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TBCB Inside the Ropes Your game and fantasy fights

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Old 05-01-2009, 01:09 AM   #1
BigBoyBrackey
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He Coulda Been a Champion - a Greg Page memorial uni

Greg Page's death on Monday, the coda to one of the saddest ends in a business filthy with them, spurred me to dig out maybe the greatest investigative boxing book, Jack Newfield's "Only In America: The Life and Crimes of Don King."

In addition to his murderous beginnings and profound mastery of corruption in just about every imaginable form, Newfield details King's destructive impact on the careers and lives of his fighters, from the quickly forgotten Candy Slim Merritt to The Greatest, Muhammad Ali. Nowhere were King's manipulations as devastating as on at least a score of heavyweight titlists and contenders in the 1980s, which Newfield terms "the Lost Generation of Heavyweights."

Tim Witherspoon is his poster boy, mainly because Spoon filed suit against King and was willing to speak out -- at least until meekly returning for a few more paydays in the 1990s. But his effect on Page was at least as sinister. Even the second title shot King gave Page (the first ended in a loss to Witherspoon nine months earlier, when King threw two discontented members of his stable in together) had a dark side, as he had to travel to South Africa to face Gerrie Coetzee just as anti-apartheid sentiment in the U.S. was peaking. Page won the WBA belt with an eight-round knockout.

But despite dominating the action, the win was tainted by a timekeeper's error that allowed the final punch to land at the end of a round that lasted nearly four minutes. And any boost the crown might have given Page's career was snuffed by the backlash he endured for the sin of playing Sun City.

Page lost the title in a hideous bout with Tony Tubbs the next time out and never got a shot at another world crown.

As a way of paying tribute to a gifted, but criminally misguided fighter who certainly deserved better on the business end of things, we'll be imagining a world in which Butch Lewis, Page's original promoter, never lets Don King within my-brothering distance of the unbeaten prospect, and convinces a legendary trainer to take on a second heavyweight protege from Louisville ...

As things progress, I'll tweak Page's ratings based on results. But to begin with, the main difference will be seen in his condition, motivation, and guidance from the corner.

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Old 05-01-2009, 01:38 AM   #2
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Sounds very interesting. I'll be following.
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Old 05-01-2009, 01:44 AM   #3
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LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL


Lewis Lands Dundee


Ali's mentor agrees to train unbeaten Page

May 23, 1981 -- Legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, who was in Muhammad Ali's corner for every one of the three-time heavyweight champion's 60 professional fights, has agreed to take on unbeaten local prospect Greg Page.

"The kid's got a lot of what my last big guy had -- hand speed, footwork and defense -- and he might hit a little harder than Muhammad did at that age," Dundee said during a mid-day press conference at The Brown Hotel.

Promoter Butch Lewis, who warded off a takeover bid by rival Don King at the funeral of Page's father earlier this week, said Dundee brings the experience necessary to elevate the 22-year-old to world-title contention.

"Angelo's the best trainer in boxing, I'm the best promoter in boxing and Greg's going to be the best boxer in boxing," Lewis said.

Page thanked his former chief second, Baby Leroy Edmerson of Louisville, but said it was time to move on.

"Baby taught me so much, but I want to be even more," said Page, who stopped Marty Monroe after five rounds in April at The Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, N.Y., to improve to 15-0 with 14 knockouts.

The win was Page's first defense of the United States Boxing Association heavyweight title, which he won by way of a seventh-round stoppage of Stan Ward in February.

Ali announced his retirement following a brutal beating at the fists of World Boxing Council titlist Larry Holmes last October, but talk of yet another comeback later this year has been circulating in recent weeks.

"I don't know nothing about that," Dundee said. "I hope he's done. But if my guy wants to do it again, I'll be there for him."

Dundee said his work with Page won't interfere with his tutelage of welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard, whatever Ali does.

"Christ, I'm not even 60 until August," Dundee said. "I can handle more than one job at a time."

He'll have less than a month to get his newest charge ready for his next fight, a scheduled 10-rounder against Alfredo Evangelista at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on June 12, part of the undercard for Larry Holmes' defense of the WBC heavyweight title against former world champion Leon Spinks.



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Old 05-01-2009, 06:14 AM   #4
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I'm looking forward to this as well
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Old 05-01-2009, 11:41 AM   #5
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Very promising and creative premise Your only limit with this uni is your imagination!

