The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Gonna start working on the January World Boxing Review shortly. Should be posted in two days from now. Then there'll be a EuroBox article, after which I have to post the updated rankings in the almanac thread and work on the schedule for February.

Sorry, haven't been able to finish WBR yet. Might be another 48 hours before it's posted.

[Crimson]

27 January: Tacoma, Washington, USA
Fred Boatwright (8-0-1(3)) UD8 Gene Wells (14-3-1(8))
(IBL middleweight division)

Making his IBL debut, Los Angeles native Fred Boatwright could not have been more impressive as he pitched a shutout against Miami's Gene Wells on the way to a unanimous decision win (80-72 on all three cards). After a series of eye-catching performances at the back end of '06 the league signed Boatwright to a two-year contract early in the new year and he looked outstanding in defeating Wells behind a potent right lead, which he landed at will. It's been remarkable to watch the improvement that Boatwright has made in the last four or five months, especially when you consider the passive, unwilling fighter he was in his opening professional outings. As a result of the win Boatwright will be ranked at #62 in the IBL's January month end middleweight world rankings, a jump of eight positions from where he was beforehand.


This is great news for the many Boatwright fans residing in California!

[Marciano6]

Even though that news saddens me KC i'm still looking forward to the write ups and will be following along faithfully

[kenyan_cheena]

WORLD BOXING REVIEW

v. 53 / e. 1

JANUARY 2007

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

***

Wednesday 03/01/07

"The fact is that we might see a lot of the promising young guys bypass the IBL in favour of the alphabet boys. This ain't a criticism of the league because, their signing of Freddie Steele aside, I've been a fan of everything they've done. But you have to be realistic, Jim. With that ranking system they have in place it's a damn tough road. Looking at some of these young fellas like Trinidad and Whitaker, it's clear to me that their handlers ain't gonna be interested in testing them. Their only aim is to get those guys to the top as easily as possible, with as little a challenge or danger as possible. From a financial point of view it makes perfect sense, but what about their careers? Are they gonna look back on them in ten years from now and say "Damn, I never really fought anyone who had a chance against me"? They can make just as much money, if not more, with the IBL, but the challenge is much greater. It really stinks as far as I'm concerned, but it's something that I'm hoping to be proven wrong over."

Showtime's Hugh Ballard voices his fears over the possibility that many of the sport's young up-and-coming fighters will opt not to sign with the International Boxing League because of the challenging rankings system the league employs. Ballard is worried that they'll instead choose the easier route which is offered by the WBA, WBC and IBO.

***

Tuesday 09/01/07

"To be honest, I can't quite believe that we've actually reached the end of the tournaments. It's been an incredible ride, these last twelve months. When I think back on the press conference when we introduced ourselves to the world, and then consider everything that's happened since - all the signings, the excitement and then all the great, wonderful fights that have taken place - I have to pinch myself to make sure it was all real. And it started right here at the MGM, almost a year ago to the day. I really don't think that the tournaments could have turned out any better than they did. In a way it's kinda sad that we've reached this point where something that brought so many people so much excitement had come to an end. But on the other hand it signals the beginning of the next chapter of our adventure. I just can't wait to see what eventuates throughout the rest of this year."

International Boxing League president James Molk speaks on the conclusion of his organisation's various tournaments and looks forward to what should be an intriguing 2007. Molk unveiled the IBL to the world at a press conference at his own MGM casino on the 10th of January 2006. The league's first bouts, part of their huge tournament schedule, were held on the 5th of June in the Philippines. The tournaments reached their end on the 7th of January.

***

Wednesday 10/01/07

"It definitely makes those March matchups a lot more interesting. If Beard had decided to stay on he'd have been up against Nakata and would have almost certainly suffered a fourth straight loss. But with him gone Hernandez moves into that 11th ranking position and we get an intriguing fight between two former alphabet champions, in which Nakata has a very, very real chance of losing. How nicely has it worked out for Hernandez? If not for Beard's decision he'd have spent the next six months taking on guys ranked below him just to get a shot at the 1st ranking tier. Instead, if he beats Nakata he'll be ranked at #6 and if he keeps on winning could earn a title shot by the end of the year."

Speaking on SportsCenter former world champion Leroy Grant discusses the unsual situation that has come about in the IBL's lightweight division regarding Jackie Beard and Hector Hernandez. Following the conclusion of the league's lightweight tournaments on December 17 Beard and Hernandez were ranked 11th and 12th respectively. In a similar scenario to the middleweight James Toney, Beard's IBL contract expired at the end of December and he had a personal option to extend it into '07 if he wished. Following a victory in his opening Challenger's tournament bout the Detroit native lost his next three fights and decided against remaining with the league. As a result, former IBF junior-lightweight champion Hernandez moved into the 1st ranking tier at #11. Therefore, instead of fighting 23rd-ranked Vicente Santana in early-February and then an opponent from the 3rd ranking tier in April Hernandez will be taking on Japan's #2-ranked Teruki Nakata in March. A win will see Hernandez rise to #6 in the world, with Nakata dropping to #7. Nakata was the WBC's junior-lightweight champion before joining the league and was stopped by Hernandez's compatriot Rafael Limon in the final of the IBL's world championship tournament on December 15.

***

Friday 12/01/07

"In all honesty I really felt that the tournament was there for the taking. I'd negotiated Jeannette and Johnson and was confident that I could get past Jackson, aswell. But it just turned into a complete nightmare once the fight started and even now, almost two weeks later, it's hard to accept that I lost it. I never contemplated defeat: the thought was always there that I'd win it and go on to represent Britain against Terone Haynes in March. The process of having to dig deep to get myself back into that position again is going to be tough, I have to say. I'll be up against a guy who is going to want it just as much as me, a guy who'll see it as a great opportunity to make a big jump up the rankings in Alexander Zolkin. I'll have to afford him the utmost respect. It's one of the things that I absolutely love about the IBL's rankings system, you know? The consequences of defeat. All of the top seeds below Haynes and Jackson - myself, Norton, Golota, Johnson - we all know that a loss takes us out of the title picture for pretty much the next twelve months. It's as simple as that."

British heavyweight Lennox Lewis reflects on the disappointment of losing the final of the IBL Challenger's tournament final to Australia's Peter Jackson and looks ahead to what he'll have to do to earn another shot at the world championship. His next fight will be against the Russian Alexander Zolkin in the main event of a card in London on Friday, March 23. Lewis must be victorious in the bout to retain his #3 world ranking and earn a place in June's official eliminator, the winner of which will be rewarded with a shot at the world championship.

***

Monday 15/01/07

"Gotta say it be the proudes' moment of my career as a trainer, seein' T raise that title belt. It be the culmination of everythang we been workin' for, y'all. You know, the two o' us talk 'bout it so much over the las' couple years. Ever since he win the WBO title 'gainst Mercer in '04 we was plannin' for this moment. An' we be 'maginin' it comin' 'gainst Norton th' whole time, see? Fo' it t' pan out exac'ly like we was dreamin' it ... that be surreal, y'all. It be so great how the American public now got a heavyweight champ who be a real superstar o' the sport. When was the last time y'all see a world heavyweight champ on Letterman, or Oprah? Ain't got no doubt about it, man. With T as world champ boxin' just gonna keep on explodin', y'all. The public be lovin' the brother, no doubt. He ain't no thug, ain't no womaniser, see? The brother's a fam'ly man, he be humble 'n' kind. He ain't be out partyin' all night long like some o' these other crazy brothers. Right now he back home in Miami with his family, with his wife 'n' child. Some peeps criticise him over the thangs he say to Norton leadin' up to the fight but that jus' be his frustration talkin'. Ain't no one'd deny Kenny's people duck us through '05, and T ain't want Norton to forget that."

Interviewed live from his Pensacola home on HBO's "Boxing Express", trainer Roy Jones reflects on the world heavyweight championship triumph of his charge Terone Haynes. The Miami native stopped Ken Norton in the 8th round of their hugely anticipated December 29 championship bout. In the aftermath he's been a hot commodity, appearing on a number of television shows including the Late Show with David Letterman and the Oprah Winfrey Show. A parade was also arranged through the streets of his hometown where thousands came out to see him. However, as Jones indicated the 25 year-old has not let the success go to his head and has continued to be the dedicated husband and father that he's always been. Haynes will defend his world championship for the first time against the Australian Peter Jackson on the 24th of March in Miami.

