Thanksgiving Tournament of the Turkeys

[mikehoudini]

Here are the Round 2 pairings. All fighters are 1-0 unless noted.

James Ellis vs. Phainting Phil Scott
John Louis Gardner vs. Tom McNeeley
Taurus Sykes vs. Fabio Moli
Marvis Frazier (1-0-1) vs. Battling Jim Johnson

Joe Alexander vs. Dan Flynn (1-0-1)
Imamu Mayfield (1-0-1) vs. Brian London
Faruq Saleem vs. Joe Beckett
Al Kaufmann vs. Ed Mahone (2-0 2)


John Holman vs. John Ferguson
Terry Daniels vs. Jim Barry
George Arias vs. Jose Ribalta
Johnny Paychek vs. Chuck Wepner

Tom Cowler vs. Leo Nolan
Frankie Swindell vs. Lee Savold
Mike Schreck vs. Dick Richardson (2-0 1)
Jeremy Williams vs. Ben Foord

Who will emerge victorious in each of the 4 draws? Can Phainting Phil keep his run going, or slugging Ed Mahone? Will the Bayonne Bleeder advance? Only the Shadow and the computer know!

[mikehoudini]

It was a great weekend! I got to watch 3 fights instead of having to watch some British comedies, and got to see the last episode of The Wire, a great but barely-watched show about life in Baltimore city! And I got to start Round 2!

Round 2 of the Thundering Threes Tourney was held at the Lincoln Theater in Washington on February 3, with the winning 16 fighters advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. The results of the first four bouts are as follows:

James Ellis vs. Phainting Phil Scott – Ellis took the opening round, 11-7, with a series of hooks ad a booming straight right. Scott came back in the 2nd with an eye-popping hook and several combinations, winning 12-10 despite a last minute rally by Ellis.

Ellis won the 3rs, 12-5, boxing nicely, but Scott did cut him over his right eye! Ellis connected for a sweet cross to open the 4th, then was on the receiving end of a number of lighter crosses from Scott, but rallied in the last 30 seconds, 11-9.

Scott continued to land crosses in the 5th, but none were true power punches. Ellis landed two effective rights and then a devastating hook, turning the Fainter’s legs to jelly in an 18-12 round!

The 6th was all Phil, 19-9, as he smashed a combination and then a hook home, and Ellis’ eye was swelling shut. Scott was suddenly very much back in the fight! With desperation setting in, Ellis connected with a smash that floored Fainting Phil for an 8 count!

Phil made it to his feet just in time to be pancaked by a wild overhand right! He got a nice rest even after he was counted out, Ellis being the winner by a KO at 1:43 of the 7th! Phil’s new nickname might be Pancaked Phil!

John Louis Gardner vs. Tom McNeeley – The fans had barely settled back into their seats when McNeeley used a jolting uppercut to seize control of the 1st, 11-3. He had far too much firepower for Gardner in the 2nd, as they traded blows. Tom opened with a massive right, latter connecting for 2 big hooks, and ended the round with an uppercut that had Gardner wobbly and cut over his right eye. The points went 24-9, as Gardner landed one big uppercut at the end to make it a little more respectable!

The 3rd was even more of a massacre! McNeeley found Gardner’s jaw with another uppercut, landed a vicious combination that reopened the cut, and the bout was halted to check it out. Tom landed a smashing hook a bit low, and was penalized a point. Angry, he flattened Gardner with a ferocious hook for a 4 count, and the referee mercifully stopped the fight (28-4), giving McNeeley the nod with a TKO at 2:52 of the 3rd.

Taurus Sykes vs. Fabio Moli – Moli belted Sykes in the 1st, winning 17-10, snapping his head back with a powerful jab that cut him over the right eye. Sykes got in a nice hook at the end to make the round closer, but his eye was swelling in addition to the cut.

The two traded the next two rounds, but a sweet combination in the 3rd made Sykes eye swell up more. Sykes took the 4th, 12-8, boxing nicely, even though his eye was getting worse and his cut was reopened and checked from a bruising uppercut!

Moli won the 5th, 16-4, boxing well and again reopening the cut of Sykes, resulting in another temporary halt! Sykes went into super-protective mode, and it worked for the 6th thru 8th, all three being low-scoring close rounds! Moli seemed to be slightly ahead at this stage, but at least Sykes had escaped further damage!

