRES SELPA vs MIGUEL CASTELLINI
FABIO AUTRAN vs SANTIAGO LOPEZ
MIGUEL DEOLIVEIRA vs KENNY BRISTOL
ROLANDO LOMBARDO vs OMAR ENDARA
RODRIGO VALDEZ vs JOE GANS


SATURDAY 09/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 3
ACHO STADIUM, LIMA, PERU

JIMMY BEAU vs VINCENT PETTWAY
JESUS ENAMORADO vs RENE JACQUOT
DAVE SHADE vs ROBERT VILLEMAIN
ANTHONY JONES vs FRANZ SZUZINA
DWIGHT DAVISON vs TONY JANIRO
DAVEY MOORE vs CLAUDIO FERNANDEZ


SUNDAY 10/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 4
OSAKA CASTLE HALL, OSAKA, JAPAN

WALTER GOMEZ vs ROBBIE SIMS
VITO ANTUOFERMO vs FRANK MOODY
JOE DENUCCI vs AHMET DOTTUEV
WILLIE MONROE vs RALPH DUPAS
ROCKY CASTELLANI vs FREDDIE HENNEBERRY
JOSE BASORA vs ERNIE VIGH

[kenyan_cheena]

BURLEY AND ZALE
SLUG IT OUT AT WRIGLEY

Monday 4 November 2002

Series three of the International Boxing League's World Championship regional qualifiers kicked off in fine style at Chicago's Wrigley Field tonight, the action coming from the Middleweight division's North America Central group. The card was highlighted by a pair of upsets (which we'll get to later) and a fantastic main event in which local favourite and Olympic bronze medallist Tony Zale went toe-to-toe with Pittsburgh's Charley Burley, a bout that could very well be repeated as a World Championship bout in the future.

Burley was coming off a stiring come-from-behind majority decision win against Harry Greb on September 30 while Zale had fallen to Wisconsin's Jeff Morrison in something of a surprise result on the same night. They produced an outstanding contest, Burley looking brilliant in round one before Zale made it a much closer fight in the 2nd and 3rd. Burley was back in command in round four and to a lesser extent in the 5th but Zale finished brilliantly, dominating the 6th. That rally was enough to bring about a drawn verdict, one judge scoring it to Burley 59-56, another giving a 59-58 edge to Zale and the third having it even at 57-57. When it was all over the huge, vocal crowd gave both men a thunderous ovation.

Burley looked disappointed with the result, believing he'd done enough to maintain his perfect record. Zale appeared to agree but stayed silent on the matter. He's now 1-1-1 while Burley is still undefeated at 2-0-1 and must be considered a real favourite to finish on top of the group. He's shown in both his win over Greb in series two and tonight's stoush with Zale that he is a legitimate contender and one who has a great chance of going far in the World Championship tournament.

***

Earlier in the evening Canada's Frank Battaglia scored an upset unanimous decision victory over Michigan's Stanley Ketchel. Both men came into the contest with 2-0 records but Battaglia looked much more determined, enthusiastic and fit than Ketchel, who was inexplicably carrying a few extra pounds than in his last fight five weeks ago. Not only overweight, Ketchel's mind seemed to be elsewhere for most of the fight, also. It was only in round four when he showed glimpses of his destructive power, Battaglia dominating the fight in surprising fashion. He almost knocked Ketchel out in a punishing 3rd, the Polish-born slugger making the walk back to his corner on unsteady legs.

Ketchel's trainers revealed that they'd had trouble motivating him to train during the weeks leading into the contest, that he'd been suffering from bouts of "something like depression". This snippet of information might confirm what some believed about the 18 year-old at the Indianapolis selection trials in June, which is that he may be a manic-depressive. Of course, that's only speculation but his mood swings were there for all to see on those days at the Conseco Fieldhouse. As for Battaglia, he finds himself at the top of the group standings with a perfect record. No matter what Ketchel's state of mind was, this was an impressive win for the Canadian.

