The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 21 JUNE 2002
RADAMNERN STADIUM, BANGKOK, THAILAND


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
8(63) Jack Roper SD6 6(47) Wim Snoek

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
7(55) Kevin Isaac UD6 5(39) Chuck Wepner

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
6(82) Tony Alongi UD6 8(114) Arthur Pelkey

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
5(66) Gary Mason MD6 7(98) Alonzo Johnson

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
2(18) Oscar Bonavena UD6 4(50) Ted Lowry

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Fifteen
1(15) Jack Sharkey D6 3(34) Bruce Seldon

[Romdawg88]

At this point I'm rooting for Jack Sharkey to not advance just for the greatness of a number 1 seed not making it to the second round. I want Mason and Alongi to move on can you imagine a 5th and 6th seed going on to the second round that would be great.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

At this point I'm rooting for Jack Sharkey to not advance just for the greatness of a number 1 seed not making it to the second round. I want Mason and Alongi to move on can you imagine a 5th and 6th seed going on to the second round that would be great.

I'd like to see that too, although realistically I think only one of them (Mason most likely) will make it. If Mason beats Alongi and Bonavena beats Sharkey it won't matter what happens in series seven because M and B will have secured top two finishes.

[kenyan_cheena]

QUIET WEEK AT HBF AUDITIONS

Saturday 22 June 2002

In stark contrast to the situation in the International Boxing League, this past week's Heavyweight Boxing Federation auditions have been, with a handful of exceptions, less than fruitful.

* At Detroit's Van Andel Arena, a hard hitting 20 year-old local named Dre Linton has emerged as the pick of a limited bunch. Linton is an unusual individual, well-spoken but with a disturbing side to his personality that has been on display during audition bouts and also while interacting with others.

"Weird kid, that one," said HBF scout Mal Jackson. "Don't know if he's carrying a full pack, if you know what I mean. Still, he's got a right hand like a mule kick and once he lands it, people will take notice."

25 year-old Deutron Shelby hails from Cleveland and is a fighter in a similar mold to Linton. Though not as strong as the Detroit native, Shelby turned up to the auditions in excellent shape and wasn't shy about letting everyone know it. Shelby has an ego that would give both Riddick Bowe and Jack Johnson a run for their money and it will be interesting to see what kind of outlandish statements he comes up with in the future.

"We couldn't believe some of the stuff that was coming out of that guy's mouth," said Jackson. "Some of the most ridiculous statements you'd ever hear. How he was going to wipe the floor with Sonny Liston some day, about how he fears no one in the HBF, how no one can compare to him. He didn't mind letting us know how he's faired with the ladies, either. He's quite a character, but it's not all talk. The fella can fight and I think he'll pose quite a challenge."

* Further south at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Texas, the older brother of future IBL Middleweight competitor Terry Norris has earned himself a place in the federation's qualifying league with an enthusiastic, hard-working audition. 21 year-old Orlin Norris has shown toughness, ring smarts and reasonable punching power and was ecstatic when told the news that the HBF would be offering him a contract. Norris's brother came to the audition with him and has given Orlin a lot of encouragement along the way.

"My brother kinda pushed me into it," said Norris. "But I'm glad he did. I want to make something of my life and I feel that boxing is an avenue that can help me with that."

Weighing just 183 pounds, Norris has already intimated that he'll most likely make himself available for the federation's Junior-Heavyweight division when it comes into being in 2004.

"I can't see myself getting up over 190," he said. "I'm fitter than I've ever been right now and this is how I want to stay. I'm looking forward to the challenge of competing as a Heavyweight, but I'm pretty certain I'll be spending most of my career at Junior."

Arkansas native John Tate has impressed HBF scouts with his punching power and aggressiveness and has also been offered a spot in the qualifying league.

* Mauritanian-born Taoufik Belbouli has been the pick of the auditions at the Palais Des Sports in Cannes, France. The 28 year-old possesses impressive knockout power, toughness and aggression, qualities that will certainly be of benefit during the qualifying league tournament.

