[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by gocubsgo

Soldier is marching towards a title i think. Don't mess with my boy he will rip your head off and skull f k you to death.

Hut, two, three, four, who ya gonna yell for? Soldier!!!!

He's in a tough draw, as Pedro Agosto and Mike Rodgers have both been impressive. But his military bearing and tactics may carry him all the way!

[Thunder]

We need our Turkeys!!

[mikehoudini]

Here are the results from Round 3, as we are now down to the Sweet Sixteen! Several favorites fell, but several still remain. My apologies for the length of this post! If you are just looking for the results without any commentary, skip to the next post! This is probably the only tournament where this caliber of fighters will ever get detailed fight write-ups. So here they are:

Joe Cox vs. Joseph Smith The Battle of the Joes was just that, as Joe Cox rallied in the last 2 rounds to get a draw in a very even contest. In the rematch, it was even until Cox landed a wild overhand right at the end of Round 4, and Smith couldn’t beat the count! Cox KO 4

Wild Bill Hardney vs. Lou Strydom Wild Bill came out swinging, and was stunned by a hard right from Strydom. Bill battled back, and the round was almost even when Lou landed another huge punch, and Wild Bill was counted out at 2:46 or the first round!

Unknown Winston vs. Mario Cawley Cawley opened well, and had a slight lead through 4 rounds. Winston scored for a 7 count KD at the start of the fifth, but couldn’t put a game Cawley away! Winston landed another 7 count KD in round 6, but Cawley fought back and staggered him in Round 7, when Winston’s arms were low from having thrown so many punches! Both fighters notched cuts in round 7, with Cawley’s being worse, as the bout was temporarily halted. His cut man, Bill Gibson, was rated a 7, as opposed to Winston’s Frank Bagley, a 13, and this proved disastrous, as Winston reopened Cawley’s forehead gash and got a stoppage for cuts at 0:49 of the 9th round. Winston was ahead at that point in time, because of his 2 KDs, but Cawley put up a good fight! The crowd applauded these warriors.

Garing Lane vs. Charley Powell Lane hammered Powell in round 1, then Charley returned the favor in round 2, landing a huge right hand! Round 3 was even, as both landed frequently. Lane decided to fight on the inside in round 4, and that strategy backfired, as Powell landed at will, scoring 29 points (to 2), until the referee was forced to stop the fight at 2:56 to protect a helpless Lane! Powell TKO 4

Johnny Erjavec vs. Rudi Lubbers Lubbers pounded out an easy 97-93 win. Rudi (land) started slowly, and the fight was even until he landed an 8 count KD in round 4. He then cut Johnny in round 6, and the cut worsened in later rounds, being reopened twice. Johnny fought on despite the cut and eye swelling, but Rudi had too much of a lead.

Derek Amos vs. Mel Turnbow Mel opened up strong, winning the first 3 rounds as he landed significantly more punches. D-mos Amos had a good fourth round, and Mel’s eye was beginning to swell. They split the 5th and 6th rounds, then Derek peppered the head, and Mel’s eye was swelling much worse in the 7th round, which was even. Amos realized he needed a big finish, and went all out for a KO in the 8th. He staggered Mel with several shots, but Mel weathered the round, losing 20-4 in points.

Trying to protect his eye, Turnbow fouled in the 9th, and had a point taken away for his 3rd foul. Still, he outpointed Amos, who was swinging wildly when not recovering from the low blow! D-mos came out strong in the 10th, and Mel’s eye was severely swollen. Knowing the fight was on the line, Mel battled back with a late flurry of punches, barely winning the round! For the fight, Mel outpointed Amos 90-76, and he escaped with a narrow 96-94 decision. So Mel Turnbow, the Sultan of Squat, moves on, and he saluted his game opponent, as he dodged another bullet! Next, he’ll meet Rudi (Land) Lubbers!

Robbie Robinson vs. Wayne Llewelyn After the Amos-Turnbow fight, the crowd was hoarse (or sated from going out to get some food). Llewelyn decked Robinson for a 5 count in the 3rd round, and knocked him out in the 6th. The fight was close otherwise, but those two big punches won it!

