Global Pugilist Federation (GPF)

[BAD]

GLOBAL PUGILIST FEDERATION

The Beginning

The war has ended, yet the lines drawn between nation and nation still burn brightly. The eleven years of carnage the world has experienced have left everything in shambles, the economy is in the gutter and the populace is at their breaking point.

Although the worst of the war ended in 1914, the true end of it all came in 1919 as the world handed their power over to new leadership across the globe. Europe is trying to mend the relationship between the North and South and England attempts to mend fences with the whole of the continent. Russia remains at odds over the global effort of the majority of the nations, considered the leaders of the new age.

North America is in a power position within the standings of global politics, yet has taken the worst of the financial repercussions of the war. Poverty is at an all-time high, and jobs are few and far between. A wedge has been driven into the population, further separating the have’s and have not’s.

Asia, the Middle East and Africa are fragmented and at odds. Slowly, but surely the world is attempting to right the ship and move forward. The critics say it will never happen and things will get worse before they get better while the proponents claim the worst is behind us.

Globally, the government has taken to new methods of subduing the masses into assimilation. Media has exploded, driven by advancements in radio communication methods and an explosion in the print press and new advertising techniques. Nearly half of all stories told in print or across the airways are of the tabloid variety, blown out of proportion and almost fairy tale-like. Needing to reintroduce sport into the culture, the government leaders pushed pugilism due to the global ties of the sport, minimal expenses structure and the high level of popularity underground fights received across the globe during the war.

Within eight months of the official end of the war the Global Pugilist Federation (GPF) was formed. Led by chair, Alex Conlan of the United States and co-chairs Robert Mann of England and Vincent Swanson of Australia, the GPF is charged with making pugilism the number one pastime throughout the entire globe.

Armed with limited capital, the GPF funds its initial roster with roughly 315 fighters across 60 countries and six weight classes. Most of the combatants were ex-military, underground fighters or physical specimen simply trying to earn a living. The GPF smartly tied their product to the radio boom and filled many voids with the masses, whether competition, country pride, controlled violence or simply a release from it all.

As 1920 rolled around the GPF was up and running and was a wild success. The fights were fast and furious and legends where built through the over zealous media into godlike figures. The demand for the product exploded, countless men lined up to try their hand and the profit rolled in. Money, power and demand can be a dangerous combination and the GPF was no different from any other corrupt organization or political engine. The minute prospect of a fighter making onto the GPF roster is paved with many greased pockets, back room handshakes, payoffs and intimidation. Academies are popping up across the globe, as a front for organized crime, with direct ties to who is added to the GPF roster and suspected ties into GPF leadership.

At the forefront of these academies within the States are Lefty’s Academy in Northeast US, with shops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. De Silvio’s in Chicago and rivals Pepe’s and Southside Gyms in Northern and Southern California.

In Europe, Cannally’s in Liverpool, England, Humbrick’s in Hannover, Germany and Milan Pugliato in Milan, Italy dominate the scene.

Africa is controlled by Puggah’s Combat, located throughout South Africa while Australia is dominated by Australian Fighting Systems, formerly Swanson Fighting Systems, which is still controlled by GPF co-chair Vincent Swanson, which has raised plenty of eyebrows as a blatant conflict of interest.

Lines began to form within the GPF almost immediately, as Mann drew in the European powers and started a slanderous undercover assault on Conlan attempting to dethrone the GPF chair and move control to Europe. Mann brought on Directors Jan Golver (Germany) and Domenic Galandra (Italy) to assist with his efforts.

Seemingly unaware his combatant was within his own ranks, Conlan followed suit and added Jorge Macchia (Mexico) and Salvatore Emmeria (Argentina). Government officials were more than pleased with the progress of the GPF and have a bit more in store for their new pet in the coming years.

In the ring, six champions were crowned by January 1921 and roughly 70 new fighters added to the roster. As popularity grows, big things are expected in the coming years as GPF leadership hopes to add an additional 70-80 fighters to the roster in 1921 and expand to new venues across the globe.

Samoan underground legend David Tua captured the HW crown with a devastating stoppage of American Max Baer. American Bob Olin upset Hungary’s Zsolt Erdei via technical knockout due to cuts in a very close entertaining fight to become LHW champ. Venezuelans Fulgencio Obelmejias and Crisanto Espana destroyed Fulgencio Zuniga (Colombia) and Kevin Pompey (USA) via first round knockouts, respectively, to claim the MW and WW crowns. Edwin Rosario of Puerto Rico decimated American Ruben Navarro with a third round knockout to win the LW title and Japan’s Mitsunori Seki upset favored Percy Basset of the US via unanimous decision to take home the FW belt.



Title Fights:

HW: David Tua, SAM 9-0 (7) TKO6 Max Baer, USA 8-1 (8)
LHW: Bob Olin, USA 8-0 (1) TKO8 Zsolt Erdei, HUN 8-1 (6)
MW: Fulgencio Obelmejias, VEN 8-0 (7) KO1 Fulgencio Zuniga, COL 7-1 (5)
WW: Crisanto Espana, VEN 8-0 (8) KO1 Kevin Pompey, USA 7-1-1 (4)
LW: Edwin Rosario, PR 8-0 (7) KO3 Ruben Navarro, USA 7-2 (0)
FW: Mitsunori Seki, JPN 8-0 (3) 15UD Percy Bassett, USA 7-1 (6)

All eyes turn to the new year, as steam continues to pick up behind the GPF their new champions and what new twists and turns are in store both inside and outside of the ring.

[BAD]

WJX-Los Angeles Reporting….

We interrupt this program with breaking news story:
BREAKING NEWS: SUNDAY, JANUARY 8th 1921 – our sister station in Brussels is reporting leakage from the GPF annual meeting that was held Wednesday the 4th through Saturday the 7th at the Royal Windsor Hotel in Brussels.

Inside reports suggest a conflict between GPF, CEO Alex Conlan and his Americas team and GPF, VP Robert Mann and his European team. According to sources, Mann disagrees with Conlan’s view of the future for the GPF while Conlan insists Mann’s vision is extremely short sighted.

The first two days of the meetings apparently went rather smoothly before the explosive third day. At this time, it is not clear what agenda were topics were covered before the dispute arose.

Unconfirmed reports indicate Mann and his advisors were not present for the final day of meetings, which concluded yesterday afternoon, or the evening’s festivities.

There is limited information surrounding the blow out, but we will continue to work with our European partners to uncover details as they become available.

Neither Conlan or Mann could be reached for comment at this time.

