The Federal Boxing Alliance

[GForce]

A few belts on the line in the IBF for July, but only 1 will be a mandatory defense. New Lightweight champ Sean O'Grady will defend against #1 contender Edwin Rosario, wasting no time in getting the top guy out of the way. It's a risky move for O'Grady, particularly as a first defense. He still will owe Orzubek Nazarov a rematch for the belt...the third fight in their trilogy, when Nazarov is cleared to fight again in September.

Meanwhile, a few non-mandatory defenses on the docket, including the first defense by Jr. Featherweight champ Jeff Fenech, who eschews top contender Jose Sanabria for now to battle unranked Jesse Benavides.

Featherweight champ Vicente Saldivar will battle #7 Luisito Espinosa.

The only #1 contender to step in in a non-title fight will be Satoshi Shingaki, who hasn't fought in 8 months. In his case, it makes some sense (though his ranking, arguably, doesn't.)

GH

[meade95]

I'll go with Edwin Rosario to take O'Grady's title in a war - Rosario by late TKO.

Pulling for Big George as well!

And let me just say....What an absolutely excellent job you've done with your breakdown of divisions! - The best I've seen anyone do to date. Your divisions are just loaded with talent....one potential "WOW" fight after another...(and that's not even talking about possible unification fights)....

I wish I had the time to put my universe all down in writing like that....

Great job...


What about dropping Sung Kil Moon down to JBW (from BW). He fought at JBW for most of his career. He could win a title likely at either....but at JBW he'd almost be assured of taking one of the belts.....

[Romdawg88]

I'm taking Edwin to blast O'Grady out of the ring by the 5th or so rather easily. Ali/Foreman and Napoles/McCrory should be great fights. Also, I love that even in the virtual world we can't get Jones Jr. and DM to actually fight each other.

[GForce]

Originally Posted by meade95

I'll go with Edwin Rosario to take O'Grady's title in a war - Rosario by late TKO.

Pulling for Big George as well!

And let me just say....What an absolutely excellent job you've done with your breakdown of divisions! - The best I've seen anyone do to date. Your divisions are just loaded with talent....one potential "WOW" fight after another...(and that's not even talking about possible unification fights)....

I wish I had the time to put my universe all down in writing like that....

Great job...


What about dropping Sung Kil Moon down to JBW (from BW). He fought at JBW for most of his career. He could win a title likely at either....but at JBW he'd almost be assured of taking one of the belts.....

Thanks for the kind words, Meade. It's funny...the redoing the rankings thing really let me stop and take a look at all that's gone on. Writing comes easily for me, so hammering that out is nothing, it's just getting the "paperwork" out of the way. But it's been fun to go over each division.

There are a few guys who might change classes. I probably won't do it until the end of this universe year, but I'm thinking of expanding the size of the incoming class a bit, so if I do that I may let some guys shuffle around.

GH

[GForce]

One thing you may have noticed is a discrepancy is my talking of guys eligible to unify. I forgot my initial rule that I really do want to keep.

A fighter can unify after 3 successful defenses, with the stipulation that 1 of them be against the mandatory #1, and at least one of the others be against another fighter in the top 10. The "top 10" stipulation had been forgotten about. I want to keep that part of the plan.

GH

[GForce]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

I'm taking Edwin to blast O'Grady out of the ring by the 5th or so rather easily. Ali/Foreman and Napoles/McCrory should be great fights. Also, I love that even in the virtual world we can't get Jones Jr. and DM to actually fight each other.

LOL!!! If Jones is smart he'll fight DM...he doesn't want to tangle with Foster again.

Napoles is funny...he's another one of those guys who I knew was good but didn't know HOW good until I put this universe together. Honeyghan beating him the first time was the upset, not Napoles in the rematch. McCrory will pose an interesting challenge, though.

O'Grady's move is a bold one, fighting the #1 immediately. He knocked Rosario out the first time they fought, in the tournament semifinal. But O'Grady has had 2 wars with Nazarov already, and now he's going to put himself in there with Rosario, and if he succeeds, he'll have to give Nazarov a rematch. His guts are to be respected, but it may not be the smartest course of action.

GH

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by GForce

LOL!!! If Jones is smart he'll fight DM...he doesn't want to tangle with Foster again.

Napoles is funny...he's another one of those guys who I knew was good but didn't know HOW good until I put this universe together. Honeyghan beating him the first time was the upset, not Napoles in the rematch. McCrory will pose an interesting challenge, though.