Terrence Lewis vs. Levi Forte Lewis won the first 2 rounds, but went down for a 4 count in Round 3 and was hammered for the rest of the round. Forte finished the job at the 0:32 mark of round 4 with a KO!

Randy Neumann vs. Jody Ballard Ballard landed a cross for a 4 count KD in round 2, but Neumann controlled the rest of the fight, getting a 96-94 decision as he committed 4 fouls. Ballard had his chances, but tired and lost the last 3 rounds, which were low-scoring affairs.

Jim Stewart vs. Rocky Gannon These guys fought a war! They both fought on the inside from rounds 4 through 7. Gannon was cut badly from an accidental head butt in round 4, and Stewart capitalized, outscoring him 27-3 in this round! Rocky won rounds 5 & 6, and was losing in the 7th until he got a 3 count KD. Stewart returned the favor in Round 8, as both men were going for a KO. After that, neither could score in the last 2 rounds. Gannon got the nod in a split decision, 96-93, 93-96, 96-95. I had Stewart the winner by a 95-93 count, but the judges weren’t impressed by his 27-3 margin of points in round 4, and all had it 10-9, which was crazy! These two deserve a rematch!

Irish Pat Duncan vs. Bill Squires What a donnybrook these two staged! Duncan landed 2 KDs at the end of round 1, one for a 2 count, the other for a 1 count. Squires was in big trouble (then again, he got up quickly). Squires won the 2nd round, and plastered Duncan, 28-4, in the 3rd. Pat was wobbly, but came back in the 4th, with 6 and 3 count KDs, outscoring Bill 26-2. Duncan won round 5, as the two continued to fight each other on the inside. Squires won round 6, but Duncan won a 20-4 round 7, as he reopened a cut on Bill’s head, causing a temporary halt.

Going all out for a KO in the 8th, Squires hurt Duncan with 3 huge punches, then put him down for an 8 count toward the end of the round! The ref stopped the fight at 2:59, as the points score was 30-2! Duncan insisted he could go on, and pointed to Squires, who looked worse than he did! In my mind, the bout would have been even if the 8th had been completed, so Squires just did escape by a second with the win! Squires TKO 8

Marty Franklin vs. Sailor Jack Carroll Franklin was cut over the right eyebrow in the 2nd round from an accidental head butt. Carroll just outpointed him in the first 2 rounds, then did a little better in the next two. The cut was reopened and the bout halted for a moment in round 5, and opened a last time as the bout was stopped in round 6. Going to the scorecards, the judges saw it the way I did, with Carroll well ahead, but not winning any round by a large margin.

Stamford Harris vs. Pedro Agosto Agosto won the first 2 rounds handily, then just kept pounding Harris in the 3rd until the referee mercifully stopped it at 2:52 of the round. Agosto is looking like a solid contender for the title with impressive wins!

Jack Roper vs. Mike Rodgers Roper got a 96-95 decision in this war that I thought could have been a draw. Cut on the left eyebrow in Round 1, Rodgers fought on. He was ahead until the cut was reopened and the bout halted briefly in the 4th. Roper won the 5th & 6th, but Rodgers won a stirring round 7, and the 8th with a huge punch at the end. Roper got a needed round in the 9th, as the cut worsened, but Rodgers finished strongly. These guys should fight again!

Al Benedict vs. Jack Munroe Jack lost the first round, then floored Al with a devastating hook to win at 0:56 of round 2!

Soldier Kearns vs. Eddie Gregg Both of these guys have been crowd-pleasers throughout the tournament, and this was no exception, as they fought a stirring battle! Soldier was hurt in the 1st, as he was outpointed 20-4. He stormed back out in the 2ns, catching Gregg with a huge uppercut for an 8 count KD, but Gregg barely lasted the round!

Round 3 was uneventful, but Gregg landed 2 huge shots in the 4th. Soldier rallied in the 5th, and it seemed both fighters took the 6th off. Soldier landed a big shot to win the 7th, and the two were even in the 8th until Soldier met his Waterloo. Gregg got a 4 count KD at the end of the round, then followed that up with a 7 count KD at the start of Round 9! Soldier fought gamely on, and was decked as the bell rang ending the round for a 1 count! He battled bravely in the 10th, but Gregg got the judges’ nod, 95-90. I had it 96-92.