***

Wednesday 17/01/07

"I know they kept on saying they weren't looking past me but I don't buy it. Just the fact that the guy went from beating a great fighter in Freddie Steele to taking me on in his very next bout, that tells me they were expecting to win. Lytell had never fought at 168 before, and for his first bout in the division he takes on the #1 guy? Please. Like I said before the fight, they were just looking at me as a stepping stone. Another big name on his list of victims. And they were looking ahead to McCallum, without a doubt. Taking all that into account it really has to be the sweetest victory of my career to date."

Back in his homeland of Venezuela, world and WBC super-middleweight champion Fulgencio Obelmejias discusses what he felt was a degree of disrespect from his opponent of the previous weekend, Bert Lytell. The Californian had defeated Freddie Steele in June to claim the world middleweight championship and was attempting to add the 168-pound equivalent to his resume against Obelmejias, but the Venezuelan floored Lytell an incredible seven times on the way to a comprehensive unanimous decision win.

***

Friday 19/01/07

"He can think whatever he wants, you know? In the end, what does it really matter? He kicked my ass, so whether or not I disrespected him is irrelevant. I'll say now exactly what I said a couple days before the fight, and that is that he was my one and only concern. I was completely focused on beating him, which just makes the way the fight turned out even more difficult for me to accept. I don't know, maybe it makes him feel like he caught me off guard, that he "taught me a lesson". It don't matter to me. All I know is, as sweet as he's saying that victory was, for me, redemption'll taste even sweeter, no matter how long I have to wait for it."

Having heard the Obelmejias interview, Lytell responds, giving an indication that he doesn't really care what the Venezuelan believes and that he'll most definitely be seeking a rematch in the future. It might be a number of months until Lytell is able to step back in the ring, though, as he sustained a heavy concussion in the championship bout and has been instructed by doctors to allow himself at least until the end of March to recover from it.

***

Saturday 20/01/07

"This is a great night for us, and hopefully just the start of what will be a fantastic period of service for boxing. I'll be the first to admit that the IBL has the majority of our sport's major talent signed up with them but I'm pretty happy with the guys we'll have in our camp right out of the gate. There's been a lot of excitement, a real buzz about what we're attempting to do and it can only get better from here."

Speaking from ringside in Puerto Rico in the moments before his organisation's first ever world title fight, IBO president Robert Tattaglia talks up the sanctioning body's current situation and future prospects.

***

Monday 22/01/07

"You know, mon, it really does make me laugh to see these organisations attempt to make me fight for dere bow-gus titles. And that's what they are all, mon, un'erstand? Dere bow-gus. At this stage of my career the only thing dat's going to get me back in da ring is a challenge, mon. I saw Napoles as a challenge, so I fought him and I won. What is dere to gain from me fightin' him again? The oon-ly people who would have gained was de IBO, mon. There's no way I'll ever fight for one of those belts. Never again, mon. I have to admit dat I was hoping Lytell would beat Obelmejias, because that would have been a big challenge to move up to middleweight and take him on. Dat would have been a fight I'd have really been excited about, you know? I'm thirty years old now and I've been here at 154 for my entire career, so maybe it is time to make a move, you know? Seems like any challenges that are still out dere, dey lie beyond one-five-four."

In a rare interview Jamaica's junior-middleweight legend Mike McCallum discusses his decision to turn down an IBO-proposed rematch with Miami's Jose Napoles, his disapopointment over the result of the Obelmejias-Lytell bout and the possibilities that are out ahead of him.

***

Thursday 25/01/07

"Ain't no doubt those dudes be happy 'bout it. They gotsta be relieved that I be down at forty, man. They be knowin' I can't get near them at least 'til later in the year, y'all. They be happy knowin' they can go 'bout their b'ness without worryin' that I'm right there amongst 'em. But at the same time they gotsta have that thought in their mind, playing over and over and over and over that eventually they gonna have to step in the ring 'gainst me. That thought be scarin' 'em, man. It be scarin' 'em, no doubt."

Orlando slugger David Kane sends out a warning to fellow Florida heavyweights Cheetah Brown and Romy Alvarez ahead of February's IBL action. Ranked at #40 in the division, Kane takes on the Swede Ingemar Johansson on February 3 while Brown (ranked #25) and Alvarez (#31) will be in action on the 24th. Brown defends his Americas Championship for the first time against the Californian Sam McVey and Alvarez faces a big challenge in the form of Indiana's Mike Hanson in the evening's co-feature. As he's in the 4th ranking tier Kane will be involved in a trio of bouts during the next four months where he won't be able to improve his standing a great deal as he'll be going up against opponents ranked below him. His goal will be to record victories in those bouts and then take the opportunity that presents itself in June, when the fighters in the 3rd ranking tier defend their positions against those in the 4th tier. Kane has been victorious in his last two outings, scoring a 5th round TKO of Fred Fulton in early October and then a sensational 1st round KO of Adam Brooks on December 26.

***

Sunday 28/01/07

"These next few months are absolutely huge for me because if I don't get through them unscathed it pushes me back even further. Losing that fight to Duran in the tournament was a setback but it's gonna look insignificant if I drop one of these next three. I can't afford even one mistake. A lot of people have said I'm a future world champion but I can't see what I've done to deserve that kind of praise. They'll point to my amateur days but you can't even compare what I achieved there to how tough it is in the pro ranks. As far as I can see I've only faced one real test to date, and I failed it. That's not a basis to be placing thoughts of winning a world title onto. It's a cliche, I know, but I've just gotta take it one fight at a time, starting next Saturday."

Canada's two-time Olympic champion and the current #12-ranked fighter in the IBL's junior-heavyweight division Sam Langford gives an honest assessment of his professional career and the tricky path he'll have to traverse during the coming months. Langford takes on 23rd-ranked Detroit native Rydell Booker in Toronto on February 3. Booker brings a three-fight losing streak into the clash but Langford can't afford to take him lightly, as a loss or even a draw will see him placed no higher than #18 in the rankings. Following the Booker bout, Langford's next fight will be against an opponent from the 3rd ranking tier in late March. Again, a loss there would see his ranking drop, although even more drastically. If he's able to win those two contests he'll still be ranked at #12 and would then more than likely ascend into the top ranking tier with a victory over the division's 15th-ranked fighter (whoever that ends up being) in late May.

***

[kenyan_cheena]

*** big sigh of relief to have that out of the way ***

I actually had three or four other quotes I'd been thinking of including but, as you can see, it's already a monster post so I've decided to save the topics of those additional quotes for early February.

Next up will be an article from the January issue of EuroBox, but before I get to that my plan is to post the IBL world rankings as at January 28 in the Almanac thread. It's something I really should have done before I got started on the month end posts so now is the time to finish it.

[kenyan_cheena]

Gonna start putting together the February IBL sked today so the EuroBox article will have to wait a couple of days.

[kenyan_cheena]

Posted: Wednesday 24 January 2007, 12.45pm ET

INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE

MONDAY 29 JANUARY 2007 TO
SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2007 INCLUSIVE

Note: ALL bouts on these fight cards are eight rounds
in duration unless denoted by the following:

(X) = Ten-round bout.
(A) = Americas Championship title bout. Twelve rounds in duration.
(I-C) = Inter-Continental Championship title bout. Twelve rounds in duration.

***

MONDAY 29 JANUARY 2007

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, USA

HW: 62. FLOYD JOHNSON (USA, 4-2-1(2)) vs 65. DANNY WILLIAMS (UK, 5-1-0(3))
HW: 60. MARVIN HART (USA, 4-1-0(2)) vs 67. ALEJANDRO LAVORANTE (ARG., 4-2-0(2))
HW: 56. LAWRENCE CLAY-BEY (USA, 9-0-1(5)) vs 71. OMELIO AGRAMONTE (CUB., 3-0-0(2))
HW: 39. PIERRE COETZER (SA, 13-4-1(10)) vs 50. TOM HEENEY (NZ, 12-5-1(7))
HW: 38. FRANK CHILDS (USA, 14-6-1(9)) vs 51. DARIUS KING (USA, 12-5-2(8))
FLY: 38. RAYONTA WHITFIELD (USA, 11-1-2(7)) vs 51. CARLOS SALAZAR (ARG., 8-3-2(5))

TUESDAY 30 JANUARY 2007

TOKYO, JAPAN

FLY: 62. JUN KITANO (JAP., 7-3-2(4)) vs 65. YUL-WOO LEE (KOR., 5-1-1(4))
FLY: 57. ARISTIDE POZZALI (ITA., 7-1-1(3)) vs 70. KIMIO FURESAWA (JAP., 4-2-1(2))
FLY: 56. CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THA., 8-1-1(5)) vs 71. HIROSHI NAKANO (JAP., 5-2-1(3))
FLY: 55. ISIDRO GARCIA (MEX., 6-3-3(4)) vs 72. KYO NOGUCHI (JAP., 5-0-1(3))
FLY: 43. CHAN-HEE PARK (KOR., 12-2-1(6)) vs 46. BETULIO GONZALEZ (VEN., 8-1-3(6))
FLY: 39. KOJI KOBAYASHI (JAP., 10-4-0(7)) vs 50. NAM-HOON CHA (KOR., 16-3-1(11))
FLY: 36. YUKITO TAMAKUMA (JAP., 7-2-1(4)) vs 53. MICKEY MCGUIRE (UK, 13-5-1(11))

WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY 2007

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

HW: 61. LARRY GAINS (CAN., 4-1-1(2)) vs 66. LUIGI MUSINA (ITA., 5-1-0(3))
FLY: 60. GABRIEL BERNAL (MEX., 7-1-1(3)) vs 67. FERNANDO ATZORI (ITA., 5-0-2(3))
HW: 54. OWEN BECK (JAM., 7-4-1(5)) vs 73. PIERO TOMASONI (ITA., 6-1-1(4))
FLY: 54. MZUKISI SIKALI (SA, 5-3-1(3)) vs 73. LUIS IBARRA (PAN., 4-0-2(2))
FLY: 42. BEIBIS MENDOZA (COL., 13-4-0(9)) vs 47. JAMES MCKENZIE (UK, 5-2-1(4))
FLY: 40. RATON MOJICA (NIC., 18-4-1(11)) vs 49. HIDEKI SUZUKI (JAP., 12-2-1(8))
HW: 58. LUIS FIRPO (ARG., 6-0-0(3)) vs 69. NATIE BROWN (USA, 4-3-1(2))

THURSDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2007

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

HW: 63. MARK LYONS (USA, 8-1-0(8)) vs 64. THAD SPENCER (USA, 5-1-0(2))
JHW: 30. ERIC FIELDS (USA, 21-5-1(13)) vs 33. GARY GOMEZ (USA, 16-3-2(11)) (X)
JHW: 17. URIAH GRANT (JAM., 27-7-1(19)) vs 18. KENNY KEENE (USA, 29-5-1(22)) (X)
WW: 15. IKE QUARTEY (GHA., 28-4-0(22)) vs 20. CHARLIE SHIPES (USA, 12-2-1(8)) (X)
WW: 12. CARMELO BAREA (PR, 27-3-1(18)) vs 23. CHARLEY SCOTT (USA, 13-6-1(8)) (X)
JHW: 25. ORLIN NORRIS (USA, 12-0-0(8)) (A) vs 28. WAYNE BRAITHWAITE (GUY., 21-5-0(14)) (A)

FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2007

MEXICO CITY, DF, MEXICO

FLY: 61. JEAN GUERARD (FRA., 10-3-1(7)) vs 66. ALBERTO JIMENEZ (MEX., 6-1-0(4))
FLY: 59. RAMON CALATAYUD (VEN., 7-0-3(3)) vs 68. CHOKCHAI CHOCKVIVAT (THA., 10-3-1(7))
FLY: 58. SUZUKI CABATO (PHI., 7-1-0(3)) vs 69. JONG-KWAN CHUNG (KOR., 5-3-1(3))
FLY: 41. YOKO GUSHIKEN (JAP., 11-0-1(8)) vs 48. MANUEL VARGAS (MEX., 13-4-1(8))
FLY: 37. CARLOS SEDA (PR, 11-2-2(8)) vs 52. EVERT BRICENO (NIC., 6-3-0(3))
HW: 36. FRES OQUENDO (PR, 13-3-0(8)) vs 53. TREVOR BERBICK (UK, 7-3-0(5))
WW: 24. BERNABE CARBAJAL (MEX., 10-0-2(6)) (A) vs 28. CARLOS ALOU (DR, 8-1-3(5)) (A)

FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2007

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

FLY: 63. JOHNNY MCCLUSKEY (UK, 7-2-2(4)) vs 64. PAUL GONZALES (USA, 7-2-0(4))
HW: 57. JOHNNY ARTHUR (SA, 7-0-1(4)) vs 70. BARTLEY MADDEN (IRE., 4-2-1(2))
WW: 17. SANDRO LOPOPOLO (ITA., 14-3-0(8)) vs 18. JIRO SUZUKI (JAP., 19-3-0(14)) (X)
JHW: 13. CARL THOMPSON (UK, 27-4-1(18)) vs 22. YOAN PABLO HERNANDEZ (CUB., 21-6-0(17)) (X)
JHW: 24. GRIGORY DROZD (RUS., 21-4-1(15)) (I-C) vs 29. TOM SHARKEY (IRE., 16-1-1(14)) (I-C)

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2007

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

FLY: 44. TAE-SHIK KIM (KOR., 13-4-2(7)) vs 45. OSCAR SUAREZ (CUB., 10-2-1(7))
HW: 41. KALOLO UMAGA (SAM., 11-1-1(9)) vs 48. EDDIE MACHEN (USA, 16-5-1(12))
HW: 40. DAVID KANE (USA, 10-1-1(9)) vs 49. INGEMAR JOHANSSON (SWE., 9-2-0(6))
WW: 31. JOSE STABLE (CUB., 10-2-2(6)) vs 32. ROBERTO CRUZ (PHI., 21-5-0(13)) (X)
WW: 14. WILFRED BENITEZ (PR, 14-0-2(10)) vs 21. EMMANUEL TORRES (PHI., 16-4-1(11)) (X)
JHW: 12. SAM LANGFORD (CAN., 16-1-0(11)) vs 23. RYDELL BOOKER (USA, 17-5-0(13)) (X)

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2007

BERLIN, GERMANY

HW: 59. TIMO HOFFMANN (GER., 6-1-0(3)) vs 68. OLLE TANDBERG (SWE., 3-2-1(2))
HW: 42. SCOTT MUNDT (GER., 12-2-0(9)) vs 47. ALFREDO EVANGELISTA (URU., 10-5-2(8))
JHW: 31. MARKUS BOTT (GER., 24-5-0(16)) vs 32. PIETRO AURINO (ITA., 21-3-0(13)) (X)
WW: 27. ASHLEY JACKSON (UK, 9-1-0(8)) vs 34. HECTOR THOMPSON (AUS., 7-2-2(4)) (X)
JHW: 14. ALEXANDER PETKOVICK (GER., 34-5-4(26)) vs 21. ANACLET WAMBA (FRA., 22-5-1(16)) (X)
WW: 25. REINHARDT KOHLER (GER., 10-1-0(6)) (I-C) vs 29. AKIO KAMEDA (JAP., 10-2-0(7)) (I-C)

SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2007

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA

HW: 55. RON E. VINCENT (USA, 8-0-0(4)) vs 72. CARL MORRIS (USA, 4-0-1(2))
HW: 44. SAMUEL PETER (NIG., 14-2-0(12)) vs 45. FRED FULTON (USA, 10-2-1(6))
HW: 43. ADAM BROOKS (USA, 6-2-0(4)) vs 46. NELSON NDUNGANE (SA, 12-5-0(7))
HW: 37. SEMO SALANOA (SAM., 7-2-0(5)) vs 52. DRE KINGSTON (USA, 8-4-2(6))
WW: 13. MELDRICK TAYLOR (USA, 24-3-0(17)) vs 22. TITO MARSHALL (PAN., 11-4-1(6)) (X)
JHW: 27. LOUIS DEL VALLE (USA, 17-4-1(13)) vs 34. BERT COOPER (USA, 10-1-2(7)) (X)
JHW: 16. MAURICE HOLMES (USA, 39-5-1(33)) vs 19. ROBERT DANIELS (USA, 21-5-2(17)) (X)

SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2007

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

WW: 16. ROGER MENETREY (FRA., 30-5-1(21)) vs 19. FAUSTO RODRIGUEZ (DR, 11-3-0(7)) (X)
WW: 26. VIRGIL AKINS (USA, 12-1-1(8)) vs 35. ANGEL ESPADA (PR, 7-1-1(3)) (X)
WW: 30. FRANCOIS PAVILLA (FRA., 14-3-0(9)) vs 33. JAMES PAGE (USA, 9-2-1(6)) (X)
JHW: 15. BRUCE SCOTT (UK, 22-4-4(16)) vs 20. MOHAMED AZZAOUI (ALG., 23-6-0(16)) (X)
JHW: 26. LUBOS SUDA (CR, 21-3-1(14)) vs 35. JOHNY JENSEN (DEN., 13-3-2(7)) (X)