Just go with the flow and see where it takes you

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Old 05-01-2009, 01:05 PM   #6
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Looking through a few passages from Newfield's book last night after posting (I read it eight or 10 years ago), it again struck me how many fighters had their career trajectory altered by King's machinations -- none, that I can think of, for the better. Instead, they came out of what should have been lucrative fights believing they had been robbed by their promoter, killing their motivation for future fights and keeping them from reaching their full potential, or, if they started to get wise and King thought them disloyal, getting thrown into matches they weren't ready for in order to clear the way for a more naive up-and-comer.

Even boxers he did not sink his hooks into suffered somehow, either by being denied opportunities or because the likes of Page, Witherspoon and the rest never became what they could have been, preventing what might have been a Golden Age for the division and the sport approaching the level of the Ali-Frazier-Foreman-Norton era.

This all has me thinking that, while Page will remain the inspiration and primary focus, this is going to be more of an ensemble universe. After all, he could get derailed early on, even without King and with Dundee, and it would seem a little redundant to start over with, say, a King-free Witherspoon.

Of course, this will mean dealing with Mr. King in some way in order to clear the decks for our heroes to blossom without his corrupting influence.

Page provides a pretty clean launching point, since King wrestled him away from Butch Lewis immediately after the death of the fighter's father, but, like the Good Professor said above, the possibilities are without bounds:

What happens to the Alphabet Boys without King to empower the WBC and his war with Bob Arum to enable the WBA? Is the hideous deformity known as the IBF ever even born if Holmes doesn't have to give up his WBC belt in order to free himself from The Don?

Speaking of Holmes, it could be argued that he never defended that IBF trinket against a legitimate, proven top-10 heavyweight contender after his final WBC defense, a narrow escape against Witherspoon in May of 1983. Part of that was certainly an effort to keep his record perfect, but he was also unable to accept a challenge from anyone in King's stable without creating future entanglements. Without King's real and perceived slights eating at his psyche and with no such business considerations to worry about, does Spoon get a rematch? Does Page get his shot in one of the era's more intriguing shoulda-been fights? Does a more motivated Holmes blow past Marciano with his zero intact?

Does Earnie Shavers, freed of the prospect of dealing with King yet again, build on his almost-KO of Holmes, instead of sliding downhill? (WARNING: The Acorn was my first favorite fighter as a kid, so you're going to be seeing a fair amount of him.)

Speaking of easily winded sluggers, might Big George Foreman launch his crusade for redemption a few years earlier if King's not around to deal with?

While I like the idea of an ending date, as in professordp's worlds, I can't in good conscious set one yet. After all, in May 1981, there's a 15-year-old kid from Brownsville who just might not have his career and life derailed by a certain spiky-haired demagogue when he hits his early 20s ...

I hope to get the first fight(s) going this evening, as well as continuing the 1920s heavyweight tourney thread over the weekend. In the meantime, please share any of your ideas on your favorites from the early 80s, King, or anything else even tangentially related.
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Old 05-01-2009, 01:15 PM   #7
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Very interesting Uni concept. Will definately be following along
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Old 05-01-2009, 09:43 PM   #8
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It's an intriguing era that you're focusing on and I'm looking forward to the story you tell.
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Old 05-01-2009, 11:15 PM   #9
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June 12, 1981

In a dressing room at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Angelo Dundee wraps Greg Page's hands for their first bout together, a 10-rounder against former European champion and two-time world title challenger Alfredo Evangelista.

Page-Evangelista is a preliminary for Larry Holmes' defense of the World Boxing Council belt against the comebacking Leon Spinks, the headliner on a card billed by promoter Don King as "A Tribute to Joe Louis." The promotion has been criticized as a crass attempt to boost the gate for a title fight that nobody was demanding.



While Page gets ready to face his best-known opponent to date, another unbeaten American heavyweight, Michael Dokes, enters the ring to take on the current European champion, England's John L. Gardner.

At 20-0-1 with 10 KOs, Dokes is coming off a disappointing split-decision win over the clumsy Tex Cobb in March and looking to answer questions about his punching power. Gardner (33-2, 28) seeks to follow in the footsteps of fellow European titlists like Evangelista and Lorenzo Zanon, who parlayed their continental accomplishments into lucrative world title shots.

