The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[erickdamac]

what amazes me is that 6months in ur uni, u still dont have a champ, and ur still in the begining stages, WOW!

good read tho, just amazing how you work good stuff.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by erickdamac

what amazes me is that 6months in ur uni, u still dont have a champ, and ur still in the begining stages, WOW!

good read tho, just amazing how you work good stuff.

Yep, and if I don't manage to get through it a bit quicker, it'll be at least another year before I have a champ!

Thanks for the kind words, erick. Glad you're enjoying it.

[kenyan_cheena]

HOLMES "BARELY OUT OF SECOND GEAR" DURING
EFFORTLESS VICTORY IN ENGLAND

Saturday 23 February 2002

The #4 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament improved his record to 2-0 tonight in a performance that he himself described as being "barely out of second gear."

Pennsylvania's Larry Holmes made his six round domination of Lorenzo Zanon appear almost effortless. In a way, it was.

"I just did what I had to do to win," Holmes said. "I don't see any reason to go all out in these early fights against guys who - no disrespect to Lorenzo - would need a miracle to defeat me. That's not bragging, it's just a fact."

(to be continued)

[CONN CHRIS]

I hope that you can pick up where you left off KC (Mann was almost in the dressing room )

I feel bad for Lee, it looks like that whole great thread is gone completely.

[kenyan_cheena]

I am just speechless...

[GForce]

I hear ya, KC.

GH

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by GForce

I hear ya, KC.

GH

I feel like Tyson looked after the 10th round of the first Holyfield fight. Just hours and hours of creative writing vanished. F%#k...

[kenyan_cheena]

..and the thing that really sh%#s me is that i've got the first seven pages of my thread saved in Word. Just the other day, before the server crashed, I was thinking that I should save the rest ... but didn't do it.

Damn.

[kenyan_cheena]

I might have been a bit hasty with my earlier, emotion-fuelled comments. Using the "cached" page feature in google, I've managed to salvage pages 12, 13 and 14 of my thread (so far).

[kenyan_cheena]

The following post is the full version of post #223 re: Larry Holmes. I've got three more pages worth of posts that I can re-enter, which will take a while. But I'm not gonna let this problem beat me. Like all of us, I've put too much time and effort into this thing to abandon it. Once I get to the point where I've got no more saved posts to enter, I'll do a summary of what happened in the lost posts.

[kenyan_cheena]

HOLMES "BARELY OUT OF SECOND GEAR" DURING
EFFORTLESS VICTORY IN ENGLAND

Saturday 23 February 2002

ALTRINCHAM, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND:

The #4 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament improved his record to 2-0 tonight in a performance that he himself described as being "barely out of second gear."

Pennsylvania's Larry Holmes made his six round domination of Lorenzo Zanon appear almost effortless. In a way, it was.

"I just did what I had to do to win," Holmes said. "I don't see any reason to go all out in these early fights against guys who - no disrespect to Lorenzo - would need a miracle to defeat me. That's not bragging, it's just a fact."

Holmes seemed genuinely aggitated after the verdict was announced. One of the judges, Lulama Mtya of South Africa, had somehow managed to score the bout a draw (57-57). The other two judges had both scored it 59-55. Holmes's trainer Saoul Mamby was even more upset than Holmes, letting the judge know in no uncertain terms what he thought of his ability.

"We aren't happy about that at all," Mamby said. "Years from now, people will look back at that verdict, without knowing what a one-sided fight it was, and they'll say, 'Wow, Lorenzo Zanon held Larry Holmes to a majority decision. He really must have given him a run for his money.' It's disappointing, to say the least."

Over the course of the bout, Holmes landed almost twice as many punches as Zanon (173 to 91). It was only during the fifth round that the Italian showed any real resistance, with all three judges awarding the round to him.

"You haven't seen anything close to what I'm capable of yet," said Holmes.

Indeed, Larry Holmes has shown in his opening two bouts that he will be a serious contender when we arrive at the business end of this World Championship tournament...

