The Heavyweight Boxing Federation - Page 23

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 12:25 AM

THE BERLIN UNDERCARD

Opening Bout

1st Defense tournament 10th seed Natie Brown kept his perfect record with a split decision victory over the luckless Californian Tom Kennedy.

It wasn't an overly impressive contest, with neither fighter at their best and neither fighter showing an overwhelming desire to win. But Brown was good enough to take the verdict, 58-56, 57-58, 59-56.

Following a draw with Olle Tandberg and a majority decision loss to Don Cockell, 34th-seeded Kennedy has now gone the distance three times and is yet to lose by unanimous decision. He is yet to win, also.

Preliminary 1

New York's Doug Jones maintained his position on top of Group Seven in the 1st Defense tournament with a hard-fought majority decision win against the tough-as-nails Welshman Dick Richardson.

The 42nd seed in the tournament, Richardson's first two bouts (a loss to Don Cockell and a win over Olle Tandberg) were both barnstormers and tonight's contest was no different. He took the fight up to the 7th-seeded New Yorker, making Jones work hard for the victory.

While Richardson performed admirably, especially in rounds two and six, Jones was even better. He rose to the challenge that Richardson had thrown down, willingly trading bombs with him in the centre of the ring to the audience's delight.

The final scorecards read 58-56, 57-57, 58-56 in a fight that neither man really deserved to lose. Some commented that it was a shame to start the night with two men who didn't seem to want to win and have it followed by two who wanted to win so badly.

Jones remains undefeated at 3-0 while Richardson falls to 1-2. The Welshman is sure to miss out on the tournament's second stage, but I wouldn't write him off for selection in the European Championship tournament. He is one to watch, a passionate, emotional fighter who could still cause some damage.

Preliminary 2

Randall Cobb of Texas recovered from a knockdown at the end of the first round to score his first professional victory with a unanimous decision verdict (58-55 on all three cards) against Oklahoma City's George Johnson.

Plain and simple, this was a fight where very little science was on display. These two winless combatants showed what desparation can do, fighting themselves to a standstill and producing two or three slugfest rounds that must rank amongst the best seen so far in the HBF.

The audience gave them a standing ovation when it was all over, a sight this writer would have never expected to see following a contest between two winless fighters.

Cobb and Johnson embraced in the middle of the ring, exchanging words of mutual respect. They spoke at length with each other's trainers and acknowledged the audience side-by-side.

The Texan Cobb improves to 1-2 while Johnson falls to 0-3.

Support Bout

New Jersey's Steve Hamas kept the pressure on Schmeling and Moran with a unanimous decision win (59-56, 60-56, 58-56) over Chicago's Floyd Cummings.

Having given top seed Max Schmeling an almighty fright last time out, Cummings started well again, getting the better of the opening two rounds as he pressed Hamas, not giving him a moment's rest.

But the big Chicago slugger couldn't keep up the pace, and Hamas finished the bout impressively, especially in the fifth round when the contest was almost halted with Cummings on the verge of collapse.

Despite having been tested in all three of his bouts, Hamas remains perfect at 3-0.

"I've been in some real wars so far," he said afterwards. "So to be 3-0, it's quite a blessing, I guess."

Cummings is 0-3.

Co-Feature

Like Hamas before him, Pittsburgh's hearthrob Frank Moran stayed perfect with a unanimous decision victory against Philadelphia's Joe Grim.

However, it wasn't a performance to frame and put up on a wall. Moran struggled through the first half of the contest. Fortunately for him, Grim wasn't any better. It was only after the knockdown he scored courtesy of a single uppercut early in round four that Moran started to fight to his ability. He was in control for the rest of the bout and was awarded a 58-55, 59-54, 58-55 verdict.

"I think I'll just forget about this one and move on," Moran said. "It's a win, yeah, but there wasn't much about it that will help me in the future. Well, maybe some examples of what not to do during a fight."

Group Ten of the World Championship tournament remains as just one of four groups in both the WC and 1D tourneys where the top three seeds have perfect records. That statistic will be once again challenged on Saturday night when Sonny Liston and Group Two take to the square circle in St. Louis.

As far Schmeling, Moran and Hamas, we'll have to wait five weeks before seeing if they can keep their perfect streak intact...

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 12:36 AM

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2002
ESTREL CONVENTION CENTER, BERLIN, GERMANY

OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
2(10) Natie Brown SD6 5(34) Tom Kennedy

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
1(7) Doug Jones MD6 6(42) Dick Richardson

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten
4(55) Randall Cobb UD6 8(119) George Johnson

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten
3(39) Steve Hamas UD6 7(103) Floyd Cummings

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten
2(23) Frank Moran UD6 5(71) Joe Grim

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten
1(10) Max Schmeling TKO5 6(87) Thad Spencer

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 05:44 PM

VINCENNES ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO
FIGHT CARDS AND FEEDER LEAGUES

Thursday 11 April 2002

Today, Heavyweight Boxing Federation president Michael Vincennes made two announcements in regards to the federation's future. The announcements were made in the form of a press release made available to the print media.

The first concerned the format of the WC/1D tournament fight cards, and read:

From the commencement of the fourth series of fight cards, all bouts featuring the eight #1 seeds in the 1st Defense tournament will be moved up on the card to the Co-Feature slot.

The directors of the federation believe that more recognition needs to be given to the 1st Defense tournament. After all, the competitor that wins the tournament will be challenging for the World Championship, which is a great reward.

The first of these fight cards will take place on April 24 in Japan, when the tournament's #1 seed Rocky Marciano clashes with the 40th seed Mike Schreck. That bout will be the event's Co-Feature.

Vincennes' second announcement related to the federation's feeder leagues.

Once the current World Ranking tournaments have completed, we will be consolidating the feeder leagues, from eight down to six.

The Atlantic and Pacific Coast leagues will be merged and named the United States Boxing League. The two European leagues will also be merged into a single European Boxing League.

In addition, all fighters will be placed into an appropriate feeder league in accordance with their nationality. So all of the United States boxers who have been competing overseas in Europe, Asia and Africa and in Canada will be placed into the USBL. The same will be true for all nationalities. All African fighters who have been fighting in, for example, Europe or Asia, will be placed into the African Boxing League.

This modification of the feeder leagues will lead to an expansion in numbers for most of them, also. It's likely that the USBL will feature as many as 36 fighters, as in addition to the men who will be placed into it, the federation is planning to introduce a new group of fighters into our ranks. There is quite a backup of young men who are just itching to start their professional careers, especially in Africa, Asia and here in the United States.

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 07:13 PM

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE!!
BONAVENA STOPPED IN TWO
IN HOMELAND DEBUT

Friday 12 April 2002

It was supposed to be a night for Oscar Bonavena to put on a show in front of his fellow countrymen. It was supposed to be a night when Argentina's shining light in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament would make a point and consolidate his lead atop the standings in Group Fifteen.

What it turned into was an absolute disaster for the proud 18th seed, as Jamaican-born Englishman Gary Mason pounded him into submission within two rounds. Bonavena is the second World Championship tournament "2nd seed" to be stopped in the second round this week, following Mac Foster's KO of Roland LaStarza on Monday.

