The Greatest Prize in Sports

[PWillisTheMan]

I hear you, the unpredictability adds to the realism. I just can't handle the cuts and it's also frustrating when the computer selects take a round off for a guy in the last round of an even battle. Protect cut doesn't wipe them out, but it makes the frequency of fights stopped from cuts more realistic.

I'm sure James will be back. I always visualize him as Floyd when I'm reading about him. Probably has a bit more pop, but that's the image that comes into mind.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I hear you, the unpredictability adds to the realism. I just can't handle the cuts and it's also frustrating when the computer selects take a round off for a guy in the last round of an even battle. Protect cut doesn't wipe them out, but it makes the frequency of fights stopped from cuts more realistic.

I'm sure James will be back. I always visualize him as Floyd when I'm reading about him. Probably has a bit more pop, but that's the image that comes into mind.

Ha, that's amazing that you visualise him as Floyd because when James was in my old HBF/IBL uni I actually made a post where I mentioned he resembles Floyd in appearance.

[kenyan_cheena]

My plan is to run weeks two and three of the quarter-finals tomorrow and maybe punch out a review or two, also. Just spent my lunch hour working on the July WBR "Notes & Quotes" section.

[Romdawg88]

Man, the good times for the Alliance just keep on rolling. At this rate there won't be any of us left by the week of the round.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Manila Metro

TUESDAY 25 JULY 2006

"THE FORGOTTEN MAN"
PUTS ON A SHOW

Story by Romeo Concepcion

With all the publicity that was lavished upon Athens gold medallist Pancho Villa in recent months Filipino fight fans might have been forgiven for believing that he was the only boxer in our nation worthy of attention. It does appear that we "jumped the gun" somewhat, as Villa's disappointing effort in his IBL debut illustrated. Of course, we know that Pancho will redeem himself in time, but for now all of us should be getting behind a young pugilist who has become something of a forgotten man recently, the lightweight Ben Villaflor. This talented 20 year-old also fought in Athens, but had the misfortune of running into eventual gold medallist Pernell Whitaker in the opening round. Villaflor brought a 13-1(8) record into the IBL and last night he was victorious in his second bout under the organisation's banner.

Fighting in the main event at Manila's Rajah Sulayman Park, Villaflor scored a dominant unanimous decision win over Korea's Hwan-Kil Yuh (80-72, 80-73, 80-72). The bout was a quarter-final in the IBL's Inter-Continental Lightweight Championship tournament. Villaflor is the #1 seed and his win sent him through to the semi-finals and a matchup against the tough Scotsman Jim Watt. Villaflor was never troubled by Yuh, controlling the fight with confidence and flooring his opponent for the only time in the contest one minute into the final round. He outlanded Yuh 222-125, pressing the Korean and mixing it up on the inside. Villaflor is now 15-1(8) while Yuh suffered his first career defeat and fell to 6-1-2(4). Speaking in the ring after his win Negros-born Villaflor thanked the large crowd that was in attendance, promising them that he'll be doing his very best to win the tournament and bring the Inter-Continental belt to the Philippines.

Appearing in the sixth bout on the card 4th-seeded Watt recorded his second stoppage victory in the tournament and in doing so prevented an all-Filipino semi-final. He had decimated the promising but inexperienced Ghanian Azumah Nelson inside of three rounds in his stage one bout and followed that impressive win up with a 4th round knockout of Johnny Sato. The first two rounds were even and exciting but after Sato was cut on the left eyelid from an accidental headclash early in the 3rd he became cautious, as if more concerned with avoiding any further damage than winning the fight. This played right into Watt's hands and when he unleashed a brutal left-right-left salvo late in round four Sato collapsed to the canvas. He tried to push himself up but couldn't beat the count, the bout over at the 2:32 mark.

In the other quarter-finals Congo native Frederick Tshilolo won a split decision to upset 2nd seed Benni Williams and the Italian Aldo Spoldi overcame Thailand's Daomai Sithkodom in a battle of undefeated fighters. With Spoldi and Tshilolo seeded 6th and 10th respectively it's an unexpected semi-final and both men will be out to make the most of their opportunity. The Villaflor-Watt clash figures to be an intriguing one, to say the least. It's a bout that could very well be repeated down the road as a title fight, as the winner will be favoured to go on and claim the inaugural championship.

[kenyan_cheena]

EL UNIVERSAL

Wednesday 26 July 2006

MARTINEZ STOPS MANCINI
IN MONTERREY

Story by Miguel Trelles

When Mexican fight fans discuss our nation's most promising young fighters the conversation usually starts and ends with the two Athens gold medallists, Salvador Sanchez and Vicente Saldivar. Often overlooked is Monterrey-born lightweight Rafael Martinez, the 23 year-old who claimed bronze in '04 behind Pernell Whitaker and Orlando Zulueta. Last night Martinez produced a performance that might finally make his fellow countrymen take notice of him. In front of a parochial crowd in his hometown Martinez climbed off the canvas twice in round two before rallying to score a 4th round TKO of Ohio's Ray Mancini. It was an electrifying main event, one that had the crowd enthralled from the opening bell.