O'Grady's move is a bold one, fighting the #1 immediately. He knocked Rosario out the first time they fought, in the tournament semifinal. But O'Grady has had 2 wars with Nazarov already, and now he's going to put himself in there with Rosario, and if he succeeds, he'll have to give Nazarov a rematch. His guts are to be respected, but it may not be the smartest course of action.

GH

I had forgotten that O'Grady had beaten Rosario before in the tournament. I was basing my predicition on the three meetings the two of have in the UTBA which Rosario had taken by KO rather easily. This is a really gutest plan by O'Grady and if he pulls it off it'll be a heck of a feat but I still think Rosario gets revenge and takes him out.

Also, yeah it would probably be in the best interests of RJJ's health to avoid fighting Bob Foster again. I want to see him and DM face off hopefully it happens.

[GForce]

July WBO signings

A slim crop this month..let's have a look.

Rita Ruvalcaba (MW) - WBC
Vincent Pettway (JMW) - WBA
Robert Hines (JMW) - IBF
Carlos Gerena (JLW) WBC
Anatoly Alexandrov (JLW) - unsigned
Rafael Pedroza (JBW) - IBF
Netrnoi Vorasingh (FLY) - unsigned
Freddie Castillo (FLY) - WBA


RETIRED
Jose Palacios (WELT) - (0-6)
Joey Olivo (FLY) - (0-5-1)

GH

[GForce]

Federal Boxing Alliance - Pound For Pound July 1, 2005

1. Julio Cesar Chavez
2. Alexis Arguello
3. Kostya Tszyu
4. Ricardo Lopez
5. Bernard Hopkins
6. Vicente Saldivar
7. Jean-Marc Mormeck
8. Carlos Monzon
9. Miguel Canto
10. Muhammad Ali

GH

[GForce]

July Title Fight Recaps

WBA Heavyweight: Champion Muhammad Ali (6-0, 4 KO) vs #1 George Foreman (4-1, 4 KO)

July's review kicks off with the biggest of them all. Ali surprised few when he agreed to take on Foreman the moment the Top 10 lists were released (and thus the #1 contenders were established) rather than stalling for a possible easier bout with #2 ranked Alfredo Evangelista, whom Ali had already dispatched a year and a half ago. But he wanted "Big Ugly," as Ali has called him continuously. Foreman simply said Ali would stop talking once Foreman hit him.

The thinking coming in is simple...if Ali can stretch Foreman long he'll beat him. The bigger opponent doesn't faze Ali much, given his handling of Lennox Lewis a few months ago. Foreman will simply try to crush Ali under his power.

Round 1: Moments into the first round, Foreman grabs Ali and ties him up. Ali tries to get away but Foreman won't let him. Referee John Coyle can't force them apart, and it's clear Foreman is simply trying to make his power advantage crystal clear to Ali. Finally apart, Ali is outside and working his jab. He gets too close and Foreman nails a hard uppercut for his first meaningul shot. Ali weathers it well and gets back to combinations outside. Foreman tries to smother him but to no avail as Ali's speed advantage is just as clear as Foreman's power. Ali misses with a hook in the closing moments and Foreman unleashes a devastating cross to Ali's head that wobbles him visibly.
Foreman smiles at the bell, knowing he's hurt Ali.

Round 2: Foreman showing uncharacteristic movement in this round and Ali is still not right after the closing shot in the 1st. Foreman spends 2:30 knocking Ali around the ring seemingly at will. Ali is taking a lot of punishment, but Foreman gets sloppy and Ali rips off a stirring combination that halts Foreman's attack...and rips a cut on Foreman's right eyelid. His corner is ready for him right at the bell, desperate to get to work.

Round 3: Foreman's corner does a good job on the cut, and Foreman comes back out and is again moving surprisingly well. Ali seems unsure how to handle Foreman, who is landing a high number of shots, uncharacteristic against Ali. Ali is being hurt, unquestionably. Ali lands a few jabs, but they have no effect, as Foreman stalks and corners him, landing multiple hooks to the jaw.

Round 4: The crowd is buzzing at Foreman's offensive, and round 4 does nothing to stop them, the most mutually offensive round of the bout thus far. Ali starts it, ripping a pair of combinations early, snapping Foreman's head back violently with an uppercut. Foreman lands a stiff cross of his own, but Ali slams him with a second uppercut. The two exchange blows in a mid-ring flurry that gets the crowd roaring. Ali gets the better of it, but as Ali steps back to create separation, Foreman buries a straight right on the button, staggering Ali.