[kenyan_cheena]

THE ALTRINCHAM UNDERCARD

Opening Bout

The night got off to an explosive start when Boston's Jim Maloney knocked out Mel Turnbow of Paterson, New Jersey in the first round. Both men were intent on this being a quick fight, abandoning defence in favour of all out attack from the opening bell. But Maloney simply overwhelmed Turnbow, landing a number of big shots before a wicked hook to the midsection had the New Jersey native doubled over in his own corner, unable to beat the count. The fight was over 2:24 into the first round.

The 13th seed in the 1st Defense tournament, Maloney improved his record to 1-0-1(1), while Turnbow fell to 0-2.

Preliminary 1

Jamaica's Trevor Berbick (4th seed in the 1st Defense tournament) scored a tough unanimous decision victory over the hard-hitting New Yorker Jeff Merritt. Sent to the canvas late in the opening round, Berbick recovered to take four of the last five rounds for a 57-56 (x3) verdict.

Looking at the punch totals for the bout, it was hard to believe that Merritt was so close to at least pulling out a draw. Berbick landed 168 punches to 91, with many of those coming during the third, fifth and sixth rounds, when the Jamaican dominated, pounding his game opponent.

Merritt has shown a ton of courage in his opening two bouts. Last month, against the 13th seed Jim Maloney, he came terribly close to pulling off an upset before the bout ended in a draw. Unfortunately, despite his great showings so far, his record is 0-1-1.

Berbick improved to 2-0, and will surely take a lot away from this near-disaster against Merritt.

Preliminary 2

Cleveland's Johnny Risko emerged victorious from an action-packed slugfest, taking a unanimous decision victory over Al McCoy of Waterville, Maine. Risko landed 183 punches to 124 in the first World Championship tournament bout of the night, a bout that had the crowd on their feet for long stretches. Risko took the decision, 60-55, 59-55 (x2), and is now 1-0-1. McCoy is 0-2.

Support Bout

One barnstormer was followed by another, as Harry Thomas and Henry Clark simply beat the hell out of each other for six rounds. Landing 160 punches to 143, Thomas took a close unanimous decision, 58-57, 59-56, 58-57.

Thomas, a native of Minnesota, is the 45th seed in the World Championship tournament and upped his record to 2-0. Clark is 0-1-1.

Co-Feature

Louisville, Kentucky's Bill Brennan became the second "2nd seed" in two nights to be held to a draw when North Carolina's James Broad (the 125th seed in the World Championship tournament) fought above himself for most of the bout's six rounds. After a sluggish start, Broad came to life in the middle rounds, frustrating Brennan as he went on the offensive, taking the initiative away from the 29th seed.

Going into the fifth, Broad was leading the fight by a single point on two of the judge's cards. After Brennan fought back in the fifth, Broad showed great tenacity in the final round, which all three judges scored 10-10. The final verdict was a majority draw, 59-57 (Brennan), 58-58 (x2).

Without a doubt, this result is a blow to Brennan's credibility as a serious challenger to Larry Holmes in Group Four of the tournament. He'll really have to put in some solid performances between now and his eventual meeting with the Pennsylvanian #4 seed.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2002
ALTRINCHAM LEISURE CENTRE, ALTRINCHAM, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND

OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
2(13) Jim Maloney KO1 8(61) Mel Turnbow

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
1(4) Trevor Berbick UD6 7(53) Jeff Merritt

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
4(61) Johnny Risko UD6 6(93) Al McCoy

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
3(45) Harry Thomas UD6 5(77) Henry Clark

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
2(29) Bill Brennan D6 8(125) James Broad

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
1(4) Larry Holmes MD6 7(109) Lorenzo Zanon

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 24 February 2002

GROUP STANDINGS IN
THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION'S
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT


GROUP FIVE

1. 1(5) RIDDICK BOWE (USA), 2-0(1)
2. 3(44) OTTO VON PORAT (NORWAY), 2-0(2)