Battaglia's victory was immediately followed by another upset result as the winless Cleveland native Paul Pirrone sent Harry Greb to his second straight defeat. Greb appeared ready to put the disappointment of his loss to fellow Pittsburgh slugger Charley Burley behind him with a promising opening round but Pirrone hurt him with a punishing combination early in the 2nd and carried that momentum through the rest of the stanza. Not only that, he continued to control the fight in the 3rd and through the 4th, Greb looking weary and tired as he came out for round five. He won the frame to give himself a sniff but Pirrone wasn't going to let his debut victory slip away and he ended the contest brilliantly, tagging Greb with a succession of power shots. The scorecards all favoured the Ohio combatant by identical 58-56 verdicts. Greb conceeded afterwards that he'd been outenthused and outfought, that Pirrone wanted it more than him. The former amateur standout admitted that it was an alarming realisation, saying that he'll need to dig deep and come up with a superior effort in his next outing.

Wisconsin's Jake Morrison joined Battaglia as joint leader of the group when he overcame a terrible start to steal a slim unanimous decision win over Minnesota native Mike O'Dowd. Having fallen to Stanley Ketchel and Greg Moe in his first two bouts O'Dowd was desperate for a victory and looked capable of taking one as he showed his brilliant boxing skills in the opening two rounds. He peppered a bemused Morrison with a potent, pinpoint jab but the contest turned in the Chippewa Falls-born slugger's favour in round three. Morrison landed some booming shots that not only slowed O'Dowd down but pushed him into a defensive shell. Two minutes into round four O'Dowd was on the canvas from a left-right-left barrage and Morrison was in with a great chance. Showing great courage O'Dowd rallied to take the 5th before the final round had the crowd on their feet, the two going toe-to-toe for most of it. Morrison was just that little bit more effective and it was enough to see him take the decision by scores of 57-56 (twice) and 58-55.

Blood trickling down from his left eye and swelling showing under his right Morrison looked more like a defeated man than a victor, but it has to be said that O'Dowd was wearing even more damage. He had a nasty cut on his left eyebrow and another on the bridge of his nose, his face also showing some pretty severe swelling. The disappintment of being 0-3 despite such a valiant effort was painted upon his countenance while across the ring the usually cold and ill-tempered Morrison was in a jubilant mood, fellow Wisconsin fighter Eric Bengtson celebrating the victory with him.

***

In the opening two fights on the card Detroit's Ted Wright defeated the Canadian Wilfie Greaves by unanimous decision for his first win while Missouri's Greg Moe improved to 2-1 with a victory over Canton's Ronnie Harris, also by unanimous decision. As mentioned earlier, there are two surprise names at the top of the group standings after series three. Yes, Jeff Morrison is considered a great talent but he was not expected to be placed ahead of the likes of Zale, Ketchel and Greb, even at this early stage. Battaglia faces another big test in series four as he's been drawn to take on Charley Burley. Meanwhile, Mike O'Dowd's ridiculously difficult start shows no sign of letting up as he'll clash with Harry Greb. It's a huge fight for both men's chances in the tournament...

Group Standings after series three
Middleweight division, North America Central region

1ST: FRANK BATTAGLIA 3-0(1) (9 pts)
1ST: JEFF MORRISON 3-0(1) (9 pts)
3RD: CHARLEY BURLEY 2-0-1 (7 pts)
4TH: STANLEY KETCHEL 2-1(1) (6 pts)
4TH: GREG MOE 2-1 (6 pts)
6th: Tony Zale 1-1-1 (4 pts)
7th: Ronnie Harris 1-2 (3 pts)
7th: Harry Greb 1-2 (3 pts)
7th: Paul Pirrone 1-2 (3 pts)
7th: Ted Wright 1-2 (3 pts)
11th: Wilfie Greaves 0-3 (0 pts)
11th: Mike O'Dowd 0-3-0 (0 pts)

* Note: tiebreaker rankings will be introduced as we progress further into the tournament

[Jeff1787]

Good write-up...I'm glad Morrison won; sounded like it could have gone either way. The knockdown was huge.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

Good write-up...I'm glad Morrison won; sounded like it could have gone either way. The knockdown was huge.

IMO he's been outstanding so far. You can't argue with wins over Zale and O'Dowd. Based on those alone it's possible that Morrison could go through the regionals undefeated although Burley, Greb and Ketchel will all be tough.