Moli came out firing in the 9th, going for a KO, and decked Sykes for a 5 count! He landed a bunch of hooks, as well as a straight right that had Sykes grab him to stay vertical, 24-4! In the 10th, Moli landed three big punches, one a titanic uppercut, and he withstood a nice uppercut in return to take it, 13-6.

I had the fight 98-93 Moli. The judges saw a closer fight, going 96-93, 95-94 & 96=93, a unanimous decision for Fabulous Fabio Moli! A strong 9th and 10th won it!

Marvis Frazier (1-0-1) vs. Battling Jim Johnson – Battling Jim should have been renamed Fouling Jim for his actions in this fight, said the guest commentator, Andreas Raht! The first 3 rounds were clean, Johnson landing hooks and combinations to capture the 1st, 15-4, Frazier roaring back in the 2nd, 12-4, on the strength of crosses and uppercuts. The 3rd was a good round, the two trading punches and coming out even, 10-10!

The low-scoring 6-5 4th was highlighted by the first of six fouls against Johnson, hitting on the break! Both fighters were ineffectual in a 4-4 5th. Johnson dominated the 6th, 18-2, landing a ferocious uppercut and a bunch of crosses and jabs. The round was marred by 2 fouls, as he was penalized a point for low blows, and then later was warned for holding and hitting!

Frazier won a foul-free 7th, 10-6, with some nice hooks, and was probably up a round at this juncture, on my card. He clinched a lot in a 6-7 8th, while Johnson was cautioned for using his shoulders. Johnson drew another foul in the 9th, but boxed effectively for a 12-4 advantage.

It was still a pick-em fight, but Johnson landed a low blow in the 10th to begin the round, and the referee disqualified him. So Frazier was the winner by a DQ in the 10th, and he said after the fight that he’d meet Johnson again in the ring or in a back alley, anytime! Joe Frazier said he might challenge Battling Jim as well, so Johnson exited fast, stage right!

[mikehoudini]

Joe Alexander vs. Dan Flynn (1-0-1) – Flynn hoped to avoid Joe’s power punches, and succeeded in the first few rounds. Porky Dan landed a sweet hook and countered nicely to win the 1st, 8-2, then, after catching a huge hook to start the 2nd, jabbed and hooked well to outpoint Alexander, 10-8. Dan jabbed and tossed in a few hooks and crosses to easily win the 3rd, 12-0. In a low-scoring 4th, Flynn again came out on top, 6-2, then rallied in the last minute of the 5th to make it an even round, 8-8.

Alexander finally won a round in the 6th, 8-3, as he scored with some hooks and blocked Flynn’s jabs. He landed a thundering right to start the 7th, following up with an uppercut right on the button and some jabs, and he battered Flynn, 18-4!

The momentum change was short-lived, as Flynn recovered and dominated the 8th, 11-2, landing some crisp hooks and crosses while dodging Joe’s bombs. Alexander rallied briefly at the end of the 9th, tagging Flynn with an uppercut for a 10-8 stanza, but he chased and Dan evaded in the 10th, Flynn on top, 8-6.

I had it 96-95 Flynn, while the judges went 96-95, 96-94 & 98-93 (Mr. Lederman of HBO fame), Flynn the winner! Dan boxed a good fight and used his hooks and crosses to score points.

Imamu Mayfield (1-0-1) vs. Brian London – Mayfield landed a straight left to stagger London at the start, connected for some hooks and a sweet cross, then withstood a jarring right hook to take the 1st, 14-8. London took some of his fire away with a huge hook to the body in the 2nd, and landed crosses and combinations to dominate, 18-4!

Mayfield jabbed nicely to build up a lead in the 3rd, which London almost eroded with a savage combination to rally back to 12-10! London landed a sweet combination of his own to build up a lead in the 4th, then Imamu rallied to make it 11-6. London took a quiet 5th, 11-4, as Mayfield was clinching to conserve his strength.

Mayfield hooked nicely in the 6th, cutting London with a gash over his right eyebrow, which the ring doctor checked out. London landed some crosses and one smashing hook to arguably take the round, 11-10, but he was bleeding badly!

Imamu connected for a hook flush to Brian’s jaw in the 7th that had London wobbly, and his cut was reopened and checked to boot! Mayfield won the round, 11-4, but London still held the lead.

London’s corner had closed his cut to start the 8th, but a few quick punches reopened it worse than ever, and the referee stopped the fight, Mayfield the winner on a TKO by cuts at 0:40 of the 8th! London had been slightly ahead on all cards at the time of the stoppage.