THE STRIBLINGS EXPLAIN THEMSELVES

Some five days since their uncharacteristic behaviour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles the parents of Young Stribling have finally broken their silence, with William Stribling divulging the reasons behind their actions during an interview on a Macon radio station.

"We've always taught our son to turn the other cheek," said Mr. Stribling. "I know that might sound strange seeing as he's a boxer, but I'm talking about real life situations, here. We've taught him not to react to the antagonisms of others, that if he does he's only giving his antagoniser more ammunition and has, in effect, giving his antagoniser exactly what he wants."

Stribling paused briefly before continuing.

"This is a message we've drilled into Young since he was only four years old. He knows it, but on Monday he forgot it. He reacted to words that Roland LaStarza said to him in a way that is completely contrary to what we've taught him. It's true that Mr. LaStarza's words concerned my wife and I, but that is no excuse. We were unhappy with Young's behaviour but to make matters worse, he allowed what happened in that hallway to detract from his performance when he stepped in the ring. My wife and I tried our hardest to get him to focus but he refused to listen to us. Everyone saw my wife Lucilla slap Young during the break between the fourth and fifth rounds. That was an expression of her frustration in Young's performance and his refusal to focus and follow our instructions. I don't think she needs to apologise for that. Young knows he deserved it and as far as we're concerned that's where the issue dies. As for our departing the ring after the verdict, that was our way of punishing Young for his behaviour on the night. Some people have read it as our family being "bad sports" or "poor losers". That could not be further from the truth. We know that our son was beaten by a better fighter on that night. Now, if the fight had taken place on another night, under different circumstances, the result would have likely been different. That is our belief and if that offends people, I'm sorry. But that is our belief. We aren't going to apologise for disciplining our son."

Mr. Stribling was not asked any follow-up questions by the interviewer, hardly surprising considering the reputation the family holds in the city. But it must be said that as far as HBF and the rest of the nation is concerned, William Stribling's statement creates more questions than it answers...

[Jeff1787]

Good reading...poor Young, he needs a new manager!! Or maybe he is just a mama's boy!!!!!!!

[Romdawg88]

Well, Papa Stribling is right about one thing Bruno was better on that night but if Frank and Young were matched up repeatedly Stribling would take it more times then not. Of course the only thing that matters is that one night.

So two more OOTP members appear. Dre Linton and Deutron Shelby look like they should be quite interesting to follow. Linton seems like he should be one of the more unique members of the HBF.

[kenyan_cheena]

LISTON TAKEN THE DISTANCE
ON EXPLOSIVE CAROLINA CARD

Saturday 22 June 2002

Fighting in the main event of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's debut Carolina fight card, World Championship tournament #2 seed Sonny Liston has been taken the distance for the first time in his career. A resolute Charley Retzlaff took the big Missouri native's best shots and stayed on his feet before losing by unanimous decision (59-56 on all three cards).

With HBF President Michael Vincennes watching from ringside, Liston found more of a test from his Minnesota-born opponent than in any of his first four bouts. Retzlaff brought a 3-1 record into the contest, meaning that an upset victory would have elevated him into 1st place in the Group Two standings. He started the fight shooting for exactly that, taking the opening round with aggression and volume. Although he didn't appear to hurt Liston, he landed more shots in the round than any of Liston's previous opponents. The picks of the bunch were a flush right hand just seventeen seconds in, a jolting uppercut at the two minute mark and a left hook that backed Liston up thirty seconds from the bell. Retzlaff was very physical with the #2 seed, being warned midway through the round for using his elbows and more or less shoving Liston into the ropes late in the piece. The Missouri Monster simply nodded at Retzlaff as he returned to his corner.

As round two progressed, it became clear that Liston had used the opener simply to get an idea of Retzlaff's abilities. He had measured up his opponent and found little to fear and in the second round he fired back, hurting Retzlaff with clubbing shots to the body and head, tagging him with a three punch combination that wobbled the 47th seed. To his credit, Retzlaff did have some success in the final minute, catching Liston with a pair of right hands, the second coming seconds from the bell.

