World Championships

[Crimson]

Saturday, July 4th, 1992
Great Western Forum; Inglewood, CA (attendance 6,242 of a possible 10,000)
Humberto Gonzalez 33-2-2 (26) Mexico WBC
vs.
Melchor Cob Castro 38-4-4 (18) Mexico
This fight was a rematch of a 1991 unanimous decision won by Humberto Gonzalez in Las Vegas by 3, 4, and 4 points on the scorecards. Now they would fight at the “Great Western Forum”, where Gonzalez was a beloved favorite and could be counted on to draw a full house. The promoter was not disappointed on this night, as 6,000+ went through the turnstiles. There was some concern that the best days of Gonzalez were behind him, due to his devastating KO defeats (byKO6 Rolando Pascua in 1990 and byKO3 Danny Nunez this year in the “Team Championship” matches).

To the disappointment of Gonzalez he was not facing Danny “Bazooka” Nunez in an attempt to avenge his KO defeat. This was due to Melchor Cob Castro’s impressive decision victory over the former Gonzalez conqueror. Now Gonzalez would need to get motivated to beat a formidable foe, who he had previously beaten.

Cob Castro was not without his own fans at the “Great Western Forum” and all expected this rematch battle to be a good one. The betting public had put their money on Gonzalez by a 2-1 margin.

After 4 rounds of exciting action Gonzalez had managed to hurt Cob Castro in 2 of the 4 rounds, and cause some swelling (3) to his left eye. Castro was looking very tired on his stool in between rounds.

Cob Castro sucked it up and outworked Gonzalez in rounds 5-7, to pull even on the scorecard of the ringside analyst, Lee MacRae, 67-67. “Chiquita” busted up the body of Cob Castro in the 8th while taking the fight back to the inside, and causing Cob Castro’s left eye swelling (10) to balloon into a major problem.

Over the final 3 rounds Gonzalez utilized his boxing skills, hitting Cob Castro by a 2 to 1 margin. Final punch stat numbers favored Gonzalez 376 to245. The score cards were read by announcer Jimmy Lennon as a unanimous decision for “Chiquita” 117-111, 115-114, and 116-112. Next for Humberto Gonzalez is a unification match against South African Jacob Matlala, who won the WBA title several hours earlier in Japan.

Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez Wu12 Melchor Cob Castro (successfully defended WBC Light Fly title)

Humberto Gonzalez vs. Saman Sorjaturong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9aoYb4U1Q

Humberto Gonzalez vs. Pancho Tejejor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI0V5...eature=related

[Crimson]

Friday, September 25th, 1992
Great Western Forum; Inglewood, CA (attendance 8,483 of a possible 10,000)
Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez 34-2-2 (26) Mexico WBC
vs.
Jacob “Baby Jake” Matlala 38-13-1 (19) South Africa WBA

In front of a Friday night fight crowd, Humberto Gonzalez was a 3-2 favorite to unify the titles against Jacob Matlala. Both fighters entered the ring in top condition. A clean Gonzalez right hand scored aflash knockdown early in the 1st. The WBC title holder applied steady pressure and in the 4th Matlala once again found himself on the canvas. After 4 rounds the ringside expert Aurelio Barrios had it 40-34 for Gonzalez.

Matlala attempted to rattle Gonzalez with an inside attack over the next 4 rounds and had a few moments of success, however Gonzalez began countering effectively from outside and putting more rounds in his favor. The left eye of Matlala was badly swollen (12). He looked dead tired, while Gonzalez was as fresh as if it was the 1st round. Ringside Expert, Aurelio, had it 79-71 for Gonzalez after 8 rounds.

Realizing he was hopelessly behind on the scorecards, Matlala began loading up on his punches, in an attempt to change the fights momentum. This made Gonzalez’ counter punching attack even more accurate. In the 11th round “Baby Jake” walked into a short hook he never saw and was down. Badly hurt, Matlala was on the canvas again shortly before the bell. He returned to his corner with the help of his trainer on very rubbery legs.

Looking to close the show with a flourish and please his fans in the process, “Chiquita” went for the KO in the final round. The punches of Matlala had little left on them, but he fired them often enough to prevent the referee from stopping it. At the fights conclusion Matlala’s could barely see out of his swollen (15) left eye. Punch stat numbers told the story of the punishment he had absorbed: 396-217 favoring Gonzalez.

The decision was a mere formality, as even the most ardent supporters of “Baby Jake” would have found it difficult to find 4 rounds to score for the South African. The judges had it: 116-107, 117-107, and 119-105 “for the still WBC and new WBA World title holder…..Humberto Gonzalez!”

Humberto Gonzalez Wu12 Jacob Matlala (defends WBC and wins WBA title)

[Crimson]

Saturday, September 26th, 1992
Madison Square Garden; New York, NY
Michael “Manitas de Piedra” Carbajal 27-0-1 (14) Arizona IBF
Myung-Woo Yuh 38-1-1 (14) Korea WBO
Last night in California, Humberto Gonzalez unified the WBC and WBA world titles. Tonight in New York, Arizona’s Michael Carbajal will attempt to do the same vs. the fighter regarded as perhaps the greatest Light Fly Weight of all time, Myung-Woo Yuh. The winner will face Humberto Gonzalez for the LIGHT FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP in the divisions 2nd Super Fight. Tonight is the division’s first!

There was plenty of back and forth negotiating between the two fighter camps to determine this fights location. Each fighter could have sold out any venue in their respective home area. However, neither wanted to travel to the other's backyard, when there was plenty of money to be made in their own. Madison Square Garden was selectd, based on being the most neutral site that would also generate lots of money. Yuh had plenty of Korean fans living in New York City who would make the trip to the Garden. Carbajal's popularity as an Olympic Gold Medalist guaranteed fans would pay and cheer for him regardless of where he fought in the United States.

Madison Square Garden was completely sold out on fight night, with 22,332 in attendance. Carbajal was a very slight betting favorite at 3-2 odds. Both fighters reportedly had excellent training camps and made the weight without difficulty.