***

MONDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2007

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

BW: 41. SIXTO ESCOBAR (PR, 14-1-0(8)) vs 48. SATOSHI IIDA (JAP., 13-2-0(6))
LHW: 31. SCOT LONG (USA, 9-1-2(4)) vs 32. IN-CHUL BAEK (KOR., 11-1-1(7)) (X)
LHW: 29. PETITE FOURIE (FRA., 8-2-0(4)) vs 34. GEORGE NICHOLS (USA, 6-2-0(2)) (X)
LHW: 16. HERSCHEL JACOBS (USA, 16-4-0(5)) vs 19. JORGE AHUMADA (ARG., 11-4-1(7)) (X)
LHW: 17. YOLANDE POMPEY (T&T, 15-4-1(11)) vs 18. JIMMY ADAMICK (USA, 12-3-0(7)) (X)

TUESDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2007

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND

BW: 55. NORMAN LEWIS (UK, 8-4-1(6)) vs 72. RUBEN OLIVARES (MEX., 6-2-0(6))
LW: 30. JIM WATT (UK, 12-3-1(9)) vs 33. BENNI WILLIAMS (SA, 14-4-1(8)) (X)
LHW: 15. MIGUEL ANGEL CUELLO (ARG., 29-6-2(20)) vs 20. NICHOLAS MARTIN (UK, 14-4-1(10)) (X)
LHW: 13. MURRAY SUTHERLAND (UK, 30-3-1(18)) vs 22. ROBERTO VENANCIO (BRA., 10-5-1(6)) (X)
LHW: 12. JOHN CONTEH (UK, 25-2-2(17)) vs 23. KLAUS BIERHOFF (GER., 25-4-0(18)) (X)

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2007

HAVANA, CUBA

BW: 63. RAFAEL PEDROZA (PAN., 6-1-1(3)) vs 64. JOSE TOLUCO LOPEZ (MEX., 8-1-2(4))
BW: 58. GEORGE DIXON (CAN., 5-0-0(2)) vs 69. ELLYAS PICAL (IND., 5-2-0(3))
BW: 44. MANUEL ARMENTEROS (COL., 12-4-1(7)) vs 45. ROBERT COHEN (FRA., 7-3-0(4))
LW: 26. FREDERICK TSHILOLO (CON., 9-2-0(6)) vs 35. ANTONIO AMAYA (PAN., 8-3-0(5)) (X)
LW: 12. LEONEL HERNANDEZ (VEN., 32-4-1(23)) vs 23. VICENTE SANTANA (BRA., 10-2-1(6)) (X)
LW: 17. ORLANDO ZULUETA (CUB., 14-0-3(11)) vs 18. CLAUDE NOEL (T&T, 24-7-1(17)) (X)

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2007

LAGOS, NIGERIA

BW: 62. STEVE DOTSE (GHA., 5-2-1(4)) vs 65. SATOSHI SHINGAKI (JAP., 6-1-0(3))
BW: 40. SILENCE MABUZA (SA, 13-1-0(9)) vs 49. CARL TREMAINE (CAN., 13-3-0(8))
LW: 15. SAMUEL MENSAH (GHA., 14-3-2(9)) vs 20. LIVINGSTONE BRAMBLE (VI, 10-3-1(7)) (X)
LW: 16. GEORGE CHANEY (USA, 27-7-3(20)) vs 19. OBAFEMI ROTIMI (NIG., 18-4-0(15)) (X)
LW: 14. RAY ADIGUN (NIG., 16-4-1(12)) vs 21. SAMMY ANGOTT (USA, 10-4-1(8)) (X)

THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2007

MONTERREY, MEXICO

BW: 59. JOSE MONTIEL (MEX., 7-1-3(3)) vs 68. JOHNNY VACCA (ITA., 4-2-1(3))
BW: 54. RAFAEL HERRERA (MEX., 6-3-1(4)) vs 73. TANCY LEE (UK, 6-0-1(3))
BW: 36. VIC FOLEY (CAN., 24-7-2(17)) vs 53. BERNARDO CARABALLO (COL., 6-1-2(3))
BW: 38. ROBERTO RUBALDINO (MEX., 16-5-1(13)) vs 51. RAUL MACIAS (MEX., 11-5-0(6))
LW: 29. RAFAEL MARTINEZ (MEX., 12-3-0(7)) vs 34. STEVE SULLIVAN (USA, 7-2-2(5)) (X)

THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2007

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

BW: 57. TOMMY KELLY (USA, 8-1-1(5)) vs 70. RUSH DALMA (PHI., 4-2-1(3))
BW: 61. LEO ESPINOSA (PHI., 6-2-0(3)) vs 66. EFRAIN PINTOR (MEX., 6-2-0(3))
LW: 31. JOHNNY SATO (PHI., 12-2-2(7)) vs 32. NICOLAS FILLION (CAN., 8-1-0(2)) (X)
LW: 13. MICHAEL AYERS (UK, 25-5-2(18)) vs 22. RENE BARRIENTOS (PHI., 11-4-2(6) (X)
LW: 24. BEN VILLAFLOR (PHI., 17-1-0(9)) (I-C) vs 27. ALDO SPOLDI (ITA., 10-1-0(6)) (I-C)

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2007

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

BW: 43. THANOMCHIT SUKHOTHAI (THA., 8-2-1(5)) vs 46. MANNY ELIAS (USA, 19-7-1(13))
BW: 39. HOZUMI HASEGAWA (JAP., 10-4-0(7)) vs 50. JOE BOWKER (UK, 8-2-2(5))
BW: 37. JOHNNY ARMOUR (UK, 13-3-0(9)) vs 52. DAISUKE MARUYAMA (JAP., 8-2-2(4))
LHW: 26. MIKE ROSSMAN (USA, 8-2-0(4)) vs 35. PAUL ANDERSON (NZ, 12-3-1(7)) (X)
LHW: 30. RICHIE KATES (USA, 7-3-0(4)) vs 33. TONY MUNDINE (AUS., 14-4-1(8)) (X)
LHW: 24. MARK SOMOGYI (AUS., 13-0-0(9)) (I-C) vs 27. ALEXANDER LUCAS (UK, 18-2-0(12)) (I-C)

SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2007

BRONX, NEW YORK, USA

BW: 60. HOWARD MAYBERRY (USA, 4-0-1(3)) vs 67. TETSUYA YAMAGAMI (JAP., 5-2-2(3))
BW: 56. JIMMY KRUG (USA, 7-0-0(3)) vs 71. STAN ROWAN (UK, 4-2-1(2))
BW: 42. PAULIE AYALA (USA, 16-1-1(11)) vs 47. EIJIRO MURATA (JAP., 6-3-0(3))
LHW: 14. STEVE LITTLE (USA, 12-2-2(8)) vs 21. MIKE HOLT (SA, 13-5-2(9)) (X)
LHW: 25. MELIO BETTINA (USA, 9-1-0(4)) (A) vs 28. DAN BUCCERONI (USA, 9-2-0(5)) (A)
LW: 25. RICHIE PLUNKETT (USA, 13-0-0(10)) (A) vs 28. IKE WILLIAMS (USA, 7-1-0(6)) (A)

***

WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2007

PARIS, FRANCE

FW: 14. JULIUS SIASIA (NIG., 26-2-1(19)) vs 21. SEBASTIAN COUPET (FRA., 11-4-0(7))) (X)
MW: 31. STEVE BELLOISE (USA, 8-1-2(3)) vs 32. ROBERT VILLEMAIN (FRA., 9-0-3(5)) (X)
MW: 17. FABIO AUTRAN (BRA., 12-2-2(6)) vs 18. TED WRIGHT (USA, 11-2-1(8)) (X)
MW: 12. LAURENT BOUDOUANI (FRA., 17-2-1(11)) vs 23. RANDY TURPIN (UK, 12-1-0(9)) (X)

WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2007

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MEXICO

FW: 31. CARMELO NEGRON (PR, 13-2-1(9)) vs 32. WITHAYA PAHOLPAT (THA., 9-2-0(3)) (X)
FW: 26. RAUL CRUZ (MEX., 14-3-1(7)) vs 35. CARLOS MENDOZA (PAN., 8-2-1(4)) (X)
FW: 17. ANTONIO HERRERA (COL., 16-4-0(10)) vs 18. NOBUHIRO YOKOYAMA (JAP., 14-3-2(10)) (X)
FW: 12. JUAN MEZA (MEX., 29-2-2(23)) vs 23. SHAUN SMITH (SA, 11-4-0(7)) (X)

THURSDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2007

MUNICH, BAYERN, GERMANY

FW: 30. BRUNO ALVES (POR., 10-3-0(6)) vs 33. CARLOS CABRERO (PR, 12-3-1(5)) (X)
MW: 29. FRANZ SZUZINA (GER., 9-3-1(6)) vs 34. COLEY WELCH (USA, 7-2-0(3)) (X)
MW: 16. LEO STAROSCH (GER., 21-6-2(16)) vs 19. MARVIN BLANKS (USA, 26-6-0(19)) (X)
FW: 13. MICHAEL SCHNEIDER (GER., 30-3-2(22)) vs 22. RAFAEL ORTEGA (PAN., 13-5-0(8)) (X)

THURSDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2007

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

MW: 30. FRANK BATTAGLIA (CAN., 7-2-0(3)) vs 33. TOM BOGS (DEN., 7-1-3(3)) (X)
FW: 16. ROBERT BROWN (JAM., 16-3-0(12)) vs 19. JUAN LAPORTE (PR, 13-2-1(8)) (X)
MW: 13. DAVEY MOORE (USA, 14-1-0(11)) vs 22. HASTINGS GAYLE (JAM., 7-4-0(5)) (X)
MW: 25. GREG GORECKY (CAN., 9-0-0(5)) (A) vs 28. ERNIE VIGH (USA, 8-2-0(5)) (A)

FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2007

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA

MW: 26. WILLIE MONROE (USA, 8-1-1(4)) vs 35. MARIANO RONALDO (BRA., 9-2-1(7)) (X)
MW: 15. JAKE MORRISON (USA, 9-2-0(9)) vs 20. ODDONE PIAZZA (ITA., 13-4-1(7)) (X)
MW: 14. GENE ARMSTRONG (USA, 16-2-1(12)) vs 21. JUAN RIVERO (ARG., 11-3-3(8)) (X)
FW: 24. RUBEN CASTILLO (USA, 10-0-1(6)) (A) vs 29. GENE SMITH (USA, 8-1-0(6)) (A)

SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2007

LONDON, ENGLAND

FW: 27. RONNIE CLAYTON (UK, 10-1-2(7)) vs 34. JOHNNY FAMECHON (AUS., 7-1-2(4)) (X)
FW: 15. RICARDO UNABIA (PHILIPPINES, 28-5-1(18)) vs 20. DYLAN PRICE (UK, 13-3-1(8)) (X)
FW: 25. CHARLIE BENISTON (UK, 9-0-0(4)) (I-C) vs 28. LORIS STECCA (ITA., 13-2-2(9)) (I-C)
MW: 24. IAN LORD (UK, 11-0-0(5)) (I-C) vs 27. MAURICE HOPE (UK, 14-1-2(9)) (I-C)

***

WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2007

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA

HW: 26. MIKE WEAVER (USA, 26-7-1(21)) vs 35. HERBIE HIDE (UK, 13-3-1(9)) (X)
HW: 17. TYRELL BIGGS (USA, 27-6-2(18)) vs 18. FRANCOIS BOTHA (SA, 26-5-0(19)) (X)
HW: 15. VLADIMIR VIRCHIS (UKR., 14-2-2(10)) vs 20. GERRIE COETZEE (SA, 20-4-1(14)) (X)
HW: 14. MIKE HUNTER (USA, 32-7-3(23)) vs 21. SAM LEULUAI (NZ, 23-7-2(19)) (X)

WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2007

MEXICO CITY, DF, MEXICO

FLY: 32. HITOSHI MISAKO (JAP., 15-3-1(10)) vs 33. JORGE ARCE (MEX., 8-1-0(5)) (X)
FLY: 31. HUMBERTO GONZALES (MEX., 11-2-1(8)) vs 34. ZOLANI TETE (SA, 12-4-1(9)) (X)
FLY: 15. LUIS MALDONADO (MEX., 34-5-0(26)) vs 20. JOEY OLIVO (USA, 25-6-2(17)) (X)
FLY: 13. MACARIO SANTOS (MEX., 30-5-2(22)) vs 22. HUGO SOTO (ARG., 29-7-0(21)) (X)

THURSDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2007

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

HW: 30. SIONE TIALATA (NZ, 10-2-0(6)) vs 33. JUAN DE LA CRUZ (PHI., 7-1-0(6)) (X)
FLY: 16. OCTAVIO GOMEZ (MEX., 32-5-1(23)) vs 19. PANCHO VILLA (PHI., 16-2-0(14)) (X)
FLY: 29. ERBITO SALAVARRIA (PHI., 19-2-3(11)) vs 30. HIROYUKI EBIHARA (JAP., 16-4-2(12)) (X)
FLY: 25. FRITZ CHERVET (SWI., 24-3-1(18)) vs 26. PIOLO FUENTES (PHI., 8-0-2(5)) (I-C)

FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2007

STUTTGART, GERMANY

HW: 27. FRANCESCO DAMIANI (ITA., 11-1-1(5)) vs 34. ARTURO GODOY (CHI., 17-3-0(13)) (X)
FLY: 17. CHARLIE MAGRI (UK, 29-6-1(21)) vs 18. DAISUKE NAITO (JAP., 24-5-0(17)) (X)
HW: 13. GARY MASON (UK, 25-4-2(20)) vs 22. FRANKIE GODDARD (USA, 36-10-2(24)) (X)
HW: 24. MAX SCHMELING (GER., 16-0-0(12)) (I-C) vs 28. NEEMIA SIVIVATU (NZ, 12-2-0(9)) (I-C)

FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2007

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

FLY: 27. OMAR NARVAEZ (ARG., 11-1-1(7) vs 35. ERIC ORTIZ (MEX., 10-3-0(7)) (X)
FLY: 14. MARK JOHNSON (USA, 20-0-2(14)) vs 21. NETHRA SASIPRAPA (THA., 29-7-2(22)) (X)
FLY: 12. ICHIRO OKUBO (JAP., 29-4-1(22)) vs 23. LEO ZULUETA (PHI., 20-5-0(13)) (X)
FLY: 24. HILARIO ZAPATA (PAN., 16-0-1(9)) (A) vs 28. ISIDRO PEREZ (MEX., 19-4-1(13)) (A)

SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2007

TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA

HW: 16. LEON HIGGINS (USA, 23-6-0(17)) vs 19. MICHAEL DOKES (USA, 34-8-2(24)) (X)
HW: 12. RAY MERCER (USA, 33-6-1(22)) vs 23. JOE BUGNER (UK, 28-7-1(22)) (X)
HW: 31. ROMY ALVAREZ (USA, 7-2-0(4)) vs 32. MIKE HANSON (USA, 9-1-0(7)) (X)
HW: 25. CHEETAH BROWN (USA, 10-0-0(8)) (A) vs 29. SAM MCVEY (USA, 10-1-1(6)) (A)

***

[kenyan_cheena]

Just in case anyone is confused about it, each monthly IBL rankings period concludes with the completion of bouts on the final Sunday of each month. Therefore, the next ranking period commences on the following Monday. As an example, the March ranking period will actually commence on February 26.

So, like in business, there will be some months that cover four weeks and some that cover five weeks.

[kenyan_cheena]

EuroBox

Published out of London, England
by LondonSports Productions

ISSUE 5 - JANUARY 2007

CONTRASTING FORTUNES FOR
GOLOTA AND ANYUKOV

Story by Alex Macklin

If any self-respecting boxing expert had told you back in May that Poland's Andrew Golota would be ranked ahead of the Russian Sergey Anyukov at the conclusion of the International Boxing League's various tournaments you would have been entitled to call him crazy. Both men were seeded at #2 in their respective heavyweight events but there were few who believed that Golota had a realistic chance of emerging as the winner of the Challenger's tournament. In a field that included a number of up-and-coming talents he was one of the veterans most observers expected to be pushed aside by the new generation. By contrast, former WBA champion Anyukov was being tipped by many to contest the world championship tournament final, despite the fact that he'd have to face the destructive Miami native (and eventual champion) Terone Haynes in the semi-finals.

As it turned out, both men were eliminated in the semi-finals. Haynes proved much too powerful for Anyukov to handle while Golota was defeated by Australia's Athens silver medallist Peter Jackson, the Pole sensationally stopped in the 10th and final round of an exciting clash. Golota had earlier recorded something of an upset in the tournament quarters when he stopped super-heavyweight silver medallist Riddick Bowe in the 4th round. However, following their tournament runs it appeared that Anyukov was in a more favourable position. He was scheduled to take on another Athens Olympian, the heavyweight gold medallist Jack Johnson in a world ranking bout on the undercard of the Norton-Haynes world championship blockbuster. Meanwhile, Golota was faced with a decidedly more dangerous proposition in the shape of Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi, who had himself been eliminated by Norton in the semis of the world championship tournament.