Round 5: Ali is able to stay outside and pepper Foreman for the first half of the round...jab, jab, combo, jab...but Foreman then lands a thunderous right hand that puts Ali into the ropes. Ali backpedals to a corner, but Foreman pursues and doubles up with the left, putting Ali in trouble once again. He buckles Ali's knees with a cross and it seems the champ may go down. But Ali fires a cross that lands hard and he spins Foreman into the corner. Another combo lands before a wild right misses at the bell. Ali is taking a lot of punishment, but he's still standing.

Round 6: Foreman is still the aggressor in the 6th, but he's missing more than he had previously. His eye hasn't posed a problem since early in the fight, and Foreman looks to be tiring slightly but still in good shape. He lands a pair of hard jabs early, but Ali hammers home an uppercut in the middle of the round to change the tone. Ali controls the next minute, though both fighters seem to be taking it easy - a questionable move from Foreman's perspective, given that he's been inflicting more punishment - but, Foreman rips home a hard hook. Ali responds immediately with a pair of body shots that seem to slow Foreman considerably. But Foreman comes back with a hook to the jaw in the closing seconds. Both guys take hard shots, but both keep coming back from it. The crowd is getting everything they wanted out of this one.

Round 7: They feel each other out to start the round, before Foreman jolts Ali to his toes with an uppercut. Ali fires a pair of jabs in response, both missing the mark considerably. They lean on each other before Coyle quickly gets them apart. Foreman ends up in a corner as they separate and Ali fires a hook that catches Foreman flush and out of nowhere. The crowd leaps to its feet as Foreman crashes to the canvas. Foreman is up at 7 but looking wobbly. Coyle lets it go on and Ali attacks. Ali is effective, raining shots down on Foreman who paws with his jab seemingly just to show Coyle he's responsive. But other than that, it's just Foreman weathering a 2-minute beating from Ali. He stays upright and survives the round, but the tone of the fight, and the entire arena, has completely changed. Foreman's cut has finally reopened, and his other eye is swelling.

Round 8: A gassed Foreman comes out with the blood reduced to a trickle but the swelling looking no better. He's warned early for holding Ali down by the neck, but nothing comes of it. The two exchange a pair of uppercuts, with Foreman's appearing to have more behind it. Despite looking weary, Foreman puts on a great effort here, finding a reserve of energy in the second half of the round and hammering Ali with two strong crosses, the latter of which draws a crowd reaction as Ali's head turns violently. Foreman follows it with a straight right that blasts Ali and sends him leaning into the corner for support. But as has happened twice earlier in the fight, the bell ends the round before Foreman can pounce.

Round 9: Foreman's cut is under control, but the swelling has nearly shut his left eye. He misses several shots early, shots he was landing earlier. Ali is moving, circling to Foreman's left, and he drills Foreman with a hook that staggers him. As hard a time as Foreman looks to be having, Ali is wary of getting too close, a sure sign Foreman's power has been felt throughout the fight. Foreman misses with a trio of shots, and Ali hammers another cross home, sending Foreman stumbling. Foreman misses again, and Ali hits him with a left hook, then a right, closing a round that was all Ali.

Round 10: The swelling can't be stopped, and Foreman is now a one-eyed fighter. He grabs Ali quickly, figuring holding him close he at least knows where he is. Foreman lands a 3-punch combo and Ali sneaks in a short uppercut. That shot reopens the cut and, as Foreman paws at it, the Coyle asked the ringside doc to take a look...With the left eye closed, the fear is the blood over the right eye trickling in and making Foreman essentially blind. But the doc adheres to Foreman's wishes to continue and we resume action. But it's not long before an Ali hook to the jaw puts Foreman on the canvas. Foreman is up at 9, and Coyle still lets it continue. Ali is now dancing, aware he can stick Foreman whenever he chooses. He lands a left hook, then a combination that puts Foreman down again. The big fella is up at 3, and Coyle looks long and hard at him. But Foreman shows enough that Coyle lets him continue, much to the crowd's - and Ali's - surprise. Ali is all over Foreman here. After a pair of body shots, Foreman is on one knee again. Coyle looks like he's going to wave it off, but Foreman is right up and he walks to Coyle, answering as needed. Coyle is giving Foreman every opportunity here, and with the 3 KD rule not in effect, he again lets Foreman continue with some stern words for him. Ali lands two shots and Coyle jumps in. You respect Coyle giving Foreman the chance to come back, but this was a late stoppage (what a nice change of pace from the old game, though!)

