The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

BECKETT TO JOHNSON:
"DON'T LOOK TOO FAR AHEAD, TOUGH GUY!"

Sunday 20 January 2002

20 year-old Englishman Joe Beckett, the 126th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament, has issued a warning to his opponent in next Saturday's Buffalo fight card, Jack Johnson.

"If I was able to talk to Mr. Johnson right now, face-to-face, I'd tell him to not look too far ahead," Beckett said. "I saw him on that Letterman show the other night, you know? I really don't like his attitude. He thinks that he's going to go through this tournament undefeated. Well, I'm here to tell you, I ain't gonna be no punching bag come Saturday night, fella!"

Beckett has been living and training in Buffalo for the last month, leading to a number of local boxing fans pledging their support for him in the bout against Johnson, the #3 seed in the tournament.

"Somebody's gotta cheer for him," said Buffalo local Jimmy Cowan. "He's fighting the number three seed in the tournament, so it's going to be a tough night for him. This guy Joe, we've all watched him train. He's just been busting his backside for this fight, you know? Look at Johnson. Goin' on TV, appearin' at movie premieres. Is he taking this tournament serious, or what?"

Judging by what has transpired so far in the tournament, Beckett's chances of causing an upset against the highly-regarded Johnson are pretty slim. The combined record of the eight top seeds to have fought so far is 7-0-1. However, there is a good chance that Beckett will go the distance, as only one of the top seeds has knocked out their opponent.

"Stats don't mean a thing to me," said Beckett. "Ain't gonna matter what's happened before when we climb in that ring. It'll be just me and him. He's expected to win, so I've got nothing to lose."

[kenyan_cheena]

VINCENNES PRAISES LEVEL OF COMPETITION
IN HBF'S SECOND WEEK

Sunday 20 January 2002

Heavyweight Boxing Federation President Michael Vincennes has given a big "thumbs-up" for the standard of boxing displayed during the second week of action in the federation's tournaments.

"Definitely, this second week was much more competitive than the first," Vincennes said. "I think it's a great sign that all of our fighters are really digging deep. They are all so hungry to win. It's just terrific."

A quick look at some simple comparative stats from the first two weeks of competition confirms what Vincennes said.

KO/TKO Victories - Week One: 7 Week Two: 4
Unanimous Decision Victories - Week One: 10 Week Two: 7
Majority Decision Victories - Week One: 1 Week Two: 3
Split Decision Victories - Week One: 1 Week Two: 5

Unlike the first week of competition, week two was free of controversy ... at least in the ring. The Elmer Ray saga did spill over into week two, but seems to have lost steam for now (at least in New York).

The second week of competition featured some impressive debuts from the likes of Riddick Bowe, Ken Norton and Larry Holmes, all three of whom are expected to still be there at the business end of the World Championship tournament.

Bowe had been silent since arriving back in New York on Thursday, but a brief appearance on SportsCenter last night might prove to spark off a new round of controversy for the HBF.

Bowe was dishing out advice, and made a comment regarding number three seed Jack Johnson, saying "This ain't the time for any of that jungle fever nonsense, Jacky! You better be ready come Saturday night or that English Bob dude's gonna take you down!" He immediately laughed good-naturedly.

Johnson himself has developed a reputation for being a bit of a clown, so it's unlikely that he'll take the comments to heart.

As for the third week of tournament bouts in the HBF, it all kicks off again early tomorrow morning U.S. time, when the federation comes to you from The Land Down Under. The sixth seed in the World Championship tournament Peter Jackson will be headlining the card in front of his hometown fans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour. The SEC is located quite close to Jackson's harbourside workplace, and it's guaranteed that the sellout crowd will be firmly in Jackson's corner. On Wednesday, the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut will play host to the HBF's tenth fight card, which will be headlined by the tournament's 11th seed, Joe Jeannette of New Jersey. Italy will see its first HBF action on Friday, where 18 year-old Chicago native Ernie Terrell will be on show in the main event from the Casino Di Campione in Lombardia. The week will come to a close with the card that everyone's been waiting for. On Saturday night from Buffalo, the 3rd seed in the Championship tournament Jack Johnson will make his professional debut against the tough-talking Englishman Joe Beckett.

It certainly looks like being another week of excitement for the HBF...

