The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

aight

Cool. Your guy obviously can't be in these tourneys but I'll have him as an up and coming HW who will sign with the IBL while the tourneys are happening.

[PWillisTheMan]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Cool. Your guy obviously can't be in these tourneys but I'll have him as an up and coming HW who will sign with the IBL while the tourneys are happening.

Let them battle it out and I'll clean up the mess. I actually had four 'amateur" fights when I was 10. Just gym against gym. Ended up fighting a guy who had like 25 lbs on me and got my nose busted. pop made me quit. LOL

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

TUESDAY, 13 JUNE, 2006

IBF BOSS CHARGED OVER
VASQUEZ DEATH THREATS

Story by James Reynolds

The world of professional boxing received a serious body blow yesterday when it was announced that charges had been laid against International Boxing Federation president Michael Jacobs in relation to multiple death threats made against Mexican featherweight Gilberto Vasquez during February and March. The news has come as a considerable surprise as Jacobs had previously been ruled out as a suspect in the case. Details were short in supply but a press release from Mexican authorities revealed that forensic evidence had "indirectly linked" Jacobs to the death threats. This is not the first time that Jacobs has fallen afoul of the law, as he was implicated with a number of shady business deals before becoming involved in boxing. Since taking up the role of IBF president many have raised eyebrows over Jacobs' relationship with New Jersey promoter Robert Tattaglia. Jacobs has been accused of gross incompetence and corrupt behaviour on more than one occasion in the performance of his duties for the IBF.

Some would say unsurprisingly, it is that very association with Tattaglia that appears to have led to the current charges Jacobs is facing. In September Vasquez won the right to challenge for the IBF's featherweight title but before he could do so the reigning champion Jose Molina moved up to the junior-lightweight division, therefore making the title vacant. Instead of allowing Vasquez to fight for the title or even naming him interim champion the federation announced that two fighters promoted by Tattaglia would contest the title, a decision that led to Vasquez stating he would sue the organisation for breach of contract. The IBF offered Vasquez a shot at the new champion in their first title defense but this did not satisfy him and he reaffirmed his intention to go ahead with legal action.

The death threats started soon after. At first they were simple phone calls and letters in the mail before, it was recently revealed, they escalated to face-to-face confrontations as Vasquez made his way around his hometown of Torreon. In late March an unnamed individual broke into the boxer's home and left a note that brought his wife and son into the situation, after which Vasquez withdrew his legal action against the IBF. Investigations into the threats were fruitless at first but last month an anonymous tip-off pointed authorities towards the family of Francisco Rivas, a Mexican who was one of the two Tattaglia-promoted boxers the IBL intended to contest the vacated championship. The implication was that a brother or cousin of Rivas was behind the death threats but after a thorough investigation the family was ruled out as suspects, meaning the tip-off could have only been a deliberate attempt to throw police off the scent.

Clearly new evidence has come to light during the last couple of weeks that has seen the trail lead all the way to New Jersey. Apparently Mexican police have worked with those in East Orange, where the IBF's offices are located. If Jacobs is found guilty of the charges against him he could face up to four years in prison. It goes without saying that this is not a situation the sport needs to be involved in, especially when one considers the strides that the newly-formed International Boxing League has made since January to improve its standing and public image. It will be interesting to see what information comes to light during the days and weeks ahead. Vasquez himself was not available to comment on the sensational revelations yesterday as he is in training camp preparing for his June 24 IBL World Featherweight Championship quarter-final bout.

[comicfanman]

My apologies for not posting earlier. This is some great stuff. With my work load lately I have hardly anytime for anything. I am glad to see I have an up an coming contender though.

Thanks for including my guy in your Uni.

Send me his file if you get a chance.

[Romdawg88]

Hey, look at that a Alphabet belt boss being shady who would of ever thought it.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by comicfanman

My apologies for not posting earlier. This is some great stuff. With my work load lately I have hardly anytime for anything. I am glad to see I have an up an coming contender though.

Thanks for including my guy in your Uni.

Send me his file if you get a chance.

Thanks, cfm. I must admit I'd started thinking you'd forgotten about signing up for this uni but it's good to see you've given it a read. I hope you keep following and I hope your fighter goes well.

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Hey, look at that a Alphabet belt boss being shady who would of ever thought it.

Yep, just a bit of art imitating life, I guess. One aspect where this uni will be the same as the HBF/IBL is that I'll be creating several storylines / plot threads that surface and then fall into the background again from time to time. Anyone who has been reading the whole uni will remember the post earlier on about the problems Jacobs has created for the IBF with his incompetence and sleazyness.