After watching hometown middleweight Dwight Davison belt out hideously overmatched Angel Castro (just 1-2 entering the fight against the 28-1 Davison) in a typical King-made mismatch, the crowd settles in as Dokes (215 pounds) and Gardner (208.5) get their instructions from referee Elmo Adolph ...

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Old 05-02-2009, 12:25 AM   #10
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June 12, 1981

THE DETROIT NEWS

Dokes repels British invasion

Needing an impressive performance after scraping out a split decision over limited mauler Randall "Tex" Cobb less than three months ago, Michael Dokes delivered by destroying European heavyweight champion John L. Gardner in six rounds.

Criticized for being too cautious against Cobb, Dokes came out flat-footed and, after getting rocked by a left hook, floored the Brit with a savage left-right little more than a minute in.

Gardner rose on wobbly legs and warded off Dokes' onslaught for nearly a minute, but crashed again from a right uppercut just beyond the two-minute mark of the first. Gardner made it to his feet again and survived the rest of the round, even scoring a pair of body shots just before the bell.

Gardner rallied against an arm-weary Dokes in the second, building a big early lead behind a thumping hook to the body and a vicious right cross midway through the round. Dokes resumed with the power shots in the final minute, but Gardner took the round.

In the third, Gardner again controlled the first 90 seconds with a series of body shots, then staggered Dokes with a left hook. But the unbeaten prospect passed the test by landing a straight right that sent Gardner into the ropes, where he spent the rest of the round.

Dokes took control for good less than a minute into the fourth, flooring Gardner again with another left-right combo, but was unable to follow up.

The spent Gardner couldn't do much more in the fifth than stay on his feet and somehow convince referee Elmo Adolph that there was a good reason to let the one-sided beating continue, even though Dokes landed at will throughout.

Dokes continued pouring it on in the sixth, undeterred by a few decent shots Gardner managed early in the round. Adolph still refused to intervene, so Dokes took it out of the ref's hands with a head-spinning left hook. Gardner's efforts to make it to his feet failed, with Adolph tolling 10 at 2:51 of the sixth round.

Promoter Don King slithered through the ropes as Adolph waived his arms after completing the count, engulfing Dokes in a loving embrace.

"This young man showed the world tonight how a true heavyweight handles his business," King shouted to reporters trying to get to Dokes, who improved to 21-0-1, 11 KOs, for a post-fight interview. "He was lean and mean, powerful and tyrannical. If Greg Page were smarter, he'd make like Michael and get with the program."

King surprised some observers by even putting Page on the undercard, despite the Louisville native's refusal to abandon promoter Butch Lewis earlier this spring. Notably, though, King refused to allow Page's meeting with Alfredo Evangelista to air as part of the ABC telecast, instead insisting that the time before the main event be filled with a 15-minute Holmes-Spinks preview and a half-hour biography of the numbers kingpin-turned-promoter.


(In the real world, Dokes stopped Gardner in the fourth, an impressive showing that can be seen here.)

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Old 05-02-2009, 12:58 AM   #11
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After watching on a monitor in his dressing room as Michael Dokes battered John L. Gardner, Greg Page (15-0, 14 KOs) knows he needs an equally impressive performance against Alfredo Evangelista to keep his place in the hierarchy of young heavyweights.


Evangelista, best known for his rather unthreatening title challenges to Muhammad Ali (L15) and Larry Holmes (TKO by 7), is fighting in the U.S. for the first time since getting knocked out in the fifth by Leon Spinks in January, 1980. That fight, in which Evangelista badly hurt Spinks in the second, started the former world champion on a 3-0-1 run that was enough to land him a shot at Holmes.

The 26-year-old Evangelista, meanwhile, returned home to Spain and has gone 8-0-1 against a series of novices and non-entities, inflating his record to 40-5-3 with 29 KOs.

Page, who began training under Dundee less than a month ago, weighed in at 230 pounds, while Evangelista scaled a rather fleshy 224.

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Old 05-02-2009, 02:00 AM   #12
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June 12, 1981

THE DETROIT NEWS

Powerful Page prevails in six

Much as rising heavyweight rival Michael Dokes had done moments earlier in stopping European champion John L. Gardner, unbeaten prospect Greg Page worked to shed his fancy-lad image with an uncharacteristically aggressive effort against former world-title challenger Alfredo Evangelista.

