Heavyweights Universe. From 60's and forward.

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October, 1972

Notable auto-scheduled fights

Eddie Neilson 4-0-0 (3) KO 1 Zsoltan Kovacs 0-4-0

Ted Gray 4-0-2 (1) UD 6 Doug DiPietro 19-26-2 (6)

Mike Weaver 7-0-0 (6) KO 1 Vlad Glick 10-36-0 (2)

Larry Frazier 6-1-0 (3) UD 6 Rud Hamburger 3-4-0

Pedro Lovell 12-3-0 (9) KO 6 Robyn Draper 18-24-1 (3)

Larry Duncan 12-4-0 (8) UD 8 Chris Smolinski 16-23-5 (3)

Randy Neumann 14-6-0 (6) KO 2 Dietmar Fassbinder 8-8-2 (2)

Ron Lyle 12-0-0 (11) KO 1 Jay Silverstone 10-10-1 (3)

Mike Schutte 8-1-1 (7) TKO 8 Abel Spencer 19-20-2 (8)

Gene Innocent 24-5-0 (14) UD 10 Bjarne Lingaas 24-11-2 (7)

Roy Williams 28-10-0 (15) UD 10 Joe Alexander 19-3-1 (11)

Dante Cane 30-8-0 (24) UD 10 Charlie Green 16-9-1 (4)

Kurt Luedecke 19-4-1 (10) D 10 Eric Saint Louis 18-18-2 (5)

Richard Dunn 17-5-3 (5) KO 9 Klaus Gerhard Moeller 15-11-1 (7)

Larry Middleton 30-4-1 (8) UD 10 Jan Lubbers 25-11-0 (12)

Del Phillips 15-6-2 (3) UD 10 Gerhard Zech 37-14-0 (28)

Fight card, including two WBA tourney bouts, coming up..

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Friday 13th of October, 1972

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

WBA tourney - George Foreman v Dave Zyglewicz
WBA tourney - Al Jones v Earnie Shavers
Tony Ventura v Buster Mathis
Ron Stander v Jose Luis Garcia
Ted Gullick v Piermario Baruzzi
Fonomanu Sekona v Paddy Carmichael

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Fonomanu Sekona 8-1-0 (7) v Paddy Carmichael 6-3-0 (1), 6 rounds

Fonumano Sekona improves to 9-1-0 (7) with a 6th round UD, with the scores of: 59-54, 59-56, 58-55

Ted Gullick 14-3-1 (13) v Piermario Baruzzi 14-3-0 (10), 8 rounds

Baruzzi surprised many US experts as he improves to 15-3-0 (11) with a 4th round KO win. Scores were: 29-28 and 30-27 twice; all for Baruzzi.

Ron Stander 17-3-1 (7) v Jose Luis Garcia 11-4-1 (7), 10 rounds

Stander won a close UD as he improves to 18-3-1 (7). Scores were: 98-94, 97-94 and 96-95

Tony Ventura 18-9-3 (13) v Buster Mathis 30-9-0 (8), 10 rounds

Former world champ Mathis looks to get his career going again.

Ventura was more active, more accurate, and more effective as he improves to 19-9-3 (13) with the scores 96-94 and 97-93 twice.

Al Jones 32-4-0 (7) v Earnie Shavers 22-0-0 (20), 12 round WBA tourney semifinal.

A very highly anticipated bout, that most expect to be a close bout. Al Jones holds the superior boxing skills, while Shavers packs a much harder punch, coming off a 2nd round stoppage win against Larry Middleton. Al Jones is coming off a impressive decision win against canadian George Chuvalo.

My Prediction: Shavers will try to come out bombing, because of his many times bad stamina. Jones will try to survive and possibly win the fight in the later rounds. I predict a: Close decision win for Al Jones..

1st round: Al Jones lands a solid flurry. Earnie comes back with a big right and a crushing cross. 10-9 Shavers

2nd round: Jones lands a flurry. Shavers lands a big three punch combo. Shavers lands two jabs and a strong hook. Shavers stuns Jones with a quick hook up top. 20-18 Shavers

3rd round: Shavers lands a good combination. Jones comes back with a combination of his own. Both fighters are staying cautious. Shavers goes to the body. Jones lands two jabs. Shavers lands a cross. 30-27 Shavers

4th round: Shavers lands a sweet uppercut. Jones lands a jab. Shavers lands a hard cross. Another cross from Shavers. Jones lands a jab. 40-36 Shavers

5th round: Jones lands with his left. Shavers lands a strong hook. Shavers lands a flurry. There is a lot of clinching. Shavers lands a short uppercut as he wins the round by being more active. 50-45 Shavers

6th round: Jones scores with a jab and a right. Small exchange. Shavers lands the jab. Jones lands his jab. 59-55 Shavers.

