"Here we go again" - A HW universe during the 80's

[Tommysixfingers]

So, here I return once more to the heavyweight divison of the 80's. I started to take an interest in boxing in the mid 80's and the boxers that were around back then have a special place in my boxing memories.

I'm actually going to start a little bit earlier though and the initial crop consist of fighters that debuted between 1973 and 1976. I'm just about to start 1977 and a small history is starting to form. So far the better fighters in the universe has fought mostly fictional fighters of a lesser calibre.Each year I'm going to include the fighters that debuted that year and make this a semi-historical universe.

As a little twist I'm going to add two random fighters with a rating of 6 or better each year. I've put all fighters debuting in 1880 or later in a pool, sorted them alphabetically and letting the dice decide which two to include every year. A fighter with a 6 rating or higher has a good chance of mixing it up a little and actually making an impact on the universe. As a matter of fact we will see one of the best heavies in history make his debute in 1977 and he will surely make his presence felt in the universe for a long time to come. More on that later.

To begin with there is only the WBA title along with regional titles. Maybe I'll add another world title as we go. Fighters spend their eraly years in a beginner group. When they get more experienced they will join one of the regional groups and ultimately the WBA group. The WBA group will consist of the highest ranked fighters at the start of every year. Only these guys can fight for the WBA strap. All titles are vacant at this point and the next year will probably see the first titles being contested for.


Of course, this being what it is, it can all change at any given time. Feel free to ask if there are any questions of how this is set up.

[Tommysixfingers]

The fighters are starting to get ranked and the WBA has just decided that their top 16 fighters are going to face each other in a year long tournament to crown the first WBA Heavyweight champion of the world.

The #1 ranked boxer is facing the #16 ranked boxer in the first round. #2 faces #15 and so on. This will give us the following fights to look forward to in the first round:

#1 Mike Weaver (U.S) 18-0 (16) vs. #16 Toby Pengilly* (Aus) 14-2-2 (10)
#2 Larry Holmes (U.S) 16-0 (9) vs. #15 Kevin Drake* (U.S) 11-2-3 (3)
#3 John L. Gardner (U.K) 20-0 (16) vs. #14 Jean Salmon* (Fra) 15-3 (10)
#4 Domingo D'Elia (Arg) 19-0 (7) vs. #13 Mahdi Husseini* (Saudi) 12-1-4 (5)
#5 Lorenzo Zanon (Ita) 16-0-1 (3) vs. #12 Curt Atkins* (U.S) 11-1-4 (3)
#6 Gerrie Coetzee (Rsa) 15-0 (11) vs. #11 Frank Young* (U.S) 14-2-1 (7)
#7 Vinnie Manonegra* (U.S) 14-2-1 (4) vs. #10 Lucien Rodriguez (Fra) 14-1-2 (2)
#8 Bernd August (Ger) 18-1-1 (8) vs. #9 Duane Bobick (U.S) 13-2 (11)

* denotes a fictional fighter of somewhat lesser qualities

[Tommysixfingers]

Non fictional fighters debuting in 1977:

Jimmy Abbott (Rsa)
Larry Alexander (U.S)
Guy Casale (U.S)
Tex Cobb (U.S)
Gerry Cooney (U.S)
Bobby Jordan (U.S)
Dan Kiser (U.S)
George Mostardini (U.S)
Jeff Shelburg (U.S)
Leon Spinks (U.S)
Marvin Stinson (U.S)

Randomly debuting fighters:

Charley Weinert (Aut/U.S). Actual debut in 1911.
Jack Johnson (U.S). Actual debut in 1897.

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Round 1

#1 Mike Weaver (U.S) 18-0 (16) TKO5 #16 Toby Pengilly* (Aus) 14-2-2 (10)
Nothing much to say about the outcome of the fight. Pengilly was overmatched and when Weaver stepped up the pace it all went very fast.

Mike Weaver advances to the quarter finals of the tournament

#5 Lorenzo Zanon (Ita) 16-0-1 (3) L SD12 #12 Curt Atkins* (U.S) 11-1-4 (3)
Atkins pulled of an upset and handed the previously unbeaten and heavily favored Italian his first loss. The decision wasn't without controversy though as many in the crowd thought that Zanon had done enough. Critics will question Zanon's inability to end the fight though. The Italian has only managed to knock out three fighters out of his sixteen wins and has to be better than this if he is going to have any chance of making an impact in the division.

