The Greatest Prize in Sports

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AMERICAN | PUGILIST

*** Published bi-weekly out of Chicago, Illinois since 1950 ***

Monday 10 July 2006
Volume 57, Edition 14

THE FUTURE IS NOW FOR
THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Story by Larry Masters

It would be true to say that most of the people who doubted the viability of James Molk's International Boxing League when it was born back in January have since been swayed. But for those who still have their doubts, all you would need to do is observe what the new organisation has done for the previously fractured and frustrating heavyweight division. For the last couple of years the big boys of the sport have somehow managed to turn what should have been a truly exciting period into an absolute snoozefest. With the alphabet champions doing everything possible to avoid squaring off against worthy opponents and top contenders unprepared to risk their undeserved rankings, the situation was like a bunch of warships passing each other on the ocean but never engaging in combat.

The up-and-coming members of the division were no different. Content to feast on a never-ending diet of tomato cans and journeymen, it looked certain that young men such as Jack Johnson, Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis would fatten up their records to where they appeared mighty impressive on paper, inevitably rising to the top of the alphabet rankings without ever being tested. And the sanctioning bodies would have been perfectly content to let it happen 'cause as we all know, there's nothing better than having four different world champions in each weight division. Considering the fact that the status quo would have prevailed, it's extraordinary that so many of the most highly-regarded heavyweights, both young and old, decided to join the IBL.

No doubt, the guidelines Molk and co. outlined to them would have made it completely clear that they'd be in for a much more challenging and difficult career fighting for the IBL, that they'd actually have to earn their world ranking by going up against the best fighters in the division time and again rather than padding their records against also-rans. Despite that, most of the world's premier heavyweights signed on with Molk's band. And the boxing-loving public should be all the more grateful, ecstatic and excited because of it. Just take a look at the four heavyweight tournament cards the league staged during the last week of June. They featured a number of matchups that we'd be lucky to see otherwise, and it's only going to get better as the tournaments progress.

We have to wait until December to find out who wins each of the league's tournaments, but the first series of fight cards have already determined the makeup of the initial top twelve world-ranked competitors in each division. At heavyweight it's a dynamite dozen, to say the least. As you'll see just from looking at the names listed below it's a lineup rich in talent, both experienced and green, one that should have boxing fans salivating with anticipation. Once the tournaments are over, the fun really begins. For those who start at the top of the tree it'll be a constant struggle to stay there. The pressure to perform and emerge victorious each time they step in the ring will be relentless because one loss could see them slip right out of the world championship picture and they'll have to work their backsides off to get back there. It's the type of structure and format fans of the sport have been crying out for, and the IBL has delivered it.

While the division's top contenders are reason enough for excitement I haven't even touched on the plethora of young talent contesting the regional heavyweight tourneys. Fighters such as Romy Alvarez, Sam McVey, Mike Hanson and Cheetah Brown. And let's not forget the international guys, either, such as Germany's Max Schmeling and the hard-hitting New Zealander Neemia Sivivatu. Those fellas will be just as hungry to make it to the top, and others are going to have to make way in order for them to get there. It all adds up to a truly explosive immediate future for the heavyweight division.

***

Heavyweight competitors who will make up the division's initial top twelve IBL world rankings, based on results from the opening series of fight cards

(listed in alphabetical order)

* Sergey Anyukov (Russia, 36-1-1(26)), (former WBA Champion)
* Riddick Bowe (USA, 12-0(9)), (Athens Olympics super-heavyweight silver medallist)
* Andrew Golota (Poland, 28-4(24))
* Terone Haynes (USA, 22-0(18)), (former WBO Champion)
* Ike Ibeabuchi (Nigeria, 27-1-1(24))
* Peter Jackson (Australia, 14-0(9)), (Athens Olympics heavyweight silver medallist)
* Joe Jeannette (USA, 14-1(10))
* Jack Johnson (USA, 14-0(11)), (Athens Olympics heavyweight gold medallist)
* Lennox Lewis (England, 15-0(10)), (Athens Olympics super-heavyweight gold medallist)
* Ken Norton (USA, 29-2-1(23)), (former WBC Champion)
* Simione Paea (Tonga, 16-3-1(13))
* Alexander Zolkin (Russia, 21-4-2(17))

***

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: July 12, 2006, 1:15 PM ET

WBO on verge of collapse

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

World Boxing Organisation president Juan Rodriguez issued a media release yesterday in which he stated that the sanctioning body was looking at a huge loss for the 2006 fiscal year, putting it on the "brink of financial disaster". This assessment was based on income to date and projected earnings through the end of September. Like the WBA, WBC and IBF, the WBO saw a number of their titleholders relinquish belts and sign with James Molk's International Boxing League earlier this year. But for the WBO it was more a case of quality rather than quantity, as the four champions who jumped ship were regarded as the most talented of their entire bunch. They lost Terone Haynes (heavyweight), John Mugabi (junior-middleweight), Enrique Diaz (welterweight) and Candido Tellez (flyweight).

What is left over is, quite frankly, a good but uninspiring group of fighters who would more than likely be outclassed if pitted against any of the champions from the other alphabet organisations. Rodriguez revealed that the organisation had seen a severe drop in income from sanctioning fees, as promoters have started regarding the WBO belt as a minor title and not one worthy of their fighter's time and effort in attaining. Of course, that opinion already existed before the "IBL assault" started but the loss of Haynes and co. has simply made the situation worse for the WBO. The organisation has staged only three world title bouts since March. Cruiserweight champ James Sinclair and 21 year-old middleweight holder David Hernandez retained their titles while Filipino junior-lightweight champion Benny Diaz was dethroned by compatriot Floriano Becite two weeks ago.

Friday Night Fights analyst Joe Goodwin gave his opinion on the reasons behind the World Boxing Organisation's financial struggles earlier today.

"You really wanna know why they're struggling?" said Goodwin. "'Cause the answer is pretty simple. Two words: star power. None of their world champions have star power. None of them are "name" fighters. You look down the list and you tell me one single name that excites you ... You can't, can you? They had Mugabi and Haynes, Tellez and Diaz, all of them just a couple months ago. But they're all with the IBL now and I don't really blame 'em. They weren't really going anywhere with the WBO and the reason is that it has no clout, no influence. None of the big promoters are interested in staging a WBO world championship bout. It ain't sexy and it ain't prestigious. I said when they formed back in '88 that it wouldn't work, that three sanctioning organisations was already two too many and four was just ridiculous. I have to say they've survived longer than I expected but this looks like being their death knell."

As Goodwin mentioned the WBO came into existence in 1988. It was founded by a group of Puerto Rican and Dominican businessmen who had been affiliated with the WBA but had grown increasingly frustrated with its rules and ratings systems. They made it their goal to create a sanctioning body that would bring respectability to the sport and even installed former welterweight world champion Andres Villalobos as their first president. Despite his presence the WBO struggled to get a foothold in the sport and has never been regarded as an equal by the "big three". The WBO belt has often been viewed as a mere stepping stone for fighters on the way to the top of the mountain. As was the case with both Haynes and Mugabi, the WBA, WBC and IBF have constantly refused requests to stage unification bouts between their own champions and those of the WBO. Instead they have demanded that any WBO titleholder relinquish their belt before challenging for one of their own.

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

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WEDNESDAY 12 JULY 2006

INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE
PRESS RELEASE


Following is the complete schedule for the quarter-finals of the International Boxing League's Challenger, Americas Championship and Inter-Continental Championship tournaments. All of these bouts will be eight rounds in duration.

