World Championships

[Crimson]

Saturday, December 26th, 1992
Washington DC Convention Center; Washington, DC
Jemal Hinton 26-2-2 (19) Maryland IBF WBC
vs.
Jesse Benavides 36-5-1 (24) Texas WBO WBA
15 Rounds for the Jr. Feather Weight World Championship

AND
5# Welcome Ncita 35-1-1 (14) South Africa
vs.
9# Daniel Zaragoza 51-3-2 (21) Mexico
A 12 round eliminator to determine the new 1# contender, guaranteed a 1993 shot at the Championship.


- After much negotiation it was determined that on the undercard, Welcome Ncita 5# would face Daniel Zaragoza 9# to establish a new 1# contender, who would be guaranteed a shot at the Jr. Feather Weight World Championship sometime in 1993.
- Odds were EVEN on who would win.
- Although only ranked 5# and 9#, the manner in which they had fought while losing during the tournament gave validity to them fighting for the right to a mandatory shot at the World Championship as the 1# contender. Ncita had lost a razor close and debatable decision to Hinton in the hostile territory of Detroit. While, Zaragoza had been dishing out a beating to Raul Perez before a horrible gash forced the fights stoppage in round 6.
- Ncita was losing on the scorecard of Ringside Expert Rocco Del Sesto after 4 rounds 39-38, when he unleashed a hook to floor Zaragoza in round 5. Zaragoza fought back, but hit the deck again in round 10. This time he was unable to beat the count.
Welcome Ncita KO10 Daniel Zaragoza (new Mandatory 1# contender)

- Previous visions of wearing the Jr. Feather World Championship around his waist may have wavered in round 2 when a horrendous looking gash was opened over the right eye of Jesse Benavides. Jim Strickland did an excellent job of stemming the flow of blood in the corner, allowing Benavides work his way back into the fight. After 6 rounds, Ringside Expert Mark Elwood had it 58-56 for Benavides.
- Jemal Hinton however continued to target the eye, and despite coming out on the short end of exchanges was able to get the blood flowing again in a torrent down the face of Benavides. With Benavides arguing that he could see, the doctor determined that the blood flowing into it made continuing far too dangerous for Benavides. Even the pro-Hinton crowd booed the decision of not allowing Benavides to fight on.
Jemal Hinton TKO7 Jesse Benavides (wins Jr. Feather Weight World Championship)

[Crimson]

WORLD CHAMPIONS as of January 1st, 1993

STRAW Ricardo Lopez 40-0 (26) Mexico
LIGHT FLY Michael Carbajal 34-0-1 (19) Arizona
FLY Yun-Un Chin 30-1-2 (19) Korea
Jr. BANTAM Sung-Kil Moon 21-1 (16) Korea
BANTAM Junior Jones 34-0-2 (21)
Jr. FEATHER Jemal Hinton 28-2-2 (20) Maryland
FEATHER (To be determined)
Jr. LIGHT (To be determined)
LIGHT (To be determined)
Jr. WELTER (To be determined)
WELTER (To be determined)
Jr. MIDDLE (To be determined)
MIDDLE (To be determined)
SUPER MIDDLE (To be determined)
LIGHT HEAVY (To be determined)
CRUISER (To be determined)
HEAVY (To be determined)

(The records have been adjusted to include fights that occured [for real] in 1992 and had previously not been included.)

[Crimson]

Odds of winning the 1992 Feather Weight World Championship Tournament
2-1 Kevin Kelly
3-1 Manuel Medina IBF
4-1 Paul Hodkinson WBC
6-1 Louie Espinoza
8-1 Yung-Kyun Park WBA
10-1 Colin McMillan WBO
12-1 Marcos Villasana (post)
15-1 Troy Dorsey
20-1 Antonio Esparragoza (post)
25-1 Jesse James Leija
35-1 Tom Johnson
50-1 Ruben Palacios (end)

[Crimson]

Wednesday, June 3rd, 1992
Arizona Veterans Memorial; Phoenix, AZ
Louie Espinoza 45-5-3 (44) Arizona
vs.
Ruben Palacios 43-11-2 (17) Columbia
- Espinoza was a 4-1 favorite.
- Some wondered how much the 30 year old former world title holder in the Jr. Feather and Feather weight divisions, had left in the tank. With recent stoppages of Renaldo Carter and Marcos Villasana in the “World Team Championships” Espinoza has shown that his powerful punch still remains.
- Espinoza came out bombs away in round 1 with no respect or regard for what Palacios might attempt to hit him with in return. Heavy shots to the body and then follow-ups to the head had Palacios hurt and holding on to survive.
- Palacios proved to be no match for Espinoza. In round 3 Palacios was floored for the only knockdown in the fight and badly hurt he remained on a knee while the referee counted him out.
- Next month Espinoza will travel to Korea, where he’ll challenge WBA title holder Yung-Kyun Park.
Louie Espinoza KO3 Ruben Palacios

Ruben Palacios vs. Valerio Nati
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lq32wCCCxA

[Crimson]

Friday, June 4th, 1992
Arena Naucalpan; Mexico City, Mexico
Marcos Villasana 49-9-3 (38) Mexico
vs.
Kevin Kelley 27-0-1 (19) New York
- Kevin Kelley showed extreme confidence going into the backyard of Marcos Villasana, in another example of why he is the odds on favorite to win the Feather Weight World Championship.
- As promised before the fight, Kelley was aggressive and took control in round 1. It appeared that it would be more of the same in round 2 when Villasana timed Kelley with a picture perfect uppercut! "The Flushing Flash" was down and hurt very badly. He struggled to rise and just beat the count at 9.
- In round 3 several of Villasana’s body shots strayed low and he was deducted 1 point for a low blow. Kelley was on his bike and used his speed to regain control of the fight.
- After 4 rounds Ringside Expert Dan Cuoco had it 38-37 for Villasana.
- By the start of round 7 Villasana looked to be dead tired. At the urging of his trainer, Phil Borgia, Kelley began to let his punches go and Villasana absorbed a round 7 beating.
- After 7 rounds the total punches landed favored Kelley 192 to 102.
- Kelley landed a crippling right hand in the 8th and by the end of the round Villasana’s right eye was puffy (6).
- A blistering Kelley body attack put Villasana on the canvas twice in round 9.
- Villasana displayed tremendous toughness in making it to the final bell, as he took a hellacious beating in rounds 9 and 10.
- Ringside Expert Dan Cuoco had it fairly close at 95 to 93 for Kelley. The official judges cards were much wider all scoring unanimously for Kelley 97-91, 96-91, and 96-91.
- Kevin Kelley will travel to England next month, where he will challenge WBO title holder Colin McMillan in what promises to be an interesting clash.
Kevin Kelley Wu10 Marcos Villasana

