The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

NIGERIAN DUO VICTORIOUS
IN HOMELAND DEBUT

Thursday 9 May 2002

The Nigerian pair of Ike Ibeabuchi and Omovo Okocha have remained undefeated with dominant victories in front of almost 40,000 of their fellow countrymen at Surelere Stadium in Lagos. Olympic Bronze medallist Dick Tiger was watching enthusiastically from ringside. One of the participants in the upcoming International Boxing League's Middleweight tournament, the 23 year-old liked what he saw.

"This is so fantastic for boxing in Nigeria," said Tiger, after the event's completion. "I know that Ibeabuchi is the number one seed in the league, but I have to say, Okocha just impressed the hell out of me."

The majority of the audience were in agreement with Tiger. Fighting in the Co-Feature, Okocha looked fantastic in disposing of his smaller Congo-born opponent Anaclet Wamba, sending the previously unbeaten 2nd seed to the canvas three times en route to a crushing 4th round TKO victory.

In direct contrast to Okocha's humble nature, Ibeabuchi has shown an arrogance and cockiness that has rubbed many of his fellow Nigerians the wrong way, especially in the aftermath of the ordinary performances he had given in his opening two bouts. Tonight, Ibeabuchi was never troubled against another Congo fighter, the winless #5 seed Marien Nguesso. Ibeabuchi won a comfortable unanimous decision (60-53, 58-55, 60-53), flooring Nguesso in the 4th round. But, also in direct contrast to Okocha, Ibeabuchi never extended himself, never tried to show even half of what he's capable of. As a result, he received an ovation that was merely a shadow of the one afforded the 6th-seeded Okocha in the previous bout.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Coming into the evening, many experts predicted that Okocha would be too big and strong for Wamba, but even they would have been surprised by the impressive nature of the Nigerian's victory. He quickly established control over the contest, winning the opening two rounds comfortably before dropping Wamba 1:37 into round three with a crushing left-right-left combination. Up at three, Wamba found himself back on his backside moments before the bell courtesy of a single flush right cross.

Wearing trunks of white with green trim (the colours of his national flag), Okocha returned to his corner to thunderous applause and finished the job brilliantly in the fourth. A stiff right hand floored Wamba for a third time midway through the round. The #2 seed rose at six with a resigned tone to his countenance and before long was in trouble again. Okocha unleashed a barrage of power shots, backing Wamba up, staggering him and cutting him under the left eye. With seconds left in the round, a crushing right uppercut scrambled the Congo native's circuits and he literally fell forwards into referee Louis Malik's arms. Supporting Wamba, Malik motioned that the contest was over at the 2:57 mark of round four.

Being a modest, somewhat introverted individual, Okocha didn't celebrate as heartily as many others would have. He acknowledged the audience's sustained ovation, but didn't go the chest-thumping route that some in the HBF are so fond of.

With his next bout against the winless 11th seed Charles Mbarga, there's no reason to doubt that Okocha will secure a place in the tournament's semi-finals, but of even more significance is the fact that Okocha now appears to be the class of the African Boxing League. Without a doubt, he's shown much more to get excited about than the league's top seed and his fellow Nigerian Ike Ibeabuchi. Perhaps only the American fighter James Eldren has impressed as much during the first three series of tournament bouts. Eldren and Okocha will clash in the tournament's fifth series, with the loser likely to face Ibeabuchi in the semi-finals...

***

Speaking of Eldren, the New Orleans native also improved to 3-0 with a 6th round TKO of South African Jomo Motloung in the evening's fourth contest. It was a bout that should have really been stopped earlier, with Eldren showing from the opening round that he was at least a class above Motloung. With his good friend and Atlantic Coast Boxing League #1 seed Harry Wills in his corner, Eldren was never troubled and after three rounds of punishment, he sent Motloung to the canvas late in round four with a single shot to the ribs.

