The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

EL UNIVERSAL

Saturday 16 December 2006

LIMON WINS
LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE!

Story by Miguel Trelles

Last night Rafael Limon became the first Mexican fighter to win an International Boxing League world championship when he stopped Japan's Teruki Nakata on cuts in the 13th round of an extraordinary contest at Guadalajara's Arena Coliseo. The bout was the final of the league's Lightweight World Championship tournament and the first boxing match since 1989 to last in excess of twelve rounds. Under IBL rules all world title fights will be scheduled for fifteen rounds and last night's was the first of the three held to date to extend into the 13th round. Limon followed up a 5th round stoppage of George Chaney in the quarters and a unanimous decision win over Brian Mitchell in the semis with a determined, convincing effort against the brave Nakata, the win securing Limon his second world title. He had been the WBA's junior-lightweight champion before signing with the IBL.

The fact that two former junior-lightweight titlists were contesting the first IBL lightweight championship bout had been the subject of some criticism, with a number of observers saying that regardless of the result the winner could not really be recognised as a credible champion, despite the fact that both Limon and Nakata weighed-in within a pound-and-a-half of the 135-pound limit. The critics had also compared the combatants to the trio of outstanding "alphabet" lightweights who had taken part in two of the year's biggest bouts - Patricio Marquez, Joe Brown and Francisco Ortiz. Speaking during a press conference earlier this week IBL president James Molk had issued a brief, concise retort.

"Well, Marcelo Franks is the current WBA heavyweight champion," Molk said. "Marcelo, Franks. No offense to the guy but tell me, is that credible? Is it? We've got two guys who are amongst the best lightweights in the world fighting for our title. That's credible as far as I can see."

Like Limon, Nakata had also been shooting for a second world championship belt as he had given up the WBC's junior-lightweight title prior to joining the league. He defeated the Englishman Michael Ayers and his compatriot Hiroshi Kobayashi in the preliminary bouts and stepped between the ropes feeling confident, despite being in hostile territory. During the fight's astonishing opening five frames the momentum literally swung from round-to-round. In the 1st Limon came out firing, catching Nakata cold with a succession of flush power shots. A crunching uppercut some thirty seconds in was followed by a cage-rattling combination, a couple of solid left hooks and a stinging left to the body. But Nakata responded strongly in round two, holding his own through its top half before staggering Limon with a late four-punch salvo. Limon's recovery was swift, though, and he peppered Nakata with rapid-fire shots throughout round three, some nasty swelling already evident under the #2 seed's right eye.

Despite that Nakata showed that he was still in the contest with a convincing 4th. He controlled the opening two minutes and then had Limon reeling on the back of a booming straight right. Clearly frustrated during the intermission Limon immediately stole back the momentum by dominating round five, the bushy-haired slugger landing some effective shots early before backing Nakata up through the final minute with a left hook and a sharp, jolting combination. Determined to retain the upperhand Limon was even more aggressive in the 6th. He punished Nakata and had him on the verge of defeat. Limon was breaking down the Japanese fighter with some crippling body work, Nakata clutching at his ribs as he returned to his corner. Admirably, Nakata rallied superbly in round seven to put himself right back in with a chance. He hurt Limon with a brutal body shot, wobbled him with a left hook and then kept him off balance with a series of blows through the final minute.

Nakata maintained control during the opening minute of round eight, catching Limon with a pair of hard left hooks, one to the body and one to the head. Nakata was proving to be the aggressor, throwing a greater volume of punches and pressuring Limon with every opportunity. But when Limon unleashed a right cross near the round's midpoint the momentum shifted back to him once again. His follow up was fantastic, a crushing left hook chased by a piercing jab and a right rip to the ribs. Nakata was shaken, Limon's outburst stealing the round and the driver's seat. The swelling under Nakata's right eye was growing worse with every passing round. Limon poured on the pressure in the 9th, further adding to Nakata's problems when he cut him on the right eyebrow with a left hook. It came after Nakata had been stunned by a pair of head-snapping uppercuts and a straight right, Nakata also absorbing a wicked left to the body before the round ended.

Limon continued to dominate in round ten, Nakata's eye swelling approaching the hideous stage. The Mexico City native was in complete command, tagging Nakata with a pair of hard body shots, a right to the jaw and a jolting cross. Nakata would not give in but when referee Richard Steele led him to a corner to have his wounds examined late in the frame it appeared that the decision would be taken out of his hands. The two combatants had clashed heads moments earlier, the collision re-opening Nakata's cut. After a lengthy examination the ringside doctor allowed the fight to continue, Limon putting an exclamation point on his efforts in the round when he tagged Nakata with a pair of left hooks. The action finally slowed in round eleven, Limon easing off and Nakata more than happy to join him. Despite the lack of action Nakata's cut was checked for a second time just after the two minute mark, the doctor once again giving him the all clear.

