The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

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LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN:
HBF PRESIDENT MICHAEL VINCENNES...
...AND ELMER RAY

Saturday 23 March 2002

The evening edition of ESPN's SportsCenter featured two of boxing's biggest names: 17 year-old Florida fighter Elmer Ray and HBF President Michael Vincennes. The two were interviewed live (but separately) from a jam-packed Madison Square Garden in New York. The venue was set to host the federation's latest fight card, with the #1 seed in the World Championship tournament and hometown favourite Gene Tunney headlining it.

The program commenced with Elmer Ray being interviewed by ESPN's Dan Patrick, and the hot topic of last night's Philadelphia fight card.

PATRICK: Elmer, there's been a lot of talk today about your behaviour last night in Philadelphia. Some people who have previously defended you are saying that you went too far this time, while others, such as New York Age journalist James Reynolds, have said that your performance was just another one of many examples of why you should be kicked out of the HBF. What do you say to these claims?

RAY: (laughing) Seriously, I think all o' y'all need t' lighten up, man. Y'all gonna sit there an' tell me that wasn't en'ertainin'? Come on, man. You gonna tell me those Philly peeps weren't havin' the time o' they lives hatin' me?

PATRICK: Some have said that you almost caused a riot last night.

RAY: Riot? Y'all gotta be kiddin', man. Those Philly peeps, they jus' havin' a good time, man. It's all entertainment, y'all, and they know it. We seen it in football, we seen it in baseball and b-ball, hell, even in hockey, man. Philly fans are loyal, dude. They gonna hate anyone their team goin' up 'gainst. I been doggin' their boy for two months, man. Y'all know the venom they givin' me leadin' up to last night? I had t' play the part, y'all. Had t' play the part.

PATRICK: So your whole act last night was designed to instigate a reaction from them?

RAY: (laughing) Yo' damn right it was, man. An' I gotta say, I jus' fed off o' that hate, man. I jus' turn their abuse around, dude. Every time they boo me, bam! They jus' boostin' my energy. Man, it was somethin'.

PATRICK: Okay. Now, you've called Jimmy Young a "bum" on more than one occasion during these past two months. After his electrifying performance last night, do you think that you can justify doing that anymore?

RAY: No, I can't. What y'all gotta un'erstan' is that that whole situation weren't nothin' pers'nal, man. I ain't called Jimmy Young a bum because o' the way he act or his taste in music. I called him a bum because he the 16th seed in the World Championship tournament, and he ain't fightin' like it. The HBF ain't stupid, man. They see somethin' in Jimmy Young back in October to put him at sixteen. They see it back then, but where'd it go when he step in the ring in Japan? And then in Cali? He got the talent, everyone know it. He jus' fought two dumb fights man, and for that, he deserve to be called a bum. It makes a fool of the HBF, see? Everyone sayin', "Why the hell they put this dude at #16?" Now, if he was like a 60th seed or somethin' lower, I wouldn't o' give a damn. But he ain't. He a #1 seed, man. That means the HBF believe he got a real shot at bein' World Champ, y'all. Last night, he jus' show everyone what he can do, and that was a kick ass effort. He look a helluva lot better agains' Buddy Baer than I did. I ain't afraid to admit it, man, outta the three of us, me, Jimmy and Floyd, that was the best performance any of us put in so far in the tournament. It's a good sign, man, 'cause when Elmer Ray take on Jimmy Young in ten weeks, I wan' 'im to be at his best, y'all. If he manage to beat Elmer Ray and Floyd Patterson and qualify for stage two, he have my respect, man. I gladly shake the brother's hand after that.

PATRICK: Do you think a case could be made for calling Jack Johnson a bum? He's the #3 seed in the tournament, and he lost his first fight and almost got knocked out in round one of his second fight.

RAY: (shaking his head 'no') Naw, man. Jacky Johnson is a tot'lly diff'rent situation, see? Everyone know he party his ass off before that first fight, y'all. Jacky will never admit it because he too proud for that. And the dude he go against in the second fight, he jus' thinkin' that if he can land a big shot early, he can take Jacky out. But it ain't work. Y'all don't need to worry about Jacky Johnson, man. Wouldn't surprise me if the brother go through the rest of the tournament undefeated and win the Championship. He that good, y'all.