[kenyan_cheena]

JACKSON'S TRIUMPH THRILLS HOMETOWN CROWD

Monday 21 January 2002

DARLING HARBOUR, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Australia's Peter Jackson overcame a slow start to score a 4th round TKO victory against James Ellis of Boise, Idaho. The result thrilled Jackson's hometown crowd at Darling Harbour's sold-out Sydney Entertainment Centre.

The 25 year-old American Ellis was actually the more aggressive man during the bout, throwing a barrage of punches throughout, especially in the 3rd round. But he missed with a terrible amount of them, while Jackson was perfectly accurate after the 1st round as he brought new meaning to the term "economical punching."

A glance at the punch totals for the fight reveals this:

ROUND ONE

Jackson - punches landed: 17 punches thrown: 32
Ellis - punches landed: 36 punches thrown: 66

ROUNDS TWO, THREE & FOUR

Jackson - punches landed: 60 punches thrown: 60
Ellis - punches landed: 36 punches thrown: 256

Many at ringside said that they had never before seen such an incredible display of defensive boxing. The manner in which Jackson was able to avoid the majority of his opponent's punches was astounding. The fact that he barely missed with his own shots was even more so.

The fight ended quite abruptly during the first minute of round four. 39 seconds in, Jackson landed a tremendous left-right combination that dropped Ellis to the canvas. He was up quickly and took the standing eight count, but immediately after the referee waved the two men together, a single Jackson left hook opened a terrible cut over Ellis's right eye. Within moments, the fight had been stopped and Jackson declared the winner by TKO.

"Yes, there is a bit of relief," Jackson said. "Jimmy was just like a hurricane in there. I don't really know how I was able to stay on my feet with some of those shots he was throwing. I did a lot of defensive training leading up to tonight, so I guess it paid off."

(to be continued...)

[kenyan_cheena]

(...continuation)

Jackson was quite fortunate to stop Ellis when he did. Through three rounds, he was trailing on the scorecards, 29-28, 28-29, 30-27.

"No, I agree totally," said Jackson. "James Ellis was in this fight 100%. I think if you look at the punch totals, you'll see I only landed a handful more than him. He really pushed me, no doubt."

Jackson did not fail to acknowledge the wonderful support he has received from the Australian public.

"I want to thank every one of you in this arena tonight, and all the people who have sent me words of encouragement during the last couple of months," said Jackson. "I can't express how inspirational your support has been. I think that my next bout will be over in the States, but I really hope that the federation can see fit to bring us here again during the tournament. Thank you all so much."

To this, Jackson received a thunderous round of standing applause. He left the ring with the applause still ringing out, exchanging handshakes and congratulatory words as he made his way back to the dressing room...

ON THE UNDERCARD

* 20 year-old Oklahoma native Tommy Morrison emerged with a majority decision victory over Phialdelphia's Gus Dozario in a 1st Defense tournament bout. Morrison seemed to have the fight in the bag going into the final round, but Dozario mounted a furious rally, landing 41 punches to 6 in round six but failing to score a knockout (or even a knockdown). Morrison took the decision 59-55, 57-57, 59-55. He is one to look out for as the tournament moves on. Morrison, the 30th seed in the 1st Defense tournament, possesses tremendous power (although it was not really on show against Dozario), and if he can exploit it, the blonde-haired Oklahoma slugger could really turn some heads.

* In the second bout of the night, 22 year-old Ibar Arrington of Everett, Washington scored a unanimous decision victory over Dallas native Randy Stephens in a highly-charged, entertaining bout. The final scorecards of 59-54 (twice) and 60-53 did not really do justice to the performance of Stephens. He still had a good chance of victory going into the fifth round, when he was trailing by just a single point on two of the cards. However, Arrington was able to score knockdowns in both the fifth and sixth rounds to take the fight away form his Texas opponent.

* James Tillis of Tulsa, Oklahoma and South Africa's Johnny DuPlooy fought themselves to a standstill in another barnstormer. The two 21 year-olds had to be content with a draw, though, with the judges split on the verdict 58-56 (DuPlooy), 57-57, 59-55 (Tillis). The punch totals showed what a hard-fought battle it was:

TILLIS landed: 144 thrown: 315
DUPLOOY landed: 127 thrown: 451

It was a fight that the capacity Entertainment Centre crowd greatly appreciated.