So Turnbow eeks out a win and a Cubs fan is angry because the valiant Soldier Kearns met his match! On to Round 4, the Sweet Sixteen, with the pairings in the next, Reader’s Digest post!

[mikehoudini]

Joe Cox vs. Joseph Smith, Draw, then Cox KO 4
Wild Bill Hardney vs. Lou Strydom, Strydom KO 1
Unknown Winston vs. Mario Cawley, Winston TKO 9
Garing Lane vs. Charley Powell, Powell TKO 4

Johnny Erjavec vs. Rudi Lubbers, Lubbers UD 10
Derek Amos vs. Mel Turnbow, Turnbow UD
Robbie Robinson vs. Wayne Llewelyn, Llewelyn KO 6
Terrence Lewis vs. Levi Forte, Forte KO 4

Randy Neumann vs. Jody Ballard, Neumann UD
Jim Stewart vs. Rocky Gannon, Gannon UD
Irish Pat Duncan vs. Bill Squires, Squires TKO 8
Marty Franklin vs. Sailor Jack Carroll, Carroll TD 5

Stamford Harris vs. Pedro Agosto, TKO 3
Jack Roper vs. Mike Rodgers, Roper UD
Al Benedict vs. Jack Munroe , Munroe KO 2
Soldier Kearns vs. Eddie Gregg, Gregg UD

Pairings for Round 4:

Joe Cox vs. Lou Strydom
Unknown Winston vs. Charley Powell

Rudi (Land) Lubbers Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow
Wayne Llewelyn vs. Levi Forte

Randy Neumann vs. Rocky Gannon
Bill Squires vs. Sailor Jack Carroll

Pedro Agosto vs. Jack Roper
Jack Munroe vs. Eddie Gregg

[a87star]

Sounds like Turnbow/Amos was a great fight. I hope they have a rematch in the future. D-Mos will be back!

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by a87star

Sounds like Turnbow/Amos was a great fight. I hope they have a rematch in the future. D-Mos will be back!

Amos really came on in the 2nd half of the fight, as the swelling to Turnbow's eye got worse and worse. A rematch is a virtual certainty!

[mikehoudini]

I hope to conduct Round 4 tonight or tomorrow night.

Pairings for Round 4:

Joe Cox vs. Lou Strydom
Unknown Winston vs. Charley Powell

Rudi (Land) Lubbers Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow
Wayne Llewelyn vs. Levi Forte

Randy Neumann vs. Rocky Gannon
Bill Squires vs. Sailor Jack Carroll

Pedro Agosto vs. Jack Roper
Jack Munroe vs. Eddie Gregg

Summary to date:

Joe Cox: KO 8 Alexander, MD Jimmerson, D J. Smith, KO 4 J. Smith
Lou Strydom: KO 5 Vic Brown, UD Nix, KO 1 Hardney
Unknown Winston: KO 5 LaRosa, TKO 6 Hubert, TKO 9 Cawley
Charley Powell: TKO 8 Cole, MD Barlund, TKO 4 Lane
Rudi Lubbers: MD Mahau, UD C. Green, UD Erjavec
Mel Turnbow: UD Glass, TKO 4 cuts Butterbean, UD Amos
Wayne Llewelyn: MD John Jackson, KO 3 M. Harris, KO 6 Robinson
Levi Forte: KO 2 F. Willaims, UD Dunn, KO 4 T. Lewis
Randy Neumann: UD L. Davis, UD Thunder, UD Ballard
Rocky Gannon: UD Dorsey, UD Hazelton, SD Stewart
Bill Squires: TKO 6 Francis, TKO 5 Hunter, TKO 8 Duncan
Sailor Jack Carroll: UD Nilsson, UD Solomon, TD Franklin
Pedro Agosto: D Fields, KO 2 Purnell, UD Doyle, KO 6 Couser, TKO 3 S. Harris
Jack Roper: TKO 8 Roche, UD Pharo, UD Rodgers
Jack Munroe: TKO 5 Lamar Clark, UD Brooks, KO 2 Benedict
Eddie Gregg: KO 6 Featherman, TKO 8 Tucker, UD Kearns

Favorites still in action:

Unknown Winston, Mel Turnbow, anyone who can beat Turnbow (Rudi Lubbers)

Winston, Agosto and Gregg have been impressive so far. Any predictions/hopes as to who wins in Round 4?

