The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[Romdawg88]

Who does Tommy face off against in his last two fights. Ha, the first seeds of the groups are all 1 or 2 seeds and then there is Tommy at 30 thats great. If he stays there I don't like his chances against Ron Lyle, he might be better off to lose and drop a spot or two and get an easier opponent.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Who does Tommy face off against in his last two fights. Ha, the first seeds of the groups are all 1 or 2 seeds and then there is Tommy at 30 thats great. If he stays there I don't like his chances against Ron Lyle, he might be better off to lose and drop a spot or two and get an easier opponent.

Tommy fights 22nd seed Ibar Arrington (3-2) next and then finishes up with the big one against McCall. The winner of that will more than likely top the group.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Tommy fights 22nd seed Ibar Arrington (3-2) next and then finishes up with the big one against McCall. The winner of that will more than likely top the group.

He should probably beat Ibar but it's Morrison so you never know. However, McCall is going to beat tough for Tommy, McCall can handle what Tommy can dish out but I don't think Tommy can take what McCall has. I'm taking McCall in that one due to chin.

[kenyan_cheena]

VINCENNES NOT SURPRISED BY
1ST SEED'S STRUGGLES

Sunday 23 June 2002

Speaking during ESPN's telecast of last night's Winston-Salem HBF fight card, federation president Michael Vincennes said that he wasn't really surprised by the results in bouts involving World Championship tournament top seeds Young Stribling, Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey earlier in the week.

"All you have to do is look at the records of their opponents and it's not so shocking," explained Vincennes. "Those were some quality guys they went up against and those types of results will be even more likely in series six."

Vincennes may have a point about the level of opposition that Stribling and co. faced, but looking at the performances of the #1 seeds during the previous three weeks paints a very different picture. They were a dominant force, with only Ken Norton's draw against Buster Mathis preventing them from being a perfect 12-0 during the period.

Combined records of #1 seeds in series five: 12-2-2(3)

1(8) Sam McVey TKO2 3(41) Zora Folley
1(9) Sam Langford UD6 3(40) Alex Stewart
1(16) Jimmy Young SD6 3(33) Elmer Ray
1(1) Gene Tunney TKO4 3(48) Larry Middleton

1(5) Riddick Bowe KO3 3(44) Otto Von Porat
1(12) George Chuvalo UD6 3(37) Al Jones
1(13) Ken Norton D6 3(36) Buster Mathis
1(4) Larry Holmes MD6 3(45) Harry Thomas

1(6) Peter Jackson UD6 3(43) Bruce Woodcock
1(11) Joe Jeannette MD6 3(38) Clarence Henry
1(14) Ernie Terrell SD6 3(35) Phil Muscato
1(3) Jack Johnson UD6 3(46) Renaldo Snipes

3(42) Frank Bruno SD6 1(7) Young Stribling
3(39) Steve Hamas UD6 1(10) Max Schmeling
1(15) Jack Sharkey D6 3(34) Bruce Seldon
1(2) Sonny Liston UD6 3(47) Charley Retzlaff

Combined records of #1 seeds after fifth series: 71-6-3(21)

The #2 seeds had their worst series of the tournament, also, with three of them losing (all on Mondays, strangely). Series six is due to commence in just over a week, the series that will finally match the #1 and #2 seeds against each other.

Combined records of #2 series in series five: 11-3-2(3)

4(57) Johnny Arthur UD6 2(25) Tony Tucker
2(24) Tom Sharkey UD6 4(56) Joe Baksi
2(17) Floyd Patterson UD6 4(49) Nathan Mann
2(32) Earnie Shavers TKO5 4(64) Karl Mildenberger

4(60) Hein Ten-Hoff UD6 2(28) Joe Bugner
2(21) Ray Mercer UD6 4(53) Tommy Gomez
2(20) Donovan Ruddock SD6 4(52) Gerald Griffith
2(29) Bill Brennan D6 4(61) Johnny Risko

2(27) Jack Gardner MD6 4(59) James Tillis
2(22) Johnny Summerlin MD6 4(54) Billy Daniels
2(19) Jimmy Ellis TKO4 4(51) King Levinsky
2(30) Cleveland Williams D6 4(62) Manuel Ramos

4(58) Earl Walls UD6 2(26) Roland LaStarza
2(23) Frank Moran MD6 4(55) Randall Cobb
2(18) Oscar Bonavena UD6 4(50) Ted Lowry
2(31) Michael Dokes KO2 4(63) Lou Nova

Combined records of #2 seeds after series five: 62-8-10(16)

"It's a tremendously exciting time for us," said Vincennes. "I remember the anticipation before the start of series five, but that will seriously pale in comparison to the build-up that will take place next week. This is what everyone's really been waiting to see. Our best fighters finally going at each other. I'm excited just thinking about it."