[Lee]

Very cool back story, off to a great start!!!

[BAD]

Le Gazette

January 10, 1921

Mann Proclaims English Dominance

By Georges Repierier
Montreal, Canada

Liverpool, England: GPF VP, Robert Mann spoke from the stairs of Cannally’s gym in Liverpool, boasting of England’s upcoming dominance of the GPF over the next 24 months. The outspoken Mann guaranteed five titles for England within the six GPF weight classes within the next 24 months.

Mann did not field questions from the crowd; simply spoke at length of the superiority of English pugilism compared to the rest of the world, with added pointed comments toward the Americas. Many questioned the act as outrageous for someone in Mann’s position whose responsibility is to the GPF and specifically to Europe as whole, not simply England.

As much as Mann may be an outlandish, pretentious and egomaniacal figurehead, his claims are not that unbelievable. England currently boasts top tier HW contender Matt Skelton (Gazette’s #4 HW contender), labeled the most dangerous man in the world by the English media and top rising prospect Tyson Fury. Middleweight Maurice Hope (Gazette’s #3 MW) and Welterweight Ted Kid Lewis (Gazette’s #7 WW) are top contenders consistently ranked in the top ten by most media outlets in their respective weight classes. While England’s Prince Naseem Hamed (Gazette’s #1 FW) is widely considered the number one contender in the Featherweight division.

England is lacking in the in the LHW and LW division, but Mann broke the news that LHW amateur sensation Carl Thompson (Gazette’s #2 LHW amateur prospect) will make his professional debut later this summer. Mann also broke the news, with the same enthusiasm, that Austin Gibbins will debut later this at LW. Gibbins is considered a minor prospect outside of England, but the English media has hyped Gibbins as a future LW contender.

Mann also mentioned current English LW Graham Earl 3-3-1 (1) as an existing contender, while most media outlets consider him more of a gate keeper. In reality, neither Earl nor Gibbins would be much of a match for LW champion Edwin Rosario or the top tier LW contenders.

Interestingly, neither of Mann’s directors, Jan Golver or Domenic Galandra, was present at the impromptu conference, which could be sign of the disdain the rest of Europe holds for the remarks coming from a man who is supposed to be overseeing the best interest of Europe as a whole. At Mann’s side where Cannally’s director Wayne Bishop and his fellow cohorts. Cannally’s has been suspected of the use of intimidation tactics when acquiring potential fighters, ties to organized crime, gambling and unscrupulous business practices. For these individuals to be seen with arguably the second most powerful man in the GPF is at a minimum a terrible miscalculation of judgment on Mann’s part or quite possibly a well thought out message from Mann to the rest of the world.

[BAD]

Originally Posted by Lee

Very cool back story, off to a great start!!!

Thanks Lee - lets see if I can keep it up and peek some interest in this.

[BAD]

XKL-Tucson Reporting…


January12th: Hopping Roddy Houser here to talk about the sweet science, the GPF and all things boxing. We are lucky to be joined in studio today by The Pugilist Review’s own Tommy Mathal.

RH: Tommy, good see you bud how are things?

TM: Roddy, things are going great…we had some great action in and outside the ring this last year and looks like 1921 will bring more of the same.

RH: What do you make of this whole Mann-Conlan episode?

TM: Hopefully, it’s nothing more than simple posturing on both parties end, which isn’t uncommon in a new marriage of sorts.

RH: Agreed, let’s keep the fighting in the ring. Any chance Mann’s prophecy regarding England comes to fruition?

TM: Possible, but unlikely. There just isn’t the depth of talent for the English across the weight classes at this point. They would need a lot of things to fall their way to claim five titles across the classes within 24 months.

RH: What do you make of the GPF leadership as it stands today?

TM: It’s an interesting team, but an effective one in my opinion. Conlan is a business man, no doubt about that. If there really was a blow up in Brussels regarding the future of the GPF, my money is on Conlan’s view because that’s his cup of team. With the media today, exaggerated stories and spin doctors – who knows what really went down there?

TM: Mann is a figurehead, a true fight guy. Don’t be fooled into this over zealous, fly off the handle media act. This guy is sharp as a razor and everything he does is calculated to the tee.

TM: Swanson is brilliant, much more reserved than Conlan or Mann, but acts as an excellent mediator between the two. Swanson, although outside of the spotlight, is the glue to the organization. He handles most, if not all, of the financials, manages the media deals, venues and the majority of the day to day.

RH: Interesting stuff, so you don’t make much of the media carnage that is being portrayed?

TM: No, it is just that – media. It’s likely two part advertising, one part media fluff and one part truth. The sport is so big, so fast, everything is under a microscope.

RH: As for inside the ring, what’s next for Samoan HW champ David Tua?

TM: He will fight this April and I’m assuming it has to be Simon, Mercado or Skelton. Mercado seems to be the odd man out as there are too many storylines to pass up with Abe or Matt. Simon is a Lefty’s product from New York and was widely considered the 1a and 1b in the States with Baer while the Skelton, of Cannally’s fame, is Europe’s uncrowned king and a mega star in the media/tabloids.

RH: Any shot for this kid Liston who has been on a tear?

TM: He is a dark horse, but lacks the backing and name brand buying power of either Skelton or Simon and has been labeled a bit of hot head. In all likelihood, it doesn’t matter; I don’t think any of them stand much of a chance with Tua. His legendary underground career has translated into the ring where he just seems unbeatable at the moment.

RH: Any other news on the title front?

TM: I can confirm MW champion Fulgencio Obelmejias will make his first title defense against Mexican top contender Librado Andrade in Argentina in April, as well. Mitsunori Seki will make his first defense of the Featherweight crown in March in Japan. His likely opponent will be England’s FW sensation Prince Naseem Hamed, although this fight is not confirmed. Top US FW Willie Pep and Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez are also in the mix. Edwin Rosario will also make his first defense, likely in Puerto Rico, in March. His opponent has not been named, but many suspect it will be Philippine star Manny Pacquiao.

TM: Roddy, If you remember Pacquiao and Rosario were expected to fight for the inaugural GPF LW title before Pacquiao-Ramey ended in a draw.

RH: How about LHW champion Bob Olin and WW kingpin Crisanto Espana?

TM: It’s been quiet on these fronts. Reports have surfaced of Olin enjoying his time as champion and doing a bit of traveling. No title fights have been scheduled as of yet in the classes and there are a wealth of worthy opponents.

RH: Tommy, it is always a pleasure – we will catch you ringside.