[kenyan_cheena]

HOPE CLAIMS OUTRIGHT LEAD
IN EUROPEAN GROUP

Tuesday 5 November 2002

Englishman Maurice Hope stands alone as the only 3-0 fighter in the Middleweight division's European regional group following tonight's fight card at the Millenium Dome in London. The 22 year-old knocked out compatriot Alan Minter early in the 3rd round, a devastating flurry of shots sending Minter face-first to the canvas for a full count. Rounds one and two had been competitive and even, setting up an intriguing contest. But it ended abruptly and Hope celebrated in jubilant fashion, the crowd applauding wilgly.

In the eveing's opening contest Olympic bronze medallist Marcel Cerdan suffered a shock 2nd round KO loss to fellow Frenchman Gratien Tonna. Coming off impressive wins over England's Randy Turpin and Sydney gold medallist Nino Benvenuti Cerdan was expected to run his record to 3-0 against the 0-2 Tonna and after the opening round that looked extremely likely. But Tonna caught him with a flush left hook midway through the 2nd and a follow-up left-right-left barrage put the 19 year-old on his back. His head appeared to bounce off the canvas and he did not move for the duration of the count, the bout over at the 1:48 mark. The result showed once again that on any given night anyone can win in these International Boxing League tournaments.

Nino Benvenuti improved to 2-1 with a tough split decision win over Randy Turpin while Nigel Benn stayed undefeated but was far from convincing in being held to a draw by the winless German Leo Starosch in the co-feature. Benvenuti climbed off the canvas late in round two and went on to sweep rounds three, four and five on two scorecards before taking a 58-56, 56-58, 57-56 verdict.

[kenyan_cheena]

AGUIRRE "SIMPLY AWESOME"
IN DOMINATION OF APOSTOLI

Wednesday 6 November 2002

Mexico's greatest chance for World Championship glory in the Middleweight division made a huge statement tonight. Bouncing back from last month's shock defeat at the hands of California's Bobby Jones, Javier Aguirre walked into the ring at a jam-packed Estadio Saltillo and decimated the highly-touted San Francisco native Freddie Apostoli. It was the second IBL card held in Mexico during the last week following last Friday's Featherweight card and the crowd was in great voice.

Aguirre won the bout by unanimous decision (59-55, 58-56, 59-55) after six breathtaking rounds, including an opener that had to be seen to be believed. The 22 year-old's loss to Jones had made front page news throughout Mexico and, in his own words, was "a bigger disappointment than the Olympics", where he was robbed of a semi-final berth by poor judging. But Aguirre redeemed himself and more tonight, the capacity crowd giving him a thunderous ovation as he made his way to the ring.

***

ROUND 1

Aguirre started on fire, rocking Apostoli with a jolting uppercut before the Californian answered with a four-punch combo and a straight right. Aguirre took back the initiative with another big uppercut but Apostoli ended the stanza strongly, finding the mark with some pinpoint flurries.

ROUND 2

After a quiet first minute Aguirre opened up midway through, hurting Apostoli with a pair of combinations and then controlling the rest of the round behind an effective jab.

ROUND 3

Aguirre maintained his momentum through the opening minute but Apostoli appeared to steal it with a hard right and a smashing left hook. But Aguirre answered back with a combination and a vicious right cross in the final thirty seconds, Apostoli clearly unsettled by them.

ROUND 4

Apostoli looked to be finally on his way to a convincing round with some great work early on and then a crippling right hand at the two minute mark. Undaunted, Aguirre rallied in the final third of the frame with a pair of left hooks and a nice combination.

ROUND 5

Worn down by Aguirre's assault, Apostoli started to tire and when the hometown hero staggered him with a crunching uppercut late in the round the crowd went wild. A brutal three-punch salvo soon after sent Apostoli into the ropes and as he returned to his corner he walked like a beaten man.

ROUND 6

More of the same as Aguirre dominated the round. He dropped a right hand flush on Apostoli's chin early and after absorbing a hard right cross replied with a straight right that wobbled Apostoli's legs. The San Franciscan made it to the final bell on guts and determination alone and Aguirre embraced him with respect and admiration when it was all over.

***

After the verdict was announced Aguirre celebrated with the crowd, making his way to each corner of the ring and thanking them with hand claps and pumped fists. Tonight's performance will go a very long way to erasing any doubt that was formed after the loss to Jones. Javier Aguirre is a definite contender in this Middleweight division and it will be a pleasure to follow his progress through the rest of the tournament.

UNDERCARD HIGHLIGHTS...