[mikehoudini]

Faruq Saleem vs. Joe Beckett – The Dream had a nightmarish 1st, as Beckett belted him with an uppercut to open the fight, then later connected for a bigger won to win going away, 12-0. Not in the best of shape, Saleem started the 2nd with a sweet uppercut of his own, but couldn’t sustain, as Beckett pounded him with an even deadlier one, as well as with hooks, crosses and jabs, for a 16-8 2nd!

Beckett won a relatively quiet 3rd, 11-3, beating Saleem to the punch consistently. He punished him severely in the 4th, 22-5, landing 15 hooks, one a monster punch that sent Saleem reeling, and he connected for two savage combinations to make the round yet another nightmare for the Dream!

The Dream was huffing and puffing in the 5th, when he wasn’t kissing Beckett’s gloves, as Beckett landed two smashing hooks, a brutal left and a cranium-crusher that had the Dream on Queer Street, 18-6! The 6th was better yet for Beckett, as he landed 14 crosses, a smashing uppercut and a combination that floored mighty Saleem for a 3 count, the points going 23-2!

Saleem rallied with a 9 count KD to begin the 7th after a crunching hook to the ribs, then scored a KO on another blow to the ribs! Oops, that was a dream, folks. It all happened that way, except that Beckett scored the punches, and won by a KO at 2:36 of the 7th! In this brutally lopsided match, he outlanded his opponent, 263-58! Faruq needed the Old Equalizer, a gun, to be competitive in this fight, and even that may not have been enough!

Al Kaufmann vs. Ed Mahone (2-0 2) – Mahone, the crowd favorite for some after demolishing China Smith in the box-in, came in 2-0. He decked Kaufmann early with a sweet hook for an 8 count, but couldn’t put him away, winning 16-0! He connected for a bruising cross and jaw-jammering uppercut in the 2nd, winning easily, 16-8.

In big trouble, Al came out in the 3rd and fired a super hook, followed by other hooks and crosses and finally a busting uppercut! He won the round, 19-2, and Mahone’s left eye was swelling badly. Mahone also had a point deducted for an arguably low blow!

The 4th was a war! The two stood toe-to-toe, trading punches, then Mahone seized the advantage with a thundering uppercut and savage combination. Tired and his eye swelling, he poured it on and, after a big cross, the referee stopped it, the points 26-8, Mahone the winner by a TKO at 2:59 of the 4th! Kaufmann’s corner was upset with the call when only a second remained in the round, but their guy had taken a pounding!

[mikehoudini]

Here’s a summary of the results for fights 1-8, the top half of the draw, in the Thundering 3s Tourney:

James Ellis KO 7 Phainting Phil Scott
Tom McNeeley TKO 3 John Louis Gardner
Fabio Moli UD 10 over Taurus Sykes
Marvis Frazier DQ 10 over Battling Jim Johnson

Dan Flynn UD 10 over Joe Alexander
Imamu Mayfield TKO 8 cuts Brian London
Joe Beckett KO 7 Faruq (the Dream) Saleem
Ed Mahone TKO 4 Al Kaufmann

[mikehoudini]

The fight crowd was ready for action as the second half of the Round 2 draw commenced at the Lincoln! Floridians, Chicago-ians and Connecticutters were in evidence, rooting for their heroes!

John Holman vs. John Ferguson – In the battle of the Johns, Ferguson belted Holman with a cross and later with a sweet hook to take a 12-3 1st round. He also received his first of two warnings. He obliterated Holman in the 2nd, 23-6, hammering him with a cross to start the round, then landing 15 hooks, a smashing uppercut and a straight right. Holman lasted the round, barely!

Holman was able to block all power punch attempts in the 3rd, and generated a little bit of offense, but Ferguson tagged him with 14 crosses and took the round, 12-7! The Florida fan contingent was silent, watching in dismay as their man was being mauled. Between rounds, one of them started the chant “You can DO it,” and then others picked it up, so the noise soon reached crescendo level, drowning out the advice offered by Holman’s corner!

Would Holman be able to respond to their faith in him? Ferguson landed a few punches to start the 4th, and then suddenly Holman unleashed a savage combination! Ferguson dropped to the canvas and couldn’t make the count! His fan contingent went crazy at the role reversal, as the maxim was again proved that a good heavyweight can take another out at any time! Holman was declared the winner by a KO at 1:56 of the 4th, and Holman, who was outlanded, 130-47, dodged a major bullet. The Floridians celebrated with mucho beers (Gator Tail Ale) and some gator snacks!