PATRICK: Onto another topic. Tony Ross. Did you happen to catch his words for you after his win last night?

RAY: (laughing) Oh, yeah. Crack me up, man. But I gotta say, dude is fightin' his ass off, man. Almost beat Jimmy Young, then he beats Nathan Mann. Damn, that Nathan dude been unlucky so far. But, I'm gonna have t' be on guard 'gainst Tony Ross, sho nuff. The dude can fight.

PATRICK: Now, your friend Tommy Gomez is fighting over in England next week. Will you and your fellow "Florida Alliance" members be jetting over their to support him?

RAY: Yeah, we be flyin' out tomorrow mornin', man. We talk to Tommy today, an' he's trainin' real nice. Think he got a real good chance to get to 3-0, man.

PATRICK: Now, everyone knows about the recent controversy invloving you and Ray Mercer. Are you planning to speak to Ray while you're over there?

RAY: (laughing) Well, the controversy ain't really involve me, man. It was him and James Reynolds that set it off. I ain't done nothin' to get that thing goin', man. I don't know if I'm gonna talk to him. You know, he make it pretty clear how he feel about me, but he also dissed this whole Alliance thing that me, T., O-Mac and Tommy G. got happenin'. So he feel that way about the four of us. I said before it all blew up that I hope Ray Mercer can get past George Chuvalo, but I ain't hopin' for that anymore. The brother lost any respect I had for him when he dissed us the way he did. That was a punk ass way o' doin' things, 'cause when I call him up and ask him if he wanna train with us, ain't none of that nonsense come out o' his mouth. He a two-face, man.

PATRICK: Well, Elmer, thank you so much for joining us tonight, and we hope to speak to you again soon in the coming weeks.

RAY: Cool. No problem, man.

PATRICK: Elmer Ray, everybody.

***

(Still to come from SportsCenter: Dan Patrick interviews HBF President Michael Vincennes)

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Note: above post has been edited and completed. Vincennes interview will be along sometime during the next 24 hours.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Elmer Ray

Damn, that Nathan dude been unlucky so far.

Add 'master of understatement' to his resume.

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Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

Add 'master of understatement' to his resume.

I had a feeling that would get a response out of you.

[kenyan_cheena]

(Continuation of post #321)

The last twenty minutes of SportsCenter were devoted to an interview with HBF President Michael Vincennes, a nice lead-in to ESPN's live broadcast of the Madison Square Garden fight card.

Vincennes was interviewed by Stuart Scott.

SCOTT: Tonight's Heavyweight Boxing Federation fight card will be coming to you live from Madison Square Garden in New York, with the #1 seed in the World Championship tournament Gene Tunney headlining the event. For the federation it will be something of a homecoming, as the Garden is the venue that hosted the HBF's tournament auditions back in October. This will be the first HBF fight card that the Garden has hosted and, in fact, the first tournament card to be held in New York City. It will also be a special evening for Gene Tunney, a native of Greenwich Village. We're now crossing live to MSG to speak with HBF President Michael Vincennes. Good evening, Michael.

VINCENNES: Good evening, Stuart. It's nice to be talking to you.

SCOTT: Michael, I think it would be fair to say that you couldn't really be much happier with the way these past three months have gone for the federation.

VINCENNES: You're absolutely right about that, Stuart. Things have worked out better than we had dared hope for and we're looking forward to the future with a lot of anticipation.

SCOTT: It is quite amazing how the sporting public has gravitated to the sport of boxing. I mean, in a recent poll that we conducted on espn.com, boxing was listed behind only baseball and football as the current sport that people enjoy watching. That's just incredible.

VINCENNES: That's quite an honor to be compared to those sports. For us to ever become as successful as Major League Baseball would really be something.

SCOTT: (smiling) You're a big fan of the game?

VINCENNES: (nodding) I grew up with Major League Baseball, Stuart. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, so I've been a Dodgers fan my entire life. I'm just really excited about our fight card on Monday night, because it will be the first time I've set foot in Ebbets since seeing the Dodgers and Phillies there last season.

(to be continued)

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(continuation)

SCOTT: Okay. Now back onto boxing, there have been some stories published in the financial papers during the past couple of days claiming that the federation is very close to signing a substantial sponsorship deal with a major sports clothing label. Some are saying its Nike, others Lonsdale. Can you verify this?