The American slowed the tempo in the fifth but came out for the final round intent on scoring a knockout. Motloung tasted the canvas seventeen seconds in from a right cross and barely beat the count. He was down again a minute later from a flush left hook. With the South African unable to defend himself from Eldren's assault, referee David Harris stopped the bout 2:26 into the final round.

In the minutes after, Eldren exchanged some heated words with both Harris and some ringside HBF officials, angered that the fight had not been stopped earlier.

"This ain't the first time it's happened," Eldren said, exasperated. "I mean, what do they want? Are they going to wait until one of these poor saps gets killed before telling their referees how to officiate? This thing was as good as over after the third round. It was clear that Jomo couldn't hurt me and he couldn't handle my speed. What did the ref think, that the guy was going to somehow get lucky and knock me out with one punch? They have to stop letting these types of mismatches from occuring, because I was punishing this guy long after it was clear that he couldn't win."

Eldren's words will surely reach the office of HBF President Michael Vincennes and, even more importantly, they have added credence to the opinion that International Boxing League Chief Director James Molk expressed in early April, where he said that some of the federation's competitors "are simply not up to it."

(Still to come ... the rest of the Surelere Stadium Undercard)

[kenyan_cheena]

The Surelere Stadium Undercard

Opening Bout

Having scored impressive victories as a supposed underdog in his opening two bouts, South Africa's 8th seed Zolilie Letlake came into tonight's bout against #12 seed Roy Harris of Texas in the unfamiliar position of favourite.

The added pressure seemed to have a negative effect on Letlake, as he struggled for consistency throughout the bout. He was on song in rounds one and four but otherwise seemed to disappear for extended periods.

That hot and cold performance cost him a third victory, with the bout being declared a draw (57-57, 58-56 (Harris), 57-57).

However, the result has not cost him in regards to the group standings. Letlake will retain his hold on 2nd place in Group A and will be hoping to further consolidate it when he goes up against the tough 9th seed Stanley Drexxon in five weeks.

Preliminary 1

In a spirited contest between 0-2 fighters, West Virginia's Delbert Craw defeated Ghana's Charles Mbarga by unanimous decision, 59-55 on all three cards.

Those scores flattered Craw somewhat, as Mbarga was competitive in every round save for the fifth, when he was floored by a flush uppercut a minute into the round.

Preliminary 2

Egypt's Grantham Abdul-Kafar saw his hopes of qualifying for the tournament semi-finals take a nose dive when he was given a good old fashioned butt kicking by New York's Stanley Drexxon.

Five weeks ago, Drexxon gave the league's top seed Ike Ibeabuchi a real test and tonight's effort served as further proof that he has a deal of talent. He turned the tables on Abdul-Kafar after the Egyptian had dominated the opening round. Drexxon swept the next four rounds on all three judges cards, decimating Abdul-Kafar with some pinpoint combinations and a tormenting jab that had the 4th seed's left eye showing serious swelling by the time the bout was over.

Abdul-Kafar stayed on his feet for the duration of the bout, but there were at least a half dozen instances when he looked ready to fall.

Drexxon took the verdict 58-56, 59-55, 58-56, improving to 2-1 and making his next bout against 8th seed Zolilie Letlake a fight for 2nd position and a likely semi-final spot.


SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 9 MAY 2002
SURELERE STADIUM, LAGOS, NIGERIA

THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE


OPENING BOUT

(8) Zolilie Letlake D6 (12) Roy Harris

PRELIMINARY 1

(7) Delbert Craw UD6 (11) Charles Mbarga

PRELIMINARY 2

(9) Stanley Drexxon UD6 (4) Grantham Abdul-Kafar

SUPPORT BOUT

(3) James Eldren TKO6 (10) Jomo Motloung

CO-FEATURE

(6) Omovo Okocha TKO4 (2) Anaclet Wamba

MAIN EVENT

(1) Ike Ibeabuchi UD6 (5) Marien Nguesso

[Romdawg88]

Great Great stuff as always KC.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Great Great stuff as always KC.