Just in the the first week of series six alone there will be potentially classic matchups between Sam McVey and Tony Tucker, Sam Langford and Tom Sharkey, Jimmy Young and Floyd Patterson and a fight where the blood is about as bad as it can get: Gene Tunney versus Earnie Shavers.

It all starts in eight days...

[kenyan_cheena]

Monday 24 June 2002

An entry in the Births, Deaths and Marriages notices section in this evening's edition of the Manassa Times:

***

WILLIAM HARRISON DEMPSEY

born to Hyrum and Celia Dempsey
at Conejos County Hospital

6 lb, 4 oz.

***

[kenyan_cheena]

Monday 24 June 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 24/06/2002 - SATURDAY 29/06/2002 INCLUSIVE

TUESDAY 25/06/02 - HSBC ARENA, BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA
THE U.S. ATLANTIC COAST BOXING LEAGUE

(10) BRUCE CRICKETT VS (11) RAY IMPELLETIERE
(9) DAN HODGE VS (12) SONNY BANKS
(4) ERNIE SCHAAF VS (5) TIM CARLISLE
(3) CLARENCE BURMAN VS (6) JOE ALEXANDER
(2) BOB PASTOR VS (7) JACK O'HALLORAN
(1) HARRY WILLS VS (8) RANDY BAEZ

THURSDAY 27/06/02 - YOKOHAMA ARENA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN
THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN BOXING LEAGUE

(10) OUPA MAOTO VS (11) UOLA MALAFO
(9) ROBERT ADO VS (12) THOMAS BIOBAKU
(4) FRED FULTON VS (5) KALOLO UMAGA
(3) REX LAYNE VS (6) JACK BECKERMAN
(2) TOM HEENEY VS (7) JIM CHANG KAI
(1) TERONE HAYNES VS (8) ALLAN HORACE

[kenyan_cheena]

HAYNES AND RAY STEP IN THE RING
AGAINST EACH OTHER IN JAPAN

Monday 24 June 2002

Boxing fans in Yokohama were today treated to the fascinating sight of cousins and Florida Alliance members Terone Haynes and Elmer Ray going head-to-head in a sparring session.

Both men are preparing for upcoming bouts, with Haynes set to tackle the Australian Allan Horace on Thursday night at the Yokohama Arena and Ray to face Connecticut's Nathan Mann in Australia eight days later. However, they've never before been seen sparring against each other in public and although it was by no means a heavy session, the allure of these two stars of the HBF trading punches drew a healthy crowd.

The cousins have been in Japan for close to a week now, helping to promote the upcoming fifth series fight card of the South-East Asian Boxing League, being held at the same venue where Ray made his professional debut back in January.

"That's where it all begin, y'all," he said, smiling. "'s where all the notoriety kick in, man. Feel like I grown up some even in the short time since, but it make me smile thinkin' on it."

The 17 year-old spoke of his cousin James Ray, who will be attending the International Boxing League's Miami selection trials at the American Airlines Arena, which start today.

"He jus' so hyped up 'bout it, y'all," said Elmer. "We both talk to Jimmy on Thursday, when they put the date back. He just jumpin' out o' his skin for it to start."

James Ray will be trialing as a Welterweight in Miami, with Elmer not afraid to say that he's probably the most talented of the three cousins.

"Jimmy's got a lot more polish," said Elmer. "He a more complete fighter, at leas' compared to me and T. We jus' can't wait to see him in action."

The upcoming bouts for Haynes and Ray are by no means must-win affairs. Haynes and his opponent have already secured passage to the tournament semi-finals and their bout will simply determine who goes in as the winner of their group. As for Ray, a defeat at the hands of Nathan Mann won't change the fact that he must overcome Floyd Patterson in series seven to progress to the second stage of the World Championship tournament. Even so, neither man is contemplating an easy night.