Terry Daniels vs. Jim Barry – The surprise ending to the preceding fight spawned some serious partying, but eventually crowd control was restored, and Daniels squared off against Barry. Barry fired off at the opening bell, landing a straight right and a huge hook that had Daniels wobbly! Barry went for the quick finish, landing a number of punches, but Daniels gradually recovered and then staged a nice rally, connecting with a sizzling right hook at the end of the round, but he was still behind, 14-10!

The second round was more strategic, as Barry connected for 11 jabs, and Daniels again rallied at the end to make it respectable, 9-6. Terry took charge in the 3rd, getting 12 crosses home and notching a 14-7 points differential. His momentum carried over into the 4th, as he landed a variety of punches and frustrated Barry, 16-2! Barry’s left eye was beginning to swell as well as a result of his concentrated assault!

Terry had a nice 5th, 12-6, as he pecked away at Barry’s head and took the lead at the midway point! He uncorked a sweet hook, and connected for 11 uppercuts, cutting Barry in the mouth and worsening the swelling in the 6th! Barry had connected with a vicious combination, but Terry was tattooing him good until he smashed home a hook that decked Daniels for a 6 count at the end of the round, and made the points totals 15-14!

Fresh off the success of that big hook, Barry connected for another big left hook, a nice right and a series of jabs to take the 7th, 15-7, but Terry cut him in a new place, above the right eyebrow! His face was becoming a mess, but I had him barely in the lead! The 8th was less intense, as neither fighter could maintain that pace, and Daniels eeked out the round, 10-6, as Barry’s eye was really swollen now!

The 9th was a savage round! Daniels unleashed a searing hook and a cross as soon as the round started, and soon after connected for 2 uppercuts that had Barry reeling around. Barry somehow kept his feet, but his eye and mouth were a mess as Terry poured it on, landing 17 hooks and 13 combinations! The score was 30-4 when the referee stopped the bout, Daniels the winner by a TKO at 2:56 of the 9th! Barry’s only comment was “where were you earlier?”

[mikehoudini]

George Arias vs. Jose Ribalta – After the first two fights in this half of the draw, the crowd was almost hoarse, but these two warriors did their best to stage yet another exciting contest!

Arias used a series of hooks to win the feeling-out 1st, 12-6. He landed crosses, while Jose countered with uppercuts and combinations, in a back and forth 2nd, but a straight left by Ribalta at the bell was decisive, 15-10! Jose followed in the 3rd with a power uppercut and cross in punching out a clear 14-4 advantage!

Arias unleashed a savage hook in the 4th, and arguably got the nod, 9-8. The 5th was quiet, but Arias avoided most of Jose’s bombs and got the nod, 8-4. George dominated the 6th, 24-2, connecting 20 times with hooks, one a jarring one to the head, and Jose was reeling and happy for the bell!

The 7th saw Arias land 12 hooks, while Jose connected on 13 combinations. Jose got in two power punches, a hook and a straight right, to take the points lead, 16-14! George boxed nicely in the 8th, but a flurry from Ribalta, with one big cross, made it respectable, 10-8.

They traded blows in the 9th, the crowd again on its feet! George landed more crosses and hooks, while Jose went for the power punches, getting a nice combination and cross! At the end of the round, Arias tasted the canvas after a vicious combination, but the bell sounded and it was only a 1 count KD!

The fight was too close to call going into the 10th, and Arias was the one who capitalized. Shaking off the effects of the knockdown, he punched sharply, netting a 16-6 advantage as he kept beating Ribalta to the punch! The crowd cheered both fighters for this crowd-pleasing effort, and the result went to the cards.

The judges scored it 95-94, 96-94 & 95-94, a narrow unanimous win for…George Arias! I had him the winner 96-94, despite being knocked down, in a close fight. Arias showed his class by stating that he’ll gladly offer Jose a rematch after the tourney concludes.

Johnny Paychek vs. Chuck Wepner – Paychek had a vocal support group of Connecticut-ters, but the Bayonne Basher absorbed a mighty hook, then landed a jolting uppercut and other blows at the end to take the opener, 14-9! Johnny found the range with 12 hooks in a nice 2nd, but Check rallied at the end to make it 11-4.

Wepner continued his rallying pattern in the 3rd. Paychek had landed a sweet uppercut, but Wepner got in an even better one at the end of the round to take the lead, 13-10. Paychek pasted Chuck in the 4th, 23-9, on the strength of a big left and a smashing cross and a lot of punches as the round ended.