Thanks, Romy. Welcome back! How was your vacation?

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Thanks, Romy. Welcome back! How was your vacation?

It was ok, my grandpa passed away shortly after we got there but after that it was good we got to get the whole family and the all the cousins together so that was good times.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

It was ok, my grandpa passed away shortly after we got there but after that it was good we got to get the whole family and the all the cousins together so that was good times.

Sorry to hear that, man. But I guess you got to see him before he passed and at least you got to see all your family and cousins.

The HBF will be updated in a few days, after I've finished all the summaries from the first week of IBL selection trials.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Sorry to hear that, man. But I guess you got to see him before he passed and at least you got to see all your family and cousins.

The HBF will be updated in a few days, after I've finished all the summaries from the first week of IBL selection trials.

Yeah, We did get to see him before he died and I had a really great time with the family.

Sweet, I'm looking forward to what all happen to Jack Johnson in Cuba.

[kenyan_cheena]

HATCHET BURIED?
POSSIBLY, SAYS VINCENNES

Friday 10 May 2002

Speaking at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut in the hour before tonight's HBF fight card, federation president Michael Vincennes has revealed that the animosity between himself and New York Age journalist James Reynolds may have been resolved following a meeting between the two held yesterday.

As has been previously reported, the veteran journalist announced last week that he had ended his anti-Elmer Ray campaign and also said that he would be attempting to repair the damage that he had done to a number of long-term friendships during the past few months, including that with Vincennes.

"We had a long talk yesterday afternoon," said Vincennes. "And I have to admit that he seems very sincere in his desire to change his ways. I still haven't decided whether I can again regard him as a friend or not, though. However, I will say that I'm prepared to discuss professional matters with him, such as the HBF."

Vincennes also spoke on a number of other issues, including further amendments that had been decided upon in regards to the federation's ranking tier system once the initial tournaments have been completed.

"We've been considering the system that we put in place back in January where there would be no more than 180 world ranked fighters," said Vincennes. "And it's now likely that that number will be reduced to 120, which will be divided into ten tiers with twelve fighters in each. We believe that this will lessen the time it takes for our up and coming fighters to reach the top of the rankings and it will also simplify the process of scheduling our fight cards."

The HBF President followed this up with a surprising announcement regarding the regional feeder leagues.

"Once the current tournaments are over, we will be abolishing the feeder leagues altogether," he said. "They will be replaced by a single "HBF Qualifying League". To start off with, it will feature 96 fighters. They'll take part in a tournament that will determine their ranking within the league, with the best performing fighters in the tournament to be awarded with a shot at a world ranking. I'm aware that shutting down the feeder leagues might be an unpopular move in some locations, but the fight cards for the qualifying league will be held all over the world, so our sport will still be as international as it's been."

Vincennes then announced dates for upcoming HBF auditions.

"I discussed this a few weeks ago and I'll confirm it now," he said. "We'll be holding further auditions in the United States and Europe, commencing on Monday the 2nd of June. I can't tell you the exact dates and venues off the top of my head, but they will be available in the next day or two and will be wide ranging. These auditions will extend through until the end of the month and we are really hoping that some people who might have been hesitant to audition for us last year and earlier this year will be more willing to do so with the benefit of having seen four months' worth of HBF fight cards. We are certain that there is still a great amount of untapped Heavyweight boxing talent out there just waiting to be discovered."

The topic of the HBF's sponsorship deal with Everlast was also discussed.

"Well, as you would know, Rocky Marciano and Sam Langford filmed the first of our commercials when they were in Japan two weeks ago," Vincennes said. "That one should be on your TV screens within the next month but there's a quartet of other commercials slated for production in the coming weeks. Firstly, there will be one featuring Gene Tunney and Riddick Bowe, to be filmed at MSG. It will really play up on the New York aspect and will feature some shots of each fighter's neighbourhood. There's also going to be one featuring our two Southern California contenders, Sam McVey and Ken Norton, one saluting Pennsylvania with Larry Holmes and Jimmy Young and another is being cautiously planned which will feature Sonny Liston and Jack Johnson."