Kevin Kelley vs. Marco Antonio Barrerra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzcYrKh8C_w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFkUP...eature=related

Kevin Kelley vs. Prince Naseem Hamed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEbBV...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K66e...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydP2N...eature=related

Kevin Kelley vs. Troy Dorsey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTtpjBEwyTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wViZBlBDR7w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJWGI...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k58r3...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1czX...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON0q3SIWn7s

[Crimson]

Saturday, June 6th, 1992
Fort Worth Convention Center; Fort Worth, TX
Troy Dorsey 15-5-4 (10) Texas
vs.
Antonio Esparragoza 31-6-6 (29) Venezuela

AND
Jesse James Leija 23-0-1 (12) Texas
vs.
Tom Johnson 29-4-1 (21) Michigan

- Leija struggled to make weight and needed two trips to the scale before making the 126 pound limit.
- After 6 rounds the fight seemed like it could go either way. Neither had established superiority over the other. Each round was close and difficult to pick a winner in. The faces of both fighters were still unmarked.
- Ringside Expert Mike Hanson had it 59 to 56 in favor of Leija.
- Punches landed through 6 rounds favored Lieja 120 to 88.
- Sensing that he might be losing on the scorecards, Johnson came out for round 9 looking to land a big punch. Leija continued to move and attack from angles, countering the Johnson misses. An accidental clash of heads led to bad cut under the right eye of Johnson.
- The unanimous decision of 98-92, 98-92, and 97-93 for Jesse James Leija was greeted by applause and cheers from the pro-Leija crowd.
- The judges had Leija ahead by 1 point on two cards after 5 rounds, and behind by 1 point on another. Leija swept the final 5 rounds on all 3 judges cards.
Jesse James Lieja Wu10 Tom Johnson


- There were plenty of boxing fans on hand to cheer the Mansfield, TX native, Troy Dorsey on to victory vs. the former World Feather Weight Champion, Antonio Esparragoza.
- Dorsey was the first American to win a world title in kick boxing and boxing. Now he had his sights set on winning the Feather Weight World Championship, but would have to get past Esparragoza first.
- The two had fought earlier this year in “Team World Championship” matches, with Dorsey winning a unanimous 4 round decision. Esparragoza looked to be past his prime and struggled to make weight. When Esparragoza entered the ring he had no muscle tone.
- Dorsey expressed confidence in his ability to not only beat Esparragoza again, but to do it this time inside of 10 rounds. He hired a strength coach during training and reportedly was hitting the heavy bag harder than ever before.
- Dorsey blasted Esparragoza with a huge hook in round 1, staggering the Venezuelan across the ring and busting up his right eye (8) in the process.
- In round 2 Esparragoza seemingly could not miss! Straight right hands landed, uppercuts, hooks, and jabs! Every punch he threw was hitting Dorsey on the head or to the body. A hurt Dorsey had to hang on during the final 30 seconds of the round.
- The aggressive Dorsey continued with the same tactics in round 3 that his trainer instructed him with of “Attack! Attack! Attack!” However, the highly experienced Esparragoza seemed like he had figured out Dorsey’s game and was countering nicely, while moving.
- The growing in confidence former World Champion Esparragoza met Dorsey on the inside in round 4 and found himself on the receiving end of several solid right hands.
- After 4 rounds of action Ringside Expert Mark Elwood had it EVEN 38-38, which was also reflected in the punches landed numbers at 114-96.
- In round 5 Dorsey landed his best punches since the fight had started, further damaging the ½ closed right eye (11) of Esparragoza. Dorsey looked to be the fresher of the 2 fighters by a lot when they returned to their corners at the end of round 5.
- Just when it looked like Dorsey was going to take control of the fight, Esparragoza began to rock him with a series of blows and put the now hurt Texan on the defensive.
- Dorsey fought with the same pace and strategy in round 9 as he had in all of the 8 preceding rounds. The legs of Esparragoza no longer had any spring to them and he laid on the ropes looking to catch the onrushing Dorsey with something big.
- The crowd enjoyed the effort of both fighters, but in particular the consistent workmanlike effort of Dorsey round after round had won their approval.
- Ringside Expert Mark Elwood had it 97-93 for Dorsey, with the former kickboxer winning the final 4 rounds. Dorsey landed almost 100 more punches than Esparragoza 282 to 187.
- The decision of the 3 Texas judges was unanimous 98-93, 96-94, and 97-93….all for the winner by unanimous decision….Troy Dorsey!
Troy Dorsey Wu10 Antonio Esparragoza

Troy Dorsey vs. Oscar De La Hoya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APYxZ...rom=PL&index=3

Highlights of Troy Dorsey and Louie Espinoza vs. Jorge Paez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9vE3...eature=related

Antonio Esparragoza vs. Stevie Cruz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1JY4mQwsaI

8 minutes of Antonio Esparragoza career highlights set to "Eye of the Tiger"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw7Pu...eature=related

Tom Johnson vs. Naseem Hamed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4vmDlil7M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oc38...eature=related

[Crimson]