Final scores were 115-114x2 for Atkins and 116-113 Zanon. Atkins advances to the quarter finals of the tournament.
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Other notables in action

Alfredo Evangelista 9-0 (8) TKO 5 Chico Lea 7-14-1 (1)

Jack Johnson 0-0 UD6 Duane Irwin 0-0

Jeff Shelburg 0-0 KO4 Bryan Parkinson 0-0

Bernardo Mercado 9-1 L TKO1 Vicente Palafox 13-2 (8)

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Round 1

#2 Larry Holmes (U.S) 16-0 (9) L TKO(c) 6 #15 Kevin Drake* (U.S) 11-2-3 (3)
Huge upset as the 24-1 favorite and predicted future star, Larry Holmes lost due to a nasty cut just above the right eye. Holmes was in total control for the duration of the fight and landed his pistonlike jab at will. Drake looked to be in for a long night but managed to land a hook that tore the skin of Holmes in the fourth round. Holmes corner worked freneticly to close the cut and did a good job in doing so. Halfway through the sixth round Drake landed once again and the cut went wide open. Referee Dick Flaherty halted the action and wanted the doctor to take a look. The doctor took a quick glance at the cut and stopped the fight immideately without listening to the agitated protests from Holmes' corner.

In what could be the upset of the year, Kevin Drake moves on to the quarter finals. Scores at the time of the stoppage were 50-45x3 in favor of Holmes.

#6 Gerrie Coetzee (Rsa) 15-0 (11) TKO11 #11 Frank Young* (U.S) 14-2-1 (7)
The three to one favorite South African had some problems with Frank Young and didn't look very impressive in the first four rounds. His trainer yelled at him like a mad man between rounds and Coetzee picked up the pace. It all payed off in the eleventh round when a brave but exhausted Young went down three times and the action was stopped.

With this win, Coetzee moves on to the quarter finals.
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Other notables in action

Trevor Berbick 4-0 (0) TKO6 Peter Wright 4-9-3 (1)

Michael Dokes 2-0 (1) L DQ6 Dave Bond 8-8-1 (6)
Another upset as Dokes was disqualified because of a low blow.

Jeff Shelburg 1-0 (1) L TKO4 John Smith 1-0 (1)
Sour loss. Maybe a case of taking another fight to soon. Shelburg should have won this one.

Gerry Cooney 0-0 TKO1 Jeff Hunter 0-0
Cooney completely overwhelmed his fellow debuting fighter.

Leroy Jones 14-3-1 (2) UD10 Pat Stevenson 12-2-2 (5)

Scott LeDoux 11-3-2 (2) TKO5 Oliver Wright 6-4-3 (0)

[Lee]

Nice, you have Jeff Shelburg coming in, you know I will be following the Beehive Bomber!!

[Tommysixfingers]

Originally Posted by Lee

Nice, you have Jeff Shelburg coming in, you know I will be following the Beehive Bomber!!

I'll be sure to post all his results. Just updated the January results here above. Shelburg didn't disapoint in his debut.

[Tommysixfingers]

Updated the February results. One big upset and a huge one in what turned out to be a strange month.

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Round 1

EBU Titlefight

#3 John L. Gardner (U.K) 20-0 (16) KO4 #14 Jean Salmon*15-3(10) Apart from being part of the WBA tournament this fight was also sanctioned by the EBU to decide their first champion. Gardner (below) didn't have any trouble getting past his french oppoenent and keeping his unbeaten record intact.

John L.Gardner captures the vacant EBU belt, becoming the first EBU champion as well as getting through to the quarter finals of the WBA tournament

#7 Vinnie Manonegra* 14-2-1 (4) TKO11 (c) #10 Lucien Rodriguez 14-1-2 (2)
This was a small upset as Manonegra was well in control up until the stoppage. The frenchman suffered multiple cuts and will surely have to take some time off to heal.