* Tacoma's Freddie Steele was frighteningly effective once again as he knocked out Aguirre's conqueror Bobby Jones late in the 3rd round. Steele is the only fighter in the Middleweight division with three stoppage victories and one of only three fighters in the entire IBL with a 100% stoppage record (the others being Featherweights Joseph Saddler and Vicente Saldivar, who have both fought twice). Jones showed some promise in round one, keeping Steele at bay with that same jab that gave Aguirre so much trouble. But Steele made some inroads in the 2nd and was devastating in round three, decimating Jones with an assault that had the crowd in awe.

It started with a hard right off the top of Jones' head which was followed by a four-punch combo and a right cross. Then as the round entered its bottom half the onslaught became almost unspeakable in its ferocity. Two jolting uppercuts in the space of about fifteen seconds thrown with murderous intent were chased by a right hand that landed flush on Jones' chin. How he survived that punch we'll never know but the uppercut that came next elicited a howl of approval/fear/reverence from the audience. Jones dropped as if lifeless to the canvas and was counted out at the 2:49 mark.

This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most devastating, frightening knockout of this opening year of life in the HBF and IBL. The sheer power and ferocity of Steele's work should inspire fear in every other fighter in his group and the Middleweight division.

* The Californian trio of Bert Lytell, James Toney and Terry Norris were all victorious. Lytell stayed undefeated at 2-0-1 with a majority decision win against Marcos Geraldo while USC member James Toney finally lived up to the pre-tournament hype that surrounded him with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Canada's Michael Olajide. Norris, who had defeated Olajide last month, took his second win in a row as he turned back an early challenge from the tough Portland slugger Denny Moyer to win by unanimous decision.

***

At the evening's conclusion a pair of super matchups were revealed for series four with Javier Aguirre schedlued to take on Bert Lytell and Freddie Apostoli set to take on ... you guessed it, Freddie Steele. That could very well be one of the fights of these entire regional qualifiers, regardless of division...

GROUP STANDINGS AFTER SERIES THREE
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION, NORTH AMERICA WEST REGION

1ST: FREDDIE STEELE 3-0(3) (9 pts)
2ND: BERT LYTELL 2-0-1 (7 pts)
3RD: JAVIER AGUIRRE 2-1 (6 pts)
3RD: FREDDIE APOSTOLI 2-1(1) (6 pts)
3RD: TERRY NORRIS 2-1 (6 pts)

6th: James Toney 1-0-2 (5 pts)
7th: Lupe Aquino 1-1-1 (4 pts)
8th: Bobby Jones 1-2 (3 pts)
8th: Michael Olajide 1-2 (3 pts)
10th: Denny Moyer 0-2-1 (1 pt)
10th: George Duke 0-2-1 (1 pt)
12th: Marcos Geraldo 0-3 (0 pts)

* Tiebreakers for standings will be introduced as the tournament progresses (although right now Aguirre holds an improtant one over Apostoli and Norris as he has beaten both of them)

[kenyan_cheena]

REPEAT PERFORMANCE:
WALKER OVERCOMES HOSTILE CROWD,
STAYS UNDEFEATED

Thursday 7 November 2002

Five weeks ago New Jersey's Mickey Walker travelled down to Jamaica and scored a unanimous decision win over Olympic gold medallist Mike McCallum, spoiling the evening for the almost 12,000 in attendance, all of whom were in McCallum's corner. Tonight Walker repeated that impressive feat as he defeated Pensacola's Holman Williams in front of a hostile crowd at Miami's American Airlines Arena. It was a fight that didn't quite live up to the hype that had preceeded it with Williams looking strangely uncertain of himself and lacking aggression. His cautious approach allowed Walker to dominate for long stretches, with the run from round three to five being where the Elizabeth-born slugger secured the win. Walker was awarded a 59-57, 58-57, 59-56 unanimous decision verdict.

After being held to a draw be fellow Jersey native Gene Armstrong on debut Walker has now produced outstanding back-to-back efforts against two opponents tipped to qualify for the World Championship tournament in McCallum and Williams. At 2-0-1 he sits on top of the group and is one of just two fighters in it with an undefeated record, the other being Harlem's Harry Smith (1-0-2). Earlier in the evening Smith was held to a draw by Cuba's Kid Tunero in an entertaining affair (58-56, 57-57, 56-58). Smith appeared to be in control through the middle rounds of the contest, Tunero starting and finishing fantastically.