After making a confident start Martinez found himself in trouble less than a minute into round two when a hard Mancini uppercut dropped him on his backside. Up at seven, Martinez stayed out of trouble until the American hunted him down and floored him with a left hook fifty seconds from the bell. This time Martinez was up quickly. He survived the round but was showing nothing and looked dazed. The intermission did him a world of good as he appeared to be back in the contest in an even 3rd round. Mancini gave the crowd renewed reason to worry early in the 4th as he tagged their man with a smashing right hand and then another one of those damaging uppercuts.

Somehow Martinez absorbed both shots without going down and then brought a deafening howl from the audience when, totally against the run of play, he sent Mancini to the canvas with a jolting right cross. A stunned Mancini made it to his feet at eight and appeared very vulnerable. Martinez seized on the opportunity, catching his man with a hard right, a wicked body shot and another big right cross. With the crowd spurring him on Martinez dropped Mancini for a second time, a left-right salvo doing the damage. Mancini was up at three, referee Lupe Garcia allowing him to continue. But within seconds he jumped in to end it as the Youngstown native absorbed five unanswered shots and started sliding down the ropes. The official time of the stoppage was 2:45 of round four.

An ecstatic Martinez leaped into the air and screamed, pumping his right fist and celebrating with his corner crew. He had come back from what seemed certain defeat to score a victory of his own in the space of three rounds and was overcome by the gravity of his achievement. Now 12-1(7), Martinez will square off against the Brazilian Vicente Santana in the semi-finals after Santana defeated Brooklyn's Steve Sullivan by majority decision earlier in the evening. Based on both men's stage one efforts Santana was a slight favourite and even though Sullivan produced a much-improved performance he was just edged out in an exciting contest. Santana took the win by the slimmest of verdicts, 77-76, 76-76 and 77-76.

In the evening's co-feature former amateur standout Richie Plunkett secured a semi-final berth with a hard-fought unanimous decision win over the promising Canadian Nicolas Fillion (78-74, 77-75, 79-73). The Bronx native was not as active as Fillion but the quality of his punches and the damage they inflicted clearly impressed the judges more than the Canadian's handiwork, as did his defensive brilliance. Plunkett landed 187 of 568 shots (32.9%), Fillion 198 of 847 (23.4%). Now 11-0(8), Plunkett takes on New Jersey's Ike Williams in the semi-finals after the 15th seed achieved his second upset of the tournament with a scintilating 1st round TKO of Antonio Amaya.

Williams came out firing and it wasn't long before he had the Panama native in big trouble. Two flush left hooks within a twenty second period did most of the damage, the second one sending Amaya to the canvas. He was up at six but his eyes had a vacant look to them. It only took one more punch to finish him off, Williams sending him into the ropes with another big left hook, after which referee Bill Clancy ended it at the 2:42 mark. Williams and Plunkett met in the amateur ranks on three seperate occasions, with Plunkett emerging victorious in two of those contests. They have a good deal of respect for each other's abilities and based on what they've shown so far in the pro ranks their semi-final clash figures to be a fantastic fight.

***

Results

(#15) Williams TKO1 (#7) Amaya
(#5) Santana MD8 (#4) Sullivan
(#3) Plunkett UD8 (#11) Fillion
(#1) Martinez TKO4 (#8) Mancini

Semi-final matchups

(#3) Richie Plunkett (11-0(8)) vs (#15) Ike Williams (6-0(5))
(#1) Rafael Martinez (12-1(7)) vs (#5) Vicente Santana (9-1-1(6))

***

[kenyan_cheena]

La Provence

Thursday, 27 July, 2006

Marseille light-heavyweight
continues impressive run

Story by Jeremy Ribery

Talented Marseille-born boxer Petite Fourie scored a dominant 7th round TKO of the New Zealander Paul Anderson on an IBL light-heavyweight fight card last night at London's Wembley Arena. The technically-fantastic Fourie defeated the Inter-Continental Championship tournament's 4th seed Willi Hoepner by a hard-earned split decision last month but had no such trouble against the 5th-seeded Anderson. Fourie controlled every round, employing a heavier, more aggressive workrate than in his previous bouts to overcome Anderson. The 23 year-old was on his way to a shutout win when the bout was stopped, having taken every round on all three scorecards going into round seven. Anderson had sustained a cut on his right eyebrow late in round four and it became progressively worse until referee Jorge Basille and the ringside physician decided to end the bout late in the 7th.

Fourie improved to 8-0(4) with the win, the disappointing and disappointed Anderson falling to 11-2-1(7). The punch totals indicated the extent of Fourie's domination, both offensively and defensively. He landed 225 of 466 shots (48.3%), Anderson just 42 of 535 (7.9%). Observers at ringside commented that it had been a very long time since they'd been witness to such a masterful display of boxing. In particular they lauded Fourie's defensive brilliance, astonished by his ability to slip and evade most of Anderson's blows. Fourie is usually not the most aggressive fighter but as already mentioned that was not the case last night as he showed a busy disposition throughout the contest. The fact that he was so active with his offensive efforts makes his defensive achievements all the more impressive.