Round twelve signalled the beginning of the end as Limon sent his man to the canvas twice during the frame. The first knockdown came one minute in, a left hook putting Nakata on his back. Up at eight, he was down again less than a minute later from a paralysing blow to the midsection. Nakata was doubled over in pain but beat the count again, making it to his feet at five. Nakata was a spent force, unable to do anything but clinch through the final minute of the round. Steele appeared to be on the verge of ending it but didn't, the fight crossing into a territory that had not been traversed in any previous contest for some seventeen years, the 13th round. The frame progressed with little action until Limon connected with a left hook about twenty seconds from the bell. The shot once again opened the cut on Nakata's eyebrow, leading to Steele halting the fight again. Time had run out for Nakata as the doctor advised Steele that the bout should be stopped due to the severity of both the cut on Nakata's eyebrow and the swelling under his eye.

And so at the 2:45 mark Steele waved his arms and led a distraught Nakata to his corner, Limon collapsing onto his back in the middle of the ring and bursting into tears, arms stretched to the heavens. His corner crew joined him to celebrate and the parochial crowd erupted, their night-long support reaching a crescendo. Soon after the IBL's World Lightweight Championship belt was placed around Limon's waist, the 5'5" pocket rocket jubilant as he was paraded around the ring on his cornermen's shoulders. Remarkably Limon had landed an average of over 35 punches per round, Nakata eighteen. Limon connected with a grand total of 464 punches, having thrown 1,066 (an accuracy rate of 43.5%). Nakata had unleashed an even greater number of blows, landing 234 of 1,626 (14.4%).

(article to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Through twelve rounds Limon had a seven-point lead on all three scorecards. The win improved his record to 31-1(20) while Nakata fell to 27-3(20). Limon was understandably emotional during the post-fight interview, where he praised Nakata as an "outstanding warrior" and someone he would welcome fighting again in the future. The 28 year-old called the victory the greatest achievement of his career and said that he looked forward to the challenge of retaining the championship through 2007. The evening featured a trio of preliminary bouts where Brian Mitchell, Cornelius Boza-Edwards and Hector Hernandez each scored convincing victories.

In the opener former IBF junior-lightweight champion Hernandez defeated the American George Chaney by a dominant eight-round unanimous decision (79-72, 79-71, 79-72). Hernandez floored Chaney in the 4th and 5th rounds and landed more than twice as many punches as him (273-122) on the way to his second win since suffering his first career defeat in the quarters of the world championship tournament. 25 year-old Hernandez upped his record to 30-1-2(23) with the win and also secured the #12 intital lightweight world ranking. The brash, egotistical Guadalajara native will need to go undefeated through 2007 in order to press for a world title shot. After dropping him within twenty seconds of the opening bell Uganda's Boza-Edwards stopped the German Lothar Abend in round seven of their clash to improve to 20-1-2(16) and lock up the #8 world ranking. Boza-Edwards is a young man with a ton of talent, one who could make a big splash in '07.

The co-feature saw former WBO titlist Brian Mitchell rebound from his dramatic world championship semi-final loss to Limon, the South African taking a unanimous decision verdict over Ruben Navarro. Navarro's superior workrate was not enough to sway the judges as Mitchell won by scores of 99-92, 97-94 and 98-93. He outlanded the Challenger's tournament semi-finalist 293-164 to record his 33rd career win against four defeats and a draw. Mitchell will be ranked #4 in the world when the IBL releases the initial lightweight rankings on Monday, meaning that he's in a position to land himself a world title shot for the second half of '07 with a couple of wins through its first half. Navarro lost a second straight ten-round decision after being defeated by Japan's Jaguar Kakizawa in their September Challenger's semi. He's now 16-4-2(13). No doubt he'll be looking to get back in the winner's circle through the early months of the new year.

***

IBL World Lightweight Championship tournament final

(#1) Rafael Limon (30-1(19)) TKO13 (#2) Teruki Nakata (27-2(20))

***

[comicfanman]

viva el Mexico

[kenyan_cheena]

JAMAICA
OBSERVER

Sunday 17 December 2006

MCCALLUM SCORES
DECISION WIN OVER NAPOLES

Story by Shavar Edwards

Jamaican boxing legend Mike McCallum defeated Miami's Jose Napoles by unanimous decision last night in their blockbuster junior-middleweight bout at the National Stadium in Kingston. In one of the most anticipated fights of the year McCallum proved to be too strong and aggressive for the Cuban-born former welterweight champion and floored him twice on the way to taking the verdict by scores of 116-110, 117-109 and 116-110. It was an exciting, competitive contest through the first seven rounds but McCallum won it going away, Napoles' stretch fade leading to McCallum sweeping the final five rounds on two cards. The fight was a meeting of two of boxing's best active combatants, former WBC/IBF junior-middleweight champion McCallum bringing an undefeated 36-0-2(27) mark and the status as arguably the best pound-for-pounder in the sport into the evening. Napoles (28-1(24)) had relinquished the WBC belt he'd held since March 2003 to move up from welterweight and challenge McCallum in the non-title fight.