Liston stepped up his workrate in the third and fourth, controlling both rounds and coming close to finishing Retzlaff off in the fourth. Liston was landing some atomic-like blows but Retzlaff refused to go down. Though clearly tiring, he stood right in front of Liston and absorbed damage that would no doubt have been too much for some of the federation's premier fighters. As he made his way back to his corner after the fourth, Liston shook his head in admiration of Retzlaff's fighting spirit. Chatting with his trainer Willie Reddish during the intermission, Liston was heard to say "tough SOB", smiling at the prospect of the challenge in front of him.

Retzlaff showed even more of that toughness in round five as he stood toe-to-toe with Liston and exchanged bombs to the audience's delight. A big uppercut forty seconds in snapped Liston's head back and a crisp three punch combination later in the round appeared to genuinely put Liston off balance. Both men were breathing hard as the final seconds of the round ticked away, although Liston's strong finish led to each judge scoring it 10-10. The #2 seed would seal his fifth victory with a convincing final round, Retzlaff's resolve wearing thin. With the sound of the final bell, the crowd came to their feet to applaud both the victor and his brave opponent, Liston embracing Retzlaff and congratulating him on a great showing.

"It was nice to be in with someone who wouldn't back down," said Liston. "Guys I was up against before now seemed kinda intimidated but Charley really took the fight up to me. Even after he looked ready to go he kept fighting and I really admire that."

Liston landed exactly half of his punches (158/316) while Retzlaff was successful with 81 of 190 (42.6%). Almost half of those punches were thrown and landed in rounds one and five, Retzlaff's two best stanzas of the bout.

With Liston's stoppage streak coming to a halt at four, there are now no fighters left in the federation with a perfect record and a 100% knockout rate. Liston, Marciano and the South-East Asian Boxing League's Rex Layne were the only three fighters holding that distinction coming into this series, but Marciano went the distance against Stan Ward on May 29 and Layne was defeated by Tom Heeney a week before that...

(Coming up: The Carolina Undercard)

[kenyan_cheena]

The Carolina Undercard

OPENING BOUT

In a less than inspiring start to the night, the 1st Defense tournament's #15 seed Marvin Hart fell to his first professional defeat, losing by majority decision against Ireland's Peter Maher (58-56, 57-57, 58-56).

It was a heated contest, with each fighter losing their cool on more than one occasion due to some below the belt tactics. It wasn't the most appealing spectacle for those watching at ringside, with Hart appearing to have the better of the first three rounds before Maher finished strongly.

The very nature of the fight made it a difficult one to score, with each judge's card showing a deal of difference, especially in the final three rounds. Kentucky native Hart will no doubt reflect on this bout as one he let slip away, as he looked to have it under control going into the fourth.

Hart falls to 3-1-1 while Maher improves to 3-2.

PRELIMINARY 1

Argentina's Alejandro Lavorante scored his first tournament victory with a 59-55, 60-54, 59-55 unanimous decision against New York's Nick Barone. Both men were coming off good performances, with Barone having upset Charley Retzlaff and Lavorante holding Michael Dokes to a draw.

Barone was a willing opponent, but for the main just wasn't quite good enough. He held his own in rounds one and four and traded some heavy leather with Lavorante in the final stanza, but the Argentinian was always in control and dropped Barone midway through round three with a shot to the ribs.

PRELIMINARY 2

Another bout between Group Two's bottom dwellers, with 79th seed Harold Carter keeping Chicago's Phil Scott winless with a unanimous decision victory (58-56 on all three cards).

Scott made a promising start but it didn't take long for Carter to take control of the contest. He swept the middle four rounds on two judge's cards, the win improving his record to 2-3.

The New Jersey native scored a shock 1st round TKO of Michael Dokes ten weeks ago before being stopped by Liston on cuts in the 4th last month. Today's bout was a welcome change of pace and if he can win his final two contests, he should find a place in the upcoming Continental Americas tournament.

SUPPORT BOUT

The World Championship campaign of Michael Dokes met some major obstacles during the last couple of months. He was blown away in the opening round by Harold Carter back in April and held to a draw by Alejandro Lavorante last month. In against the 4-0 Lou Nova tonight, Dokes needed a win to get back on track, and boy did he get it.