* The Sydney crowd continued to be spoiled, as the Support Bout between Englishman Bruce Woodcock and Germany's Heinz Neuhaus was perhaps the best fight on the card. It was a brutal affair, with the 43rd seed Woodcock prevailing via a 6th round knockout. But not before what must have been the best single round of any bout fought under the HBF banner so far. In the fifth round, the two combatants traded bombs, with Woodcock landing 36 punches and Neuhaus 43. Woodcock was ahead by at least two points on each card after the fifth round.

* Another Englishman made a victorious debut in the Co-Feature. 22 year-old Jack Gardner (27th seed in the World Championship tournament) took a rather unconvincing (and, according to many, undeserved) unanimous decision over Pittsburgh native Bob Baker. Despite outpunching his opponent 127-107, Baker lost the decision 58-55 on all three cards. Even taking into account the knockdown that Gardner scored in the 3rd round, most believed that Baker won at least four rounds. He did not mask his disappointment in the moments after the decision, showing a filthy sneer to the judges.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
MONDAY 21 JANUARY 2002
SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
4(30) Tommy Morrison MD6 5(38) Gus Dozario

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
3(22) Ibar Arrington UD6 6(46) Randy Stephens

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
4(59) James Tillis D6 5(75) Johnny DuPlooy

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
3(43) Bruce Woodcock KO6 6(91) Heinz Neuhaus

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
2(27) Jack Gardner UD6 7(107) Bob Baker

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
1(6) Peter Jackson TKO4 8(123) James Ellis

[kenyan_cheena]

JEANNETTE SAVED FROM "PATH OF DESTRUCTION"
BY PRIEST'S BOXING DARE

Tuesday 22 January 2002

Joe Jeannette is at a neighbourhood gym in his hometown of North Bergen, New Jersey, literally putting his body through hell. The gym is pungent with the odour of sweat, and Jeannette is the centre of attention. He breaks down his abdominals with countless volumes of sit-ups, brings burning to his chest and shoulders by way of repeated pull-ups. He rips into the heavy bag and his concentration and precision on the speed ball is something to see. In the ring sparring, Jeannette loves to mix it up on the inside, where he throws short, powerful shots and shows a dazzling defensive ability, as if seeing his opponent's punches three and four in advance.

It wasn't always like this.

In fact, as little as five months ago, Joe Jeannette's life was heading in an entirely opposite - and potentially tragic - direction.

"I was this close to becoming a drug dealer," says Jeannette, his right hand help up, showing a one centimetre gap between his thumb and index finger. "I was living on the streets. I ran with guys who would put a cap in anyone without a second thought, man. My mother, my brothers and sisters ... I turned them all away with my foolishness. One night, back in July, I had been out with my "friends", and we came across a rival gang, and we just went to town on them. Just merciless, man. You know, I've been using my fists to get what I want for a long time, and I really used them that night. Real bloody. I was walking home and I just found myself outside St. Brigid's. Something made me go inside. Changed my life, man."

Jeannette became acquainted with Father Ciccone, who attempted to be a steadying influence in Joe's life. It wasn't easy.

"At first I was stupid, stubborn," Jeannette remembers. "Didn't wanna listen to anyone."

Come Monday the 3rd of September 2001, and the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's announcement that they will be staging a 128-man World Championship tournament.

"Father Ciccone dared me to audition," laughs Jeannette. "He said, "I dare you to try and do something positive for yourself. I dare you to try and make something of yourself, Joe Jeannette." So I did it."

Jeannette's success in the HBF's auditions was beyond his wildest expectations, with the federation so impressed they made him the #11 seed in the World Championship tournament.

"I couldn't believe it," Jeannette says. "Father told me that it's such a great opportunity, and I knew that. I ain't looked back to the darkness since, and now here I am, just four months later, about to climb in the ring for the first time. I owe it all to Father Ciccone. He saved my life, man."

Jeannette has arranged for his Guardian Angel to be in attendance at ringside tomorrow night in Connecticut when he makes his professional debut against San Francisco's Al Kaufmann.

"He's excited about it," smiles Jeannette. "I hope I can put on a good show for him."