Friday, July 3rd, 1992
Chungmu Gymnasium; Chungmu, Korea
Yung-Kyun Park 22-3-2 (13) Korea WBA
vs.
Louie Espinoza 46-5-3 (45) Arizona
- The betting odds were EVEN on this fight.
- The first 5 rounds were a slam bam affair, with Espinoza maybe having a few more moments of success. The eyes of each fighter had begun to swell Park was at (7) and also had begun to carry his lands low due to the debilitating body attack Espinoza was delivering. Espinoza’s left eye was a bit puffy (2). Ringside Expert Jason Wood had it EVEN 48-48.
- Despite the pro-Park crowd not liking it, the referee deducted 1 point from Park in round 6 for a low blow. Park seemed to come a bit unglued after the point deduction and was starting to get hit by punches he’d earlier managed to avoid.
- Park came back with a good round 8, when he stunned Espinoza and was able to do the same in round 9. After 9 completed rounds the left eye of both fighters was ½ closed, Espinoza (13) and Park (11).
- Park was badly stunned in round 10 and forced to hold on.
- It was Espinoza’s turn in round 11 to get rocked and then stunned.
- Ringside Expert Jason Wood had it for Espinoza 115-113.
- All 3 official judges had it 115-113 for the ….NEW WBA title holder LOUIE ESPINOZA
Louie Espinoza Wu12 Yung-Kyun Park (wins WBA title)

[Crimson]

Friday, July 3rd, 1992
G-Mex Centre; Manchester, England
Paul Hodkinson 22-2-2 (19) England WBC
vs.
Troy Dorsey 15-5-4 (10) Texas

AND
Colin McMillan 23-1 (10) England WBO
vs.
Kevin Kelley 28-0-1 (19) New York
- The G-Mex Centre in Manchester, England was rocking with over 17,000 tickets sold. Scalpers were selling them for 3x or more the original cost on nearby Windmill Street. The English boxing fans turned out in force to witness what they hoped would be wins by the English natives Paul Hodkinson and Colin McMillan to setup an English unification super fight between the two. Both fighters had very difficult opponents, in particular McMillan did in facing the undefeated Kevin Kelley.
- Kevin Kelley was a 2-1 favorite to beat McMillan and take his WBO title.
- “The Flushing Flash” put in extra time on roadwork, running twice as much as he had while training for any of his previous fights. There was some concern that his legs were dead going into the fight because of the excessive road work.
- McMillan appeared to be in great shape upon entering the ring and was the recipient of songs and cheers of encouragement during his walk to the ring.
- Kelley attempted to pressure McMillan and work over his body, but found the awkward defense of the Englishman difficult to penetrate.
- Kelley had a good round 3 and 4. He wasn’t hitting the equally fast and athletic McMillan the way he wanted to, but his own defense was sharp enough that McMillan was struggling to land effective punches of his own.
- Ringside Expert Rocco Del Sesto had 3 rounds to 2 for Kelley, or 48-47.
- McMillan was holding on in round 6 after absorbing a hard right hand to the top of his head. He was also beginning to suck wind, as the earlier body attack of Kelley was now paying dividends.
- McMillan rushed out at the bell to start round 7 and fought with a renewed vigor throughout, however he was met blow for blow by Kelley for everything he brought in attack.
- The two fighters were putting on well hell of a show, and the fans at the G-Mex Centre loved it, even though their countryman was coming out on the short end of exchanges.
- McMillan had some puffiness around his left eye (4) and appeared to be at the point of complete exhaustion. He was displaying a fighting heart that was winning him over new fans. That being said, it did not appear he would make it to hear the final bell unless there was a dramatic turn of events.
- Kelley was in a groove and coming forward like an acrobatic steam engine. McMillan was trying to find a brick that he could hit Kelley with. When McMillan did land with a solid shot Kelley absorbed it like a sponge and fired right back.
- Going into round 10 the punches landed numbers favored Kelley 228 to 164. Ringside Expert Rocco Del Sesto had Kelley in front by 3 points, 88 to 85.
- A big round 10 had the left eye of McMillan 1.2 closed (12). Despite the punishment he was taking McMillan refused to go down and was earning high praise from the fans for his continued efforts to hit Kelley with a bomb.
- In round 11 McMillan was given a 5 minute reprieve when a Kelley left hook went way low. The referee deducted 1 point from Kelley.
- Kelley came out for round 12 just as fresh as he had for round 1. Not wanting to take any chances of being robbed on the scorecards in England, the “Flushing Flash” was blasting in the final round. McMillan was gamely trading punches with Kelley when an uppercut knocked him down. Up at 3 McMillan was hurt, but made it to the final bell.
- Craig Stephen delivered the call as a unanimous decision by the scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111 for the…. NEW WBO title holder Kevin Kelley.
- Kevin Kelley landed 324 punches to 212 for McMillan.
Kevin Kelley Wu12 Colin McMillan (wins WBO title)

- Paul Hodkinson was a 2-1 favorite to successfully defend his WBC title against Dorsey.
- With the slugging styles each fighter had this fight promised to be an exciting one. Few followers of the sport thought it would go the distance.
- This fight could have been fought inside of a 4x4 foot ring and still had no action along the ropes! It was going to be a battle of wills, as both wanted to fight on the inside and welcomed their opponent fighting there as well.
- In round 4 the will of Dorsey proved stronger when he shocked the G-Mex fans and dropped “Hoko” for the count of 6 with a combination. After 4 rounds Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo had it 39-37 for Dorsey.
- After 5 rounds of scintillating action Dorsey had landed 120 punches to 83 for Hodkinson. The faces of both fighters were still relatively unmarked.
- Paul Hodkinson was landing the harder punches, but Dorsey was proving to have an iron chin and will to match as he never lost focus after being hit, while managing to reply with scoring punches of his own.
- After 9 rounds of non-stop punching action, Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo had Dorsey ahead by 1 point, 86 to 85. The difference on his card being the fourth round knockdown scored by Dorsey. The punches landed numbers still favored Dorsey 222 to 202, but were getting closer as Dorsey was slowing down.
- Early in round 10 a right cross from “Hoko” found a chink in the Dorsey armor and the Texan found himself on the canvas, where he remained until the count reached 5.
- Hodkinson poured it on, landing numerous shots to the body and temple, but Dorsey refused to cover up and did his best to reply with punches in return.
- The crowd gave both fighters a standing ovation when they came out for round 12. The style of both had remained the same throughout, even after each had been knocked down.
- Dorsey had a good final round, but it wasn’t enough to win the fight on the scorecard of Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo, which was for “Hoko” 114-113. The final punches landed numbers were virtually even at 288 Dorsey and 286 Hodkinson. The face of Hodkinson was surprisingly for the number of punches he had been hit with unmarked. Dorsey’s left eye (5) had some puffiness.
- Ring Announcer, Craig Stephen, delivered the decision to the anxious pro-Hodkinson crowd: “Ladies and gentleman here is your decision. 116-111 Hodkinson, 114-111 Dorsey, and 114-112 for the winner by split decision and…..STILL WBC champion PAUL HODKINSON!!!! This decision was very well received.
- Hodkinson now has the unenviable task of facing one of the sports rising stars and talents, Kevin Kelley, on September 19th. The fight will take place at the G-Mex Leisure Centre.
Paul Hodkinson Ws12 Troy Dorsey (retains WBC title)