Like Dokes, Page belted out his foe from across the pond in just less than six rounds. The end for Evangelista came at the 2:29 mark, when referee Richard Steele jumped between the fighters following a lightning left jab-right cross-left hook combo landed cleanly, snapping the defenseless Uruguayan's head violently with each connection.

Page, who improved to 16-0 with 15 knockouts, set up the final onslaught with a series of uppercuts earlier in the round, as well as a pair of strafing rights to the jaw.

The Louisville product opened fast in his first outing under the tutelage of legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, showing tremendous handspeed and precision as he hurt Evangelista repeatedly in each of the first three rounds, clearly dominating in each.

After nearly putting Evangelista away at the end of the third, Page came out looking to end things in the fourth. His inexperience at such an approach showed moments after the bell, though, as he missed with a right and absorbed the full force of a counter left hook, Evangelista's best shot of the evening.

Page stumbled back into the ropes and was forced into a shell as Evangelista flailed away for the better part of a minute. Page recovered enough to land a few punches of his own in the final moments, but the round clearly belonged to the veteran.

Page regained control in the fifth, ripping Evangelista with combinations to the head and the body. Steele could have intervened any time in the final 30 seconds, but curiously refused to step in even after it was clear that the exhausted Evangelista could barely lift his arms, much less throw meaningful punches.

The sixth was more of the same, with Page taking target practice with equal accuracy to the head and body. Steele was finally left with no choice but to step in after another devastating three-punch combination left Evangelista sagging over the top rope near his own corner, half-turned away from his tormentor.


As he's prone to doing, promoter Don King sidled up to Page after the win that brought his record to 16-0, 15 KOs, continuing to court the only top heavyweight prospect not yet under his control.

"Greg Page, you could be the heavyweight champion of the world, the greatest since Muhammad Ali was rumbling in the jungle and thrilling Manila, if only you had the right connections!" King gravely intoned for the cameras, his arm wrapped around the fighter's shoulder as Butch Lewis stood in the background, looking increasingly uncomfortable.


(In the actual fight, Page stopped Evangelista in the second.)


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Old 05-02-2009, 02:29 AM   #13
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This is great
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Old 05-02-2009, 11:03 AM   #14
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You've gotten things off to an interesting start.
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Old 05-02-2009, 02:46 PM   #15
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A few notes ...

First, thank you to the commenters for the kind words above. I've enjoyed the work of all of you over the past couple of years, and will start commenting elsewhere, as well, now that I've finally gotten registered and all that. Thanks again for welcoming me into a pretty cool club.

---I'm still working out details of how all this will work, exactly, such as whether to sim all relevant heavyweight bouts, or let some historical results stand. Before long, I expect circumstances will force deviation from the real life schedule.

For instance, the real Greg Page suffered his first lost almost exactly one year after stopping Evangelista, when he broke a thumb early and lost a split decision to Trevor Berbick on the Holmes-Cooney undercard (hmmm ... I wonder if possibly not being the focus of a blatantly race-baiting promotion and its aftermath might have an impact on Gerry's development ...).

After the defeat, Page treaded water for the following year, beating the likes of James Tillis, Larry Frazier and Renaldo Snipes rather than getting a title shot, which was not to come until nearly two years after the loss to Berbick.

If he gets by Berbick in the sim (and doesn't lose before that), maybe he gets his chance sooner. Or maybe not.

---Non-heavyweight fights are another matter to consider. Sugar Ray Leonard might not be too happy with Dundee training Page for a bout just 13 days before he steps up to challenge Ayub Kalule for a 154-pound belt.

Not sure yet, but I'm thinking I'll sim some superfights that really took place (Leonard-Hearns is only a few months away, and I'm not sure I can pass that one up) -- as well as the occasional more mundane, but still intriguing matchup -- and let the historical record stand elsewhere, in order to keep this from getting completely out of hand.

---I'm also not sure about whether/how to best tweak ratings for the fighters I'm going to presume were kept down by King's unique entrepreneurial style. Up until now, I've only used the ratings in the game or provided on these boards and on cornerwork, etc.

But the present ratings for Page, Dokes, etc. account for the slovenly training habits, drug abuse issues and general psychic turmoil brought about at least in part by King. It seems to make sense to try mitigating some of those issues. I think. So please feel free to offer up any pointers, past experiences, etc., on this or any other topic.