While Johnson is a fantastic talent and could very well become world champion one day, it was believed that he'd struggle to get past the much more experienced Anyukov. A win for the Russian would secure an intitial world ranking of #4 and have him on the verge of a shot at the IBL belt sometime during the bottom half of '07. But on that night of December 29 at the MGM in Las Vegas it all came crashing down and Anyukov was comprehensively outfought by the younger, faster and hungrier Johnson, who took a dominant unanimous decision verdict (97-93, 98-92, 97-93). Two days later, on new year's eve, Golota sprung another upset when he knocked out Ibeabuchi with a single crushing uppercut in the 3rd round of their clash. As a result it was Golota who started 2007 ranked at #4, with Anyukov two positions back at #6.

Things don't get any easier for Anyukov following his loss to Johnson, as he faces 7th-ranked Ibeabuchi on the 22nd of March and will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive defeat. The bout will be held as the co-feature on a card in Warsaw, Poland, where the main event will see local hero Golota fight world #9 Bowe in a rematch of their Challenger's tournament barnstormer. It must be said that Golota's chances of achieving victory on the night will be better than Anyukov's. Considering the fact that Anyukov defeated Golota twice in 2005 while defending his WBA championship the current reality, where Golota is closer to a shot at the world championship than he is, must be quite bewildering for the Russian. Some observers are of the opinion that if Anyukov can't get past Ibeabuchi he might hang up his gloves for good.

Speaking from his hometown earlier this month 26 year-old Golota said that his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion is burning just as strongly now as it ever has before. He's studied the machinations of the IBL's rankings system and knows that if he's victorious in each of his four 2007 bouts he'll be fighting for the league's world title by March 2008 at the latest. He admitted that while he's still only in his mid-twenties he does feel like a veteran of the sport, that he looks at fighters such as Johnson, Bowe and Lennox Lewis and can't help but imagine they're ten years younger than him. He attributes much of that feeling to his two matchups with Anyukov, which took just as much out of him mentally and emotionally as physically. Golota is the type of fighter you can't help but cheer for, a passionate competitor who wears his heart on his sleeve every time he steps in the ring. While his future still looks bright, it's clear that Anyukov is coming to a definite crossroads and it will be fascinating to follow each man's progress through 2007.

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2007

Brian Jasper's Pugilistic Musings

Whitaker signs contract with IBO

International Boxing Organisation president Robert Tattaglia has hit another home run following the announcement this past Wednesday that the sanctioning body had signed Virginia lightweight Pernell Whitaker to a two-year contract. The Athens gold medallist still had three fights remaining on his existing promotional deal but had been frustrated for some time with the direction his handlers were taking his career in. Even though Whitaker made it clear to them that his ambition was to eventually take on world lightweight champion Joe Brown they put him on a course that would have seen him contest the WBC's world championship, which is currently held by the Mexican Oscar Jimenez. Whitaker claimed the WBC-aligned NABF title in December but was visibly unhappy in the moments after his victory over the lightly-regarded Kansas City native Michael Diggs.

Apparently Whitaker made a personal approach to Tattaglia in early January and requested that the IBO president engage his promoter and management team about the possibility of buying out the remainder of the 23 year-old's contract. It's now obvious that Tattaglia was successful in that endeavour, although the exact amount of compensation that Whitaker's former team received is not known. Now signed to the IBO Whitaker will also be promoted by Tattaglia's Atlantic City-based company, Boardwalk Promotions. The agreement was announced Wednesday at a press conference held at the Atlantic City Convention Center, where the IBO was also officially born on new year's day. Tattaglia heaped praise on his new signing, calling Whitaker a future world champion and the "most exciting young fighter" in the sport today.

In his first bout for the organisation Whitaker (17-0(11)) will be in action on the undercard of the March 24 Joe Brown-Francisco Ortiz lightweight world championship bout, in which he'll attempt to claim the IBO's inaugural North American title against an opponent yet to be named. With his addition to the IBO's rankings, the organisation's lightweight division appears set to be one of the best shows in town during the next couple of years. Brown and Ortiz have already pledged their allegiance until the end of 2008 and the division's former #1 Patricio Marquez will more than likely challenge for the world championship later in the year. Current WBA/WBC featherweight champion and top five pound-for-pounder Jim Driscoll indicated in November that he plans to be competing at 135 within the next eighteen months with the intention of challenging Brown and company for divisional supremacy.

During Wednesday's press conference Tattaglia also announced the complete schedule for the IBO's inaugural world title bouts. He had released a partial schedule back on January 17 with the promise that each of the fifteen world championship clashes would be confirmed by the end of the month, a promise he stayed true to. Following is the completed schedule of bouts, including the two that have already taken place during the past couple of weeks:

20 January: San Juan, Puerto Rico, junior-lightweight championship
Jose Molina (IBF) (Puerto Rico, 30-2-1(22)) vs Floriano Becite (WBO) (Philippines, 27-1-1(21))
(Molina won, UD12)

27 January: Detroit, Michigan, USA, cruiserweight championship
Michael Vaughan (IBF) (USA, 19-3(11)) vs James Sinclair (WBO) (USA, 23-1(15))
(Vaughan won, UD12)

3 February: Berlin, Germany, super-middleweight championship
Christian Fritz (WBO) (Germany, 23-2(18)) vs James Toney (USA, 35-5-1(29))

10 February: Los Angeles, California, USA, light-heavyweight championship
Tyrell Brown (WBO) (USA, 19-1(13)) vs Michael Foreman (USA, 17-3-1(11))

17 February: Buenos Aires, Argentina, junior-bantamweight championship
Gustavo Ballas (WBO) (Argentina, 28-1(20)) vs Sergio Milito (Argentina, 19-2(13))

24 February: Tokyo, Japan, junior-featherweight championship
Hiromi Kawaguchi (WBO) (Japan, 29-3-1(21)) vs Niwat Srimaka (Thailand, 25-2(15))

3 March: Dallas, Texas, USA, middleweight championship
David Hernandez (WBO) (USA, 23-1-2(16)) vs Montell Jackson (USA, 19-0(12))

10 March: Johannesburg, South Africa, flyweight championship
Teko Davids (IBF) (South Africa, 28-1-1(21)) vs John Bekker (South Africa, 22-1-1(16))

17 March: Caracas, Venezuela, junior-welterweight championship
Alejandro Vielma (WBO) (Venezuela, 30-3-1(23)) vs Orlando Sierra (Puerto Rico, 22-1(16))

24 March: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, lightweight championship
Joe Brown (IBF) (USA, 34-2-1(25)) vs Francisco Ortiz (WBO) (Dominican Republic, 37-2(30))

24 March: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, welterweight championship
Marcelo Smith (USA, 26-3-1(18)) vs Miguel Borgetti (Mexico, 33-5-2(22))

31 March: Manila, Philippines, bantamweight championship
Ricardo Bedic (WBO) (Philippines, 26-0-1(17)) vs Atsuto Hasebe (Japan, 21-1(15))

7 April: Moscow, Russia, heavyweight championship
Igor Berezutskiy (IBF) (Russia, 25-1(20)) vs Marko Friedrich (Germany, 28-1-1(22))

14 April: Miami, Florida, USA, junior-middleweight championship
Jose Napoles (USA, 28-2(24)) vs Jemar Lofton (USA, 22-0-1(16))

21 April: Mexico City, DF, Mexico, featherweight championship
Francisco Rivas (IBF) (Mexico, 35-4-2(28)) vs Omar Calderon (Mexico, 23-1-1(14))

WBC planning tournament
to crown heavyweight champion

In what seems a bizarre decision even by their standards the World Boxing Council announced on Tuesday that they will be staging a four-man tournament in order to crown a new heavyweight champion. The title has been vacant and uncontested ever since Ken Norton relinquished it to join the IBL last April. When you consider that, in the nine months since then, the WBC has been unable to decide on two fighters "worthy" of fighting for the belt the plan to hold a four-man tournament to determine a champion is a real head-scratcher. Amongst the competitors will be 28 year-old Jacksonville native Jamal Close (33-8-2(24)), who has been inactive for a year and was last seen taking an absolute beating as Terone Haynes' sparring partner on HBO's 24/7 series in the lead-up to the Haynes-Norton showdown.

