The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

MANILA MAYHEM:
HAYNES CLIMBS OFF CANVAS
TO WIN CLASSIC SLUGFEST!

Thursday 23 May 2002

What has already been a disappointing month for the Florida Alliance almost turned disasterous this evening as Terone Haynes was put on the canvas in round three before fighting back to secure the slimmest possible unanimous decision victory (56-55 on all three cards) in a Main Event thriller at Manila's Rizal Arena.

The South-East Asian Boxing League bout against Kansas native Fred Fulton more than exceeded expectations and it would not be an exaggeration to call it one of the best fights seen so far in the HBF.

It was a bout that Haynes was favoured to win quite handily, but it only took one round for Fulton to show that he would not be the push over that many had painted him as. Last week, Haynes had said that the league's #4 seed has power but had not been able to use it. Well, in tonight's opening round that power found its voice. Fulton was able to mix it up with his bigger opponent, catching Haynes with some clean, hard shots and winning the round. The capacity crowd greeted the bell with enthusiastic applause, surprised by Fulton's impressive showing.

The competition intensified in round two, with Haynes showing more aggression and rattling his opponent with a chopping right hand early in the round and a flush left hook seconds from the bell. But Fulton gave almost as good as he received and as the third round was poised to begin, many were wondering how it was that the Kansas-born native had managed to win just one of his first three bouts.

Round three was progressing in a fashion not unlike the first two when at the 1:30 mark the crowd came to their feet as one as Fulton caught Haynes with a hard, flush left hook that tunred the big man's legs to jelly. He stumbled and collapsed to the canvas for the first time in his career, a look of complete bemusement showing on his face. He didn't immediately move and for the briefest moment, it seemed that an outrageous upset was about to happen. But as the count reached four Haynes started to rise and was on his feet by seven. Fulton was unable to mount any kind of follow-up attack, throwing what seemed to be panicked, overexcited blows that either found air or partially caught their target.

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Jeez, man if Haynes had lose the Alliance would have been done but hey it's good to see Haynes show some major heart in making a comeback to take the match.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Jeez, man if Haynes had lose the Alliance would have been done but hey it's good to see Haynes show some major heart in making a comeback to take the match.

Yeah, I have to say my heart was in my mouth when he hit the deck. But just wait and see what happens in the last three rounds. It was probably the best fight I've watched so far in the HBF. I should be able to post the rest of it after I get home from work tonight (probably seven hours from now).

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yeah, I have to say my heart was in my mouth when he hit the deck. But just wait and see what happens in the last three rounds. It was probably the best fight I've watched so far in the HBF. I should be able to post the rest of it after I get home from work tonight (probably seven hours from now).

Alright, then I'll have something to look forward to reading when I wake up in the morning.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #721)

Fulton maintained his overachieving performance into round four, outfighting his clearly frustrated opponent before Haynes roared back, finishing the round with a flurry and scoring what would turn out to be a crucial knockdown two seconds from the bell. It was a sickening body shot that had Fulton down on one knee and the man that some have recently started calling "The Hastings Hammer" thumped his chest with his right hand and shouted at the audience as he returned to his corner.

But if he thought the tide had turned, Haynes was wrong because in the fifth round he looked closer to defeat than at any time during his career. Much of the round was uneventful but it exploded to life forty seconds from the bell when Fulton landed a crushing right hook that stunned Haynes and opened a small cut above his left eye. The big man stumbled back onto the ropes and went on the defensive, covering up as Fulton tried to finish him off. It was quite an extraordinary sight seeing this man who some believe has the talent to make it all the way to the top of the HBF covering up and in such a precarious situation.

Haynes would say later that during the intermission his uncle and cornerman Marlon Ray gave him the mother of all dressdowns. It worked superbly as the Florida Alliance strongman simply took the fight away from Fulton in the final round, flooring him for a second time with a lightning bolt of a left hook a minute in. Fulton was up at four, but his superb resisitance seemed near an end. Haynes dominated the rest of the round and if it had lasted another thirty seconds, he probably would have knocked out his Kansas-born opponent.

When the bell sounded to end the fight, the two combatants embraced in the centre of the ring and the crowd gave them a standing ovation. Some ten minutes passed before the verdict was revealed. Haynes spent much of that time in conversation with Fulton and his cornermen.