ROUND 1: A good round for the Korean dynamo, as he got off to a quick start throwing and landing punches from all angles. Not known as a slow starter, Carbajal was slow to get his punches off.

ROUND 2: Carbajal took the fight to the inside and had all of his pistons firing. Yuh was hurt by a body blow towards the rounds end and the MSG crowd was on their feet as Carbajal let loose with several bombs shortly before the bell.

ROUND 3: Yuh came back with a vengeance in the 3rd and by the middle of the round Carbajal was pawing at his left eye, which had begun to swell (4).

ROUND 4: Both fighters were struggling to land in the 4th, when with 17 seconds remaining a big Carbajal left hook got through. At first Yuh seemed to take it, but then in a delayed reaction fell to his knees! The crowd was on their feet as referee Arthur Mercante Sr. ushered Carbajal to neutral corner. Yuh was standing before the count reached 4.

ROUND 5: Carbajal patiently took his time to start the 5th, but make no mistake about it….he was looking to finish what he had started in the 4th. With about 2:00 minutes remaining in the round Carbajal got through with a hard combination to Yuh’s body that caused the Korean to instantly attempt to hold Carbajal. The IBF title holder shrugged Yuh off and blasted a hook to Yuh’s head, which sent his mouthpiece flying! Then “Manitas de Piedra” went right back to the body and Yuh crumbled to the canvas laying on his side! Yuh waited until the count reached “8” before rising. Carbajal jumped right on Yuh throwing punches to his body and head. Yuh rolled with most of them along the ropes, moving as best he could away from the Carbajal attack. Somehow he made it to the bell.

ROUND 6: Yuh was still badly hurt when he came out for the 6th. Carbajal came out intent to score the knockout and was a bit reckless in the process. Yuh still had enough wits about him to counter the Carbajal misses with stiff jabs that caused further damage to his swollen left eye (5). With 30 second left in the round Carbajal again hurt Yuh to the body.

ROUND 7: The fast tiring Yuh, did well in the 7th as he slipped and countered the onrushing Carbajal, who was showing little to no respect for Yuh’s power. Yuh may have won the round, but aside from Carbajal’s swollen left eye, looked much the worse for wear heading back to his corner.

ROUND 8: Heading into the 8th, Ringside Expert Andreas Raht, had Carbajal in front 67-64. Punch stat favored Yuh 210-163. The power punches though favored Carbajal 101 to 61. The body assault of Carbajal was relentless and with 0:56 seconds left in the round, Yuh was on the canvas for the 3rd time in the fight. Up at 7, Yuh’s hands were by his side. Carbajal then sent his attack upstairs. After several more blows, Yuh dropped to the canvas for the fight’s 4th knockdown. He was up quickly, but Arthur Mercante Sr. wisely called a halt to the fight.

Michael Carbajal TKO8 Myung-Woo Yuh (Carbajal defends the IBF title and wins the WBO title)

[Crimson]

Saturday, December 19th, 1992
The Mirage; Las Vegas, Nevada
For the LIGHT FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Michael “Little Hands of Stone” Carbajal 28-0-1 (15) AZ IBF WBO
Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez 35-2 (26) Mexico WBC WBA

The odds were EVEN when these two gladiators entered the ring to determine who the better Light Fly Weight was between them, and who would go home with all 4 World Titles and the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Carbajal was reported as having focused on his defensive techniques in training camp.

ROUND 1: A close feeling out round. Neither fighter landed anything of consequence.

ROUND 2: Lots of action in the 2nd, with Carbajal getting the better of almost all exchanges.

ROUND 3: A defensive 3rd by Carbajal. Neither able to land any shots of notice.

ROUND 4: Carbajal took the fight to the inside, where his speed and boxing skills appeared to be superior to Gonzalez. Carbajal was also giving the better of it in the power department. After 4 rounds Ringside Expert Markus Heinsohn favored Carbajal 39-38.

ROUND 5: Carbajal resumed his inside attack in the 5th, but was met at ring center by Gonzalez, who refused to give up ground. This made for an exciting back and forth round of action that could have been scored for either fighter. Gonzalez appeared to be the more tired of the two fighters.

ROUND 6: Fairly uneventful round, as Carbajal controlled the action, but was content to pop the jab without following up when it landed.

ROUND 7: More of the same in this round. Like the previous it could have been scored either way, or even.

ROUND 8: A good round for Gonzalez. He was hit solidly, but replied with double in return every time. The left eye of Gonzalez was nearly ½ closed (15), and he was now dropping his hands to protect his body. After 8 rounds Ringside Expert Markus Heinsohn had it all evened up at 77 each.

ROUND 9: Danny Carbajal instructed his brother to stop daydreaming and get back into the fight before the bell for the round rang. With over 2 minutes left in the round an exhausted Gonzalez fired an avalanche of punches with bad intent and Carbajal found himself sitting on the floor! Referee Mills Lane picked up the count at 4 from the knockdown timekeeper, “…4…”, and Carbajal rose on shaky legs. For the next minute and a half Gonzalez rained blows upon Carbajal, but to the IBF/WBO title holders credit he rolled with them, held on, and made Gonzalez miss almost all of them. With 35 seconds to go in the round Carbajal began a counter attack and his punches were landing flush. When the fighters returned to their corners, it was Carbajal who looked to be in the better shape of the two, despite having suffered a knockdown.

ROUND 10: The fighters took turns unloading bombs upon one another to the delight of the crowd. It was Gonzalez though, whose TNT landed with more force and authority.

ROUND 11: Danny Carbajal informed his brother, “You are letting this fight slip away!” prior to the start of the 11th. Carbajal got off his stool to start the round with a new found look of determination on his face. When Gonzalez missed, Carbajal was quick to counter with short hooks and right hands. As Carbajal targeted the left eye of Gonzalez it increased in it’s swelling (15) and was now ½ closed. By the rounds end the other eye of Gonzalez also was damaged (5), and well on the way to causing further problems for the Mexican WBC and WBA title holder.