Since qualifying for the HBF's World Championship tournament, Jeannette has made strides towards repairing his relationship with his family.

"I want to make them proud of me," says the 26 year-old. "I brought them so much disappointment in the past. It's time to make up for that."

It won't just be Father Ciccone and his family in Joe Jeannette's corner come tomorrow night. He'll also have all of New Jersey supporting him. We can only wait until tomorrow night to see how this eagerly-awaited debut will turn out...

[Gunsmoke]

This is some fantastic writing kenyan_cheena, a fantastic job of building your universe.

Mark

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

This is some fantastic writing kenyan_cheena, a fantastic job of building your universe.

Mark

Thank you very much, Mark. I'll admit, it's not moving along as quickly as some of the other ones are, but this is the way I want to do it. Making it realistic is the most important thing to me.

[Romdawg88]

Yeah the HBF has been great, looking forward to see how the Tournment turns out. Oh yeah a few pages you said there would be a huge upset have you written it up yet or just not got that far yet.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Yeah the HBF has been great, looking forward to see how the Tournment turns out. Oh yeah a few pages you said there would be a huge upset have you written it up yet or just not got that far yet.

The upset is coming up. I should get to it in about a week. Thanks for the kind words, Romdawg88.

[kenyan_cheena]

JEANNETTE PREVAILS DESPITE SPIRITED OPPOSITION

Wednesday 23 January 2002

LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA

26 year-old New Jersey native Joe Jeannette was victorious in his professional debut tonight, winning by unanimous decision against his stubborn opponent, 19 year-old Al Kaufmann of San Francisco.

Never really troubled during the bout, Jeannette unleashed almost twice as many punches as his opponent (344 to 193). However, Kaufmann proved to be a tough adversary. In the fifth round, he walked into a sickening uppercut and crumbled, as if lifeless, to the canvas. Most in the packed Foxwoods Resort Casino believed the fight was over, but the Californian managed to beat the count, making it to his feet by seven. He finished the fight in impressive fashion, taking the final round on all three cards. Of course, it was not nearly enough to win him the bout, and Jeannette took a comfortable decision, 58-55 (twice), 59-54.

The one-sided scorecards did not really indicate how competitive Kaufmann had been in the fight. Jeannette landed 124 punches, Kaufmann 108. Some were surprised by this, with the fact that the fight punch percentage favoured Kaufmann (56% to 36%) even more surprising.

"No, that doesn't really mean much," said a dejected Kaufmann after the bout. "He threw a lot more punches, so it kind of makes sense that his percentage was lower. He's a busy fighter, really outworked me."

Jeannette was a portrait of modesty. "He's a tough kid," he said, motioning to Kaufmann. "He made me work hard for the victory and, I tell ya, I really didn't think that he had a hope in hell of getting up form that knockdown, but he did. He's just a real tough kid. He's gonna cause some trouble during the tournament, just wait and see."

"Your mentor Father Ciccone must be relieved," said ESPN's Dave Howard.

Jeannette laughed. "Oh, yeah. For sure, there he is in the first row." Jeannette waved to the man who has been a force of positive change in his life, Father Alfredo Ciccone, the priest at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Jeannette's hometown of North Bergen, New Jersey.

"But I don't want to get too excited about tonight," said Jeannette. "I mean, I know a win is so much better than a loss, but still ... have to keep it in perspective. Gotta move on and concentrate on the next fight. That's what Father Ciccone will tell me, and it's exactly what I plan to do."

For Jeannette (and the other members of group eleven in the W.C. tournament), that next fight will be on 27 February. Jeannette will clash with the 102nd seed in the tournament, Mike DeJohn of Syracuse, New York. DeJohn lost by unanimous decision tonight against the 22nd seed, Detroit's Johnny Summerlin.

"Just got to get back home, take a few days to recuperate, and then get right back into training," said Jeannette. "This tournament really is a marathon, and no one's gonna win it during the first five miles."

Like a number of others, Joe Jeannette has shown in his debut that he will be a force to be reckoned with as the World Championship tournament progresses...