Before we sign off let’s recap some action from this past weekend….

On Thursday the 5th in Vernon, California, LHW Donnie Fleeman held on to pick up his first career victory against six losses with a ten round unanimous decision (96-93, 95-94x2) over Art Jimmerson who fell to two wins and five losses with one knockout. Fleeman dropped Jimmerson in the third and held on for the narrow victory as Jimmerson won the last two rounds convincingly on all three cards.

On Friday the 6th in Melbourne, Australian HW’s George Cook and Tom Lees fought to a draw. Most ringside personnel felt Lees won the fight going away, but Cook did mount a late rally, which apparently was enough for the judges to award the draw. The draw dropped Cook to four wins, three losses and one draw and Lees to one win, two losses and one draw.

On the undercard, American MW Sal Belloise recorded his second career win, both via knockout, by dropping hometown favorite Kariz Kariuki via sixth round knockout. Both fighters left the event with two wins, four losses and two knockouts.

In Rome, Argentine LW Jonathan Victor Barros remained hot and improved to five wins, three losses and four knockouts with a convincing ten round unanimous decision (99-90x2, 99-91) over England’s Billy McLeod. Barros dominated the fight from the start flooring McLeod in the first and never looking back. McLeod fell to three wins versus six losses following the fight.

On the undercard, Italian LW prospect Domenic Chiloiro finally got in the win column after tumultuous start to his career with three consecutive defeats. Chiloiro won a majority decision over Canada’s Paul Patillo (96-94, 95-95, and 98-92). The fight was very close, but most ringside felt Chiloiro deserved the win with a strong finish. Patillo dropped to zero wins against six losses.

On Saturday the 7th in Tampa, Florida top HW contender Bernardo Mercado of Colombia destroyed American Michael Dokes via fourth round knockout. The fight was fairly close through three with a slight edge to Mercado, but the Columbian put a vicious beating on Dokes in the fourth before removing from his consciousness later in the round. Dokes fell to five wins, three losses and three knockouts following the defeat.

Mercado made a huge statement in his bid for the first shot at Tua and moved to nine wins versus one controversial loss with seven knockouts. Mercado has won nine in a row, after losing his first bout by controversial decision and is the only man to defeat American Abe Simon via eight round knockout.

On the undercard, American MW Dave Rosenberg earned his sixth win with a resounding ten round unanimous decision over American Willie Kemp by the scores of 99-91 and 98-91x2. Rosenberg dropped Kemp in the sixth and controlled the fight from start to finish. The win puts Rosenberg at six wins, three losses, one draw and one knockout. Kemp drops to two wins against seven losses with one knockout.

Also on Saturday the 7th, South African WW contender Willie Ludick bested Spain’s Miguel Angel Pena via eight round technical knockout to the delight of Johannesburg crowd. Ludick improved to eight wins, one loss and two knockouts and hopes to earn a shot at champion Espana later this year. Pena drops to zero wins, five losses and one draw. Ludick was dominant and has won all seven rounds on two of the scorecards prior to the eight round stoppage.

More to come this January fight fans….Hopping Roddy Houser signing off.

[BAD]

LA Times

January 26, 1921

Simon to battle Tua in Chicago

By Wilson Kennedy
California, USA


Mexico City, Mexico: GPF, CEO Alex Conlan announced that American top contender and Lefty’s product Abe Simon 9-1 (9) will battle HW champion David Tua 9-0 (7) in Chicago on April 18, 1921. Simon has opened at a 6-1 underdog for the fight and was selected over England’s Matt Skelton and Colombia’s Bernardo Mercado, who handed Simon his only loss.

Some speculate the move by Conlan is punitive against his English VP, Robert Mann who has been quite outspoken in the media about England’s pool of fighter and made some pointed comments directed at the Americas. In addition, it was reported that a minor blow out between Mann and Conlan occurred at the annual GPF meeting in Brussels earlier this month.

Tua will travel to the United States for only the second time, the first when claimed the title in spectacular fashion stopping American Max Bear via sixth round technical knockout. Tua is widely considered the best HW in the world, by a wide margin. Many pundits thought Bear may be his biggest competition and although the fight was respectably close through five rounds (48-46 Tua on all three cards), before Tua dismantled the American in the sixth dropping him once and battering him from rope to rope before referee Nady saved Baer late in the round.

In other surprising title news, Conlan announced Connecticut native Willie Pep 9-0 (5) will travel to Tokyo to battle Japanese FW title holder Mitsunori Seki on March 11th, 1921. This move could further solidify the notion that Conlan is using his power to penalize Mann, as England’s Prince Naseem Hamed was all but a shoe-in for this bout with Seki in Japan.

Mann could not be reached for comment, but Vincent Swanson, who heads all non-Americas and non-European operation for the GPF, was reached in Japan and made the following statement:

“This is a magical, groundbreaking event for Asia. Japan hosting a GPF title fight featuring a Japanese champion, star and warrior. We have come along way and will continue to progress. Thanks in part to Seki’s stardom along with LW Buzzsaw Yamabe, there has been a boom in our Asian operations, specifically in Japan. We can not accommodate the influx on talented Asian fighters looking to join the ranks of the GPF. The boom is not tied simply to Japan, as North Korean MW Morio Kaneda and South Korean LW Hyun-Kyu Lim are off to fantastic starts to their professional careers. In addition, I have received word that top amateur MW prospect In-Chul Baek, of South Korea, will make his professional debut in late 1921 or early 1922. Baek is considered the number one MW amateur prospect in the world. It should be a great event and a great fight.”

Lastly, Conlan confirmed, as expected, that Philippine star Manny Pacquiao 8-0-1 (8), fresh off a fifth round knockout of John Henry Johnson earlier this month, will battle LW champion Edwin Rosario 8-0 (7) on March 25, 1921 in Puerto Rico.

The undercards for these title fights have yet to be announced.

[McClearyMauler]

This is great, the creative minds and writings of people on these forums is amazing.

[BAD]

Originally Posted by McClearyMauler

This is great, the creative minds and writings of people on these forums is amazing.

Thank you for the kind words McCleary. Hopefully I can stick with it, unfortunately, my focus seems to bounce from one thing to next far too often and far too quickly.

[Ian Lord]

Really enjoying this. Really well written.

[Tommysixfingers]

Originally Posted by Ian Lord

Really enjoying this. Really well written.

Same here. I'm definately going to follow this one. Good stuff!