Fourie will face top seed Klaus Bierhoff in the semi-finals. No doubt, the German poses a much more difficult proposition than Anderson. Bierhoff (24-3(17)) fended off a strong challenge from the Korean In-Chul Baek and ended up winning in an identical fashion to Fourie, a 7th round TKO on cuts. Going into the 7th each judge had the bout locked up at 57-57 so Bierhoff will be feeling fortunate to still be in the tournament. In the other semi-final Australia's Mark Somogyi takes on the 2nd seed Alexander Lucas. Somogyi scored a convincing 4th round KO of his compatriot Tony Mundine while Lucas sent Sydney Olympics silver medallist Allan Thomas to his first professional defeat. It was the all-England bout the crowd had been waiting for but it didn't quite live up to the hype, Lucas far too good for his more highly-regarded countryman and winning by unanimous decision (79-73, 80-73, 78-74).

[kenyan_cheena]

Crawford County Daily

FRIDAY 28 JULY 2006

Long makes disappointing exit
from IBL tournament

Story by Jerry Banks

McCune-born light-heavyweight boxer Scot Long suffered the first defeat of his professional career last night when he fell to a unanimous decision loss against New York's Melio Bettina in Topeka. After a series of unexpected results in the Americas Championship tournament's first round 2nd-seeded Long was the only favourite left in the event but he joined the casualty list after Bettina won with surprising ease. The final scorecards were 77-73, 79-71 and 78-72. Bettina gave Long a real beating in round four, leading to each judge scoring the frame 10-8 despite the absence of a knockdown. In round seven a frustrated Long was deducted a point for head-butting Bettina. When it was all over the 10th seed had outlanded Long 225-117, Bettina's record improving to 7-1(3) while Long fell to 8-1-1(4).

No doubt, the 22 year-old has blown a perfect opportunity to claim a championship early in his career. He was only too aware of that fact as he made his way back to the dressing room, shouts of encouragement from the crowd mixed in with some insults and criticism. Bettina is joined in the semi-finals by Philadelphia's Dan Bucceroni and New Jersey natives Richie Kates and Mike Rossman. Bucceroni took a unanimous decision verdict over Clarence Hinnant, Kates knocked out Sam Baroudi at the end of the final round and Rossman was far too good for George Nichols. It might just turn out being the most unlikely semi-final field of any of the International Boxing League's tournaments, with not a single top-four seed in sight.

Earlier in the evening Virginia's Steve Finley scored a 2nd round knockout of Panama's Victor Cordoba in a world ranking bout. Finley had been the #1 seed in the Americas tournament and was favoured to walk away with the belt after a fantastic career start but he was upset by Nichols last month in the opening series of bouts. Cordoba was the unfortunate soul who had to bear the brunt of Finley's frustration and he was sent to the canvas twice in round two, being counted out after the bell following the second knockdown. Finley is now 9-1(8) and insisted after the win that he's already put his tournament failure behind him and is firmly focused on taking it "one fight at a time".

^^^

#13 Kates KO8 #12 Baroudi
#8 Rossman UD8 #16 Nichols
#6 Bucceroni UD8 #14 Hinnant
#10 Bettina UD8 #2 Long

^^^

[kenyan_cheena]

The Seattle Times

MONDAY, 31 JULY, 2006

HAUGEN ONE STEP CLOSER
TO WORLD TITLE SHOT

Story by Michael Barnes

Seattle lightweight Greg Haugen moved to within two wins of an IBL world title fight last night after a gutsy split decision victory over Kazakhstan native Anatoly Alexandrov at Sicks Stadium. It was a tough, even contest in which neither fighter had the upperhand for an extended period, a fact that made it difficult to score. Proof of this was that one judge gave each of the final three rounds to Haugen while another awarded them to Alexandrov. The final scorecards were 77-75, 75-77 and 77-75. Having scraped into the quarter-finals after a draw in his stage one bout Haugen must surely be one of the luckiest competitors in these IBL tournaments so far. He's the #1 seed in the Lightweight Challenger's tournament but it would be true to say he has not really fought like it.

The former NABF lightweight champion's record is now 26-3-1(17), Alexandrov falling to 17-4-1(12). Haugen's semi-final opponent will be the Mexican Enrique Bolanos, who made it through by virtue of his draw against Uganda's Cornelius Boza-Edwards. Amazingly both Bolanos and Boza-Edwards had been involved in drawn bouts in stage one, meaning neither of them has scored a win or suffered a defeat under the IBL banner. In the other semi-final Japan's 2nd seed Jaguar Kakizawa takes on Mexican-born Los Angeles talent Ruben Navarro. Both were unanimous decision victors, Kakizawa over Jackie Beard and Navarro against the German Lothar Abend.