New Jersey based Manonegra is through to the quarter finals of the WBA tournament.

[Romdawg88]

Wow, can't believe that Holmes went out in the first round of the tournament. That is a shocking turn of events but on the other hand does make the tournament a lot more interesting. It's wide open now.

[Tommysixfingers]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Wow, can't believe that Holmes went out in the first round of the tournament. That is a shocking turn of events but on the other hand does make the tournament a lot more interesting. It's wide open now.

Tell me about it. I was expecting Holmes to cruise through, at least up until the final. Nothing that explains it easily either. Holmes is a prime 13, he was in total control. I assigned Eddie Aliano to all fighters as I thought it would help with the frequent cuts that the game turns out. It was simply a case of one of those curve balls that the game throws you from time to time.

But, as you wrote, it makes it all a bit interesting to say the least. Mike Weaver or John Gardner is were I'd place my money right now.

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Round 1

#4 Domingo D'Elia (Arg) 19-0 (7) L KO8 #13 Mahdi Husseini* (Saudi) 12-1-4 (5)
The upsets continue as the Argentinian favorite ran out of gas completely after a dominant performance and got himself knocked out in the process. Husseini was down four times before the eight round but showed bravery and heart and got up every time. By the start of the seventh round, D'Elia showed signs of having spent all his energy and from there it went
downhill very fast.

Husseini moves to the quarter finals

#8 Bernd August (Ger) 18-1-1 (8) L KO 5 Duane Bobick (U.S) 13-2 (11)
Bobick (Below left) looked a bit heavy around the waist entering the ring but any doubts were gone early and there was really no question of who would take the win. The question was just how. In the fifth round Bobic landed a good five or six hooks in a row and down went the German. There were some scary moments as August (below right) laid out cold on the canvas but he eventually regained his conciense and got up on his feet.

Duane Bobick advances to the quarter final round of the WBA tournament.
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Other notables in action

Alfio Righetti 14-3 (4) UD10 Shane Pegrum 5-15-1 (3)

Mike Koranicki 13-3-1 (5) UD10 John Long 10-4-1 (0)

Michael Dokes 2-0-0-1NC (1) KO3 Millard Barnes 6-13-2 (0)

Leroy Jones 15-3-1 (2) TKO4 Pete Williams 6-8-2 (0)

Leon Spinks 0-0 UD6 John Fish 1-0 (0)

Jeff Shelburg 1-1 (1) L SD6 Dave Johnson 0-2 (0)

[Tommysixfingers]

The WBA Tournament Quarter Final Stage is just about to begin and we have the following fights to look forward to:

Mike Weaver 19-0 (7) vs. Curt Atkins* 12-1-4 (3)

Gerrie Coetzee 16-0 (12) vs. Kevin Drake* 12-2-3 (4)

John L. Gardner 21-0 (17) vs. Vinnie Manonegra* 15-2-1 (5)

Duane Bobick 14-2 (12) vs. Mahdi Husseini* 13-1-4 (6)

*Denotes a fictional fighter of lesser calibre. Atkins is rated 4 though and has KO power. He is more or less challenged in just about every other aspect and anything less than a convincing win for Weaver is an upset. The same goes for the rest of the real life fighters.

[rotorhead]

Other notables in action

Alfio Righetti 14-3 (4) UD10 Shane Pegrum 5-15-1 (3)

Go Alfio!
He had a miracle run in my first ever HW tournament back in 1980 using the Avalon Hill version. He made it to the finals vs. Ali. It was a good run up to then.

[Ian Lord]

Great stuff Tommy! I'm picking Mike Weaver to claim the WBA strap.

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Quarter Final #1

#1 Mike Weaver 19-0 (17) TKO4 #7 Curt Atkins* 12-1-4 (3)
Weaver came out determined to end the fight early. He almost did as he knocked down Atkins late in the first round. Aktins pulled himself up from the canvas and was rescued by the bell. Atkins clinched his way through round two, obviously wanting to rest and disrupt Weavers pace. Round three was somewhat dramatic as Atkins mounted his own small assault and had Weaver in some trouble initially. Weaver, being the superior fighter, defended smartly however and regained control later that round. Halfway through round four it was all target practice for Weawer and a particularly brutal sequence where he landed five or six straight punches in a fast row made the referee decide that Atkins had enough.