McCallum had tipped the scales dead on the 154-pound weight limit, Napoles coming in at 153. Entering the ring first Napoles was decked out in a robe of solid black, his trunks the same but with flag patches of the USA and Cuba on each thigh. As always McCallum wore Jamaica's national colours, his robe and trunks gold with black and green trim, BODYSNATCHER stencilled in black on his waistband. Many experts had said Napoles was unwise to take on McCallum in his first junior-middleweight bout, but the man himself was regarding it as a "fantastic opportunity" to fight one of the "legends of the sport in his prime". McCallum looked more hungry, determined and enthusiastic than he'd been for some time as he prowled the ring before the opening bell. He made an impressive start, taking the opening round convincingly as he caught Napoles with a hard left early, a jolting right cross midway through the frame and a penetrating straight right about ten seconds from the bell.

Napoles responded promisingly in the 2nd, controlling most of the round and putting McCallum back on his heels with a pair of solid left hooks. McCallum planted a hard left of his own on Napoles jaw moments before the bell, the punch being his only highlight of the round. But he brought the crowd to their feet one minute into round three when a short, clean right cross caught Napoles flush and dropped him on his pants. Up at six he still appeared groggy but was able to see out the round while suffering little follow-up damage, McCallum not concerned with finishing the job. In his best three minutes of the fight McCallum dominated the 4th, peppering Napoles with a succession of jabs and combinations and staggering him one minute in with a head-snapper of a left hook. While landing a bunch of punches himself he was making Napoles miss much more often than not, the Florida slugger landing only 15% of his shots through the opening four rounds.

The action slowed through the 5th, McCallum stealing it with a flurry of activity in the final twenty seconds not long after Napoles had unloaded with a wicked left to the body. Napoles employed a more aggressive attitude in rounds six and seven and took both of them to put himself right in the contest. He stunned McCallum with a crunching uppercut in the 6th and then with a left hook in the 7th. Round eight was a close affair which really could have been scored either way as both men had their moments. But it was Napoles who looked the more wary during the intermission and when McCallum floored him for a second time late in what had been an unenventful 9th frame it signalled the end of his resistance. It was a big uppercut that sent him falling forwards to the canvas. Napoles was up at eight, the bell ringing soon after he made it to his feet.

McCallum kept the momentum through round ten, finishing it strongly with some damaging body work in the bottom third. The 11th was a thriller, McCallum appearing to have Napoles at his mercy midway through after a smashing left hook before Napoles rallied admirably to stave off oblivion. Unsurprisingly he had nothing left for the final round, which McCallum took with ease and without trying to blow his adversary away. The two combatants embraced after the bell, exchanging words of admiration and respect. When McCallum was announced as the victor there was little celebration, McCallum content to acknowledge the audience's applause before once again shaking hands with Napoles. McCallum landed 308 of 745 punches (41.3%), Napoles 189 of 1,121 (16.9%).

"Jose gave me quite a challenge," said McCallum afterwards. "He was right in d' fight up to the 8th round 'dere, but I think the knockdown in round nine took a lot of the steam out of him. Even so, he really earned my admiration, you know? He's a very gutsy fighter and I think with a couple more bouts he'll be a lot more comfortable and very dangerous in the division."

"What can I say about it?" said Napoles, smiling. "He was just too good for me. It's that simple. I think I still had a chance going into the 9th but, just like Mike said, that knockdown took something away from me and I couldn't get it back. But I ain't got no regrets. I had a chance to fight a legend and it was one of the experiences of my life. Who knows, if I'd waited around for a year to prepare for him maybe the opportunity wouldn't have been there anymore. The opportunity was here now, I took it and I'm glad that I did."

Both fighters were asked what lies ahead for them and both were content to defer the question to their promoters. It would seem that for Napoles a shot at one of the vacant junior-middleweight straps would not be too far away but McCallum's future seems a little more uncertain. He's already said he has no interest in dealing with the major sanctioning organisations or fighting for one of their titles. Based on that, one would think his next bout will be of the same status as last night's, and therefore be regarded as another superfight. However, the list of opponents who would be suitable for such a fight is very short, with perhaps the middleweight Bert Lytell leading it. Lytell takes on Venezuela's Fulgencio Obelmejias for one of the super-middleweight titles next month, so perhaps the picture will become clearer following that contest...