Also part of the four-man field are Atlanta's Julius Jones (24-3(22)), the New Yorker Albert Croft (31-6-1(22)) and San Jose native Larry Martell (25-5(17)). None of the quartet have ever fought for a world title before and, in an ever more dire indictment of their abilities, the IBL did not show any interest in signing them back in the early months of '06. Showtime's Hugh Ballard has called the tournament a "waste of time" and a "farce", saying that whoever claims the belt will be "even more of a paper champion" than current WBA titleholder Marcelo Franks. The idea was suggested to WBC president Luis Velazquez by Tyrone Hillier, the Chicago promoter to whom Jones and Croft are both contracted. Hillier also controls the career of the up-and-coming Detroit slugger Brutus "7 Mile Monster" Brody, and it appears pretty transparent that the promoter is simply making preparations for Brody's eventual coronation as champion.

Hillier had actually attempted to involve Franks in the tournament in order to bring about a unified WBA/WBC champion but both organisations rejected the idea, much to the promoter's disappointment. Despite the lack of heavyweight talent at their disposal they are, inexplicably, still determined to persist with having two seperate champions. The WBC announcement stated that a fight card will be held on March 10 at Caesar's Palace, where Croft will take on Martell in the co-feature and Close will fight Jones in the evening's main event. The card will be broadcast on Showtime pay-per-view, with the two winners to then meet in July with the WBC title on the line. The question is, will anyone care enough to watch?

[comicfanman]

Great stuff as usual

Can't wait for the hometown rematch for Brown

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by comicfanman

Great stuff as usual

Can't wait for the hometown rematch for Brown

Thanks, cfm. I'm really tempted to run that card right now and find out what happens but I've decided to be patient and play the schedule out in its proper order.

[comicfanman]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Thanks, cfm. I'm really tempted to run that card right now and find out what happens but I've decided to be patient and play the schedule out in its proper order.

[kenyan_cheena]

Friday night aside, I wasn't really in the mood for writing over the weekend so I didn't get much done. Plus, it was a busy one family-wise. I was also undecided on how to tackle the cards featuring the regional title bouts from the first week of February.

I decided to go with an ESPN Blog rather than doing an individual write-up for each one. I started it but only saved it onto my home PC and not onto my USB. Hopefully I can have it finished in about 48 hours from now.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Hopefully I can have it finished in about 48 hours from now.

Won't be able to meet that deadline. Haven't had much time to work on it these last couple of days. Should be done within the next 48, though.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Larry Holman Blog

Mixed results for IBL's regional champions
Monday, February 5, 2007 | Print Entry

The International Boxing League's February fight card schedule kicked off last week and included on the bill were a quartet of regional championship bouts in the welterweight and junior-heavyweight divisions. While the two 152-pound champions (Mexico's Bernabe Carbajal and the German Reinhardt Kohler) retained their titles, the junior-heavyweights were not so successful. Orlin Norris and Grigory Drozd were dethroned attempting to defend their belts for the first time, both suffering knockout losses. Norris put his championship on the line on Thursday night, the Californian going up against Guyana's Wayne Braithwaite in front of a healthy crowd at the San Diego Coliseum. The Caribbean slugger had done a lot of talking in the two weeks leading up to the bout, saying that the Americas title belonged to him and Norris was merely "minding it" for him.

No doubt, what was also very much on Braithwaite's mind was gaining revenge for the upset 2nd round knockout Norris had inflicted on him in the Americas tournament semi-finals back in September. The result was one of the bigger surprises in the league's tournaments and gave a stunning indication that Norris was a competitor to be taken seriously. Thursday's rematch was a much longer and much more competitive affair, and one of the bloodiest seen in the IBL to date. When it was all over Braithwaite had triumphed via 11th round knockout, having dropped Norris three times along the way. Braithwaite was not afraid to say afterwards that he felt extremely confident in regards to his chances of holding the title through the remainder of the year and earning himself a shot at the world championship.

It was a disappointing outcome for the hometown hero after he made a confident start and was still very much in the fight going into the 9th round. Norris had dominated the opening frame and more or less maintained control through the next two, but Braithwaite floored him for the first time early in round four and had brought some nasty swelling to the defending champion's right eye by the end of the 5th. But Norris did his share of damage and opened a cut on Braithwaite's right eyebrow late in the same stanza, the ringside doctor checking the wound in round six. Norris looked to be in the driver's seat when he took both the 6th and 7th in convincing fashion, but round nine would prove to be the turning point of the contest. A booming right hand opened a cut on Norris' left eyebrow early in the frame, after which Braithwaite went after his man with renewed enthusiasm.

Another big right, a head-snapping uppercut and a right hook had Norris in major trouble before a third sledgehammer right hand worsened the cut on his eyebrow. The ringside doctor inspected it and allowed the contest to continue but when the bell rang Norris looked spent and battered, his right eye badly swollen while blood trickled into his left. Surprisingly, Braithwaite was not especially busy through most of the 10th but when he unleashed a left hook late in the frame it opened a gash under Norris' right eye in the midst of what was already severe swelling. Once again the doctor was called upon to make a decision and after an extended examination he gave the all-clear for the contest to continue. During the intermission the audience did their best to raise Norris' spirits but their efforts were in vain as Braithwaite finished the job in comprehensive style in round eleven.

A succession of blows sent Norris to the canvas for the second time in the fight just thirty seconds into the round. He rose on unsteady legs at seven but was down again a minute later, a left-right salvo dropping him face first to the mat. He made it to a knee at eight but couldn't push himself up and was counted out at the 1:40 mark, Braithwaite declared the winner by knockout and new IBL Americas junior-heavyweight champion. The Guyanan outlanded Norris by a small margin, 210-191. The win improved his record to 22-5(15) while Norris suffered his first career defeat and fell to 12-1(8). With his good friend, fellow Californian and IBL competitor Ken Norton at his side a despondent Norris could only acknowledge that the Caribbean slugger had been too strong for him to handle and offered a brief "We'll see what happens" when asked if he'd like to take him on in a third matchup down the road.

As it is, Norris' next bout figures to be even more difficult than this one as it'll be against one of the fighters ranked in the top half of tier two. Braithwaite's opening defense could very well be against the man who was the #1 seed in the Americas tournament, Oklahoma's Eric Fields. Ranked at #30, Fields scored a dominant ten-round unanimous decision win over Gary Gomez on the undercard. In comparison to Norris' nightmare, the first title defense of Mexican welterweight Bernabe Carbajal was a walk in the park. He scored a 7th round TKO of the Dominican Republic's Carlos Alou in a rematch of their Americas tournament semi-final, which had been a fiercely competitive draw. Carbajal had no such trouble on this occasion, the bout stopped due to a cut on Alou's left eyebrow. It had been opened by a hard right cross early in the 3rd and as the rounds went by it grew worse, especially after Carbajal dominated the 5th and 6th frames.

The bout was held at the Mexico City Arena Coliseo on Friday night, an enthusiastic crowd on hand for the seven-fight card even though only three Mexicans featured on it. Carbajal is regarded by many in boxing circles as one of the most promising youngsters in the sport and against Alou the 21 year-old gave another example of why he's held in such high esteem. By the time the contest was called off just twenty-five seconds into round seven he had outlanded Alou 180-73, the win upping his undefeated record to 11-0-2(7). Alou, who had suffered through the frustration of three consecutive draws before Friday's bout, fell to 8-2-3(5). Like Braithwaite, Carbajal appears to be a fighter who could very well achieve the task set by the IBL of successfully defending his championship five times and earning a world title shot. Although still young he has tremendous talent and it's obvious that he would not be intimidated by the likes of Emile Griffith or Enrique Diaz.

Some nine hours earlier and 6,600 miles east of Mexico City, Russian junior-heavyweight Grigory Drozd had attempted to defend his Inter-Continental title at Moscow's Krylia Sovetov. Unfortunately for him and the hometown crowd he was unsuccessful, Ireland's Tom Sharkey claiming the championship with a 10th round knockout. Drozd had won the belt in dramatic fashion back in December when he stopped the Czech Republic's Lubos Suda on cuts in the 12th and final round of the inaugural title fight, in which Suda had held a 105-103 lead going into that final frame. However, in the explosive pocket-rocket Sharkey he found an opponent he was unable to overcome. The hard-hitting 23 year-old unleashed some terrible punishment upon Drozd, especially during rounds two, three, six and ten, during which Drozd was floored twice.

The first knockdown came early from a left hook, the second less than a minute before the bell after a jolting right cross. Drozd was unable to beat the count, the fight over at the 2:21 mark. Going into the tournament semis Sharkey had been a favourite to claim the title but he was surprisingly stopped by Suda. He bounced back to win the eliminator against the German Markus Bott, stopping him in the 9th. Sharkey outlanded Drozd by more than a hundred punches, 251-141. The win improved his record to 17-1-1(15) while Drozd fell to 21-5-1(15). Sharkey has said in the past that his ambition is to one day be fighting for the world heavyweight championship and with the dynamite power he possesses in each fist he'd no doubt give the big boys quite a challenge. For now, though, he's the new Inter-Continental junior-heavyweight champion and looks capable of holding onto the belt for some time to come.