ROUND 12: Less than 20 seconds into the round and Carbajal hurt Gonzalez with a straight right. After stumbling backwards, Gonzalez fell to the canvas landing on his knees! Gonzalez stood at “4!” but was still very badly hurt. The crowd was on their feet in anticipation of the fight ending. Gonzalez fired back enough though to prevent the stoppage.

ROUND 13: After 12 rounds of thunderous action Ringside Expert Markus Heinson had it 114 to 114. Punch stat numbers favored Carbajal 322 to 223. A huge hook from Gonzalez early in the round had Carbajal sticking and moving. The encouraged Gonzalez stepped up his attack, sensing an opportunity. Carbajal then stopped and planted while delivering a perfect left uppercut, which deposited Gonzalez on the mat! He was up almost immediately at the count of 2, but hurt. For the remainder of the round Carbajal never followed up on his advantage. Taking advantage of the opportuniy to regroup himself. Gonzalez returned to his corner with both eyes (7) (11) nearly ½ closed!

ROUND 14: The crowd was on their feet applauding both fighters as they came out for the 14th round of this WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP fight. Both fighters were tossing grenades at the other, but it was Carbajal’s that were causing more damage upon detonation. Half way through the round a right hand dropped Gonzalez for the 3rd time in the fight. He got up and staggered into the ropes, but held his gloves up and motioned for Carbajal to bring it on! That’s exactly what Carbajal did, landing devastating shot after shot until a body blow folded “Chiquita” onto the canvas. This time he was unable to rise! The winner by KO at 2:42 of the 14th round, still undefeated, and now the undisputed LIGHT FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION…..MICHAEL “Manitas de Piedra” CARBAJAL!!!!!!!

Michael Carbajal KO14 Humberto Gonzalez (defends the IBF and WBO titles, wins the WBA and WBC titles, and wins the LIGHT FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

At the time of the stoppage the 3 Las Vegas judges all had Carbajal ahead 125-121, 126-120, and 126-121. Carbajal outworked Gonzalez by an average of 28 to 17 punches landed per round.


Michael Carbajal vs. Scotty Olson 1988 Olympics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE_CFpraRUI

[Crimson]

Odds of winning the 1992 FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
2-1 Muanchai Kittikasem
2-1 Sot Chitalada
5-1 Yong-Kang Kim
5-1 Rodolfo Blanco
6-1 Dave McAuley
10-1 Scotty Olson
10-1 David Griman
15-1 Pat Clinton
25-1 Yuri Arbachakov
30-1 Yun-Un Chin
40-1 Ysaias Zamudio
50-1 Pichit Sithbanprachan

[Crimson]

Thursday June 4th, 1992
Northlands Arena; Edmonton, Canada
Scotty Olson 21-0-1 (15) Canada
vs.
David Griman 14-2 (10) Venezuela
Scotty “Bulldog” Olson entered the ring a slight 3-2 favorite vs. the highly regarded, but relatively unknown and inexperienced David Griman of Venezuela. The 14,000 seat + home to the Edmonton Oilers had a rowdy crowd of over 5,000 Olson fans. Like Olson, Griman had a very successful amateur career, the highlight being when he represented Venezuela at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. So, although this was only the Venezuelan’s 17th fight as a professional, he had years of world class level experience in the amateurs. The winner of this battle between former amateur stars would challenge Columbia’s Rodolfo Blanco for his IBF title.
Olson floored Griman in the 1st and was mauling him in the 2nd, when with less than a minute to go in the round Griman slumped to the canvas after taking a steady bombardment of blows. The referee then stopped the fight to the delight of Olson’s hometown fans.
Scotty Olson TKO2 David Griman

[Crimson]

Thursday June 4th, 1992
Kings Hall; Belfast, Ireland
Dave “Boy” McAuley 19-3-3 (8) Ireland
vs.
Ysaias Zamudio 31-4-1 (10) Mexico
The 7,000 seat Kings Hall in Belfast, Ireland was sold out as the Irish boxing fans came out to cheer on native son Dave McAuley in his attempt to make a final run at the Fly Weight World Championship. McAuley would have a stern test in front of him in Mexico’s Ysaias Zamudio, who had gone an impressive 3-1 (1) during “Team Championship” matches. Nicknamed “Kid Showtime”, the resident of Blythe, California, but born in Mexico, had become a fan favorite at the “Great Western Forum”, while emerging as a top contender in the fly weight division.

After being stopped inside of 2 rounds in his last fight vs. Rodolfo Blanco, there were many questions surrounding McAuley for this fight. The main one being, were his best days as a fighter now behind him? In order to beat Zamudio, the best McAuley would need to be in the ring.

McAuley was all over Zamudio with constant pressure during the first 3 rounds. Zamudio fought back on even terms until late in the 3rd, when he was hurt on two occasions. With one second remaining until the bell the bell, the referee intervened to save Zamudio from further punishment. This was a very impressive comeback win for McAuley! He’ll next challenge Pat Clinton for the WBO strap in his quest to become the undisputed FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION.
Dave McAuley TKO2 Ysaias Zamudio

Dave McAuley vs. Fidel Bassa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgN1NAtcJys

[Crimson]

Friday, June 5th, 1992
Huamark Indoor Stadium; Bangkok, Thailand
Sot Chitalada 27-4-1 (16) Thailand
vs.
Yun-Un Chin 26-0-1 (17) Korea
AND
Pichit Sithbanprachan 13-0 (11) Thailand
vs.
Yuri Arbachakov 12-0 (11) Russia

Boxing fans in Thailand were in for a double header treat of fisticuff action. Two inexperienced, yet very highly regarded up and coming contenders would collide in the main event, with the winner moving on to challenge Yong-Kang Kim for the WBA title belt. Yuri Arbachakov, was living and training in Japan, and looking forward to becoming the 1st ever Russian to win a professional boxing World Championship. The Russian had a lengthy and accomplished amateur career of 165-21 (53).