Weaver advances to the WBA tournament quarter final.
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A couple of results from around the globe

Jack Johnson 2-0 (1) KO2 Dave Johnson 1-2 (0)

Alfredo Evangelista 10-1 (9) TKO7 Amilcar Tagarro 7-7-2 (1)

Ngozika Ekwelum 13-4-2 (6) UD10 Himmi Toto 3-17 (1)

Johnny Boudreaux 14-3 (2) UD10 Howie Holloway 5-10-2 (0)

John Tate 2-0 (2) KO1 Jack Morris 1-1 (0)

Bernardo Mercado 10-2 (8) KO1 Vicente Trejo 3-12-5 (1)

Scott LeDoux 12-3-2 (3) TKO4 Rochelle Norris 12-7-2 (6)

[Tommysixfingers]

WBA Tournament Quarter Final #2

#3 Gerrie Coetzee 16-0 (12) TKO3 #12 Kevin Drake* 12-2-3 (4)
Nothing much to discuss about the outcome of this one. Drake, who upset the world by getting past Larry Holmes in the first round looked uncomfortable from the very beginning. He clinched his way through round one but had to let go a little when he was warned about the clinching in round two. Coetzee (below left), now able to move a bit more freely, let his hands go and handed the overwhelmed Drake a proper beating. The referee had seen enough halfway through round three and stopped the fight.

Gerrie Coetzee keeps his undefeated record and moves on to the WBA tournament semifinals.
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#5 Lorenzo Zanon 16-1-1 (3) TKO8 #14 Frank Young* 14-3-1 (7)
Zanon (below right) was in deep trouble when he was knocked down in the second round but managed to find that little extra within himself and fought his way back up from the canvas. Young was well in control throughout the fight but tired considerably after a couple of rounds. Zanon took advantage of that and mounted an assault in the eight wich left Young unable to fight back. The stoppage was more a result of Young being spent than anything else and will do nothing to change the opinion of the
people that question Zanon's chin and featherfistedness.
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Some other results from around the globe.

Trevor Berbick 6-0 (1) KO8 Homer Grant* 5-9-3 (0)

Lou Esa 8-1 (6) TKO6 Chris Parker* 8-8-3 (3)

Horace Robinson 13-7 (2) UD10 Jeff Peterson* 5-13 (2)

J-P Coopman 16-4 (0) L DQ10 Guillame Blandin* 8-10-6 (4)
Coopman is really struggling in this uni. He hasn't fought anyone good and should do better. Blandin should be nicknamed
"King of draws".

John Dino Dennis 7-7-5 (1) KO8 James Butler* 5-12-2 (3)

Gerry Cooney 3-0 (3) KO1 Kurt Finch* 2-1 (1)

Tex Cobb 2-0 (2) UD6 Vince Baker 0-2 (0)

[Tommysixfingers]

Larry Holmes will return to the ring in August when he faces Domingo D'Elia from Argentina. Holmes was on the losing side of a huge upset when he was cut badly and lost to Kevin Drake in his last outing in February and he is looking for a win to put him back on track. Holmes record is sixteen wins with only one loss.

D'Elia also has an impressive record of nineteen wins and one loss. The loss came against relatively unknown Mahdi Husseini i April and critics say that his wins are against opponents less impressive than Husseini. Holmes is a twelwe to one favorite and anything less than a shutout win for him is frowned upon among the boxing writers around the world.

[Lee]

So we have Coetzee and Zanon next?

I am predicting a demolition for the Bionic right hand

[Tommysixfingers]

Originally Posted by Lee

So we have Coetzee and Zanon next?

I am predicting a demolition for the Bionic right hand

No. Coetzee is through to the semifinal stage of the WBA tourney along with Mike Weaver. John L. Gardner will face Vinnie Manonegra and Duane Bobick will face Mahdi Husseini for the remaining two spots in the tourney.

Zanon lost in the 1st round of the tourney.

I guess I should have separated the results as the last post looked like both Coetzee's and Zanon's fights were part of the tourney.