VINCENNES: (nodding) It's true, Stuart. We have been in negotiations for almost a month now. Those negotiations have been completed and an announcement will be made in the next few days.

SCOTT: But you can't confirm who the deal is with?

VINCENNES: (smiling) No, I'm not going to do that. But I will say that it's something that will be, in my opinion, of huge benefit to both companies.

SCOTT: This card that's about to take place tonight ... It must give you tremendous satisfaction to be staging a major boxing event in one of our nation's most popular sports venues. Also, it must be exciting for Gene Tunney.

VINCENNES: Stuart, I can't tell you how proud I am of what our organisation has achieved in such a short amount of time. Tonight just feels like it will be a crowning of that achievement for us. To return to the place where all of our great fighters demonstrated their abilities to us just five months ago, a venue that is, as you said, renowned throughout the nation and the world, and to sell it out ... is incredible. As for Gene, I've spoken to him a number of times during the past week, and he just can't wait. He's really jumping out of his skin, as they say.

SCOTT: You must be proud to have such a fine, upstanding young man as the #1 contender in the World Championship tournament.

VINCENNES: (nodding) We really could not have asked for anyone with more class, dignity or humility. Gene has done everything we've asked of him in such a selfless manner, from the early promotional events before Christmas along to his tireless commitment to the African Boxing League and right up until now. He really is the major reason why this event is a sellout.

SCOTT: It really is a great card tonight. I mean, you've got the 8th and 9th seeds in the 1st Defense tournament. This Herbie Hide cat has put both of his first two opponents out of commission with single punch knockouts, and the Motor City kid Embrell Davidson is really gonna be in a bad mood after losing last time out. You've got a fight that I think could just be a killer as the Co-Feature, with Shavers and Biggs both undefeated. And to top it off you got the #1 seed. It's just going to be a great night.

VINCENNES: (smiling) I don't think I could have summed it up any better myself, Stuart. I really feel like it will be a special evening.

SCOTT: Tonight we'll be seeing your #1 seed in action, but I'd like to ask you about your #2 seed, Sonny Liston. Now, I think you'll remember when he was over in Scotland, after his bout he talked about how welcomed he felt there and that he was going to talk to you when he got back home about possibly staging some of his future fight cards there. I also remember you having said before then that you've never spoken to Sonny before. Now, have the two of you sat down and chewed the fat man-to-man since Sonny returned home?

VINCENNES: We have, in fact. I guess it went kind of unnoticed because it happened last Saturday, when everyone was still going crazy over that whole James Reynolds, Ray Mercer interview nonsense. We sat down in my office and had a very informal chat, and I found him to be a pleasant, unassuming young man. He has this unusual, brooding quality about him, but we spoke about his happiness when he was in Glasgow, how supportive the people there were of him. He convinced me that it makes sense for him to return there to fight during the first stage of this tournament. Now, Group Two's next card will be in Missouri, as part of our plan for each top seed to fight in front of their home crowd. But during the last week, we've made inquiries with a number of venues in Scotland about their availability to host the group's fourth series of bouts. One thing that I've been discussing with the HBF Directors is the logic of having our drawcards fighting where they are most popular. It's an obvious strategy, and one we'll be pursuing even more strongly in the future.

SCOTT: Well, Michael, we've just about run out of time, so thanks so much for chatting with us here on SportsCenter. We hope you enjoy tonight's event.

VINCENNES: Thank you, Stuart. I'm sure it will be a fantastic evening of boxing.

SCOTT: That was the HBF President, Mr. Michael Vincennes. We'll be right back to wrap up the show, before crossing live to Madison Square Garden for tonight's HBF fight card...

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Just a minor thing...

I was going through my boxers spreadsheet and updating the ages of some of the fighters and noticed that I'd overlooked the fact that Elmer Ray turned 17 on March 10. So, I've gone through the posts since that date and altered the ones that mention his age to show him as being 17.

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SHAVERS UPSTAGES TUNNEY AT MSG

Saturday 23 March 2002

This evening, Ohio's Earnie Shavers stole the show from the #1 seed and hometown hero Gene Tunney when he destroyed Tyrell Biggs of Philadelphia in the Madison Square Garden fight card Co-Feature. It was a bout that many felt Biggs had a genuine chance of winning, but he didn't even survive the opening round.