The first 4 rounds were fairly even with Sithbanprachan intiating plenty of fouls and Arbachakov retaliating with his own. A perfect Arbachakov hook caught and dropped Sithbanprachan early in the 6th round for the count of 4. Over the next 6 rounds there were bushels of fouls and it became a rather ugly fight, with to much holding. When this decision was announced it seemed that it could go either way. The unanimous decision was surprisingly wide, with scores of 97-93, 97-93, and 97-92 for….Yuri Arbachakov.

Yuri Arbachakov Wu12 Pitchit Sithbanprachan


In the main event Thailand’s own former champion, Sot Chitalda, would test his skills against fellow top contender Yun-Un Chin of Korea. The still undefeated Chin’s biggest win to date was a 7th round KO of top contender Rolando Pascua. The lone blemish on his record had been a close 4 round majority draw with Salvatore Fanni during "Team Championship" matches.


Chitalada was looking to secure a 3rd match against Muangchai Kittikasem, who had already stopped him twice in battles for the WBC title. Chitalada turned pro in 1983, and had been fighting world class opposition since challenging Jung-Koo Chang for the WBC Light Fly title in 1984. It was widely believed that the Thai warrior’s best days were behind him.


Still, 6,000+ turned out to cheer him on at the “Huamark Indoor Stadium” in Bangkok, where Chitalada was 2-0 in defenses of his formerly held WBC Fly title. In a fight that turned out to be fairly unventuful, and where one round was not distinguishable from the next, the crowd booed for several minutes after the decision was announced as a majority draw: 97-93 Kittikasem, 95-95, and 95-95. By the end of the month Chitalada had announced his retirement from the sport, which paved the way for Yun-Un Chin to advance in the tournament and challenge Kittikasem for his title.

Dm10

Pichit Sithbanprachan vs. Rodolofo Blanco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHblWn8lCyI

[Crimson]

Thursday, July 2nd, 1992
Northlands Arena; Edmonton, Canada
Rodolfo Blanco 27-9-2 (18) Columbia IBF
vs.
Scotty Olson 22-0-1 (16) Canada

There were 10,642 fans, present to cheer on the local hero in his attempt to win one of the 4 World Fly Weight Titles. Scotty Olson had looked very impressive in his previous outing, when he destroyed David Griman inside of 2 rounds.

This would not be IBF title holder, Rodolfo Blanco's, first time fighting in front of a crowd passionately rooting for his opponent. Back in 1987 Blanco traveled to Korea and was kayoed in 8 by Myung-Woo Yuh, while attempting to win the WBA Light Fly title. Then in 1990, Blanco lost a unanimous 12 round decision to IBF Fly Title holder Dave McAuley in Ireland. Now he would attempt to defend his newly won title against the popular Canadian Scotty Olson.

“Bulldog” tore into Blanco as soon as the 1st bell rang and promptly staggered the Columbian. Blanco had obtained the IBF title for a reason and replied with a fury. ½ way into the round Blanco blasted Olson to the canvas with powerful left hook. Olson rose at 4, and although hurt, traded blows with Blanco for the remainder of the round.

Olson resumed his aggressive attack in the 2nd round, but already was breathing with his mouth open. Blanco, with plenty of mucho gusto, waved on Olson to “bring it!” For most of the round, Blanco calmly picked Olson apart with jabs and right hands. Then, with less than 30 seconds Olson bounced a hard right hand off Blanco’s skull that staggered him into the ropes.

Olson came out for the 3rd to a thunderous ovation and promptly planted a hard left into Blanco’s side. A following left to the same location had Blanco hanging on and the 10,000+ in Northlands Arena sounding like 20,000! Olson then took his attack upstairs and had Blanco on the defensive with nothing in response. After 3 rounds Ringside Reporter, Will Schubert, had it 28-28.

The 4th was another round that Blanco seemed to be getting the better of until the final 30 seconds, when the “Bulldog” erupted with a devastating combination and later with a left hook that had Blanco retreating on his heels.

The 5th was the best round of the fight thus far. Olson bulled his way onto Blanco’s chest and pushed him around the ring, while landing effectively to the body. Blanco was able to counter enough though to keep it interesting. Although unmarked, Blanco was visibly tiring from the ruthless body assault he was under. It was more of the same in the 6th, and the pro-Olson crowd remained on their feet cheering throughout. The right eye of Blanco was now showing some damage (5).

With about a minute to go in the 8th round the fighters’ heads came together and Olson emerged with a cut on his left eyebrow that immediately sent a line of blood dripping down his face. It was a more cautious Olson who came out for the 9th round, but he still was the one who landed more blows of consequence.

The 1st minute of the 10th was all Olson. He targeted the increasingly swollen Blanco eye (9) and rocked the Columbian. In previous rounds when Olson missed Blanco would counter with shots that landed about 50% of the time. Now, Blanco was busy covering up and hardly throwing anything in reply. Ringside Expert, Will Schubert, had the fight surprisingly close though after 10 rounds, with Olson up by 1 point, 95-94.

After looking tired in the 2nd round, Olson now looked fully rested going into the 11th, as he had for most of the fight. Blanco looked exhausted and an Olson stoppage seemed possible. A fantastic Olson uppercut dropped Blanco early in the round.

It was a game Blanco who came out for the 12th and attempted to land a dramatic KO punch. However, Olson had no intention of allowing that to happen and he continued to get the better of it.
Punch stats favored Olson 328 to275. The judges scored it “116-110, 114-112, and 117-110 for the winner by unanimous decision AND…..NEW IBF Fly Weight Champion….SCOTTY OLSON!!!”