The night's co-feature was an all-New York affair with Joey Archer defeating Jeff Smith by majority decision to improve to 2-1 (59-57, 58-58, 59-57). In a terribly tight contest Archer's strong opening to the bout proved to be the difference. Two judges awarded rounds one and two in his favour and when he dominated the 4th Archer appeared on the way to victory. But Smith never backed down and the final two rounds were so close that all three judges scored them both 10-10. After his first two bouts against Harry Smith and Kid Tunero ended in draws this was another night of frustration for Jeff Smith. At 0-1-2 he's still looking for his first win and things won't get much easier for him in series four when he takes on Canada's Donato Paduano who upped his record to 2-1 with a unanimous decision win over the previously undefeated Elisha Obed. Paduano has so far been able to avoid the big names in the group so the fight will be a real test for him.

Having lost his opening two bouts Olympic Champion Mike McCallum finally tasted victory tonight, defeating Yama Bahama by unanimous decision (59-56 on all three cards). It was a closer contest than the final verdict indicated as Bahama was in with a chance of victory as the bout entered its bottom half. But McCallum produced some outstanding work in the 4th and 6th and did just enough in a competitive 5th, leading to him sweeping two of the scorecards in those final three rounds. The Jamaican wore a relieved expression afterwards. Hopefully this is just the start of a steady climb into the group's top four because it will be a real shame if he fails to qualify for the World Championship tournament.

The schedule for series four has thrown up another barnstormer of a bout with Holman Williams to clash with New York's Joey Archer. Both men are currently part of a four-way tie for 2nd place so it's an important fight, without a doubt. The night will also see the first contest in either the HBF or IBL between two members of the same "entourage" with Jersey Pride's Mickey Walker and Rubin Carter drawn to exchange blows...

GROUP STANDINGS AFTER SERIES THREE
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
NOTH AMERICA EAST/CARIBBEAN GROUP

1ST: MICKEY WALKER 2-0-1 (7 pts)
2ND: JOEY ARCHER 2-1 (6 pts)
2ND: HOLMAN WILLIAMS 2-1 (6 pts)
2ND: ELISHA OBED 2-1(1) (6 pts)
2ND: DONATO PADUANO 2-1 (6 pts)

6th: Harry Smith 1-0-2 (5 pts)
7th: Gene Armstrong 1-1-1 (4 pts)
8th: Rubin Carter 1-2(1) (3 pts)
8th: Mike McCallum 1-2 (3 pts)
10th: Kid Tunero 0-1-2 (2 pts)
10th: Jeff Smith 0-1-2 (2 pts)
12th: Yama Bahama 0-3 (0 pts)

[kenyan_cheena]

TIGER HELD TO DRAW AT HOME

Friday 8 November 2002

Fighting in his homeland of Nigeria for the first time as a professional Olympic bronze medallist Dick Tiger was held to a draw tonight by his determined Japanese opponent Masashi Kudo (57-57, 58-56 (Tiger), 57-57). Coming off a narrow defeat to fellow Olympian Les Darcy last month Tiger was hoping to get his campaign back on track but found in Kudo an adversary who refused to back down. Going into round four Tiger looked to be in control and the judges agreed as each of them had him ahead by two points. But when Kudo floored him with a left-right salvo midway through the 4th the contest was turned on its head.

Tiger was up quickly but Kudo did everything he could to finish him off, connecting with a right cross and a jolting uppercut. But the Nigerian made it to the bell and then answered back strongly in the 5th. Kudo would not give in though and he won the final round on two cards, enough to secure a gutsy draw for him. It was his second drawn bout in a row after being surprisingly held by South Africa's Giovanni Pretorious last month. Tiger is now an underwhelming 1-1-1 while Kudo stays undefeated at 1-0-2.

In the co-feature Australia's Les Darcy continued his untroubled start to these regional qualifiers with a unanimous decision win over Japan's Tadashi Mihara (59-55, 58-56, 59-55). It was clear from the opening round that Mihara was in over his head but he showed some admirable resistance, especially in an action-packed 4th which all three judges awarded him. Darcy is now 3-0 and has outlanded his opponents by a ratio of almost 2:1 through those three bouts. According to the stats keepers he's landed his punches at a strike rate of 43.3% while limiting his opponents to just 27.6%.