3. 4(60) HEIN TEN-HOFF (GERMANY), 2-0(2)
4. 2(28) JOE BUGNER (ENGLAND), 1-0-1
5. 7(108) SANTE AMONTI (ITALY), 0-1-1
6. 5(76) GERRY COONEY (USA), 0-2
7. 6(92) ALEX MITEFF (ARGENTINA), 0-2
8. 8(124) TOM COWLER (ENGLAND), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP FIVE

4(60) HEIN TEN-HOFF VS 8(124) TOM COWLER
3(44) OTTO VON PORAT VS 7(108) SANTE AMONTI
2(28) JOE BUGNER VS 5(76) GERRY COONEY
1(5) RIDDICK BOWE VS 6(92) ALEX MITEFF


GROUP TWELVE

1. 1(12) GEORGE CHUVALO (CANADA), 2-0
2. 4(53) TOMMY GOMEZ (USA), 2-0(1)

3. 2(21) RAY MERCER (USA), 1-0-1
4. 5(69) TOMMY JACKSON (USA), 1-1
5. 3(37) AL JONES (USA), 1-1
6. 7(101) AL ETTORE (USA), 0-1-1
7. 6(85) RUEBEN VARGAS (USA), 0-2
8. 8(117) BRIAN LONDON (ENGLAND), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP TWELVE

4(53) TOMMY GOMEZ VS 8(117) BRIAN LONDON
3(37) AL JONES VS 7(101) AL ETTORE
2(21) RAY MERCER VS 5(69) TOMMY JACKSON
1(12) GEORGE CHUVALO VS 6(85) RUEBEN VARGAS


GROUP THIRTEEN

1. 1(13) KEN NORTON (USA), 2-0(1)
2. 3(36) BUSTER MATHIS (USA), 2-0

3. 2(20) DONOVAN RUDDOCK (CANADA), 1-0-1
4. 4(52) GERALD GRIFFITH (USA), 1-0-1
5. 6(84) COLEY WALLACE (USA), 0-1-1
6. 8(116) TOM MCNEELEY (USA), 0-1-1
7. 5(68) LEROY JONES (USA), 0-2
8. 7(100) JESSE FERGUSON (USA), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP THIRTEEN

4(52) GERALD GRIFFITH VS 8(116) TOM MCNEELEY
3(36) BUSTER MATHIS VS 7(100) JESSE FERGUSON
2(20) DONOVAN RUDDOCK VS 5(68) LEROY JONES
1(13) KEN NORTON VS 6(84) COLEY WALLACE


GROUP FOUR

1. 1(4) LARRY HOLMES (USA), 2-0
2. 3(45) HARRY THOMAS (USA), 2-0

3. 2(29) BILL BRENNAN (USA), 1-0-1(1)
4. 4(61) JOHNNY RISKO (USA), 1-0-1
5. 8(125) JAMES BROAD (USA), 0-1-1
6. 5(77) HENRY CLARK (USA), 0-2
7. 6(93) AL MCCOY (USA), 0-2
8. 7(109) LORENZO ZANON (ITALY), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP FOUR

4(61) JOHNNY RISKO VS 8(125) JAMES BROAD
3(45) HARRY THOMAS VS 7(109) LORENZO ZANON
2(29) BILL BRENNAN VS 5(77) HENRY CLARK
1(4) LARRY HOLMES VS 6(93) AL MCCOY

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 24 February 2002

GROUP STANDINGS IN
THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION'S
1ST DEFENSE TOURNAMENT


GROUP FIVE

1. 1(5) NINO VALDES (CUBA), 2-0(1)
2. 3(20) CESAR BRION (ARGENTINA), 1-0-1

3. 2(12) CARL MORRIS (USA), 1-1
4. 4(28) GUS RUHLIN (USA), 1-1
5. 5(36) TOXIE HALL (USA), 1-1
6. 7(52) JOHNNY RIGGINS (USA), 1-1
7. 6(44) BILL TATE (USA), 0-1-1
8. 8(60) DON WARNER (USA), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP FIVE

4(28) GUS RUHLIN VS 8(60) DON WARNER
3(20) CESAR BRION VS 7(52) JOHNNY RIGGINS
2(12) CARL MORRIS VS 5(36) TOXIE HALL
1(5) NINO VALDES VS 6(44) BILL TATE