---Up until this point, the quotes have been heard only within my own mind. But there's too much great Don King verbiage out there not to incorporate some of his bon mots, customized to fit the circumstances of Greg's World. Just wanted to get that out there so nobody thinks I'm stealing from the undisputed champion of self-promotion without affording proper credit.

Coming up: Larry Holmes headlines King's half-hearted "Tribute to Joe Louis" by defending his World Boxing Council heavyweight crown against former world champion Leon Spinks.
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Old 05-02-2009, 03:38 PM   #16
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June 12, 1981 -- Holmes/Spinks preview



Perhaps fittingly on an evening honoring recently departed heavyweight champion Joe Louis, Larry Holmes will face a challenger whom critics doubt would qualify as a member of The Brown Bomber's "Bum of the Month Club" -- Leon Spinks.



Other than one historic, albeit well-timed, evening, the 1976 Olympic gold-medal winner's professional career has been light on accomplishment, but loaded with disappointments.

In just his eighth pro fight, Spinks took advantage of Muhammad Ali's lackadaisical approach to what he thought would be a meaningless defense, as well as marked decline in the champion's physical skills.

After winning the crown via split decision in February 1978, Spinks adopted Ali's laissez-faire approach to training, adding heavy alchohol and drug use to the mix.

He was quickly stripped of the undisputed portion of his world champion's title. The World Boxing Council, largely subservient to Don King, bowed to the promoter's pressure and insisted that Spinks defend his new crown against Ken Norton, rather than take on Ali in a much more lucrative rematch.

Already a favorite punchline for Johnny Carson's monologues by the time of the rematch seven months later, Spinks was out-jabbed, out-thought and out-worked by a rejuvenated Ali.

Nine months after losing a one-sided 15-round decision to Ali, Spinks returned to face Gerrie Coetzee in Monte Carlo as part of the four-man tournament set up by the WBA to fill the vacancy left by Ali's retirement.

Despite showing up in decent shape, Spinks was caught cold by Coetzee's "Bionic Right" and dropped three times in the first two minutes, triggering an automatic TKO.

Spinks rebounded six months later against Alfredo Evangelista in Atlantic City, rallying after being hurt in the second to stop the former European champion in what The Ring called "a caveman punchout."

After fighting to a draw with Eddie "The Animal" Lopez, Spinks stopped Kevin Isaac in eight to earn a title eliminator match in October 1980 against Bernardo Mercado, who had gotten off the deck to stop Earnie Shavers seven months prior. Spinks surprisingly survived Mercado's power and stopped the Colombian in the ninth to earn the shot at Holmes.

Former Spinks trainer George Benton, who was so disgusted with his pupil's performance in the second Ali fight that he left the Superdome while the fight was still underway, was apparently impressed by the showing against Mercado and will be back in the corner tonight.

Holmes, meanwhile, has fought just once since hopefully ending Ali's career the same night Spinks beat Mercado, winning a one-sided 15-round decision over Trevor Berbick.

Holmes is said to still be fuming over being forced by King to take a purse of $2.5 million, compared to $8 million for Ali, despite being the defending champion. Any irritation didn't show against Berbick, though, as Holmes won a shutout on one card, with the other two judges giving the challenger only four rounds each.

"I've been working for Don for years, so I know Ali didn't get no $8 million, anyway," Holmes said during a pre-fight press conference.

Holmes did, however, quietly get up and walk out of the publicity session, held in Detroit a week ago, when King answered a reporter's question about the unbeaten WBC champion by talking about how great Michael Dokes is going to be.

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Old 05-02-2009, 04:46 PM   #17
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This is awesome, great premise and nice tribute as well.
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Old 05-03-2009, 01:10 PM   #18
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June 12, 1981

The crowd at Joe Louis Arena has begun getting restless due to an unexplained delay between the completion of Saoul Mamby's 15-round decision win over Jo Kimpuani for the WBC 140-pound title and the Holmes-Spinks main event.

Challenger Leon Spinks made his ring entrance, to the tune of "Funkytown," by Lipps, Inc., but the champion did not follow as scheduled. After about 15 minutes, trainer George Benton put a robe back on Spinks and led him back to his dressing room.

An agitated King was seen entering Holmes dressing room about 10 minutes later, emerging purse-lipped and muttering about five minutes after that.