Finally it was announced that Terone Haynes had kept his perfect record in tact, but only just: each judge had scored the contest identically, giving Haynes a 56-55 victory. The only emotion that showed on the winner's face was relief. He embraced Fulton once again and praised his effort, shaking his head as ESPN's Mike Jeffries approached him to start the post-fight interview.

"Dodged a bullet, y'all," said Haynes, dabbing the cut over his eye with a towel. "That was jus' crazy, man. Ain't never been hit that hard before so I gotta give Freddie all the credit for a great effort. Took the figth right up t' me, man, gave me helluva fright, no doubt."

"I think it surprised everyone how competitive he was," said Jeffries.

"The dude was more than competitive, man," replied Haynes. "Really thought I might lose for a time there, y'all. But my uncle, he set me straight 'fore that last round. Jus' the fear o' losing push me to finish hard. Y'all look at the cards, man. I don't knock him down there, we got a draw. That's how close it was, see?"

Haynes could not have been more correct, with the cards revealing that the only time he was leading the bout was when it was over.

Judge's cards:

(Haynes score listed first)

Round one: 9-10
Round two: 10-9 (19-19)
Round three: 8-10 (27-29)
Round four: 10-8 (37-37)
Round five: 9-10 (46-47)
Round six: 10-8 (56-55)

The final punch totals showed that Fulton had landed more than twice as many as Haynes last opponent Kalolo Umaga, who had been TKO'd in the final round.

Haynes: 148/361 (41%)
Fulton: 122/278 (44%)

"Bit of a shame that the dude can't be in the semis," said Haynes. "Damn, he show tonight he belong there. Jus' unfortunate that he had a couple bad nights before now. Hope he have some success in the future, man."

Surely, Haynes will look at this bout as something of a wake up call, a warning that he is not as good as some have said. It's also a mere sample of the tough bouts that lay ahead of him on the path of his professional boxing career...

(Coming up: the Manila undercard)

[kenyan_cheena]

The Manila Undercard

Opening Bout

Australia's Allan Horace secured a tournament semi-final birth with his third consecutive unanimous decision victory. The 8th-seeded New South Welshman was a class above Ghana's Robert Ado, who was coming off an upset victory over Fred Fulton in his last bout. Horace (3-0-1) imposed his will over Ado early and was the better man in all but the fifth round, when the Ghanian found some success with a more aggressive mindset. But Horace finished strongly in the final stanza and each judge awarded him a 59-56 verdict.

The Australian will return home to a hero's welcome and will face the league's top seed Terone Haynes in his final bout before the semi-finals. Although it's highly unlikely, a win in that contest would see Horace finish in 1st place in Group A.

Preliminary 1

Popular Taiwanese fighter Jim Chang Kai improved his record to 2-2 with a 58-56, 57-57, 58-56 majority decision victory over winless South African Oupa Maoto. In a spirited bout, Chang Kai was able to establish an early lead before Maoto pushed him all the way to the final bell.

Preliminary 2

Jack Beckerman gave himself a healthy chance of joining fellow Australian Allan Horace in the tournament semi-finals with a dominant display against Samoa's Uola Malafo, putting his opponent on the canvas twice on his way to a unanimous decision victory (60-51, 60-52, 60-51).

Beckerman landed 177 punches, more than in any of his previous bouts and knocked Malafo down in the fourth with a single uppercut and also in the final round with a body shot.

With his record now 3-0-1, the 6th seed will be in the semi-finals with a win against #3 seed Rex Layne in his next fight.

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Man, you weren't kidding those last three rounds sounded amazing. Hopefully, thats the last close fight Haynes has during the remainer of this tournment aslo here's hoping Fred Fulton can pull his career together and start winning some fights.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Man, you weren't kidding those last three rounds sounded amazing. Hopefully, thats the last close fight Haynes has during the remainer of this tournment aslo here's hoping Fred Fulton can pull his career together and start winning some fights.

I felt kinda sorry for Fulton. He got TKO'd (cuts) by a 2 rated fighter in his last bout, then comes out and scares the hell out of Haynes.

[SAL]

It appears that Haynes was a lucky man in the Fulton fight. I feel that Haynes days are numbered.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by SAL

It appears that Haynes was a lucky man in the Fulton fight. I feel that Haynes days are numbered.