[Infinity]

Was there ever a doubt that McCallum would prove to be the better fighter? I give props to Napoles for going the distance, as I figured it to be a mid round KO for McCallum.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Infinity

Was there ever a doubt that McCallum would prove to be the better fighter? I give props to Napoles for going the distance, as I figured it to be a mid round KO for McCallum.

Jose gave a pretty good account of himself. The guy was still in the fight heading into the 9th which is more than I expected. I don't think this defeat will harm his chances of challenging for one of the alphabet belts before the end of '07.

[Infinity]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Jose gave a pretty good account of himself. The guy was still in the fight heading into the 9th which is more than I expected. I don't think this defeat will harm his chances of challenging for one of the alphabet belts before the end of '07.

No doubt...lol

So, when does my guy fight again?....

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Infinity

No doubt...lol

So, when does my guy fight again?....

He should be making a couple of appearances in the December issue of Boxng Monthly.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Philadelphia Inquirer

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2006

JOHNSON AND KESHI GO
THE DISTANCE IN VEGAS

Story by Lenny Hayes

With the Mike McCallum-Jose Napoles junior-middleweight showdown receiving all the headlines and most of the boxing public's attention one could have been forgiven for thinking it was the only big fight on last night. That was not the case, with the MGM Grand in Las Vegas playing host to a world championship bout that for sheer drama and excitement exceeded the efforts of the two Caribbean fighters. It was the International Boxing League's World Light-Heavyweight Championship tournament final between "Philadelphia's Champion" Harold Johnson and Nigeria's Taribo Keshi. In a classic confrontation Johnson was victorious by a close unanimous decision verdict (143-142, 144-141, 143-142), the bout being the first of the IBL's world title fights to last the scheduled fifteen-round duration. Johnson claimed his second championship belt, adding the IBL title to the WBA strap he had relinquished before signing with the league back in March.

Johnson had defeated New York's Jimmy Slade by majority decision to qualify for the tournament final while Keshi's berth had been sealed with an upset TKO win over his compatriot and good friend Dick Tiger in the semi-finals. There were many who believed the 6th seed was capable of repeating the dose against Johnson and capturing his first world championship. But despite an outstanding effort Keshi fell just short. Recognised as the best light-heavyweight in the sport today Johnson brought an impressive 36-1-2(26) record into the evening, Keshi's 23-2(18). The Nigerian started strong, controlling the first two minutes of round one before Johnson responded well in the final sixty seconds, piercing a right cross and a couple of straight rights through Keshi's defenses. Johnson continued his good work into the 2nd, taking it behind a snappy jab.

Johnson controlled round three and then punished Keshi in the 4th. A booming left hook early was followed by a pair of uppercuts and a number of flush blows during a spirited exchange at the midpoint. Johnson kept his workrate high through the bottom half of the frame and by its end there was some swelling showing under Keshi's left eye. Keshi opened round five with promise, landing a hard left hook and a stinging combination. But Johnson cancelled out his good work, that potent jab once again putting Keshi on the backfoot before some damaging bodywork and a jolting uppercut had Keshi shaking his head in frustration as he returned to his corner. However Keshi finally won a round convincingly when he took the 6th behind a trio of damaging blows: an uppercut and a left hook in quick succession midway through and then another booming uppercut just before the bell.

The 6th seed maintained control through the early stages of round seven, catching Johnson with a right cross and a three-punch flurry before Johnson rallied brilliantly, swinging the stanza his way until Keshi stunned him late with another blistering combo. The fight's fierce, competitive nature did not let up in the 8th, both men having their moments with Keshi overcoming a slow start to balance the ledger. He then had his best three minutes of the fight to that point with a dominant round nine, Johnson hurt on seperate occasions by an uppercut, a left hook and a crunching right cross. However, disaster struck for Keshi in the 10th as he was deducted a point for a low blow in a round that he also lost on two judge's cards. With the closeness of the final scorecards it turned out to be a costly error for Keshi.

The action slowed noticeably during the 11th before Johnson roared back from being hurt early in round twelve to take the frame with a fantastic last two minutes. Despite his corner's best efforts the swelling on Keshi's face had worsened with some worrying distension showing. Keshi shrugged it off and got himself back into the contest by winning the 13th with surprising ease, Johnson absorbing a series of punishing body shots and a flush right cross. After such a strong effort it was understandable that Keshi eased off in the 14th, which Johnson won without doing anything spectacular. Keshi then dug deep to produce an outstanding, dominant finish. He had Johnson in serious trouble through that final round and with a little bit of luck could have sent him to the canvas. As it was he connected with about four or five flush power shots, left hooks and right crosses forcing Johnson to clinch his way through the round.