Through 8 rounds, Foreman led on 2 of 3 cards. But in the end, the winner, and STILL WBA Heavyweight Champion is MUHAMMAD ALI!!!!

Ali is boastful after the fight, and why not. He's now beaten the top 3 perceived challengers to his dominance in the WBA. "I whooped Larry Holmes, I battered Lennox Lewis and I destroyed George Foreman. I'll beat Godzilla, I'll beat King Kong and I'll beat whoever they put in there with me."

There's no unification bout in sight presently, though, with WBC Champ Vitaly Klitschko yet to defend, and IBF Champ Mike Tyson having made only 1 defense thus far. There's nobody on the horizon to stop Ali at this point, though. He took a LOT of punishment in this fight and weathered it brilliantly. Not sure who is going to hurt him more than Foreman. Simply impressive!

Muhammad Ali TKO 10 George Foreman

More to come...

GH

[GForce]

Wow...Ali's win would vault him to #3 on the pound for pound list. Impressive performance.

Of course, the bout everyone wants is Arguello/Chavez to unify...#1 and #2 P4P.

GH

[meade95]

Have to give Ali is due.......He took some of Big George's best shots and came back better......Ali will always be a bad match up sytle wise for Big George......

How do we get Big George over to the IBF side...and match him up with Tyson!!?!?!

Arguello/Chavez .....It couldn't get much better then that.....but that is one that doesn't appear possible until down the road sometime...

[GForce]

Originally Posted by meade95

Have to give Ali is due.......He took some of Big George's best shots and came back better......Ali will always be a bad match up sytle wise for Big George......

How do we get Big George over to the IBF side...and match him up with Tyson!!?!?!

Arguello/Chavez .....It couldn't get much better then that.....but that is one that doesn't appear possible until down the road sometime...

Ali was taking a seriously pounding early...Foreman racked up 3 or 4 20+ point rounds. But like clockwork, he'd hurt him the worst late and have no time to capitalize. The eye damage really hurt George, too, though stamina-wise he was shot. If he'd ever gotten Ali off his feet he might have been able to close it out.

Other than a unification bout (unless you believe Wladimir Klitschko stands any shot) Ali may have 18 months to 2 years at least without a real threat to him. At the end of this universe year a new batch comes in, though they start in the WBO. That batch will include Sonny Liston. Unless Ali grants a rematch to Foreman, Holmes or Lewis, I don't know who'll stop him.

Lee sent me his "random events" spreadsheet. I need to tweak it a bit for my universe structure, and when that happens a transfer will be possible. But would Big George want to be seen as "running" from Ali?

Arguello/Chavez may not be that far fetched. Arguello needs to be #1 Roberto Garcia, which he should do easily, then beat someone else in the top 10. And if Chavez beats #1 Tyrone Everett, he'll be eligible to unify. The universe is now in July 2005. I think an early 2006 battle isn't too far fetched.

GH

[GForce]

July Title Fight Recaps Cont.

WBA Cruiserweight: Champion Sergei Kobozev (5-1, 2 KO) vs #1 Lee Roy Murphy (3-1, 2 KO)

Kobozev won the belt in April, defended successfully in May and June and takes on his mandatory here in July. He will still need to give Wayne Braithwaite his mandatory rematch, but if he succeeds against Murphy and in that encounter, he'll be able to unify.

Murphy can bang, and stoppage wins earlier this year over unranked Andrew Maynard and #5 Johnny Nelson vaulted him to the top spot. Can he hurt Kobozev? Yes. Can he last the duration with him? Probably not.

Murphy comes out firing and dominates Kobozev in the opening round. But Kobozev adjusts quickly and, though he takes punishment, he dishes out more of it. He's rattled a few times, but Murphy is never able to put it together to get him in real trouble. The rounds are so clearly defined that all judges score the fight the same in every round. From rounds 2-12, each of those except 1 are 10-9 for Kobozev. That tells you all you need to know.

The winner, and STILL the WBA Cruiserweight Champion, SERGEI KOBOZEV!!!