Bouts noted with an ^ on the fight cards are NOT tournament bouts. They are world ranking bouts featuring competitors who have been eliminated from the tournaments. These world ranking bouts will be six rounds in duration.

The semi-finals of the league's World Championship tournaments are scheduled to commence on Friday the 1st of September 2006. Competitors eliminated during stage one of the Challenger's tournaments and the quarter-finals of the World Championship tournaments will fight in world ranking bouts that are to be held partly on stand-alone fight cards and partly on the same fight cards as the World Championship tournament semi-finals. These specific world ranking bouts will be eight rounds in duration.


WEEK ONE

***

MONDAY 17 JULY 2006

PARIS, FRANCE

INTER-CONTINENTAL WELTERWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ MICHAEL WATSON (AUS., 6-1-1(4)) vs LIAM MAGHEE (AUS., 4-1-0(2))
^ NINO LAROCCA (ITA., 5-1-0(3)) vs WILLY QUATUOR (GER., 5-2-0(3))
^ MICHAEL TAYLOR (AUS., 8-1-1(5)) vs DANILO VILORIA (PHI., 5-1-0(3))
^ MIGUEL VELASQUEZ (SPA., 13-2-0(11)) vs SEYI OLOFINJANA (NIG., 6-0-2(4))
(#7) HECTOR THOMPSON (AUS., 7-0-1(4)) vs (#15) ASHLEY JACKSON (UK, 7-0-0(6))
(#4) JUSTIN ROWSELL (AUS., 13-1-0(8)) vs (#5) AKIO KAMEDA (JAP., 8-1-0(5))
(#1) ROBERTO CRUZ (PHI., 19-4-0(13)) vs (#9) REINHARDT KOHLER (GER., 7-1-0(4))
(#3) FRANCOIS PAVILLA (FRA., 13-1-0(8)) vs (#11) ERNIE RODERICK (UK, 6-0-0(3))

***

TUESDAY 18 JULY 2006

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO

AMERICAS WELTERWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ MAX RASMUTH (USA, 5-1-0(3)) vs ALEXIS VALDERRAMA (COL., 6-1-0(4))
^ ERIC BENGTSON (USA, 6-0-2(3)) vs KID AZTECA (MEX., 4-1-0(2))
^ CARLOS HERNANDEZ (VEN., 6-2-0(3)) vs MAXIE BERGER (CAN., 3-1-0(2))
^ MIGUEL MONTILLA (DR, 6-1-0(4)) vs AHMED SANTOS (MEX., 4-1-0(3))
(#4) JOSE STABLE (CUB., 9-1-1(6)) vs (#5) JAMES PAGE (USA, 8-1-0(6))
(#3) CARLOS ALOU (DR, 8-1-0(5)) vs (#11) ANGEL ESPADA (PR, 6-0-0(3))
(#1) VIRGIL AKINS (USA, 10-0-1(7)) vs (#9) RENE ARREDONDO (MEX., 7-0-0(4))
(#2) BERNABE CARBAJAL (MEX., 9-0-0(6)) vs (#7) PEDRO CABRERA (DR, 6-0-2(4))

***

WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2006

BOLOGNA, ITALY

INTER-CONTINENTAL JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ DAVID HAYE (UK, 9-1-0(6)) vs RUDOLF KRAJ (CR, 9-2-0(7))
^ ALEXANDER GUROV (UKR., 10-2-0(7)) vs JOHN ODHIAMBO (KEN., 11-2-1(7))
^ DAVID IZEQWIRE (NIG., 13-4-0(8)) vs VINCENZO CANTATORE (ITA., 6-1-0(4))
^ ENZO MACCARINELLI (UK, 13-1-0(11)) vs PAWEL KOLODZIEJ (POL., 10-3-0(7))
(#4) GRIGORY DROZD (RUS., 19-4-0(13)) vs (#12) JOHNY JENSEN (DEN., 12-2-1(7))
(#3) LUBOS SUDA (CR, 19-2-1(13)) vs (#6) TERRY DUNSTAN (UK, 16-3-1(9))
(#1) MARKUS BOTT (GER., 23-3-0(16)) vs (#9) DAVE RUSSELL (AUS., 13-0-1(9))
(#2) PIETRO AURINO (ITA., 19-2-0(13)) vs (#7) TOM SHARKEY (IRE., 14-0-1(12))

***

THURSDAY 20 JULY 2006

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA

AMERICAS JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ ELMER RAY (USA, 5-0-1(5)) vs JOHNATHON BANKS (USA, 8-1-1(6))
^ JULIAN LETTERLOUGH (USA, 11-3-1(7)) vs KELVIN DAVIS (USA, 8-3-0(6))
^ BJ FLORES (USA, 11-2-1(7)) vs LAUDELINO JOSE BARROS (BRA., 6-2-1(4))
^ DALE BROWN (CAN., 10-2-0(8)) vs LUIS ANDRES PINEDA (PAN., 7-1-2(5))
(#4) LOUIS DEL VALLE (USA, 16-3-0(13)) vs (#5) DAN HARVISON (USA, 12-1-1(7))
(#3) GARY GOMEZ (USA, 15-2-1(11)) vs (#11) ORLIN NORRIS (USA, 9-0-0(7))
(#1) ERIC FIELDS (USA, 20-3-1(12)) vs (#8) BERT COOPER (USA, 9-0-1(7))
(#2) WAYNE BRAITHWAITE (GUY., 19-4-0(13)) vs (#7) MARK ELWOOD (USA, 11-0-0(8))

***

SUNDAY 23 JULY 2006

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

WELTERWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#5) SHOJI OHASHI (JAP., 17-0-1(12)) vs (#13) JAMES RAY (USA, 13-0-0(10))
(#2) ADEMOLA UDEZE (NIG., 22-2-0(17)) vs (#7) AARON LISTER BROWN (USA, 15-2-2(12))
(#1) IFEANI ADAMU (NIG., 22-1-1(16)) vs (#9) BENEDICT KHUMALO (SA, 13-0-0(7))
(#3) HUGO PINEDA (COL., 20-2-1(14)) vs (#11) JASON MORRIS (USA, 13-2-1(8))

***

SUNDAY 23 JULY 2006

NEUKOELLN, GERMANY

JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#7) RICHARD MASON (USA, 25-5-2(17)) vs #15) PIET CROUS (SA, 20-2-0(14))
(#4) PAVEL MELKOMIAN (RUS., 28-3-1(22)) vs (#5) VADIM TOKAREV (RUS., 28-3-1(21))
(#3) TAOUFIK BELBOULI (FRA., 28-2-0(19)) vs (#6) DARIO WALTER MATTEONI (ARG., 25-5-2(16))
(#1) TORSTEN MAY (GER., 30-3-1(22)) vs (#8) LEE ROY MURPHY (USA, 22-4-2(16))