[kenyan_cheena]

THE GUARDIAN
LAGOS - NIGERIA

Monday 31 July 2006

AMAKOCHI POWERS HIS
WAY INTO SEMI-FINALS

Story by Sani Yobo

Nigerian light-heavyweight Celestine Amakochi has set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with Olympic silver medallist Mauro Mina in the International Boxing League's Challenger's tournament. The 3rd seed looked fantastic as he obliterated Brooklyn's Johnny Persol inside of three rounds last night at London's ExCel Arena, dropping him four times before the New Yorker was counted out at 0:45 of round three. The first knockdown came just thirty seconds after the opening bell from a flush left hook. Amakochi then floored Persol again at the end of the 1st and the end of the 2nd, before a jolting uppercut 34 seconds into the 3rd finished him off. 22 year-old Amakochi improved to 21-1(14) and has said that he hopes to win the tournament and then go head-to-head with either Dick Tiger or Taribo Keshi in what would be an all-Nigerian World Championship bout.

Amakochi now gets a chance to gain some revenge against an opponent who defeated him in each of their three clashes in the amateur ranks. Peru's Mauro Mina recorded his second unanimous decision win of the tournament, the 10th seed overcoming his more experienced English opponent Len Harvey by scores of 78-76, 79-75 and 78-77. It was a competitive contest from the 1st round to the last and in the opinion of this writer Harvey was unlucky to not get at least a drawn verdict from one of the judges. Mina was never able to dominate him, Harvey actually the aggressor for most of the bout. Mina outlanded him 160-138, his defensive skills leading to Harvey connecting with only 20% of his punches. Mina has spoken on more than one occasion of his ambition to make it to the top of the IBL's light-heavyweight division as soon as possible and following last night's win he is now just three victories away from becoming world champion. Mina is now 14-0(8).

The other semi-final sees an unexpected matchup following the elimination of the tournament's 1st and 4th seeds, Michael King and Iran Barkley. Fighting in the co-feature Detroit-born King lost by split decision to the Californian Tommy Harrison (78-75, 76-77, 79-74). Harrison made a fantastic start, sweeping the first four rounds on two scorecards and holding on in the face of King's strong fightback to take the verdict. Harrison improved to 17-2(11), King falling to 26-6(21). Barkley fell to his first professional defeat, the talented Texas slugger Jack Chase taking a unanimous decision verdict after a hugely entertaining stoush (78-75, 77-76, 79-74). Bronx native Barkley was the aggressor for most of the fight but couldn't handle Chase's speed. The 24 year-old landed exactly 50% of his punches, Barkley only 24%. The fact that Chase connected with an average of almost 32 blows per round indicates the difficulty Barkley faced. Chase is now 19-1-1(13), Barkley 19-1(15).

---

Results

(#5) CHASE UD8 (#4) BARKLEY
(#3) AMAKOCHI KO3 (#11) PERSOL
(#8) HARRISON SD8 (#1) KING
(#10) MINA UD8 (#2) HARVEY

Semi-final matchups

(#5) JACK CHASE (19-1-1(13)) vs (#8) TOMMY HARRISON (USA, 17-2(11))
(#3) CELESTINE AMAKOCHI (21-1(14)) vs (#10) MAURO MINA (14-0(8))

---

[kenyan_cheena]

BOXING
MONTHLY

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 7 - JULY 2006

(following are selected entries from the magazine's
"Fight Review" section)

1 July: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Marcelo Franks (26-3(20)) TKO5 James Anders (26-7-2(16))
(heavyweight division, WBA title fight)

This bout would have to go down as one of the most farcical world title bouts in recent memory. It was the main event of the WBA's embarrassing "Night of Champions" and featured one fighter who had been knocked out cold by Ken Norton in a WBC title challenge less than three months earlier (Marcelo Franks) and another who had not fought in fourteen months due to an on-going battle with drugs and alcohol (James Anders). Unsurprisingly, Anders had looked in poor shape when he'd stepped on the scales at the weigh-in, rolls of fat showing as he recorded a career-high 245 pounds. The bout itself was unremarkable and an insult to both the former WBA king Sergey Anyukov and the many fighters of the past who fought tooth and nail to win a world championship but never achieved it. Anders was dropped on his backside earlier in the 5th and with Franks pounding him senseless on the ropes the bout was stopped shortly before the bell.

8 July: Los Angeles, California, USA
Fred Boatwright (3-0-1(1)) SD4 Jamal Lowes (2-1(1))
(middleweight division)

In one of the most bizarre fights this observer has ever seen, Boatwright managed to secure a split decision win almost entirely by virtue of his superb defensive prowess. Lowes threw more than twice as many punches but landed only 15% of them, the lanky Boatwright parrying, slipping and ducking his shots time and again before firing in an occasional counter punch. At times the 18 year-old looked like he didn't want to be in the ring but when it was all over and he was announced the winner he was quick to big note himself with a flood of bragadociousness. This didn't exactly endear him to the crowd, who hurled a deal of criticism at him from late in round one through to the final bell. Boatwright has a distinct lack of aggression but if he can rectify this and also increase his workrate, he might have a future in the sport.