(article to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

The crowd started coming to their feet with about thirty seconds remaining, urging both men on to the end. They showed their appreciation with an extended period of applause as Keshi and Johnson embraced and both held their arms aloft, confident of victory. They had given it their absolute best and complimented each other for it. The tension was palpable in the MGM in the moments before the verdict was revealed and after encouraging the crowd to offer another round of applause for "these two brave warriors" ring announcer Ben Bentley read out the judge's scores. After an excruciating pause, he revealed the victor...

"Your winner by unanimous decision, and inaugural IBL World Light-Heavyweight Champion, is ... Harold, Johnson!"

The moment Bentley started saying "Harold" the Philadelphian and his corner erupted in a jubilant celebration, Johnson embracing his corner crew and the half-dozen entourage members that surrounded him. He then hugged Keshi and spoke some words of consolation to him, although it didn't seem to help the devastated Nigerian much. This was his second world title fight of the year after taking on Dick Tiger in an IBF stoush back in April and he'd come up short in both of them. It was that effort in suffering an 11th round TKO loss to Tiger that had convinced the IBL to sign Keshi and his performances throughout this world championship tournament have certainly validated that decision. It's clear that Keshi will remain a contender for the championship for many years to come.

Johnson was overwhelmed by his achievement, calling it "the greatest test, greatest win and greatest moment" of his career to date. He wondered out aloud what he'd possibly be able to do to top it and praised Keshi for his "warrior's heart", calling the 26 year-old the "most difficult opponent" he's ever faced. Looking at the scorecards reveals that if Keshi had not been deducted a point in round ten the bout would have been a draw, meaning a rematch would have been necessary to crown a champion. Johnson could only shake his head in amazement when made aware of that fact. He'll find out tonight who he'll be facing in his first defense when Keshi's outstandingly talented compatriot Celestine Amakochi takes on the Californian Jack Chase in the Challenger's tournament final. There are some who believe that of the three-headed Nigerian light-heavyweight monster that is Tiger, Keshi and Amakochi it's actually Amakochi that is the best so Johnson will no doubt be hoping that Chase can score a win.

Johnson outlanded Keshi 388-243, although it didn't seem like it with so many of Keshi's shots being memorable, eye-catching power punches. Johnson is now 37-1-2(26) while Keshi fell to 23-3(18). The evening's opening two contests were exciting, competitive affairs. Former WBA super-middleweight champion Murray Sutherland was given all he could handle by the Pennsylvanian Steve Little in their eight-round clash, which ended as a draw. England's Len Harvey then secured the #8 world ranking spot with a unanimous decision victory over Detroit's Michael King. After an even first four rounds Harvey opened up a winning margin by sweeping the 5th, 6th and 7th on all three cards and took the verdict by identical scores of 97-95 from each judge. Harvey improved to 22-2(15) while King fell to 26-7-1(21). The Michigan native unsuccessfully challenged Johnson for the WBA title in March and has now lost two more times since joining the IBL, making it an unhappy year for him.

The co-feature was an anticipated stoush, with former IBF champion Dick Tiger taking on Peru's rising star and Athens Olympics silver medallist Mauro Mina. Both men had suffered their first career defeats in their most recent bouts, Tiger against Keshi in the world championship semis and Mina to Amakochi in the Challenger's tournament. Their clash was a vital one, not just because each man wanted to avoid losing a second consecutive fight. For Tiger a win would wrap up the #4 IBL world ranking while a loss would see him start '07 at #6. Mina would be able to push himself up to #5 with a victory or sit at #7 with a defeat. After a hard fought encounter Tiger emerged with a split decision win (96-95, 95-96, 96-94). It was either man's contest to win after the first six rounds and the more experienced Tiger went up a gear from the 7th onwards, winning the frame and the next couple aswell on two scorecards for the victory.

Mina's furious final round finish was not quite enough to bridge the gap. Tiger is now 26-1-2(19), Mina 14-2(8). After being spoken of as a likely world title challenger a mere six months ago Mina will now have to tough it out through '07 just to position himself for a shot at the championship. As for Tiger, he could possibly find himself in a title eliminator depending on how the results pan out when the division's top contenders step back in the ring in March.

-

IBL World Light-Heavyweight Championship

(#1) Harold Johnson (36-1-2(26)) UD15 (#6) Taribo Keshi (23-2(18))

-

[kenyan_cheena]

All the title fights for week two of the finals have now been written up. Next couple of posts will review the LW and LHW Challenger's tournament finals, plus there'll be a third post briefly reviewing the results of the two world ranking cards, which were also held on the Sunday night.

Once I've done those I'll be posting the initial LW and LHW world rankings in the Almanac thread aswell as updating the title lineages for each division. We'll then be on to week three, where THREE of our community fighters will be involved in regional title fights: Ian Lord (Inter-Continental MW), Greg Gorecky (Americas MW) and Charlie Beniston (Inter-Continental FW). So that's something to really look forward to, in addition to all the other great MW and FW fights on the schedule.