I don't think I'd go that far. Fulton is rated 7 and Haynes is 11, so I guess it shouldn't be considered a monumental surprise that Haynes almost lost. I would think that he'll progress through the rest of the tournament with his perfect record in tact, but might have some tougher bouts as he makes his way up the World Rankings. But like he said himself, he dodged a bullet.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #726)

Support Bout

Samoa's Kalolo Umaga scored his second professional victory, taking a majority decision verdict (58-56, 57-57, 58-55) against Nigeria's Thomas Biobaku. Having come close to going the distance with #1 seed Terone Haynes in his last bout, Umaga floored Biobaku two minutes into the opening round but seemed content to merely control the contest from that point on until the final bell. The strong Samoan cannot qualify for the tournament semi-finals, but said afterwards that he was looking forward to the challenge of creating a winning streak for himself in his upcoming bouts.

Co-Feature

Without a doubt, Utah's Rex Layne had all the momentum coming into tonight's vital clash against his 2nd-seeded New Zealand-born opponent Tom Heeney. He had stopped each of his first three opponents inside of three rounds while Heeney was coming off an unfortunate technical draw against the #6 seed Jack Beckerman. That result had led to Layne assuming 1st place in Group B, making tonight's contest a must win for Heeney.

Well, momentum counted for very little as the New Zealander started strongly, weathered a spirited fightback and did enough in the final rounds to secure a 58-57, 58-56, 58-57 unanimous decision victory and move back into 1st place in the standings.

It was an entertaining contest, with Layne venturing beyond round three for the first time and seeming to run out of puff as the bout drew to a close. When it was all over, it was a simple case of Heeney outworking his stronger opponent. He landed 172 of 432 punches (40%) while Layne connected with 102 of 228 (45%).

"I couldn't be happier," said Heeney afterwards. "I've put myself in a really strong position now. One of the guys just told me that even if I lose my next bout, I'll be in the semi-finals, but I'm not even thinking about that. I have control of my destiny in this tournament and I plan on finishing in first place."


SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 23 MAY 2002
RIZAL ARENA, MANILA, PHILIPPINES

THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN BOXING LEAGUE


OPENING BOUT

(8) Allan Horace UD6 (9) Robert Ado

PRELIMINARY 1

(7) Jim Chang Kai MD6 (10) Oupa Maoto

PRELIMINARY 2

(6) Jack Beckerman UD6 (11) Uola Malafo

SUPPORT BOUT

(5) Kalolo Umaga MD6 (12) Thomas Biobaku

CO-FEATURE

(2) Tom Heeney UD6 (3) Rex Layne

MAIN EVENT

(1) Terone Haynes UD6 (4) Fred Fulton

[kenyan_cheena]

Coming up in the HBF...

* Tunney excited about Japanese debut
* The English Invasion
* McVey weary of Folley
* Langford-Stewart looming as a classic

[bigMatt]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I felt kinda sorry for Fulton. He got TKO'd (cuts) by a 2 rated fighter in his last bout, then comes out and scares the hell out of Haynes. Once the tourney is over, he'll be transferred to the Pacific Coast league. Hopefully, he'll be more successful there.

Looks like the Kansas boy was robbed! I demand an investigation!

Matt
(another Kansas Boy)

[kenyan_cheena]

TUNNEY EXCITED ABOUT JAPANESE DEBUT

Friday 24 May 2002

He's heard all the stories about the place and now Gene Tunney will get to experience it for himself. Today, the #1 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament boarded a plane at New York's JFK Airport bound for Japan in advance of the June 1st fight card where he'll clash with Baltimore's Larry Middleton in the Main Event.

Tunney has been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent weeks but was in an amiable mood in the minutes before boarding his flight.

"I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this trip," he said. "I've spoken to a few of the guys who have fought over there and they've all told me how great it is. Hopefully, it'll be an enjoyable and successful visit for us."

Those "wrong reasons" that have had Tunney in the news originated at a Las Vegas promotional event back on the 25th of April, where Tunney and WC tournament 31st seed Earnie Shavers traded punches after Shavers had apparently made crude remarks to Tunney about his wife. Afterwards, Tunney had said that Shavers "has no class" and "belongs in the gutter" and had recently made a request to the HBF that he not be required to associate with the Ohio-born slugger during any of the Japanese media and promotional sessions. The federation confirmed today that they would abide by Tunney's wishes, meaning that the two will most likely not cross paths while in Japan (I wouldn't bet on it, though).

Tunney and Shavers both take 4-0 records into next week's event, with Shavers scheduled to fight the German Karl Mildenberger. Once Japan is done and dusted, the hype begins in earnest as the two men will collide in a grudge match of gigantic proportions on the 6th of July...