In the last of the week's four regional title fights Germany's Reinhardt Kohler retained the welterweight version of the Inter-Continental belt with a convincing 5th round knockout of Japan's Akio Kameda. Having won it with an unexpected 8th round stoppage of the rising English star Ashley Jackson in the tournament final Kohler is determined to make the most of his achievement and against Kameda he made an impressive first step. After controlling the action for the majority of the opening four rounds he dispatched the Japanese slugger with a brutal right cross midway through round five. Kameda tried to push himself up but collapsed back to the canvas to be counted out at the 1:39 mark. Kohler raised his hands in triumph and the appreciative crowd at Berlin's Sportpalast applauded his efforts.

Still only twenty years old, Kohler is gaining quite a following in his homeland and could soon rival the Inter-Continental heavyweight champ Max Schmeling in the popularity stakes if he keeps on producing performances like this one. He's now 11-1(7), having won all five of his IBL bouts with four of those victories coming inside the distance. It's possible that his next defense could be against the man he defeated to win the title, Ashley Jackson. The Englishman was victorious earlier on the Berlin card, although it was not the most convincing win. In an entertaining tussle Jackson took a unanimous decision verdict in the ten-rounder against the Australian Hector Thompson, two judges scoring it 97-95 with the other having it even closer at 96-95.

Toney's time is over

The career of Los Angeles boxer James Toney reached a new low on Saturday night when he was both bullied and outboxed by the unheralded German Christian Fritz in the IBO's inaugural super-middleweight world title fight at the Waldbuehne in Berlin. The saga of Toney's unsuccessful period of employment with the International Boxing League was well-publicised late last year and he was looking to the newly-formed IBO as a kickstart for his floundering career. Instead, it may have simply provided the final nail in the coffin. In an exciting clash Toney was simply outfought - despite his best efforts - by an opponent who held no fear and was able to tag him at will, to the point where the contest was stopped in the 10th round due to the severity of swelling around Toney's left eye.

Fritz was the WBO champion before the IBF/WBO merger but had been inactive since March, with an August title defense cancelled due to a knee injury he suffered while training. He has never been regarded as one of the sport's current elite and was not expected to provide too much resistance for Toney in what appeared to be little more than a title grab for the Californian. But Fritz seized the opportunity with both hands, outfighting Toney even in the most action-packed frames of the fight. While on the losing end of the scorecards Toney was at least providing some determined resistance through the first six rounds. But he started to crumble in the 7th, Fritz winning it and round eight with ease before he really went to town on the former WBC middleweight champion in round ten.

A succession of power punches had Toney in terrible trouble. Early in the final minute of the round referee Rocky Burke halted the action and directed a distressed Toney to the ringside doctor, who examined the swelling around his left eye and determined that the fight should be stopped. Burke obeyed and the fight was over at the 2:12 mark, Fritz the winner by TKO and now a two-time world titleholder. The parochial crowd applauded his efforts as he was paraded around the ring on the shoulders of his corner crew, Toney simply watching on through his right eye, his left almost completely closed. Fritz landed an impressive 318 of 754 punches (42.2%), Toney 203 of 584 (34.8%). With the victory Fritz improved his record to 24-2(19) while Toney fell to 35-6-1(29). After going undefeated through his first 32 professional bouts, he's now 4-6 in his last ten and 1-3 in his last four.

An interesting aside to the fight was the non-presence of Toney's best friend Ken Norton, the former WBC heavyweight champion and current IBL contender. Instead of traveling to Germany to support Toney's efforts Norton had decided to remain in California and accompany fellow San Diego slugger Orlin Norris to the ring for his IBL junior-heavyweight Americas title bout two days earlier, which Norris lost (as discussed above). Norton could have flown to Germany afterwards to support Toney but the two have suffered something of a falling out over the LA native's decision to fight for the IBO title. Norton had no problem with Toney leaving the IBL but believed that he should take some time away from the sport before stepping back into the ring so quickly. Toney's last IBL bout had been a loss to Gene Armstrong in Japan on December 22 and he had said he'd have no trouble taking on Fritz a mere six weeks later. Clearly, he was mistaken.

If I was someone close to Toney I'd be telling him that "enough is enough". The guy is obviously a shot fighter, something that we saw the first signs of when he was defeated by eventual IBL middleweight champion Koichi Wajima back in June. He might have benefitted from taking Norton's advice and going on a sabbatical, but there's no reason to think that in six months from now he'll be any better. Toney possesses perhaps the biggest ego in boxing but even he would have to realise after the beating that Fritz inflicted upon him that his time in the sport is over. If it turns out that he still feels he deserves to be a main eventer, he's beyond helping.

Langford's loss shows
you really never can tell

It was only a week ago when, while being interviewed on a radio program in Toronto, Canada's two-time Olympic gold medallist and IBL junior-heavyweight competitor Sam Langford spoke of how vitally important the next few months would be for his goal of breaking into his division's top ranking tier and eventually challenging for the world championship. Langford discussed how he would have to handle his upcoming trio of bouts "one fight at a time" and how he couldn't "afford even one mistake". Well, on Saturday night at the Maple Leaf Gardens Langford's critical stretch of fights got off to a shockingly disasterous start as he was knocked out cold just 35 seconds into the 2nd round of his main event bout against the Detroit-born unbackable longshot Rydell Booker. In this matchup of the 12th and 23rd ranked IBL junior-heavyweights the audience was reduced to a stunned silence by a victory so comprehensive, it was incomprehensible.

Booker's time in the IBL to date had been something of a disaster in itself. Having brought a 17-2(13) record into the league he was made the 16th seed in the Challenger's tournament and was unsurprisingly defeated by the top seed Torsten May in stage one. He then suffered another loss in a September world ranking bout against the Englishman Bruce Scott, ironically on a card at the same Maple Leaf Gardens venue as Saturday's boilover in which Langford was victorious in the main event. To seal his initial IBL world ranking of #23 Booker fell to Kenny Keene in December in Jamaica, once again on the undercard of an event where Langford was the victorious headliner. Taking that inauspicious start into consideration there was no reason to believe he'd pull off a victory of such magnitude.

Looking at the footage of the bout has revealed that a single, solitary punch sealed Langford's fate, a hard left hook that caught him flush on the jaw a minute into the opening round. The blow would have dropped a lesser fighter. As it was it scrambled Langford's senses and while he fired back with a damaging combination of his own it was clear as he sat on his stool during the intermission that he had not recovered from it. Following the devastating left hook an aggressive Booker had raised a good sized lump under Langford's left eye with a smashing straight right near the round's midpoint and snapped his head back with an uppercut shortly before the bell. 23 seconds into the 2nd Booker unleashed a left-right salvo that found Langford's chin perfectly and deposited the crowd favourite onto his rump before he slumped sideways and was counted out to the shock of the thousands in attendance,

An ecstatic Booker (now 18-5(14)) celebrated with his corner crew, revealing later that he had decided a week before the fight (but told no one) that he was going to try for an early knockout and didn't care if he suffered one himself as a result. Caution hadn't helped him in his previous bouts, so he made the choice to "flip everything around". He couldn't quite believe that his "devil may care" tactics had paid off. In no condition to speak to the media, Langford was taken from the ring for a medical examination shortly after the stoppage. He'd said during that interview of last week that he didn't believe he deserved the plaudits many have heaped upon him and after the loss to Booker he might just have been proven correct. His record is now 16-2(11), both defeats coming under the IBL banner.

[Romdawg88]

Wow, I can't believe that Booker blasted out Langford like that. You have to love this game, the things it throws at you sometimes is amazing.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Wow, I can't believe that Booker blasted out Langford like that. You have to love this game, the things it throws at you sometimes is amazing.

Yep, my mouth dropped when I saw that result. And the description I gave of it was accurate. That left hook was a FIVE-POINT punch and Sammy really did have a mouse under his eye at the end of the 1st round. It was unbelievable. It's a defeat that's gonna cost him as he'll probably fall to about 20th in the rankings.

I'm thinking that in future I'm gonna avoid these big write-ups (with the exception of special events) 'cause they take me ages to get done and they stall the momentum of the thread.

[kenyan_cheena]

Sorry, all. I've been pretty busy for the last two or three days and haven't had any time to work on the uni. Should have the next post finished in about 30 hours from now.

[Ric915]

Looking forward to the Feb 10th results hopefully my guy maintains that undefeated record and blasts Ike out of there