[kenyan_cheena]

EL UNIVERSAL

Monday 18 December 2006

BOLANOS SETS UP
ALL-MEXICAN TITLE FIGHT!

Story by Miguel Trelles

Durango-born lightweight Enrique Bolanos scored a somewhat surprising 8th round TKO victory over Japan's Jaguar Kakizawa last night to win the IBL Challenger's tournament final and set up what will be the league's first all-Mexican world title fight. Competing at Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum Bolanos recorded his second consecutive stoppage win in the tournament, completing the outstanding double of defeating the tournament's top two seeds. He decimated #1 seed Greg Haugen in the semi-finals, knocking him out in round five. Against Kakizawa he made a fantastic start, dominating the opening two rounds and never looking back. Kakizawa showed signs of promise in rounds three and five but when Bolanos came close to ending it in the 7th the writing was on the wall. He bamboozled Kakizawa with an all-out assault in round eight, referee Jimmy Hicks stepping in and saving the exhausted Japanese fighter from further harm at the 2:06 mark.

Kakizawa had been considerably more impressive than Bolanos through the preliminaries, winning all three of his bouts while Bolanos had scraped through to the semi-finals by virtue of his higher seeding in back-to-back draws. That meant nothing last night, Bolanos setting up what will be a hugely anticipated clash with lightweight world champion Rafael Limon who had defeated Kakizawa's countryman Teruki Nakata to win the title on Friday night. Bolanos outlanded Kakizawa 238-155 on the way to his 23rd career win, his record now 23-2-3(17). Kakizawa fell to 28-5-1(16). Bolanos will be a considerable underdog when he steps in the ring against Limon but should not be written off after his fantastic efforts against Haugen and Kakizawa. The fact that he is a natural lightweight while Limon had spent his entire career at junior-lightweight before joining the IBL could also work in his favour.

Earlier in the evening Venezuela's Leonel Hernandez kicked the card off in explosive fashion when he knocked out Ghana's Samuel Mensah with a flush left hook two minutes into round one, the win upping the 28 year-old's record to 32-4-1(23). Hernandez was defeated by South Africa's Brian Mitchell in the quarter-finals of the world championship tournament and will start 2007 ranked at #13 in the lightweight division. In the second bout on the card Kazakhstan's Anatoly Alexandrov scored a 9th round knockout of Detroit's Jackie Beard. Alexandrov (18-5-1(13)) was trailing by two points on two scorecards going into the 9th and turned Beard's lights out with a thunderous left-right salvo two minutes into the round. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Alexandrov and secured the #10 world ranking for him.

Greg Haugen fell to his second consecutive defeat in the co-feature, dropping a unanimous decision verdict to Hiroshi Kobayashi in a bout that provided the packed arena with their only shining moment on the night. Kobayashi had sent former junior-lightweight titlist Hector Hernandez to his first career defeat in the quarter-finals of the world championship tournament before losing to Nakata in the semis. He defeated Haugen by scores of 96-94 (twice) and 97-93 to improve his record to 28-3-1(22) and ensure he'll be ranked at #5 in the division's initial world rankings. Haugen is now 26-5-1(17). He'll be the 6th-ranked fighter in the world to start '07 and faces a tough matchup with Ruben Navarro in his first fight of the new year. Both men were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Challenger's tournament, Navarro also losing in his most recent bout against Brian Mitchell. After those back-to-back losses both men will be desperate to avoid a third straight defeat.

***

IBL Lightweight Challenger's tournament final

(#4) Enrique Bolanos (22-2-3(16)) TKO8 (#2) Jaguar Kakizawa (28-4-1(16))

***

[kenyan_cheena]

THE GUARDIAN
LAGOS - NIGERIA

Monday 18 December 2006

AMAKOCHI DECIMATES CHASE,
SECURES WORLD TITLE SHOT

Story by Sani Yobo

On Saturday night American boxer Harold Johnson had to produce a career-best performance to overcome Nigeria's Taribo Keshi and become the very first International Boxing League light-heavyweight world champion. In about twelve weeks from now he'll have to do it all again when he defends the title against Keshi's compatriot Celestine Amakochi. Last night in Denver, Colorado Amakochi claimed the first shot at Johnson's belt when he dominated and floored local favourite Jack Chase four times on the way to an 11th round TKO victory in the final of the Challenger's tournament. Following his stiring come-from-behind semi-final win over Mauro Mina Amakochi had a much easier night against Chase, establishing control early and building a comfortable lead before finishing his man off late in the 11th. The only adversity Amakochi faced was a knot under his left eye that came up in the 4th after a clash of heads.