Darcy's compatriot Dave Sands also maintained his perfect career start with a unanimous decision win over his willing but outgunned countryman Troy Waters (59-51, 59-52, 59-51). There were signs of promise from Waters in round one but Sands quickly snuffed out any notion of an upset with three rounds of brilliance from the 2nd through the 4th. He put Waters on his backside with single crunching uppercuts early in round three and then again two minutes into the 4th. Waters was down for a third time from a vicious right cross twenty-five seconds from the final bell but showed his courage and determination, making it to his feet at eight and surviving the full distance.

The man who is Japan's biggest hope for success in the Middleweight division and his nation's only Sydney Olympics medallist also improved to 3-0 earlier in the evening, Koichi Wajima defeating the tough Filipino Ceferino Garcia by majority decision (58-56, 57-57, 58-56). Garcia put up a great challenge, in particular in rounds one and five but Wajima was too classy and aggressive for him.

This particular regional group features three 3-0 fighters in Darcy, Wajima and Sands. It's very possible that the trio could improve to 4-0 next month as the schedule for series four has seen them avoid each other once again. Darcy takes on Shinji Takehara, Wajima clashes with compatriot Tadashi Mihara and Sands will fight a fellow Aussie for the second fight in a row in the shape of the winless Michael Dyson. Tiger should secure his second win as he goes up against Australia's Troy Waters.

[kenyan_cheena]

CLASS ON SHOW IN PANAMA

Saturday 9 November 2002

The two men regarded as the top talents in the Middleweight division's South American regional group stepped into the ring against each other tonight at Panama's Olympia Stadium. Home town favourite and Olympic silver medallist Joe Gans was coming off a shock defeat at the hands of Argentina's Carlos Herrera and the last thing he needed was another one. But that outcome was very possible as he was up against the outstanding Colombian Rodrigo Valdez. For each man a victory was vital even at this early stage of the tournament because it could come into play if any tie-breakers were necessary to decide the standings at the end of it.

Valdez had been untroubled in his first two bouts, unanimous decision wins over Rolando Lombardo and Miguel Castellini. Understandably Gans was an entirely different proposition and he gave him appropriate respect through the opening round. The action intensified in round two, another close stanza that Valdez edged with a busy final minute. Gans exploded to the delight of the crowd in round three, displaying skills that made one wonder how on earth he had lost to Herrera. He rattled Valdez with some pin-point shots, most of them coming in the first two minutes and including a flush left hook, a jolting uppercut and a big straight right. Gans is not noted for his punching power but he was timing his shots sweetly and they were worrying Valdez.

Round four passed without incident before Valdez put himself back in the fight with a confident 5th round. He peppered Gans with a potent left jab and maintained the momentum through the final round, hurting Gans for the first time in the fight with a flush right hand early. The two warriors embraced in the ring when it was all over and were given a standing ovation. When the verdict came no one could really question it: all three judges scored it a 57-57 draw.

Gans lamented his late fadeout, knowing that if he'd just dug a little bit deeper in either the 5th or 6th he could have pulled out a big win. He's now 1-1-1 while Valdez remains undefeated at 2-0-1. Although neither man was victorious Valdez still holds a one-win lead over Gans and with this clash out of the way it will be difficult for the Panamanian to pull even that slim margin back through the remainder of the tournament...

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 10 November 2002

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE FIGHT CARDS
MONDAY 04/11/2002 - SUNDAY 10/11/2002 INCLUSIVE

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
SERIES 3 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
& FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES


MONDAY 04/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL
WRIGLEY FIELD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

TED WRIGHT UD6 WILFIE GREAVES
GREG MOE UD6 RONNIE HARRIS
FRANK BATTAGLIA UD6 STANLEY KETCHEL
PAUL PIRRONE UD6 HARRY GREB
JAKE MORRISON UD6 MIKE O'DOWD
CHARLEY BURLEY D6 TONY ZALE


TUESDAY 05/11/2002

REGIONIONAL QUALIFIERS - EUROPE
MILLENIUM DOME, LONDON, ENGLAND

GRATIEN TONNA KO2 MARCEL CERDAN
LAURENT BOUDOUANI UD6 TOM BOGS
LUIS FOLLEDO SD6 ODDONE PIAZZA
NINO BENVENUTI SD6 RANDY TURPIN
NIGEL BENN D6 LEO STAROSCH
MAURICE HOPE KO3 ALAN MINTER