Scotty Olson Wu12 Rodolfo Blanco (wins IBF title)

[Crimson]

Friday, July 3rd, 1992
Chungmu Gymnasium; Chungmu, Korea

Yong-Kang Kim 25-3 (11) Korea WBA
vs.
Yuri Arbachakov 13-0 (11) Russia
AND
Yun-Un Chin 26-0-2 (17) Korea
vs.
Muanchai Kittikasem 20-1 (12) Thailand WBC

The crowd of 7,343 was solidly behind their native son Yun-Un Chin in his attempt to wrest the WBC Fly Weight title from Muanchai Kittikasem. Chin got off to a slow start and after 2 rounds his left eye was cut and starting to swell (3). In the 5th Chin was able to change the fight’s momentum when a perfect combination dropped Kittikasem for the count of 3. The WBC title holder fought a more defensive fight after the knockdown and targeted the increasingly swollen left eye of Chin (8), which began to bleed again in the 6th. There was good back and forth action until Chin caught Kittikasem in the 8th round, scoring 2 knockdowns. The final one was for the full count of 10.
Yun-Un Chin KO8 Muanchai Kittikasem (wins WBC Fly Weight title)

For the first 3 rounds Kim fought on fairly even terms with Yuri Arbachakov. In the 4th Arbachakov’s constant pressure began to take a toll on Kim. After 4 rounds Ringside Expert Mark Jones had it 39-37 for Arbachakov. In the 5th Kim sustained a cut on his left eye lid, from what was ruled an accidental headbutt. Kim was hurt and dropped in the 6th and survived on very shaky legs. Kim rallied in the 9th and 10th to keep it interesting. Kim’s cut was reopened in the 11th, a round that saw Arbachakov resume control of the fight. The mouth of Kim was cut in the 12th and final round, but the game Korean fought on.
Ringside Expert, Mark Jones, had it for Arbachakov 117-113. Punch stat favored Kim 260 to 246. The left eye of Arbachakov had some minor swelling around it (3). The judges cards were read as: “116-112, 117-112, and 116-114 for the winner by unanimous decision and…..NEW WBA Fly Weight Champion Yuri Arbachakov!”
Yuri Arbachakov Wu12 Yong-Kang Kim (wins WBA Fly Weight title)

Yuri Arbachakov vs. Takahiro Mazuno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHMYpPHmR6I

Yuri Arbachakov vs. Chatchai Sasakul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoqr8...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKOIi...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btDRy...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7w_c...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5mx...eature=related

Yuri Arbachakov vs. Nam-Hoon Cha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0326N...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aru2U...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bAvZ...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMxJ...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B1a2...eature=related

[Crimson]

Saturday, July 4th, 1992
Kelvin Hall; Glasgow, Scotland
Pat Clinton 19-1 (9) Scotland WBO
vs.
Dave McAuley 20-3-3 (9) Ireland


This battle, between two of Europe’s most popular fighter’s, was being fought in Clinton’s home country of Scotland at the filled to over capacity Kelvin Hall. Normally seating between 8,000- 9,000, the hall had temporarily been renovated to seat an additional 2,000. Many of the additional seats had been sold to McAuley fans making the trip from Ireland to cheer on the Irishman. Inscribed over the entrance to the hall was the ancient city motto, “Let Glasgow Flourish by the Preaching of the Word and the Praising of His Name.”

The odds were even and a case could be made for either fighter winning. The 31 year old McAuley had proven the predictors of his demise wrong with an impressive 2nd round stoppage of Ysaias Zamudio lst month. This fight would be McAuley’s first where most of the fans would be cheering for his opponent. His only other fight in hostile territory was against Duke McKenzie. And, although it was in London, a significant number of the crowd was still cheering for McAuley.

McAuley would be the most accomplished opponent yet in the 28 year old Clinton’s career. His only loss being a 12 round decision to Turkey’s Eyup Can in 1989. Clinton had won the WBO title in his last fight, a 12 round split decision in March vs. veteran contender Isidro Perez.

Both fighters entered the ring in great shape, to a roaring crowd that was decidedly supporting the Glasgow native. McAuley took the 1st round and resorted to some rough house tactics, hitting Clinton deliberately with a straight right after the bell, which drew a stern warning from the referee.

Clinton’s left eye started to swell in the 2nd round, and by the 9th was ½ closed (10). Ringside Expert, Jim Trunzo, had it 77-75 McAuley after 8 fairly evenly contested rounds.

With his home country fans cheering him on, a dead tired Clinton rallied in the 9th and had McAuley on the defensive. The fighters continued to exchange punches after the bell to end round 10. With his trainer Jimmy Tibbs imploring him to be more aggressive, Clinton came out for the final round looking to land a dramatic punch. Thinking he had the fight won on the cards, regardless of if he lost the 12th round or not, Dave McAuley followed the instructions of his trainer John Breen and used a cover up strategy in the 12th round.

After 11 rounds, Ringside Expert, Jim Trunzo, had it 105-104 for McAuley. Behind his ½ closed left eye, Clinton forced the action, but was generally ineffective. McAuley moved and held, while occasionally countering with a light jab. Final punch stat numbers were a virtual dead heat at 288 to 286 favoring Clinton. The entourage and corners hoisted their respective fighter onto their shoulders, while parading him around the ring.

Ringside Expert, Jim Trunzo, had it a draw at 114-114. The first card was read as 115-113 for McAuley and greeted with mostly jeers from the crowd. The 2nd card was cheered when read as 116-113 Clinton. The final card of 114-114 was met with a chorus of boos, but also acceptance as it was hard to argue that the verdict wasn't reasonable.
Dm12 (Clinton retains his WBO Fly Weight title)

[Crimson]

Thursday, September 24th, 1992
Cirkus; Kemerovo, Russia

Yuri Arbachakov 14-0 (11) Russia WBA
vs.
Yun-Un Chin 27-0-2 (18) Korea WBC

Yuri Arbachakov would be making his 1st defense of the WBA title and attempt to obtain Yun-Un Chin’s, recently won WBC belt in his birth city of Kemerovo, Russia. This would also be Arbachakov’s 1st professional fight in his native country. Kemerovo has a population of roughly 520,000 and Arbachakov is a beloved hero there.

Odds on the fight were dead even. Chin has never tasted defeat, but neither has Arbachakov. Both fighters are well known for coming into fights in peak condition and having unlimited stamina. There was some concern expressed by reporters that Arbachakov may have peaked early in his training, due to overtraining.

Showing respect for Chin’s vaunted power, Arbachakov initially boxed smartly from the outside. This tactic proved to be very efficient for the first 2 rounds, as Chin had much difficulty landing any punches of consequence and was repeatedly hit by the much faster Russian.