7th round: Shavers wins a trade of blows. Jones lands a jab. Jones wins a exchange. Shavers sends Jones down with a wicked hook. Jones just barely makes it up. 69-63 Shavers

8th round: Shavers lands a hard uppercut. Jones lands the jab. Shavers lands a smashing hook that hurts Jones. Shavers lands a short hook. 79-72 Shavers

9th round: Shavers counters with a hook. Jones lands the jab, but Shavers throws an uppercut under it that hits flush. Shavers stuns Jones with a quick hook. Shavers hurts Jones with a jab-cross. The fighters exchange blows. Jones goes to the body. 89-81 Shavers

10th round: Shavers lands a solid uppercut. Jones lands a huge cross. Jones lands the jab. 98-91 Shavers

11th round: Shavers lands a cross. Jones lands a jab. Jones lands his right. Jones lands a hook on the inside. Jones lands his cross. Another cross. 107-101 Shavers

12th round: Jones lands a stinging jab. Shavers lands a jab. Jones lands a jab. Both fighters look very exhausted. They clinch. Jones lands a jab. Jones lands a flurry. I have it; 116-111 Shavers

Scorecards: 116-111, 116-111, 116-111

All for the winner by unanimous decisioon, Earnie Shavers!

Shavers did a effective job as he simply outworked Jones and slowly step by step wore him out to send him down in the 7th on the way. Jones got it going to late to ever stand a chance.

Earnie Shavers improves to 23-0-0 (20) while Al Jones moves to 32-5-0 (7)

George Foreman 23-0-0 (23) v Dave 'Ziggy' Zyglewicz 32-5-0 (23), 12 round WBA tourney Semifinal

Foreman is the 3 to 1 favourite, as it is expected that he will simply outwork Zyglewicz and his power will be too much, even for Zyglewicz biggest asset, which arguably is his chin. Foremans power v Ziggys chin. Should Zyglewicz be able to carry this into the later rounds, he might stand a chance as many feel that Foremans stamina could be a problem for him.

My prediction: Foreman will throw bombs and will stop his early. Zyglewicz will be hard to send down so i predict a 2nd round TKO win for Foreman.

1st round: Foreman lands a big hook. Foreman lands a big hook flush. Foreman blast home a right hand. Foreman lands a crushing hook. Ziggy lands a jab. Foreman snaps Ziggys head with a jab. Zyglewicz lands a hard uppercut. Foreman lands a big hook flush on Ziggys chin. 10-9 Foreman

2nd round: Foreman lands a quick hook. Ziggy lands a right cross. Foreman lands a devastating cross. Foreman lands a straight right. 20-18 Foreman.

3rd round: Foreman lands a sweet uppercut. Foreman lands a solid cross. Foreman lands a right cross flush. Ziggy scores a hard jab. Foreman lands a smashing hook. 30-27 Foreman

4th round: Foreman lands a big left. Foreman lands a perfect cross that sends Ziggy down. Ziggy gets up at the count of 6. Foreman lands a crippling right followed by a crushing uppercut! Foreman lands a hard left. Foreman lands a sweet uppercut. Ziggy survives. 40-35 Foreman

5th round: Foreman lands a smashing jab. Ziggy lands a lead right. Ziggy goes to the body. Ziggy lands a short uppercut. Ziggy fires to the body of Foreman. Foreman fires a solid combination. Ziggy lands a short uppercut on the inside. Foreman doubles up on the hook. 49-45 Foreman

6th round: Foreman lands a straight right. Foreman lands a three punch combo! Both fighters comes in with their head. Ziggy lands a overhand right. Foreman wins an exchange. 59-54 Foreman

7th round: A lot of clinching. Ziggy lands a cross. Ziggy lands a right hand. Boring round. 68-64 Foreman

8th round: Foreman lands a wicked shot that sends Ziggy down. Ziggy gets up at the count of 8. Foreman jumps in and lands a devastating uppercut that sends Ziggy down again! Ziggy shows heart, as he gets up once again. Foreman lands a big right followed by a three punch combo that sends Ziggy down again! The three knockdown rule is in effect!!

George Foreman TKO 8 Dave Zyglewicz!

George Foreman looked like he was starting to tire out, but his dangerous power won it for him in higlight reel fashion. Scorecards at the end were: 68-63, 68-63 and 67-65. I had it 68-64.

George Foreman improves to 24-0-0 (24) while Dave Zyglewicz moves to 32-6-0 (23).

Everything is now set for the battle of the undefeateds for the WBA belt; George Foreman v Earnie Shavers!

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November 1st, 1972 - News

Battle of undefeateds announced

With George Foreman (24-0-0 with 24 KO's) and Earnie Shavers (23-0-0 with 20 KO's) both winning their respective WBA tourney semi finals against Dave Zyglewicz (32-6-0 with 23 KO's) and Al Jones (32-5-0 with 7 KO's) everything was set in place for a title fight between the two. Yesterday it was, as expected, announced that the two power punchers will face eachother 27th of January, 1973. The fight is to be held at the legendary Madison Square Garden. The WBA belt will be on the line.