[BAD]

XBL- London Reporting…

February 18th, 1921: Fight fans we have a stacked card this evening live from Wembley Stadium in London. Albert Hannah, live with the call ringside. The world gathers as our main event features England’s two most dominant HW’s with the most dangerous man in the world, Matt Skelton facing off with Hackney native, John L. Gardner.

Skelton and his camp at Cannally’s are fuming from what they perceive as being passed over by American Abe Simon for an April title shot with champion David Tua. Skelton, ranked the number one contender by most European media outlets holds a record of eight wins, one loss and six knockouts while Gardner enters the fight with seven wins, one loss, one draw and four knockouts.

Skelton has been criticized to this point in his career for being labeled Europe’s best, but failing to match up with top European talent. Much of the criticism is unjust and coming from fighters throughout Europe simply trying to make a name for themselves who, in reality, have little hope of defeating England’s king of the ring.

Fighters like Belgium’s Pierre Charles, Spain’s Jose Urtain and Ireland’s Kevin McBride and Joe Coburn have led the media assault against Skelton and questioned opponents such as, Scotland’s Jim Mcllvaney, Italians Francesco Piccinali and Rocco Mozzola, and England’s Jack London, compared to some of the stronger talent within Europe.

Tonight, Skelton will battle England’s number two heavyweight John L. Gardner, which should quiet many of his critics if he can get the job done here in front of the pro-Skelton crowd. Gardner does hold wins of the aforementioned McBride and Urtain and is fresh off a huge ten round unanimous decision of top South African contender Corrie Sanders.

All of England is electric tonight in anticipation of the main event and we should also have some fireworks for you on the undercard. In our co-main event Italian LW Ugo Poli will face off with Mexican Augustin Lorenzo, as these two LW’s try and make their way up the divisions ladder. Also on the card, English MW Michael Alexander will square of with American Otis Woodward, Australian LHW Waqa Kolivuso will meet Ukraine’s Vasyl Kondor and fellow Australian FW Young O’Brien meets American Phillip Payne.

Some media outlets have questioned the level of fighters on the card, but I’m sure the GPF is more then aware that Skelton-Gardner could hold any card. I have just spotted Robert Mann ringside with Dominic Galandra, his director of operations. The festivities are about to start here as O’Brien and Payne get set to make their entrance. As the combatants make their way to the ring, the seats are only a quarter full as we are a roughly three and half hours from the main event.


It should be one hell of a night and we expect Europe's finest to be in attendance as we get closer to the main event of the evening.

[BAD]

Australia’s O’Brien has a record of two wins, five losses and one knockout compared to Payne’s zero wins and seven losses.

Round One:

The men meet at the center of the ring…there is a lot of clinching and holding with very little action in the first minute. Referee, John Wright screams for the men to fight. Payne rips a combination to the body at the one minute mark He follows it up with a nice uppercut that lands flush. O’Brien is pawing at his target to no avail. O’Brien begins to bounce and utilize his movement, but still can’t seem to measure his opponent. Both men are swinging at air in this second minute of round one. With forty seconds in the round O’Brien smashed Payne with a huge uppercut, Payne looks dazed. Payne dives in for the clinch…he’s cut O’Brien, O’Brien is cut. It appears when Payne moved in he accidentally head butted Young and opened a gruesome gash outside and under his right eye. The round closes with O’Brien’s blood flowing freely.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Payne

Round Two:

Round two starts off much of the same, missed punch after missed punch. Both fighters could alter their attack a bit. O’Brien with a huge miss that Payne follows with a solid left, right, left combination. O’Brien lands to the head and body, the action is really picking up as we approach the second minute of round two. O’Brien is really doing some nice body work here as Payne carries his arms extremely high around his head…devastating cross to the body from O’Brien has Payne grasping his side in pain. Both fighters begin the miss parade again as we enter the final minute of the round. O’Brien is swinging wildly and missing, but seems to be able block any attempt from Payne. O’Brien lands a nice double jab followed by a straight right that landed flush, wow, that combination opened up a nasty cut on Payne’s eyelid. The blood is gushing over his eye and face, Payne is backing away pawing at his eye, can he make the round. Referee Wright is stopping the action at the 2:50 to call in the physician. That’s it folks, they have stopped this one with little argument from Payne or his corner. O’Brien is your winner by second round TKO via cuts and moves to three wins, five losses and two knockouts while Payne drops to zero wins and eight losses.

Result: Young O’Brien 3-5 (2) TKO2 Phillip Payne 0-8 (O’Brien led 10-9x2, 9-10 on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage)

[BAD]

Next up we have action in the LHW division with Australian Waqa Kolivuso taking on Ukraine’s Vasyl Kondor. Kolivuso enters with a record of one win and four losses while Kondor has one win, six losses, one draw and one knockout. Kondor is most noted for his stunning upset technical knockout over American Jack Dillon in May, 1920.


The fighters are on their way to the ring, the crowd inside Wembley is still rather small, but raucous. Reports from outside the stadium are large crowds growing all over the city in anticipation of this mega-fight.

Round One:

Kolivuso comes out fast sticking his jab into Kondor repeatedly, ohh there is a nice cross from Kolivuso as well that snapped Kondor’s head back. Waqa is utilizing tremendous footwork through the first minute and half of the fight. Kondor is trying to work inside, unsuccessfully. Big right from Vasyl lands flush and staggers Kolivuso. Kondor peppers Kolivuso with jabs throughout the final thirty seconds of the round.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kondor

Round Two:

Kondor comes out much more active to start round two, but is missing his target repeatedly. Kondor lands a nice short uppercut inside; Kolivuso is reverting to clinching and grabbing Kondor at every opportunity. Another uppercut from Kondor finds a home; Kolivuso lands a nice jab and follows it with another to halt Kondor’s progress. Kolivuso lands a nice three punch combination on the break left, right hook and uppercut. Kondor is the one clinching now. Kolivuso fires some nice jabs to finish the round. Strong ending for Kolivuso.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kolivuso
Total: 19-19

Round Three:

Kondor is back to the jab with success to start round three and has clearly been the aggressor thus far in the fight. Kolivuso lands a cross as he back pedals, Kondor counters with a right and another over top of Kolivuso’s jab, which seems to have stunned the Australian. Kondor keeps attacking, but nothing is landing. Kolivuso misses wildly and pays for it with a crushing hook in return from Kondor. Kolivuso is trying to stick with the jab, which has been successful, but Kondor is countering it nicely. There appears to be a decided speed edge fro Kondor as he unleashes another three punch combination which lands against Kolivuso. Waqa tries to respond as the round closes, but Vasyl’s defense is sound.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kondor
Total: 29-28 Kondor