In the 3rd Chin began to find the range for his punches and landed several blows of consequence. By the rounds end Arbachakov’s left eye had begun to swell quickly (8). Chin began to land his right hand with regularity, as Arbachakov was clearly having a difficult time seeing. Arbachakov blasted Chin throughout the 5th round, causing Kim to cover up in attempt to avoid further punishment.

Arbachakov rushed out of his corner to start the 6th, wishing to continue where he had left off in the 5th. Chin met him with some tremendous power punches and Arbachakov replied in kind! It was a crowd pleasing round of rip roaring action! Kim’s left eye was now starting to puff up (2).

Arbachakov attempted to follow the instructions of his trainer, Alexander Zimin, and box conservatively from the outside. However, less than a minute into the round and he was once again exchanging punches with Chin in an exciting slugfest that had the fans on their feet. It was difficult to tell how much off the Russian’s strategy to participate in a slugfest was influenced by wanting to impress and please his home country fans, or if he was slugging because Chin was giving him no other choice.

Both fighters faces were bruised and battered when they came out for the 8th round, showing the effects of the war taking place within the 4 ropes. Chin’s left eye (5) continued to swell. For Arbachakov, not only was his left eye ½ closed (10), but his right eye was in the process of doing the same (5)! Arbachakov’s breathing was forced and labored, supporting the reporters who claimed he had over trained for this fight and was not in his normal peak condition. Arbachakov was only 109 pounds at the weigh in. Only 1 pound above the Light Fly Weight limit! Ringside Expert, Ian Lord, had it 67-67 after 7 rounds off fierce action.

Believing he had the Russian Champion hurt and could finish him, Chin came out for the 8th looking to score a clean KO. Arbachakov had plans of his own though to do the same! Almost every punch thrown by Chin was landing, as Arbachakov was having so much difficulty now with his eye sight. The only punches not landing were the ones blocked by Arbachakov’s gloves. The Russian was also now missing many more punches than he had been earlier in the fight. It appeared that the end of the fight for Arbachakov might not be far away. Perhaps sensing that, the WBC title holder upped his attack and landed several boot knocking right and left hands, sending Chin into the ropes!

The 9th was a tremendous action round! Arbachakov had trouble landing his punches early and was hit by counter punches in return. Both of his eyes continued to swell (left 12 and right 7). With a minute to go in the round a left hook sent a stream of blood dripping down the face of Chin, from a bad cut under his right eye! His left eye was now nearly half closed (8).

Both fighters came out for the 10th, dead tired and looking to end the fight that round. The Russian crowd was on their feet screaming for Arbachakov to knock Chin out. The two gladiators took turns blasting one another with power punches during the round. It appeared that the winner would be determined possibly by “who just wants it more?”

A Chin shot to the body hurt Arbachakov early in the 11th. Every punch thrown by Chin had bad intentions and seemingly could not miss! While the punches of Arbachakov, were also thrown with equally bad intentions, they landed on the arms of the Korean fighter, or missed altogether. When the bell rang to end the round the two fighters just stood and stared at one another, neither willing to move and allow the other to pass to his corner. Neither moved until the referee, Vince Delgado, stepped between the fighters and broke up the impasse.

Going into the 12th and final round Ringside Expert, Ian Lord, had it 107-103 Yun-Un Chin. With 1:40 to go in the fight, Arbachakov walked right into a left hook and after stumbling to the side he fell to the canvas! Although obviously badly hurt, Arbachakov was up at 5. Chin jumped on him immediately with a fusillade of punches. By the rounds end, Arbachakov had recovered and was hitting Chin with decent punches. At the ringing of the final bell the crowd was on their feet cheering both fighters for the absolute war they had allowed them to witness. Chin’s left eye was ½ closed, but his cut was no longer bleeding. Arbachakov’s entire face was a swollen mass of flesh (left eye 12 and right eye 7)! All 3 judges had the fight 116-111 for the new WBA Champion and still WBC Champion…..YUN-UN CHIN!

Yun-Un Chin Wu12 Yuri Arbachakov (wins WBA and defends WBC titles)

[Crimson]

Friday, July 24th, 1992
Kelvin Hall; Glasgow, Scotland

Pat Clinton 19-1-1 (9) Scotland WBO
vs.
Scotty Olson 23-0-1 (16) Canada IBF
Kelvin Hall was packed to the rafters and singing in unison for Scotland’s own Pat Clinton as he made his way to the ring for the highly anticipated unification battle between he and Canada’s Scotty Olson. Clinton had retained his WBO title via an unsatisfactory draw in his last fight, vs. Dave McAuley, to advance in the Fly Weight World Championship Tournament.

The “Bulldog”, as Scotty Olson is nicknamed, brought his undefeated record and plenty of confidence into the ring vs. Clinton. He had steamrolled his way to this unification battle, with a 2nd round blowout of David Griman and unanimous decision victory over Rodolfo Blanco. Both of those wins though were in front of his home country fans. Now Olson would be on the road in front of a decidedly hostile crowd for the first time in his professional career, but the former Olympian was a 2-1 betting favorite.

Olson was cut in his last fight, but that wound had since fully healed. It was expected that Clinton would target that eye though, as Olson had a history of cutting. Olson expressed no fear or concern of fighting in the backyard of his opponent. He had lofty goals of winning the Fly Weight World Championship and eventually securing himself a place in the "International Boxing Hall of Fame”, and knew beating the WBO title holder in his home country of Scotland would look well on his own resume.

After 2 rounds of boxing it was clear that Olson was physically the much stronger of the two. Clinton was able to land his fair share of punches, but Olson walked right through them. When Olson landed, his blows were hurting Clinton.

Clinton returned to his corner after 3 rounds with a rapidly swelling left eye (8) and unsteady legs. Olson looked as fresh as he had upon entering the ring. On the scorecard of Ringside Expert, Andreas Raht, Olson had swept the first 3 rounds 30-27.