Sergei Kobozev UD 15 Lee Roy Murphy (147-139 on all 3 cards)

WBA Light-Heavyweight: Champion Roy Jones Jr. (5-0, 4 KO) vs unranked Murray Sutherland (3-1-1, 2 KO)

Jones makes #1 contender Dariusz Michalczewski wait for his shot by taking on Sutherland, a curious move by Jones. If he was going to fight someone other than Michalczewski, it would have made sense for him to fight someone else in the top 10 at least (#7 Piero Del Papa or #9 Roger Rouse, for example, were both willing to fight, and would have put Jones a step closer to unifying).

So, in what amounts to nothing more than a showcase bout, Jones takes on Sutherland, fresh from the WBO. As has happened many times before, to far better fighters than Sutherland, he moves up and gets destroyed. Jones straifs him for the first 2 rounds, gashing him over the eye in the first round and dropping him in the second. Jones toys with him for 2 rounds before smacking him around briefly in the 5th before ref Robert Byrd calls the bout to a halt as Sutherland's corner is completely unable to control the cut. Fight could have gone on, but why? Sutherland offers a half-hearted protest, Jones pounds his chest a few times and we move on, hopefully to a fight that matters.

The winner, and still WBA Light-Heavyweight Champion, ROY JONES JR!!!

Roy Jones Jr. TKO 5 (cuts) Murray Sutherland

More to come...

GH

[GForce]

July Title Fight Recaps Cont.

WBC Welterweight: Champion Jose Napoles (3-1, 2 KO) vs #1 Milton McCrory (4-1, 3 KO)

Napoles wastes no time facing the #1, a mere month after taking the belt from Lloyd Honeyghan. He'll face Honeyghan in a rematch when able, and at that point if he gets by McCrory he would have 2 of the 3 notches needed to unify. Of course, the lanky McCrory has other plans.

Round 1: McCrory seems surprising cautious to start, and Napoles is clearly the aggressor. He picks McCrory apart for the full 3 minutes, with McCrory spending much of the final minute covering up. The assumption was that McCrory would try to make his presence felt quickly, but that's far from what occurs.

Round 2: McCrory opens with a lead right and a 3-punch combo that stings Napoles in the round's opening minute, but Napoles responds by getting inside and stinging McCrory with an uppercut. That changes the round, and Napoles controls the final 2 minutes.

Round 3: An even round for the first 2 minutes, with McCrory being far more aggressive now. Two minutes in he buries a hook to the body that freezes Napoles. He follows it up with 3 straight hard shots to the head, the first real sign Napoles has been hurt. They exchange uppercuts in close in the final seconds. McCrory does more damage in easily his best round of the fight.

Round 4: The round is all Napoles, who pummels McCrory for 3 minutes. His jab has been absolutely devastating, and McCrory has shown no sign of stopping it. He may as well have a target at his right eye, because Napoles is following the jab with hooks right on the button. Swelling begins late in the round and accelerates quickly, and McCrory doesn't land a punch of real note until the final 20 seconds.

Round 5: Napoles' jab remains effective, and when trying to counter McCrory is drilled by a hook that sends him stumbling. McCrory is eventually able to trap Napoles against the ropes, but Napoles holds his own there and ultimately blasts McCrory back into the center of the ring where Napoles continues to control things. The crowd thought they would get a war, but instead are watching a virtuoso performance so far by Napoles.

Round 6: McCrory's corner has no luck handling the swelling, and things quickly get even tougher for Napoles. It's target practice, and McCrory is just hoping he can catch him with something to change the tide. It doesn't happen this round, though McCrory lands a pair of powerful crosses late. Napoles is never knocked off his game though, and that's what McCrory needs at this point.

Round 7: Ref Roberto Ramirez looked to be considering a stoppage in the 6th, but let it go. McCrory decides to let it all hang out here, and he and Napoles engage in a wild swingfest. Both men land hard shots, trading evenly until Napoles scores with a combination that freezes McCrory. A subsequent uppercut opens a large cut over McCrory's right eye, which goes from looking terrible to grotesque. The two come together and an apparent unintentional head butt, which gives Ramirez a chance to look at McCrory's eye, though the damage is obviously not from the butt. He allows the fight to continue, but McCrory is eating a lot of leather. Remarkably, McCrory stays upright, but Ramirez ultimately decides enough is enough, stopping the fight when McCrory fails to defend himself against a barrage along the ropes.

The winner, and still WBC Welterweight Champion...JOSE 'MANTEQUILLA' NAPOLES!!!