Looking sharp in round one, Dokes dropped his Oakland-born opponent to the canvas with a stinging shot the ribs just 24 seconds into round two. Clearly distressed, Nova was unable to make it back to his feet and was counted out at the 0:36 mark.

Dokes pumped his fist in the air and pounded his chest, excited by the nature and brevity of his victory.

"I needed this win to give myself any chance," said the World Championship tournament's 31st seed. "If I'd lost that would o' been it: I'd have had no chance of progressing no matter what I did in the final two bouts. Now I just have to get myself ready for Sonny."

The Ohio native was asked if he felt he had a realistic chance of defeating the Missouri Monster.

"I know one thing," he replied. "I can't beat him if I don't believe in myself. I have to stay in a positive mindset, train my ass off and give it all I've got."

Dokes improves to 3-1-1(2) but still sits behind Nova (4-1(1)) in the group standings.

CO-FEATURE

In one of the bigger upsets seen in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation to date, 1st Defense tournament #2 seed James Jeffries crashed to his first defeat, losing a unanimous decision verdict against Welshman Johnny Williams (59-56, 58-57, 59-56).

Of all the #1 seeds in both the WC and 1D tournaments, Jeffries seemed to be amongst the least likely to suffer such a fate during stage one. The San Francisco native had been in dominating form through his first four bouts, culminating in a two round destruction of Chuck Wepner five weeks ago. Take into account the fact that Willaims had lost a unanimous decision to the previously winless Jack Roper in his last bout, and an upset seemed even less likely.

But the Welshman took the fight up to Jeffries from the opening round, making his intentions known with a jarring right hook just 32 seconds in. Jeffries had the upper hand for most of the round but Williams connected with some effective shots during the last minute.

Jeffries showed some of the form we've come to expect of him in round two, pressing his Welsh opponent and scoring with powerful lefts and rights. Williams did very little before landing a flush straight right late in the piece, but Jeffries hurt him with a right hook to the forehead just seconds from the bell.

The third round was close to a non-event, with the highlight being a big left hook that had Jeffries' head snapping around on its shoulders, Williams producing a late flurry that led to each judge scoring it a 10-10 round.

The fight would turn in the Briton's favour in round four as he became the first man to send Jeffries to the canvas. The Californian had landed a hard right cross moments into the round, the punch appearing to stun Williams. But he regrouped and at the 37 second mark caught the #2 seed with a perfect right cross. The shot landed flush on Jeffries jaw and he slumped to the canvas. Looking up at the referee in stunned amazement, Jeffries lurched to his feet at the count of five. Allowed to continue, he weathered a Welsh storm for the remainder of the round, trying to stay at a distance while letting his head clear. Jeffries was almost down fora second time when Williams dropped a right hand on him near the two minute mark. The action had the crowd in a frenzy, the majority of them on their feet and cheering the Welshman on.

Jeffries' cornermen did their best to bring him back to reality during the intermission, splashing water in his face and even slapping him a few times. Their man was in a contest for the first time in his professional career and, to put it plainly, he was losing. ESPN's ringside cameras picked up one of Jeffries cornermen say "All those words you been goin' on with gonna look pretty foolish if you can't pull this one out, Jimmy" as he applied vaseline to swelling under the Californian's right eye.

Digging deep, Jeffries struck back in the fifth, taking the initiative with renewed aggression. Williams looked to be tiring and when Jeffries rocked his man with a spearing right cross and then a crushing uppercut moments later, victory appeared to be in sight. But Williams showed that he had equal reserves of intestinal fortitude, stopping Jeffries in his tracks with a left hook as the round drew to a close. Jeffries' left knee almost touched the canvas and Williams fired away, a left jab/straight right combo followed by a left hook and then, as the bell was sounding, a crushing right hook that had Jeffries on the ropes and in gaga land. He stumbled back to his corner, the audience applauding what was the round of the fight. So effective was Williams' late round rally, each judge scored the round 10-10, the second round in the fight where his late efforts had saved him a point.