Vincennes was asked why the HBF's biggest draw card, Elmer Ray, had not been included in any of the planned commercials.

The HBF President laughed. "Who says he hasn't?" he replied, laughing.

A few minutes later, Vincennes was making his way to ringside. He joined his wife Maria there and they spoke casually, sharing a laugh and waiting for the commencement of the evening's first contest...

[kenyan_cheena]

UNANIMOUS X4:
TERRELL MOVES TO 4-0 AT MOHEGAN SUN

Friday 10 May 2002

Chicago's Ernie Terrell has scored his fourth straight unanimous decision victory to maintain his perfect start to the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament in the main event at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Casino.

With federation president Michael Vincennes watching from ringside, Terrell overcame a determined showing by Portland's Amos Lincoln to take a 59-56, 58-57, 59-56 verdict. The 14th seed produced another impressive performance, his class shining though in rounds one, four and six, where he peppered Lincoln with four and five punch combinations in addition to feeding him a steady diet of left jabs. He topped the 200 punches landed mark for the second time in his career and is now averaging 192 punches landed per fight, second only to #1 seed Gene Tunney (198) amongst fighters with at least four bouts under their belt.

To Lincoln's credit, he really made a contest of it, rallying strongly in the closing stages of the second and third rounds and clearly winning the fifth. But it wasn't nearly enough to overcome his taller opponent. The 6'6" Terrell enjoyed a four inch height advantage and used it to the fullest, keeping Lincoln on the backfoot with that snaking left jab.

"I'm really happy with the way I executed our gameplan," said Terrell, wiping sweat from his face with a towel. "It was a simple plan, to just keep him at bay with the jab and follow up with combinations when I could. And it worked nicely."

Terrell's eyes lit up when his next fight was mentioned.

"Yeah, it's something we've been looking forward to," he said. "It's been difficult at times to focus on the next opponent, because all the top guys, we know that series five is when this thing really gets started."

Terrell's opponent in five weeks will be the 20 year-old from Buffalo, Phil Muscato, who won his third straight bout earlier in the night with a dominant unanimous decision victory (59-55, 58-56, 59-55) over the winless Californian Marty Monroe.

"No doubt, he's been impressive," said Terrell. "Started out with that surprising loss to Whitehurst, but he's been faultless since then. I'll have to be at my best."

It's true that Muscato will present quite a challenge for Terrell, but the man who most consider to have the best chance of upstaging him for first place in the group also improved his record to 4-0 with a convincing victory in the night's Co-Feature.

Louisville's Jimmy Ellis absolutely decimated Baltimore's Bert Whitehurst on the way to a 60-54, 58-56, 60-54 unanimous decision victory, landing 224 of 514 punches against an opponent who had shown so much guts and determination in victories against Phil Muscato and King Levinsky in his opening two bouts. Having been handled easily by Terrell five weeks ago, it now looks like Whitehurst's unlikely charge towards a spot in the second stage has come to an end. He managed to land just 71 of 167 punches and was clearly outclassed by his afro-haired opponent. Whitehurst sported cuts above his left eye and under his right eye by the time the bout was over, looking every bit a beaten man.

Ellis will clash with the disappointing Chicago native King Levinsky in his next bout and should have little trouble upping his record to 5-0. The tournament's 51st seed, Levinsky fell to his third defeat in the evening's second prelim against the previously winless Argentinian Luis Firpo. Levinsky was pounded senseless in round two, dropped to the canvas in round three and was moments away from being TKO'd before the bell sounded to end the final round. Firpo took a surprisingly easy decision, 59-54, 57-56, 58-55.

***

Philadelphia's Curtis Shepperd was victorious in the first contest of the night, scoring a 4th round TKO of Jose Roman to improve to 2-2(1). Puerto Rican-born Roman was knocked to the canvas twice in the fourth round and referee Brian Garry signalled the contest over as he lurched unsteadily to his feet after the second one, thirteen seconds from the end of the round.