[kenyan_cheena]

UNDERCARD ACTION
LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT FIGHT CARD

Opener

21 year-old Ohio native Amos Johnson (14th seed in the 1st Defense tournament) seemed to have put on a pretty dominant display against Australia's Bill Lang, outlanding him 140-87. But in the end, Johnson only took a slim majority decision, 58-56, 57-57, 58-57. Johnson thoroughly outboxed Lang in all but the 2nd and 5th rounds, and was quite puzzled by the closeness of the result. He didn't let it bother him too much, though, happy enough that he had won the fight.

Prelim 1

Florida's Oliver McCall has been in a bad mood since November, when he found out that he had not been selected to take part in the World Championship tournament. He saw his omission as a personal insult, and has said that his opponents during the 1st Defense tournament will be the ones to pay for the wrong done to him by the HBF. McCall is the #3 seed in the 1st Defense tournament and he entered the ring intent on finishing off his Boston-born opponent King Solomon early. McCall got more than he bargained for, though. He struggled in the opening round, but then came out firing in the 2nd, knocking Solomon through the ropes but failing to follow up. The 3rd and 4th rounds were even and action-packed, and McCall found himself shaking his head in frustration as he returned to his corner after round four. It only got worse in the 5th, with the Massachusetts man peppering McCall with a series of precise combinations. Going into the final round McCall had a two point lead on two cards, with the third scoring it a draw. The man from Fort Lauderdale came out with bad intentions for the final round and produced perhaps the most impressive knockout seen so far in HBF competition. 1:08 into the round, a crippling right hand scrambled Solomon's senses and his knee almost touched the canvas. He staggered forward and into the path of a single, killer uppercut. Solomon fell forward to the canvas and was counted out at the 1:22 mark of the final round. McCall stalked around the ring, an intense anger showing in his eyes. I wouldn't want to be his next opponent, because Oliver McCall looks to be on a mission...

Prelim 2

18 year-old Californian Charles Horn seemed to be staring defeat in the face when he came out and crippled his New York opponent Billy Daniels with a single shot to the ribs 37 seconds into round five. Daniels could not get up and was counted out. It was a minor upset, with Horn the 70th seed and Daniels the 54th seed in the World Championship tournament.

Support Bout

In a more obvious upset (acording to the seedings) than the previous bout between Horn and Daniels, #86 seed Ron Stander of Nebraska put up a really gutsy effort to take a unanimous decision (58-57 on all three cards) against the #38 seed, Clarence Henry of Los Angeles. In an entertaining, hard-fought battle, the two combatants combined to throw 702 punches. Without a doubt, during the October auditions, Henry was held in some regard. He is a strong young man, but Ron Stander really showed the value of determination and heart in this excellent bout.

Co-Feature

#22 seed Johnny Summerlin (28 years old, from Detroit) simply beat up his overmatched opponent, #102 seed Mike DeJohn of Syracuse, New York. Summerlin landed almost three times as many punches as DeJohn (185 to 64) and knocked him down on three occasions (once in the first, twice in the fourth) before taking a dominant unanimous decision, 59-52 (twice), 58-53. Summerlin showed some impressive skills, including a right cross that tormented DeJohn throughout the fight. It will be one helluva fight when Summerlin and Jeannette climb in the ring in a few months time.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY 2002
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO, LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
2(14) Amos Johnson MD6 7(54) Bill Lang

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
1(3) Oliver McCall KO6 8(62) King Solomon

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eleven
5(70) Charles Horn KO5 4(54) Billy Daniels

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eleven
6(86) Ron Stander UD6 3(38) Clarence Henry

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eleven
2(22) Johnny Summerlin UD6 7(102) Mike DeJohn

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eleven
1(11) Joe Jeannette UD6 8(118) Al Kaufmann

[kenyan_cheena]

TERRELL TORMENTS MONROE IN ITALY

Friday 25 January 2002

Mississippi-born Ernie Terrell made his professional debut today, scoring a comprehensive (if unexciting) unanimous decision victory over the hopelessly-out-of-his-league Marty Monroe of Los Angeles.

18 year-old Terrell, the 14th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament, treated the crowd at Lombardia's Casino Di Campione to a boxing clinic, outpunching his opponent by a ratio of almost 3 to 1 (233-81).