***

WEEK TWO

***

MONDAY 24 JULY 2006

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

INTER-CONTINENTAL LIGHTWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ LOVE ALLOTEY (GHA., 5-1-2(4)) vs AZUMAH NELSON (GHA., 5-1-0(4))
^ KUROKAWA TAIKI (JAP., 8-1-1(6)) vs SHINICHI YAMABE (JAP., 5-1-0(3))
^ WILLIE TOWEEL (SA, 7-2-0(5)) vs ISHIMATSU SUZUKI (JAP., 5-1-1(3))
^ JEAN-BAPTISTE MENDY (FRA., 11-2-1(6)) vs EMAD ALLAM (EGY., 5-1-1(3))
(#6) ALDO SPOLDI (ITA., 8-0-0(5)) vs (#14) DAOMAI SITHKODOM (THA., 6-0-0(3))
(#4) JIM WATT (UK, 11-1-1(8)) vs (#5) JOHNNY SATO (PHI., 10-1-2(7))
(#2) BENNI WILLIAMS (SA, 13-2-1(8)) vs (#10) FREDERICK TSHILOLO (CON., 7-1-0(5))
(#1) BEN VILLAFLOR (PHI., 14-1-0(8)) vs (#8) HWAN-KIL YUH (KOR., 6-0-2(4))

***

TUESDAY 25 JULY 2006

MONTERREY, MEXICO

AMERICAS LIGHTWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ ALFREDO MARCANO (VEN., 5-2-1(3)) vs ALFREDO PITALUA (COL., 5-1-2(3))
^ BERNABE VASQUEZ (MEX., 5-1-1(3)) EMORY CABANA (USA, 4-1-0(2))
^ RAY MILLER (USA, 6-1-0(4)) vs LARRY STANTON (USA, 5-2-0(3))
^ DOUG VAILLANT (CUB., 10-3-2(7)) vs LARRY BOARDMAN (USA, 5-1-1(3))
(#7) ANTONIO AMAYA (PAN., 7-1-0(4)) vs (#15) IKE WILLIAMS (USA, 5-0-0(4))
(#4) STEVE SULLIVAN (USA, 7-0-1(5)) vs (#5) VICENTE SANTANA (BRA., 8-1-1(6))
(#3) RICHIE PLUNKETT (USA, 10-0-0(8)) vs (#11) NICOLAS FILLION (CAN., 6-0-0(1))
(#1) RAFAEL MARTINEZ (MEX., 11-1-0(6)) vs (#8) RAY MANCINI (USA, 7-0-1(5))

***

WEDNESDAY 26 JULY 2006

LONDON, ENGLAND

INTER-CONTINENTAL LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ JASON WANGANEEN (AUS., 6-2-0(6)) vs ALEX BUXTON (UK, 5-2-0(3))
^ GIRALDO ROSSETTI (ITA., 6-0-1(4)) vs ALI HABIB (AUS., 5-1-1(4))
^ CHRISTIAN ANDOLINI (ITA., 8-2-0(4)) vs JUKKA KOIVISTO (FIN., 5-2-1(3))
^ WILLI HOEPNER (GER., 11-2-1(8)) vs DAVID JAMISON (UK, 6-1-0(4))
(#5) PAUL ANDERSON (NZ, 11-1-1(7)) vs (#13) PETITE FOURIE (FRA., 7-0-0(3))
(#3) TONY MUNDINE (AUS., 13-2-1(8)) vs (#6) MARK SOMOGYI (AUS., 10-0-0(7))
(#1) KLAUS BIERHOFF (GER., 23-3-0(16)) vs (#9) IN-CHUL BAEK (KOR., 9-0-1(6))
(#2) ALEXANDER LUCAS (UK, 16-1-0(12)) vs (#7) ALLAN THOMAS (UK, 9-0-2(5))

***

THURSDAY 27 JULY 2006

TOPEKA, KANSAS, USA

AMERICAS LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ HENRY HANK (USA, 6-2-1(4)) vs YVON DURELLE (CAN., 4-1-0(2))
^ ALLEN THOMPSON (USA, 7-2-1(3)) vs FRANCISCO AVELINO (PER., 6-1-1(3))
^ CHARLES WILLIAMS (USA, 7-1-0(4)) vs TONY ANTHONY (USA, 5-1-0(3))
^ STEVE FINLEY (USA, 8-1-0(7)) vs VICTOR CORDOBA (PAN., 5-1-1(4))
(#12) SAM BAROUDI (USA, 5-0-0(2)) vs (#13) RICHIE KATES (USA, 6-1-0(3))
(#8) MIKE ROSSMAN (USA, 6-1-0(3)) vs (#16) GEORGE NICHOLS (USA, 5-0-0(2))
(#6) DAN BUCCERONI (USA, 7-1-0(5)) vs (#14) CLARENCE HINNANT (USA, 5-0-1(2))
(#2) SCOT LONG (USA, 8-0-1(4)) vs (#10) MELIO BETTINA (USA, 6-1-0(3))

***

SUNDAY 30 JULY 2006

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA

LIGHTWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#6) RUBEN NAVARRO (MEX., 15-2-2(13)) vs (#14) LOTHAR ABEND (GER., 12-1-1(8))
(#4) ENRIQUE BOLANOS (MEX., 21-2-2(15)) vs (#5) CORNELIUS BOZA-EDWARDS (UGA., 18-1-1(15))
(#2) JAGUAR KAKIZAWA (JAP., 26-4-1(16)) vs (#10) JACKIE BEARD (USA, 14-2-0(9))
(#1) GREG HAUGEN (USA, 25-3-1(17)) vs (#9) ANATOLY ALEXANDROV (KAZ., 17-3-1(12))
***

SUNDAY 30 JULY 2006

LONDON, ENGLAND

LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#4) IRAN BARKLEY (USA, 19-0-0(15)) vs (#5) JACK CHASE (USA, 18-1-1(13))
(#3) CELESTINE AMAKOCHI (NIG., 20-1-0(13)) vs (#11) JOHNNY PERSOL (USA, 13-1-0(8))
(#1) MICHAEL KING (USA, 26-5-0(21)) vs (#8) TOMMY HARRISON (USA, 16-2-0(11))
(#2) LEN HARVEY (UK, 20-1-0(15)) vs (#10) MAURO MINA (PER., 13-0-0(8))


***

WEEK THREE

***

MONDAY 31 JULY 2006

COVENTRY, ENGLAND

INTER-CONTINENTAL MIDDLEWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ LOMANA WAMBA (CON., 4-1-1(3)) vs SHINJI TAKEHARA (JAP., 5-1-0(3))
^ CHARLIE WEIR (SA, 7-2-2(5)) vs MICHAEL CRONJE (SA, 4-1-1(2))
^ RENE JACQUOT (FRA., 10-3-1(6)) vs AHMET DOTTUEV (RUS., 8-1-0(5))
^ LUIS FOLLEDO (SPA., 10-2-1(7)) vs GRATIEN TONNA (FRA., 8-2-1(4))
(#7) FRANZ SZUZINA (GER., 9-1-0(6)) vs (#15) TOM BOGS (DEN., 6-1-1(3))
(#1) MAURICE HOPE (UK, 13-0-1(9)) vs (#9) ROBERT VILLEMAIN (FRA., 8-0-1(5))
(#4) RANDY TURPIN (UK, 10-0-0(8)) vs (#5) JAE-DO YUH (KOR., 9-1-0(5))
(#11) IAN LORD (UK, 8-0-0(5)) vs (#14) TONY SIBSON (UK, 6-0-0(4))