Jeffries looked exhausted as he sat on his stool, his cornermen seemingly resigned to the fact that he was just three minutes from defeat. They worked on him silently and as the final round progressed, it was clear that he had nothing left to give or, at least, that he didn't believe he could win. Williams took the round convincingly, his rally at the end of the fifth spurring him on to finish the bout brilliantly. He peppered Jeffries with the jab, keeping him off balance and out of range and building up points.

The combatants embraced briefly when the bell sounded but Williams was quick to strart his celebrations, letting out a delighted shout much to the appreciation of the audience. They greeted the verdict with thunderous applause, Williams' cornermen parading him around on their shoulders like he'd just been crowned World Champion.

Punch totals

Williams: 156/386 (40.4%)
Jeffries: 120/323 (37.2%)

"You know, the guy is a really talented fighter," said Williams. "That's been clear to see from what he did to his other opponents. But he's been running his mouth off, complaining that he wasn't getting any respect ... I was getting sick of hearing it, to tell you the truth. He hadn't really been tested in his other fights and I knew I could do that. I had a bad night against Roper, but I really felt confident about this one. I tested the guy and look what happened?"

Indeed, Jeffries had been quite vocal about the media's love affair with the 1st Defense tournament's unassuming #1 seed Rocky Marciano. Tonight, he failed in backing up his words, something that will certainly bring him some embarassment in the coming days.

Despite the loss, he's still in 1st place in the Group Two standings of the 1st Defense tournament. Marvin Hart would have found himself sitting there with a win in the evening's opener, making his loss to Peter Maher even more costly...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 22 JUNE 2002
LAWRENCE JOEL COLISEUM, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
4(31) Peter Maher MD6 2(15) Marvin Hart

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
6(95) Alejandro Lavorante UD6 8(127) Nick Barone

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
5(79) Harold Carter UD6 7(111) Phil Scott

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
2(31) Michael Dokes KO2 4(63) Lou Nova

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
3(23) Johnny Williams UD6 1(2) James Jeffries

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Two
1(2) Sonny Liston UD6 3(47) Charley Retzlaff

[kenyan_cheena]

Okay, now that the fifth series of the World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments is complete, here's a little bit of hypothetical for everyone.

Based on the current standings, this is how the stage two groups would look in the WC tournament. Don't forget, there's still two series of bouts remaining in stage one, so these are bound to change. But I thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse of what the future of the tournament might look like.

Figure in bracket is the fighter's original tournament seeding. 32 fighters qualify for stage two (top two in each group), so those seedings give you an idea of the guys who will have overachieved in getting this far. The group winners are seeded one to four with second placed fighters seeded five to eight.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - STAGE TWO

GROUP ONE

1(1) Gene Tunney 5-0-0(2)
2(8) Sam McVey 5-0-0(1)
3(13) Ken Norton 4-0-1(2)
4(21) Ray Mercer 4-0-1(1)

5(17) Floyd Patterson 4-1-0
6(45) Harry Thomas 4-1-0
7(60) Hein Ten-Hoff 4-1-0(2)
8(24) Tom Sharkey 3-0-2(2)

Matchups for Stage Two, Series One would be:

1(1) Gene Tunney vs 8(24) Tom Sharkey
2(8) Sam McVey vs 7(60) Hein Ten-Hoff
3(13) Ken Norton vs 6(45) Harry Thomas
4(21) Ray Mercer vs 5(17) Floyd Patterson

GROUP TWO

1(2) Sonny Liston 5-0-0(4)
2(11) Joe Jeannette 5-0-0(2)
3(14) Ernie Terrell 5-0-0
4(58) Earl Walls 4-0-1

5(27) Jack Gardner 5-0-0
6(39) Steve Hamas 5-0-0
7(3) Jack Johnson 4-1-0(2)
8(18) Oscar Bonavena 4-1-0

Matchups for Stage Two, Series One would be:

1(2) Sonny Liston vs 8(18) Oscar Bonavena
2(11) Joe Jeannette vs 7(3) Jack Johnson
3(14) Ernie Terrell vs 6(39) Steve Hamas
4(58) Earl Walls vs 5(27) Jack Gardner

GROUP THREE

1(6) Peter Jackson 5-0-0(1)
2(23) Frank Moran 5-0-0(1)
3(30) Cleveland Williams 4-0-1(1)
4(66) Gary Mason 4-1-0(1)