The #32 seed in the World Championship tournament, Shavers looked ready to explode in the moments before the opening bell, and when it rang that was exactly what he did. He hurt Biggs early with a right cross, a straight right and a left jab-straight right combo that sent Biggs into the ropes. Shavers stalked the Philadelphia fighter with brutal intentions.

Before Biggs had really even found his bearings, he was on the canvas thanks to a left hook to the head and a right hook to the ribs midway through the round. Up at six, he wore an anxious countenance as Shavers came right back at him. Biggs tried to keep Shavers at a distance with piddly-paddy jabs, but the Ohio fighter was like a man possessed, determined that the people of New York bear witness to the extent of his power.

Forcing Biggs into a corner, Shavers connected with an uppercut and a straight right before unleashing a killer left hook that snapped Biggs's head around on his shoulders. He crumbled as if felled by a sniper's bullet. He somehow found his feet by the count of seven, but he showed a shattered disposition. Again backed into a corner, Biggs was helpless and when Shavers penetrated his defenses with a left jab and a booming straight right, referee Teddy Waltham had seen enough. He pulled Shavers aside, embraced Biggs and declaring the fight over, 2:46 into the opening round.

But Shavers wasn't finished there. As ring announcer Michael Buffer was addressing the audience soon after, he grabbed the microphone off him and took over.

"I know all you New Yorkers have come out here to see your 'golden boy' Gene Tunney," he said. "That's cool, I understand. But I tell all of you now, you better start prayin' for him, because in three months from now he ain't gonna have a hope in hell!"

With that, Shavers threw the microphone aside and stormed from the ring, not even stopping for the obligatory post-fight ESPN interview. He was pursued back to the dressing room by the cries and jeers of the audience, who he sneered and scowled at as he stomped his way up the aisle...

In the Main Event that followed, the #1 seed did exactly what was expected of him. Tunney was almost faultless and never threatened as he took a comfortable unanimous decision over Boone Kirkman of Renton, Washington. All three scorecards read 59-54 and Tunney landed 218 punches at 58%, an effort that moved him into fourth position on the official HBF list of Most Punches Landed in a Fight. His outmatched opponent could only manage to connect with 56 at 28%. It was a performance that delighted the audience, with Tunney's best work coming in the first, third and fourth rounds, a performance punctuated by a knockdown just eleven seconds from the final bell.

Unlike Shavers, Tunney did not depart the ring without giving an interview. In fact, his interview lasted twice as long as the Shavers-Biggs bout! The proud New Yorker was quite emotional, saying how important this night was for him.

"Truly, I didn't realise until I got into the ring here tonight how much it means to represent this fine city," Tunney said. "I watched the Knicks play here when I was a kid, and I didn't grasp it then. Tonight, I understand. Thank you all for the love and encouragement you've shown me. I'm not going to disappoint you, or this great city of ours."

The entire Madison Square Garden audience stood and applauded, chants of "Tunney Tunney Tunney!", "#1! #1! #1!" and "Figh-ting, MARINE!" resonating through the building.

ESPN's Bill Farris was quick to ask Tunney what his reaction was to Earnie Shavers' outburst.

"I don't take that kind of stuff personal, you know?" Tunney replied. "And I'm sure Earnie feels the same way. This is a man's game, Bill. We are challenging each other's manhood every time we step in the ring: challenging each others' resolve and bravery and courage. Earnie's an emotional guy, and that outburst lets me know that he's hungry to defeat me. That's the way I want him to be, because I feel exactly the same way about him."

Yes, it was a crowd-pleasing effort from Gene Tunney, but when compared to the brutal efficiency of Earnie Shavers, it really could not compete. And that is something that many people will notice and realise in the coming days and weeks. In his three bouts so far, Tunney has gone the distance twice and also scored a final round TKO, meaning he has fought a total of eighteen rounds. By comparison, Shavers has needed only half of that amount to dispatch his three opponents. In the fourth series, the two men will play switcheroo with tonight's opponents. Tunney will fight Biggs and Shavers will take on Kirkman. One can only think that the results then will be similar to what they were tonight: an early round stoppage for Shavers and a comfortable unanimous decision victory for Tunney.

One can also only wonder, and excitedly speculate, what will happen when these two fierce competitors clash fifteen weeks from now...