***

TUESDAY 1 AUGUST 2006

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

AMERICAS MIDDLEWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ JULIO ALVARES (CUB., 6-1-0(3)) vs DENNY MOYER (USA, 5-1-1(3))
^ HUGO CORRO (ARG., 6-1-0(4)) vs CHRIS HENDRICKS (USA, 5-1-1(4))
^ PAUL PIRRONE (USA, 6-1-0(3)) vs OMAR ENDARA (PAN., 4-0-2(3))
^ WALTER GOMEZ (ARG., 7-1-1(4)) vs JESUS ENAMORADO (CUB., 5-1-0(2))
(#8) COLEY WELCH (USA, 6-0-0(3)) vs (#16) ERNIE VIGH (USA, 6-1-0(4))
(#6) STEVE BELLOISE (USA, 6-0-2(3)) vs (#14) WILLIE MONROE (USA, 6-0-1(4))
(#4) DON FULLMER (USA, 6-0-1(3)) vs (#12) GREG GORECKY (CAN., 6-0-0(3))
(#2) MARIANO RONALDO (BRA., 8-0-1(6)) vs (#10) FRANK BATTAGLIA (CAN., 6-0-0(3))

***

WEDNESDAY 2 AUGUST 2006

LONDON, ENGLAND

INTER-CONTINENTAL FEATHERWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ KAZUO TAKAYAMA (JAP., 6-2-0(4)) vs ROLLY SANTIAGO (PHI., 4-1-1(3))
^ JESAN VALENZUELA (PHI., 6-1-1(4)) vs DONG-KYUN YUM (KOR., 5-2-0(2))
^ MITSUNORI SEKI (JAP., 7-1-1(5)) vs ANUCHA THONGLAO (THA., 4-1-1(3))
^ KAZUYOSHI OMURA (JAP., 8-2-1(5)) vs WELCOME NCITA (SA, 7-1-0(4))
(#12) CHARLIE BENISTON (UK, 6-0-0(3)) vs (#13) JOE TETTEH (GHA., 6-0-0(4))
(#3) BRUNO ALVES (POR., 9-1-0(6)) vs (#11) FRANCOIS SALVATERRE (FRA., 6-0-0(5))
(#1) LORIS STECCA (ITA., 11-1-2(7)) vs (#9) WITHAYA PAHOLPAT (THA., 7-1-0(3))
(#2) RONNIE CLAYTON (UK, 9-0-1(7)) vs (#10) JOHNNY FAMECHON (AUS., 6-0-1(4))

***

THURSDAY 3 AUGUST 2006

TORREON, MEXICO

AMERICAS FEATHERWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ RUBEN PALACIOS (COL., 6-1-1(4)) vs PAUL JORGENSEN (USA, 4-1-1(3))
^ FERNANDO TAVAREZ (DR, 10-3-1(7)) vs JACK WOLFE (USA, 4-1-0(3))
^ CLEMENTE SANCHEZ (MEX., 11-2-1(7)) vs LEO CRUZ (DR, 5-1-0(3))
^ DANIEL BLANCO (COL., 12-3-1(8)) vs STEVE CRUZ (USA, 7-2-1(5))
(#10) CARLOS MENDOZA (PAN., 7-1-0(4)) vs (#15) RUBEN OLIVARES (MEX., 5-0-0(5))
(#5) CARMELO NEGRON (PR, 11-1-1(9)) vs (#13) GENE SMITH (USA, 6-0-0(4))
(#3) CARLOS CABRERO (PR, 12-1-0(5)) vs (#11) RUBEN CASTILLO (USA, 7-0-1(4))
(#1) RAUL CRUZ (MEX., 13-2-0(7)) vs (#8) FERNANDO ZAMACOLA (PER., 7-0-1(4))

***

SUNDAY 6 AUGUST 2006

MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#8) RUBIN CARTER (USA, 19-3-1(15)) vs (#16) JOSE BASORA (PR, 9-1-0(6))
(#4) JOE GANS (PAN., 13-0-0(8)) vs (#12) DONATO PADUANO (CAN., 11-1-0(7))
(#3) NIGEL BENN (UK, 14-0-0(12)) vs (#6) ROBBIE SIMS (USA, 12-1-2(7))
(#2) HOLMAN WILLIAMS (USA, 15-1-1(10)) vs (#10) MICKEY WALKER (USA, 12-0-0(9))

***

SUNDAY 6 AUGUST 2006

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

FEATHERWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#2) JET BALLY (PHI., 18-1-3(12)) vs (#7) ANTONIO ESPARRAGOZA (VEN., 16-0-1(11))
(#1) MIGUEL BAUTISTA (DR, 26-3-0(16)) vs (#9) ORLANDO SALIDO (MEX., 16-2-2(8))
(#3) DANIEL ZARAGOZA (MEX., 19-2-1(13)) vs (#6) BARRY MCGUIGAN (IRE., 16-0-1(11))
(#4) SALVADOR SANCHEZ (MEX., 16-0-0(13)) vs (#5) VICENTE SALDIVAR (MEX., 16-0-0(14))


***

WEEK FOUR

***

MONDAY 7 AUGUST 2006

STUTTGART, GERMANY

INTER-CONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ KALOLO UMAGA (SAM., 8-1-1(7)) vs TREVOR BERBICK (UK, 6-1-0(4))
^ NELSON NDUNGANE (SA, 11-3-0(7)) vs INGEMAR JOHANSSON (SWE., 7-1-0(5))
^ SAMUEL PETER (NIG., 12-1-0(11)) vs TOM HEENEY (NZ, 11-3-1(7))
^ OMOVO OKOCHA (NIG., 12-1-0(9)) vs SCOTT MUNDT (GER., 10-1-0(8))
(#10) SIONE TIALATA (NZ, 9-0-0(6)) vs (#15) SEMO SALANOA (SAM., 6-0-0(5))
(#9) NEEMIA SIVIVATU (NZ, 10-1-0(7)) vs (#16) JUAN DE LA CRUZ (PHI., 5-0-0(5))
(#5) PIERRE COETZER (SA, 13-1-1(10)) vs (#13) FRANCESCO DAMIANI (ITA., 9-0-1(5))
(#3) MAX SCHMELING (GER., 13-0-0(9)) vs (#6) HERBIE HIDE (UK, 12-1-1(8))

***

TUESDAY 8 AUGUST 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, USA

AMERICAS HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ OWEN BECK (JAM., 7-1-1(5)) vs ADAM BROOKS (USA, 4-1-0(3))
^ DAVID KANE (USA, 8-1-0(7)) vs DRE KINGSTON (USA, 7-3-1(5))
^ ALFREDO EVANGELISTA (URU., 10-3-1(8)) vs DARIUS KING (USA, 11-4-1(7))
^ EDDIE MACHEN (USA, 14-4-1(11)) vs FRED FULTON (USA, 8-1-1(6))
(#4) FRES OQUENDO (PR, 12-1-0(8)) vs (#12) ROMY ALVAREZ (USA, 6-0-0(4))
(#3) FRANK CHILDS (USA, 14-3-1(9)) vs (#11) SAM MCVEY (USA, 8-0-0(6))
(#1) ARTURO GODOY (CHI., 16-1-0(13)) vs (#8) MIKE WEAVER (USA, 24-6-1(20))
(#10) MIKE HANSON (USA, 7-0-0(7)) vs (#15) CHEETAH BROWN (USA, 7-0-0(7))