Round Four:

Neither fighter has a mark on them and both appear rather fresh. They are jockeying for position in the center of the ring, with a slight advantage Kolivuso on the inside. Kondor’s jab has lost a lot of steam at this point and the men continue to wrestle drawing ire from the crowd, which is nearly half full now. Two minutes in and not much to speak of here. Kondor appears to be tiring or simply taking the round off, with the amount of holding he is doing. Kolivuso lands a nice one-two combination to Kondor’s head on the break, which gets a sarcastic eruption from the crowd. As the round winds down, Kolivuso is scoring with his jab far more frequently.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kolivuso
Total: 38-38

Round Five:

The fighters continue to hold, grab and have limited offensive outputs; the crowd is really giving it to them at this point, nearly half the round over with no action to speak of. Kondor starts unleashing a violent body attack and splits Kolivuso’s gloves with a straight right that has Waqa backing away. Kondor continues to go to the body as Kolivuso covers up. The round ends with Kondor still on the attack and Kolivuso on the defensive.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kondor
Total: 48-47 Kondor

Round Six:

Much of the same here, as both fighters start slowly. Forty-five seconds in Kondor starts unleashing a barrage of punches, although nothing seems to score with any significance. Kolivuso looks exhausted, as he continues to backtrack and cover up against the attacking Ukrainian. Kondor lands to two big shots to the head that rattle the Australian, followed by a huge uppercut. The tide really appears to be turning in favor of Kondor at the moment. Kondor continues the assault, with limited success. He eats a weak uppercut from Waqa and returns a right over the top to the head of Kolivuso. Kondor closes the round with a flurry, nothing much landing save for yet another blistering uppercut. Nice round for Kondor.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Kondor
Total: 58-56 Kondor

Round Seven:

Kondor charges to start round seven and lands a vicious body punch that has Waqa covering up, he is clearly hurt. Kondor follows it up with a couple of nice jabs. Kondor land a big uppercut that opens a cut on the outside of Kolivuso’s left eyebrow. It looks like the cut won’t be a problem as the blood is running around his line of vision. Hold on here, Waqa appears to be have some issues with his vision, its certainly not from blood in the eye – he appears to have an injury to his eye. The doctor is being called in, this may be it folks. The doctor is taking a look, Waqa wants to continue. The crowd erupts, as the fight will go on. Waqa comes out firing after the stoppage, but eats a right cross for his trouble. Kondor is peppering Kolivuso with his jab. Waqa’s eye is swelling badly at this point. More jabs from Kondor, Kolivuso is hurt, Kondor has Kolivuso pinned on the ropes, cross lands, a huge hook followed by a crisp uppercut – that’s it referee Bulner jumps in and wraps his arms around Kolivuso. Kondor is the winner via technical knockout at 2:50 of the seventh round.

Result: Vasyl Kondor 2-6-1 (2) TKO7 Waqa Kolivuso 1-5 (Kondor led 60-54x2 and 58-56 at the time of the stoppage)

[BAD]

The crowd is really starting to pile in now, with England’s own Michael Alexander on tap next followed by Italy’s Poli and than the big one, Skelton-Gardner. Alexander is off to slow start in his career with one win, five losses and one knockout. Many criticized the choice of opponent here as American Woodward enters the fight at zero wins against six losses.

The crowd voices their support for Alexander as he enters the ring; this place is really reaching a deafening pitch, as we are nearly three-quarters full at this point. The English crowd is in a frenzy rooting on the compatriot.


Round One:

Woodward seems unfazed by the crowd and not playing the lame duck role, as many expected him to do. Otis is punishing Alexander’s body, everything is landing and Alexander looks like he is in shock. Woodward steps away and lands a nice hook and he back inside to the body attack. Woodward backs away again and lands a beautiful cross, followed by a sharp jab. Alexander is hurt, but tries to mount an attack. Woodward closes the round a volley of punches that don’t appear to do much damage. Huge round for the American

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward

Round Two:

Otis starts round two in the fashion ripping into Alexander’s body, however, this time he eats a brutal hook in return, which slows the assault. The two grasp and hold each other for the next minute, until Woodward attempts to go back to the body, which Alexander is protecting well now. Huge one-two from Alexander staggers Woodward and brings the crowd to their feet. Woodward comes back with the jab, which is successful. Alexander lets a combination go which gets a rise from the crowd, but mostly misses or glances off Woodward’s arms. The round ends with both fighters clinching and holding again.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Alexander
Total: 19-19

Round Three:

Woodward tries to lead with the jab, but Michael crushes him with an overhand right ten seconds into the round. Alexander’s corner screams from the side and he lands another crushing right, wobbling Otis. Alexander connects on a right cross, but there wasn’t much steam on that one. Alexander dips in and lands a nice uppercut under Woodward’s guard. Alexander is dancing around his opponent now sticking him tight jabs, he moves in and lands a nice combination, Woodward fires back and knocks Alexander into the ropes, he has him cornered now. Alexander closes minimal activity, as he really seemed to have an opening there.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Alexander
Total: 29-28 Alexander

Round Four:

Alexander comes out utilizing the jab effectively, keeping his opponent at bay. The men wrestle at the center of the ring at the one minute mark. The Englishman fires a flurry of punches, which back his opponent off. Huge left to the head from Alexander. Woodward attacks the body with success. Both men missing upstairs, Alexander is back to the jab as the round nears its completion. Woodward sticks a jab of his own and Alexander misses a huge uppercut right before the bell.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Alexander
Total: 39-37 Alexander

Round Five:

Woodward comes out aggressive in round five, landed with a volley of punches and forcing Alexander to cover up. Michael is still moving rather fluidly and attempting to keep Otis off balance. A crushing right from Woodward - an excellent first minute for the American. Alexander comes back with some excellent body work, landing to ribcage of the American. Alexander comes back up top and lands a glancing blow; Woodward is swinging at air, as the Englishman moves in an out. As we enter the final round Woodward attacks the body as Alexander goes for the clinch. Big right to the head from Otis staggers Alexander back The bell sounds with Woodward on the attack.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 48-47 Alexander

Round Six:

Both fighters come out for round six with caution and move to the clinch versus the attack. The fighter dance and paw for nearly a minute before the ref separates them. Alexander starts working the jab with some success, before Woodward lands an uppercut, but the steam appears to be gone from both fighters punches. Alexander keeps the jab going and is still moving well, but keeps going back in for the clinch. The crowd is letting the fighters know they are no pleased at the lack of action. Right before the bell amidst a chorus of boos Woodward rocks Alexander with an over hand right.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 57-57