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The Madison Square Garden Undercard

Opening Bout

Detroit's Embrell Davidson started his 1st Defense tournament campaign with a hard-earned unanimous decision victory against Keene Simmons, but was brought back down to earth five weeks later when he was outfoxed by Joe Erskine.

Tonight, the #9 seed was looking to get back on track when he fought the winless South African Kallie Knoetze.

Well, if his performance against Erskine was disappointing, tonight's one against Knoetze was downright embarrassing. With the exception of the fifth round, the Detroit native was simply outhustled. Knoetze showed from the opening bell that he was hungry for a victory, and he didn't let up until the final bell. When the verdict was announced, the extent of Knoetze's domination was there to be seen. The 33rd seed won the bout by unanimous decision, 59-55, 58-56, 59-55.

Davidson has now crashed to 1-2, while Knoetze, also 1-2, will be above the Motor City slugger in the group standings as a result of tonight's victory.

Preliminary 1

The #8 seed in the 1st Defense tournament, Nigerian-born Englishman Herbie Hide was held to a draw by Lee Savold of St. Paul, Minnesota in what was, without a doubt, the best fight of the night.

Hide had KO'd both of his first two tournament opponents in the second round, and some were expecting him to do something similar to Savold.

Those people obviously hadn't seen the Minnesota native in his previous two fights, where he had rallied from a terrible start to salvage a draw with Ireland's Bob Devere and then lost a close split decision to the Englishman Billy Walker, a fight where he had faded in the final two rounds.

Tonight, Savold continued to give the Britons fits, as he pushed Hide all the way. By the final bell, both men were absolutely spent. Hide, in fact, looked gone after the fourth round. He'd almost stumbled back to his corner, before coming out and putting in an inspiring effort to take the fifth and sixth rounds on two of the judge's cards.

This action-packed six rounder was free of knockdowns, but both combatants simply gave their all, and there were those in the crowd who were disappointed that Savold had not been given the decision. Nonetheless, they gave the fighters a standing ovation, after both the final bell and the announcement of the verdict. The final scorecards all had it 57-57. Hide had landed 126 punches at 53%, with the busier Savold connecting with 159 at 39%.

This bout brought an extraordinary end to the third series of bouts in Group Eight of the 1st Defense tournament. During the series, the bottom four seeds in the group - Joe Erskine, Keene Simmons, Kallie Knoetze and Lee Savold - were a combined 3-0-1, after going 1-6-1 in the first two series...

Preliminary 2

Germany's Karl Mildenberger scored an easy unanimous decision victory against the hapless (and winless) Spainard Jose Urtain. With the cards showing a 59-55, 60-54, 59-55 result and the punch totals indicating that Mildenberger outlanded his opponent 170-46, there weren't really any positives that could be pulled from Urtain's performance. He is the 128th and last seed in the World Championship tournament and is fighting like it.

Mildenberger is now 2-0-1(1), while Urtain drops to 0-3.

Support Bout

Baltimore's Larry Middleton appears to be heading in the same direction as Detroit's Embrell Davidson. That is, down. Middleton was victorious in his debut (albeit by split decision) before losing a majority decision to Tyrell Biggs. This evening, the 48th seed's quest for a spot in the second stage of the World Championship took another body blow when Pennsylvania's Garvin Sawyer defeated him to score his first career triumph, a 58-56, 56-58, 57-56 split decision victory.

Middleton started the bout quite nicely, but he was put on the seat of his pants in the third round by a single left hook, which would turn out to be critical in the face of the closeness of the verdict. The Maryland native struggled afterwards, and not even a clean sweep of the final round judge's cards was enough to secure him a victory.

Both men are now 1-2.

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SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2002
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
5(33) Kallie Knoetze UD6 2(9) Embrell Davidson

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
1(8) Herbie Hide D6 6(41) Lee Savold

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
4(64) Karl Mildenberger UD6 8(128) Jose Urtain

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
7(112) Garvin Sawyer SD6 3(48) Larry Middleton

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
2(32) Earnie Shavers TKO1 5(80) Tyrell Biggs

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
1(1) Gene Tunney UD6 6(96) Boone Kirkman

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Sunday 24 March 2002

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

GROUP EIGHT

1. 1(8) SAM MCVEY (USA), 3-0
2. 2(25) TONY TUCKER (USA), 3-0(1)