[kenyan_cheena]

THE ENGLISH INVASION

Saturday 25 May 2002

Back on 17 April, England's Gary Mason arrived home in London to a hero's welcome following his upset 2nd round TKO of Argentina's Oscar Bonavena. That reception was absolutely dwarfed earlier this week in the wake of the Jamaican-born slugger's victory over the World Championship tournament's 15th seed Jack Sharkey on 17 May. The six round unanimous decision win made Mason the ONLY fighter in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship or 1st Defense tournaments to record victories over the top two seeds in his respective group and has understandably led to a good deal of excitement and anticipation in his homeland. The WC tournament 66th seed boasts a 3-1 record and 1st place in Group Fifteen and ahead of him are three bouts all against fighters seeded lower than him and, supposedly, of inferior talent to him, making his chances of reaching the tournament's second stage quite strong.

But Mason is not the only Englishman to have made noise in the HBF. In fact, there's another seven guys who are in similarly promising positions. Admittedly, their performances have been more expected than Mason's, but that doesn't change the fact that they are doing their country proud.

World Championship tournament - Group Five: 2(28) Joe Bugner (3-0-1(1))

Young and strong, this Hungarian-born slugger has struggled at times but currently sits in 2nd place in his group behind the tournament's #5 seed and one of the favourites for the Championship, Riddick Bowe. Bugner scored a split decision win over Argentina's Alex Miteff in his last bout in a performance he described as "terrible". However, fans of the 18 year-old would prefer to focus on his one-punch KO victory over New York's Gerry Cooney back in March. It showed that Bugner has knockout power, something Bowe will have to be weary of when the two men clash in July.

World Championship tournament - Group Six: 2(27) Jack Gardner (4-0-0) and 3(43) Bruce Woodcock (4-0-0(2))

These two 22 year-olds are locked in a three-way conflict with Australia's Peter Jackson (also 4-0), with a trio of bouts involving them still to come and one of the three destined to miss out on progression to the tournament's second stage. It's no secret that Gardner and Woodcock are not fond of each other and as far as their performances so far, it would be true to say that Woodcock has been the better man. But he faces Jackson in his next contest with a victory absolutely vital to his chances. It will be fascinating to see what happens to these two skilled competitor's chances in the coming weeks.

World Championship tournament - Group Nine: 3(40) Alex Stewart (3-0-1)

This Londoner has been heart attack material for his supporters through his first four bouts, somehow managing to make it this far without recording a single loss. In each of his bouts, the margin of victory on each of the twelve scorecards (when not a draw) has never been more than a single point, with two of his wins being by split decision and the other a unanimous one. There are many who think that this streak will come to a shuddering halt when Stewart faces the World Championship tournament's #9 seed, Canada's pocket rocket Sam Langford, in Las Vegas on Wednesday. However, stranger things have happened and the winner of the bout will claim sole possession of 1st place in the Group Nine standings.

1st Defense tournament - Group Seven: 3(18) Don Cockell (4-0-0(1))

Like Gardner and Woodcock, Cockell is involved in a three-way shootout with two other undefeated fighters. Americans Doug Jones and Natie Brown are also 4-0, with Cockell scheduled to fight the group's top seed Jones on the 19th of June. Cockell fought in his homeland for the first time back on May 13, where he defeated fellow Englishman Manny Burgo. There are some experts who believe he has the ability to sneak into Group Seven's top two and qualify for the tournament's second stage. A win against Jones next month will certainly help his chances.

1st Defense tournament - Group Eight: 1(8) Herbie Hide (3-0-1(3)) and 4(25) Billy Walker (3-1-0(1))

Nigerian-born Hide and West Ham native Walker currently occupy the top positions in their group (with an Irishman and a Welshman nipping at their heels in 3rd and 4th) and both appear to have the talent to stay there and progress to stage two. Hide has displayed some impressive knockout power with all three of his wins coming inside the distance. The two will step in the ring against each other to conclude stage one of the tournament in August.