San Francisco's Joe Choynski scored his second straight victory, defeating Germany's Jurgen Blin by unanimous decision (59-56, 58-57, 59-56) in an uneventful contest.

Shepperd (27th seed) and Choynski (19th seed) are both members of Group Six in the HBF's 1st Defense tournament and despite their victories tonight, they will have a tough time qualifying for the tournament's second stage. They have been disappointing in their first four bouts and will face each other and the group's top two seeds (Ron Lyle and Mike Weaver) in their remaining three bouts. They'll need victories in each of these if they want to progress any further...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 10 MAY 2002
MOHEGAN SUN CASINO, UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
4(27) Curtis Sheppard TKO4 7(51) Jose Roman

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
3(19) Joe Choynski UD6 8(59) Yurgen Blin

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
7(99) Luis Firpo UD6 4(51) King Levinsky

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
3(35) Phil Muscato UD6 8(115) Marty Monroe

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
2(19) Jimmy Ellis UD6 6(83) Bert Whitehurst

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
1(14) Ernie Terrell UD6 5(67) Amos Lincoln

[kenyan_cheena]

Okay, folks. That'll be all from me today (tonight). But tomorrow will be all about Jack Johnson and his adventures in Cuba!

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Okay, folks. That'll be all from me today (tonight). But tomorrow will be all about Jack Johnson and his adventures in Cuba!

Great, been wanting to find out what happens to Jack in Cuba ever since you first mentioned it.

I was looking over the guys who signed up to the HBF and if I'm not mistaken both Hanson and I are going to end up in the Atlantic North American League. We just can't seem to get away from each other.

[kenyan_cheena]

GALVESTON GIANT REPORTEDLY
ROMANCING CURVACEOUS CUBAN BEAUTY

Saturday 11 May 2002

Reports out of Havana this morning have claimed that Heavyweight Boxing Federation World Championship contender Jack Johnson was seen romancing popular local TV personality Mayra Santamaria last night at the Cafe Cantante Mi Habana. Tonight, the Texas-born slugger will feature in the main event of the federation's Gran Stadium fight card but boxing seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he took to the dance floor with the voluptuous Santamaria, who hosts a weekly Cuban music program on the Cubavision channel.

The report also mentioned that the two had been seen together as early as last Wednesday, and a number of people who saw them last night have been quoted as saying they "couldn't keep their hands off each other" and that they "set temperatures rising" with their salsa-infused dance floor moves.

What bearing this information will have on Johnson's performance tonight can only be guessed at, but needless to say, his shock debut loss to Joe Beckett was blamed by many on too much partying and not enough training. However, the #3 seed in the HBF's premier tournament looked fitter than he has ever been when he arrived in Havana on Monday.

Back in the weeks before his disasterous debut, the 22 year-old was often seen accompanied by a trio of blonde beauties and this latest incident will simply add to his reputation as being quite a ladies man.

It's been a long held belief of many that "women weaken legs" and whether or not Johnson's extracurricular activities will have a detrimental effect on tonight's bout, we'll just have to wait and see...

[kenyan_cheena]

JOHNSON KO'S CAVICCHI IN FOUR,
TRADES HEATED WORDS WITH SHAVERS AFTERWARDS!

Saturday 11 May 2002

Jack Johnson has scored a convincing 4th round knockout of Italy's Franco Cavicchi to improve his record to 3-1(2) in the main event of tonight's Gran Stadium fight card in Havana, Cuba. However, Johnson's victory was overshadowed by what happened afterwards, when Ohio's Earnie Shavers confronted him as he made his way back to the dressing room. The two men became embroiled in a heated argument, although no punches were thrown. Johnson later confirmed that Shavers challenged the Texas-born slugger to an official, HBF sanctioned bout.