Colin McMillan vs. Kevin Pritchard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogp_y8mPiIs

Colin McMillan vs. Paul Ingle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA6gabjdhbg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4zW...eature=related

Colin McMillan vs. Steve Robinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDmEv...eature=related

[Crimson]

Saturday, July 4th, 1992
Freeman Coliseum; San Antonio, TX
Manuel Medina 44-3 (20) Mexico IBF
vs.
Jesse James Leija 24-0-1 (12) Texas
- Jesse James Leija was quickly becoming a fighter to keep track of in boxing as he was showing himself to be a rising star.
- Leija struggled to make the weight.
- Although 5 years younger than Leija, Medina already had fought in 22 more professional fights and many of them against world class opposition. He had turned pro at age 14!
- After 4 rounds Ringside Expert Lee McRae had it EVEN, 39-39.
- After 8 rounds the punches landed numbers favored Leija 186 to 150.
- The fight was very close with little to differentiate between the two from one round to the next. The final scorecard of Ringside Expert Lee McRae favored Leija 116-115. Punches landed numbers also favored the hometown favorite, Leija 294 to 222.
- The faces of both fighters were undamaged.
- The official judges had it: German judge 117-112 Leija, Canadian judge 115-114 Medina, and the Swedish judge 117-112 for….the NEW IBF title holder JESSE JAMES LEIJA!!!!
Jesse James Leija Ws12 Manuel Medina (wins IBF title)

Jesse James Leija vs. Azumah Nelson III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBcs11n991Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6PZmO_6gPA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq02X...eature=related

Jesse James Leija vs. Arturo Gatti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLxX5CoA9Ps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSABSP3dj7s

Jesse James Leija vs.Kostya Tszyu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYpm1...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y9I5...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS2Wp...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkYNm...eature=related

Jesse James Leija vs. Oscar De LaHoya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt1Gw...eature=related

Manuel Medina vs. Prince Naseem Hamed
[/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4-3Vp5RwSk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZTbapNBwM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqRvp...om=PL&index=51
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ3Uq...eature=related

Manuel Medina vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cs-B...om=PL&index=37
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyiBh...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCw67...eature=related

[Crimson]

Saturday, September 19th, 1992
G-Mex Centre; Manchester, England
Paul Hokinson 23-2-2 (19) England WBC
vs.
Kevin Kelley 29-0-1 (19) New York WBO
- “Hoko” was a slight betting favorite at 3-2 odds to defeat the undefeated “Flushing Flash” in this intriguing unification battle. There were many boxing experts who believed that the odds had been inflated for Hodkinson with his countryman betting more with their heart and wishful thinking than with their heads. Hodkinson was determined to show that any money bet on him was well placed.
- Both fighters put in extra roadwork and expected the match to be a long drawn out affair that would test the mental toughness of both.
- Kelley was able to out box Hodinson in the opening round and in round 2 put the Englishman on the canvas for the count of 8. Kelley remained patient in round 3, looking to pick his spots against his aggressive foe. The right eye (11) of Hokdinson was ½ closed by the end of the round and Kelley was taking him to school.
- Kelley continued to give the Hodkinson fans nothing to cheer about in round 4. The high point of the round for Hodkinson was the 2 stern warnings the referee gave Kelley for fouling (hitting behind the head and a low blow). The right eye of Hodkinson continued to close (15).
- The antics got very rough in round 5 as Hodkinson attempted to turn the fight into a back alley brawl, by using his elbows and head as additional weapons. Kelley replied with fouls of his own and the referee had to call time to regain control of the fight.
- After 5 rounds the scorecard of Ringside Expert Mark Elwood was 50-44 for Kelley.
- Kelley was reminded by his trainer Phil Borgia that the fight was still far from over and that he needed to resume control and not let Hodkinson think he was still in it.
- Hodkinson came out for round 6 attempting to apply pressure to Kelley and wear him down for the late rounds. His body assault and tighter defense gave his fans the impression that the fight was turning in his favor.
- A very bad low blow from Hodkinson resulted in the referee deducting 1 point from him. After taking about 30 seconds Kelley indicated that he was ready to continue. Hodkinson resumed his attack and did not change his strategy of going to the body. It was “Hoko’s” best round of the fight thus far. At the rounds conclusion however the ringside doctor was taking a close look at the nearly closed right eye (14), which Hodkinson said he could still see out of. With perhaps the best cutman in Ireland, Eddie Shaw, taking care of the eye the doctor indicated that the fight could continue.
- Kevin Kelley was starting to show signs of tiring, just as the Hodkinson team had hoped he would. The punches landed numbers were heavily in Kelley’s favor 222 to 132 after 7 rounds.
- In round 8 Kelley landed almost every punch he threw, but was having trouble summoning the energy needed to throw them. Hodkinson seemed to be getting stronger with the fighter in front of him getting weaker.
- Both fighters continued to foul one another each and every round and the possibility of one ending up disqualified was not out of the question. The left eye of Kelley was starting to bruise (4). Hodkinson was punching non-stop and walking through the blows of Kelley now. With less than 10 seconds remaining in round 9, a superb Hodkinson combination put Kelley on the canvas! When Kelley attempted to rise at 7 and then toppled back over, enabling the referee’s count to reach 10, absolute pandemonium broke out in the G-Mex Centre! Paul Hokinson had delivered a KO9 with no time remaining in the round!
- At the time of the knockout Kelley was ahead on the card of Mark Elwood 79-72 and had landed 252 punches compared to 202 for Hodkinson. The left eye of Kelley was getting bad (9), while Hodkinson’s was looking better than it had earlier (12). The official judges all had Kelley winning by wide margins 77-74, 78-72, and 79-71!
Paul Hodkinson KO9 Kevin Kelley (wins WBO and defends WBC title)