3. 3(41) ZORA FOLLEY (USA), 2-0-1
4. 4(57) JOHNNY ARTHUR (SOUTH AFRICA), 1-0-2
5. 6(89) ROGER RISCHER (USA), 0-2-1
6. 7(105) JOHNNY BOUDREAUX (USA), 0-2-1
7. 8(121) ARTURO GODOY (CHILE), 0-2-1
8. 5(73) LEM FRANKLIN (USA), 0-3

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP EIGHT

4(57) JOHNNY ARTHUR VS 7(105) JOHNNY BOUDREAUX
3(41) ZORA FOLLEY VS 8(121) ARTURO GODOY
2(25) TONY TUCKER VS 6(89) ROGER RISCHER
1(8) SAM MCVEY VS 5(73) LEM FRANKLIN

GROUP NINE

1. 1(9) SAM LANGFORD (CANADA), 3-0(1)
2. 2(24) TOM SHARKEY (IRELAND), 2-0-1(2)

3. 3(40) ALEX STEWART (ENGLAND), 2-0-1
4. 4(56) JOE BAKSI (USA), 1-0-2
5. 5(72) JOE GODDARD (AUSTRALIA), 0-1-2
6. 6(88) JIM SAVAGE (USA), 0-2-1
7. 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN (USA), 0-2-1
8. 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE (SOUTH AFRICA), 0-3

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP NINE

4(56) JOE BAKSI VS 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE
3(40) ALEX STEWART VS 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN
2(24) TOM SHARKEY VS 6(88) JIM SAVAGE
1(9) SAM LANGFORD VS 5(72) JOE GODDARD

GROUP SIXTEEN

1. 2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON (USA), 3-0
2. 3(33) ELMER RAY (USA), 3-0(1)

3. 1(16) JIMMY YOUNG (USA), 2-0-1
4. 8(113) TONY ROSS (USA), 1-1-1
5. 5(65) TOM MCMAHON (USA), 1-2
6. 6(81) BUDDY BAER (USA), 1-2
7. 4(49) NATHAN MANN (USA), 0-3
8. 7(97) ROCKY JONES (USA), 0-3

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP SIXTEEN

4(49) NATHAN MANN VS 7(97) ROCKY JONES
3(33) ELMER RAY VS 8(113) TONY ROSS
2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON VS 6(81) BUDDY BAER
1(16) JIMMY YOUNG VS 5(65) TOM MCMAHON

GROUP ONE

1. 1(1) GENE TUNNEY (USA), 3-0(1)
2. 2(32) EARNIE SHAVERS (USA), 3-0(3)

3. 4(64) KARL MILDENBERGER (GERMANY), 2-0-1(1)
4. 5(80) TYRELL BIGGS (USA), 1-1-1
5. 7(112) GARVIN SAWYER (USA), 1-2
6. 3(48) LARRY MIDDLETON (USA), 1-2
7. 6(96) BOONE KIRKMAN (USA), 0-3
8. 8(128) JOSE URTAIN (SPAIN), 0-3

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP ONE

4(64) KARL MILDENBERGER VS 7(112) GARVIN SAWYER
3(48) LARRY MIDDLETON VS 8(128) JOSE URTAIN
2(32) EARNIE SHAVERS VS 6(96) BOONE KIRKMAN
1(1) GENE TUNNEY VS 5(80) TYRELL BIGGS

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Sunday 24 March 2002

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

GROUP ONE

1. 1(1) ROCKY MARCIANO (USA), 3-0(3)
2. 7(56) JOSE LUIS GARCIA (VENEZUELA), 2-1

3. 2(16) TONY GALENTO (USA), 2-1(2)
4. 6(48) FRANK SLAVIN (AUSTRALIA), 2-1
5. 4(32) SCOTT LEDOUX (USA), 2-1(2)
6. 3(24) STAN WARD (USA), 1-2
7. 5(40) MIKE SCHRECK (USA), 0-3
8. 8(64) OSCAR PHARO (USA), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP ONE

4(32) SCOTT LEDOUX VS 7(56) JOSE LUIS GARCIA
3(24) STAN WARD VS 8(64) OSCAR PHARO
2(16) TONY GALENTO VS 6(48) FRANK SLAVIN
1(1) ROCKY MARCIANO VS 5(40) MIKE SCHRECK