You really are unlikely to see a more excited, noisy crowd during a fighter's entrance to the ring. With the Argentinian flag drapped over his shoulders, Bonavena made his way down the aisle of the Luna Park with a steely determination in his eyes, the national anthem booming out of the arena's speakers as his 233 pound opponent prowled the ring impatiently.

Although considered dangerous, Mason was nonetheless unfancied to score an upset over Bonavena, especially in his homeland. After the opening round, that seemed even less likely as Bonavena started in fantastic fashion. He came out aggressively and staggered Mason twice during the first minute. A crushing left uppercut started it off and it was followed soon after by a pair of punishing left hooks that sent the sweat flying off Mason's head.

Bonavena returned to his corner in an excited fashion, almost running to his stool as the crowd applauded wildly.

Little did they know that a catastrophe was just minutes away.

Looking at the entire second round in retrospect, it's clear that Bonavena was in trouble from the moment Mason tagged him with a booming straight right just fifteen seconds in. It rattled the Argentinian and Mason followed up with a damaging, piston-like left jab moments later that pierced Bonavena's defenses and snapped his head back.

The 18th seed backed off, trying to clear his head. But Mason pressed forward and unleashed a fierce three punch combo: left jab, straight right, left hook. Each punch found its target and Bonavena staggered back into the ropes. He fired back in an attempt to keep his heavier opponent at bay, but Mason walked through the punches and unloaded with a crippling uppercut.

Trapped in the corner, Bonavena covered up as Mason loaded up, clubbing the 18th seed's arms and ribs with punishing power punches. This was the first time Bonavena had been in such trouble in any of his bouts and the crowd was in a panic, screaming for their hero to fight back.

Bonavena tried to push Mason away, firing at him with a left-right combo but it did little to stop the man. The smell of blood was potent in Mason's nostrils and he went in for the kill. At the two minute mark he landed another killer three-punch combination: a left hook followed by a straight right that sent Bonavena back hard on the ropes and then a powerful left.

The 18th seed was simply trying to survive the round and make it back to his stool. He returned fire but it was obvious that Mason's astonishing assault had taken the sting out of Bonavena's punches. Mason tagged him again with a straight right and followed it up with a brutal left uppercut. How Bonavena was standing after that punch will forever be a mystery to me.

But then Mason backed off, hitching up his trunks and taking a few seconds to gauge Bonavena's fitness. He must have decided then and there that the 18th seed was ready to go. He blasted a left hook into Bonavena's ribs before moving back upstairs. A straight right snapped the Argentinian's head around and his knee almost touched the canvas. He leaned heavily on the ropes, putting his right arm out to hold himself up. With his right cheek open for the taking, Mason landed a crushing left hook followed by a sledgehammer straight right and another left hook before referee Ken Morita pulled the Englishman aside.

Bonavena slumped to the canvas with Morita cushioning his fall somewhat, embracing him as he went down.

Shockingly, the contest was over 2:36 into the second round, leaving a capacity crowd in stunned silence and a jubilant Mason jumping around the ring, hollering and pounding his chest, high fiving his corner crew...

***

SHARKEY CAPITALISES IN FANTASTIC FASHION

...Within five minutes, the arena was more than half empty. So many of those who had come to cheer on their proud countryman simply filed out, the walking comatose.

They had also come to jeer the group's top seed, Boston's Jack Sharkey. Having lost his opening tournament bout, many felt Sharkey had surrendered his chance of finishing first in the group. They felt that Bonavena looked capable of going 7-0, of beating Sharkey and even preventing him from qualifying for the tournament's second stage.

Sharkey made his way to the ring with a huge smile plastered on his face. It was clear that he was delighted by Bonavena's shock defeat and those who remained and saw his cheerful disposition booed loudly, little good that it did.

Fort Lauderdale's 82nd seed Tony Alongi was expected to give Sharkey a tough time. He'd made a great start to his career, scoring wins against two higher-seeded fighters and entered the ring knowing that a win against Sharkey would give him sole possession of 1st place in the group standings.

Alongi had caught the attention of Elmer Ray and the Florida Alliance in his last fight, with Ray having spoken to him in the days before tonight's bout. Many experts really believed that in Alongi's case, the HBF had misjudged his talent.

That might still prove to be correct, but on this night, Jack Sharkey made the 20 year-old look downright ordinary.

Inspired by Bonavena's defeat, Sharkey went to town on Alongi. He dominated the Florida fighter for the duration of the bout, taking a 60-54 clean sweep on all three judge's cards.

Simply put, it was a fantastic performance and Alongi finished the bout with a cut, heavily swollen right eye and a shattered disposition. Sharkey landed 189 punches at almost 50% while Alongi could only manage to connect with 69 at 32%.

"Seeing Oscar lose really helped me to focus," said Sharkey. "No offense, but after that I knew that a win would put me back on top, or at least tied at the top."

Indeed, these two stunning performances have completely shaken up the perception of Group Fifteen in the World Championship tournament. It really is there for the taking, and as you'll see from the results of the undercard, it's not just a two-man race...

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 07:59 PM

The Luna Park Undercard

Opening Bout

Ireland's Peter Maher put the disappointment of his controversial TKO loss to Dutchman Wim Snoek five weeks ago behind him as he scored a clear unanimous decision victory against the willing but overmatched Hollywood native Jack Roper.

Each judge scored the bout 59-55, with Maher relieved and ecstatic that his 1st Defense tournament campaign was back on track.

"I really believe that I can qualify for the second stage," Maher said. "There's no reason why I can't, but I won't if I don't believe that I can."

Maher is now 2-1, while the tough Californian, who was felled six times on debut by James Jeffries, is 0-3.

Preliminary 1

In what is becoming a habit for him, Welsh fighter Johnny Williams was involved in another action-packed contest. And as he had in his last bout with Chuck Wepner, he fought back after falling behind early.

In a bloody affair, Williams recovered from being cut in the opening round and outfought through three rounds to stop his Brooklyn-born opponent Kevin Isaac on cuts in the fourth.

Yet to record a professional victory, Isaac looked to be on his way to a first after his impressive start. But a cut that Williams had opened up midway though the third was not properly attended to during the intermission and early in the fourth, the Welshman targeted it, leaving Isaac's right eyebrow a bloodied mess.

The fight was stopped soon after, with Williams the winner by TKO.

Preliminary 2

Ted Lowry of New Bedford, Massachusetts finally scored his first tournament victory with a hard-fought unanimous decision win against the man who had upset Jack Sharkey on debut, Canada's Arthur Pelkey.

The scorecards read 58-57, 60-55, 58-57 in a bout which was very even through three rounds before Lowry assumed control in the fourth and did not relinquish it for the remainder of the contest.

Both fighters are now 1-2, though Pelkey has the TKO of Sharkey on his record. Like Joe Beckett (the man who defeated 3rd seed Jack Johnson on debut), Pelkey has found the going difficult following that surprise victory.

Support Bout

Atlantic City's Bruce Seldon grinded out a unanimous decision victory against Pennsylvania's Alonzo Johnson, 59-55 on all three cards.

Seldon found Johnson to be a stubborn opponent, especially in the opening half of the contest and in particular during an action-packed third round.

Nevertheless, the 34th seed in the World Championship tournament was never really troubled and was a matter of seconds from finishing Johnson off when the bell rang to bring an end to the fight.

The 22 year-old New Jersey native is now 2-1 and part of an unexpected five-man logjam at the top of the group standings. He's shown in these last two bouts some of the skills that had so many observers impressed by him at the federation's October tournament auditions.

Seldon's next opponent is the 114th seed Arthur Pelkey. It's a bout that Seldon should win, although judging by what's happened in this group so far, it's no certainty...

GForce · 02-10-2006, 08:00 PM

Another excellent excerpt. Sharkey gets a second chance it appears.

You've really done a great job crafting this, KC. Well done.

GH

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GForce

Another excellent excerpt. Sharkey gets a second chance it appears.

You've really done a great job crafting this, KC. Well done.

GH

Thanks, GForce.

Yeah, that card really shook the group up. Sharkey, Bonavena, Mason, Seldon and Alongi are all tied for 1st place at 2-1! No other group comes even close to that kind of congestion.

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 08:13 PM

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2002
LUNA PARK, BUENES AIRES, ARGENTINA

OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
4(31) Peter Maher UD6 8(63) Jack Roper

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
3(23) Johnny Williams TKO4 7(55) Kevin Isaac

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
4(50) Ted Lowry UD6 8(114) Arthur Pelkey

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
3(34) Bruce Seldon UD6 7(98) Alonzo Johnson

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
5(66) Gary Mason TKO2 2(18) Oscar Bonavena

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
1(15) Jack Sharkey UD6 6(82) Tony Alongi

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 08:59 PM

FIVE-WAY TRAFFIC JAM MAKES FOR
FASCINATING FUTURE IN GROUP FIFTEEN

Saturday 13 April 2002

Story by Larry Brewer of the Boston Express

Until yesterday, it would have been safe to say that Group Fifteen of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament was not one of the more popular, exciting ones.

Sure, Boston's own Jack Sharkey had laid a big, ugly egg in his debut, and there'd been a few upsets, but the group didn't feature any name fighters. Men who have, during the short lifetime of the HBF, inspired excitement and controversy. Men like Elmer Ray, Jack Johnson and Sonny Liston.

Well, today, all that has changed. Group Fifteen finds itself in a position that is entirely unique in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. See, in almost every other group, you can look at the names and pick out one or two fighters who will more than likely finish on top. With Group Fifteen, that's a little bit difficult to do, because following last night's third series of bouts, the group standings show a five-way tie for 1st place. That's right. A FIVE-WAY tie. Boston's Jack Sharkey, Argentina's Oscar Bonavena, Atlantic City's Bruce Seldon, England's Gary Mason and Fort Lauderdale's Tony Alongi are all tied for the lead at 2-1.

It's Englishman Gary Mason's astonishing 2nd round TKO of the tournament's 18th seed Oscar Bonavena that has caused this craziness. Fighting in his homeland for the first time, Bonavena was pounded senseless by Mason in round two (after having dominated the opening stanza) until the referee had to save the local hero from further punishment, stopping the bout 2:36 into the round. If Bonavena had won, he'd be sitting on top of the group at 3-0, Mason would be 1-2 and there'd simply be a three-way tie for second place. Or would there? We'll never be able to tell how well Sharkey would have fought against Tony Alongi if Bonavena had defeated Mason. If Bonavena had been victorious, the entire audience would have stayed to give Sharkey one unpleasant time. As it was, over half of them had disappeared before Sharkey set foot in the ring, making the resistance offered futile at best.

And so what we have is five men all with 2-1 records. Of course, when the HBF's tie-breaking procedures are taken into account, the order is actually Sharkey, Alongi, Seldon, Mason, Bonavena. But those tie-breaking procedures are irrelevant at the moment, because there's still four series of bouts to be completed.

When Group Fifteen takes to the ring again in five weeks, we'll see Sharkey versus Mason and Bonavena up against Alongi, with Seldon taking on the man who TKO'd Sharkey on the group's opening night, Canada's Arthur Pelkey. Assuming that Seldon defeats Pelkey, the winners of the other two bouts will join him in what will become a three-way tie for the lead before moving onto the all-important fifth, sixth and seventh series. And it's there that the lower seeds, #66 Mason and #82 Alongi, might have an edge. They'll be trading blows with each other and the group's two lowest seeds while Sharkey, Bonavena and Seldon complete their personal round robin.

Who will emerge on top? Personally, I haven't the slightest idea, but I know one thing...

We're going to be treated to a great show while finding out.

kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 09:15 PM

Okay, folks, gotta take a break for now.

I just noticed that in the last 24 hours, I've covered three and a half days of the HBF and IBL. That must be some sort of record for me, considering the slow pace I usually go at.

It's just after 1pm over here in Australia. Time to get some housework done.

The next post will cover the Saturday night St. Louis fight card, featuring #2 seed in the WC tournament and hometown favourite Sonny Liston. I should be able to get that on here by this time tomorrow.

See ya. Hope everyone's enjoying the HBF/IBL.

Good night.

kenyan_cheena · 02-11-2006, 10:23 PM

LIGHTNING STRIKES THRICE!!!
DOKES STOPPED ON CUTS IN 1ST ROUND
BEFORE LISTON DESTROYS LAVORANTE...
...IN 1ST ROUND!

Saturday 13 April 2002

Tonight's unprecedented HBF fight card in St. Louis, Missouri brought an extraordinary week of federation boxing to an end.

Akron, Ohio's Michael Dokes became the THIRD "2nd seed" in the federation's World Championship tournament to taste defeat during the week on a fight card where the Co-Feature and Main Event both ended in the opening round, something that had never happened in any of the previous 63 fight cards staged by the HBF.

Dokes, so confident and cocky after his 3rd round KO of Nick Barone five weeks ago was ambushed by an opponent who had been on a trash-talking spree for the past week.

That opponent, New Jersey's Harold Carter had not only said that he was sick of climbing into the ring and "getting robbed by incompetent judges", but that he felt a genuine dislike for Dokes.

"I ain't had the best time in my first two bouts," said Carter earlier this week. "'Specially the last one, that was just disgraceful what they did to me. But this Dokes brother, I really don't like the way he goes on, you know? Actin' like he's such a big man when he knocks out a guy he's supposed to beat. You knocked the dude out, big deal! And then for him to compare himself to Sonny, that was the biggest joke I ever seen! I tell you all now, I'm gonna wipe that smile from his face come Saturday night. He won't know what hit him."

Dokes had not responded to Carter's comments, with the exception of a simple "Well, I'll be ready for him" and a smile.

Well tonight, it really looked like Dokes wasn't ready for Carter. In the moments before the opening bell, the New Jersey native literally looked ready to explode. He sneered disdainfully across the ring at Dokes and his cornermen and spat harsh words in the 31st seed's face throughout the referee's instructions.

When the bell sounded, Carter showed his intentions immediately, unleashing a "ready or not, here I come!" straight right that caught an unprepared Dokes flush on the jaw. His knees buckled and the New Jersey brawler followed up with a left hook that didn't land cleanly, but kept his man off balance.

Carter bullied Dokes back onto the ropes and went to work on his body, left and right rips crashing into Dokes' ribs and arms. Clearly overwhelmed by Carter's cyclonic start, Dokes tried to fire back from his position on the ropes, but Carter showed some impressive evasive skills, slipping every punch and responding with a clubbling straight right that snapped the Ohio native's head back.

His aggression keeping Dokes trapped, Carter resumed his body assault, lefts and rights thrown with brutal intentions. All the while, the audience was going nuts, their support clearly for the underdog New Jersey fighter.

Dokes threw a desparate uppercut that left him open for a counter, and an enraged Carter didn't miss the opportunity. He tagged Dokes with a right hand that opended a cut above his left eye. It was followed in quick order by a left hook and another straight right, crushing power shots that staggered Dokes for a second time.

The 31st seed managed to tie his opponent up and actually move off the ropes. Dokes' eyes showed complete bemusement, and after Carter unloaded another flurry of punches (at least three of them scored cleanly), referee Isidro Rodriguez stepped in. At first, Carter thought he had stopped the fight and he shouted and pumped his chest. But his excitement was a fraction premature. Rodriguez led Dokes to the ringside doctor to check the vicious cut over his left eye.

Moments later, the contest was over despite the protestations of a clearly dazed Dokes. Harold Carter had achieved one of the most sensational victories in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's short history. The official time of the stoppage was 2:42 of the 1st round, Carter the victor by TKO...

***

Almost as if he was sending a personal message to Dokes, Sonny Liston came out for the evening's main event and promptly disposed of Argentina's Alejandro Lavorante.

The precision and ferocity of the big man's assault was breathtaking, made even more remarkable when you consider that he did not throw a single punch during the entire first minute. He simply stalked Lavorante, feining to unload his right hand a few times. But at the 1:05 mark, the destruction commenced. A crushing right cross staggered the Argentinian, bringing a howl of approval from the audience. Ten seconds later, it was another single right cross that collided with Lavorante's jaw, chased by a sledgehammer straight right.

Lavorante tried to clinch, but Liston shoved him off and landed his first left hand of the fight, a jab that was followed by another straight right. Lavorante's feeble attempts at mounting a counter-attack would have been funny if his predicament wasn't so dire. Looking fitter and stronger than in either of his previous two bouts, Liston unloaded another punishing combination, determined to pulverise his overmatched opponent.

The end came with just nine seconds remaining in the round, after Liston had backed the Argentinian into a corner and started teeing off relentlessly. With Lavorante on the verge of sliding lifelessly to the canvas, referee Benji Esteves jumped in and spared him from further annihilation.

"The Missouri Monster", who had made his way into the arena just ten minutes earlier to thunderous applause from his hometown crowd, accepted another round of it as he nonchalantly stopped at each corner of the ring and bowed as the referee, ring doctor and Lavorante's cornermen attended to the battered Argentinian...

kenyan_cheena · 02-11-2006, 11:30 PM

THE ST. LOUIS UNDERCARD

Opening Bout

Chuck Wepner's "near enough, but not quite good enough" start to his professional boxing career continued tonight when he held the 15th seed in the HBF's 1st Defense tournament, Marvin Hart, to a draw.

Again, as in his first two bouts, it was Wepner's endurance that let him down. He sent a shockwave through the audience when a clubbing left hook to the body put the Kentucky-born Hart on the canvas just 23 seconds into the opening round. It was the first knockdown in Hart's career.

As 26 year-old Wepner maintained control of the bout through the first two rounds, the stirrings of an upset were thick in the air.

But it happened again. Wepner started to slow down and Hart was able to pounce. He swept the next three rounds on two of the judge's cards, beating the rapidly tiring New Jersey native to the punch time and again.

Both fighters showed what a toll the contest had taken on them during an anti-climatic final round. When the scorecards were revealed, Wepner simply dropped his head. One judge felt Wepner had done enough, giving him the verdict 58-56. But the other two scored it 57-57. For the second fight in a row, Wepner had pushed one of the top three fighters in the group to the brink of defeat, only to finish empty-handed.

Hart was full of compliments for his tough opponent, but it did little to console Wepner's deep disappointment. It won't get any easier for him when he faces the tournament's #2 seed James Jeffries in his next bout.

Hart is now 2-0-1 , while Wepner is 0-1-2.

Preliminary 1

San Francisco's #2 seed in the 1st Defense tournament James Jeffries continued his march towards the second stage with a no-nonsense unanimous decision victory against Wim Snoek of the Netherlands.

The ease with which Jeffries achieved his victory (59-55 on all three cards) was something to see, as he discouraged and pounded Snoek early with some damaging right hands before cruising through the rest of the contest.

Just two days from his 22nd birthday, the 6'2", 220 pound Californian must be considered at least some chance to score a victory over the seeminlgy-invincible tournament favourite Rocky Marciano. There's been enough surprising results in these tournaments so far to suggest that it's a possibility.

Preliminary 2

The 63rd seed in the World Championship tournament, Oakland's Lou Nova maintained his perfect record with a crushing 2nd round TKO victory against the hapless Syracuse, New York native Nick Barone.

After a dominant first round, Nova simply destroyed Barone in the second, dropping him three times in the space of seventy seconds to secure a TKO victory with 23 seconds remaining in the round.

Barone, the tournament's 127th seed, has now been stopped in all three of his bouts, having tasted the canvas on ten occasions. There must be a case for removing him from the tournament, as it's clear that he just can't compete. But that won't happen, as all 192 men currently fighting in the federation's WC and 1D tournaments signed contracts stating that they would take part in at least seven bouts.

Support Bout

Having been the beneficiary of some poor judge's decisions in his first two bouts, Minnesota's Charley Retzlaff made sure no one could accuse him of being three times lucky when he defeated Chicago's Phil Scott in comprehensive fashion. Retzlaff won by unanimous decision, 59-55 on all three cards.

Retzlaff put on quite a display, punishing Scott in all but the 3rd round, when he took his foot off the gas.

The 47th seed would receive an added bonus in the evening's following bout. As a result of Michael Dokes' shocking TKO loss to Harold Carter, Retzlaff is now in 2nd place in Group Two of the World Championship tournament.

kenyan_cheena · 02-11-2006, 11:44 PM

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2002
KIEL AUDITORIUM, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA

OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
2(15) Marvin Hart D6 5(39) Chuck Wepner

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
1(2) James Jeffries UD6 6(47) Wim Snoek

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
4(63) Lou Nova TKO2 8(127) Nick Barone

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
3(47) Charley Retzlaff UD6 7(111) Phil Scott

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
5(79) Harold Carter TKO1 2(31) Michael Dokes

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
1(2) Sonny Liston TKO1 6(95) Alejandro Lavorante

kenyan_cheena · 02-12-2006, 12:06 AM

Well, that's the end of the third series of bouts in the World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments. 48 fight cards down, 92 to go!

Seriously, I'm happy about the progress I've made these last few days. I forgot to mention that I've been on leave from work for the last two weeks (back at it tomorrow), so I think I've achieved quite a bit with the story in that period. Feel like I'm slowly getting there.

I'm going to update the group standings tomorrow when I get home from work, but after that I might not make any new posts for a few days. I have to figure out which fighters I'm going to use to start with in the International Boxing League, which might take a while as the World Championship tournaments for each weight division will be divided into regional groups. I'll need a total of 600 fighters, overall.

See ya.

02-10-2006, 12:25 AM	#441 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	THE BERLIN UNDERCARD *Opening Bout* 1st Defense tournament 10th seed Natie Brown kept his perfect record with a split decision victory over the luckless Californian Tom Kennedy. It wasn't an overly impressive contest, with neither fighter at their best and neither fighter showing an overwhelming desire to win. But Brown was good enough to take the verdict, 58-56, 57-58, 59-56. Following a draw with Olle Tandberg and a majority decision loss to Don Cockell, 34th-seeded Kennedy has now gone the distance three times and is yet to lose by unanimous decision. He is yet to win, also. *Preliminary 1* New York's Doug Jones maintained his position on top of Group Seven in the 1st Defense tournament with a hard-fought majority decision win against the tough-as-nails Welshman Dick Richardson. The 42nd seed in the tournament, Richardson's first two bouts (a loss to Don Cockell and a win over Olle Tandberg) were both barnstormers and tonight's contest was no different. He took the fight up to the 7th-seeded New Yorker, making Jones work hard for the victory. While Richardson performed admirably, especially in rounds two and six, Jones was even better. He rose to the challenge that Richardson had thrown down, willingly trading bombs with him in the centre of the ring to the audience's delight. The final scorecards read 58-56, 57-57, 58-56 in a fight that neither man really deserved to lose. Some commented that it was a shame to start the night with two men who didn't seem to want to win and have it followed by two who wanted to win so badly. Jones remains undefeated at 3-0 while Richardson falls to 1-2. The Welshman is sure to miss out on the tournament's second stage, but I wouldn't write him off for selection in the European Championship tournament. He is one to watch, a passionate, emotional fighter who could still cause some damage. *Preliminary 2* Randall Cobb of Texas recovered from a knockdown at the end of the first round to score his first professional victory with a unanimous decision verdict (58-55 on all three cards) against Oklahoma City's George Johnson. Plain and simple, this was a fight where very little science was on display. These two winless combatants showed what desparation can do, fighting themselves to a standstill and producing two or three slugfest rounds that must rank amongst the best seen so far in the HBF. The audience gave them a standing ovation when it was all over, a sight this writer would have never expected to see following a contest between two winless fighters. Cobb and Johnson embraced in the middle of the ring, exchanging words of mutual respect. They spoke at length with each other's trainers and acknowledged the audience side-by-side. The Texan Cobb improves to 1-2 while Johnson falls to 0-3. *Support Bout* New Jersey's Steve Hamas kept the pressure on Schmeling and Moran with a unanimous decision win (59-56, 60-56, 58-56) over Chicago's Floyd Cummings. Having given top seed Max Schmeling an almighty fright last time out, Cummings started well again, getting the better of the opening two rounds as he pressed Hamas, not giving him a moment's rest. But the big Chicago slugger couldn't keep up the pace, and Hamas finished the bout impressively, especially in the fifth round when the contest was almost halted with Cummings on the verge of collapse. Despite having been tested in all three of his bouts, Hamas remains perfect at 3-0. "I've been in some real wars so far," he said afterwards. "So to be 3-0, it's quite a blessing, I guess." Cummings is 0-3. *Co-Feature* Like Hamas before him, Pittsburgh's hearthrob Frank Moran stayed perfect with a unanimous decision victory against Philadelphia's Joe Grim. However, it wasn't a performance to frame and put up on a wall. Moran struggled through the first half of the contest. Fortunately for him, Grim wasn't any better. It was only after the knockdown he scored courtesy of a single uppercut early in round four that Moran started to fight to his ability. He was in control for the rest of the bout and was awarded a 58-55, 59-54, 58-55 verdict. "I think I'll just forget about this one and move on," Moran said. "It's a win, yeah, but there wasn't much about it that will help me in the future. Well, maybe some examples of what not to do during a fight." Group Ten of the World Championship tournament remains as just one of four groups in both the WC and 1D tourneys where the top three seeds have perfect records. That statistic will be once again challenged on Saturday night when Sonny Liston and Group Two take to the square circle in St. Louis. As far Schmeling, Moran and Hamas, we'll have to wait five weeks before seeing if they can keep their perfect streak intact... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 02-10-2006 at 12:28 AM.

02-10-2006, 12:36 AM	#442 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2002 ESTREL CONVENTION CENTER, BERLIN, GERMANY OPENING BOUT HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven 2(10) Natie Brown SD6 5(34) Tom Kennedy PRELIMINARY 1 HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven 1(7) Doug Jones MD6 6(42) Dick Richardson PRELIMINARY 2 HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten 4(55) Randall Cobb UD6 8(119) George Johnson SUPPORT BOUT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten 3(39) Steve Hamas UD6 7(103) Floyd Cummings CO-FEATURE HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten 2(23) Frank Moran UD6 5(71) Joe Grim MAIN EVENT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Ten 1(10) Max Schmeling TKO5 6(87) Thad Spencer __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-10-2006, 05:44 PM	#443 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	VINCENNES ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO FIGHT CARDS AND FEEDER LEAGUES Thursday 11 April 2002 Today, Heavyweight Boxing Federation president Michael Vincennes made two announcements in regards to the federation's future. The announcements were made in the form of a press release made available to the print media. The first concerned the format of the WC/1D tournament fight cards, and read: From the commencement of the fourth series of fight cards, all bouts featuring the eight #1 seeds in the 1st Defense tournament will be moved up on the card to the Co-Feature slot. The directors of the federation believe that more recognition needs to be given to the 1st Defense tournament. After all, the competitor that wins the tournament will be challenging for the World Championship, which is a great reward. The first of these fight cards will take place on April 24 in Japan, when the tournament's #1 seed Rocky Marciano clashes with the 40th seed Mike Schreck. That bout will be the event's Co-Feature. Vincennes' second announcement related to the federation's feeder leagues. Once the current World Ranking tournaments have completed, we will be consolidating the feeder leagues, from eight down to six. The Atlantic and Pacific Coast leagues will be merged and named the United States Boxing League. The two European leagues will also be merged into a single European Boxing League. In addition, all fighters will be placed into an appropriate feeder league in accordance with their nationality. So all of the United States boxers who have been competing overseas in Europe, Asia and Africa and in Canada will be placed into the USBL. The same will be true for all nationalities. All African fighters who have been fighting in, for example, Europe or Asia, will be placed into the African Boxing League. This modification of the feeder leagues will lead to an expansion in numbers for most of them, also. It's likely that the USBL will feature as many as 36 fighters, as in addition to the men who will be placed into it, the federation is planning to introduce a new group of fighters into our ranks. There is quite a backup of young men who are just itching to start their professional careers, especially in Africa, Asia and here in the United States. __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-10-2006, 07:13 PM	#444 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE!! BONAVENA STOPPED IN TWO IN HOMELAND DEBUT Friday 12 April 2002 It was supposed to be a night for Oscar Bonavena to put on a show in front of his fellow countrymen. It was supposed to be a night when Argentina's shining light in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament would make a point and consolidate his lead atop the standings in Group Fifteen. What it turned into was an absolute disaster for the proud 18th seed, as Jamaican-born Englishman Gary Mason pounded him into submission within two rounds. Bonavena is the second World Championship tournament "2nd seed" to be stopped in the second round this week, following Mac Foster's KO of Roland LaStarza on Monday. You really are unlikely to see a more excited, noisy crowd during a fighter's entrance to the ring. With the Argentinian flag drapped over his shoulders, Bonavena made his way down the aisle of the Luna Park with a steely determination in his eyes, the national anthem booming out of the arena's speakers as his 233 pound opponent prowled the ring impatiently. Although considered dangerous, Mason was nonetheless unfancied to score an upset over Bonavena, especially in his homeland. After the opening round, that seemed even less likely as Bonavena started in fantastic fashion. He came out aggressively and staggered Mason twice during the first minute. A crushing left uppercut started it off and it was followed soon after by a pair of punishing left hooks that sent the sweat flying off Mason's head. Bonavena returned to his corner in an excited fashion, almost running to his stool as the crowd applauded wildly. Little did they know that a catastrophe was just minutes away. Looking at the entire second round in retrospect, it's clear that Bonavena was in trouble from the moment Mason tagged him with a booming straight right just fifteen seconds in. It rattled the Argentinian and Mason followed up with a damaging, piston-like left jab moments later that pierced Bonavena's defenses and snapped his head back. The 18th seed backed off, trying to clear his head. But Mason pressed forward and unleashed a fierce three punch combo: left jab, straight right, left hook. Each punch found its target and Bonavena staggered back into the ropes. He fired back in an attempt to keep his heavier opponent at bay, but Mason walked through the punches and unloaded with a crippling uppercut. Trapped in the corner, Bonavena covered up as Mason loaded up, clubbing the 18th seed's arms and ribs with punishing power punches. This was the first time Bonavena had been in such trouble in any of his bouts and the crowd was in a panic, screaming for their hero to fight back. Bonavena tried to push Mason away, firing at him with a left-right combo but it did little to stop the man. The smell of blood was potent in Mason's nostrils and he went in for the kill. At the two minute mark he landed another killer three-punch combination: a left hook followed by a straight right that sent Bonavena back hard on the ropes and then a powerful left. The 18th seed was simply trying to survive the round and make it back to his stool. He returned fire but it was obvious that Mason's astonishing assault had taken the sting out of Bonavena's punches. Mason tagged him again with a straight right and followed it up with a brutal left uppercut. How Bonavena was standing after that punch will forever be a mystery to me. But then Mason backed off, hitching up his trunks and taking a few seconds to gauge Bonavena's fitness. He must have decided then and there that the 18th seed was ready to go. He blasted a left hook into Bonavena's ribs before moving back upstairs. A straight right snapped the Argentinian's head around and his knee almost touched the canvas. He leaned heavily on the ropes, putting his right arm out to hold himself up. With his right cheek open for the taking, Mason landed a crushing left hook followed by a sledgehammer straight right and another left hook before referee Ken Morita pulled the Englishman aside. Bonavena slumped to the canvas with Morita cushioning his fall somewhat, embracing him as he went down. Shockingly, the contest was over 2:36 into the second round, leaving a capacity crowd in stunned silence and a jubilant Mason jumping around the ring, hollering and pounding his chest, high fiving his corner crew... * SHARKEY CAPITALISES IN FANTASTIC FASHION ...Within five minutes, the arena was more than half empty. So many of those who had come to cheer on their proud countryman simply filed out, the walking comatose. They had also come to jeer the group's top seed, Boston's Jack Sharkey. Having lost his opening tournament bout, many felt Sharkey had surrendered his chance of finishing first in the group. They felt that Bonavena looked capable of going 7-0, of beating Sharkey and even preventing him from qualifying for the tournament's second stage. Sharkey made his way to the ring with a huge smile plastered on his face. It was clear that he was delighted by Bonavena's shock defeat and those who remained and saw his cheerful disposition booed loudly, little good that it did. Fort Lauderdale's 82nd seed Tony Alongi was expected to give Sharkey a tough time. He'd made a great start to his career, scoring wins against two higher-seeded fighters and entered the ring knowing that a win against Sharkey would give him sole possession of 1st place in the group standings. Alongi had caught the attention of Elmer Ray and the Florida Alliance in his last fight, with Ray having spoken to him in the days before tonight's bout. Many experts really believed that in Alongi's case, the HBF had misjudged his talent. That might still prove to be correct, but on this night, Jack Sharkey made the 20 year-old look downright ordinary. Inspired by Bonavena's defeat, Sharkey went to town on Alongi. He dominated the Florida fighter for the duration of the bout, taking a 60-54 clean sweep on all three judge's cards. Simply put, it was a fantastic performance and Alongi finished the bout with a cut, heavily swollen right eye and a shattered disposition. Sharkey landed 189 punches at almost 50% while Alongi could only manage to connect with 69 at 32%. "Seeing Oscar lose really helped me to focus," said Sharkey. "No offense, but after that I knew that a win would put me back on top, or at least tied at the top." Indeed, these two stunning performances have completely shaken up the perception of Group Fifteen in the World Championship tournament. It really is there for the taking, and as you'll see from the results of the undercard, it's not just a two-man race... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...**

02-10-2006, 07:59 PM	#445 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	*The Luna Park Undercard* Opening Bout Ireland's Peter Maher put the disappointment of his controversial TKO loss to Dutchman Wim Snoek five weeks ago behind him as he scored a clear unanimous decision victory against the willing but overmatched Hollywood native Jack Roper. Each judge scored the bout 59-55, with Maher relieved and ecstatic that his 1st Defense tournament campaign was back on track. "I really believe that I can qualify for the second stage," Maher said. "There's no reason why I can't, but I won't if I don't believe that I can." Maher is now 2-1, while the tough Californian, who was felled six times on debut by James Jeffries, is 0-3. Preliminary 1 In what is becoming a habit for him, Welsh fighter Johnny Williams was involved in another action-packed contest. And as he had in his last bout with Chuck Wepner, he fought back after falling behind early. In a bloody affair, Williams recovered from being cut in the opening round and outfought through three rounds to stop his Brooklyn-born opponent Kevin Isaac on cuts in the fourth. Yet to record a professional victory, Isaac looked to be on his way to a first after his impressive start. But a cut that Williams had opened up midway though the third was not properly attended to during the intermission and early in the fourth, the Welshman targeted it, leaving Isaac's right eyebrow a bloodied mess. The fight was stopped soon after, with Williams the winner by TKO. Preliminary 2 Ted Lowry of New Bedford, Massachusetts finally scored his first tournament victory with a hard-fought unanimous decision win against the man who had upset Jack Sharkey on debut, Canada's Arthur Pelkey. The scorecards read 58-57, 60-55, 58-57 in a bout which was very even through three rounds before Lowry assumed control in the fourth and did not relinquish it for the remainder of the contest. Both fighters are now 1-2, though Pelkey has the TKO of Sharkey on his record. Like Joe Beckett (the man who defeated 3rd seed Jack Johnson on debut), Pelkey has found the going difficult following that surprise victory. Support Bout Atlantic City's Bruce Seldon grinded out a unanimous decision victory against Pennsylvania's Alonzo Johnson, 59-55 on all three cards. Seldon found Johnson to be a stubborn opponent, especially in the opening half of the contest and in particular during an action-packed third round. Nevertheless, the 34th seed in the World Championship tournament was never really troubled and was a matter of seconds from finishing Johnson off when the bell rang to bring an end to the fight. The 22 year-old New Jersey native is now 2-1 and part of an unexpected five-man logjam at the top of the group standings. He's shown in these last two bouts some of the skills that had so many observers impressed by him at the federation's October tournament auditions. Seldon's next opponent is the 114th seed Arthur Pelkey. It's a bout that Seldon should win, although judging by what's happened in this group so far, it's no certainty... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 08-30-2006 at 10:05 PM.

02-10-2006, 08:00 PM	#446 (permalink)
GForce Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,464 Warnings: 2	Another excellent excerpt. Sharkey gets a second chance it appears. You've really done a great job crafting this, KC. Well done. GH

02-10-2006, 08:13 PM	#448 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2002 LUNA PARK, BUENES AIRES, ARGENTINA OPENING BOUT HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 4(31) Peter Maher UD6 8(63) Jack Roper PRELIMINARY 1 HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 3(23) Johnny Williams TKO4 7(55) Kevin Isaac PRELIMINARY 2 HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen 4(50) Ted Lowry UD6 8(114) Arthur Pelkey SUPPORT BOUT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen 3(34) Bruce Seldon UD6 7(98) Alonzo Johnson CO-FEATURE HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen 5(66) Gary Mason TKO2 2(18) Oscar Bonavena MAIN EVENT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen 1(15) Jack Sharkey UD6 6(82) Tony Alongi __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-10-2006, 08:59 PM	#449 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	FIVE-WAY TRAFFIC JAM MAKES FOR FASCINATING FUTURE IN GROUP FIFTEEN Saturday 13 April 2002 Story by Larry Brewer of the Boston Express Until yesterday, it would have been safe to say that Group Fifteen of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament was not one of the more popular, exciting ones. Sure, Boston's own Jack Sharkey had laid a big, ugly egg in his debut, and there'd been a few upsets, but the group didn't feature any name fighters. Men who have, during the short lifetime of the HBF, inspired excitement and controversy. Men like Elmer Ray, Jack Johnson and Sonny Liston. Well, today, all that has changed. Group Fifteen finds itself in a position that is entirely unique in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. See, in almost every other group, you can look at the names and pick out one or two fighters who will more than likely finish on top. With Group Fifteen, that's a little bit difficult to do, because following last night's third series of bouts, the group standings show a five-way tie for 1st place. That's right. A FIVE-WAY tie. Boston's Jack Sharkey, Argentina's Oscar Bonavena, Atlantic City's Bruce Seldon, England's Gary Mason and Fort Lauderdale's Tony Alongi are all tied for the lead at 2-1. It's Englishman Gary Mason's astonishing 2nd round TKO of the tournament's 18th seed Oscar Bonavena that has caused this craziness. Fighting in his homeland for the first time, Bonavena was pounded senseless by Mason in round two (after having dominated the opening stanza) until the referee had to save the local hero from further punishment, stopping the bout 2:36 into the round. If Bonavena had won, he'd be sitting on top of the group at 3-0, Mason would be 1-2 and there'd simply be a three-way tie for second place. Or would there? We'll never be able to tell how well Sharkey would have fought against Tony Alongi if Bonavena had defeated Mason. If Bonavena had been victorious, the entire audience would have stayed to give Sharkey one unpleasant time. As it was, over half of them had disappeared before Sharkey set foot in the ring, making the resistance offered futile at best. And so what we have is five men all with 2-1 records. Of course, when the HBF's tie-breaking procedures are taken into account, the order is actually Sharkey, Alongi, Seldon, Mason, Bonavena. But those tie-breaking procedures are irrelevant at the moment, because there's still four series of bouts to be completed. When Group Fifteen takes to the ring again in five weeks, we'll see Sharkey versus Mason and Bonavena up against Alongi, with Seldon taking on the man who TKO'd Sharkey on the group's opening night, Canada's Arthur Pelkey. Assuming that Seldon defeats Pelkey, the winners of the other two bouts will join him in what will become a three-way tie for the lead before moving onto the all-important fifth, sixth and seventh series. And it's there that the lower seeds, #66 Mason and #82 Alongi, might have an edge. They'll be trading blows with each other and the group's two lowest seeds while Sharkey, Bonavena and Seldon complete their personal round robin. Who will emerge on top? Personally, I haven't the slightest idea, but I know one thing... We're going to be treated to a great show while finding out. __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 02-10-2006 at 09:02 PM.

02-10-2006, 09:15 PM	#450 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	Okay, folks, gotta take a break for now. I just noticed that in the last 24 hours, I've covered three and a half days of the HBF and IBL. That must be some sort of record for me, considering the slow pace I usually go at. It's just after 1pm over here in Australia. Time to get some housework done. The next post will cover the Saturday night St. Louis fight card, featuring #2 seed in the WC tournament and hometown favourite Sonny Liston. I should be able to get that on here by this time tomorrow. See ya. Hope everyone's enjoying the HBF/IBL. Good night. __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-11-2006, 10:23 PM	#451 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	LIGHTNING STRIKES THRICE!!! DOKES STOPPED ON CUTS IN 1ST ROUND BEFORE LISTON DESTROYS LAVORANTE... ...IN 1ST ROUND! Saturday 13 April 2002 Tonight's unprecedented HBF fight card in St. Louis, Missouri brought an extraordinary week of federation boxing to an end. Akron, Ohio's Michael Dokes became the THIRD "2nd seed" in the federation's World Championship tournament to taste defeat during the week on a fight card where the Co-Feature and Main Event both ended in the opening round, something that had never happened in any of the previous 63 fight cards staged by the HBF. Dokes, so confident and cocky after his 3rd round KO of Nick Barone five weeks ago was ambushed by an opponent who had been on a trash-talking spree for the past week. That opponent, New Jersey's Harold Carter had not only said that he was sick of climbing into the ring and "getting robbed by incompetent judges", but that he felt a genuine dislike for Dokes. "I ain't had the best time in my first two bouts," said Carter earlier this week. "'Specially the last one, that was just disgraceful what they did to me. But this Dokes brother, I really don't like the way he goes on, you know? Actin' like he's such a big man when he knocks out a guy he's supposed to beat. You knocked the dude out, big deal! And then for him to compare himself to Sonny, that was the biggest joke I ever seen! I tell you all now, I'm gonna wipe that smile from his face come Saturday night. He won't know what hit him." Dokes had not responded to Carter's comments, with the exception of a simple "Well, I'll be ready for him" and a smile. Well tonight, it really looked like Dokes wasn't ready for Carter. In the moments before the opening bell, the New Jersey native literally looked ready to explode. He sneered disdainfully across the ring at Dokes and his cornermen and spat harsh words in the 31st seed's face throughout the referee's instructions. When the bell sounded, Carter showed his intentions immediately, unleashing a "ready or not, here I come!" straight right that caught an unprepared Dokes flush on the jaw. His knees buckled and the New Jersey brawler followed up with a left hook that didn't land cleanly, but kept his man off balance. Carter bullied Dokes back onto the ropes and went to work on his body, left and right rips crashing into Dokes' ribs and arms. Clearly overwhelmed by Carter's cyclonic start, Dokes tried to fire back from his position on the ropes, but Carter showed some impressive evasive skills, slipping every punch and responding with a clubbling straight right that snapped the Ohio native's head back. His aggression keeping Dokes trapped, Carter resumed his body assault, lefts and rights thrown with brutal intentions. All the while, the audience was going nuts, their support clearly for the underdog New Jersey fighter. Dokes threw a desparate uppercut that left him open for a counter, and an enraged Carter didn't miss the opportunity. He tagged Dokes with a right hand that opended a cut above his left eye. It was followed in quick order by a left hook and another straight right, crushing power shots that staggered Dokes for a second time. The 31st seed managed to tie his opponent up and actually move off the ropes. Dokes' eyes showed complete bemusement, and after Carter unloaded another flurry of punches (at least three of them scored cleanly), referee Isidro Rodriguez stepped in. At first, Carter thought he had stopped the fight and he shouted and pumped his chest. But his excitement was a fraction premature. Rodriguez led Dokes to the ringside doctor to check the vicious cut over his left eye. Moments later, the contest was over despite the protestations of a clearly dazed Dokes. Harold Carter had achieved one of the most sensational victories in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's short history. The official time of the stoppage was 2:42 of the 1st round, Carter the victor by TKO... * Almost as if he was sending a personal message to Dokes, Sonny Liston came out for the evening's main event and promptly disposed of Argentina's Alejandro Lavorante. The precision and ferocity of the big man's assault was breathtaking, made even more remarkable when you consider that he did not throw a single punch during the entire first minute. He simply stalked Lavorante, feining to unload his right hand a few times. But at the 1:05 mark, the destruction commenced. A crushing right cross staggered the Argentinian, bringing a howl of approval from the audience. Ten seconds later, it was another single right cross that collided with Lavorante's jaw, chased by a sledgehammer straight right. Lavorante tried to clinch, but Liston shoved him off and landed his first left hand of the fight, a jab that was followed by another straight right. Lavorante's feeble attempts at mounting a counter-attack would have been funny if his predicament wasn't so dire. Looking fitter and stronger than in either of his previous two bouts, Liston unloaded another punishing combination, determined to pulverise his overmatched opponent. The end came with just nine seconds remaining in the round, after Liston had backed the Argentinian into a corner and started teeing off relentlessly. With Lavorante on the verge of sliding lifelessly to the canvas, referee Benji Esteves jumped in and spared him from further annihilation. "The Missouri Monster", who had made his way into the arena just ten minutes earlier to thunderous applause from his hometown crowd, accepted another round of it as he nonchalantly stopped at each corner of the ring and bowed as the referee, ring doctor and Lavorante's cornermen attended to the battered Argentinian... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...** Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 08-31-2006 at 07:53 PM.

02-11-2006, 11:30 PM	#452 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	THE ST. LOUIS UNDERCARD *Opening Bout* Chuck Wepner's "near enough, but not quite good enough" start to his professional boxing career continued tonight when he held the 15th seed in the HBF's 1st Defense tournament, Marvin Hart, to a draw. Again, as in his first two bouts, it was Wepner's endurance that let him down. He sent a shockwave through the audience when a clubbing left hook to the body put the Kentucky-born Hart on the canvas just 23 seconds into the opening round. It was the first knockdown in Hart's career. As 26 year-old Wepner maintained control of the bout through the first two rounds, the stirrings of an upset were thick in the air. But it happened again. Wepner started to slow down and Hart was able to pounce. He swept the next three rounds on two of the judge's cards, beating the rapidly tiring New Jersey native to the punch time and again. Both fighters showed what a toll the contest had taken on them during an anti-climatic final round. When the scorecards were revealed, Wepner simply dropped his head. One judge felt Wepner had done enough, giving him the verdict 58-56. But the other two scored it 57-57. For the second fight in a row, Wepner had pushed one of the top three fighters in the group to the brink of defeat, only to finish empty-handed. Hart was full of compliments for his tough opponent, but it did little to console Wepner's deep disappointment. It won't get any easier for him when he faces the tournament's #2 seed James Jeffries in his next bout. Hart is now 2-0-1 , while Wepner is 0-1-2. *Preliminary 1* San Francisco's #2 seed in the 1st Defense tournament James Jeffries continued his march towards the second stage with a no-nonsense unanimous decision victory against Wim Snoek of the Netherlands. The ease with which Jeffries achieved his victory (59-55 on all three cards) was something to see, as he discouraged and pounded Snoek early with some damaging right hands before cruising through the rest of the contest. Just two days from his 22nd birthday, the 6'2", 220 pound Californian must be considered at least some chance to score a victory over the seeminlgy-invincible tournament favourite Rocky Marciano. There's been enough surprising results in these tournaments so far to suggest that it's a possibility. *Preliminary 2* The 63rd seed in the World Championship tournament, Oakland's Lou Nova maintained his perfect record with a crushing 2nd round TKO victory against the hapless Syracuse, New York native Nick Barone. After a dominant first round, Nova simply destroyed Barone in the second, dropping him three times in the space of seventy seconds to secure a TKO victory with 23 seconds remaining in the round. Barone, the tournament's 127th seed, has now been stopped in all three of his bouts, having tasted the canvas on ten occasions. There must be a case for removing him from the tournament, as it's clear that he just can't compete. But that won't happen, as all 192 men currently fighting in the federation's WC and 1D tournaments signed contracts stating that they would take part in at least seven bouts. *Support Bout* Having been the beneficiary of some poor judge's decisions in his first two bouts, Minnesota's Charley Retzlaff made sure no one could accuse him of being three times lucky when he defeated Chicago's Phil Scott in comprehensive fashion. Retzlaff won by unanimous decision, 59-55 on all three cards. Retzlaff put on quite a display, punishing Scott in all but the 3rd round, when he took his foot off the gas. The 47th seed would receive an added bonus in the evening's following bout. As a result of Michael Dokes' shocking TKO loss to Harold Carter, Retzlaff is now in 2nd place in Group Two of the World Championship tournament. __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 02-11-2006 at 11:36 PM.

02-11-2006, 11:44 PM	#453 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2002 KIEL AUDITORIUM, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA OPENING BOUT HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 2(15) Marvin Hart D6 5(39) Chuck Wepner PRELIMINARY 1 HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 1(2) James Jeffries UD6 6(47) Wim Snoek PRELIMINARY 2 HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 4(63) Lou Nova TKO2 8(127) Nick Barone SUPPORT BOUT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 3(47) Charley Retzlaff UD6 7(111) Phil Scott CO-FEATURE HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 5(79) Harold Carter TKO1 2(31) Michael Dokes MAIN EVENT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two 1(2) Sonny Liston TKO1 6(95) Alejandro Lavorante __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-12-2006, 12:06 AM	#454 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,392	Well, that's the end of the third series of bouts in the World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments. 48 fight cards down, 92 to go! Seriously, I'm happy about the progress I've made these last few days. I forgot to mention that I've been on leave from work for the last two weeks (back at it tomorrow), so I think I've achieved quite a bit with the story in that period. Feel like I'm slowly getting there. I'm going to update the group standings tomorrow when I get home from work, but after that I might not make any new posts for a few days. I have to figure out which fighters I'm going to use to start with in the International Boxing League, which might take a while as the World Championship tournaments for each weight division will be divided into regional groups. I'll need a total of 600 fighters, overall. See ya. __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

02-12-2006, 02:44 AM	#455 (permalink)