Both men rested in a dull 5th, won by Wepner, maybe, 6-3. Chuck answered an uppercut with a booming cross in the 6th, taking it, 14-11. He was 2 rounds up on my scorecard at this time!

Paychek earned his paycheck in the 7th, storming back with a sweet hook, then a hook and a cross, to dominate, 25-6. Wepner had no quit in him, and they traded blows in the 8th, but a wild overhand right landed flush on his jaw, and then a nice uppercut, and he wobbled, losing the round, 15-8!

The Bayonne Basher landed a savage combination and thundering uppercut in the 9th, but Paychek was getting in a bunch of hooks. A big straight right jolted Chuck, and Johnny had yet another round, 19-11. Wepner knew the fight was slipping away!

Chuck came out and bopped Paychek with a head butt to open the 10th, but all this did was anger Johnny, who landed two straight rights and thumped Chuck from one side of the ring to the other. Chuck landed a sweet right of his own at the end, but it was too little, too late, as Paychek won convincingly, 20-8, and his fans were roaring at his comeback to win the last 4 rounds!

I had Paychek the winner, 96-94. The judges scored the bout 97-93, 95-95 & 96-94, a majority decision for…Johnny Paychek! He had landed 100 hooks and 93 crosses, outlanding Chuck, 350-227! Another crowd favorite advances!

[mikehoudini]

Tom Cowler vs. Leo Nolan – Leo built up a nice lead as his hooks found their target, but Vowler rallied with hooks of his own at the end to make it close, 10-8. Nolan put on a boxing clinic in the 2nd, connecting on 12 crosses and 13 uppercuts, whitewashing Cowler, 14-0! Cowler came back to take the 3rd, 5-2, as neither fighter could find the range, and he was warned for holding and hitting.

Leo had a 4th almost like the 2nd, as his 13 hooks and 10 uppercuts gave it to him, 14-5. Cowler was getting frustrated because Nolan was beating him to the punch! He finished strongly in the 5th, with a good series of combinations, to even the round, 8-8.

Cowler had his best round of the fight in the 6th, landing enough to get a 12-5 advantage, but he also was warned for kidney punching. He picked up a quick warning at the start of the 7th for hitting on the break. Completing a quadro-fecta, he immediately after was warned for an intentional head butt, and the referee disqualified him for his 4th unique infraction! So what was a close fight goes into the books as a win for Nolan by DQ in the 7th! Cowler must have gone to the Ernie Terrell school of mauling!

Frankie Swindell vs. Lee Savold – The fans from Chicago, da Bear(s), were vocal in their support for Lee in the introductions. Frankie landed the power punches in the 1st, a jolting jab and a sweet hook, but Savold connected for 12 hooks, and a series near the end gave him the round, 10-8. Swindell came back in the 2nd, winning 10-5, aided by a ramrod uppercut!

The 3rd was a see-saw round, arguably won, 8-7, by Savold as he rallied at the end with several of his 9 hooks. He seemed to be favoring his ribs, and there was concern that he might have broken some. His corner argued with him, but he shook his head vehemently, wanting to fight on!

Swindell connected with one nice hook, but Lee blocked the rest and landed an uppercut flush on the chin to eek out the round, 6-4. Savold landed a punch to the top of Swindell’s head to open the 5th, then writhed in pain as he apparently broke his hand! He wanted to fight on one-handed, but the referee wrapped his arms around him, stopping the fight. Swindell was declared the winner by TKO at 0:05 of the 5th!

It was a sad day for his fans from Shy-town, but they can brag that it took two injuries to cause a stoppage, and that their man was still wanting to continue!

[mikehoudini]

Mike Schreck vs. Dick Richardson (2-0 1) – Schreck landed with the force of an ogre throughout the first round! He absolutely pounded poor Dick, connecting for a massive straight left, then one almost as powerful from his right hand, then another left that sent Richardson reeling! A searing cross and bashing hook later and it was over, Schreck declared the winner by a TKO, 27-0, at 2:45 of the 1st round! Dick “Punching Bag” Richardson was helped from the ring after a less than scintillating performance. At least he lasted longer than Gerhard Zeck!

Jeremy Williams vs. Ben Foord – Foord hooked 12 times to win the 1st, 11-8, while Williams had a point deducted for a phantom head butt! He roared back in the 2nd, felling Foord for a 9 count with an atomic hook! Anxious to finish the job, he was warned for low blows, but still easily won the round, 14-6!