***

WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST 2006

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

INTER-CONTINENTAL FLYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ HIDEKI SUZUKI (JAP., 10-1-1(7)) vs JAMES MCKENZIE (UK, 4-1-0(3))
^ TAE-SHIK KIM (KOR., 12-3-1(7)) vs MZUKISI SIKALI (SA, 5-1-0(3))
^ MICKEY MCGUIRE (UK, 13-3-0(11)) vs YOKO GUSHIKEN (JAP., 8-0-1(6))
^ NAM-HOON CHA (KOR., 15-1-1(11)) vs CHAN-HEE PARK (KOR., 10-1-1(6))
(#5) HIROYUKI EBIHARA (JAP., 15-3-1(11)) vs (#13) YUKITO TAMAKUMA (JAP., 6-0-1(4))
(#1) FRITZ CHERVET (SWI., 22-3-0(17)) vs (#8) ZOLANI TETE (SA, 11-2-1(8))
(#7) HITOSHI MISAKO (JAP., 13-2-1(9)) vs (#15) PIOLO FUENTES (PHI., 6-0-1(4))
(#3) ERBITO SALAVARRIA (PHI., 18-1-2(11)) vs (#11) KOJI KOBAYASHI (JAP., 10-1-0(7))

***

THURSDAY 10 AUGUST 2006

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

AMERICAS FLYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ BETULIO GONZALEZ (VEN., 8-0-1(6)) vs ISIDRO GARCIA (MEX., 6-1-2(4))
^ OSCAR SUAREZ (CUB., 9-1-0(7)) vs EVERT BRICENO (NIC., 5-1-0(3))
^ BEIBIS MENDOZA (COL., 11-3-0(7)) vs CARLOS SALAZAR (ARG., 7-1-2(5))
^ RATON MOJICA (NIC., 15-4-1(11)) vs MANUEL VARGAS (MEX., 11-3-1(8))
(#10) OMAR NARVAEZ (ARG., 9-0-1(5)) vs (#15) JORGE ARCE (MEX., 6-0-0(4))
(#4) HILARIO ZAPATA (PAN., 13-0-1(9)) vs (#12) ERIC ORTIZ (MEX., 9-1-0(7))
(#1) ISIDRO PEREZ (MEX., 18-3-0(12)) vs (#8) RAYONTA WHITFIELD (USA, 11-0-0(7))
(#3) CARLOS SEDA (PR, 11-0-1(8)) vs (#6) HUMBERTO GONZALES (MEX., 10-0-1(8))

***

SUNDAY 13 AUGUST 2006

LONDON, ENGLAND

HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#11) PETER JACKSON (AUS., 14-0-0(9)) vs (#14) ALEXANDER ZOLKIN (RUS., 21-4-2(17))
(#8) JACK JOHNSON (USA, 14-0-0(11)) vs (#16) SIMIONE PAEA (TON., 16-3-1(13))
(#2) ANDREW GOLOTA (POL., 28-4-0(24)) vs (#10) RIDDICK BOWE (USA, 12-0-0(9))
(#5) LENNOX LEWIS (UK, 15-0-0(10)) vs (#13) JOE JEANNETTE (USA, 14-1-0(10))

***

SUNDAY 13 AUGUST 2006

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

FLYWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#8) ELMER FRANCISCO (PHI., 22-4-2(17)) vs (#16) KOKI KAMEDA (JAP., 19-2-0(12))
(#7) WILLIE DAVISON (USA, 23-3-1(17)) vs (#15) ERIC MARSDEN (UK, 20-2-1(15))
(#5) BRAHIM ASLOUM (FRA., 29-4-0(22)) vs (#13) SAMAN SORJATURONG (THA., 19-0-2(13))
(#3) HENRY NISSEN (AUS., 30-5-1(22)) vs (#6) BENNY LYNCH (UK, 23-2-1(16))


***


WEEK FIVE

***

MONDAY 14 AUGUST 2006

TOKYO, JAPAN

INTER-CONTINENTAL BANTAMWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ DAISUKE MARUYAMA (JAP., 7-1-1(4)) vs THANOMCHIT SUKHOTHAI (THA., 6-1-1(4))
^ JOE BOWKER (UK, 8-0-1(5)) vs ROBERT COHEN (FRA., 5-2-0(3))
^ SILENCE MABUZA (SA, 10-1-0(7)) vs NORMAN LEWIS (UK, 8-1-1(6))
^ SATOSHI IIDA (JAP., 11-1-0(6)) vs EIJIRO MURATA (JAP., 5-1-0(3))
(#4) CASPER LEON (ITA., 16-2-0(11)) vs (#5) JOHNNY ARMOUR (UK, 12-1-0(9))
(#2) JOHNNY BREDAHL (DEN., 17-3-2(12)) vs (#10) JOHNNY KING (UK, 12-1-0(5))
(#1) DANNY O'SULLIVAN (UK, 19-3-1(15)) vs (#8) LIONEL ROSE (AUS., 11-1-1(8))
(#3) TAKAO SAKURAI (JAP., 16-1-2(11)) vs (#11) HOZUMI HASEGAWA (JAP., 10-1-0(7))

***

TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 2006

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

AMERICAS BANTAMWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

^ RAUL MACIAS (MEX., 10-3-0(6)) vs PAULIE AYALA (USA, 14-0-1(10))
^ SIXTO ESCOBAR (PR, 11-1-0(8)) vs RAFAEL HERRERA (MEX., 6-0-1(4))
^ MANUEL ARMENTEROS (COL., 11-3-0(7)) vs BERNARDO CARABALLO (COL., 5-0-1(3))
^ MANNY ELIAS (USA, 18-5-1(13)) vs CARL TREMAINE (CAN., 11-2-0(7))
(#6) JEFF CHANDLER (USA, 14-1-1(9)) vs (#14) CARMELO ALEMAN (USA, 5-0-0(4))
(#4) ROBERTO RUBALDINO (MEX., 16-2-1(13)) vs(#5) ORLANDO CANIZALES (USA, 16-2-1(13))
(#1) JULIAN SOLIS (PR, 27-1-1(22)) vs (#8) LUIS GALVANI (CUB., 13-2-0(8))
(#2) VIC FOLEY (CAN., 23-5-2(17)) vs (#7) GREG RICHARDSON (USA, 14-2-0(9))

***

SUNDAY 20 AUGUST 2006

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

BANTAMWEIGHT CHALLENGER'S TOURNAMENT

(#7) JESUS PIMENTEL (MEX., 24-2-0(16)) vs (#15) JEFF FENECH (AUS., 16-0-0(14))
(#5) ENRIQUE PINDER (PAN., 22-3-1(17)) vs (#13) ALPHONSE HALIMI (FRA., 20-2-1(14))
(#3) LUPE PINTOR (MEX., 26-4-0(18)) vs (#6) FREDDIE GILROY (UK, 28-3-1(21))
(#1) ERNESTO MIRANDA (ARG., 26-3-0(17)) vs (#8) MAURICIO MARTINEZ (PAN., 22-2-1(17))

***

[Jersey-Jim]

What happened to the lowly, almost extinct, Italian-American Bantamweights?

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Jersey-Jim

What happened to the lowly, almost extinct, Italian-American Bantamweights?

Not quite sure what you mean here. If you're refering to your fighter Jimmy Krug, he has not been signed by the IBL yet as of the current universe date and when he does his first appearances will be on fight cards that are run seperately from the ones featuring the tournament bouts.

[Jersey-Jim]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Not quite sure what you mean here. If you're refering to your fighter Jimmy Krug, he has not been signed by the IBL yet as of the current universe date and when he does his first appearances will be on fight cards that are run seperately from the ones featuring the tournament bouts.

Yes, I was talking about Jimmy Krug. I'm glad he's not facing any Carlos Zarate's right now . I wasn't sure if he was going to pop up in a tournament or just start off on regular undercards.