Chase was dropped by a vicious right cross a minute into the 9th, Amakochi battering him through the rest of the frame but failing to finish him off. Going into round eleven the #3 seed held leads of five, eight and nine points on the judge's cards but he was not content to cruise to the finish. He obliterated Chase in the 11th, sending him to the canvas three times before referee Frank Cappuccino finally called it off two seconds from the bell. The first knockdown came from a flush left hook thirty seconds in, the second from a barrage of shots as the round neared the two-minute mark and the third from another left hook with fifteen seconds remaining. Amakochi landed 301 of 1,196 punches (25.2%), Chase 176 of 513 (34.3%). Those numbers clearly indicate that Amakochi was simply too aggressive and busy for his opponent to handle. Amakochi's perfect 4-0 run through the tournament sees his record at 23-1(15) going into his first world title fight while Chase fell to 20-2-1(13) with the defeat.

There are many experts who claim that Amakochi is a more talented fighter than his fellow Nigerians Keshi and Dick Tiger so it's going to be fascinating to see if Johnson can turn back the ambitious 23 year-old's challenge. Johnson's reign as IBL champion could very well be a brief one. Last night's card also featured victories for Jamaica's Tyrone Shelton and the two New Yorkers Iran Barkley and Jimmy Slade. Shelton (27-3-1(19)) recorded his second win in a row since Slade eliminated him from the world championship tournament in the quarters, an eight-round unanimous decision nod over Herschel Jacobs. Barkley (20-1-1(16)) broke a two-fight winless streak with an 8th round knockout of Johnny Persol and Slade (28-3(17)) was unspectacular but good enough to overcome Tommy Harrison and take a unanimous decision. Slade's win secured him the #5 light-heavyweight world ranking, Barkley's #10 and Shelton's #12.

IBL Light-Heavyweight Challenger's tournament final

(#3) CELESTINE AMAKOCHI (22-1(14)) TKO11 (#5) JACK CHASE (20-1-1(13))

[javier_83]

Lets go Enrique Bolanos, nice TKO long time i dont read this one!! im glad to have time to read it again

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by javier_83

Lets go Enrique Bolanos, nice TKO long time i dont read this one!! im glad to have time to read it again

Thanks, javier. Keep your eye out for an up-and-coming Mexican middleweight early in the new year...

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

MONDAY 18 DECEMBER 2006

Bombs away!
Conteh demolishes Cuello
in London slugfest

Story by Brian Jasper

English light-heavyweight John Conteh turned in a crowd-pleasing performance last night at London's Alexandra Palace, scoring a 2nd round TKO of Argentina's Miguel Angel Cuello. It was a wild contest while it lasted with Cuello getting the better of an action-packed opening round before Conteh obliterated him with a succession of power shots in round two. The parochial audience gave the popular Conteh a rousing round of applause, the 26 year-old improving his record to 25-2-2(16) and securing an intital IBL world ranking of #13. It was Conteh who almost scored an upset win over Nigeria's Dick Tiger in the quarter-finals of the league's world championship tournament. Their bout ended in a draw but Conteh has now recorded back-to-back victories since then, having defeated Detroit's Jimmy Adamick in September.

Other winners on the night were Yolande Pompey, Jorge Ahumada and the very same Jimmy Adamick who Conteh bested in each man's last outing. Adamick opened the night with a result identical to Conteh's, a 2nd round TKO. He defeated the South African Mike Holt while Argentina's Ahumada took a unanimous decision verdict over Nicholas Martin. Pompey floored Brazil's Roberto Venancio twice in the final round to put victory beyond doubt, the Trinidad & Tobago native also winning by unanimous decision. An IBL world ranking card was also held in Lagos, Nigeria, with lightweight Michael Ayers making it a pretty good night for English boxing when he knocked out his hometown opponent Ray Adigun two minutes into the 5th. Ayers had already dropped Adigun in round two and sent him to the canvas three more times in round five. The 25 year-old will start 2007 as the 14th-ranked lightweight in the world.

Cuba's Olympic silver medallist Orlando Zulueta finally scored his first victory under the IBL banner following consecutive draws to start his time with the organisation. But it was another terribly close contest for him, Zulueta edging the Filipino Rene Barrientos by a razor-thin majority decision verdict (77-76, 76-76, 77-76) to remain undefeated at 14-0-3(11). It would be true to say that Zulueta has struggled through the bottom half of 2006, so hopefully '07 proves to be a more fruitful year for him. In earlier bouts on the card Claude Noel also won by a slim majority decision margin over Sammy Angott and Obafemi Rotimi kicked off the event with a 7th round knockout of Livingstone Bramble. Rotimi climbed off the canvas in round one and went on to dominate the rest of the fight, cutting Bramble in the 6th and dropping him twice in round seven. Bramble was counted out at the 2:25 mark.