"Said it before, man," said Haynes. "My goal is to stay perfect as long as possible. I goin' out there to beat the dude, to destroy him. He has to be ready for that reality, y'all."

"Feel like if I can't take out Nathan, I don't deserve stage two," said Ray. "I got aspirations for the Championship but if I get beat by a dude with one win, where that leave me, y'all? I aimin' for 6-1, man. 6-1."

[kenyan_cheena]

TUCKER CONFIDENT OF OVERCOMING MCVEY

Tuesday 25 June 2002

Four weeks ago in Memphis, Tennessee, Grand Rapids native Tony Tucker suffered his first loss as a professional boxer. It was a bout that, with only seconds remaining in the fourth round, he was in clear control of. He had almost TKO'd his South African opponent Johnny Arthur in the third (with many observers claiming that the contest should have been stopped in Tucker's favour at that time) and maintained his dominance right up until the moment where Arthur sent him slumping to the canvas with a flush left hook as the bell sounded to end the fourth.

Arthur would go on to take an astonishing unanimous decision verdict after dropping Tucker for a second time late in the final round, a stunning victory against an opponent who had been heavily favoured to improve his record to a perfect 5-0.

The fact that a win would have sealed Tucker's passage to the second stage of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament made the nature of the defeat even more difficult and bitter to digest. Arthur kept his own chances alive and those of the tournament's 41st seed Zora Folley who, even though decimated by Sam McVey in the evening's main event some thirty minutes later, had not been eliminated from contention.

Tucker stewed over his disappointment for "about a week", as he puts it, before focusing his attention on the future and his vital 27 June matchup against Group Eight's top seed, the Californian Sam McVey. Tucker has trained vigorously for these past three weeks, pushing himself further than in any of his previous preparations.

"People are saying that Sam is expected to win," said Tucker. "They've been telling me that I've got nothing to lose, but that ain't true. I'm still in a position where my destiny is in my hands: I win this one and I'm through but if I lose, things get kinda shaky."

The 22 year-old has spent close to twenty hours studying video of his opponent's previous bouts and knows that he has a tough task ahead of him. McVey is one of the top five favourites to be crowned the federation's inaugural World Champion and in the opinion of many, his destruction of Folley set a new standard of excellence in the tournament.

"The brother has been impressive, no doubt about that," agreed Tucker. "He doesn't appear to have too many weaknesses, but the fact is that I've got a seven inch height and reach advantage. I feel that if I can use that to my advantage by outworking him and keeping him at a distance with my jab, I can beat the guy."

It can't be denied that the 6'5" Tucker will tower over his 5'10" opponent, but McVey has been one of the more aggressive, busy fighters in the HBF when in the ring. Tucker will have to establish control early if he wants to wear the Oxnard native out, which is what his "A" plan seems to be.

McVey will book his place in stage two of the World Championship tournament with a victory and while such a result won't spell the end of Tucker's hopes, it will make his bout against Folley in series seven a must-win.

"I'd like to avoid that," said Tucker. "Anyone would, so I'm looking to seize the opportunity now. I can't wait until Monday night."

[kenyan_cheena]

WILLS AND PASTOR BOTH UNDEFEATED
GOING INTO SEMI-FINALS

Tuesday 25 June 2002

The top two seeds in the HBF's Atlantic Coast Boxing League will take identical 4-0-1 records into the tournament semi-finals following victories at Buffalo's HSBC Arena this evening.

New Orleans native Harry Wills and New York's Bob Pastor (#1 and #2, respectively) remained on track for a showdown in the tournament final with Wills sending Randy Baez to the canvas midway through the opening round before more or less cruising the rest of the way for a 60-55, 59-56, 60-55 unanimous decision victory.

"Wasn't no logic in goin' all-out tonight," said Wills afterwards. "I already had top spot in the group after the last fight, so I was happy just doin' enough to win."

Wills may have only been, by his own conclusion, at "about 75%", but that didn't stop him from landing more than twice as many punches as his opponent (146 to 64). One must wonder what he would have produced if he had put in 100%.