GROUP EIGHT

1. 1(8) HERBIE HIDE (ENGLAND), 2-0-1(2)
2. 8(57) JOE ERSKINE (WALES), 2-1

3. 4(25) BILLY WALKER (ENGLAND), 2-1
4. 3(17) BOB DEVERE (IRELAND), 1-1-1
5. 5(33) KALLIE KNOETZE (SOUTH AFRICA), 1-2
6. 2(9) EMBRELL DAVIDSON (USA), 1-2
7. 7(49) KEENE SIMMONS (USA), 1-2
8. 6(41) LEE SAVOLD (USA), 0-1-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS FOR GROUP EIGHT

4(25) BILLY WALKER VS 7(49) KEENE SIMMONS
3(17) BOB DEVERE VS 8(57) JOE ERSKINE
2(9) EMBRELL DAVIDSON VS 6(41) LEE SAVOLD
1(8) HERBIE HIDE VS 5(33) KALLIE KNOETZE

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Sunday 24 March 2002

GROUP STANDINGS IN
THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION'S
FEEDER LEAGUES

THE NORTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE

GROUP A

1. (1) INGEMAR JOHANSSON (SWEDEN), 2-0(2)
2. (4) BRION MAYO (IRELAND), 2-0

3. (5) BRAN BAGGETT (IRELAND), 2-0
4. (8) ROSTAND PLAN (SWITZERLAND), 0-2
5. (9) CHARLIE JORDAN (USA), 0-2
6. (12) RICHARD DUNN (ENGLAND), 0-2

GROUP B

1. (2) FLEMMING EKELUND (DENMARK), 2-0(1)
2. (3) ARTUIR CLAFFEY (IRELAND), 2-0

3. (6) OLAF HEIBERG (NORWAY), 2-0(1)
4. (7) CHARLES MORECK (ENGLAND), 0-2
5. (10) TUNNEY HUNSAKER (USA), 0-2
6. (11) CHARLES BRADLEY (ENGLAND), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS

(8) ROSTAND PLAN VS (12) RICHARD DUNN
(7) CHARLES MORECK VS (11) CHARLES BRADLEY
(4) BRION MAYO VS (9) CHARLIE JORDAN
(3) ARTUIR CLAFFEY VS (10) TUNNEY HUNSAKER
(2) FLEMMING EKELUND VS (6) OLAF HEIBERG
(1) INGEMAR JOHANSSON VS (5) BRAN BAGGETT


THE SOUTH AMERICAN BOXING LEAGUE

GROUP A

1. (1) GREGORIO PERALTA (ARGENTINA), 2-0
2. (5) BERNARDO MERCADO (COLOMBIA), 2-0(1)

3. (4) OMELIO AGRAMONTE (CUBA), 1-0-1(1)
4. (12) BRETT RANFORD (USA), 0-1-1
5. (8) RAMON VILLA (MEXICO), 0-2
6. (9) JACK CARROLL (USA), 0-2

GROUP B

1. (2) JORGE LUIS GONZALEZ (CUBA), 2-0
2. (3) ROBERTO DAVILA (PERU), 2-0

3. (10) DAVE BAILEY (USA), 1-1(1)
4. (6) LEONARDO BARBARESSI (ARGENTINA), 1-1
5. (7) JIM STEWART (USA), 0-2
6. (11) CLEAVER TWIDELL (USA), 0-2

NEXT SERIES OF BOUTS

(8) RAMON VILLA VS (12) BRETT RANFORD
(7) JIM STEWART VS (11) CLEAVER TWIDELL
(4) OMELIO AGRAMONTE VS (9) JACK CARROLL
(3) ROBERTO DAVILA VS (10) DAVE BAILEY
(2) JORGE LUIS GONZALEZ VS (6) LEONARDO BARBARESSI
(1) GREGORIO PERALTA VS (5) BERNARDO MERCADO

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Sunday 24 March 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 25/03/2002 - SATURDAY 30/03/2002 INCLUSIVE

MONDAY 25/03/2002 - EBBETS FIELD, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA

1D - G5: 4(28) GUS RUHLIN vs 8(60) DON WARNER
1D - G5: 3(20) CESAR BRION vs 7(52) JOHNNY RIGGINS
WC - G5: 4(60) HEIN TEN-HOFF vs 8(124) TOM COWLER
WC - G5: 3(44) OTTO VON PORAT vs 7(108) SANTE AMONTI
WC - G5: 2(28) JOE BUGNER vs 5(76) GERRY COONEY
WC - G5: 1(5) RIDDICK BOWE vs 6(92) ALEX MITEFF

TUESDAY 26/03/2002 - ARCO ARENA, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
THE U.S. PACIFIC COAST BOXING LEAGUE

(6) JIM BARRY vs (7) JIM FLYNN
(5) DAVID BEY vs (8) TERRY DANIELS
(4) GRAHAM JEFFERSON vs (12) CHARLEY POWELL
(3) FREDDIE BESHORE vs (11) TONY DOYLE
(2) LEOTIS MARTIN vs (10) GREG WILLIAMS
(1) ROSCO TOLES vs (9) HOWARD KING

WEDNESDAY 27/03/2002 - MEN ARENA, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND

1D - G5: 2(12) CARL MORRIS vs 5(36) TOXIE HALL
1D - G5: 1(5) NINO VALDES vs 6(44) BILL TATE
WC - G12: 4(53) TOMMY GOMEZ vs 8(117) BRIAN LONDON
WC - G12: 3(37) AL JONES vs 7(101) AL ETTORE
WC - G12: 2(21) RAY MERCER vs 5(69) TOMMY JACKSON
WC - G12: 1(12) GEORGE CHUVALO vs 6(85) RUEBEN VARGAS

THURSDAY 28/03/02 - EISSTADION, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
THE SOUTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE

(6) SHAKES QOBOZA vs (7) LOVRO ALANOVIC
(5) ALEXANDER DAFOUSKA vs (8) JEAN-PIERRE COOPMAN
(4) VITTORIO CAMPOLLO vs (12) DRAGO BENCEK
(3) HANS BIRKIE vs (11) LEONIDAS JASKUCIONIS
(2) MARKUS STOBER vs (10) PABLO RAMIREZ
(1) GENADI YANTCHEV vs (9) NINI PERRONI

FRIDAY 29/03/2002 - SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

1D - G4: 4(29) BERNIE REYNOLDS vs 8(61) MEL TURNBOW
1D - G4: 3(21) WAYNE BETHEA vs 7(53) JEFF MERRITT
WC - G13: 4(52) GERALD GRIFFITH vs 8(116) TOM MCNEELEY
WC - G13: 3(36) BUSTER MATHIS vs 7(100) JESSE FERGUSON
WC - G13: 2(20) DONOVAN RUDDOCK vs 5(68) LEROY JONES
WC - G13: 1(13) KEN NORTON vs 6(84) COLEY WALLACE

SATURDAY 30/03/2002 - SOVEREIGN CENTER, READING, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

1D - G4: 2(13) JIM MALONEY vs 5(37) ALFREDO EVANGELISTA
1D - G4: 1(4) TREVOR BERBICK vs 6(45) STEFFEN TANGSTAD
WC - G4: 4(61) JOHNNY RISKO vs 8(125) JAMES BROAD
WC - G4: 3(45) HARRY THOMAS vs 7(109) LORENZO ZANON
WC - G4: 2(29) BILL BRENNAN vs 5(77) HENRY CLARK
WC - G4: 1(4) LARRY HOLMES vs 6(93) AL MCCOY

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FROM EAST TO WEST AND BACK AGAIN

Sunday 24 March 2002

The Heavyweight Boxing Federation will traverse both coasts during their coming week of fight cards. Starting tomorrow night with #5 seed Riddick Bowe at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, the action will then shift to California with Sacramento hosting the Pacific Coast Boxing League on Tuesday night and San Diego getting a first look at their own hometown hero Kenny Norton on Friday night. Events will then return to the east for Saturday night's big card featuring the 4th seed in the World Championship tournament Larry Holmes, with the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania, holding the state's third WC/1D tournament card in the past month. Elsewhere during the week, England and Austria will be the locations for the cards on Wednesday and Thursday night respectively.

The excitement and anticipation over Riddick Bowe's home debut has reached insane levels, according to many Brooklynites.

"It really is amazing here at the moment," said local retailer Jason Mills. "Seriously, this fight card has been talked about as much as the start of the baseball season. That's unheard of, especially for a competition as new as the HBF still is. People are just loving Riddick Bowe, man. They can't get enough of him.&