WEDNESDAY 06/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA WEST
ESTADIO SALTILLO, SALTILLO, MEXICO

BERT LYTELL MD6 MARCOS GERALDO
FREDDIE STEELE KO3 BOBBY JONES
JAMES TONEY UD6 MICHAEL OLAJIDE
TERRY NORRIS UD6 DENNY MOYER
LUPE AQUINO SD6 GEORGE DUKE
JAVIER AGUIRRE UD6 FREDDIE APOSTOLI


THURSDAY 07/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - NORTH AMERICA EAST/CARIBBEAN
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA

GENE ARMSTRONG UD6 RUBIN CARTER
DONATO PADUANO UD6 ELISHA OBED
MIKE MCCALLUM UD6 YAMA BAHAMA
HARRY SMITH D6 KID TUNERO
JOEY ARCHER MD6 JEFF SMITH
MICKEY WALKER UD6 HOLMAN WILLIAMS


THURSDAY 07/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 1
THE ARENA, CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA

JAE-DO YUH UD6 HASTINGS GAYLE
MICHAEL CRONJE UD6 SOLLY KRIEGER
TONY SIBSON UD6 LAURENT DAUTHUILLE
JOSE GONZALEZ MD6 HUGO CORRO
CARMELO BOSSI SD6 JULIO ALVARES
TIBERIO MITRI D6 ARTIE LEVINE


FRIDAY 08/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - ASIA/OCEANIA/AFRICA
SURELERE STADIUM, LAGOS, NIGERIA

GIOVANNI PRETORIUS D6 MICHAEL DYSON
SHINJI TAKEHARA UD6 CHARLIE WEIR
KOICHI WAJIMA MD6 CEFERINO GARCIA
DAVE SANDS UD6 TROY WATERS
LES DARCY UD6 TADASHI MIHARA
DICK TIGER D6 MASASHI KUDO


FRIDAY 08/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 2
THE POWERHOUSE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

DIEGO KEMPES SD6 LOMANA WAMBA
DON FULLMER D6 JUAN RIVERO
MARIANO RONALDO TKO6 GUILLERMO CARRILES
CHARLEY JOSEPH SD6 HIROMI KAMAMOTO
COLEY WELCH MD6 TEBIRO DIAW
STEVE BELLOISE D6 DAVID GIBBS


SATURDAY 09/11/2002

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - SOUTH AMERICA
OLYMPIA STADIUM, PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

JUAN ROLDAN D6 CARLOS HERRERA
MIGUEL CASTELLINI UD6 ANDRES SELPA
SANTIAGO LOPEZ SD6 FABIO AUTRAN
MIGUEL DEOLIVEIRA UD6 KENNY BRISTOL
ROLANDO LOMBARDO UD6 OMAR ENDARA
RODRIGO VALDEZ D6 JOE GANS

SATURDAY 09/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 3
ACHO STADIUM, LIMA, PERU

JIMMY BEAU D6 VINCENT PETTWAY
JESUS ENAMORADO UD6 RENE JACQUOT
DAVE SHADE D6 ROBERT VILLEMAIN
FRANZ SZUZINA SD6 ANTHONY JONES
DWIGHT DAVISON UD6 TONY JANIRO
DAVEY MOORE SD6 CLAUDIO FERNANDEZ


SUNDAY 10/11/2002

FUTURE CONTENDER SERIES - GROUP 4
OSAKA CASTLE HALL, OSAKA, JAPAN

WALTER GOMEZ D6 ROBBIE SIMS
VITO ANTUOFERMO UD6 FRANK MOODY
JOE DENUCCI UD6 AHMET DOTTUEV
WILLIE MONROE UD6 RALPH DUPAS
FREDDIE HENNEBERRY UD6 ROCKY CASTELLANI
JOSE BASORA KO4 ERNIE VIGH

[kenyan_cheena]

Just a note to let you all know I've made a slight change in regards to the FC series. Originally I had planned for it to include a 1st stage of 11 fights and a 2nd stage of 3 fights. I've decided to keep it to just one stage. At it's completion the fighters in it will either be included in planned regional championship tournaments or an IBL "development league", which will be similar to the QL in the HBF.

This change is reflected in post #17 on page one of the thread.