15 July: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jose Molina (29-2-1(22)) UD12 Jesus Marquez (21-3-1(17))
(junior-lightweight division, IBF title fight)

This bout was an interesting one simply due to the fact that it featured the man who vacated the IBF's featherweight crown back in October, Jose Molina. That one act ended up setting off a chain reaction of events that led to the federation's president Michael Jacobs being charged in relation to death threats made against Mexican fighter Gilberto Vasquez. Since moving up to junior-lightweight Molina had been victorious twice, in January and April. Those wins earned him a shot at the IBF belt that had been vacated by IBL competitor Hector Hernandez in February and remained that way ever since. Promoted by New Jersey bigshot Robert Tattaglia, Molina was more or less gift-wrapped the belt as he was put in against the limited and undeserving Mexican Jesus Marquez. Molina dropped Marquez in the 5th and went on to take the verdict by scores of 118-111, 117-112 and 118-112.

16 July: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Jimmy Krug (4-0(2)) TKO3 Martin Dell (3-3(1))
(bantamweight division)

Promising Newark-born bantamweight Jimmy Krug maintained his undefeated record with a dominant showing against the hand-picked New Yorker Martin Dell. There was only ever going to be one outcome in this one and Krug displayed some irritation afterwards at being involved in such a mismatch. He's a young man with big ambitions, which he feels he has a greater chance of reaching competing in the IBL. Having come to James Molk's attention following his impressive career start the 19 year-old severed ties with his manager and signed an IBL contract on the 25th of July. Krug will be involved in the organisation's upcoming world ranking bouts.

18 July: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Brutus Brody (5-0(5)) KO1 LeVon Stephens (4-2-1(2))
(heavyweight division)

Brody continued what has been a destructive career start with a sixty-one second decimation of Cleveland native LeVon Stephens. Possessing frightening power and aggression, this 27 year-old ex-convict looks capable of going a long way. Surprisingly the IBL have not made an attempt to sign him up yet, perhaps because of his criminal background. It's been rumoured that Chicago-based promoter Tyrone Hillier has expressed an interest in adding him to his growing stable of fighters, the most prominent of which is WBC/IBF middleweight champion Bert Lytell. Despite being without a manager, promoter or even a regular corner crew, this slugger appears to be on the verge of national stardom. It'll be interesting to see how Brody fairs against tougher opposition.

18 July: Guadalajara, Mexico
Max Rasmuth (5-1(3)) UD6 Alexis Valderrama (6-1(4))
(IBL welterweight division)

Eliminated in stage one of the IBL's Americas Welterweight Championship tournament promising New Yorker Max Rasmuth produced a strong effort in a world ranking bout against the Colombian Valderrama. The Rochester-born southpaw was simply too quick and classy for Valderrama, flooring him in round two with a nice uppercut before going on to win by unanimous decision (58-55 on all three cards). Rasmuth has previously been described as one of the real gentlemen of boxing and it would be fantastic to see this upstanding young man find some success in the IBL.

18 July: Guadalajara, Mexico
Eric Bengtson (6-0-2(3)) KO4 Kid Azteca (4-1(2))
(IBL welterweight division)

Like Rasmuth, Bengtson bowed out of the Americas welterweight tournament in stage one. His elimination was controversial as he appeared to get the better of Pedro Cabrera but the bout was scored a draw. Last night Bengtson showed that he's already put the disappointment behind him with a 4th round knockout of Kid Azteca. Bengston floored his opponent in round one and then dropped him two more times in the 4th, Azteca counted out at the 2:43 mark. Bengtson remains undefeated and it will be interesting to see how he performs during the next twelve months. Without a doubt, the Milwaukee native is a genuinely promising talent of the division.

20 July: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Ron E. Vincent (4-0(2)) MD4 Stevie Raymond (8-2(5))
(heavyweight division)

The man known as "REV" was unsurprisingly given a tougher time than in his previous bouts as he was up against the most experienced opponent of his career in Philadelphia's Stevie Raymond. Nevertheless, Vincent came through admirably, weathering Raymond's aggression to take a 39-37, 38-38, 39-37 verdict for his fifth career victory. The ordained minister is becoming something of a local celebrity in his hometown of Suffolk, Virginia, aswell as the larger Hampton Roads community. The IBL contacted him a few days after the bout and are looking to add him to what is already a very talented heavyweight division. As of this magazine's publishing Vincent is yet to sign with them.

22 July: Mexico City, Mexico
Francisco Rivas (33-4-2(27)) KO10 Antonio Hawkins (27-1-1(21))
(featherweight division, IBF title fight)

Previously planned, re-scheduled and eventually abandoned due to the Michael Jacobs situation, the controversial title fight between Mexico's Francisco Rivas and Miami native Antonio Hawkins was finally held some five months after its originally scheduled date. For those who haven't been following the story the IBF featherweight belt is the one that Gilberto Vasquez earned a shot at in an elimination bout last September, a shot he never received due to the manouvers of Jacobs and promoter Robert Tattaglia. Both Rivas and Hawkins are promoted by Tattaglia and in something of an upset the veteran Rivas knocked out the younger, flashy Hawkins with a single left hook midway through the 10th. Hawkins was in complete control of the fight at the time and based on what was said during the post-fight interviews a rematch is likely.