Shavers animosity towards Johnson obviously stemmed from the Galveston Giant's words from almost two weeks ago when he called Shavers a "classless punk" in regards to comments that the Ohio native had made to Gene Tunney, comments which had set off a wild brawl at a Las Vegas press conference the week before. Shavers had not made a single mention of Johnson's statements prior to today, but vented his spleen at the World Championship tournament's 3rd seed this evening. Johnson gave as good as he got, but showed his exasperation when interviewed about the incident later.

"Earnie Shavers is nuts if he thinks I'm gonna fight him," Johnson said. "I really can't believe the guy's immaturity. He's acting like a big, stupid bully who can't handle it when someone stands up to him. Some of the things he said, they're just unbelieveable, man. I said he was a classless punk two weeks ago, today I'll add to that by saying he's one of the stupidest people I ever met."

The Shavers incident aside, it was a great night for the Texas native. Reports from earlier in the day had claimed he had been seen at a popular Havana nightspot with a Cuban beauty the previous night, but he showed no ill-effects from his night of partying. After an opening round where the spoils were shared, Johnson took complete control, dominating his Italian opponent in the second and third rounds before really putting his foot on the accelerator in the fourth. Johnson unleashed what was doubtlessly the most impressive round of offensive boxing he's shown so far in his career, punishing Cavicchi with powerful hooks and sledgehammer-like straight rights before staggering him with a crushing uppercut and finishing the job with a wicked body shot. Cavicchi fell to his knees, pain evident on his face. He had only managed to start pushing himself up when the count reached ten, and Johnson was declared the winner by KO 2:32 into the round.

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Nice weekend for Johnson there with the big win in the ring and the out of the ring stuff. You know Johnson might be right about Shavers being the stupidest cat in the HBF, real smart move on Earnie's part to piss two guys who are probably the worst possible style matchups for him in the entire league.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Nice weekend for Johnson there with the big win in the ring and the out of the ring stuff. You know Johnson might be right about Shavers being the stupidest cat in the HBF, real smart move on Earnie's part to piss two guys who are probably the worst possible style matchups for him in the entire league.

I'm trying to depict Shavers as a bully, and that's what makes his future bout with Tunney so fascinating. The result of the fight will have a drastic effect, one way or the other, on his character.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I'm trying to depict Shavers as a bully, and that's what makes his future bout with Tunney so fascinating. The result of the fight will have a drastic effect, one way or the other, on his character.

Right right, you've done a great job making Shavers into a heel I know that I'll be rooting for Tunney come fight time aslo it should be fun to see where Earnie's character goes from here.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #655)

As has been the case in all of his previous three bouts, Johnson and his team made their way to the ring decked out in various combinations of black, white, navy blue and sky blue, with Johnson's outfit predominantly black, his trunks the same.

"They're my colours, man," he said during the post-fight interview. "Always have been, always will be. Ain't nothin' cooler than that, and everyone knows that lookin' good is a hobby of mine."

The Texas native laughed, before speaking on his performance against Cavicchi.

"Just a continuation of what I plan doin' through the whole tourney," he said. "I wasn't kiddin' back in February when I said that stuff about making history. You just keep watchin' and see how far it goes, okay? People have said it'll be tough for me in the second stage because I lost to Joe Beckett. They're sayin' I won't get a top seeding, so it'll be tougher. That's just nonsense. Doesn't matter where they put me or who I have to take on. The result's gonna be the same."

Johnson was asked about his social activities during the past days, to which he replied with a laugh and a grin.

"Well, everyone knows I like to have fun, like to enjoy myself," he said. "Havana's a fun city, no doubt."

However, when pressed on the particulars of his recent partying, Johnson was unwilling to volunteer a comment, but wore a smile from ear to ear.

"Come on, man, you know what they say about kissin' and tellin'."

It wasn't long before he had departed the ring, walking straight into the heated confrontation with Earnie Shavers...

The Havana Undercard

Opening Bout

California's Mike Weaver rebounded from last month's surprising loss to John Lester Johnson to record a clear cut