Foord danced and countered well in the 3rd, as his head cleared and he piled up points, 10-6. Williams bounced a hook off his head and later a ramrod right, good for a 20-8 4th round in which Foord’s right eye was swelling and his legs were like jello!

Jeremy zipped a straight left in to open the 5th, and Foord’s eye swelled even worse, but he connected with a crushing cross and managed to score more points, 13-11! Jeremy savaged him in the 6th, starting with a massive hook, then a jolting cross, a straight left, and finally two vicious combinations! The points differential was 23-6, and Foord’s eye was in orange warning mode, but Williams’ right eye was swelling a bit as well!

In the 7th, God and both men rested, Foord landing more punches in a 8-2 round. Foord went for broke in the 8th, staggering Williams with 2 gigantic hooks and then a perfect uppercut, but Williams, though he lost the round, 18-5, and his eye was swelling worse, would not go down!

Williams ripped two super jabs in the 9th for a 15-8 margin, as his heavy punches more than offset Foord’s 10 crosses, and Foord’s eye was now real bad! I had the fight dead even at this point, with both fighters looking the worse for wear!

The 10th was a Jeremy Williams highlight film, as Foord’s eye swelled up to red status, almost closing, and his left was swelling badly as well. Half blind, he was annihilated by a ripping right, a smashing uppercut, a sweet hook, another right, another big hook and a punishing cross. The score was 26-2 when the referee jumped in and stopped it, Williams the winner by a TKO at 2:19 of the 10th! The crowd gave a standing ovation to both fighters for their courage.

This fight concluded the second round of the tournament! Fan favorites John Holman and Johnny Paychek advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, while valiant Lee Savold lost when his body had too many injuries to continue!

The Sweet Sixteen are as follows:

James Ellis
Tom McNeeley
Fabio Moli
Marvis Frazier

Dan Flynn
Imamu Mayfield
Joe Beckett
Ed Mahone

John Holman
Terry Daniels
George Arias
Johnny Paychek

Leo Nolan
Frankie Swindell
Mike Schreck
Jeremy Williams

[mikehoudini]

The Round 2 Summary follows:

James Ellis KO 7 Phainting Phil Scott
Tom McNeeley TKO 3 John Louis Gardner
Fabio Moli UD 10 over Taurus Sykes
Marvis Frazier DQ 10 over Battling Jim Johnson

Dan Flynn UD 10 over Joe Alexander
Imamu Mayfield TKO 8 cuts Brian London
Joe Beckett KO 7 Faruq (the Dream) Saleem
Ed Mahone TKO 4 Al Kaufmann

John Holman KO 4 John Ferguson
Terry Daniels TKO 9 Jim Barry
George Arias UD 10 over Jose Ribalta
Johnny Paychek MD 10 over Chuck Wepner

Leo Nolan DQ 7 over Tom Cowler
Frankie Swindell TKO 5 (Injury) Lee Savold
Mike Schreck TKO 1 Dick Richardson
Jeremy Williams TKO 10 Ben Foord

[mikehoudini]

The Sweet Sixteen pairings are as follows:

James Ellis vs. Tom McNeeley
Fabio Moli vs. Marvis Frazier

Dan Flynn vs. Imamu Mayfield
Joe Beckett vs. Ed Mahone

John Holman vs. Terry Daniels
George Arias vs. Johnny Paychek

Leo Nolan vs. Frankie Swindell
Mike Schreck vs. Jeremy Williams

Who will advance to the Elite Eight?

[Jeff1787]

Terry Daniels

[bear]

savold wants a rematch

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

Terry Daniels

He's been a hammer so far, and is likely to go further. Your avatar seems a little tougher than mine, and my guy rules my roost!

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by bear

savold wants a rematch

And he deserves one, more so than anyone else I know. He'll get one, as he's into super recovery mode. There will be matches after the tourney officially is done!

[Romdawg88]

Looks like Holman can't have a match without some drama.

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Looks like Holman can't have a match without some drama.

He definitely snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in his latest win. His fight against Terry Daniels may be a stiff challenge!

[mikehoudini]

As this event gets closer to St. Padraic's Day, Dan Flynn feels his chanced are improving! Imamu O'Mayfield has changed his name to take advantage of his Irish heritage!

[mikehoudini]

The Sweet Sixteen was again held at the Lincoln Center, as the promoter’s assistant, me, forgot to shift venues. John Holman still had his Florida fight fans, while Johnny Paychek was being cheered by the Man from Connecticut! At least one fan believed Terry Daniels would advance to the Elite Eight, but he’d have to get through Holman to do so!