Joe Frazier to defend his WBO belt

It was a long and hard task to determine the new WBO mandatory challenger. #1 George Foreman is in a WBA championship fight. Same deal with #2 Earnie Shavers. #3 and #4 Dave Zyglewicz and Al Jones both lost their last fights, so they are not eligible. #5 Ken Norton is fighting Al Lewis. #6 Leotis Martin has lost his last two. Therefore #7 Jimmy Young was declared mandatory challenger.

Joe Frazier (32-3-0 with 31 KO's) did not hesitate to sign the contract to face the 24 year old Jimmy Young (24-0-0 with 10 KO's) for a February, 1973 fight. Frazier will no doubt, be the big favourite, but many believe that Youngs boxing style will give Frazier some problems.

'The Greatest' to fight Argetine 'Ringo'

Muhammad Ali (42-3-0 with 34 KO's) has decided to keep his career going despite of his 10th round TKO loss against Joe Frazier. The opponent will be argentine Oscar Bonavena (33-8-0 with 26 KO's). The two has fought once before, at that time for the heavyweight championship of the world. The result was a 15th round TKO win for Muhammad Ali. The fight has been signed for a February, 1973 fight on the undercard of Frazier v Young.

The ring rankings:

Ch: Joe Frazier 32-3-0 (31)
1. George Foreman 24-0-0 (24)
2. Al Lewis 29-1-2 (17)
3. Earnie Shavers 23-0-0 (20)
4. Al Jones 32-5-0 (7)
5. Ken Norton 26-2-0 (23)
6. Dave Zyglewicz 32-6-0 (23)
7. Leotis Martin 32-10-2 (18)
8. Oscar Bonavena 33-8-0 (26)
9. Jimmy Young 24-0-0 (10)
10. Henry Clark 35-8-1 (6)

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November, 1972

Notable auto-scheduled fights
Ted Gray 5-0-2 (2) KO 2 Earvin Eckhardt 11-21-3 (4)

Mal Isaacs 5-2-0 (2) TKO 4 Laurent Cazevane 6-18-1 (1)

John Dino Denis 4-0-1 UD 6 Joseph Rawlings 0-2-0

Eddie Neilson 5-0-0 (4) KO 6 Nelson Richards 10-15-5 (4)

Mike Weaver 8-0-0 (6) UD 6 Bambata George 5-3-1

Piermario Baruzzi 16-3-0 (12) KO 2 Brad Mugshot 19-24-4 (1)

Raimo Nisula 17-9-2 (9) KO 6 Aritza Gurmendi 13-15-4 (1)

Larry Duncan 13-4-0 (9) TKO 1 Min-zhong Yuan 12-12-1 (4)

Fonomanu Sekona 10-1-0 (8) KO 2 Sam Carter 16-15-2 (2)

Mike Boswell 14-2-0 (10) UD 8 Gabriel Pernales 5-9-2

Jan Lubbers 26-11-0 (13) KO 2 Maxime Maugalio 10-5-4

Gregorio Peralta 37-13-1 (22) UD 10 Tony Doyle 25-18-2 (12)

Giuseppe Ros 22-6-1 (10) KO 7 Charlie Green 16-10-1 (4)

Boone Kirkman 21-5-0 (15) TKO 9 Peter Weiland 26-15-1 (21)

Dante Cane 31-8-0 (25) KO 5 Lubomir Hlinka 11-18-1 (4)

Ted Gullick 15-4-1 (13) SD 10 Domenico Adolfi 19-5-0 (8)

Fight card coming up, including a EBU title fight.

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Saturday 4th November, 1972

MEN Arena, Manchester, United Kingdom

EBU - Joe Bugner v Rudi Lubbers
BBU - Peter Boddington v Del Phillips
Jose Urtain v Richard Dunn
Pedro Lovell v Rob Toner

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Pedro Lovell 12-3-0 (9) v Rob Toner 22-23-7 (8), 8 rounds

Lovell was just too much for the brit as he won a KO 4 and improves to 13-3-0 (10)

Jose Urtain 16-5-0 (5) v Richard Dunn 17-5-3 (5), 10 rounds

Hometown favourite surprised as he won a 10th round UD with the scores; 98-91, 99-89, 98-90 and even knocked him down in the 9th and 10th. Dunn improves to 18-5-3 (5)

Peter Boddington 19-2-1 (14) v Del Phillips 15-6-2 (3), 12 rounds for the British championship

The fight was close before Boddington knocked Phillips down for a 10 count in the 10th. Scorecards were: 85-85, 86-84, 86-85 for Boddington. Boddington improves to 20-2-1 (15)

Joe Bugner 22-6-0 (15) v Rudi Lubbers 14-0-0 (2)

Bugner is the 11 to 1 favourite.