GROUP FOUR

1. 1(4) TREVOR BERBICK (JAMAICA), 2-0
2. 2(13) JIM MALONEY (USA), 1-0-1(1)

3. 3(21) WAYNE BETHEA (USA), 1-1
4. 4(29) BERNIE REYNOLDS (USA), 1-1
5. 5(37) ALFREDO EVANGELISTA (SPAIN), 1-1
6. 6(45) STEFFEN TANGSTAD (NORWAY), 1-1
7. 7(53) JEFF MERRITT (USA), 0-1-1
8. 8(61) MEL TURNBOW (USA), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP FOUR

4(29) BERNIE REYNOLDS VS 8(61) MEL TURNBOW
3(21) WAYNE BETHEA VS 7(53) JEFF MERRITT
2(13) JIM MALONEY VS 5(37) ALFREDO EVANGELISTA
1(4) TREVOR BERBICK VS 6(45) STEFFEN TANGSTAD

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 24 February 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 25/02/2002 - SATURDAY 02/03/2002 INCLUSIVE


MONDAY 25/02/2002 - LAREDO ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, LAREDO, TEXAS, USA

1D - G3: 4(30) TOMMY MORRISON vs 6(46) RANDY STEPHENS
1D - G3: 3(22) IBAR ARRINGTON vs 5(38) GUS DORAZIO
WC - G6: 4(59) JAMES TILLIS vs 6(91) HEINZ NEUHAUS
WC - G6: 3(43) BRUCE WOODCOCK vs 5(75) JOHNNY DUPLOOY
WC - G6: 2(27) JACK GARDNER vs 8(123) JAMES ELLIS
WC - G6: 1(6) PETER JACKSON vs 7(107) BOB BAKER

TUESDAY 26/02/02 - MOLSON CENTRE, MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
THE CANADIAN BOXING LEAGUE

(6) JACK MUNROE vs (10) BOBBY HALPERN
(5) JOE LANNON vs (9) CARMINE VINGO
(4) JOHN FERGUSON vs (8) BRETT ASHBY
(3) LARRY GAINS vs (7) LOU BAILEY
(2) ROBERT CLEROUX vs (11) TIM ANDERSON
(1) LENNOX LEWIS vs (12) JOE COX

WEDNESDAY 27/02/2002 - ARANETA COLISEUM, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES

1D - G3: 2(14) AMOS JOHNSON vs 8(62) KING SOLOMON
1D - G3: 1(3) OLIVER MCCALL vs 7(54) BILL LANG
WC - G11: 4(54) BILLY DANIELS vs 6(86) RON STANDER
WC - G11: 3(38) CLARENCE HENRY vs 5(70) CHARLES HORN
WC - G11: 2(22) JOHNNY SUMMERLIN vs 8(118) AL KAUFMANN
WC - G11: 1(11) JOE JEANETTE vs 7(102) MIKE DEJOHN

THURSDAY 28/02/2002 - CARNIVAL CITY BIG TOP ARENA, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE

(6) OMOVO OKOCHA vs (10) JOMO MOTLOUNG
(5) MARIEN NGUESSO vs (9) STANLEY DREXXON
(4) GRANTHAM ABDUL-KAFAR vs (8) ZOLILIE LETLAKE
(3) JAMES ELDREN vs (7) DELBERT CRAW
(2) ANACLET WAMBA vs (11) CHARLES MBARGA
(1) IKE IBEABUCHI vs (12) ROY HARRIS

FRIDAY 01/03/2002 - WRIGLEY FIELD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

1D - G6: 4(27) CURTIS SHEPPARD vs 5(35) JOHN LESTER JOHNSON
1D - G6: 3(19) JOE CHOYNSKI vs 6(43) CHARLEY MITCHELL
WC - G14: 4(51) KING LEVINSKY vs 6(83) BERT WHITEHURST
WC - G14: 3(35) PHIL MUSCATO vs 5(67) AMOS LINCOLN
WC - G14: 2(19) JIMMY ELLIS vs 8(115) MARTY MONROE
WC - G14: 1(14) ERNIE TERRELL vs 7(99) LUIS FIRPO