25 July: New York, New York, USA
Frank Galvano (3-0(3)) TKO2 Jimmy Bridges (2-2(1))
(middleweight division)

This hard-hitting New Yorker possesses an ego that equals the power in his right hand, which has decimated each of his first four opponents inside of three rounds. Galvano grew up on the tough streets of the Bronx, associating with known mobsters who have become some of his biggest fans since he started his pro career. Despite his talents it's been said that he lacks maturity and focus, and also enjoys his liquor more than he should. It remains to be seen what kind of fighter "Frankie" develops into but based on his opening quartet of bouts the promise is obvious.

[kenyan_cheena]

WORLD BOXING REVIEW

v. 52 / e. 7

JULY 2006

(following are selected entries from the magazine's "Notes & Quotes" section)

***

Tuesday 04/07/06

"Truth is, you guys have no idea how much the loss to Wajima affected him. There's a perception people have of JT that he's only in this thing for the money. I don't know where it came from but I know it's there. So based on that folks is saying he didn't give a damn that he lost 'cause he got paid and is still gettin' paid. But these last couple of years have really been hell for him. Not bein' able to get past Lytell both times, then falling to Freddie Steele, now this. The brother felt invincible before all that and now ... now it's like he's a shot fighter. That's what he told me. That's how he feels. That's why he came back from Australia a week after he'd planned to. He's on a knife-edge right now between quittin' and keepin' at it and I can't tell you which way he's gonna go."

During an interview on SportsCenter IBL heavyweight fighter Ken Norton took a few minutes to talk about his good friend and fellow IBL competitor James Toney. On June 23 Toney suffered a disappointing ten-round unanimous decision loss to Japan's Koichi Wajima in the quarter-finals of the league's Middleweight World Championship tournament. It was the 28 year-old Los Angeles native's fourth loss in his last seven fights and has led many to speculate on his future in the sport, including himself, as Norton revealed. According to the IBL Toney only signed a six-month contract with them, which would expire shortly after the completion of their tournaments. He's scheduled to step in the ring against the Jamaican Hastings Gayle in a ten-round world ranking bout on September 15.

***

Friday 07/07/06

"I think the brother's gotta harden up, plain and simple. Yeah, he's goin' through a rough patch right now but is that any reason to pull the plug? Times like this is when a man finds out what he's made of but it seems like Toney jus' wants to turn tail and quit. Take a look at Mike Dokes. He's a brother I really admire 'cause he's endured some tough times and injustices but he ain't given up. True, the IBL helped him back but the way he fought against Norton was fantastic. That must've been an inspiration to so many people, to see him get back in there and give it his best shot. I might not be the best person to comment on JT 'cause I ain't been through his type o' situation. But the brother had a fairytale run up 'til a couple years ago so he should harden up, get back in trainin' and be man enough to know life ain't all clear sailin'."

Texas-born slugger Jack Johnson offers his opinion on the news that James Toney is considering retirement.

***

Friday 14/07/06

"If you ask me there's something serious going on behind the scenes with Vielma and Velazquez. It was only a couple weeks ago that Velazquez was shootin' off about how the IBF should be abolished and kicked out of boxing, yet the WBC's stagin' a unification bout with them next weekend! Can someone explain that to me? Dudes looked miles apart on that issue, but now they're both sayin' that Brown can't get no shot at Marquez while he holds the IBF belt? There's some weird stuff goin' on here, man. Weird stuff."

Speaking on ESPN's Friday Night Fights former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Leroy Grant highlights the inconsistencies of the WBC and WBA (and also raises a possible conspiracy) in relation to a lucrative undisputed lightweight championship bout between Mexico's Patrico Marquez and Louisiana native Joe Brown. Talk of the fight has been around since reporters raised it after Brown's May 13 title defense, with both men saying they'd welcome it. But WBA and WBC presidents Pedro Vielma and Luis Velazquez appear to have ruled it out, making what appeared to be a joint statement on the issue in saying that Brown would have to relinquish his IBF belt before any fight against Marquez could take place.

***

Wednesday 19/07/06

"Seems to me that McCallum's gonna do whatever he pleases. He knows that the WBC and IBF don't have the gumption to stop him and he's taking advantage of that. Remember, Jim, the IBF wanted him to fight Doyle back in May. They made a statement saying the fight would happen 'cause Doyle was the mandatory but when McCallum said "no" they said "okay". Just like that. It's ridiculous, really it is. You've got an organisation who is intimidated by their champion. How crazy is that, Jim? But then again, we're talking about the IBF here so it doesn't amaze me that much."

ShoBox's Hugh Ballard discusses the bizarre situation involving WBC/IBF junior-middleweight champion Mike McCallum's refusal to defend his titles. McCallum has not been in action since early January and in May refused to comply with the IBF's wishes and fight their #1-ranked mandatory challenger Jimmy Doyle. The IBF took no action, as if intimidated by McCallum's stance. It's been rumoured that the Jamaican has grown weary and disillusioned with the alphabet gang's antics and may relinquish both belts, or simply wait for them to strip him of them. McCallum signed a contract on the 15th to fight his compatriot Tyrone Daley in a ten-round non-title bout in Kingston on August 19, a fight McCallum has said is "strictly for my people".