Bugner gave Lubbers a boxing lesson winning every single round before the ref stopped it due to Lubbers eye being swollen shut. The punchstats says it clearly: 324-97 for Joe Bugner.

Joe Bugner TKO 9 Rudi Lubbers. Scorecards at the end were: 80-72, 79-73 twice.

Bugner improves to 23-6-0 (16) as he makes his first defence of the EBU title. Lubbers moves to 14-1-0 (2) and at best looked game tonight.

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December 1st, 1972

EBU Champ - Joe Bugner looking for revenge

The manager of English EBU Champion Joe Bugner (23-6-0 with 16 KO's) has announced that his next defence will take place in March next year against italian Giuseppe Ros (22-6-1 with 10 KO's). Bugner has lost many surprising bouts in his career against fighters who should be way below him. Giuseppe Ros was one of them as he beat Bugner by MD 8 in September, 1969. Bugner has won 8 in a row. Ros has won 4 in a row.

Al Jones steps down in competition

Al Jones (32-5-0 wih 7 KO's) has announced that he will fight a tune-up fight towards another possible title fight. The opponent will be former EBU champ, german Jurgen Blin (28-12-1 with 7 KO's) The bout will take place in March next year on the undercard of Bugner v Ros. This means that Jones will go to europe for the second time of his career, with the first time being against Billy Walker.

Dave Zyglewicz will make first defence of USBA title

USBA champ Dave Zyglewicz (32-6-0 with 23 KO's) will make his first defence of the title since beating Leotis Martin for it 6 months ago. The opponent will be slugger Tony Ventura (19-9-3 with 13 KO's). Zyglewicz was a part of the WBA tourney, but lost to George Foreman two months ago. Zyglewicz v Ventura will take place in February on the undercard of Frazier v Young and Ali v Bonavena as it is really shaping up to be a great card.

The Ring Rankings:

Ch: Joe Frazier 32-3-0 (31) WBO
1. George Foreman 24-0-0 (24)
2. Al Lewis 29-1-2 (17) IBF
3. Earnie Shavers 23-0-0 (20)
4. Al Jones 32-5-0 (7) NABF
5. Ken Norton 26-2-0 (23)
6. Dave Zyglewicz 32-6-0 (23) USBA
7. Leotis Martin 32-10-2 (18)
8. Oscar Bonavena 33-8-0 (26)
9. Jimmy Young 24-0-0 (10)
10. Gregorio Peralta 37-13-1 (22) LABA


Big fights this month:
WBC/IBF unification bout between Al Lewis and Ken Norton
Leotis Martin v Jeff Merritt

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December, 1972

Notable auto-scheduled fights

Larry Frazier 7-1-0 (4) KO 3 Nelson Richards 10-16-5 (4)

Eddie Neilson 6-0-0 (5) KO 5 Matan Mugabe 2-5-0 (1)

Pedro Lovell 14-3-0 (11) KO 3 Jeff Curtis 13-14-1 (5)

Mike Weaver 9-0-0 (6) UD 8 Mariano Rodenas 17-15-0 (8)

Mel Turnbow 23-16-2 (4) SD 8 James Kingsford 15-19-3 (4)

Mal Isaacs 6-2-0 (3) KO 6 Jeff Pakula 14-12-3 (2)

Piermario Baruzzi 17-3-0 (13) KO 2 Heriberto Ruiz 12-21-2 (1)

Dante Cane 32-8-0 (26) TKO 5 Richard Dunn 18-6-3 (5)

Dennis Avoth 19-5-2 D 10 Jan Lubbers 26-11-1 (13)

Mani Vaka 21-3-2 (15) KO 5 Peter Weiland 26-16-1 (21)

Jose Luis Garcia 12-5-1 (8) TKO 4 Charley Polite 20-20-1 (5)

Pedro Agosto 24-9-0 (16) UD 10 Joe Alexander 19-4-1 (11)

Jose Roman 24-8-0 (7) TKO 5 Kurt Luedecke 19-5-1 (10)

Larry Middleton 30-4-2 (8) D 10 Ron Stander 18-3-2 (7)

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Saturday 9th December, 1972

The Olympia, Detroit, MI, USA

WBC/IBF - Al Lewis v Ken Norton
Leotis Martin v Jeff Merritt
Henry Clark v Roy Williams
Terry Daniels v Roger Russell
Ron Lyle v Gianni Chiaromonte
John Dino Denis v James Cornell

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John Dino Denis 4-0-1 v James Cornell 2-3-0 (1), 6 rounds

Dino Denis won an easy UD with the scores; 60-55, 59-56, 59-57 as he improves to 5-0-1

Ron Lyle 12-0-0 (11) v Gianni Chiaromonte 18-13-4 (1), 8 rounds

After a close 1st, Lyle pounded him and send him down twice in the 3rd before the ref stopped it in 4.