SATURDAY 02/03/2002 - SAITAMA SUPER ARENA, TOKYO, SAITAMA, JAPAN

1D - G6: 2(11) MIKE WEAVER vs 8(59) JURGEN BLIN
1D - G6: 1(6) RON LYLE vs 7(51) JOSE ROMAN
WC - G3: 4(62) MANUEL RAMOS vs 6(94) PEDRO LOVELL
WC - G3: 3(46) RENALDO SNIPES vs 5(78) FRANCO CAVICCHI
WC - G3: 2(30) CLEVELAND WILLIAMS vs 8(126) JOE BECKETT
WC - G3: 1(3) JACK JOHNSON vs 7(110) PAT VALENTINO

[kenyan_cheena]

AUSSIE FIGHT FANS HAVE REASON(S) FOR OPTIMISM

Sunday 24 February 2002

Action in week seven of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments starts tomorrow night with Australia's Peter Jackson headlining the fight card in Laredo, Texas.

The 6th seed in the World Championship tournament, Jackson will be looking to improve his record to 2-0 and, in the process, add to the optimism that Australian fight fans are experiencing at the moment.

Back in November, when the HBF announced the seedings for the two tournaments, there was little reason - beyond the great success of Jackson - for the people of Australia to be excited. Only one other had been selected for the World Championship tournament (Joe Goddard, #72 seed), with two seeded in the lower half of the 1st Defense tournament. So, perhaps understandably, Jackson was looked upon as the only one with a realistic chance of success.

Well, three months have passed, and it's safe to say that the Australian boxing public currently has at least two reasons to be excited about their nation's future in the HBF. One reason is, of course, Peter Jackson. The other one has been much more unexpected, but just as pleasing.

21 year-old Frank Slavin of Maitland, New South Wales, has made an inspiring start to his professional boxing career. Placed in the federation's 1st Defense tournament as its #48 seed, Slavin has emerged victorious in his first two bouts, both against fighters seeded higher than him. On debut, he toughed it out for a majority decision victory over #24 seed Stan Ward of California. He followed that effort with an even more impressive victory, climbing off the canvas early and coming back strongly against the 32nd seed Scott LeDoux to take a close unanimous decision. The LeDoux fight, held on 11 February in Osaka, Japan, was the opening story in a number of late night news bulletins all over Australia.

In the two weeks since, Slavin has become as much of a celebrity in Australia as Peter Jackson. He received a hero's welcome on arrival back in his homeland, doing the rounds on radio and television talk shows, enjoying the exposure that this instant celebrity status brought him. His "handle-bar" moustache is a distinctive feature that has led to comparisons being drawn to an Australian sporting icon, the cricketer Merv Hughes. Slavin has a bit of a joker's streak in him, and had his hosts in stitches during a guest spot on "The Today Show."

Slavin's early success has had the effect of turning his next tournament bout into a battle of #1 and #2 in the group. His opponent is the #1 seed in the 1st Defense tournament, a man who has been projected as a future World Champion: Rocky Marciano of Brockton, Massachusetts.

Marciano has destroyed his first two tournament opponents, giving each a fierce beating and knocking both of them out in the third round. Slavin, however, doesn't seem to be that concerned about the prospect of going up against a man who has already been called "unbeatable" by many.

"I look at it this way," said Slavin. "No one expects anything from me. This guy Marciano just killed his first two opponents. I mean, he just annihilated them. Everyone thinks that he'll do the same thing to me. If he doesn't, and I survive into the late rounds, who knows what can happen? The pressure's on him, not me."

The Marciano-Slavin bout is scheduled to take place on Wednesday the 20th of March at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. The live broadcast of the event will be beamed via satellite to Australian homes, clubs and bars at the local time of 10am Thursday the 21st, and it goes without saying that Slavin will have all of Australia in his corner when he steps in the ring against Rocky Marciano...