5(19) Jimmy Ellis 5-0-0(1)
6(7) Young Stribling 4-1-0
7(22) Johnny Summerlin 4-1-0
8(63) Lou Nova 4-1-0(1)

Matchups for Stage Two, Series One would be:

1(6) Peter Jackson vs 8(63) Lou Nova
2(23) Frank Moran vs 7(22) Johnny Summerlin
3(30) Cleveland Williams vs 6(7) Young Stribling
4(66) Gary Mason vs 5(19) Jimmy Ellis

GROUP FOUR

1(4) Larry Holmes 5-0-0(1)
2(5) Riddick Bowe 5-0-0(3)
3(9) Sam Langford 5-0-0(1)
4(16) Jimmy Young 4-0-1

5(32) Earnie Shavers 5-0-0(4)
6(12) George Chuvalo 4-1-0
7(25) Tony Tucker 4-1-0(1)
8(20) Donovan Ruddock 3-0-2(1)

Matchups for Stage Two, Series One would be:

1(4) Larry Holmes vs 8(20) Donovan Ruddock
2(5) Riddick Bowe vs 7(25) Tony Tucker
3(9) Sam Langford vs 6(12) George Chuvalo
4(16) Jimmy Young vs 5(32) Earnie Shavers

[Romdawg88]

Group 4 is nasty from top to bottom, I think it's the toughest easily.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Group 4 is nasty from top to bottom, I think it's the toughest easily.

Yep, I'm thinking some of those guys will be hoping for some upsets in the last two series. That could make it a little less threatening.

Also, I've come up with a way of starting the Qualifying League a bit earlier than I expected. It should commence in about eight weeks of universe time.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yep, I'm thinking some of those guys will be hoping for some upsets in the last two series. That could make it a little less threatening.

Also, I've come up with a way of starting the Qualifying League a bit earlier than I expected. It should commence in about eight weeks of universe time.

Sweet, only 8 weeks so it should be starting in 2009 give or take cool.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Sweet, only 8 weeks so it should be starting in 2009 give or take cool.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

So are you going to fill us in on how you'll be starting the leagues early.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

So are you going to fill us in on how you'll be starting the leagues early.

* The QL will be made up of the 36 fighters that attend the HBF's auditions, which are set to finish at the end of June (universe time) plus another 60 selected from the feeder leagues, a total of 96.

* There's 96 fighters in the FLs themselves and once their fifth series of bouts concludes in four weeks of universe time, 64 of them will be available to be placed in the QL. I'll select 36 of those 64 and add them to the 36 from the auditions, which makes 72. I'll divide them into 12 groups of 6 and run the first series of bouts four weeks after the fifth series of the FLs finishes.

* In addition, there's 32 fighters from the FLs who will be taking part in the FL tournament semi-finals. The eight FL champions will be placed in the upcoming World Ranking tournament and the other 24 will be added to the 12 groups in the QL. So those 24 will be a fight or two behind schedule in the QL tourney, but that can easily be rectified by matching them up against each other for their opening QL tourney bouts.

Hope that made sense.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

* The QL will be made up of the 36 fighters that attend the HBF's auditions, which are set to finish at the end of June (universe time) plus another 60 selected from the feeder leagues, a total of 96.

* There's 96 fighters in the FLs themselves and once their fifth series of bouts concludes in four weeks of universe time, 64 of them will be available to be placed in the QL. I'll select 36 of those 64 and add them to the 36 from the auditions, which makes 72. I'll divide them into 12 groups of 6 and run the first series of bouts four weeks after the fifth series of the FLs finishes.

* In addition, there's 32 fighters from the FLs who will be taking part in the FL tournament semi-finals. The eight FL champions will be placed in the upcoming World Ranking tournament and the other 24 will be added to the 12 groups in the QL. So those 24 will be a fight or two behind schedule in the QL tourney, but that can easily be rectified by matching them up against each other for their opening QL tourney bouts.

Hope that made sense.

Yeah, I think that makes sense. I have a favor to ask of you, I would like to be on the opening QL card.