A near flawless performance by Napoles, which was exactly what he wanted in facing the #1 contender right away...to assert his dominance in the division. Surely, Honeyghan was watching closely.

Jose Napoles TKO 7 (punishment) Milton McCrory

More to come...

GH

[GForce]

July Title Fight Recaps Cont.

WBC Jr. Welterweight: Champion Kostya Tszyu (7-0-1, 6 KO) vs #3 Juan Martin Coggi (2-2-1, 1 KO)

Many were shocked that Tszyu, a maximum of 3 months before facing mandatory #1 Bruno Arcari, would face a fighter of Coggi's caliber. But the plan here is simple. It gets the "Top 10" stipulation out of the way, though, meaning if he beats Arcari - who he's already stopped once - Tszyu will be eligible to unify. Coggi, however, comes in having decisioned Ben Tackie in May and drawing with Roger Mayweather in June. Tough fights, and that's where the Tszyu camp saw promise...hoping Coggi would be weary being asked to fight someone as tough as Tszyu as his 3rd fight in 3 months.

Round 1: Both men seem to be feeling each other out here at the start, circling each other and firing a few meaningless shots. Midway through Tszyu jolts Coggi with an uppercut. Coggi comes in, seeming hurt, trying to tie Tszyu up. The champ pushes Coggi back, but right to where Tszyu is on the end of his punches...a Coggi combination lands perfectly and Tszyu is on the seat of his pants bringing a stunned crowd to its feet. He's up at 5 and Coggi tries to finish him. He's able to trap Tszyu but can't land another meaningful shot until 5 seconds left in the round, when he gets a warning for a kidney shot that makes Tszyu wince in pain. Still, the champ escapes with a headache and a wake-up call.

Round 2: Not much to tell here, as Tszyu does nothing but try to tie Coggi up. The challenger lands in close, not so much hurting Tszyu and scoring and taking advantage of Tszyu's passiveness. Surprisingly, though, Coggi never turns up the aggression, perhaps fearing Tszyu is playing possum a bit.

Round 3: Tszyu takes a beating - verbally, that is - between rounds and comes out ready to go. A minute in, a brutal cross pounds Coggi and puts him on the canvas. He's up at 4 but has a 2-minute storm to weather, and Tszyu has every intention of putting him away. Coggi blocks a lot, but many score, upstairs and down. He survives, but Tszyu now looks into the fight.

Round 4: Give Coggi credit here, as he gathers himself for an even, back and forth round. Nobody with a real advantage, and it's surprising that Tszyu, like Coggi in the 2nd, doesn't go on the offensive more. The crowd was waiting for a slugfest this round that never came.

Round 5: Back and forth for the first two minutes, both fighters scoring well as they've both opened up and let their hands go a bit more. Coggi's right eye is starting to swell a bit, but he's doing a great job of staying with Tszyu and not fighting cautiously. As in the first round, Tszyu pushes Coggi away at one point and Coggi blasts a combination in response. This time, Tszyu rocks back on his heels but stays up. Tszyu dodges a followup series from Coggi and blasts home a straight right hand of his own that floors Coggi. Coggi is up at 7 and, after ref Raul Caiz takes a look, he lets him continue. Tszyu is quick to pounce and 30 seconds later Coggi is down again. This time, he's up at 9 and the bell sounds, perhaps coaxing Caiz to let him go on.

Round 6: Tszyu hurts Coggi to start the round, but Coggi responds well with a pair of uppercuts inside. He seems relatively clearheaded considering his canvas time, but his eye is getting worse by the second. The round is largely even, and Coggi is getting some crowd support for his ability to come back every time Tszyu blasts him. Tough way to make a living though.

Round 7: Not quite as tough as what he endures this round. A short cross 18 seconds in puts Coggi down. He's up at 8, and Caiz waves them together. Roughly a minute later, after more abuse, Tszyu buries a hook to the ribs that drops Coggi to his knees. Yet, when he rises at 3, Caiz is again willing to send him forward. A barrage of shots turn Coggi's legs to jelly, yet Caiz STILL won't stop it. Tszyu stops it himself, flooring Coggi yet again, this time for good.

The refs seem to be letting things go a lot further in these latest title fights. Arguably, too long.

That said, the winner and STILL WBC Jr. Welterweight Champion, KOSTYA TSZYU!!!!

Kostya Tszyu KO 7 Juan Martin Coggi

More to come...

GH

[GForce]

July Title Fight Recaps Cont.