Paul Hodkinson vs. Steve Robinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elio8...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyF0I...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbfe...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSjV3...eature=related

[Crimson]

Tuesday, September 22nd, 1992
Veterans Memorial Coliseum; Phoenix, AZ
Louie Espinoza 47-5-3 (45) Arizona WBA
vs.
Jesse James Leija 24-0-1 (12) Texas IBF
- After traveling on the road in Korea to take the WBA title, the 30 year old Louie Espinoza was happy to be back home in Arizona for the biggest fight of his career. The title WBA/IBF title unification match was being televised on “Tuesday Night Fights” and was expected to put up record numbers for the USA network.
- The vastly more experienced Louie Espinoza, who had turned pro in 1982 and won his first of 3 World Titles in 1987, was a slight 3-2 betting favorite to win this unification showdown.
- The up and coming Leija had plenty of his own supporters make the trip from San Antonio to the nearly filled to capacity 14,870 seat Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- Espinoza worked on improving his speed in training camp and was reportedly successful. As he has for his past few fights, Leija battled the scales. The 5’6 Espinoza held a 1” height advantage over Leija.
- The power punching Espinoza came right at Leija and quickly had the Texan in trouble. Almost every punch of Espinoza’s has the possibility of knocking his opponent out cold. Leija’s knee almost touched the canvas after one exchange and the Arizona crowd cheered in approval of the work being done by their native son.
- Leija came out on his toes for round 2, in an attempt to follow the instructions of his trainer Ronnie Shields. Espinoza resumed raking Leija’s body with hooks.
- Leija showed good resiliency by taking the 3rd round with clean boxing.
- The right eye of Espinoza was beginning to close (6). Leija was providing evidence that he has an excellent chin, as Espinoza was bouncing some bombs off it.
- After 6 rounds Ringside Expert Steve McCarthy had it 58-56 for Espinoza. The punches landed favored Espinoza 162 to 132.
- Leija looked very tired coming out for round 7. The action went back and forth, with Espinoza rocking the Texan on more than one occasion. To Leija’s credit he continued to fire solid punches at Espinoza and was being rewarded with the right eye (8) of his nemesis now almost ½ closed.
- Leija surprised Espinoza with his aggression in round 9. It was to be his best round of the fight since the bell to start round 1. Espinoza’s right eye (11) was now ½ closed and causing him difficulty seeing punches coming at him. The crowd was still solidly behind Espinoza, but had grown to respect the gritty toughness of the visiting Texan.
- Both fighters were exhausted after round 9. Leija had been fighting on reserve several rounds earlier. Now it was Espinoza’s turn. After 10 rounds Ringside Expert Steve McCarthy had Espinoza well in front 97-93. The punches landed numbers favored Espinoza 258 to 228. Almost all of the Espinoza punches had been power shots!
- Leija came out for round 11 looking to land something big and dramatically swing the momentum in his direction. Espinoza came out looking to knock Leija out. It was Espinoza who landed first and had Leija in desperate trouble. At one point Leija fell into the ropes and had they not been their would have been laying on a ringside table. Somehow the brave Texan survived the round.
- During the rest period the referee and doctor spent time observing Leija who with what little energy he had remaining implored them to not stop the fight. Leija did some excessive holding in round 12 and was able to hear the final bell.
- The scorecard of Ringside Expert Steve McCarthy was 116-112 for Louie Espinoza.
- The official judges had it 117-109, 116-111, and 116-111 all for the winner by unanimous decision ……Louie Espinoza!
Louie Espinoza Wu12 Jesse James (retains WBA title and wins IBF)

[Crimson]

FEATHER WEIGHT WORLD RANKINGS
(as of 12-18-92)

WORLD CHAMPION vacant
1# Paul Hodkinson – England WBC WBO
2# Louie Espinoza – Arizona WBA IBF
3# Jesse James Leija - Texas
4# Manuel Medina - Mexico
5# Yung-Kyun Park - Korea
6# Kevin Kelley – New York
7# Troy Dorsey – Texas
8# Marcos Villasana - Mexico
9# Maurizio Stecca - Italy
10# Jose Martinez - California

11# Tom Johnson - Michigan
12# Ricardo Cepeda – New York
13# Seija Asakawa - Japan
14# Colin McMillan - England
15# November Ntshingila – South Africa
16# Jackie Gunguluza – South Africa
17# Ever Beleno - Columbia
18# Fabrice Benichou - France
19# Eloy Rojas – Venezuela
20# Lupe Guttierrez – Texas
British promoter Barry Hearn, looking to fill the undercard with Feather Weight matches that appeal to the public, with an eliminator between two of the top 10# contenders.

[Crimson]

Anyone willing to help out Barry Hearn by letting him know of a fight between 2 of the ranked feathers listed in the above post they'd like to see take place on the undercard of the HODKINSON vs. ESPINOZA World Championship?


The fight card will take place at "Earls Court" in London, December of 1992.