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

WEDNESDAY, 14 JUNE, 2006

HAVANA HOSTS THE
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE

Story by James Reynolds

The International Boxing League held its first fight card in Cuba last night with Havana's Gran Stadium hosting the opening round of the Americas Lightweight Championship tournament. The actual bouts themselves concluded what was a week-long celebration of both the Caribbean nation's proud boxing history and its anticipation and excitement over its future in the sport. However, someone forgot to give 18 year-old New Jersey native Ike Williams a copy of the script. The promising youngster created a boilover in the main event as he sent #2 seed and local favourite Doug Vaillant crashing out of the tournament, Williams taking a one-sided unanimous decision verdict (60-53, 59-54, 60-53). Williams had an outstanding amateur career but missed out on a spot on the Athens Olympics team when eventual gold medallist Pernell Whitaker defeated him in the semi-finals at the selection trials. He entered the professional ranks in November and despite bringing a perfect 4-0(4) record into the evening was not expected to trouble Vaillant (10-2-2(7)).

That assessment could not have been further from the truth, Williams comprehensively dominating the contest from the opening moments, where he connected with a crunching left hook. He punished Vaillant with some stinging body shots through the 1st round and by the time a solid right cross dropped the Cuban on his back early in the 4th the audience's pre-fight optimism had all but vanished. It was an almost sheepish Williams who apologised to the crowd for "ruining their night" after the verdict was revealed. Over the course of the six-rounder he had thrown an extraordinary 920 punches and outlanded Vaillant 203-60. Williams trains at the same North Bergen gym as fellow Garden State sluggers Joe Jeannette and Mickey Walker, Jeannette making the walk to the ring with him and working his corner as a cut man during the bout. Needless to say he had a pretty easy night.

In the evening's co-feature #1-seeded Mexican Rafael Martinez overcame an admirable challenge from Maine native Emory Cabana. It was a close fight entering the final round but Martinez landed a crucial blow early in the frame, flooring Cabana with a powerful cross that secured a unanimous decision win (57-56, 58-55, 57-56). Earlier on the card undefeated Brooklynite Steve Sullivan almost suffered an embarrassing exit from the tournament. After knocking Colombia's Alfredo Pitalua to the canvas early in round one and looking in control entering the 4th Sullivan seemingly went to sleep in the final three rounds, Pitalua storming back but falling just short as the fight ended as a draw (57-57, 57-56 (Pitalua), 57-57). Sullivan will have to avoid a similar lapse in his quarter-final bout against the Brazilian Vicente Santana, who looked sharp in scoring a 3rd round knockout of Alfredo Marcano.

Sullivan's fellow New Yorker Richie Plunkett was much more convincing in his IBL debut, the Bronx native proving far too classy for Larry Stanton. Plunkett is regarded as one of the best young lightweights in the USA, perhaps second only to Olympic gold medallist Pernell Whitaker. Against Stanton he showed why, pummelling the 18 year-old through the first four rounds and knocking him out midway through the 5th. Employing an impressive workrate, Plunkett was able to land his punches at will and was lethal with a damaging left hook, unleashing it upon his overmatched opponent without mercy. Plunkett is now 10-0(8) and faces a tougher challenge in his quarter-final bout. He'll be up against the Canadian Nicolas Fillion, who defeated Chicago's Ray Miller by split decision in a competitive affair (59-56, 57-59, 60-57).

***

(8) Mancini KO6 (9) Vasquez
(7) Amaya UD6 (10) Boardman
(11) Fillion SD6 (6) Miller
(5) Santana KO3 (12) Marcano
(4) Sullivan D6 (13) Pitalua
(3) Plunkett KO5 (14) Stanton
(1) Martinez UD6 (16) Cabana
(15) Williams UD6 (2) Vaillant

Quarter-final matchups

(7) Amaya (7-1(4)) vs (15) Williams (5-0(4))
(4) Sullivan (7-0-1(5)) vs (5) Santana (8-1-1(6))
(3) Plunkett (10-0(8)) vs (11) Fillion (6-0(1))
(1) Martinez (11-1(6)) vs (8) Mancini (7-0-1(5))

***

[Ric915]

I'm a beast my next opponent don't stand a chance.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ric915

I'm a beast my next opponent don't stand a chance.

A very nice start to your guy's run in the IBL, Ric.

I probably won't be able to start writing up the LHW cards until this Saturday. There's quite a few fictional fighters in the division that I haven't set up yet so it'll take a bit longer to have it organised.

I'm thinking I'll try and get the divisions for week three and four sorted out on Saturday also. That'll make it easier for me to get through the fight cards more quickly.