[kenyan_cheena]

THE LONDON TIMES

Tuesday 18 July 2006

Jackson jabs his way
into semi-finals

Story by James Simpson

East London native Ashley Jackson kept alive his quest to become the International Boxing League's first Inter-Continental Welterweight Champion last night with a 7th round knockout of the Australian Hector Thompson in Paris. Having scored an impressive and unexpected 3rd round stoppage of 2nd seed Miguel Velasquez last month Jackson started as a favourite to get past Thompson and did not disappoint. Jackson is fast becoming a national celebrity here in England, being especially popular with the ladies due to his handsome good looks and extroverted personality. Unsurprisingly then, he made his way to the ring escorted by a quartet of eye-catching blonde beauties, Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" aptly pumping out of the arena's speakers.

Jackson had admitted to being a "little bit naughty" during the six weeks since his win over Velasquez and it must be said that he did not look to be in tip top condition. Even so, he made weight for the fight and after the opening couple rounds his appearance would have been all but forgotten. After dictating the action in the 1st Jackson dropped Thompson with a flush cross midway through the 2nd and then continued to dominate until its end. Jackson is a southpaw and that potent right hand lead of his was constantly in the Australian's face, Thompson seemingly helpless to combat it. He showed signs of promise in the 3rd but it was only fleeting, Jackson back in the driver's seat in round four.

He stayed there for the rest of the contest, spectacularly flooring Thompson three times in the 7th. He couldn't beat the count after the concluding member of the trio, which came from a crushing right-left salvo. The bout was over at the 2:44 mark, Jackson a winner by knockout. His record is now 8-0(7) while Thompson suffered his first career defeat and fell to 7-1-1(4). Jackson was ecstatic afterwards, embracing his corner crew and acknowledging his supporters in the crowd. Still excited during the post-fight interview Jackson took the time to say thank you to all his "lads back home" and gave a special message to his parents, looking into the camera and saying "Your boy's makin' somethin' of himself now, 'ey?" with a smile showing from ear to ear.

In the semi-finals Jackson will square off against the man who was on show in the evening's main event, the 3rd-seeded Frenchman Francois Pavilla. Delighting his compatriots, Pavilla stopped Jackson's fellow Englishman Ernie Roderick on cuts in round six. It had not been the most fascinating fight to that point but that didn't bother the crowd, who cheered each time the Martinique-born Pavilla landed anything substantial. He's now 14-1(9) and will no doubt be the biggest challenge Jackson has faced in his career to date. In the other semi-final Japan's Akio Kameda takes on the German Reinhardt Kohler. It's something of an unexpected outcome, as Kameda stopped the 4th-seeded Aussie Justin Rowsell and Kohler defeated the tournament's #1 seed Roberto Cruz by unanimous decision. He produced a great effort to get past the Filipino in a hard-fought, entertaining bout.

***

Quarter-final results

(#15) Jackson KO7 (#7) Thompson
(#5) Kameda TKO6 (#4) Rowsell
(#9) Kohler UD8 (#1) Cruz
(#3) Pavilla TKO6 (#11) Roderick

Semi-final matchups

(#5) Akio Kameda (9-1(6)) vs (#9) Reinhardt Kohler (8-1(4))
(#3) Francois Pavilla (14-1(9)) vs (#15) Ashley Jackson (8-0(7))

***

[kenyan_cheena]

DUNDALK DEMOCRAT

Thursday, 20 July, 2006

SHARKEY ON COURSE FOR
INTER-CONTINENTAL TITLE

Story by Brian White

Dundalk's Tom Sharkey scored an eye-opening 4th round TKO victory over the Italian Pietro Aurino last night in the main event of an International Boxing League fight card held at the Palazzo Dello Sport in Bologna. Up against the 2nd seed in the league's Junior-Heavyweight Inter-Continental Championship tournament Sharkey overcame an ordinary start to stun the hometown favourite in round four and book himself a place in the semi-finals. 7th-seeded Sharkey backed-up last month's 3rd round KO of the Ukranian Alexander Gurov with another explosive effort, the win improving his record to 15-0-1(13). There were many boxing experts who were surprised that the IBL seeded Sharkey as low as they did in the 16-man field, the 22 year-old doing his best to justify the praise he's received in the time since.

Aurino stepped into the ring with a 19-2(13) record and the crowd's parochial support. It appeared that it would be enough to drive him to victory after he controlled the opening three rounds against a cautious and uncertain Sharkey. Going into the 4th Aurino had won all but a single round on all three scorecards but a switch must have been thrown during the intermission as Sharkey came out in the 4th intent on destruction. Within a minute of the bell he had rocked the Italian with a pair of right crosses and a flush left hook. It only got worse as the round progressed, a blazing combination and another left hook followed by a straight right and perhaps the best punch of the lot, a devastating uppercut that had Aurino staggered. He backpedalled and when Sharkey unleashed a left hook to the ribs the 2nd seed crumbled to the canvas in pain. The referee did not administer a count, waving his hand to call the fight off at the 2:14 mark before dropping to his knees to check on Aurino.

Sharkey celebrated as the crowd could only sit in stunned silence, Aurino remaining on the canvas clutching at his ribs. Sharkey's opponent in the semi-finals will be the Czech Republic's Lubos Suda. The 3rd seed toughed it out for a majority decision win over England's Terry Dunstan. The other semi-final has gone according to the seedings, with the #1-seeded German Markus Bott earning his way through with a unanimous decision win over the formerly undefeated Australian Dave Russell. He'll face Russia's Grigory Drozd, who should consider himself lucky to still be in the tournament after his bout against Denmark's Johny Jensen ended as a draw. In the evening's opener the well-regarded Englishman David Haye bounced back from his tournament elimination last month to defeat Rudolf Kraj by six-round unanimous decision and improve to 10-1(6). Many had picked Haye as a dark horse in the tournament and were genuinely surprised when he was KO'd by Dunstan in stage one.

[Beno999]

I see i've been drawn in with the No. 13 seed Joe Tetteh from Ghana. Come on Beno!

[Marciano6]

Hey Kenyan any word on Brutus, or Galvano?

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Marciano6

Hey Kenyan any word on Brutus, or Galvano?

Both will be featured in the fight reviews in the July issue of Boxing Monthly.

[Marciano6]

:d

[kenyan_cheena]

THE FREMONT TRIBUNE

FRIDAY 21 JULY 2006

ELWOOD ELIMINATED AFTER
MAIN EVENT SLUGFEST

Story by Richard Lee

Fremont junior-heavyweight Mark Elwood fell to his first professional defeat last night, being eliminated from the IBL's Americas Championship tournament in the process. Elwood has been spoken of as a future world champion in the division and was regarded by many as a favourite to claim the Americas belt but he was unable to handle the aggression and power of hometown hero Wayne Braithwaite at Providence Stadium, Guyana. The #2 seed floored Elwood four times on the way to a 5th round knockout victory, his superior experience proving invaluable against a more naturally-talented opponent. Elwood had stopped the Pennsylvanian Julian Letterlough in four rounds last month while Braithwaite had looked unimpressive in scoring a majority decision win against Kelvin Davis. Those results meant nothing when the two men stepped in the ring last night.

Spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd Braithwaite ambushed Elwood in round one, catching him with a succession of hard power shots and some damaging body work. The roles were reversed in the 2nd as the 22 year-old answered back strongly, his best work being a quartet of flush, jolting left hooks spread throughout the round. Based on the opening two frames it appeared the crowd was in for an exciting ride, the action heating up in the 3rd when Elwood was sent to the canvas twice within ninety seconds of the bell. Both came from single punches, the first a right cross and the second a perfectly-timed left hook. Elwood weathered Braithwaite's attempts to finish him off through the bottom half of the round and made it to the bell.