[Crimson]

Sunday, December 27th, 1992
Earls Court; London, England
Paul Hokinson 24-2-2 (20) England WBC WBO
vs.
Louie Espinoza 48-5-3 (45) Arizona WBA IBF
15 Rounds for Feather World Championship

AND
12 Rounds for EBU Title
9# Maurizio Stecca Italy
vs.
14# Colin McMillan England
- Italy’s Maurizio Stecca and England’s Colin McMillan would battle for the EBU title, while strengthening their claim for a right to challenge for the Feather World Championship. Since McMillan was not ranked in the top 10#, it could not be recognized as a fight for the 1# ranking and mandatory title shot.
- This was a rematch from a fight won by McMillan (Wu12) earlier in the year when he held the WBO title. The third man in the ring would be Alfredo Asaro of France.
- The odds were EVEN regarding who would win.
- The first 5 rounds were fought on fairly even terms, with McMillan being deducted 1 point in round 5 for a low blow.
- After the low blow, the action heated up significantly with Stecca taking over. In round 10 a wild overhand right put McMillan on the deck and less than 30 seconds later a flush right cross put him down for the count.
Maurizio Stecca KO10 Colin McMillan

- The Feather Weight Championship would be a 15 round rematch of the 3-29-92 “Team Championship” fight that had also taken place at “Earls Court” of London. In that fight the first 2 rounds went to Espinoza and the second 2 rounds to Hodkinson on all three judge’s cards. Neither fighter had been cut or knocked down.
- The odds were established as EVEN, despite being fought in Hodkinson’s home country.
- The honor of being the third man in the ring went to Armando Garcia of Florida.

ROUND 1: In front of a filled to capacity crowd of 18,000+, Paul Hodkinson did what few fighters did when Espinoza was the man across the ring from them, and that was take the fight right to Espinoza. It logically seemed to be an ill advised strategy, as Hodkinson would be right in the wheelhouse of the Espinoza right hand. The crowd loved it though, as did Espinoza, since exchanges were guaranteed. Hodkinson returned to his corner after the 1st round having gained Espinoza’s respect with his ability to take the Arizonian’s shots and give back heat of his own. (Hodkinson 36-24)

ROUND 2: The aggressive strategy of Hodkinson continued in round 2 and he landed several hard body blows, that figured to pay off should the fight make it into the later rounds. Espinoza received 2 warnings from the referee for holding and hitting. He also rocked Hodkinson with a laser of right hand toward the end of the round. (Espinoza 30-22)

ROUND 3: Espinoza came out for round 3 with some puffiness around his left eye (4). The two gladiators met at ring center and exchanged blows toe to toe, with Espinoza using head movement and landing the harder punches. (Espinoza 30-6)

ROUND 4: Round 4 was the best of the fight thus far. It was mostly Espinoza drilling Hodkinson for the first 2 minutes, but during minute 3 Hodkinson took over and stunned the American with a right hand. The left eye of Espinoza continued to swell (8) and appeared to be causing him some problems. (Hodkinson 28-24)

ROUND 5: Coming out for round 5 Espinoza held a 108 to 92 advantage in punches landed. On the scorecard of Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo, Espinoza was up 39 to 38. Some puffiness around the left eye (4) of Hodkinson was now visible. Early into the round Espinoza had 1 point deducted for a punch to the back of Hodkinson's neck. The punches of Hodkinson were missing and Espinoza countered each one with a hard left or right. (Espinoza 36-6)

ROUND 6: Both fighters were fouling one another and Hodkinson was warned for a low blow and Espinoza given some time to recover. An action packed round similar to round 4. On two occasions Hodkinson was on the defensive after taking a hellacious shot from Espinoza, only to suddenly unleash some firepower of his own and let Espinoza know that this fight was still up for grabs. (Hodkinson 24-17)

ROUND 7: Hodkinson fought with a different strategy this round, perhaps a sign that he was conceding that Espinoza was the stronger fighter on the inside. A very low blow from Hodkinson, once again drew a warning but no point deduction. A variety of clean hooks, right hands, and uppercuts from Hodkinson landed cleanly and Espinoza motioned for him to resume fighting him on the inside. When Espinoza was able to get on the inside, Hodkinson tied him up, which drew a warning from the referee, but also prevented Espinoza from landing the left hooks he had been raking Hodkinson with earlier in the fight. (Hodkinson 41-5)

ROUND 8: Hodkinson did plenty of holding and Espinoza was looking to take the Englishman’s head off, while refusing to be held. It was Espinoza’s best round of the fight, as he snapped back the head of Hodkinson with several punches. The left eye of each fighter was at least ½ closed (11) and causing them some problems seeing. (Espinoza 34-6)

ROUND 9: Hodkinson once again attempted to not engage with Espinoza on the inside, but the American forced him to do so, by bullying him onto the ropes and landing some horrific punches. Hodkinson had shown an amazing ability to come back when it appeared he was on the brink of defeat against Kevin Kelley, but many in the pro-Hodkinson crowd were beginning to wonder if the much harder punching Espinoza was dishing out more damage than their fighter could overcome. The Englishman was having trouble seeing out of both eyes when the bell rang to end round 9 (left eye 13, right eye 6). Espinoza was ahead on the scorecard of Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo 87 to 84. (Espinoza 30-11)

ROUND 10: Both fighters looked as if they had already fought a 12 round battle when round 10 started. The corner of Espinoza instructed him to “finish him off, he has nothing left!” After landing a nice left hook, Hodkinson was hurt by a Espinoza combination in reply. A straight right sent a staggering “Hoko” into the ropes and the referee moved in closer in case he needed to stop the fight. Hodkinson held as long as he could until the referee physically broke them. (Espinoza 17-5)

ROUND 11: Not wanting the judges to have any hand in deciding who won the fight and believing that Hodkinson no longer had anything left in the tank to hurt him, Espinzoa went all out for a finishing knockout blow. The roughhouse tactics of both continued when they were on the inside and Espinoza received yet another warning, his 5th of the fight. This one was for using his shoulder. It was a rejuvenated Hodkinson who boxed Espinoza on even terms throughout the round and making it a difficult one to score. (Hodkinson 28-21)

ROUND 12: Once again Hodkinson changed his tactics, this time taking the fight back to the inside with Espinoza. The change was welcomed by Espinoza, who teed off on the Englishman. Both of Hodkinson’s eyes were over ½ way closed and he was struggling to see the punches Espinoza threw, which was possibly why he had resumed the strategy of fighting on the inside. (Espinoza 26-6)