IBF Lightweight: Champion Sean O'Grady (5-1-1, 4 KO) vs #1 Edwin Rosario (4-1-1, 4 KO)

Brave? Arrogant? Tough? Stupid? Sean O'Grady's decision to defend his newly won belt against Rosario right away was seen many different ways by many different people. But as O'Grady put it, if he beat Rosario and defended against Nazarov in the mandatory rematch, he'd be 2/3 of the way to unification eligibility, so why wait? Rosario, whom O'Grady had stopped in the tournament with a 10th round TKO, sought to show him exactly why he shoud have waited.

Round 1: O'Grady goes inside quickly, and Rosario is glad to oblige. The exchange kicks off right away, and we're off. Nine wins between them, 8 KOs...nobody thought this one would go the distance, so when the power shots fly at the start, the crowd is into it. O'Grady is finding more holes inside, and Rosario eats some hard shots, including a pair of snapping uppercuts. Rosario hammers home a hard cross out of nowhere that makes O'Grady's knees quiver, but O'Grady snaps off a retaliatory jab. But the cross's effect may have been felt in the next shot, too, as Rosario hammers home an uppercut on the mark that knocks O'Grady down. With only 13 seconds left as he rises, O'Grady weathers a flurry from Rosario and escapes a round he had been clearly winning.

Round 2: O'Grady is quick to try and show Rosario that he's recovered, and he hammers home power shots to open the round. But Rosario picks off a jab, then sticks one of his own right down Broadway, before following with a combination that sends O'Grady backward. O'Grady is staggered and backs off, but Rosario chases, landing a hard cross and a solid uppercut in pursuit. O'Grady comes ahead again late, though and gets a hard cross through near the round's close. First and last 30 seconds belong to O'Grady, but the 2 minutes in between are all Rosario's.

Round 3: O'Grady is again the aggressor to open the round, and he's quick to land a flurry he punctuates with a hammering cross right on Rosario's chin. Rosario backs up from the shot but O'Grady stays after him and a lead right finds its way home. Rosario lands a wild hook out of nowhere, but O'Grady, though shaken, eats it and responds with a hook then a cross that send the sweat flying off Rosario as the crowd is in a frenzy. Rosario manages to work O'Grady into a corner, but O'Grady holds his own and is able to get the better part of a round ending flurry.

Round 4: In a change of pace, Rosario flies out of the corner after O'Grady this time. He lands a shot to the neck before tying O'Grady up. The two wrestle for a bit before separating, but Rosario lands an uppercut that freezes O'Grady. He comes in and before O'Grady can respond lands another uppercut, this one sending O'Grady backward. He tries to get his footing but Rosario senses he has O'Grady in trouble. A third straight strong uppercut finds its way home and O'Grady's head snaps back violently this time. Rosario goes after the body and is warned about going after the kidneys. He quickly resumes his attack, slamming home a cross that jolts O'Grady and also rips him open outside the right eyebrow. O'Grady is throwing little in response, and a body shot from Rosario seems to be the blow that floors O'Grady. A bloodied O'Grady rises at 8, and ref Frank Shain is content to let him continue. But Rosario attacks, banging away relentlessly, another shot to the head opening the cut wider. When O'Grady still doesn't offer offense of his own, Shain jumps in calls a halt to the bout.

In dynamic fashion, at 2:45 of round 4, the winner and NEW IBF LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION....EDWIN ROSARIO!!!!

We'll see how it shakes out O'Grady having owed Nazarov a rematch and O'Grady now being due a shot at Rosario. In the meantime, Rosario will wear the belt, many feel for a long time.

Edwin Rosario TKO 4 Sean O'Grady

More to come...

GH

[mh2365]

Good stuff

[Romdawg88]

Almost called it dead on, Rosario got him out a round earlier then I thought he would. Still nice performance by Edwin hopefully it's the start of a nice long title reign.

[GForce]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Almost called it dead on, Rosario got him out a round earlier then I thought he would. Still nice performance by Edwin hopefully it's the start of a nice long title reign.

LOL!!! I'm watching it go down and I'm thinking "Romy nailed it!"

I really need to come up with a set way to do these situations, though, where a guy who is supposed to give a mandatory rematch loses the belt. It's come up a few times so far, and I haven't scheduled those fights yet, but I need to decide how to handle it. Kobozev is going to want his belt back.

I don't think Rosario's giving it up easily, though.

GH