Danny Wofford, Butterbean, Jukebox Timebomb and others are here, vying for position on the buffet and the championship undercard.

[mikehoudini]

I finished the 8 fights for Round 4 late yesterday night, and hope to get the results posted tonight or (more probably) tomorrow. My apologies to all. Holiday preparations and the desire to watch each fight have slowed my efforts down.

There were some rousing fights in this round, with only one going the distance! It's been enjoyable to "watch" these tomato cans duke it out. So bear with me and I'll get the results posted soon!

[a87star]

I think you should consider adding Cat Eye to your tournament:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...postcount=2515

I think him and Jukebox Timebomb would be FOY

[SAL]

Pairings for Round 4:

Rudi (Land) Lubbers Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow

I'm backing Rudi-Land now. By the way, have you been able to pull my man Butterbean away from the buffet table yet?

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by a87star

I think you should consider adding Cat Eye to your tournament:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...postcount=2515

I think him and Jukebox Timebomb would be FOY

Another great name! The ranks of the rank may grow. With Jukebox and the Bonyongo Destroyer and a few others, the post-championship matchups (or undercard for the finals) should be interesting. Danny Wofford, Butterbean and Tony Booth were the first to volunteer to take on the newcomers. Or maybe Cat Eye, Juke, Bonyongo and the newbies should all have a little box-off first? The possibilities are endless!

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by SAL

Pairings for Round 4:

Rudi (Land) Lubbers Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow

I'm backing Rudi-Land now. By the way, have you been able to pull my man Butterbean away from the buffet table yet?

I'll have to go back and look at the log, but I think Butterbean was stopped on the first cut, a rarity based on the postings on the Cuts thread. I'll haveta see, but no doubt you were part of the big fan base for Rudi in his epic battle against Mel!

Even though the venue has changed, Butterbean and other stalwart pugilists such as Danny Wofford have come for the new buffet and a chance to challenge newbies like Cat Eye and Jukebox Timebomb. The Mohegan was running low on food.

Maybe we can invite the hot dog champions such as the Black Widow, and have them take on Butterbean and Danny in a no-foods-barred eating match?

[mikehoudini]

Apologies to all. A good friend's dog died today, unexpectedly, so that delayed my posting. Ally was a good and not old girl!

Here are the results from Round 4, as we are now down to the Elite Eight! Like the last round, if you are just looking for the facts, a. k. a. Dragnet, please skip to the next post!

This round’s action was spirited, as the contestants all were vying for a place in the coveted Elite Eight. The knowledgeable fight crowd included several Title Bout posters, and the fans almost unanimously (or anonymously) agreed that the action was non-stop and well worth the admission fee! Without further ado, on to the results:

Joe Cox vs. Lou Strydom
This fight started slowly, with Strydom getting the nod in the first 2 rounds, by 8-4 and 6-4 margins. Cox opened up in the 3rd, but Lou came back and cut him over the right eyebrow at the end of the round, which was almost even to that point based on Lou’s rally. The ref stopped the fight temporarily, and repeated this in the opening seconds of the 4th, when Strydom vectored in and reopened the cut.

The fight again was allowed to continue. Both fighters were fighting inside, and Lou took advantage of Joe’s bad vision to pummel him 25-3. Both stayed on the inside for Round 5. Cox’s cut man did a great job and Joe, sensing he was falling way behind, through caution to the winds and hammered out a 10-4 round! He repeated this strategy in the 6th, stunning Lou and getting a 15-0 round.

The 7th round was hotly contested, Lou getting a 9-8 nod in what was an even round. Joe went for the KO in the 8th, and was slightly ahead when Lou fired a left that reopened the cut and, this time, the fight was stopped!