ROUND 13: Entering the TRUE rounds of World Championship boxing, where World Champions separate themselves from the contenders, recognition as the best in the world at 126 pounds appeared to be very close for Louie Espinoza. Struggling to see, it was a desperate Hodkinson who came out bombs away in round 13. After landing a hard left hook, “Hoko” walked into a right hand and had to use the nearby ropes to pry himself off the canvas at the count of 6. The exhausted Espinoza was unable to finish his badly hurt foe off. (Espinoza 10-5)

ROUND 14: Hodkinson was slow to get off his stool to start the round and was given his 4th warning of the fight for fouling, this time for holding and hitting. Despite his inability to see, Hodkinson managed to negate the offense of Espinoza, which had been reduced to one punch at a time, by holding and flurring. (Hodkinson 11-0)

ROUND 15: On the score card of Ringside Expert Tom Trunzo, Hodkinson needed a knockout to win, as he was losing 137 to 129. Punches landed numbers significantly favored Espinoza 304-235. The faces off both were damaged badly, Espinoza’s left eye (8) and especially the face of Hodkinson. Whose left and right eyes were (9) ½ closed. Only the expertise of Eddie Shaw in the corner of Hodkinson was preventing them from closing and the doctor from stopping the fight. In a sign of mutual respect and admiration the fighters embraced prior to the start of the final round. They resumed a battle that had provided the 18,000+ at “Earls Court” more than their money’s worth.
Several hard punches were traded and the roughhouse fouling tactics, which had been going on since round 1, became extreme. At 1:34 of the round, Espinoza rained a series of blows to the back of Hodkinson’s neck, while the Englishman was in a crouched position on the inside. When told by the referee to “get off the neck!” Espinoza hit it yet again, and this time he was disqualified!
The disqualification was received with cheers from the crowd, who believed Espinoza had been getting away with fouling their man all night. Espinoza and his corner were in shock and disbelief. On the score cards of the official judges they were less than 1:26 away from winning the FEATHER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP via a decision (Thailand judge 138-128 Espinoza, Puerto Rico judge 135-121 Espinoza, Peru judge 133-132 Hodkinson).

Paul Hodkinson Wdq15 Louie Espinoza
(wins FEATHER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

[Crimson]

WORLD CHAMPIONS as of January 1st, 1993

STRAW Ricardo Lopez 40-0 (26) Mexico
LIGHT FLY Michael Carbajal 34-0-1 (19) Arizona
FLY Yun-Un Chin 30-1-2 (19) Korea
Jr. BANTAM Sung-Kil Moon 21-1 (16) Korea
BANTAM Junior Jones 34-0-2 (21) New York
Jr. FEATHER Jemal Hinton 28-2-2 (20) Maryland
FEATHER Paul Hodkinson 26-2-3 (22) England

The remaining division WORLD CHAMPIONS are still to be determined.
Jr. LIGHT
LIGHT
Jr. WELTER
WELTER
Jr. MIDDLE
MIDDLE
SUPER MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
CRUISER
HEAVY

(The records have been adjusted to include fights that occured [for real] in 1992 and had previously not been included.)

[Crimson]

Odds of winning the 1992 Jr. Light Weight World Championship Tournament
2-1 Azumah Nelson WBC
3-1 Brian Mitchell
3-1 Jeff Fenech
10-1 John Molina IBF
10-1 Genaro Hernandez WBA
20-1 Gabriel Ruelas
25-1 Floyd Havard
25-1 Regilio Tuur
35-1 Bernard Taylor (post-prime)
50-1 Daniel Londas WBO (post-prime)
60-1 Jimmi Bredahl (pre-prime)
75-1 Tony Pep

[Crimson]

Thursday, June 4th, 1992
Sportpaleis Ahoy; Rotterdam, Netherlands
Regilio Tuur 26-*2 (17) Netherlands
vs.
Bernard Taylor 45-5-2 (21) North Carolina
- Tuur was a 2-1 favorite to win.
- Tuur had rather easily defeated Taylor during “Team Championship” matches, Wu4. The best days of Taylor seemed to be in the rearview mirror.
- To the shock of the pro-Tuur crowd, their hero was sent reeling into the ropes in round 1 and took a battering. He fought his way back into the fight, but really was giving his fans little reason to cheer. Although the legs of Taylor were not what they once used to be, he still possessed his excellent boxing skills and was managing to frustrate Tuur.
- After 8 rounds of less than scintillating action, Ringside Expert Ian Lord had it 78-75 for Taylor. Punches landed numbers were in the favor of Taylor also 201-138. An upset was in the air.
- In the final 2 rounds Tuur did nothing of significance to swing the fight in his favor. The final score card of Ringside Expert Ian Lord, for Taylor 97-94, was dead on according to the Sky Television announcers.
- The faces of both fighters showed little in the way of damage, that would indicate they had just battled for 10 rounds. A testament to the defensive game plan Taylor was able to effectively employee. It was with a look of apprehensive dejection that Tuur awaited the official judges verdict. Jan Gebaueer gave the call, all 3 judges were from the Netherlands, 97-94 Tuur, 96-95 Taylor, and 97-94 Taylor!
- Bernard Taylor will now move on to challenge Azumah Nelson for his WBC title.
Bernard Taylor Ws10 Regilio Tuur

Bernard Taylor vs. Barry McGuigan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nx5_Jr10RA

Regilio Tuur vs. Jose Vida Ramos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsz6AC6e_6Y

1 punch KO's by Regilio Tuur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJPrQ...eature=related

Regilio Tuur vs. Tony Pep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKLxy...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfPxSUcTunQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdMW_...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYSDb...eature=related

Tony Pep vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfyP_...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KmoL...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T979s...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWikn...eature=related

[Crimson]