Clinton was bothered by his right eye and hurt early in the 4th, while Olson continued his relentless attack unabated. Clinton was able to land many punches of his own that drew cheers from the singing crowd, but they didn’t match the power and damage of Olson’s, which were landing in equal volume. Clinton was breathing from his mouth during the round.

Olson showed little regard for the punches of Clinton and it contributed to a very exciting fight, as both fighters were landing. Fans of Clinton though had to wonder, “How much longer could he withstand the damage Olson’s punches were administering?” Olson was mixing his attack between the body and head. The right eye of Clinton was now ½ closed (12).

The forward march of Olson continued in the 6th, with Clinton attempting to box and counter from the outside. It was quantity of punches vs. quality. Olson finally began to show some signs of his own that he was tiring toward the end of the 6th round, when a body shot strayed low. The referee warned Olson for the low blow and gave Clinton about 1 minute to recover.

In the 7th a clash of heads produced a sizeable gash on the forehead of Clinton. After 7 rounds Ringside Expert, Andreas Raht, had Clinton working his way back into the fight and now down by only 1 point 68-67. Thirty seconds into the 8th round and a brutal uppercut caught Clinton flush! Clinton pitched forward onto the canvas badly hurt, but managed to rise at “6”. Olson was all over him like a starving bulldog on a piece of raw pork. The forehead cut of Clinton was soon flowing blood again, creating a crimson mask on his face. The referee then gave Clinton a momentary break to allow the doctor to inspect the cut. After nearly 1 minute had passed, and Olson’s trainer had screamed himself hoarse in protest at the delay, the fighting was allowed to resume. A crushing cross had Clinton reeling across the ring, where Olson followed and landed an avalanche of blows dropping Clinton to the canvas for the 2nd time in the round. Clinton rose quickly, but there was still 1 minute to go in the round. After 2 huge Olson hooks landed the referee stopped it at 2:41 of the 8th!

To the disappointed Glasgow crowd, Craig Stephen announced, “The winner by 8th round TKO and still the IBFChampion and new WBO Champion….SCOTTY “Bulldog” OLSON!”
Scotty Olson TKO8 Pat Clinton (wins WBO title and defends IBF title)

[Crimson]

Sunday, December 20th, 1992
Northlands Arena; Edmonton, Canada
Scotty Olson 24-0-1 (17) Canada IBF WBO
vs.
Yun-Un Chin 28-0-2 (18) Korea WBC WBA
Scotty Olson returned home to Canada to fight before a sellout crowd of Canadian fans that had filled the Edmonton Oilers “Northlands Arena” to a full house capacity of 16,839. The Canadian sports fans loved their hockey more than any other sport by far, but they also loved a good fight and eagerly turned out in support of Scotty Olson’s quest to become the undisputed Fly Weight World Champion.

Olson was listed as a 2-1 favorite to fulfill his dream of winning the World Championship. Chin emerged into this championship match having beaten some very long odds. Prior to the tournament’s first fight, Chin was listed as a 30-1 underdog to win it all. While Olson, had been listed at 10-1 odds to win the entire tournament.

(Before I post the result, if anyone is interested in posting a prediction, or comments on this upcoming Championship fight, please do.The TBCB odds were 2-1 for Olson. Myself, I wasn't surprised that Olson reached the Championship match, but hadn't expected Chin to get past Arbachakov. I think my setting Arbachakov to pre-prime for that fight might have been a significant factor.)

[Jeff1787]

It would be hard to make a prediction; my track record on predictions has been dismal; i.e. "The Greatest Prize in Sports" universe. I see a "war" where either could win by KO or TKO since both seem to be very aggressive. Both of these fighters are extremely tough. If it goes the distance I see a split decision for sure. An excellent match up to say the least.

[Crimson]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

It would be hard to make a prediction; my track record on predictions has been dismal; i.e. "The Greatest Prize in Sports" universe. I see a "war" where either could win by KO or TKO since both seem to be very aggressive. Both of these fighters are extremely tough. If it goes the distance I see a split decision for sure. An excellent match up to say the least.

Yup. I would have gone with Olson, but that's having never seen Chin fight or even being aware of him. So far I've found no information on him from the internet. Only write up I've seen so far is from an issue of the Ring covering his unsuccessful title challenge of Yuri Arbachakov. The write up does speak well of Chin's effort and notes that he swept the final 3 rounds. He retired after the Arbachakov fight. His only loss. One of the judges had it very close at 115-113. I'm not sure where the photo I've been posting for Chin came from.

Anyone out there with information or photos of Yun-Un Chin?

[Crimson]

Sunday, December 20th, 1992
Northlands Arena; Edmonton, Canada
Scotty “Bulldog” Olson 24-0-1 (17) Canada IBF WBO
vs.
Yun-Un Chin 28-0-2 (18) Korea WBC WBA
Scotty Olson returned home to Canada to fight before a sellout crowd of Canadian fans that had filled the Edmonton Oilers “Northlands Arena” to a full house capacity of 16,839. The Canadian sports fans love their hockey more than any other sport by far, but they also enjoy a good fight and eagerly turned out in support of Scotty Olson’s quest to become the undisputed Fly Weight World Champion.

Olson was listed as a 2-1 favorite to fulfill his dream of winning the Fly Weight World Championship. Chin emerged into this championship match having beaten some very long odds. Prior to the tournament’s first fight, Chin was listed as a 30-1 underdog to win it all. While Olson, had been listed at 10-1 odds to win the entire tournament.

After his surprising win over Yui Arbachakov in the hostile confines of the Russian’s hometown, Chin was looking very confident at the weigh-in for his Championship match with Olson. With the styles of both fighters, who refused to take a backward step when fighting and were not adverse to taking a punch to land one of their own bombs, this promised to be a brawl that boxing fans would love. Defense was not a strong area for either and both had a tendency to cut and swell up. The “Northland Arena” was thunderlously loud while Olson made his walk to the ring.

After a mutually tentative feeling out 1st round the two warriors began trading leather with abandon on fairly equal terms. In the 4th referee, Micky Vann of England, took 1 point away from Olson for excessive rabbit punching and was serenaded with boos from the crowd.