The 6'6" Terrell has been one of a number of top seeded fighters in the tournament to have "slipped under the radar", having received very little media attention in his hometown of Chicago in the lead up to today's bout. It could be because, admittedly, Terrell's is not one of the more dynamic, extroverted personalities in the HBF. It might also be because he does not possess knockout power. Terrell is a boxer through and through. He spent much of the fight with his left jab in Monroe's face, leading to the Californian suffering major swelling around the right eye, which was almost entirely closed up by the end of the bout. A perfectly thrown left hook in the fifth round also opened a nasty cut under Monroe's right eye.

Terrell took the decision 59-55 (twice), 58-56, leaving many at ringside wondering how on earth one of the judges had seen fit to award Monroe with two rounds.

Based on his debut performance, there is little doubt that Terrell has a great chance of qualifying for the second stage of the Championship tournament. But there is also a chance that he might become invisible. The HBF found it quite difficult to promote the Italian card, partly because of Terrell's reluctance in front of the media. He really is a painfully shy young man. It is likely that there will be fighters with much less talent than Terrell who will be held in higher regard because of their willingness to sell themselves. Time will only tell us whether Ernie Terrell will learn to come out of his shell.

UNDERCARD

* In the Opening Bout, New York's John Lester Johnson survived an early knockdown to take a unanimous decision victory over Philadelphia's Curtis Sheppard. It was a 1st Defense tournament bout, a battle of 21 year-olds in which Johnson (35th seed) rallied from tasting the canvas one minute into the bout to dominate the next three rounds. Sheppard (the 27th seed) was able to take the fifth, leaving the fight tied on all three cards going into the final round. Johnson finished well, with Sheppard tiring, leading to a close verdict for Johnson, 57-56 (twice), 58-57.

* Charley Mitchell of Birmingham, England, scored an upset victory over Joe Choynski of San Francisco, winning by majority decision. Mitchell is the 43rd seed in the 1st Defense tournament, but was able to overcome the tough 19th seeded Californian 59-56, 57-57, 58-57, landing 136 punches to 119.

* The first World Championship tournament bout of the night continued the pattern of upsets (even if minor), with the 67th seed Amos Lincoln of Portland, Oregon winning by unanimous decision over Chicago's King Levinsky (51st seed). Lincoln was ahead on two cards going into the sixth, but left the verdict in no doubt when he floored Levinsky twice in the final round to take a comfortable decision, 59-55, 57-55, 59-53.

* Yet another upset, with the 83rd seed in the World Championship tournament, Baltimore's Bert Whitehurst taking a unanimous decision victory over the 35th seed, Phil Muscato of Buffalo. All three judges scored the fight identically, giving the verdict to Whitehurst 59-56. Muscato had a big fourth round, but struggled for the majority of the bout.

* In the Co-Feature, 19th seed Jimmy Ellis of Louisville, Kentucky became the first favourite of the night to win, defeating Argentina's Luis Firpo by unanimous decision, 58-54, 57-55 (twice). After a slow start, Ellis sent the Argentine to the canvas on two occasions, both in the third round. 21 year-old Ellis is being considered as a dark horse for the Championship. He has a terribly effective jab, and was able to bemuse Firpo with a range of different combinations. Of course, he should not be confused with 25 year-old James Ellis of Boise, Idaho, who was TKO'ed by Australia's Peter Jackson in Sydney this past Monday.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 25 JANUARY 2002
CASINO DI CAMPIONE, LECCO, LOMBARDIA, ITALY


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
5(35) John Lester Johnson UD6 4(27) Curtis Sheppard

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
6(43) Charley Mitchell MD6 3(19) Joe Choynski

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
5(67) Amos Lincoln UD6 4(51) King Levinsky

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
6(83) Bert Whitehurst UD6 3(35) Phil Muscato

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
2(19) Jimmy Ellis UD6 7(99) Luis Firpo

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fourteen
1(14) Ernie Terrell UD6 8(115) Marty Monroe

[kenyan_cheena]

TENSION REIGNS AT BUFFALO WEIGH-IN

Friday 25 January 2002

The Heavyweight Boxing Federation almost experienced their second pre-fight brawl this afternoon. A single comment by 20 year-old Englishman Joe Beckett (the 126th seed in the World Championship tournament) was all it took to draw the ire of one of the minders of his opponent in tomorrow night's fight card, #3 seed Jack Johnson of Texas.