[kenyan_cheena]

LOS ANGELES DAILY MAIL

Wednesday, 14 June, 2006

Johnson parties with McVey
and friends in Hollywood

Story taken from the newspaper's "Night Life" pages

Olympic boxing champion Jack Johnson was spotted at the hip hop nightclub "Old School" on Saturday night in the company of fellow heavyweight fighter Sam McVey and an assortment of lovely ladies. While McVey arrived at the club with his model girlfriend Claudette James, Johnson rolled up all by his lonesome. He didn't leave that way, departing the venue shortly before 1am with an Asian beauty he'd met there at his side. The two had temperatures rising when they pushed up against each other on the dance floor earlier in the evening and were seen kissing passionately in an uninhibited embrace not long before they left the establishment.

"They couldn't keep their hands off each other," according to one of the club's other patrons.

Johnson is listed as one of America's most eligible bachelors in several women's magazines, the 23 year-old becoming an instant celebrity and heart throb after his Athens triumph. He's a self-confessed, unapologetic womaniser who has enjoyed a string of affairs during the last couple of years and it appears that the petite young stunner he acquainted over the weekend is simply the latest in a long line of conquests. The Texas-born slugger relocated to Los Angeles in March and appears to have settled in to his new hometown nicely, to say the least...

[kenyan_cheena]

Been working on some of the month-end posts the last couple days rather than just waiting until the weekend when I work on the uni at home. I'm really enjoying sculpting, building and fleshing out the world of this uni and its characters.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I'm thinking I'll try and get the divisions for week three and four sorted out on Saturday also. That'll make it easier for me to get through the fight cards more quickly.

Didn't get that far yesterday, but I did manage to run all the remaining week two cards and will write them up during the coming days.

[franklin_1]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Don't know why this really didn't occur to me before but the price of losing out early in these tourneys is pretty steep. Bengtson has gone from being a contender for a title to having to dig deep, apply himself and make sure he takes care of business for the rest of the year. Even after all that he'll have a pretty low world ranking with no shot at a title in sight for some time.

It's similar to the feeder league tourneys I had going in the HBF where if you didn't win the final it could set you back a whole year.

Disappointing result for me. I will just have to get my nose down and keep plugging away I guess. Hopefully you'll hear more from me in the future.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by franklin_1

Disappointing result for me. I will just have to get my nose down and keep plugging away I guess. Hopefully you'll hear more from me in the future.

Sorry about that, franklin. I'm really wishing that every community fighter in this uni has a lot of success so it's frustrating when the game doesn't co-operate with me. I'm sure your fighter will get back on track through the rest of the year.

[kenyan_cheena]

Melbourne Herald-Sun

THURSDAY 15 JUNE 2006

Somogyi dominates Wanganeen
in IBL debut

Story by Les Hayes

Talented light-heavyweight boxer Mark Somogyi made a victorious start to the International Boxing League's Inter-Continental Championship tournament yesterday, scoring a convincing unanimous decision win over fellow Melbournian Jason Wanganeen in Berlin (59-55, 60-54, 59-55). It was the second time the two had faced off against each other, Somogyi also winning the first encounter almost twelve months ago. It was simply the luck of the draw that saw this rematch take place as Somogyi is the tournament's 6th seed, Wanganeen #11. The victory improved Somogyi's record to 10-0(7), Wanganeen falling to 6-2(6). Regarded as the best light-heavyweight in the Asian region, Somogyi was never troubled during the one-sided contest, Wanganeen unable to make any impact throughout the bout. Somogyi outlanded him by an almost 5:1 ratio (229-48) and it was something of a minor miracle that the fight lasted the distance.

Somogyi is scheduled to take on another fellow Aussie in the quarter-finals, the New South Welshman Tony Mundine who was also a unanimous decision winner last night. Mundine (13-2-1(8)) had been fighting at super-middleweight before signing to compete as a light-heavy in the IBL and had been spoken of as a potential opponent for Somogyi last year. Their clash should be an interesting one, to say the least. In other bouts on the card top-seeded German Klaus Bierhoff was lucky to survive a great fightback from Finland's Jukka Koivisto before claiming a majority decision win while the hard-hitting 2nd-seeded Englishman Alexander Lucas floored Sydneysider Ali Habib four times on the way to a 5th round KO.