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 26 May 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 27/05/2002 - SATURDAY 01/06/2002 INCLUSIVE

MONDAY 27/05/02 - THE PYRAMID, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA

1D - G1: 6(48) FRANK SLAVIN vs 8(64) OSCAR PHARO
1D - G1: 5(40) MIKE SCHRECK vs 7(56) JOSE LUIS GARCIA
WC - G8: 6(89) ROGER RISCHER vs 8(121) ARTURO GODOY
WC - G8: 5(73) LEM FRANKLIN vs 7(105) JOHNNY BOUDREAUX
WC - G8: 2(25) TONY TUCKER vs 4(57) JOHNNY ARTHUR
WC - G8: 1(8) SAM MCVEY vs 3(41) ZORA FOLLEY

TUESDAY 28/05/02 - WALSH PARK, WATERFORD, MUNSTER, IRELAND
THE NORTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE

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

WEDNESDAY 29/05/02 - COX PAVILION, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA

1D - G1: 2(16) TONY GALENTO vs 4(32) SCOTT LEDOUX
WC - G9: 6(88) JIM SAVAGE vs 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN
WC - G9: 5(72) JOE GODDARD vs 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE
WC - G9: 2(24) TOM SHARKEY vs 4(56) JOE BAKSI
1D - G1: 1(1) ROCKY MARCIANO vs 3(24) STAN WARD
WC - G9: 1(9) SAM LANGFORD vs 3(40) ALEX STEWART

THURSDAY 30/05/02 - ACHO STADIUM, LIMA, PERU
THE SOUTH AMERICAN BOXING LEAGUE

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

FRIDAY 31/05/02 - HAMMOND CIVIC CENTER, HAMMOND, INDIANA, USA

1D - G8: 6(41) LEE SAVOLD vs 8(57) JOE ERSKINE
1D - G8: 5(33) KALLIE KNOETZE vs 7(49) KEENE SIMMONS
WC - G16: 6(81) BUDDY BAER vs 8(113) TONY ROSS
WC - G16: 5(65) TOM MCMAHON vs 7(97) ROCKY JONES
WC - G16: 2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON vs 4(49) NATHAN MANN
WC - G16: 1(16) JIMMY YOUNG vs 3(33) ELMER RAY

SATURDAY 01/06/02 - OSAKA DOME, OSAKA, JAPAN

1D - G8: 2(9) EMBRELL DAVIDSON vs 4(25) BILLY WALKER
WC - G1: 6(96) BOONE KIRKMAN vs 8(128) JOSE URTAIN
WC - G1: 5(80) TYRELL BIGGS vs 7(112) GARVIN SAWYER
WC - G1: 2(32) EARNIE SHAVERS vs 4(64) KARL MILDENBERGER
1D - G8: 1(8) HERBIE HIDE vs 3(17) BOB DEVERE
WC - G1: 1(1) GENE TUNNEY vs 3(48) LARRY MIDDLETON

[kenyan_cheena]

MCVEY WEARY OF FOLLEY

Sunday 26 May 2002

Appearing on this evening's SportsCenter, California's Sam McVey spoke of his apprehension going into tomorrow night's Heavyweight Boxing Federation fight card at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee. The undefeated 8th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament will clash with Arizona native Zora Folley in the Main Event. It's a bout where a loss, coupled with a Tony Tucker victory in the Co-Feature, will spell the end of Folley's chances of progressing to the tournament's second stage.

"It's just huge," said McVey. "Whether Tony T. wins or loses, I know I'm gonna be in for a tough night against Zora. The guy ain't got no quit in him. He was robbed in his last fight so he's gonna come out lookin' to prove himself. But just like all of us, he wants to win, wants to succeed in this. We hung out quite a bit when we were over in Japan, back in February, I think. So I know the guy pretty well and he's a proud brother. I'll have to be at my best to beat him, man. Ain't no doubting that."

McVey went on to confirm recent rumours that he had been training with fellow SoCal Heavyweight contender Ken Norton.

"Yeah, we been helping each other out," McVey said smiling. "It's good enough for Elmer Ray and his Florida boys, so why not? Kenny really gave me some great advice about conditioning. The guy is just in immaculate shape, you know? Ain't no one else in the whole HBF that can stand up to him fitness-wise. I really appreciate the help he gave me. We spent some time chillin', me and Kenny and my boy James. Shootin' pool, playin' PS2, just havin' fun. Kenny's my boy."

It's also been rumoured that McVey has a special ring entrance planned for tomorrow night involving his girlfriend, rising supermodel Claudette James.

"Just wait and see," McVey said, smiling cheekily. "It's gonna be an entertaining night."

[kenyan_cheena]

Sammy McVey's girlfriend Claudette James bares a striking resemblance to Miss Gabrielle Union, pictured below.