Chin had an excellent 6th round. Olson was hurt by a series of body shots and forced to hold on. Moments later he was rocked by a right hand. In reply Olson mocked Chin feigning being hurt, but in reality it looked like false bravado and that his bell had been rung quite hard. Before the round ended Olson took a thumb in the eye from Chin and momentarily turned away in pain. The left eye immediately began to close and despite Olson’s cutman, working on it feverishly during the rest period, it was already nearly ½ closed (8) at the start of round 7. Ringside Expert, Dave Rodman, had it 58-57 for Chin.

Olson came out with a vengeance in the 7th and landed several early bombs, but Chin replied in kind with his own torpedoes. One of which deposited Olson on the canvas! Using the nearby ropes to pull himself up, Olson beat the count at 8.

Olson was carrying his hands low in the 8th, a result of Chin’s ruthless body attack. The Canadian began boxing defensively, a very uncommon style for the slugger. However, he did possess underused boxing skills from his days as a world class amateur and was able to win the 8th and 9th rounds.

Chin became more aggressive than ever in the 10th, sensing that the end might be near for Olson and his own time as the Fly Weight World Champion was on the verge of arrival! When Chin upped his attack and Olson little to no answer. Olson was soon badly hurt, but refused to hold or move away. He mostly just absorbed one left and right hand after another. The Candian’s left eye was now just a mass of swollen flesh (15) and for all practical purposes was closed. Despite not being knocked down, it was a one sided enough round to warrant being scored 10-8 for Chin.

Olson took more shellacking in the 11th round, but continued to fire enough punches in reply to prevent referee, Micky Vann, from stopping it. With 18 seconds remaining in the round Vann brought Olson to the ringside doctor so that he could inspect he eye, which was now only a slit behind a mound of swollen flesh. Olson was emphatic in telling the doctor not to stop the fight and that his eyesight was fine.

“Bulldog” needed to do something dramatic to change the fight’s momentum in the 12th, but even to the most devoted of Olson’s fans it appeared highly unlikely. Chin had shown all fight that he could take Olson’s best shot and then reply with 2 or more that were better. Olson fought gamely, but was unable to match the firepower of Chin. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the round 12 Olson was knocked down for the 2nd time in the fight.

During the rest period, the doctor took a close look at his eye which now appeared to be completely closed (18), but allowed Olson out for the 13th round. Olson was able to rally in the 13th and outhustle Chin to win the round. Still, Ringside Expert, Dave Rodman, had Olson hopelessly behind at 127-119 going into the 14th round.

The fighters touched gloves to start the 15th and final round of this battle to determine the FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION. Olson’s aggression remained as constant in the 15th as it had been in the 1st round, but his defense was virtually non-existent. Chin was able to land and rattle Olson with virtually every punch he threw. THEN it happened. After Chin missed with a telegraphed right hand, which Olson ducked under, the Canadian countered with a powerful cross to the head of Chin that resulted in a knockdown! The crowd stood as one to their feet. Referee Micky Vann had to point the weary Olson to the neutral corner. The count reached “6” and Chin was still down. “7…8…”and Chin stood on very unsteady legs with 1:01 remaining in the fight.

Chin covered up, knowing that all he probably had to do was make it to the final bell and he would be awarded the decision. When the final bell rang, punch stat numbers favored Chin 416 to 327. Chin’s face was relatively unmarked compared to Olson’s, which was lumpy and had a virtually closed eye (16). The ring announcer read the scorecards, “Judge John Coyle of England has it 144-137, Judge Arthur Mercante Sr. of the United States has it 141-141 Even, and Judge Don Ackerman of the United States has it 142-139 for ….............................................THE WINNER................ AND NOW THE UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED FLY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION …................................................. ...........YUN-UN CHIN!!!!!!”

There were a few scattered boos, some polite applause, but mostly the decision was greeted with silence by the pro-Olson crowd.

Yun-Un Chin Wm15 Scotty Olson (wins WORLD FLY WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, IBF and WBOtitles, defends WBA and WBC titles)

[Crimson]

Odds on winning the 1992 Jr. Bantam World Championship tournament
3-1 Khaosai Galaxy (post prime)
4-1 Sung-Kil Moon
4-1 Katsuya Onizuka
6-1 Robert Quiroga
7-1 Jose Quirino
8-1 Johnny Tapia
12-1 Nana Konadu
12-1 Jose Ruiz
15-1 Sithbaobey Thanmosk
20-1 Johnny Bredahal (pre prime)
35-1 Luigi Camputaro
35-1 Armando Castro (post prime)

Since Khaosai Galaxy has made it clear that he is not going to retire and desires to win all 4 of the title belts in the Jr. BANTAM WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP tournament, the WBA has reinstated him as Champion and ignored having already named Katsuya Onizuka as their Champion. Onizuka and his camp are understandably not pleased with this decision and are looking forward to fighting Galaxy in the ring. First though Onizuka, who is wildly popular in Japan, must get past Sithbaobay Thanmosk. Less than 3 months ago Onizuka won a close 12 round decision over Thanmosk, in a fight that at the time was billed as being for the WBA crown. A fight between Galaxy and Onizuka will be a major draw in Asia, should it ever take place.

[Jeff1787]

I hope Johnny Tapia keeps things exciting!! I think he is better than 8-1...Don't count him out.

[Crimson]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

I hope Johnny Tapia keeps things exciting!! I think he is better than 8-1...Don't count him out.

No doubt! I based the odds on where Tapia was at in his career in1992, combined with how he's done so far in this universe. With less than 25 wins, he was still fairly unproven. Another key factor is (in real life) he was inactive from 1991-93. If I remember correctly this was due to legal problems with drug use.

In 1992 I'm not sure if there were many, if any, boxing experts predicting he would go on to have as successful a career as he did. His story really is something special. I think it is well worth having a book written on and/or making a movie about.

Tapia is one of my favorite fighters. Inside and outside of the ring. I'm looking forward to his upcoming matchup with Robert Quiroga.