One source reports seeing three-time world champion Muhammad Ali, who Holmes dominated in a 10-round TKO last October, leaving Holmes' dressing room during the Mamby-Kimpuani fight. Ali is on hand to take part in the tribute to Louis which is scheduled to take place once both the main-event contestants are in the ring.

No word yet on whether Ali's visit has anything to do with the delay ...
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Old 05-03-2009, 11:22 PM   #19
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June 12, 1981

After a delay of more than an hour, the electronic beat of "Funkytown" filled Joe Louis Arena for the second time tonight as Leon Spinks made his way to the ring for the main event.

Moments later, WBC heavyweight titlist Larry Holmes, who also earned the lineal title recognized by The Ring magazine by beating Muhammad Ali last October, finally appeared and made his ring walk to accompaniment of "Stomp" by The Brothers Johnson. His grim expression offered no hint as to what caused the delay, or how it was resolved.

The crowd, driven into a frenzy by the bass solo, rose in tribute to the former champions who joined Holmes and Spinks in the ring during a ceremony honoring Joe Louis.

Jersey Joe Walcott and Jack Sharkey, both Louis knockout victims, were applauded warmly. Ali got a louder ovation, with the crowd reaching full roar when Max Schmeling, Louis's fierce rival in the 1930s but a close friend in recent years, stepped through the ropes.

The Temptations joined the parade of former champions and delivered a slightly funkified version of "Joe Louis was a Fighting Man," a hit of the 1940s (NOTE: the video is particularly worth checking out for the slide show of old Louis photos that runs with The Dixieaires' harmonies.)

After Detroit native Aretha Franklin delivered a version of "Amazing Grace" that, quite frankly, seemed to never end, followed by a less-drawn out "Star Spangled Banner," during which she accompanied herself on organ, referee Richard Steele brought Holmes and Spinks to the center of the ring for their pre-fight instructions. The fighters returned to their corners, and the opening bell rang ...
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Old 05-04-2009, 11:12 PM   #20
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June 12, 1981

(Associated Press boxing writer Ed Schuyler's round-by-round reports from ringside, as sent out over the teletype, with Schuyler's scoring at the end of each round.)

Larry Holmes (37-0, 27 KOs) vs. Leon Spinks (10-2-2, 8 KOs)
WBC Heavyweight Championship
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

ROUND 1

Spinks rushes across the ring and, after the two trade jabs, launches a combo that brings the crowd, which booed Holmes during the introductions and has adopted the challenger from St. Louis as its own, to its feet.

Holmes, however, coolly parries away his foes crude swings and answers with a hard right uppercut, slowing Spinks' charge.

Driving Neon Leon into a neutral corner, Holmes drives home a right cross to the head and another to the body.

Spinks escapes to the middle of the ring, but after another murderous right by Holmes just misses landing square, a left hook to the body -- a rare brandishing of that weapon by Holmes -- puts the challenger back in a corner, where he somehow stays upright after eating another huge right.

Spinks grabs Holmes tightly in an effort to preserve his consciousness, holding on until referee Richard Steele separates them just before the bell.

Holmes, 10-9


ROUND 2

It's all trainer George Benton can do to bring Spinks to his senses between rounds, but he manages to instill some strategy.

"Hit him in the belly," Benton urges. "Slow him down."

Spinks does just that, preventing the champion from renewing his assault with a series of shots to the body, even though only one lands.

After Steele orders them to fight out of a clinch, Spinks tags Holmes with a left-right to the head, forcing the champion to take a step back for the first time.

But just one.

As Spinks rushes forward to follow up, Holmes sheds the possum act with a hard left jab to the face, followed by a right to the forehead, a left hook that lands flush above Spinks' right ear and a pulverizing right to the jaw, which sends him staggering back into the ropes, then crashing to the canvas.

Spinks gets to all fours by the time Steele's count reaches six, and rises at eight, answering the referee's questions with quick nods and appearing to stand steadily.

Steele waves the two back together with 33 seconds remaining. Eager for the quickest knockout of his championship reign, Holmes strides confidently across the ring. A vicious exchange of head shots leaves Spinks wobbly. The effect of Holmes' unerring jab is beginning to show in the form of swelling under the challenger's right eye.

Holmes follows another jab by ripping home a right uppercut, leaving Spinks sagging into the ropes. But the bell rings as Holmes moves in for the finish.

Holmes, 10-8

Last edited by BigBoyBrackey; 05-04-2009 at 11:16 PM. Reason: add scoring
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