Ron Lyle improves to 13-0-0 (12) with a TKO 4

Terry 'TX' Daniels 15-1-0 (5) v Roger Russell 26-10-0 (2), 10 rounds

Undercard regular Terry Daniels faces a good test in Roger Russell.

Daniels had no trouble as he stopped Russell in 3rd with a big beating.

Terry Daniels improves to 16-1-0 (6) with a TKO 3.

Henry Clark 35-8-1 (6) v Roy Williams 28-10-0 (15), 10 rounds

All the way through Clarks career he has been beating B and C fighters and lost to A fighters. Fx. in his fight against Jerry Quarry he was leading on all scorecards after 4, but then got stopped with a single punch.

Willams won in a small upset as the ref stopped the fight in the 3rd, a bit prematurely perhaps.

Roy Williams improves to 29-10-0 (16) with a TKO 3

Leotis Martin 32-10-2 (18) v Jeff Merritt 24-5-0 (19), 10 rounds

Martin is the 11 to 1 favourite.

Martin has lost his last two against Joe Frazier and Dave Zyglewicz. Merritt has won his last 6.

Martin easily won the first 3. In the first he knocked Merritt down twice, the second time, for the full count.

Leotis Martin improves to 33-10-2 (19) with a KO 4 win.

Al Lewis 29-1-2 (17) v Ken Norton 26-2-0 (23), 15 rounds for the WBA/IBF titles.

WBC made a surprising decision when they chose to let the IBF champ fight Norton for the vacant WBC title. The winner will be the unified champ.

Both fighters can box or slug, and that should make it a tactically interesting fight.

Al Lewis keys to victory could be: Try to surprise the slow starter Norton early. Try to possibly outslug Norton on the inside and spoil his boxing.

Norton keys to victory could be: Attempting to combine his good defensive skills with his big speed and punching power. Keep busy and take the fight to Lewis as he keeps a distance.

My Prediction: Norton wins 2 or 3 point decision. 144-141 kinda' decision.

1st round: Lewis lands an uppercut on the inside. Lewis lands a punch that's part uppercut, part hook. Norton lands a strong right. Norton lands to the body. Norton blasts home a hook to the body of Lewis. Lewis counters with a hook to the head. 9/10 Norton

2nd round: Lewis lands a jab. Lewis lands his jab. Both are staying very cautios. Lewis scores with his jab. 19/19

3rd round: Lewis lands a quick cross. Norton lands a body punch, but receives a warning from the ref, as he felt it was too low. Lewis gets the better of a punch trade. Lewis lands a lead right. Both are keeping their distance. Lewis lands a three punch combo and follows it up with a cross! Norton lands a cross. Norton lands a small uppercut. 29/28 Lewis

4th round: Lewis lands a small uppercut as they fight on the inside. Norton lands a cross. Norton wins an exchange. Norton lands a big hook. Norton misses with three punches in a row and is countered with a hook. Lewis lands a quick hook! Lewis lands a jab. 39/37 Lewis

5th round: Norton lands a hard cross. Norton lands a big hook flush! Lewis lands a hard cross! Both fighters miss big. 48/47 Lewis

6th round: Norton lands to the head and body and back to the head. Lewis lands a jab. Lewis lands a uppercut on the inside. Another uppercut from Lewis. Norton lands two body hooks and an uppercut up top. Lewis lands a hook to the body. Norton wins a small exchange. Norton lands a short uppercut. Norton lands the hook. 57/57

7th round: Norton lands two quick jabs. Another quick jab. Lewis lands his jab. Norton lands a crushing uppercut! Lewis lands a jab. Norton fires a flurry with at least one punch landing flush. 67/66 Norton

8th round: Lewis lands a hard jab. Lewis jab lands again. Lewis lands a quick uppercut. Norton lands two small uppercuts. Lewis lands a stinging jab. Norton lands a hook. Lewis lands a jab. 76/76

9th round: Norton lands a hard hook to the body! Lewis lands a combination. Another volley from Lewis. Lewis lands the jab. Norton lands a big right hand! A big cross from Norton! Lewis wins an exchange. 86/85 Norton

10th round: Lewis lands a big left! Norton lands two hard body shots as he continues his efforts to were Lewis down. Lewis lands the jab. Lewis lands a solid cross. Lewis lands to the head and body. Lewis lands a hard hook! 95/95

11th round: A minute with not a single punch landed. Norton lands a sneaky right. Norton lands a jab. Norton lands a crushing cross! Norton lands to the chest and neck of Lewis. Norton lands a right cross and a short ripping uppercut inside. Big round for Norton. 105/104 Norton

12th round: Norton lands a big hook. Lewis lands a short hook. Lewis lands a solid combo. Lewis lands a sizzling cross. Norton connects with the uppercut. Lewis lands a winging right! Norton lands a cross. Norton lands a hard jab. Lewis looks very tired! Norton lands a punch at the break and the ref gives him a warning. Norton senses that Lewis is tired as he just pours punches to Lewis' head and body and makes him take a knee. Lewis gets up, but he is in pain. 115/112 Norton