The crowd was fired up, as the last round had produced some excellent contests! Without further ado, here are the results from fights 1 and 2 of Round 3, the Sweet Sixteen:

James Ellis vs. Tom McNeeley – Ellis came in 2-0 1, fresh off a KO of Phil Scott. McNeeley had 2 stoppages, having TKOd John Louis Gardner in 3! He planned to add Ellis to his victim list!

Ellis rallied to capture the feeling-out 1st, 7-5, but was cut in the middle of the right eyebrow, and that could be a factor as the fight progressed. McNeeley stepped the action up a bit in the 2nd, landing one sweet hook to the head, as well as some lighter hooks and a jab that reopened Ellis’ cut, taking the round, 13-9.

Tom smashed a hook right on the button in the 3rd, flooring Ellis for a 5 count in the 3rd. Usually a solid finisher, he couldn’t connect any more, as Ellis parried and blocked nicely, but still lost, 11-6! They traded vicious hooks in the 4th, Tom getting the first in, but Ellis fought back hard after his cut was reopened yet again to arguably take the round, 10-9!

Ellis caught Tom leaning in with a bashing cross in the 5th, decking him for a 2 count. McNeeley evaded any further big damage, but lost handily, 15-3, as Ellis kept landing. At this point, I had the fight even, and the fans were on their feet at the knockdown action!

The 6th was a brawl! Ellis found the range with a bionic cross, but McNeeley stayed vertical, shaking off the effects of the prior round KD. Tom powered home a straight left, then a number of jabs and uppercuts. Finally, the two stood toe-to-toe and exchanged massive hooks. McNeeley won the round, 26-15, and Ellis seemed on the verge of going down, but yet still was landing well himself!

The 7th started slowly, both fighters taking a rest, then Ellis exploded with a sonic cross that sent Tom down for a 2 count! James tried to pour it on, and won the round, 15-4, but didn’t do any significant further damage!

Ellis connected with a straight left to open the 8th, then landed yet another big cross to knock Tom down again. McNeeley got back up at the count of 4, and tried to cover up. Ellis fought with a measured intensity, sneaking a sweet hook home, then shaking McNeeley with a savage combination. Going back to his old standby, the cross, a cranium cruncher put Tom down again, this time for a 6 count! Tom got to his feet, smashed Ellis with a big uppercut, but James was not to be denied, and he clobbered Tom with a punch below the ribs, and Tom crumbled to the canvas, unable to get back up!

Ellis was the winner by a KO at 2:02 of the 8th, in a fight that had been a real battle up until his savage onslaught! McNeeley was courageous, and fought a nice fight, but had no answer as Ellis wore him down and exploited a weakness for the cross! Tom apparently ran out of gas, weakened by the cumulative punches, and was angry with himself for not better protecting himself! He asked for a rematch, which Ellis said might be in order, but only after the tournament concludes. The fans applauded both sluggers.

Fabio Moli vs. Marvis Frazier – Marvis came in 2-0-1, having won on a DQ over Battling Jim Johnson to get here, while Fabio had decisioned Taurus Sykes. Moli landed a solid straight right and a booming combination in the 1st, connecting as well on enough crosses to win it, 12-8, while Marvis was warned for low blows.

Frazier fought well in the 2nd through 5th. He won a dull 2nd, 6-2, pressing the action and making Moli miss. He jabbed nicely and reached Fabio with some light combinations in the 3rd, disrupting Moli’s strategy while outpointing him, 13-4. Marvis frustrated Fabio again in the 4th, landing enough for an 8-2 points advantage, as he slipped or blocked almost all punches. Frazier did have a point deducted for low blows, and he came out in the 5th like his Dad, connecting on a bunch of hooks, albeit none with real authority, and took it,11-2.

Moli found the range with two bombs in the 6th, a nice left and a hook to the head, and this carried the round, 8-5, stopping Frazier’s streak! Fabio stepped inside a Frazier jab and clocked him with a cross that staggered Marvis in the middle of the 7th! He hammered home a big straight left, and Frazier hung on, losing, 13-2!

Marvis landed his 2 best punches of the night, uppercuts that his Dad would have been proud to throw, and punished Moli in a 15-2 8th. Frazier looked to be in good shape heading into the last two rounds.