Round Seven:

Alexander starts off the seventh with a big right hand, but immediately goes for the clinch. This is getting ugly as the fighters continue to dance and grab. Finally, Woodward land a nice right hook, he ducks Alexander’s attack and pounds him with another right. Woodward land an uppercut that sends Alexander into the ropes. He follows Michael into the corner and unleashes a flurry of punches that Alexander manages to avoid or deflect. The referee is telling Woodward something, I didn’t pick that one up. Woodward continues to pressure Alexander blasting him with another big right. Alexander’s corner is screaming and jumping up and down to encourage their fighter. He obliges with a solid left to Woodward’s jaw. The round closes with the fighters standing toe to toe throwing punches that continue long after the bell, the crowd reins their approval down.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 67-66 Woodward

Round Eight:

The action has finally picked up, as Alexander immediately goes to the body with destructive precision. Woodward slips in a short, pounding right to Alexander’s temple. Otis is sticking his jab in Alexander’s face at an accurate clip, yet is just missing on his power punches. Alexander is holding on at every opportunity. Both fighters work the jab, Woodward far more effectively as we hit the two minute mark of the eight. Woodward lands a nice jab and goes back to the body; Alexander grabs a hold of him and waits for the ref to separate them. After the grab, Alexander is holding on again and the bell sounds. A promising start to the round, in terms of action, evaporated rather quickly.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 77-75 Woodward

Round Nine:

It’s starting to look like home grown Michael Alexander will need a knockout to win this one, or must explode in the final two rounds to have a chance on the cards. Woodward has taken over the fight and looks to have won the last four rounds. Woodward continues to work the jab and nothing else in the first minute. Alexander fires a jab back and lands a nice shot to the head. A cross from Alexander followed by a glancing blow to the body. Woodward still finds a home for the jab and goes to the body, which Alexander blocks. Woodward misses with a big cross, but fires an uppercut behind it that lands flush. He follows it with a hook, Alexander is dazed. Alexander is back the clinch and hold game for the last forty seconds.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 87-84 Woodward

Round Ten:

We are in the tenth and final round, Alexander is getting an ear full from his corner. To surprise, the rounds starts with both men holding on. Woodward continues to pepper the jab, so much for a hand picked opponent. Woodward jabs and lands a crashing hook that Alexander follows with a solid uppercut. Both fighters are missing with discouraging frequency. Woodward lands a crisp jab and body shot, Alexander is holding on again. The round and fight comes to end with both fighters swinging wildly into the air.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Woodward
Total: 97-93 Woodward

Result: Michael Alexander 2-5 (1) 10UD Otis Woodward 0-7 (All three judges score the fight 96-95 in favor of Alexander)

Wow, fight fans. That was highway robbery, English style. A bit of home cooking, no doubt, for Alexander who lost the last six rounds on my card and should have easily lost this fight on the cards.

[BAD]

The crowd is at capacity now awaiting the co-main event and more specifically the main event, a clash between England’s best. The Italian contingent can be heard is support of their man, Ugo Poli who sports a record of six wins, three losses and three knockouts. His opponent, Mexican Augustin Lorenzo enter this fight at two wins and four losses. Poli is a sizable favorite in this one and looks to rebound from a tough loss to razor close decision loss to Mexican Joe Rivers in his last outing.

Round One:

The crowd is in a complete frenzy at this point. The fighters circle for the first thirty seconds before Lorenzo crushes Poli with a huge uppercut. The Italians head snapped back violently on that one and he looks hurt. Poli comes back with the jab, another and another. The Italian has regained his senses and attacks the body. Lorenzo swings wildly and is smothering Poli. The two fighters trade shots at the center of the ring, Poli is getting the better of these scraps. Huge hook from Lorenzo wobbles Poli, the Mexican attacks the body and appears to have Ugo in trouble again. Another huge right to head and another from the Mexican product. The round ends with Poli appearing to be badly hurt.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Lorenzo

Round Two:

Both fighters miss wildly during the first thirty seconds, Poli seems re-energized. He lands a nice two shot combination to Lorenzo’s body. The two fighters trade shot for shot in the center of the ring at the midway point of the round, Poli crushes the Mexican’s jaw and is getting the better of the exchanges. Augustin comes back with some nice body work followed by a flurry of jabs. Lorenzo lands a beautiful three punch combo, left, right and uppercut. Poli is staggered, Lorenzo dips, feints the body shot and smashed the Italian with a left hook to the head. Poli is sticking his jab out there, but can’t keep the Mexican off of him. The round closes with Lorenzo smashing the Italian with more body shots.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Lorenzo
Total: 20-18 Lorenzo

Round Three:

Lorenzo continues to attack the body, Poli misses badly with a wild haymaker. The Italian sticks an effective jab into Lorenzo repeatedly. Lorenzo is missing badly at this point, as Poli continues to stick the jab and go to the body. Big right from Augustin, but he can’t follow it up with anything meaningful. Poli lands a smashing hook to Lorenzo’s head, they continue to trade blow for blow, before the Italian rips a devastating body shot to the Mexican at the bell.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Poli
Total: 29-28 Lorenzo

Round Four:

The fighters meet at the center of the ring, Poli seems to have an extra pep in his step following the solid third round. They circle, wow; Lorenzo crushes Poli with an uppercut that is right on target. The Italian slumps to the canvas to the dismay of the pro-Poli crowd. Poli is not moving at the count of five…..he is not getting up from this one. That’s it folks.

Result: Augustin Lorenzo 3-4 (1) KO4 Ugo Poli 6-4 (3) (Lorenzo led 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 at the time of the knockout)

[BAD]

The moment is nearly upon fight fans. The world waits with baited breath for this mega-showdown and England’s king defends his standing against his most dangerous opponent yet. Matt Skelton, England’s most famous celebrity, known for his decorated military career, long-time involvement at Cannally’s, decade run as England’s military boxing champion, public lifestyle and now GPF top HW contender. Skelton is 15 years Gardner’s elder and the 36 year old knows he likely has a limited career in the GPF and wants to make the most of it.

John L. Gardner, not the mega-star of Skelton, but is equally as dangerous. Many experts label Gardner as England’s best prospect for the HW crown and a win over Skelton should propel him into the very top of the weight class, with a potential shot at the crown within 12 months.