It was a close fight, with 1 judge having it even at the time of stoppage, the other 2 for Strydom 67-66. It goes in the books as a TKO8 at 2:20 for Strydom.

Unknown Winston vs. Charley Powell
Unlike the preceding fight, this started with a bang, at Winston uncorked a punch for a 7 count KD in the middle of the round! He compounded Charley’s woes by cutting him under the right eye, and won easily 15-0. Powell shook the cobwebs loose and won a 12-6 2nd round, then landed a hook for a 2 count KD at the start of the 3rd, which he won 11-2.

Both fighters switched strategy, going inside for the rest of the fight! Charley landed a big uppercut to win the 4th, 12-9, but Winston returned the favor with a hook in the 5th, shutting Powell out, 13-0. Winston was tiring a bit as he came out for the 6th, and Charley landed many punches, some of them heavy, winning 18-3.

The 7th was the swan song for Winston, though he won’t go back to the ranks of the unknown after his fine performance to date! Powell stunned him and then scored a 7th round KO at 1:48!

Rudi (Land) vs. Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow This was perhaps the headliner and the only bout that went the distance, with a controversial split decision verdict! While Mel rightly has garnered a share of loyal followers for his plucky ways and ring acumen, there was a surprisingly loud vocal contingent that proclaimed “anyone but Turnbow!”

Mel Turnbow was effective in the opening round, but Rudi belted him with an uppercut at the end to outscore Mel 8-6. The uppercut annoyed Mel, who stormed out to take round 2 by a 17-0 margin, as he peppered Rudi with jabs and hooks. Resilient Rudi had his best round of the fight in the 3rd, getting a caution on his way to an 11-3 round!

The ref issued a caution in the 4th to Turnbow, for a low blow that wasn’t! Mel piled up a 10-7 advantage in points. Mel charged out in the 5th, his adrenaline pumping, and ran smack into a big Lubbers uppercut! He shook it off and narrowed the points to 8-6 with a flurry of late round punches!

Both fighters took the 6th off, and it showed, as each was issued a warning in a lackluster 4-2 round for Rudi that drew boos from the crowd. The Land Lubber came out firing in the 7th, and had a point deducted for a head butt that was controversial. Mel rallied at the end, but was on the short end of a 12-6 round.

Turnbow eschewed safety and came out for the KO in both the 8th & 9th! Rudi was issued a warning in the 8th, and Mel tagged him with a combination to win 7-4. The 9th was a huge round for Turnbow, as he stunned Rudi en route to a 23-13 point differential. Rudi was on the ropes!

Lobbers chose to cover up in the 10th, like a turtle, and Mel couldn’t penetrate his defenses, so the round was 4-4. Mel was disappointed, obviously tired after pushing Rudi around the previous round!

It all came down to the judges’ cards! Mel outscored Rudi, 84-71, with two huge rounds! He landed 210 punches at a 35% landing rate, as opposed to 197 and a 24% rate for Rudi. Rudi did out-foul Mel, 2-1. I had the fight 96-95 for Turnbow and, using the board game’s judging, no worse than a draw, even with bias. The judges split, all 3 scoring it 96-95, and the deciding vote was for Lubbers! So Mel’s run is done (hooray, shout some)! The crowd booed the decision. I’m not sure if the presence of a noted fan, who was seated with Butterbean behind the judges, and who shouted for Rudi while Butterbean waved a drumstick in a menacing manner, affected the judges’ scoring. It was a good fight and, per the tournament rules, Mel will stick around to take on the eventual champion! By my vote, he came in no worse than 9th in the tournament, not too shabby for a trial horse (especially for one who’s going to be rated 0)!!!

Mel was classy after the fight, stating on television that he was hoping for a rematch with his skilled opponent. The crowd applauded his words and sportsmanship. Lubbers said it was up to his manager, as he had bigger things planned, and was escorted out under a barrage of chicken wing bones and empty beer cups! The TV commentator asked if Rudi or a relative was a part owner of the Foxwoods!

Wayne Llewelyn vs. Levi Forte
Forte won the first 2 rounds handily, 19-7 and 14-5. In the 3rd, Llewelyn landed a 4 count KD and swelled Forte’s eye. Both fighters fought aggressively in the 4th, with it near even. In the 5th, Forte knocked Llewelyn out at the 2:44 mark with a big hook. The fight had been near even to that point.