There was an upset result in the evening's fifth bout with the stylish Frenchman Petite Fourie recovering from a 2nd round knockdown to rally strongly and defeat crowd favourite and 4th seed Willi Hoepner by split decision (58-55, 56-57, 58-56). It was the first big test of Fourie's career and he passed it admirably, his record now 7-0(3). Fourie is not an aggressive fighter but he came out of his shell considerably in the 4th round, stunning Hoepner with a series of combinations that had the German looking tired as he returned to his corner. Fourie continued to dominate in the final two rounds and swept two of the scorecards in those final three stanzas. Already thought of as a young man with tremendous promise the 23 year-old should be considered a dark horse to claim the championship, according to experts.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Sorry about that, franklin. I'm really wishing that every community fighter in this uni has a lot of success so it's frustrating when the game doesn't co-operate with me. I'm sure your fighter will get back on track through the rest of the year.

I would love to see all the forum fighters do great but I'm guessing at least one or two just won't live up to the hype. There always seems to be some highly rated fighters that just don't performance like they should.

Congrats to Gunsmoke and Bear for the big wins. That was a hell of a job by Bear to come off the floor to take the SD.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

I would love to see all the forum fighters do great but I'm guessing at least one or two just won't live up to the hype. There always seems to be some highly rated fighters that just don't performance like they should.

Congrats to Gunsmoke and Bear for the big wins. That was a hell of a job by Bear to come off the floor to take the SD.

Whichever one of you guys becomes the first to claim a title is going to have some big bragging rights.

Hopefully the ones who don't succeed in the tourneys can put some wins together and start moving up the rankings once all the champions are crowned.

[kenyan_cheena]

THE ROANOKE TIMES

Friday, 16 June, 2006

FINLEY FALLS TO FIRST DEFEAT
ON NIGHT OF UPSETS

Story by Barry McGill

Making his debut appearance under the banner of the International Boxing League, Roanoke light-heavyweight Steve Finley suffered the first defeat of his professional career last night in front of a parochial Richmond crowd. Finley was the #1 seed in the league's Americas Light-Heavyweight Championship tournament and was expected to convert that seeding into an eventual title win but against Buffalo's lightly-regarded George Nichols he struggled like never before. Perhaps it was a case of stage fright or the pressure of expectations, but for whatever reason Finley was a shadow of the young man who won seven of his first eight pro bouts by knockout and had observers speaking of him as one of the most promising fighters in America. Behind a potent left jab, a damaging right cross and an excellent defense Nichols built an early lead and Finley merely made the fight competitive in its bottom half, the New Yorker winning by majority decision (58-56, 57-57, 58-56). He landed 158 of 402 punches (39.3%), Finley just 73 of 444 (16.9%).

Finley's defeat would have been an even bigger surprise if not for what came before it. When the night was over four of the tournament's top five seeds had bitten the dust, with only Kansas-born 2nd seed Scot Long emerging unscathed. Long scored a comfortable unanimous decision win over the Canadian Yvon Durelle (59-55, 58-56, 59-55), improving his record to 8-0-1(4) and becoming the outright favourite to claim the championship. His win came after Ohio's 3rd seed Charles Williams had fallen to Clarence Hinnant in frustrating fashion. Williams took the first round comfortably but tasted the canvas early in round two from a single left hook. He was back in control after a dominant 3rd before a competitive round four made it either man's fight to win. Taking a battering through most of the 5th Hinnant dropped Williams for a second time ten seconds from the bell, a left-right salvo depositing him on his backside. Williams then had his nose bloodied early in the final round, Hinnant finishing strongly to secure a 58-54, 57-56, 59-53 win despite being outlanded 160-135.

4th-seeded Chicago native Allen Thompson was defeated in similar fashion by New Jersey's Richie Kates while Peruvian 5th seed Francisco Avelino lost via split decision to Akron's Sam Baroudi in a thrilling contest. The number of upset results guarantees that at least one of the tournament finalists will by seeded no higher than #8, as the quarter-final matchups listed below show:

#8 Mike Rossman vs #16 George Nichols
#12 Sam Baroudi vs #13 Richie Kates
-
#6 Dan Bucceroni vs #14 Clarence Hinnant
#2 Scot Long vs #10 Melio Bettina

6th seed Bucceroni overcame a poor start and a cut over his right eye to knock New York's Tony Anthony out cold with a smashing left hook at the end of round three. If not for that he may have joined the top seeds casualty list. The seemingly crazy results are not so surprising when one considers that the entire field in this tournament is quite inexperienced, with Allen Thompson's nine pro bouts the most of any of the competitors. No doubt Finley's failure will disappoint the many fans he's acquired since starting his professional career but there's no reason to think he won't bounce back from it in his upcoming fights.

[Claybor]

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Claybor

Believe me, I was when the result of your fight came up on the screen. Looking at it positively, it'll just make it sweeter when he starts climbing the rankings and maybe claims the title.