The excitement is mounting as we are a mere minutes from the fighters entrance. The stadium is jam packed and the crowd is deafening. Gardner makes his entrance, somehow a foreigner is his own country, as he prepares to take on England’s prodigal son. He is in the ring, Gardner has a look of determination we haven’t seen from him before. He appears to be in excellent condition, as always.

Skelton appears for the first time and the crowd erupts, he is draped in an English flag and wearing military garments. The already frenzied crowd has move into berserker status. Skelton climbs through the ropes and we are nearly underway. You can cut the tension with a knife in here, I can’t imagine what the streets of England are like tonight.

The two men meet in the center of the ring staring daggers at each other. Skelton pounds Gardner’s gloves and the men break and head for their corners. He we go fight fans!

Round One:

The fighters charge each other to start the bout, Skelton attempting to muscle Gardner into the corner. Both men miss with big punches. Skelton smashes a pair of jabs into Gardner’s face. The men circle to the center of the ring at the one minute mark and trade blows, they are really going at it. Gardner lands a stinging cross and Skelton counters with a perfectly timed uppercut….Gardner slumps to the canvas, Gardner is down at that 1:32 mark of the first. John is up to his feet quickly, but he is on shaky ground early in this fight. Skelton smells blood in the water and muscles Gardner into the corner, he is unleashing a flurry of punches, but nothing seems to connect. There’s a right and a left from Skelton that find there way through. Matt smashes Gardner with a hook to the head and Hackney product is down again, Gardner is down again!! Somehow Gardner is up at the six count, he is completely out of it. Skelton misses with a violent cross, as the bell sounds. Huge round for the Skelton.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-7 Skelton

Round Two:

Gardner seems to have regained his composure a bit to start the round, he hurls Skelton off of him, not allowing the big man to push him around. Nice uppercut inside by Gardner, followed by a cross to the head. Another big cross from Gardner, and excellent opening fifty seconds for Gardner. John pushes forward and gets sent flying back by hard, straight right hand from Skelton. Gardner fires away, but misses and misses again. Skelton lands a double jab and follows with a brisk uppercut that crushes into Gardner’s jaw. Gardner retreats and Skelton pursues him, landing a nice combination at the bell.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Skelton
Total: 20-16 Skelton

Round Three:

The fighters circle for the first minute trading vicious body shot, after vicious body shot. Skelton misses with a wild head hunter and waves Gardner in to fight, the crowd explodes. Skelton continues to rip Gardner to the body, the fighters trade toe to toe with little thought of defense. Gardner smashes Skelton with a violent right, his best punch of the night. Another big shot from Gardner, Skelton may be hurt. Gardner has Skelton trapped against the ropes and unloads. Matt tries to fight his way out, but eats another shot to the head for his trouble. Gardner misses with a few big shots that had bad intentions. Skelton is holding on and covering up a sight rarely seem from England’s uncrowned champion. Gardner shoves Skelton into the ropes as the bell sounds and the English crowd is on their feet.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Gardner
Total: 29-26 Skelton

Round Four:


Skelton lands a crippling right to Gardner's head to start the round. Gardner looks hurt, Skelton smashes him with another right to the head and Gardner is clearly wobbled. Gardner tries to fight back, throwing his jab out and eats another shot right on the chin. Skelton attacks and Gardner slams a shot into his midsection. The big man didn't see that coming and appears winded. Gardner sticks a jab, Skelton is back to the rough housing tactics and is cautioned by the ref for holding Gardner's neck. The fighters clinch and Skelton lands a nice combination at the gun.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Skelton
Total: 39-35 Skelton

Round Five:

Skelton is seemingly in control and has mounted a big lead via the two first round knockdowns. Gardner is jockeying for position in the first thirty seconds of the round. Skelton blasts a left, right to the head that wobbles Gardner. Ohhh, huge uppercut from Skelton, Gardner ate that one flush and is on the canvas again. Gardner is in bad shape, he is moving at the four count and slumps back down, he is not getting up, Skelton has done it, Skelton has done it! Matt Skelton has solidified his claim as Europe’s best by knocking out England’s number two John L. Gardner at the fifty-six second mark of round, a simply dominating performance by Skelton. The crowd is ballistic.

Result: Matt Skelton 9-1 (7) KO5 John L. Gardner 7-2-1 (4) (Skelton led 38-36x2 and 39-36 at the time of the knockout)

Utter pandemonium here…..let’s see if we can get a word with Skelton. The crowd has poured around the ring, and the ring is full of security, GPF personnel and Skelton’s entourage….this is insane, I don’t think we are making through this madness. Hey, hey, we are live here….watch out, hey…brkkk, brkk…we are breaking up here, brkkk….brkk

Interrupting this program to bring you a word from our sponsor…

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_____


Your listening to sounds of the 20’s…….Marion Harris, with “I ain’t got nobody”


There's been a sayin' goin' round
And I begin to think it's true
It's awful hard to love someone
When they don't care about you

Once I had a lovin' gal
The sweetest little thing in town
But now she's gone and left me
She done turn me down

Now I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me!
That's why I'm sad and lonely,
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me?

I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!

(Instrumental Break)

I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!

[BAD]

LA Times

February 19, 1921

Skelton smashes Gardner in London

By Wilson Kennedy
California, USA

European king, Matt Skelton, solidified his claim to that title by destroying John L. Gardner in London last night. Skelton, of Cannally’s fame and his distinguished military career, dropped Gardner twice in the first before leveling the English contender for good in the fifth.

The maximum capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium was speckled with European debutants, royalty, celebrities and GPF leadership. The crowd was loud throughout the evening, even with an undercard that lacked any real punch, and was at a feverish pitch leading into the main event.

Many, including myself, have been critical of Skelton, his opposition and the English media’s love affair with him. Non-European outlets have labeled Skelton a paper contender, unwilling to take on top tier talent in his early GPF career. Unconfirmed reports have Skelton turning down matches against Americans Gerry Cooney and Michael Dokes along with Polish sensation Andrew Golota within the last six months. All solid fighters, but considered by most outside of the GPF’s top ten at the moment.

I still wholeheartedly stand by my previous comments regarding Skelton, but will acknowledge he showed me something last night with his domination of a very tough, likely top ten contender in John L. Gardner. The English product, who I predicted to destroy Skelton, has a much stronger GPF resume than Skelton with decision wins over Kevin McBride and Corrie Sanders and devastating knockout over Jose Urtain. In fact, Gardner had been dominant or extremely competitive in eight of his first nine fights, with his lone loss coming via first round knockout at the hands of American Max Baer.