Randy Neumann vs. Rocky Gannon
Neumann started fast with a huge 19-2 first round! After dropping behind 6-0 in the 2nd, anon got a 9 count KD in the 2nd, and the fight was never the same. The 3rd round was even, but Rocky won the 4th, 19-9, as one punch stunned Neumann. Gannon poured it on in the 5th, notching a second 9 count KD. The fight was stopped at 2:44 of the 5th, with Gannon the winner by a TKO!

Bill Squires vs. Sailor Jack Carroll
Bill had the number of Sailor Jack from the get-go. He torpedoed him in the opening round for a 7 count KD, got a 1 count KD at the end of the 2nd, won the 3rd handily, but lost the 4th, when both guys switched to fighting inside.

The strategy backfired for Carroll, as Bill decked him for a 2 count in the 5th, and for 6 & 3 counts in the 6th. After a quiet 7th, 9 & 8 count KDs were delivered, and the referee mercifully stopped it at 2:25 of the 8th! Sailor showed the heart of Soldier Kearns in getting back up 7 times, but that’s about it! It would have been 78-65 for Squires by my count if Sailor had weathered the storm in the 8th.

Pedro Agosto vs Jack Roper
Pedro put Roper down with a 2 count KD at the start of the fight, and won round 1 15-2. At the 1:29 point of Round 2, Agosto KOd Roper!!! To date, he has looked awesome, but, then again, one could claim that the competition was awful!

Jack Munroe vs. Eddie Gregg
Gregg scored a major hook en route to a 25-2 1st round! Munroe came back with a nice 9-2 2nd round, then decked Eddie for a 3 count KD in R3, which he won 18-7. Gregg woke up, bashing Munroe for a 9 count KD in round 4, and he kept clubbing him til the score was 28-0 and the referee stopped it at 2:06 of the 4th, Gregg the winner by TKO!

The quarterfinal pairings are in the next post. It's been a great tournament so far, well worth my watching most of the fights. It's a tribute to the game and to boxing that I/we can enjoy these fairly-equal contests!

Short version:
Joe Cox vs. Lou Strydom, Strydom TKO8
Unknown Winston vs. Charley Powell, Powell KO4

Rudi (Land) Lubbers vs. Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow, Lubbers SD10 (disputed)
Wayne Llewelyn vs. Levi Forte, Forte KO5

Randy Neumann vs.Rocky Gannon, Gannon TKO5
Bill Squires vs. Sailor Jack Carroll, Squires TKO8

Pedro Agosto vs. Jack Roper, Agosto KO2
Jack Munroe vs. Eddie Gregg, Gregg TKO4

[mikehoudini]

Joe Cox vs. Lou Strydom, Strydom TKO8
Unknown Winston vs. Charley Powell, Powell KO4

Rudi (Land) Lubbers vs. Mel (Sultan of Squat) Turnbow, Lubbers SD10 (disputed)
Wayne Llewelyn vs. Levi Forte, Forte KO5

Randy Neumann vs.Rocky Gannon, Gannon TKO5
Bill Squires vs. Sailor Jack Carroll, Squires TKO8

Pedro Agosto vs. Jack Roper, Agosto KO2
Jack Munroe vs. Eddie Gregg, Gregg TKO4

Pairings for Round 5, the quarterfinals:

Lou Strydom vs. Charley Powell
Rudi (Land) Lubbers vs. Levi Forte

Rocky Gannon vs. Bill Squires
Pedro Agosto vs. Eddie Gregg

[mikehoudini]

Here are the results from Round 5, the quarterfinals, and we are now down to the Final Four! Like the last rounds, if you are just looking for the results, please skip to the next post!