13th round: Both fighters are flailing away, as Lewis wins an exchange. Lewis lands the jab. Norton lands a damaging cross. Lewis throws a combination. Norton lands three punches in a row! Norton lands two solid shots. Lewis lands a little uppercut inside. Lewis lands a strong hook! Norton lands a straight right! Great round! 125/121 Norton

14th round: Norton lands a big right hook! Norton lands a sweet uppercut! Small exchange. Norton hooks of the jab and goes to the body. Norton lands a smashing cross! Lewis looks hurt. Norton rips a hook to Lewis' head. Norton lands a sneaky right as he is taking it very relaxed here. 135-130 Norton¨

Lewis will need a KO.

15th round: Lewis misses with his shots as Norton is covering up. Lewis jumps in and lands a sharp combination. Norton ties up Lewis and lands a small uppercut. Norton lands another short uppercut. 145-140 Norton.

We are going to the scorecards:

146-140
145-141
145-141

All for the winner, by unanimous decision...

The new WBC champion of the world. The NEW IBF champion of the world. The Black Hercules, Ken Norton!!

Norton fought a very clever fight as his body attack wore Lewis down for the later rounds as he won 11th -> 15th clearly and that made the difference in a close fight. The main thing was Nortons superior stamina as he did everything right knocking Lewis down in the 12th along the way. Lewis did everything he could and can be proud of his perfomance.

Ken Norton improves to 27-2-0 (23) while Al Lewis moves to 29-2-2 (17)

[gocubsgo]

Wow where the heck have i been. Somehow i missed a lot of your uni. Gonna have to go back and some of the previous stuff. Good easy to read keep it up.

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Looking back and forward - 1972 -> 1973

1972

With a good year of heavyweight boxing it is time to recap the stories of 1972.

Joe Fraziers dominance

Joe Frazier is looking extremely devastating and completely unbeateable. He started the year by regaining his pride as he TKO Leotis Martin in the 4th round of their much anticipated rematch. He then went on to fight rising star Ken Norton and after 4 hard rounds, Fraziers power simply became too much for Norton as he gave him a full ten count in the 5th. Frazier then opted to fight Ali in the 5th bout of their rivalry. Foreman was at the time his mandatory challenger and therefore Frazier was stripped of his WBA and WBC titles, only holding the WBO belt. That ment nothing to Frazier as he was looking forward to fighting Muhammad Ali in his comeback fight. After 9 brutal rounds, with Frazier in the lead, Ali got send to the canvas after a ferocius combination by Joe. Ali stood up, but couldn't stay on his feet as the ref stopped the fight in the 10th for another KO win for Joe Frazier. Frazier has a defence signed against undefeated Jimmy Young in February.

The breakthrough of Foreman and Shavers

The two supreme prospects whose careers had been running very similarly to each others. Foreman was the first in action of the two as he demolished former world title challenger Mac Foster in 4 rounds already in February. Earnie Shavers followed up the next month by stopping Tony Ventura in seven. George Foreman took few breaks as he fought argentine LABA champion Gregorio Peralta already in April. Foreman gave an impressive perfomance as he won all rounds but one, before knocking Peralta down three times in the 8th for a TKO win. Earnie Shavers was in action next, in June as he looked to face the toughest test of his career in Larry Middleton. Shavers looked brutal as he finished Middleton in two rounds. After a small break both got license to be a part of the WBA tourney to declare a new champ. They both fought their semifinals in October. Foreman faced USBA champ Dave Zyglewicz, who gave him a good fight. He couldn't keep standing up in the 8th as he got pounded before the fight was stopped to Foremans advantage in the round. Shavers faced former world champ Al Jones in his semifinal. Shavers did a good job as he outslugged Jones to win a wide UD 12. That means a fight between Foreman and Shavers is now set up for January 27th next year.

The comeback of Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali originally announced his retirement in April 1971 after being stopped by Joe Frazier in three. A year and five months later he was back to attempt a comeback. And the opponent; Joe Frazier. The fight proved to be a real classic as both landed brutal shots, with Frazier always a bit ahead though. In the 10th, Frazier landed a enourmous combination that put 'The Greatest' down. He got up, but couldn't stay on his feet as the ref called it off! Muhammad Ali has not shown any desire to hang 'em up again, as he has a fight scheduled with Oscar Bonavena.

The fall... and rise of Ken Norton.