Skelton, carries an elitist attitude, like much of his camp, and continuously downplays any criticism he receives as trash American media and has even gone as far to say his lone loss, in his only trip to the States, was highway robbery. I was ringside for that fight, where American contender Roscoe Toles dominated Skelton, dropping him in the eighth, en route to an easy unanimous decision (99-90, 95-94, 100-89). I personally had the fight 98-91, so to suggest a bogus decision was inappropriate and unprofessional on Skelton’s end.

I must give credit, where credit is due. Skelton was extremely impressive and dominant last night. He was the better man and was never in any real jeopardy during the fight. I’m not ready to hand the title of “the most dangerous man in the world”, as the English media suggests or even as Europe’s best, which is more widely accepted. After the fight, Skelton and his camp bashed the choice of American Abe Simon to be champion David Tua’s first opponent and pined for an immediate title shot with the winner. The claims of American bias, American media slander agenda’s and suggested over hyped American talent is nothing more than completely outrageous babbling’s from Cannally’s, Skelton and GPF VP Robert Mann, which are old hat at this point.

We may just finally be able to put this sideshow behind and settle it in the ring this summer if Skelton is selected as the next opponent in line for the title, but I suspect Sonny Liston and Bernardo Mercado will have something to say about that.

Don’t forget fight fans, we have a doozy of card taking place in Canada this weekend, live on KYL-Toronto.

[BAD]

KYL-Toronto Reporting…

February 25th, 1921: Stefan Roucher reporting live from Arena Gardens in Toronto. Canada is abuzz this evening with an excellent card featuring a couple of superstar prospects, Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez and Canada’s own Arturo Gatti, a couple of big punching heavies facing off and a top contender fight in the featherweight division in our main event.

It’s been a huge couple of weeks for the GPF with the monster HW clash in England last week and this jam packed card in Toronto, Canada, which is a mere moments away. Canadians everywhere are excited to see Montreal product Arturo Gatti in action tonight. Gatti is widely considered Canada’s best hope for a title in the next 12-24 months.

Our main event should go a long way in sorting out the puzzle that is the featherweight title picture. We know that champion, Japanese sensation Mitsunori Seki will battle undefeated American Willie Pep in Tokyo on March 11, 1921. Next weekend, top contender Prince Naseem Hamed and Alejandro Gonzalez will square off to likely claim the next shot at the crown.

Tommy O’Toole sits right outside that bunch and hopes to secure a year end title shot with a strong performance tonight. On the other side, South African Watty Austin could vault himself into the title mix with an upset of O’Toole tonight.

In our co-main event Canadian LW’s Arturo Gatti and Donovan Boucher will do battle. Gatti is widely considered the top WW prospect to join the GPF since its initial roster of fighters. Also on the card, a HW clash between Reynaldo Minus of the Bahamas and Andre Purlette of Guyana and top LHW prospect, Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez versus American Johnny Colan. Gomez is widely considered the best of the LHW prospects, Jirov, Wlodarcyzk and Griffin, that joined the GPF within the last 12 months. Many experts feel he may rank even higher than super amateur prospects Orlin Norris and Carl Thompson. The evening’s festivities will get started with a MW clash between Canada’s own Tokunbo Olajide and Russian Alexey Chirkov.

This is a star studded fight card here in Toronto and should hold plenty of action from start to finish.

[BAD]

Canada’s Olajide has a record of one win, four losses and one draw compared to Chirkov’s one win, five losses, one draw and one knockout. The combatants are in the ring and we are set to get the night started.

Round One:

Olajide comes out sticking his jab into Chirkov and lands a nice shot to the body. Chirkov fires a big right that Olajide ducks under. Chirkov barrels into Olajide and sends him into the ropes. Olajide doubles up on the hook and buckles Alexey’s knees. Chirkov starts fire an effective jab and lands a nice left hook. The two fighters are grappling in the corner. The ref breaks the two up and Chirkov fires a sweet three punch combination that wobbles Olajide. The Russian sticks a few more jabs through and lands a nice uppercut at the bell.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Chirkov

Round Two:

Although the crowd is far from capacity, it is very loud in here as the action gets started. Both men are landing jab and Chirkov smokes Olajide with a left cross. Both men continue throw a lot of punches, but are missing at a high rate. Again Chirkov finds a home for the left. Tokunbo fires a couple of nice shots to the head and lands twice to the body, as the fighters jockey for position. Chirkov is holding now and Olajide lands a nice shot on the break. The men trade jabs and Olajide lands a nice cross in the final seconds of the round.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Olajide
Total: 19-19

Round Three:

Chirkov attacks the body and Olajide continues to fire the jab. These two are really going at it early in this one. Both men just miss with big shots. Olajide seems to be tiring and is holding more frequently. Chirkov rips a combination to the Canadians head and body. Tokunbo goes to the body and follows with an uppercut; Chirkov blasts him with a right to the head. Another big right from the Russian with a left to the body. Olajide stings him with a right at the bell and snaps Chirkov’s head back.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Chirkov
Total: 29-28 Chirkov

Round Four:

The first twenty seconds of the round include both fighters swinging for the fences; Chirkov is getting the better of the exchanges. The men circle, showing a bit of caution for the first time in the fight. Olajide goes to the body and stick the jab. Nice body work from the Canadian and he goes upstairs with nice right. Chirkov is favoring his right side from the damage done by Olajide. Big combination from Tokunbo, he is really tagging Chirkov this round. Olajide lands four consecutive jabs and two shots to the body; Chirkov is hurt and is not responding with any offense. Olajide misses a huge shot at the bell and both men exchange heated words on their way back to the corner.

Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Olajide
Total: 38-38

Round Five:

The combatants jostle for the first thirty seconds, Chirkov appears winded and neither fighter is showing much damage to their faces. Chirkov muscles Olajide into the corner and gets his jab going, nice uppercut from the Russian. Olajide misses with a huge hook and Chirkov slams another jab into the Canadian. Wow, Olajide shoots a straight right through Chirkov’s guard and the Russian crashes to the canvas. That shot came out of nowhere, like a lightning bolt. Chirkov is really hurt, he is up at four and falls back to his knees, he is starting blindly into the crowd as the referee counts him out. The crowd erupts as Canadian Tokunbo Olajide is your winner by knockout at the one minute fifty-nine second mark of the fifth.

Result: Tokunbo Olajide 2-4-1 (1) KO5 Alexey Chirkov 1-6-1 (1) (Olajide led 40-36x2 and 39-37 on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage)