The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

SAYS VINCENNES:
MORE HBF AUDITIONS IN PIPELINE

Tuesday 30 April 2002

HBF President Michael Vincennes revealed during an interview with a Sydney newspaper that the federation is planning to hold more "auditions" during the coming months.

"It's a fact that a number of the men who have competed in our intitial tournaments will not choose to continue with their careers once these tournaments are over," Vincennes said. "We have to plan for this and the best way to do that is to continue to find new talent for our sport. We'll be holding more international auditions within the next few months."

Speaking on the morning after he witnessed Riddick Bowe's third round KO of Gerry Cooney, Vincennes told of how happy he was with the federation's Australian visit.

"The Asia Pacific region is a big part of the HBF's plans for the future," he said. "The support we have in this part of the world is huge, especially here in Japan and Australia. As I've said before, in time we will add an Asia Pacific, or "Oceania" Championship to our current titles. You guys have got Peter Jackson as the 6th seed in our World Championship tournament and I would not hesitate to say that he has a real chance of becoming our inaugural Champion."

Vincennes is set to fly back to the United States on Thursday and he gave the Australian public a great compliment in closing the interview.

"I wish I could do what Riddick Bowe and his family are doing and stay for a little holiday," he said. "It's a beautiful country and I'd love to visit here again in the future, but strictly as a tourist."

[kenyan_cheena]

TOLES KEPT AT BEY IN PORTLAND

Tuesday 30 April 2002

Detroit's Rosco Toles was surprisingly held to a draw tonight by Philadelphia's David Bey at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland.

The #1 seed in the HBF's Pacific Coast Boxing League, Toles had been impressive in his opening two tournament bouts and there was little reason to think he would have trouble against Bey. The 5th seed had been less than ordinary while managing only a draw and a loss in his previous bouts, both against lower seeded fighters.

But tonight, Bey was a man on a mission. He outslugged Toles in an entertaining opening round and although the top seed was able to have the upper hand through the next three rounds, Bey's attitude remained positive and his workrate never declined.

In the fifth round, Bey pounced, producing a moment that most fans of Rosco Toles would not have expected to see this early in his career. Bey sent him crashing to the canvas midway through the round with a sizzling, punishing combination. The final punch was an uppercut that turned Toles' legs to jelly. Bey followed up aggressively but Toles was able to make it to the bell, his face a mask of consternation as he returned to his corner.

The two men traded willingly throughout the final round, Toles' pride wounded and Bey realising how close he was to a huge victory.

When the verdict was announced, it left both men sour. Each judge had scored the contest identically: a 57-57 draw.

Bey shook his head, disappointment etched on his face. His best effort had come up just short and had done little to increase his chances of success in the tournament. Toles simply looked dumbfounded: he had shown confidence in the days before the event and on his way to the ring. He could not seem to fathom that his perfect record had vanished.

But while the result satisfied neither competitor, the audience seemed happy enough with it. They knew that both men had their moments during the bout and they showed their appreciation in the form of a sustained ovation.

Toles is the third #1 seed in the feeder leagues during the last three weeks to either lose or be held to a draw. Whether this trend continues or not, we'll just have to wait and see. But if it does, it will surely make things interesting...

[kenyan_cheena]

THE PORTLAND UNDERCARD

* Texas native Terry Daniels defeated San Diego's Charley Powell by unanimous decision (58-56, 60-54, 58-56) in a lively contest to open the night.

It was a crowd-pleasing bout, with the two combatants trading some heavy shots throughout the contest, especially in an exciting fourth round.

The 8th seed in the league, Daniels is now 2-1 while Poweel fell to 0-3.

* 7th seed Jim Flynn of Colorado maintained his perfect record with a tough majority decision win over Salt Lake City's Tony Doyle.

Doyle started well and ended well, but in between Flynn was in control of the contest and took the decision 58-56, 57-57, 58-56.

* Reno's Howard King rebounded from a comprehensive loss to top seed Rosco Toles in his last bout to upset the league's previously undefeated 4th seed Graham Jefferson by split decision (59-57, 57-58, 58-57).

This was probably the bout of the night, with both men leaving everything in the ring after six rounds. It wasn't a case of Jefferson having a bad night, but more one of him running into a man who elevated his efforts above what he had previously shown.

King is now 1-1-1 while Jefferson fell to 2-1.

* Dominated by Leotis Martin five weeks ago, New York's Greg Williams scored a big upset over 3rd seed Freddie Beshore. The bout was over just two minutes into the opening round when a single crushing left hook put Beshore to sleep, leading to scenes of wild jubilation in Williams' corner.

The New Yorker is now 2-1(1) while Beshore is still looking for his first career victory at 0-2-1.

* 2nd seed Leotis Martin continued his march towards the tournament semi-finals with a unanimous decision victory over the winless Californian Jim Barry.

The opening round was explosive, with Barry displaying a surprising willingness to stand and trade with Martin. But from there onwards the Philadelphia native was in command, dominating the next three rounds in style.

In the fifth, Barry showed the same aggression he'd employed in round one and held his own before Martin sent him to the canvas for the only time in the bout a minute from the final bell.

Each judge scored the contest 59-55 in Martin's favour.


SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
TUESDAY 30 APRIL 2002
ROSE GARDEN ARENA, PORTLAND, OREGON, USA

THE U.S. PACIFIC COAST BOXING LEAGUE


OPENING BOUT

(8) Terry Daniels UD6 (12) Charley Powell

PRELIMINARY 1

(7) Jim Flynn MD6 (11) Tony Doyle

PRELIMINARY 2

(9) Howard King SD6 (4) Graham Jefferson

SUPPORT BOUT

(10) Greg Williams KO1 (3) Freddie Beshore

CO-FEATURE

(2) Leotis Martin UD6 (6) Jim Barry

MAIN EVENT

(1) Rosco Toles D6 (5) David Bey

[kenyan_cheena]

Coming up in the HBF...

* High drama in Jacksonville

* "I apologised to him"

...

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Coming up in the HBF...

* High drama in Jacksonville

* "I apologised to him"

...

Damn you, now I'm all interested in seeing what the drama and the apology are.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn you, now I'm all interested in seeing what the drama and the apology are.

[kenyan_cheena]

A NIGHT OF HIGH DRAMA IN JACKSONVILLE

Wednesday 1 May 2002

The feud between hometown hero Ray Mercer and the Elmer Ray-led Florida Alliance had the potential to turn super-explosive at tonight's Heavyweight Boxing Federation fight card in Jacksonville. Of course, if the HBF had not taken steps in the lead up to ensure that the two camps would not clash, that might have been the case.

However, it turned out that the excitement and theatre of events in the ring far exceeded any possible brawl that could have taken place outside of it, as you'll see...

Opening Bout

The 1st Defense tournament's #12 seed Carl Morris started things off with a bang, knocking out Bill Tate thirty seconds into round three with a single right cross.

The Pasadena native was in control through two rounds and it seemed to be a simple case of putting Tate out of his misery when he connected with the jolting right hand.

Morris improved to 3-1(1) and kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the tournament's second stage. Tate is now 0-3-1.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Preliminary 1

When the Florida Alliance made their way to the ring, they were met by an audience that was split probably 30/70 between love and hate. A considerable number of Tampa and St. John's County residents had managed to purchase tickets for the event and they made their presence and their support known as Elmer Ray led the swollen entourage down the aisle. The entire group was decked out in outfits that were coloured in different combinations of their chosen black, red and white.

Tommy Gomez prowled the ring anxiously in the moments before the opening bell, exchanging high fives, fist bumps and encouraging words with his fellow alliance members. Despite being seeded at #101 in the World Championship tournament, his opponent was a man to be taken seriously. Philadelphia's Al Ettore was 1-1-1 and had scored a convincing unanimous decision win in his last bout against the tournament's 37th seed, Miami's Al Jones.

In the opening round, Ettore left Gomez in no doubt: he was going to give him the fight of his life. It was a furious, action-packed start with both men landing some big shots and Gomez getting cut under his left eye in the closing seconds of the round. He returned to his corner knowing that he was in a serious contest. The tempo didn't slow down in round two, although both men were less accurate with their punches. But it was still an entertaining three minutes, a difficult round to score as Gomez had the better of the top half while Ettore came back strongly in the final minute.

The Florida Alliance is currently a combined 13-0 and if anyone needed to be told that this could be the bout when that perfect record was shattered, they only had to look at round three. Ettore is not a particularly strong heavyweight but he came out of his corner, continued with his frenzied pace and hurt Gomez early, staggering him with a nicely-timed left hook. For most of the round, the Tampa native was on the back foot as he struggled to clear his head.

Round four should have proven to be the turning point that would secure a victory for Gomez. With Ettore in control, the 53rd seed turned the tables with a stinging rib shot that had Ettore grimacing and on his knees a minute from the bell. He made it to his feet by seven and Gomez tried to push home his advantage, tagging Ettore with a pair of flush left hooks during the waning seconds of the round.

It should have been the turning point, but it wasn't. With an even round five drawing to a close Ettore launched a sizzling asssault, catching Gomez with a straight right that landed flush on the chin and buckled his knees. Ettore tracked his man down and caught him with at least four more clean blows before the bell stepped in and saved Gomez from a possible knockdown.

The undefeated Florida fighter looked more spent and concerned than in any of his previous bouts and during the final round he went looking for the knockout but just couldn't find it. Ettore actually finished the fight stronger and paraded around the ring fist in the air after the final bell sounded.

Then came the confirmation that the Florida Alliance were now 13-1: Ettore had won by split decision, 58-56, 56-57, 57-56. The Philadelphian went ballistic in his corner, hollering, pounding his chest and pumping his fist like he'd just won the World Championship. But he was not a poor winner, walking over and congratulating Gomez on a great performance. In turn, the audience seemed to have softened in regards to the Tampa brawler, offering warm applause when Ettore raised Gomez's hand.

"This is just a huge win for me," Ettore said. "I was disappointed when the federation seeded me so low, but I did nothing in my first two fights to back up my belief. But I'm so happy with my efforts in these last two bouts. I really feel like I have a realistic shot at reaching the second stage of this tournament. I really believe it's a possibility."

Gomez was a forlorn figure in the other corner. All the proud, kind words of his fellow Alliance members weren't going to do anything to take away the absolute disappointment he was feeling at that moment.

He left the ring without speaking to ESPN's Bill Farris, although Elmer Ray didn't hesitate to have a chat.

"Tommy jus' real disappointed right now, man," Ray said. "Don't think y'all know how 'portant it was to him, that perfect record we got. It's broke 'cause he lose the fight and that's jus' killin' the guy, see? But he fight his heart out, man. Ain't no shame in that. I be kiddin' myself if I think we go through our careers perfect, y'all. Ain't gonna happen. We proud o' Tommy G., man. He bounce back, don't worry 'bout that."

This bout has presented the HBF with yet another candidate for Fight of the Year. The two men fought their hearts out at an astonishing pace and just simply beat the hell out of each other.

Punch totals

Gomez 151/326 (46%)
Ettore 219/364 (60%) (8th on the list of Most Punches Landed in a Fight)

A look at those totals show that Ettore had great success landing his shots. Not just the volume, but the accuracy also. He landed 100 more shots than Gomez's first three opponents had averaged against him (116.3).

Gomez is now 3-1(1) while Ettore improves to 2-1-1. Like he said, he does, amazingly, have a realistic chance of qualifying for the second stage of the tournament. He's now fought all of the top four seeds in the group and should surely be able to get another win or two against the bottom half...

Preliminary 2

Miami's Al Jones came into the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena intent on getting his career back on track after a pair of disappointing, poor losses against lower seeded fighters. He'd said that it was his hands that had let him down, that in both of those fights he had injured them early and had struggled until the final bell. But recently, he'd also admitted that he'd gone into those contests with the wrong mindset, an arrogant attitiude where he was almost thinking that all he had to do was show up to win.

Well, tonight his hands were just fantastic. The World Championship tournament's 37th seed put on a brilliant display, dominating England's Brian London. Jones scored the first knockdown of his career when he dropped London midway through the fifth round with a chopping right hand and then went on to take a unanimous decision (60-54, 60-55, 60-54). When it was all over, he had landed 236 of 526 punches, a performance that has moved him to 3rd on the prestigeous list of Most Punches Landed in a Fight.

"Just go to show what hard work and humility can do, y'all," Jones said after the verdict. "I approach this fight like it was the last of my life, man. Trained for it better than I ever train before. People sayin' I should win easy, but y'all said that before my last two fights. Difference was, I ain't believe it this time. I gave Brian all the respec' in the world, y'all, and because o' that, I never let up. I never slack off or allow myself to think I had it in the bag. Still think I can go further in this tourney but it gonna take a big effort, starting in five weeks 'gainst Chuvalo."

Indeed, Chuvalo is Jones's next opponent and if he can produce the same effort that he did tonight, the Canadian could have quite a fight on his hands...

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Damn, big upset there. It would have been cool if the Alliance had stayed undefeated going it the Mercer fight but you have to love that the 101st seed now has a shot at making the second round. What needs to happen for Ettore to make it. One another question who's first on the most punches landed list, I betting it's probably Tunney.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, big upset there. It would have been cool if the Alliance had stayed undefeated going it the Mercer fight but you have to love that the 101st seed now has a shot at making the second round. What needs to happen for Ettore to make it. One another question who's first on the most punches landed list, I betting it's probably Tunney.

Yep, big upset. I also wanted them to stay undefeated, but I guess these upsets add more interest to the tournament. As for Ettore, I'll give you a rundown on the entire situation in Group Twelve when I've finished writing up the card.

Johansson actually tops the list with his effort in beating Bran Baggett senseless back on 23 April. He landed 254 punches. However, when I ran that card I didn't save the punch totals after each fight so I didn't know about it until later and so when I wrote about it in the thread, I didn't mention the achievement.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Support Bout

Having witnessed Tommy Gomez fall to his first defeat just an hour earlier, local hero Ray Mercer showed confident strides as he walked down the aisle in gold and black for his bout with California's Reuben Vargas.

Mercer knew that a win would elevate him into the top two in Group Twelve for the first time and he fought the opening round as if he wanted it to be an early night. He tagged Vargas with a trio of impressive combinations, beating him to the punch with aggression and speed.

Strangely, the 29 year-old was much more watchful in round two. He was hesitant to let his hands go and Vargas was able to get in a couple of scoring shots.

In round three, Vargas let Mercer know that the fight wasn't going to be a walk in the park for him. Backed into a neutral corner, the 21st seed in the World Championship tournament was rocked by a sweetly-timed uppercut a minute in. But Mercer fired off a suitable retort thirty seconds later, an uppercut of his own that had the winless Californian on the back foot momentarily. Soon after the crowd was on their feet as the two warriors traded hard shots in the centre of the ring, a bruising test to see who would back off ... and it was Mercer that did the backpedalling! But just when it seemed like Vargas had him on the run, the hometown favourite stepped in and crunched a big left hook off the top of his head, putting an exclamation point on a fantastic round. The two men traded aggressive words for a few moments after the bell sounded and Mercer returned to his corner nodding his head to the crowd, who lapped it up.

If that wasn't good enough, they were given more of the same in the fourth. But while the third was pretty much a dead heat, Mercer was able to mount a more effective offense in round four. He was landing some nice combinations but to his credit, Vargas wasn't backing off.

He wasn't backing off and in the fifth round he was doing the opposite. He moved forward and took the upper hand, clearly winning the round with precise, economical punching, punctuated by another crushing uppercut thirty seconds from the bell. Mercer returned to his corner wondering what he had to do to finish his man off. The audience's earlier optimism had become somewhat tempered. Some really felt that Vargas was close to pulling off an upset victory.

Realising the gravity of his situation, Mercer was clutch in the final round. He came out and dominated it, digging deep to produce an impressive three minutes, firing off varied combinations and damaging power blows. A killer right hook fifteen seconds from the final bell turned Vargas's legs to jelly and his knee brushed the canvas. He stayed standing and made it to the bell, but it was clear that another thirty seconds might have seen him knocked out.

When the verdict was announced, Mercer simply nodded knowingly and pumped his right fist. He had been awarded a majority decision victory, 58-56, 57-57, 59-55. The crowd knew what the win meant for their man and greeted it with appropriate enthusiasm, a sustained round of applause that extended to Vargas's determined showing.

"He just gave me one hell of a fight, and a fright, too," said Mercer. "Just what I needed to prepare for what's to come. Ain't gonna get any easier from here, just harder and harder."

"Some people at ringside actually thought that you were in trouble of losing the fight going into that final round," said ESPN's Bill Farris. "Looking at the scorecards, we can say that this would have been a draw if Reuben had won that final round. That just shows what a great contest he gave you."

Mercer nodded. "Definitely, man. I give him a lot of credit for showing up and fighting his backside off, really. The guy is winless and he could have just folded when it got tough there. But he just kept on pushin' me. He fought a great fight."

"Now, as I'm sure you're aware of, this win has moved you into the top two in the group standings after Tommy Gomez's defeat earlier tonight," said Farris. "That must be a big relief."

Mercer laughed. "Well, Bill, we don't wanna get too far ahead of ourselves. Still got some really tough fights coming up. But, yeah. What's good about it is that I'll be defending that position rather than challenging for it when I fight Gomez in five weeks. I'm ahead of him now, so a win will just stretch that lead."

"Well, Ray, congratulations on a hard fought victory," said Farris. "And good luck for that bout with Tommy Gomez in five weeks."

"Thanks, Bill," replied Mercer. "I just want to thank all my people who came out to support me tonight. I'm happy I was able to get the win for you and we'll be doing our best to keep on winning."

Mercer raised his hand to acknowledge the audience, who responded with thunderous applause. He left the ring and made his way back to the dressing room with their appreciation and love reverberating through the arena...

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Co-Feature

Cuba's Nino Valdes continued his seemingly unstoppable march towards the second stage of the 1st Defense tournament with a dominant unanimous decision victory against Chicago's Toxie Hall. A resident of South Florida, Valdes received a strong ovation from the audience as he made his walk to the ring, waving and smiling in a relaxed manner.

The 17 year-old 5th seed punished his outclassed opponent throughout and it was only Valdes's concern that allowed Hall to survive to the final bell. He was sent to the canvas from a single right cross in the opening round and was out on his feet when the bell sounded. But after consulting Hall's corner, referee William Conners allowed him to continue.

Hall was more competitive in an exciting second round, trading punches thrown with knockout intentions with his talented Cuban adversary. The action slowed in the third but Valdes was back to his damaging best in round four, dropping Hall for a second time during the first minute. But his follow up was ineffectual, despite Hall's complete lack of fight back.

Valdes took the final two rounds handily but asked the referee to call the contest off on three separate occasions. He refused to throw any more power punches, electing to stick his jab in the spent Chicago native's face.

The final scorecards were 60-52, 60-53, 60-52. Valdes was more worried about his opponent than his victory afterwards. He spoke to Hall for a number of minutes and berated both the referee and a pair of HBF officials. Assisted at times by an interpreter, he voiced his unhappiness.

"I don't want to hurt anyone when I'm in the ring," he said. "It should have been clear to this referee after the first round that Toxie could not beat me. I don't see the reason to keep a fight going when it's clear that one of the fighters is overmatched. He could have been hurt."

With his record now a comfortable 4-0(1), Valdes remains in 1st place in Group Five of the 1st Defense tournament. His quartet of impressive performances will mean nothing though if he fails to show the same skill in the coming trio of contests against the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seeds in the group.

However, most boxing experts believe that there's no reason why Valdes can't remain undefeated deep into the second stage of the 1st Defense tournament. Based on tonight's performance, who would argue with them?

(Gotta go now. I'll post the Main Event featuring Canada's George Chuvalo in about fifteen hours.)

[Romdawg88]

Jeez, Mercer cut kind of close there damn near blew it. Hopefully the Mercer/Gomez fight will live up to all the hype. Man, I just realized that Nino Valdes is Cuban, well it seems now I have another fighter to root for.

[kenyan_cheena]

Jacksonville's Main Event

By the time 19 year-old Canadian tough guy George Chuvalo had entered the ring for his bout with New York's Tommy Jackson, the crowd at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Centre had already been treated to a fantastic night of boxing. The emotion and excitement that had been thick in the air during the bouts of Tommy Gomez and Ray Mercer in particular had left them exhausted, as if they had been on a roller coaster three times in a row. Little did they know that the main event would provide them with an even more thrilling ride...

***

George Chuvalo had tipped the scales at 225 yesterday, fifteen pounds heavier than in his previous contest. When questioned about the extra weight, he had said that some personal matters had disrupted his training during the past few weeks.

"I don't think it should be a problem, though," Chuvalo continued. "I'm totally focused on the task at hand and I'm confident that I'll leave Jacksonville with a victory."

(Ringside observations courtesy of the New York Sun's Peter Roman)

ROUND ONE

Jackson comes out aggressively, catching Chuvalo with a pair of nice jabs early. But Chuvalo answers back with a hard straight right, backing Jackson off.

The New Yorker looks to be in terrific shape. He's light on his feet, making the most of a three inch height advantage by staying outside and tagging Chuvalo with that left jab.

Chuvalo is a bit nonplussed, it seems. He's got that right hand cocked but he can't get close enough to use it. Jackson comes in and works the Canadian's body. He stays in close, tying up Chuvalo and when they separate the 12th seed lands a big left hook!

Jackson shakes his head, clearly disappointed with himself. It's clear that the 21 year-old has a gameplan and being tagged like that obviously isn't part of it.

Frustrated, Jackson fires away with a left and a right, but Chuvalo evades them both and then rocks the NYC native with a pair of left hooks! Jackson is staggered! He reaches for the ropes as his legs seem to have turned to jelly. Chuvalo tries to finish him off but his shots are wild, haphazard.

The bell sounds and the crowd gives the two warriors an appreciative round of applause.

*

Well, I must say, Jackson looked more impressive than I figured he would in that opening round. He's shed some pounds since his last bout (in complete contrast to Chuvalo) and looks all the better for it.

Even though George landed some heavy leather at the end of the round, I'd have to give it to Jackson based on his early work.

Roman's scorecard: Jackson 10-9

ROUND TWO

The crowd comes to their feet early as our combatants trade some heavy shots at centre ring. Oh, Jackson lands a nice left hook there, jolting Chuvalo's head back! But the Canadian has a stern retort for him, a right hand that lands flush on the chin!

Jackson just shakes his head and doubles up on the jab before slicing a straight right of his own through Chuvalo's defenses and it's clear that the New Yorker has gotten the better of the exchange!

They back off, allowing their composure to return. Now Chuvalo has Jackson in a neutral corner and he connects with a straight right from in close. They're bumping shoulders and slapping each other with ineffectual shots. Now referee Brian Garry separates them.

Not much happening through the middle of the round as each man seems to be waiting for the other to make a move. Jackson lands a nice jab but Chuvalo ties him up, leading to Garry having to pull them apart again.

Oh! Chuvalo just landed a crushing right cross and Jackson is staggered! He stumbles backwards into the ropes and Chuvalo follows. But Jackson fires back, desperate to keep Chuvalo at bay and it works.

They're back in the middle of the ring and Jackson seems to have recovered. He snakes a jab through Chuvalo's defenses and as the bell rings, Chuvalo looks angry. He trudges back to his corner, shaking his head.

*

Another close round there. But I have to say that Chuvalo was the busier man and he almost finished Jackson off at the end there. I'll give that round to George.

Roman's scorecard: Chuvalo 10-9
(19-19 after Round Two)

ROUND THREE

Once again, Chuvalo is looking tentative and uncertain, as he did for a time in round one. Very little happens through the first half of the round but it's Jackson who is working harder.

The 69th seed looks to be in better shape at the moment. He still has that spring in his step while Chuvalo seems to be labouring a bit.

Jackson lands a series of jabs during the last thirty seconds of the round and Chuvalo doesn't come back with much at all.

*

Only three rounds are in the books but I can see the makings of an upset here.

I remember seeing Chuvalo on debut against Brian London. He was unimpressive there but this guy Jackson is a more talented fighter than London.

That was definitely Jackson's round and Chuvalo's claim that the extra weight won't affect him is looking more dubious with each passing round...

Roman's scorecard: Jackson 10-9
(Jackson 29-28 after three rounds)

ROUND FOUR

Chuvalo has received a blast from his trainer during the break and it seems to have worked. He's come out more aggressively for this round, scoring with a right to the head and a crunching rib shot in the first thirty seconds.

But now Jackson retaliates impressively, firing away at Chuvalo's somewhat bloated midsection and hurting the Canadian. Jackson doubles up on the left hook from in close, working the head and the body but neither shot had much on it.

The crowd shows their enthusiasm as Chuvalo and Jackson go toe-to-toe again ... and once again it's the New Yorker who gets the better of the exchange! He tags Chuvalo with a stiff jab and a right hook and George backs off. What a fiery opening minute of the round!

Chuvalo looks like he just wants to cruise through the rest of the round but Jackson keeps on working. That jab of his has brought some swelling under Chuvalo's right eye.

But Chuvalo shows some life during the final minute of the round, landing a stiff right hand and then a right hook in the closing seconds, the pain evident on Jackson's face!

The bell rings but they keep on throwing and Garry bravely steps in between the swinging arms and pulls them apart.

The crowd are on their feet with wild applause but Chuvalo looks worried as he takes a seat in his corner.

*

That was the round of the fight, indeed. Both men had their moments and I'm tempted to score it even, mainly because of Chuvalo's late rally. But he sleepwalked through the middle third of it, so I really have to give it to Jackson.

Roman's scorecard: Jackson 10-9
(Jackson 39-37 after Round Four)

ROUND FIVE

Jackson's got that look of confidence in his eyes as he comes out for the fifth round and during the opening minute, he looks like a winner. Chuvalo just isn't throwing enough shots and Jackson is catching him almost at will with the left jab.

He sneaks in a little uppercut as the two men are tangled up along the ropes but then Chuvalo unloads on him! A big three punch combination stuns Jackson!

The New Yorker backs away, shaking his head but it doens't take long before he's recovered and it seems like Chuvalo's brief rally is all he has to give. He plods around the ring, pursuing Jackson on tired legs, his whole disposition that of a man who doesn't think he can win.

Putting his seal on the round, Jackson catches the 12th seed with a trio of left jabs during the last few seconds. He says a few words to the Canadian before returning to his corner, nodding his head to the crowd and pounding his chest.

*

Oh, my. It really looks like we're witnessing the first professional loss of George Chuvalo. He looked like a beaten man in that round and, according to my scorecard, the only way he's going to get out of this jam is with a knockout.

Roman's scorecard: Jackson 10-9
(Jackson 49-46 after Round Five)

ROUND SIX

The two fighters touch gloves and the crowd comes to their feet with applause as the final round starts.

Chuvalo must know that he needs a knockout to win but his body just can't do what his brain is asking of it.

The first two minutes are more-or-less non-eventful but as the seconds tick down the two fighters start to load up: Jackson digs a vicious left hook to Chuvalo's ribs but then the Canadian responds with a right-handed blast that sends Jackson into the ropes!

Is this the start of a miracle for Chuvalo? He's got Jackson trapped in a neutral corner and he's flailing away, trying to land that one big shot that will end the contest. But Jackson has again regained his senses and he lands a pair of nice counter shots, one of them catching Chuvalo right on the nose and snapping his head back.

The seconds are evaporating down to zero and as the bell rings the two warriors are locked in a clinch, leaning back on the ropes, exhausted.

Jackson lifts both arms into the air, shaking his head and shouting "Yeah! Yeah!", jubilation on his face even before the verdict has been revealed. Chuvalo shakes his hand before walking wearily to his corner and sitting down on his stool. He breathes heavily as the ring is infiltrated by reporters, officials and the two corner crews...

*

As I said, Chuvalo needed a knockout to win the contest and he didn't produce it. He has my admiration for the effort he put in tonight, but it's clear that his added weight slowed him down and wore him out.

I'd score that final round even, as neither man really did much early on and they gave as good as they got in the later stages. But in my opinion, that won't be enough for Chuvalo.

Roman's scorecard: 10-10
(Jackson 59-56 after the sixth and final round)

***

...








"Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have tallied their scorecards, and here is their decision. Judge Yuh Won-Doo of Korea has scored the bout, 59-57. Judge Carol Polis of the USA has scored the bout a draw, 57-57. Judge Hugh Echols of the USA has scored the contest 58-57, to the winner by majority decision, TOMMY JACKSON!!!"

[kenyan_cheena]

Despite being confident that he would be awarded the verdict, Jackson fell to his knees when his name was called. He raised his hands to the heavens, tears in his eyes, appearing to whisper "Thank you". Chuvalo kneeled down in front of him, shook his hand and embraced him for a few seconds before walking back to his corner. The crowd greeted the decision enthusiastically, applauding both men for a great performance.

Once on his feet, Jackson was interviewed by ESPN's Bill Farris.

"Tommy, congratulations on a great victory," said Farris. "It's obvious from your reaction how elated you are."

"This is the greatest moment, the greatest achievement, of my life," Jackson replied. "Nothin' I've done before now comes even close to this, man."

"This is only the third occasion where a 1st seed in the World Championship tournament has been defeated, Tommy. The last time this happened was exactly three months ago, back on the 1st of February when Arthur Pelkey stopped Jack Sharkey. You've broken a 38 fight winning streak that the 1st seeds were on. That's an incredible accomplishment."

Jackson laughed. "Well, when you put it like that it's does sound incredible," he said. "I just came in here tonight with a really positive attitude. My training for this fight was first class, you know? Dropped about ten pounds I think and I could feel the difference when I was in the ring. I'll admit that George's condition didn't do him no favours, but I couldn't control that."

"Tommy, not only has your win broken that streak that the 1st seeds were on, but it's made the situation in your group as fascinating as in any other group in the tournament. I think a look at the standings will reveal that there's six guys, including you, who have a realistic chance to qualify for the second stage."

"Well, I think that I would need some of the results to go my way," replied Jackson. "But like you said, I still got a chance so I just have to concentrate on winning each fight."

"Your next opponent is actually the other guy who sprung an upset tonight, Al Ettore."

"Yeah, Al's been just great in his last two bouts so that's gonna be another tough fight for me, no doubt. I gotta treat that just like this one, for sure."

"Well, Tommy, congratulations again on a fantastic win. Youve just brought a great ending to an incredible night."

"Thank you so much," replied Jackson.

Soon after, he had left the ring, receiving an overwhelming round of applause from the audience.

***

George Chuvalo had remained in the ring and he also spoke to Farris.

"Well, George. Commiserations on your defeat," said Farris. "Tommy Jackson really fought one hell of a fight tonight."

Chuvalo nodded. "He sure did. He sure did. I was actually surprised that the cards were as close as they were, because I thought he won it pretty handily. He just kicked my butt, plain and simple."

"You put on a considerable amount of weight since your last bout. Do you think that had any bearing on the outcome?"

Chuvalo shook his head no. "Even if I was twenty pounds lighter, I would have lost this fight, Bill. I was just beaten by a hungrier, more determined opponent. It could happen to any of us, really. It just shows the competitiveness of this great tournament."

"We had a great night of fights," said Farris. "But this main event would have to be close to being the best fight on the card, I have to say. I've just been handed the punch totals and you landed 138 punches while Jackson landed 185. That's a lot of punches."

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