Ken Norton had proven himself in 1971 by defeating fighters such as Chuck Wepner, Henry Clark and Dave Zyglewicz. This got him a title shot against feared Joe Frazier in May. Ken Norton put up a very good fight before Frazier feroucious offense got to Norton and send him down for good in the 5th. He took some time off, before fighting Gregorio Peralta, in September, in an eliminator for a unification bout with IBF champ Al Lewis. He fought a very good fight as his body attack slowly wore down the argetine as Norton won a wide UD 12. This got him his shot against Al Lewis. The 15-round fight, which took place earlier this month (December) was a very close fight with Norton obviously going for the body and looking to were him down. Norton did just that and after it being completely even after 10. He won 11th -> 15th as he became the unified champ by UD 15.

The end of George Chuvalo

The tough canadian George Chuvalo, who has always been a security for entertaining fights, started his year by looking very good in decisioning Larry Middleton for the NABF title. He showed heart by giving former world champ Al Jones, who had beat him once before, the shot. Al Jones though made Chuvalo look old and after the fight there was no choice but for him to call an end to his glorius career which includes wins against fighters such as Thad Spencer, Robert Cleroux, Gregorio Peralta, Doug Jones and Leotis Martin.

Looking Forward

1973 already now has the makings to be a great year with big fights scheduled. Foreman-Shavers is scheduled for January 27th at Madison Square Garden in the Battle of Undefeateds. Joe Frazier faces the undefeated Jimmy Young and Muhammad Ali fights Oscar Bonavena in February.

After that anything could happen, i predict:

Foreman will beat Shavers. Frazier will demolish Jimmy Young. Ali will cruise to beat Oscar Bonavena. Ken Norton will fight some mandatory challenger and will win. He will then schedule a rematch with Frazier while Foreman beats a challenger. Muhammad Ali will keep looking for a title bout as he defeats a top 10 fighter. Frazier will beat Norton in the rematch and will have all the belts but WBA. Frazier will then beat a mandatory challenger while Foreman schedules to fight Ali. Foreman will stop him. Frazier v Foreman will end the year. Foreman will win.

This might be a dream scenario

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Rankings at End of 1972

IBF

Ch. Ken Norton
1. George Foreman
2. Earnie Shavers
3. Dave Zyglewicz
4. Al Jones
5. Al Lewis
6. Leotis Martin
7. Jimmy Young
8. Oscar Bonavena
9. Larry Middleton
10. Gregorio Peralta

WBA

Ch: Vacant
1. George Foreman
2. Earnie Shavers
3. Al Jones
4. Al Lewis
5. Dave Zyglewicz
6. Leotis Martin
7. Oscar Bonavena
8. Jimmy Young
9. Gregorio Peralta
10. Larry Middleto

WBC

Ch: Ken Norton
1. George Foreman
2. Dave Zyglewicz
3. Earnie Shavers
4. Al Jones
5. Al Lewis
6. Oscar Bonavena
7. Leotis Martin
8. Gregorio Peralta
9. Jimmy Young
10. Larry Middleton

WBO

Ch: Joe Frazier
1. George Foreman
2. Dave Zyglewicz
3. Earnie Shavers
4. Al Jones
5. Al Lewis
6. Leotis Martin
7. Jimmy Young
8. Oscar Bonavena
9. Larry Middleton
10. Gregorio Peralta

EBU

Ch: Joe Bugner
1. Gene Innocent
2. Dante Cane
3. Giuseppe Ros
4. Peter Boddington
5. Bernard Thebault

LABA

Ch: Gregorio Peralta
1. Oscar Bonavena
2. Pedro Agosto
3. Pedro Lovell
4. Jose Roman
5. Jose Luis Garcia

OBF (oceanian boxing federation)

Ch: Vacant
1. Mani Vaka
2. Ted Gray
3. Fonomanu Sekona
4. Reno Zurik
5. Jay Silverstone

NABF

Ch: Al Jones
1. George Foreman
2. Earnie Shavers
3. Al Lewis
4. Dave Zyglewicz
5. Leotis Martin

ABU (African boxing union)

Ch: Vacant
1. Mike Schutte
2. Abeeku Zakari
3. Ekon Onyali

BBU (British Boxing Union)

Ch: Peter Boddington
1. Gene Innocent
2. Eddie Neilson
3. Del Phillips

Argentina

Ch: Gregorio Peralta
1. Oscar Bonavena
2. Pedro Lovell
3. Diego Mendicutti

Germany

Ch: Vacant
1. Gerhard Zech
2. Peter Weiland
3. Jurgen Blin

Italy

Ch: Vacant
1. Dante Cane
2. Giuseppe Ros
3. Domenico Adolfi

USBA

Ch: Dave Zyglewicz
1. George Foreman
2. Earnie Shavers
3. Al Jones

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New fighters debuting in 1973;

Duane Bobick, Little Falls, MN. 23 years old. 1972 olympian. (eliminated in 1st round)

Johnny Boudreaux, Houston, TX. 21 years old.

Jesse Clark, Columbos, OH. 20 years old.