This round was conducted in Madison Square Garden, a place where the only way any of these fighters would get there was by being on an under card, by buying a ticket or by selling hot dogs or beer. To a man, the Elite Eight were in awe of the surroundings, and vowed to fight their best. And did, as each had hopes of being elevated from the cellar dwellers of pugilism fame! Without further ado, on to the results:

Lou Strydom vs. Charley Powell
This was a see-saw contest. Both guys came out banging in the 1st. Powell landed the harder punches, but Strydom cut him above his right eyebrow, and also made Charley’s eye swell up, but the round was 12-11, basically even. Powell came out smoking in the 2nd, not wanting to get any further damage, and built up a quick lead. But Lou came on strong in the last minute, stunning Powell with a big uppercut, and won the round 12-8.

The 3rd round was uneventful, as both fighters were tired from the first 2. Strydom started off well in the 4th, and Powell’s eye was swelling up more. Fighting on the inside, Powell saw his chance, and decked Strydom with a monster hook. Lou was unable to beat the count, and Powell was the winner by a KO at 1:21 of the 4th!

Rudi Lubbers vs. Levi Forte
These veterans brought the fans to their feet with a classic (well, almost) battle. Forte won the opening round with a barrage of uppercuts, 15-4. Rudi listened to his corner and boxed a superb 2nd round, winning 14-7. His counterpunching was evident in the 3rd, as he frustrated and outscored Forte 12-8. Forte did land a few heavy blows and Rudi’s eye began to swell.

They went toe to toe in the 4th, and Forte outscored the Rude-ster 10-8, getting a few more uppercuts in, his big weapon of the night. Lubbers had a superb 5th, leaving Forte bewildered and bruised as he tagged him with punch after punch, winning 17-2. He cut Levi as well, and was poised to make a run.

The 6th and 7th were lackluster rounds, with both guys taking the 6th off and, for some unknown reason, Rudi taking the 7th off as well. Levi got more points in the 6th, 7-4, while Rudi returned the favor, 6-4, in the 7th.

Rudi went all out for a KO in the 8th, and his aggressiveness paid off, as he scored 14-6 and seemed to have the fight in hand. But Levi fought a clever 9th, when both fighters took the round off, and nailed Lubbers with a series of uppercuts and hooks for a 15-6 margin, and cut Rudi’s other eye!

They went back and forth in the 10th, Levi landing the heavier punches, and reopening Rudi’s cut. He outscored Rudi 15-11, as the spectators applauded both fighters.

On my card, Forte’s rally in the last 2 rounds earned him a 96-96 draw. Lubbers outscored him 96-89, a marginal differential. The judges apparently were swayed by Forte’s strong finish, and by the cuts to Lubbers during that stretch, and Forte was declared the winner of a 96-94 unanimous decision!

Levi praised the Lord in his post-fight interview, the Lord and his ability to land uppercuts! He said he hoped those same factors would enable him to prevail against Charley Powell!

Rudi was clearly disappointed by the decision. He felt he had let this win get away from him, and offered the opinion that maybe his win over Mel Turnbow, a hard-fought contest, had taken a little too much out of him, causing him to run out of gas! He was disappointed, but looked forward to potential rematches with both Forte and Turnbow.

Rocky Gannon vs. Bill Squires
Rocky started off slowly, then surged in the last minute of the opening round, outscoring Squires 16-5. Fresh off his demolition of Sailor Jack Carroll, Bill stormed back in the 2nd, landing 2 bombs en route to a 17-2 margin! In the 3rd, he decked Gannon at the end of the round, after cutting him on the right eyebrow. Gannon was wobbly, outscored 27-4!

But Rocky had no quit in him. Emulating his more-famous fictional counterpart, he put Squires down for a 2 count at the start of round 4, but Squires avoided further damage and the points total was 11-2. At this point, the fight was all even!

The 5th began with Squires landing a smash that reopened Rocky’s cut, and the bout was halted for a moment. The doc said they could continue, and Squires shortly tattooed the Rock with a cross that made the cut gush even more. The fight was stopped, with Squires the winner by a TKO at 1:24 of the 5th!

Gannon was clearly upset, wanting to fight on, but was gracious and tapped gloves with Squires, a sportsman-like gesture that the fans applauded. Squires, with his surprising power, will continue his run!

Pedro Agosto vs Eddie Gregg
The finale was the most exciting fight of the night! Hard punchers, neither fighter disappointed the almost-packed house!