***

Friday 21/07/06

"Damn right, we've breathed new life into the sport! Can you remember the last time people were talking about boxing as much as they are now? I know I can't. You'd be kidding yourself if you said the IBL ain't the main reason for that. It's pretty simple, really. We're giving the fans what they want to see: exciting, competitive fights. All you have to do is look at the lineup for the double-header broadcast on August 6, which is being shown right here on ESPN. It kicks off at six in Mexico City with the featherweight card that features Sanchez and Saldivar in the main event. These two kids just hate each other with a passion and all of Mexico is going crazy just waiting for the fight. Anyone who misses it is gonna be really, really sorry. Then at nine we'll cross to Miami for the middleweight card. You've got a headliner there that could very well be a world title fight some day with Holman Williams going up against Mickey Walker. Everyone knows the history they have, so why would you wanna miss that one, either? Plus, we've got a couple of fantastic Olympic medallists in Gans and Benn appearing on the undercard. You tell me this: in their wildest dreams, could the WBA, WBC or IBF manage to pull off a night as entertaining as that? Could they? I don't think so."

Speaking on Friday Night Fights IBL vice-president Michael Vincennes plays promoter ahead of his organisation's much-anticipated August 6 "double-header", where ESPN will broadcast live back-to-back fight cards first from Mexico City, then Miami.

***

Monday 24/07/06

"Hillier was fine to go along with all that hoopla about it being a unification bout but in the end he won't give a damn if Lytell has a title or not. He doesn't get any sanctioning fees, does he? It was fantastic for them that Lytell won because it's opened the door to what should be nothing but big fight after big fight for him from here on out. As long as he keeps winning, of course. A lot of the public's naive about how the system works and if they see the words "world title fight", automatically they assume it's more important. So I'd say Bert'll hold onto those belts for a little while longer yet."

Former heavyweight champ Laurence Mays expresses his opinion on Chicago-based promoter Tyrone Hillier in the aftermath of the July 22 middleweight unification bout between Hillier's fighter Bert Lytell and Freddie Steele.

***

Tuesday 25/07/06

"Naw, man. Don't agree with that, y'all. Don't agree with it at all. Elmer got the talent, see? He prove that at the Olympics and he prove it since turnin' pro. Hell, he prove it in these two IBL bouts. Kid shoulda won 'em both but he got bum rushed by y'all judges in the first one and then he ease off too early in the second. Think the answer pretty simple, y'all. He still young, inexperienced. These IBL bouts, they diff'rent to an ordinary fight 'cause you got that pressure to be winnin' all the time. E ain't face that in his earlier pro fights, see? There weren't nothin' on the line, y'all. The kid gotta adjust, gotta get hisself right between the ears, know what I'm sayin'? Now, if y'all talkin' 'bout Jimmy Ray, the brother was jus' little unlucky. Ohashi had a desp'rate situation on his hands, y'all. The dude knew he was trailin' and his only hope was a stoppage. Credit to him, y'all, he pull it off. Dude manage' t' land some mo' shots near dat cut, did the trick."

Pensacola-based trainer Roy Jones speaks on the defeats suffered by two of his stable, the Ray cousins Elmer and James, during the previous week. Jones dismissed the claim that junior-heavyweight Elmer was not talented enough to compete in the IBL. He was not in Elmer's corner for his fight as he had to be in Colombia assisting James in preparation for his Welterweight Challenger's tournament bout. Most observers believe that Jones' presence would have kept Elmer focused on the task and helped him to avoid his first career defeat. James suffered an unfortunate final round TKO loss on cuts in a bout he was clearly winning.

***

Wednesday 26/07/06

"Fear? There ain't a fearful bone in my body. You're telling me I should fear Cheetah Brown? Get the hell outta here! Every morning I wake up and it's like I'm a kid who just can't wait to get outside and play. That's what training is like for me. It's tough and all but there ain't one single other thing I'd rather be doin'. I'm not the religious type but even so I can't believe how blessed I am to be in this position. I really can't. So that's the definition of playtime to me. But you're talkin' about fear? Only person should be fearful is Cheetah Brown, 'cause I'm planning to introduce him to my own personal version of hell come August 8."

Indianapolis slugger Mike Hanson makes it known that he's not the slightest bit initimidated by his opponent Cheetah Brown ahead of their eagerly anticipated August 8 clash. The bout will headline a card to be held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Hanson's hometown, part of the International Boxing League's Americas Heavyweight Championship tournament quarter-finals.

***

[Marciano6]

Awesome very excited to see how things pan out

[Tomato Can]

YAY! Go "REV"!!!!!!!!!!

I almost cried when I saw that he is progessing...

Okay, I died cry... just a little..

"sniff sniff" talk amongst yourselves.

I'm so proud. He's such a good boy...