Braithwaite maintained the momentum in the 4th but Elwood appeared to turn the bout on its head when he dropped the Guyanan with a hard right cross near the two minute mark. He was up quickly but looked suddenly vulnerable. However, Elwood was unable to take advantage of the situation, landing only a handful of shots before the round ended. Braithwaite was right back in command one minute into the 5th when he deposited Elwood on his backside with a big right hand. Up at two Elwood convinced the referee he could continue but within forty seconds it was all over, Braithwaite knocking him down for the fourth and final time with another punishing right hand. Slumped near the bottom of the ropes Elwood looked exhausted and spent and was only just starting to move as the count reached ten.

The win improved Braithwaite's record to 19-4(14), Elwood falling to 11-1(8). Braithwaite will be joined in the tournament semi-finals by Eric Fields, Orlin Norris and Louis Del Valle. Top-seeded Fields followed up his stage one stoppage of Laudelino Jose Barros with a 5th round TKO of Bert Cooper. This one was a war while it lasted, both men averaging over thirty punches landed per round. After the 4th it was really either man's to win but Fields rose to the occasion in the 5th, dropping Cooper twice before the referee ended it at the 2:30 mark. Fields takes on Del Valle in the semis, the Long Island native booking his spot after his bout against Dan Harvison ended as a technical draw in round three as a result of a nasty cut on Harvison's forehead. 11th seed Orlin Norris pulled off his second successive upset, defeating 3rd seed Gary Gomez by majority decision. He'd done the same to 6th seed Dale Brown in stage one and looks capable of going all the way to the championship bout.

In the evening's opening contest the IBL campaign of Florida Alliance member Elmer Ray went from bad to worse as he suffered his first professional defeat in a world ranking bout against Detroit's Jonathon Banks. After the opening two rounds it looked an absolute impossibility that Ray would lose the fight. He dropped Banks midway through the 1st and then controlled round two, but in round three he switched off and never turned himself back on. Banks didn't need an invitation to capitalise and after controlling rounds three, four and five he floored Ray twice in the final stanza, the 19 year-old Hastings native looking bruised, bloodied and exhausted at the final bell. Banks won by unanimous decision (57-54, 56-55, 57-54) to improve to 9-1-1(6). Eliminated from the Americas tournament last month in a questionable draw against Dan Harvison, Ray fell to 5-1-1(5) with last night's defeat and now has to wait eight weeks before getting another chance to record his first victory under the IBL banner.

[kenyan_cheena]

I should be able to get through these quarter-final bouts in quicker time than it took to complete stage one. I was delayed with those opening bouts because I was still creating fictional fighters aswell as inputting the fighter records and setting the career stages before running each week of cards.

Now all that work is out of the way all I have to do before running each week of cards is check my Excel spreadsheet to see which fighters change career stage before their bout.

Next up we have a brief detour from the IBL with a review of the blockbuster middleweight unification bout between Bert Lytell (WBC Champion) and Freddie Steele (IBF). That should be written up at about this time tomorrow.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Fresno Bee

SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2006

Lytell stops Steele in 11th,
claims undisputed championship

Story by Larry Smith

Fresno middleweight Bert Lytell defied both the experts and the oddsmakers last night in scoring a dramatic 11th round knockout victory over the man known as "The Tacoma Assassin", Freddie Steele. The two combatants clashed for the undisputed world middleweight championship at Bally's in Las Vegas, Lytell putting his WBC belt on the line and Steele his IBF title. The hard-hitting Washington native was favoured to emerge victorious, having successfully defended his belt four times since claiming it in May 2003. But it now seems that those observers who backed Steele underestimated how much trouble he'd have in dealing with Lytell's quick fists and southpaw stance. Lytell won the WBC championship by defeating James Toney in April '04 and retained it against him in a September rematch. He defended it twice during 2005 but stepped between the ropes for the first time this year last night.

The bout was being looked upon as the second mega-fight of 2006 following the Marquez-Ortiz lightweight unification clash in March and while it didn't quite reach the heights of that contest it was still an intriguing stoush. After the opening round it appeared that Steele's backers would be proven comprehensively correct as he unloaded on a cautious Lytell with a number of flush power punches, most of which came in the bottom half of the frame. But Lytell was quick to get himself into the fight and controlled the next three rounds. In particular, he tagged Steele repeatedly during a dominant 4th. However, just as Lytell appeared to have the upperhand the momentum swung back to Steele. He was the busier, more aggressive fighter in both rounds five and six, so as the contest entered its second half it was either man's to win.

Rounds seven through nine did little to make the picture any clearer. The pace had taken its toll on both men leading to a lull in the action, but it was pretty clear that Lytell was in better shape. He had been content to let Steele dictate the pace and in round ten he upped his workrate, winning the round convincingly and sending Steele back to his corner with some nasty swelling showing under his left eye. As round eleven started there was nothing to indicate it would be the bout's final stanza. Fifty seconds in Steele caught his man with a short, powerful left hook that snapped Lytell's head around and brought a chorus of applause from the Tacoma slugger's supporters. Just twenty seconds later Steele was the one on the canvas, dropped as if from a sniper's bullet after a perfectly timed Lytell cross landed flush on the chin. Steele made it to his knees at five and tried to clear his head, but when he pushed to make it back to his feet his body wouldn't co-operate and he was counted out, the bout suddenly over at the 1:23 mark of round eleven.

Lytell's handlers flooded the ring and paraded him around on their shoulders, the 27 year-old showing an intense, excited countenance. He thumped his chest with his right glove, raised his hands above his head and shouted "I told all o' y'all!" at least three times, nodding his head in agreement with himself. His record is now an impressive 32-1(23), Steele suffering just his second career defeat and falling to 33-2-1(29).

Punch totals

Lytell: 246/686 (35.9%)
Steele: 197/859 (22.9%)

Scorecards at the end of 10th round

Lytell 97-95, 96-96, Steele 98-94

Lytell is promoted by the extroverted, WBC-aligned Chicago businessman Tyrone Hillier, who was only too happy to kick dirt in the faces of anyone who had doubted his charge during the post-fight interview. He claimed their words had "driven Bert on to a fantastic victory" and that "the power and mastery of a southpaw should never be questioned." After fielding a number of questions on the fight itself Lytell was asked what his next move would be, Hillier voicing a response that will cast doubt on Lytell's future in the middleweight division.

"We can name our price now," Hillier said confidently. "We can name our price, we can demand it and that's what we plan to do. We've got an undisputed champion here now, see? Only three other fellas in the sport right now can claim that, so we can name our price. We'll sit back and make sure that we secure the biggest fight possible for Bert. The brother's a superstar of the sport now and he should only be involved in fights befitting that status. If that means moving up to super-middleweight, that's what it'll mean. You already know Bert's said recently that he feels his future really lies at light-heavyweight, but that's something we'll look at down the track."

One reporter raised the possibility of Lytell signing with the IBL, to which Hillier fired off a livid response.

"You think my boy is gonna sign his career over to a bunch of amateurs?!?" he snapped. "You think he's gonna let go of all the power he has to determine who and when he fights? You gotta be outta your mind to even suggest such foolishness. Ain't no chance in hell that Bert Lytell will ever fight for the IBL, my friend. No chance in hell!"