[kenyan_cheena]

That's week two of the finals done and dusted! As I said further up the page, I'll be posting the intital world rankings for the LHW and LW divisions in the Almanac thread before jumping into week three. Will take a couple of days to get the rankings done. I'm already halfway through the light-heavies and will be able to work on finishing them tomorrow night and on Saturday.

[kenyan_cheena]

Coventry Observer

TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2006

LORD TRIUMPHS WITH
INCREDIBLE LATE RALLY

Story by James Hurd

Coventry's Ian Lord pulled off a fantastic escape act last night to claim the International Boxing League's Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship title. Fighting West Midlands rival Randy Turpin in one of the most anticipated clashes in England for years, Lord rallied from a seemingly hopeless situation to floor Turpin twice in each of the 11th and 12th rounds and take a unanimous decision verdict (114-110 on all three cards). The fight was held at a jam-packed Leamington Spa Theatre and while there was healthy support for Lord it was the local hero Turpin that the crowd was truly behind. Heading into the 10th round it appeared that Turpin would record a decisive victory. The 23 year-old had - in the opinion of most at ringside - built a healthy lead and only needed to stay on his feet and out of trouble to finish the night as the IBL's first British champion.

Those first nine rounds had been exciting, at times breathtaking. In particular rounds two through five had the crowd in raptures of applause. But they hadn't seen anything yet. After winning round ten on the back of some damaging body work and a jolting right cross Lord sent a wave of consternation through the arena when he sent Turpin to the canvas with about forty seconds left in round eleven. It was a right-left-right flurry preceeded by a pair of stiff jabs that had Turpin on his back. Southpaw Lord had wobbled Turpin earlier in the round with a stinging combination and a flushy right hook. Turpin was up at four but within twenty seconds Lord floored him again with a single crushing uppercut. This time it looked like Turpin would stay down for good but he struggled to his feet at eight and was able to reach the bell without sustaining any further damage.

Lord's outnumbered fans were going ballistic and when he dropped Turpin for a third time with another combo just fifteen seconds into the final round they exploded. Surprisingly Turpin bounced back up at two, the referee wiping off his gloves and asking him if he was okay. Turpin nodded his head but look anything but, Lord having him down on one knee a minute into the round after a crippling ribshot. Determined to last the distance Turpin was up quickly again but wore a completely stunned countenance, as if he could not comprehend what had happened to him during the last ten minutes. He still had two more minutes in which to hold out and despite absorbing a big left hook and a piercing cross Turpin made it to the bell. He shook his head in disappointment as he trudged back to his corner. When the verdict was announced Lord and his corner crew erupted in celebration, the 19 year-old completing a remarkable journey from highly-regarded prospect to the IBL's first middleweight Inter-Continental champion in the space of six months.

The title belt was handed to Lord soon after and as his corner crew paraded him around the ring on their shoulders he held the strap aloft in both hands. Overwhelmed by his achievement, tears of joy were running down his face as he laughed and shouted. It was amazing to think that a fight that had experienced such a wonderful, entertaining build up and promotion had completely lived up to all the expectations British fight fans had held for it. Lord praised Turpin during the post-fight interview before saying it was nothing but bloody-minded determination and belief that carried him to victory. He spoke of his family and how they had inspired and encouraged him during his performances throughout the tournament. Lord landed 285 of 836 punches (34.15), Turpin 207 of 774 (26.7%). With the win Lord remains undefeated at 11-0(5) while Turpin suffered his first career defeat and is now 12-1(9).

Turpin had entered the fight as favourite by virtue of his explosive efforts in the preliminaries, where he'd recorded a pair of impressive stoppage victories and a fantastic come-from-behind win over Maurice Hope in the semi-finals. By comparison Lord had been steady if unspectacular on the way to three consecutive unanimous decision nods. It was ironic that, when the result was on the line, it was Lord's punching power that won the day. The Inter-Continental belt will continue to make it's home in England until at least April as Lord's first title defense will be against London's Maurice Hope in February. Hope secured the title shot with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Germany's Franz Szuzina (99-89, 100-88, 99-89). Hope dropped Szuzina twice in round four and outlanded him 345-109. He's now 14-1-2(9) and after just missing out on a place in the inaugural title fight will be mighty determined to claim the belt. He'll certainly be a big challenge for Lord.

IBL Middleweight Inter-Continental Championship tournament final

(#11) Ian Lord (10-0(5)) UD12 (#4) Randy Turpin (12-0(9))

[Ian Lord]

Fantastic write-up KC. Great come from behind win for me Hope will be a tough fight. Looking forward to that. Excellent stuff!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ian Lord

Fantastic write-up KC. Great come from behind win for me Hope will be a tough fight. Looking forward to that. Excellent stuff!

Thanks, Ian. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I simmed the fight about a week ago and didn't realise what a classic it was until I had a look at the bout log just before I started the write-up. Can't really imagine a more exciting way to win a title.