Marc Ecimovic, Geelong, Australia. 20 years old. 1972 olympian. (Eliminated in 1st round)

Larry Holmes, Easton, PA. 24 years old. 1972 olympic gold medalist.

Kevin Isaac, Brooklyn, NY. 20 years old.

Leroy Jones, Denver, CO. 23 years old. 1972 olympic quarter finalist.

Granville Lloyd, Pontypool, Wales. 23 years old. 1972 olympian. (Eliminated in 1st round)

Lorenzo Zanon, Noverdrate, Italy. 22 years old. 1972 olympian. (Eliminated in 2nd round)

+ the 11 tc's who participated in the olympics..

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1972 Awards

Fighter of the year

Joe Frazier (3-0-0 with 3 KO's)

Results:
TKO 5 Win vs Leotis Martin
KO 5 Win vs Ken Norton
TKO 10 Win vs Muhammad Ali

Breakthrough of the year

George Foreman (3-0-0 with 3 KO's)

Results:
TKO 4 Win vs Mac Foster
TKO 8 Win vs Gregorio Peralta
TKO 8 Win vs Dave Zyglewicz

Prospect of the year

Ron Lyle (7-0-0 with 6 KO's)

UD 10 Win vs Randy Neumann
TKO 7 Win vs Roger Escude
KO 1 Win vs Ted Gullick
KO 5 Win vs Roger Russell
TKO 2 Win vs Mac Foster
KO 1 Win vs Jay Silverstone
TKO 4 Win vs Gianni Chiaromonte

Fight of the year

Joe Frazier TKO 10 Muhammad Ali / 1972-09-23

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January 1st, 1972 - news

Ken Norton to face WBC mandatory challenger

Ken Norton (27-2-0 with 23 KO's) is set for a defence of his WBC and IBF belts against WBC's mandatory challenger Leotis Martin (33-10-2 with 19 KO's) for April. This will be Nortons first defence since winning the crowns against Al Lewis (29-2-2 with 17 KO's) by a 15 round-unanimous decision with the scores: 146-140, 145-141, 145-141. Norton fought a very smart fight as he wore down Lewis. The scores after 10 were dead even, but Norton won the last five rounds, even knocking Lewis down in the 12th, as Lewis tired out. Martin should prove to be a tough fight, but he is no longer a young fighter, with his 33rd birthday right around the corner.

Foreman v Shavers

The battle of undefeateds is coming up this month as the two fighters holds a combined record of 47 wins including 44 KO's and no losses or draws. This has been a highly anticipated bout for quite some time now, as the opinions are very split, with most though, having Foreman as the favourite. Both guys have a frightening punch, and their stamina might be boths biggest weaknesses, all this could be leading towards an early slugfest until one is stopped. This could be classic.

The ring rankings:

Ch: Joe Frazier 32-3-0 (31)
1. George Foreman 24-0-0 (24)
2. Ken Norton 27-2-0 (23)
3. Earnie Shavers 23-0-0 (20)
4. Al Jones 32-5-0 (7)
5. Al Lewis 29-2-2 (17)
6. Dave Zyglewicz 32-6-0 (23)
7. Leotis Martin 33-10-2 (19)
8. Oscar Bonavena 33-8-0 (26)
9. Jimmy Young 24-0-0 (10)
10. Gregorio Peralta 37-13-1 (22)

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I have adapted the role as matchmaker/trainer for Leroy Jones, the 1972 olympic quarter finalist. I will follow him all the way up, win or lose. I will not autoschedule any of his bouts, and you will be able to read about all of his fights on here.

[mh2365]

I'm going to do that in my universe somewhat when Marvin Johnson joins next year. It will still be random but I may be a bit picky with him.

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January, 1973

Notable auto-scheduled fights

Granville Lloyd 1-0-0 UD 6 Larold Barrell 1-6-0

Eddie Neilson 7-0-0 (6) KO 1 Fingar McCollum 16-25-2 (5)

John Dino Denis 6-0-1 (1) KO 2 Jesse Clark 0-1-0

Ron Lyle 14-0-0 (13) KO 3 Jope Koroi 9-19-0 (3)

Bambate George 6-3-1 SD 8 Jack O'Halloran 22-10-0 (2)

Mike Schutte 9-2-1 (8) KO 1 Pedro Lovell 14-4-0 (11)

Dennis Avoth 20-5-2 UD 10 Albert Westphal 43-18-2 (28)

Peter Weiland 27-16-1 (22) KO 5 Roy Williams 29-11-0 (16)

Joe Alexander 20-4-1 (12) KO 4 Kurt Luedecke 19-6-1 (10)

Randy Neumann 15-6-0 UD 10 Terry 'TX' Daniels 16-2-0 (6)

Boone Kirkman 22-5-0 (16) TKO 3 Buster Mathis 30-11-0 (8)

Bernard Thebault 26-12-1 (15) TKO 2 Mani Vaka 21-4-2 (15)