[kenyan_cheena]

JOHNSON IN JAPAN:
"I'M READY TO START MAKING HISTORY"

Monday 25 February 2002

Story by David Gomez for espn.com

It only took about three or four days for the offers and invitations to stop coming in. People who had been hanging on his every word, who had followed him around like an obedient, helpless puppy-dog vanished, too. Losing to Joe Beckett in his first professional bout did more for Jack Johnson's understanding of human nature and the lure of celebrity than anything else could have.

From the moment, back in November, when Johnson was announced as the 3rd seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament, the gregarious, extroverted 21 year-old Texan became an instant celebrity. His outgoing personality and handsome good looks made him the latest "face", and within weeks he was showing up everywhere: at red carpet movie premieres, at the trendiest nightclubs and on television (highlighted by a hilarious appearance on Letterman). It seemed that everywhere he went, the Galveston native was accompanied by a trio of drop dead gorgeous blonde beauties, who were always impeccably co-ordinated in dress, and who fawned over Johnson at every opportunity. And of course, the cameras loved them. Yes, Johnson had the world at his feet, and he hadn't even stepped foot in a boxing ring yet.

We don't need to discuss here what happened on the night of 26 January in Buffalo, because it's already been covered to death during the four weeks since. But, needless to say, it's amazing what a single left hook can do for a man's perspective on life.

"You know, going into that fight, I was living the dream of every hot-blooded young male out there, man," said Johnson. "I had the girls, the fame, the life. It was just all handed to me on a plate, because of how I am and how I look. That was a wild ride, through late November, into December and January. Crazy times. It just amazed me how after losing to Beckett, all these people who were telling me how great I was ... they just vanished."

Even the blondes?

"Even the blondes, man."

This sudden change in how people perceived him was an eye-opener for Johnson, but it didn't make him sad or mad. It just made him see the light.

"But I'm already over that. Those people, they were just like leeches, see? They grab on and suck the blood out of you. They all just wanted to be seen with me, but I know now, and I guess I knew it then, that they didn't give a damn about Jack Johnson. But I'm happy, man. I'm better off without all of that."

Even so, Johnson will maintain until the day he dies that if he had the chance, he wouldn't do anything different in the lead up to and during his fight against "The Angry Englishman" Joe Beckett.

"So many people have said that if I had trained harder, that fight wouldn't have been close. They say if I hadn't spent so much time partying, I would have cleaned the canvas with Joe Beckett. They're all wrong, because I only made one mistake during that whole situation. One. And that one mistake was to throw a lazy, careless left hook, and get tagged real good by a counter left. That was the only mistake I made. I keep insisting ... look at the scorecards, and look what was happening in the final round before that left hook. He doesn't knock me down, I win the round and win the fight, 58-56 on all three cards. That's a fact, man."

Johnson, in Japan for the past seven days, preparing for and helping to promote this Saturday's Tokyo fight card, is more excited about his future in the sport now than at any time since the October tournament auditions.

"Man, this might sound arrogant, but to hell with it. I'll tell you, and everyone who cares to hear it. I can't wait to start making history. What I'm gonna do in the next ten, fifteen years ... it'll be unprecented in all of sports, man. No disrespect to Joe Beckett, but fifty years from now, he's gonna be little more than the answer to a question in Trivial Pursuit. It'll be like this: "Who was the Englishman who defeated the great Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson in his professional debut in 2002?" That's all he's going to be remembered for, man. I just can't wait for Saturday night. I guarantee, you're all gonna see something mighty special."

Johnson has really enjoyed the promotional side of the HBF's latest stay in Japan, saying that it's incredible to finally see, in person, how enthusiastic the Japanese people are about the federation.

"They are just nuts here, man. I swear, they are more devoted to this sport than the people back home. And with all this talk of our sport expanding ... if you get some Japanese talent into the boxing ring, it will just be unstoppable here. It's just going to completely take over."

Japan's boxing fans are counting the days until the Tokyo fight card. It's going to be fascinating to see what kind of "history" "The Galveston Giant" Jack Johnson will make when he returns to the ring on Saturday night...