The 9th was a snoozer, only a wild overhand right saving Frazier from being embarrassed, 6-5. Moli outboxed Marvis in the 10th, one cross sending Frazier backwards, notching an easy round, 11-4. The penalty for the low blows cost Frazier, as I had the fight a 95-95 draw, as did two of the judges (the 3rd gave it to Mori, 96-95), so it goes into the books as a majority draw!

In the rematch, Marvis was a fury of fists in the 1st (not bad alliteration), landing 12 hooks and a massive uppercut to win easily, 16-2! He went to combinations in the 2nd, and frustrated Moli, 8-2. Moli lost a point in the 3rd for low blows, in a pick em, 9-8 round!

Frazier boxed cleverly in the 4th, garnering a 12-5 advantage, and Moli had dug himself another hole! He flourished in the 5th, landing 12 crosses amid other blows, capturing it, 12-6. But Frazier returned the favor in a 15-4 6th, throwing and landing a variety of punches. I had Marvis up by 3 rounds at this point, with 4 to go!

They traded the next 2 rounds, both reaching with good hooks in a 7th that Moli took, 13-10, then Marvelous Marvis finding the range with 12 jabs in a 12-4 8th! Way behind, Moli surprised Frazier with a booming uppercut to open the 9th, and Marvis hit the canvas with a resounding thud! He struggled back to his knees, but couldn’t beat the count, and Moli was the winner by a KO at 0:32 of the 9th! Frazier had landed 243 punches to his 126, but he connected for the one perfect punch, and Marvis’ dreams of making the Elite Eight went up in smoke!

[mikehoudini]

Dan Flynn vs. Imamu Mayfield – Both came in with 2-0-1 records, but Dan wasn’t apparently in the best of shape (could he have been celebrating St. Padraic’s Day?). He felt buoyed because, in real time, this was taking place around his holiday!

Afier 2 minutes of dull feeling out, Flynn came on with a flurry of jabs to capture the 1st, 10-4. The two clinched and alternated misconnecting in the 2nd. Only a set of nice counters by Imamu at the end of the 2nd made it 6-2, his way. The fans were less than thrilled!

Mayfield hammered home a huge hook in the 3rd, but Porky Dan connected with hooks, crosses and uppercuts to possibly take it, 10-8. The 4th was Dullsville, Mayfield landing a little more, 4-2. Those fans that weren’t snoring were booing!

Something kicked in for Imamu in the 5th, as he clouted Dan with a solid blow to the stomach, and Porky dropped gasping for a 7 count! Once Flynn made it back to his feet, Mayfield blasted away, and found Dan’s ample stomach with a crushing cross, and Dan dropped for a second 7 count! The round was 25-0, a one-sided slaughter for Mayfield, as Flynn’s guns must have been shooting water (reference to Whiskey in the Jar song).

Dan rebounded from his beating with some nice jabs and crosses in the 6th, avoiding Imamu’s bombs, and coming back, 8-3! The two traded punches in a very even 7th, 8-8, Dan hooking and Mayfield connecting with uppercuts.

Flynn fired at the start of the 8th, and a sweet hook backed Mayfield up. Flynn landed nicely after that, and only a flurry in the last 30 seconds made this a close round, 10-9. The fight was fairly close at this point, but could Flynn continue with his less-than-stellar conditioning?

Mayfield bashed Flynn with a jolting hook to the ribs, then decked him for a 3 count with a savage combination! Flynn was out of gas, as Mayfield piled it on, 21-2, landing punch after punch, but Flynn wouldn’t go down!

Needing a huge 10th, Flynn jolted Imamu with a hook to start the round, but he couldn’t follow up, and Mayfield kept him at bay with jabs and won the round, 7-4. I scored the fight 96-92 Mayfield. The judges scored it 96-93, 95-93 & 95-93, all in favor of Imamu Mayfield! The last two rounds were pivotal. I had predicted that Flynn would do well, fighting so close to an important holiday, but obviously am not the best predictor! At least noe Dan can truly celebrate his heritage!

Joe Beckett vs. Ed Mahone – Joe came in 2-0 2, having taken out the Dream Saleem in 7, while Mahone was 3-0 3, Al Kaufmann his latest victim! This bout didn’t figure to go the distance.

The two sized each other up, Mahone connecting for a soft jab and Beckett for one with more zip on it. Then Mahone threw a picture-perfect hook and Beckett flew head over heels! It was over at 2:08 of the 1st, Mahone the KO winner! Some of the patrons that had gone to the concession stand got back in time to see the fighters depart the ring! Gerhard Zeck asked to fight Beckett after the tourney concludes!