Friday, June 5th, 1992
Welsh Institute of Sport; Cardiff, Wales
Floyd Havard 26*-1 (15) England
vs.
Brian Mitchell 47-2-3 (21) South Africa
- Brian Mitchell was surprisingly only a 5-2 favorite to defeat the relatively unproven Welshman Floyd Havard. Mitchell was a on a mission to prove himself as the best Jr. Light weight in the world. For reasons unclear to most he had been stripped of his WBA and most recently IBF title. The ultimate road warrior, Mitchell had won and defended those belts in hostile territory throughout his career. Convinced to put of his planned retirement, so that he could represent Africa during “Team Championship” matches, Mitchell had gone 4-1 (0) in those fights. The loss being a close Ls4 to Jeff Fenech. Mitchell and Fenech both hoped to meet one another again over 10-15 rounds.
- Although the “Welsh Institute of Sport” in Cardiff, Wales was not the most glamorous of fight venues, and only seated 1,200, all of those seats were filled with some raucous fans who vehemently wanted to see Havard defeat the South African legend. For Mitchell, it would be yet another fight in his opponents backyard and he seemed to be completely unfazed by it.
- Mitchell’s superior class showed early, but Havard had come to fight and with the pro-Havard crowd cheering everything he did one had to wonder how the judges had it scored.
- Ringside Expert Shane Macleod, had it EVEN 48-48 after 5 rounds. The punches landed numbers however were in Mitchell’s favor, 126-89. The faces of both showed Mitchell with hardly a mark on him, while the features of Havard were battered and his left eye (8) was ½ way closed.
- The trainer of Mitchell, Carlos Jacoma, urged Mitchell to pick up the pace and take the crowd out of the fight. Mitchell did just that from round 6 until the fights conclusion.
- Havard was tougher than expected however, and in round 9 had the hometown crowd on their feet, when he hurt Mitchell with a series of hooks.
- Havard acted as if he had the fight in the bag when he came out for the final round and began showboating to the crowd. The consummate professional, Mitchell took full advantage of Havard’s foolish overconfidence and absolutely ripped him in round 10, nearly closing the left eye of Havard (18).
- Mitchell’s final round rally resulted in a draw on the scorecard of Ringside Expert Shane Macleod, 96-96. Final punches landed numbers favored Mitchell 251-183.
- Craig Stephen had the call, “USA judge 96-93 for Mitchell, English judge 97-95 Havard, and Italian judge 96-95 for the winner by split decision……Brian Mitchell.”
- Brian Mitchell will be back on the road when he challenges John John Molina for the IBF title in Puerto Rico.
Brian Mitchell Ws10 Floyd Havard

Brian Mitchell vs. Tony Lopez I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obYVnt81LfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kUfr...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm2hz...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRDuY...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofnp_...eature=related


Brian Mitchell vs. Jim McDonnell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqbD8...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35GjQ...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54jse...rom=PL&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy0nt...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQU6j...eature=related

[Crimson]

Friday, June 5th, 1992
Parken Stadium; Copenhagen, Denmark
Jimmi Bredahl 12-0 (5) Denmark
vs.
Gabriel Ruelas 26-1 (18) California
- The betting odds were EVEN on who would win. Bredahl brought an extensive amateur background into the ring, but still had only 12 professional fights compared to 27 for Ruelas.
- The slick boxing skills of Bredahl gave Ruelas some trouble in round 1, but after that Ruelas took charge. In round 4 he put Bredahl on the canvas with a combination and soon after returned him there for the full 10 count. An impressive victory for the Goosen trained fighter.
- A much more challenging battle now awaits Ruelas when he returns home to California to face Genaro Hernandez for the WBA strap.
Gabriel Ruelas KO4 Jimmi Bredahl

Gabriel Ruelas vs. Azumah Nelson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OgxZmTIrJo

Gabriel Ruelas vs. Arturo Gatti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm1NB...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFq2Ct077hs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfIxf...eature=related

Jimmi Bredahl vs. Oscar De La Hoya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6D2msbTtTo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSb0H...om=PL&index=56
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMJQC...om=PL&index=71
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0mGg...om=PL&index=72

[Crimson]

Sunday, June 7th, 1992
Rod Laver Arena; Melbourne, Australia
Jeff Fenech 28-1-1 (19)
vs.
Tony Pep 28-8 (17)
- This was a rematch of the 1-25-92 fight from the “Team Championship” matches, when Pep pulled of an improbable upset in Australia, Ws4. Jeff Fenech was very much looking forward to getting Pep back in the ring for a 10 round fight.
- During “Team Championship” matches Pep had shown himself to be a World Class fighter fighting on even terms with all others (Ls4 Regilio Tuur, Ws4 Jeff Fenech, Lu4 Brian Mitchell, Lu4 Tony Lopez, Lu4 Bernard Taylor, Ws4 Pedro Gutierrez, Wu4 Mario Martinez).
- Fenech was a 9-2 betting favorite to win the rematch.
- Wanting to stop Pep convincingly, due to the previous loss, Fenech put in extensive time working on his speed. The plan being to overwhelm Pep with his speed and offense,
- Over 14,800 boxing fans showed up on a sunny Sunday afternoon to cheer Fenech on to an expected victory.
- Australian referee, Ray Wheatley, was the third man in the ring.
- Going into the fight there were many rumors that the hands of Fenech were not fully healed from his last fight and had hampered his training. The camp of Fenech said this was pure rubbish from those trying to give hope to Pep.
- After shoving Pep up against the ropes, Fenech bulled his way inside and went to work. After being warned for using his shoulder, Fenech floored the overwhelmed Pep for the count of 6 in round 2. Pep fought back gamely and provided the fans in attendance with a first class fight.
- The Fenech body assault was brutal and Pep showed plenty of heart still being in the ring and fighting back after absorbing some copius punishment. The end appeared to be very near when the exhausted and wobbly legged Pep sat on his stool after round 4. On the scorecard of Ringside Expert Dan Cuocco, Fenech was dominating 40-35. Punches landed numbers supported that at 144-72 in Fenech’s favor.
- Fenech showed no signs of having injured hands, as he let all of his punches go with full force. At 2:24 of round 8 the lopsided contest ended with Pep on his back, right eye battered (14), blood streaming from a cut over the left eye, and showing no ability to rise.
- Jeff Fenech will now challenge Daniel Londas for the WBO title.
Jeff Fenech KO8 Tony Pep

Jeff Fenech vs. Azumah Nelson I
[/B]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cst-MVa0xNI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKpGx...eature=related

Jeff Fenech vs. Samart Payakaroon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu-kP...eature=related

Jeff Fenech Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJmMI...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ObY...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvMqI...eature=related