[kenyan_cheena]

Coventry Observer

TUESDAY 1 AUGUST 2006

LORD THRILLS HOMETOWN FANS
WITH WIN OVER SIBSON

Story by James Hurd

Coventry middleweight Ian Lord staged a late rally to take a unanimous decision win over Leicester's Tony Sibson last night at a bursting-at-the-seams Leofric Hotel. The bout was the headline attraction on an International Boxing League fight card that featured the quarter-finals of the organisation's Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship tournament, Lord earning a semi-final berth with his gutsy win. Both men had achieved admirable, unexpected victories in their stage one bouts and both were heavily supported, although Lord had a slight edge in that category. Lord was behind the pace early on as, after an ineffective 1st he was deducted a point in the 2nd for a low blow.

The 11th-seeded southpaw controlled rounds three and four and appeared to be on his way to victory. He was beating Sibson to the punch, outworking him and inflicting some nasty damage, including some serious swelling under his right eye. But Sibson wasn't going to go down without a fight and he fired off a worrying retort in the 5th before winning round six quite convincingly. Lord knew he had to finish strongly to secure a victory and that's exactly what he did. He upped his aggression and dominated the final two rounds, putting it beyond doubt when he sent Sibson to the canvas moments before the final bell. The knockdown brought a deafening cheer from the crowd. The cards each had identical scores of 76-74 in Lord's favour, the 18 year-old receiving a huge ovation when his victory was confirmed.

Lord outlanded Sibson 274-127 but obviously those numbers don't indicate what a competitive fight it was. Lord is now 9-0(5) and will take on Germany's Franz Szuzina in the semis. Szuzina just made it through after his bout against Tom Bogs finished as a draw. There'll be at least one Englishman in the tournament final because the other semi pits London's Maurice Hope against Leamington Spa native Randy Turpin. Hope booked his place in the final four with an unconvincing effort in his fight with the Frenchman Robert Villemain. He struggled for consistency throughout the match and was probably lucky it ended as a draw. Turpin was far more impressive in scoring a 5th round knockout of Korea's Jae-Do Yuh. After an evenly-fought opening four rounds Turpin blew his man away with two knockdowns in the 5th, Yuh failing to beat the count after the second, the bout ending at the 2:35 mark. Turpin is now 11-0(9) and based on what he's shown in his opening two tournament bouts must be a favourite to become the inaugural IBL Inter-Continental Middleweight Champion.

(#7) Szuzina D8 (#15) Bogs
(#1) Hope D8 (#9) Villemain
(#4) Turpin KO5 (#5) Yuh
(#11) Lord UD8 (#14) Sibson

Semi-finals

(#7) Franz Szuzina (9-1-1(6)) vs (#11) Ian Lord (9-0(5))
(#1) Maurice Hope (13-0-2(9)) vs (#4) Randy Turpin (11-0(9))

[kenyan_cheena]

TORONTO STAR

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2006

Gorecky & Battaglia continue
march towards tournament final

Story by Geoff Neill

Canadian middleweights Greg Gorecky and Frank Battaglia are now just one win away from what would have been considered a highly unlikely meeting just a couple of months ago. Last night each man secured a berth in the IBL's Americas Middleweight Championship tournament semi-finals with victories on a fight card in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both of them replicated their efforts from the tournament's opening stage in that they scored wins over opponents seeded higher than them. Fighting in the co-feature 12th-seeded Gorecky sent Utah's Don Fullmer to his first professional defeat, stopping him on cuts in round three. Gorecky inflicted the wound in round one, a right hand opening a nasty gash over Fullmer's left eye.

It got progressively worse and in the 3rd the situation became almost farcical as the referee halted the fight on three separate occasions to allow the ring doctor to check on the injury. The contest was finally called off at the 1:34 mark, Gorecky maintaining his undefeated record with the TKO win. In the main event Battaglia spoiled the party for hometown hero Mariano Ronaldo, dropping him twice on the way to a unanimous decision win (76-74 on all three cards). It was a competitive affair and the final outcome would have been different if not for Battaglia's two moments of brilliance. A crunching uppercut planted Ronaldo on his backside in the 3rd and a perfectly-timed right cross had him back there early in the 7th. The #2 seed was visibly upset afterwards while Battaglia celebrated enthusiastically. Both Gorecky and Battaglia have perfect records through their first seven professional bouts.

In the semi-finals Gorecky faces 16th seed Ernie Vigh. The 20 year-old followed up his stage one upset of top seed Walter Gomez with a majority decision win over 8th seed Coley Welch. Battaglia will trade punches with Philadelphia's Willie Monroe, who added to the night of upsets with a unanimous decision victory over Steve Belloise. Only four of the top eight seeds made it to the quarter-finals and all four of them were defeated last night, making the semi-final field a very surprising one. Gorecky and Battaglia are in a fantastic position to start their IBL careers with a bang. The semi-finals will more than likely be held here in Canada, something that should give them an even greater chance of making it to the final.

[djday45]

Really loving following Ashley Jackson's young career. You have really captured his personality and Background I gave him, great stuff!

[Mad Bomber]

Frankly I didn't think that I would progress this quickly, but if everything falls into place it would be nice to face Frank Battaglia in the final, but that would be putting the cart ahead of the horse so to speak. Great job thus far, and I love the uni.

[Romdawg88]

Sucks seeing SAL go out of the tournament and it sucks even more that he isn't around so that I can make fun of him about it.

[comicfanman]

gotta love this - great job