Gregg landed a stunning cross to start the fight, but halfway through the round, Pedro countered with an equally-powerful cross and built up a lead. Gregg landed a big uppercut to end the round, but was the low man on the score, 13-11.

At the one minute mark of the 2nd, Gregg blasted home another big cross, flooring Agosto for a 7 count! Relentless, he poured it on, landing several other huge blows while amassing a 22-2 point total. Plus, Agosto’s left eye was noticeably swelling!

Pedro threw caution to the winds in the 3rd, landing a crushing uppercut, then a combination, and Gregg dropped for a 2 count KD. Agosto pressed his advantage, landing a wild right that floored Gregg for a second 2 count KD, and won the round 20-2!

Agosto’s swelling hadn’t decreased, so he came out banging in the 4th, both men fighting inside. Pedro fired off a hook to begin the round, and caught Gregg flush. Gregg crumpled to the canvas, but got back up at the count of 5! Both men had their hands low, tired from their exchanges. Agosto pressed his advantage, but Gregg came on at the end, causing even more swelling to Pedro’s eye. Agosto outscored Gregg 25-8, but his eye was looking real bad and his vision was impaired!

Agosto was relentless coming out for the 5th, but Gregg was equally so. He nailed Pedro with a big cross, and ruled the first half of the round, and the referee was concerned about the ever-worsening eye of Agosto, who rallied in the last half minute, but still was outscored 18-11!

Gregg started well in the 6th, hurting Agosto with several shots and amassing a nice lead. Pedro rallied at the 2 minute mark, landing a smashing uppercut, then felled Gregg while Eddie was trying to recover. Eddie was unable to beat the count, and this war was over, with Agosto the winner by a KO at 2:48 of the 6th!

The fans saluted both warriors with a standing ovation! Agosto was just a little too much for Gregg, and continues his march toward the title! Gregg stated that he’d like a rematch, and Agosto promised it once things were settled for the championship. It’s likely that his bout against Bill Squires will end short of the final bell.

Summaries:
Lou Strydom vs. Charley Powell, Powell KO4
Rudi Lubbers vs. Levi Forte, Forte UD10
Rocky Gannon vs. Bill Squires, Squires TKO5
Pedro Agosto vs. Eddie Gregg, Agosto KO6

These gents should more-or-less represent the quality of the level 1 fighters. On to the semifinals, which may be in Atlantic City!

[mikehoudini]

Lou Strydom vs. Charley Powell, Powell KO4
Rudi Lubbers vs. Levi Forte, Forte UD10
Rocky Gannon vs. Bill Squires, Squires TKO5
Pedro Agosto vs. Eddie Gregg, Agosto KO6

Pairings for Round 6, the semifinals:

Charley Powell vs. Levi Forte
Bill Squires vs. Pedro Agosto

The jockeying for position for the under card and after card has begun. Jukebox Timebomb and the Bonyongo Destroyer are certainties, with a possible Tarzan sighting! Danny Wofford has asked for a "What if Danny had beaten his opponent?" scenario to see how far he could have gone.

Butterbean, Danny and Tony Booth all hope to get into the mix. Stay tuned!

[a87star]

I think Pedro Agosto takes the whole thing. He's probably the most talented out of all the "turkeys".

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by a87star

I think Pedro Agosto takes the whole thing. He's probably the most talented out of all the "turkeys".

I have to agree. He has been very impressive after his opening draw, though Gregg was matching him almost punch for punch. I thought Lubbers, as a boxer, might give him a challenge, but Rudi's gone and Pedro's punching power has been outstanding. If he wins, he can challenge Wepner of Beattie or a level 2 fighter and we'll see how he does "stepping up."

That said, Squires may well knock him into the next zip code!

[a87star]

Mike.....are you planning on having a tournament for rated 2, 3, ect. HW's or just the true tomato cans? This has been really fun to follow.

[SAL]

Originally Posted by a87star

Mike.....are you planning on having a tournament for rated 2, 3, ect. HW's or just the true tomato cans? This has been really fun to follow.

I agree. This has been a fun tournament to watch and see how it unfolded.

Also I'm glad to hear that there has been a Butterbean siting.