More than a few people have said during the past weeks that the highly-regarded Johnson has spent too much time partying and "being seen" and not enough time in serious training. They've said that he seems to think that all he has to do is turn up against Joe Beckett and he'll win. This belief seemed to have some credence at the weigh-in when the 6'1" Johnson did not appear as trim and fit as he had during the October auditions. Not that he looked unprepared, but he did weigh in a full fifteen pounds heavier than he was back in October. Beckett, on the other hand, appeared as if he had trained his heart out. The 5'9" Englishman was an impressive looking 197 pound ball of muscle and determination. He showed a stern, serious countenance, while Johnson was more concerned with joking with his considerable entourage and playing up for the cameras.

When the two men came together to exchange handshakes, Beckett allegedly made a derogatory comment about Johnson's waistline, in a joking manner, which one of the larger members of Johnson's entourage overheard. Within moments, the man was in Beckett's face, all 6'4" of him staring down the much shorter Englishmen and letting go with a stream of expletives. For his part, Beckett looked to have given as good as he got. The two men were separated a few seconds later and a stand-off ensued between Beckett's five-man team and Johnson's much larger one. It was Johnson himself who acted as a peacemaker, appeasing his steamed associate and offering another handshake to Beckett. That signalled the end of the incident.

"He's a determined dude," Johnson later said. "But, you know, he really thinks he can beat me. That's good for him, and good for me. Be a bit of a challenge. I think the only way he can even challenge me is if he's at his absolute best."

Johnson was asked about the extra weight he had put on since the auditions.

"Ain't a problem," he said. "I mean, I'm undersized compared to some of the other guys in the tournament anyway, so a bit of extra bulk ain't gonna hurt me. I'm ready, no doubt. "

Beckett is thinking only positive thoughts. "I'm not even contemplating losing," he said. "If I step into that ring with a single shred of doubt, I'll fail. I have to believe that I can do this."

And he has a large number of supporters. Many local Buffalo residents were present at the weigh-in, which was held within the same building that will stage the fight card, the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. These locals have taken a shine to Beckett, as he has been living and training in the city for quite some time.

A superstar touted as a future Champion, and a scrapper full of self-belief who only just scraped into the tournament?

Should be an interesting night...

[kenyan_cheena]

HBF'S CONQUEST OF JAPAN MOVES INTO HIGHER GEAR

Saturday 26 January 2002

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA

Speaking shortly before the commencement of the HBF's Buffalo fight card, HBF President Michael Vincennes revealed his excitement at the federation's impending fight cards, including a back-to-back assault on the Japanese market in early February.

"We're really onto a good thing with the Japanese market," Vincennes said. "Obviously, the Yokohama card during our first week was just a phenomenal success. We'd be crazy not to follow it up."

And that's exactly what the HBF will be doing. And the city of Osaka will benefit, with two fight cards being staged there within a five day period.

"Firstly, we'll be having the debut of the South-East Asian Boxing League on Thursday the 7th of February at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium," said Vincennes. "That card will be headlined by Florida's Terone Haynes. This guy, he's just going to be a superstar, I guarantee you. Some people might only know him as Elmer Ray's cousin, but it won't take long before he'll be recognised on his own merits. The buzz that we're getting out of Japan over Terone's debut is incredible. There are twenty metre billboards all over Osaka adorned by his image. They are really looking forward to seeing his debut."

"Then, on Monday the 11th, the Osaka Dome will be hosting the first fight card of week five," Vincennes continued. "It will feature Group Eight of the World Championship tournament and some of the members of Group One of the 1st Defense tournament, all of whom will be taking part in their second bouts."

Vincennes also reiterated his anticipation over next week's quartet of fight cards. "It's hard to believe that by this time next week, we will have almost finished an entire cycle of bouts in the WC and 1D tournaments," Vincennes said. "Next week will have a distinct European feel to it, with France and Germany both hosting cards. But what I'm really looking forward to, as are many others, is next Saturday night down in Miami. This fella Sonny Liston, he's simply a monster of a man. The way he performed in the auditions ... just awesome. I think we'll see something special next Saturday."

Vincennes then excused himself and entered the HSBC Arena, taking up his seat at ringside, ready for a night of entertainment and excitement...