With the IBL's World Championship tournaments currently on hiatus the WBC had the focus and spotlight squarely on themselves last night and they staged an entertaining fight card. In the co-feature, New York-born cruiserweight champion David Lester retained his belt with a 6th round TKO of the young Philadelphian Nate Gibbs. It was an action-packed affair, exactly the type of bout that the often-maligned division needed. Lester tasted the canvas in round three before dropping Gibbs once in the 5th and then twice in the 6th, the referee stopping the fight shortly before the bell. In the previous bout Panama's junior-bantamweight champion Luis Valdez was sensationally dethroned by compatriot Roman Moreno via 2nd round knockout. There'd been a deal of bad blood between the two leading into the fight and Moreno backed up his trash talking with a devastating left hook one minute into round two. The punch put Valdez to sleep and ended his two year reign in the blink of an eye.

The evening was kicked off by two young men regarded as boxing's most promising talents, Virginian gold medallist Pernell Whitaker and the Puerto Rican Felix Trinidad. Fighting at lightweight Whitaker improved to 14-0(9) with a 5th round TKO of David Walters while the junior-welterweight Trinidad decimated Rubin Gomez, knocking him out ninety seconds into the opening round to maintain his perfect stoppage record at 5-0(5). With the two seperated by just one weight class it appears inevitable that they'll clash some day during the coming years, but for now boxing fans can simply sit back and enjoy watching them build their careers.

[Romdawg88]

Damn, I'm shocked to see Elwood get taken out of the tournament. I thought for sure he would walk away the winner. Man, tough start for Ray he is going to need to turn it around soon.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, I'm shocked to see Elwood get taken out of the tournament. I thought for sure he would walk away the winner. Man, tough start for Ray he is going to need to turn it around soon.

I know the game doesn't have a factor built into it where fighters perform better when they're fighting in front of a parochial crowd, but it seemed like that was the case for Braithwaite. He really turned it on for his fellow countrymen.

I think the first year or so in this uni is going to be tricky for all the forum guys as none of them are at prime yet and some are still at beginner. Wouldn't surprise me to see a number of similar results. Hopefully all of you can negotiate this period relatively unscathed, though. I also think that these surprising losses will help to make the eventual successes all the more satisfying.

As for Elmer, he really did steal defeat from the jaws of victory in that last fight. But as we've seen in both his IBL bouts, he has the talent. Maybe he's just not mature enough "upstairs" yet. He'll be mentioned in the July WBR notes and quotes.

[kenyan_cheena]

ST. JOHNS
COUNTY CHRONICLE

Monday 24 July 2006

Controversial stoppage eliminates Ray
from Challenger's tournament

Story by Bob Valdez

Hastings welterweight James Ray was controversially eliminated from the International Boxing League's Challenger's tournament last night when his bout against Japan's Shoji Ohashi was stopped 88 seconds from the final bell, Ohashi awarded a TKO victory due to the severity of a cut above Ray's right eye. The 13th seed was on his way to a convincing unanimous decision victory and protested angrily in the aftermath of the referee and ring doctor's decision. Ray sustained the cut late in round three, a series of jabs from Ohashi and a hard left hook doing the damage. The cut was located in an unfortunate position, outside Ray's right eyebrow and slightly below it. His corner crew worked on it during the intermission but Ohashi was able to reopen the wound in the 4th and then again in the 6th.

Apparently Ray's trainer Roy Jones had told him in no uncertain terms following round six to stay on the outside and on the move. Jones was confident that Ray had already done enough to win the fight. The cut appeared to be under control but an aggressive Ohashi pressed Ray in the 7th and despite his efforts to follow Jones' instructions, Ray was caught by a number of hard shots, aswell as a succession of jabs. The Japanese fighter continued to target the cut in the final round, desperate to force a stoppage. He succeeded in his goal midway through the frame, connecting with a punishing left hook and some follow up jabs. The ringside doctor observed the cut for the third time on the night and this time he shook his head to the referee, indicating that Ray should not be allowed to continue. Ohashi was ecstatic while Ray could not believe what was happening. He berated both the referee and doctor, exclaiming that he'd been "kickin' the dude's ass all night long" and that he deserved to finish the fight.

Going into the final round Ray held a 68-65 lead on all three cards. Of course, the officials don't take such details into account when they make their decisions. The fighter's safety is paramount but surely referee Pat Russell must have realised that, after a fantastic effort, Ray was well ahead and that a stoppage so late in the contest would have been an injustice. While disappointed, Roy Jones did not utter a word of protest over the result. He spoke of how he had warned his charge to stay out of harm's way in the final rounds and acknowledged that Ohashi's "desperation and determination" had won him the fight, even if he didn't deserve it. The 5th-seeded Ohashi maintained his undefeated record, improving to 18-0-1(13) while Ray fell to 13-1(10), the loss ending a terrible week for the Ray cousins following Elmer's defeat in a junior-heavyweight bout on Thursday.

Ray destroyed Ohashi's compatriot Jiro Suzuki in his opening bout last month and after the first couple of rounds he looked on the way to making it a clean sweep of the only two Japanese fighters in the tournament. Ohashi was showing a busy disposition, throwing a lot more leather than Ray. But most of his shots were either off the mark or brilliantly evaded by Ray, who displayed some outstanding counter-punching skills. After Ohashi's success in round three Ray was right back in the driver's seat, controlling rounds four, five and six with his quick fists and cutting Ohashi on the lip in the 5th. Despite Ohashi's good work in the final two rounds Ray would have been a clear cut winner if the bout had lasted the distance. Ohashi landed 181 of 1,017 punches (17.8%), Ray 191 of 425 (44.9%).

Ohashi will square off against the 9th-seeded South African Benedict Khumalo in the semi-finals after Khumalo stunned Nigeria's top seed Ifeani Adamu and stopped him in the 3rd round. Adamu was sent to the canvas by a brutal left hook a minute into the round and the Athens light-welterweight gold medallist was merciless with his follow-up, battering Adamu until the referee ended it at the 2:11 mark. The other semi-final sees Colombia's Hugo Pineda take on Adamu's compatriot Ademola Udeze. Both men scored majority decision wins over American fighters, making it a miserable night for the USA. Hometown hero Pineda defeated Jason Morris while Udeze overcame Aaron Lister Brown.

After last night's results one would have to say that Khumalo is a favourite to earn the world championship shot, despite his inferior experience. The fact that he controversially defeated James Ray in the gold medal match in Athens makes Ray's defeat last night all the more disheartening, as he now misses out on a chance to extract some revenge in what would have been a highly-anticipated semi-final.

***

Results

(#5) Ohashi TKO8 (#13) Ray
(#2) Udeze MD8 (#7) Brown
(#9) Khumalo TKO3 (#1) Adamu
(#3) Pineda MD8 (#11) Morris

Semi-final matchups

(#5) Shoji Ohashi (18-0-1(13)) vs (#9) Benedict Khumalo (14-0(8))
(#2) Ademola Udeze (23-2(17)) vs (#3) Hugo Pineda (21-2-1(14))

***

[PWillisTheMan]

Ugh, those blasted cuts. I use protect cut strategy now in every round of big fights or big fighters. It rips out a piece of your heart when something like this happens in your uni.

I've been waiting for Rodriguez/Hearns for months and then BOOM, cut, over.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

It rips out a piece of your heart when something like this happens in your uni.

That perfectly describes how I felt when the result of the bout came up on the screen. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love the uncertainty you get with TBCB sometimes.