#2 seed Pastor found a bit more resistance in his opposition, New Jersey's Jack O'Halloran giving him a good workout throughout their bout. Pastor was awarded a 58-56, 59-56, 58-57 unanimous decision verdict and wore the signs of a tough contest, sporting a cut under his left eye.

Unlike Wills, Pastor was in a position where a victory (or at least a draw) was needed to insure he finished on top of Group B. This was because his fellow New Yorker and #6 seed Joe Alexander had scored something of an upset victory in the evening's previous bout when he took a split decision victory over #3 seed Clarence Burman. In doing so, the undefeated Alexander secured a top two finish in the group and a semi-final spot.

In a dramatic, action-packed and somewhat controversial contest Alexander swept the last three rounds on two of the judge's cards to take a 58-56, 56-58, 58-56 verdict and improve his record to 3-0-2. His Baltimore-born opponent had held a 3-0 record back in April but lost to Pastor last month and saw his chances of winning the tournament disappear due to what he felt was a poor judging performance.

"I really can't see how they could give each of those last three rounds to him," said a dejected Burman. "To me, it felt like the fourth and fifth were pretty even, if anything I was better in the fourth. But I'll conceed that he was better in the final round."

A drawn result would have sent Burman into the tournament semi-finals with a 3-1-1 record, compared to what would have been 2-0-3 for Alexander. Burman will no doubt be given a birth in the HBF's Qualifying League, but that will be small consolation compared to the chance of a spot in the World Ranking tournament.

"This puts me back about a year," he said, shaking his head. "This one result adds a year to the time it'll take for me to get where I want to be."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Earlier, 12th-seeded Detroit native Sonny Banks secured the second semi-final spot from Group A with an eventful unanimous decision win over Wichita's Dan Hodge.

Banks had already overachieved to this point in the tournament but even though he was coming off a 2nd round KO loss in his last bout, he knew that a victory against Hodge would sew up a top two finish. He started brilliantly, dropping Hodge in both the first and second rounds and coming close to finishing him off as round two drew to a close.

But the Kansas slugger fought back, taking round three and then putting himself right in the fight in round four. Hodge put Banks on his backside with a smashing uppercut midway through the round and floored him for a second time a minute later. But he couldn't finish off his groggy opponent and Banks recovered to take round five on two of the cards, before each judge scored the final round 10-10.

The final cards read 56-55, 57-55, 56-55 in Banks's favour and after they were announced, the 12th and last seed in the Atlantic League fell to his knees, overwhelmed by his achievement. He's finished the preliminary rounds with a 3-2 record, not bad for a guy who should have gone winless according to his seeding.

The Michigan fighter's triumph meant that the evening's third bout between 4th seed Ernie Schaaf and 5th seed Tim Carlisle held no significance as far as the semi-finals were concerned. Even so, both men put in a solid effort, producing an entertaining enough encounter with Schaaf a unanimous decision winner, 58-57, 60-56, 58-57.

A native of Wrentham, Massachusetts, Schaaf finishes the tournament with a 2-2-1 record while Carlisle will rue some avarage performances in his opening two bouts. He's now 1-2-2 but held top seed Harry Wills to a draw back in April and followed that up with a 2nd round KO of Sonny Banks. Both of those men will take part in the tournament semi-finals while Carlisle will have to wait and see if his efforts have been good enough to lead to an invite into the Qualifying League.

The only bout of the night that held no consequence for the semi-finals was the opener, where 10th seed Bruce Crickett defeated the winless New Yorker Ray Impelletiere by split decision, 60-54, 56-58, 60-54. As those cards reveal, one of the judges clearly wasn't paying attention to the fight because Crickett was easily the better man.

And so the final standings in the U.S. Atlantic Coast Boxing League look like this:

GROUP A

1. (1) HARRY WILLS (USA), 4-0-1
2. (12) SONNY BANKS (USA), 3-2-0

3. (4) ERNIE SCHAAF (USA), 2-2-1
4. (5) TIM CARLISLE (USA), 1-2-2(1)
5. (9) DAN HODGE (USA), 1-3-1
6. (8) RANDY BAEZ (USA), 1-3-1

GROUP B

1. (2) BOB PASTOR (USA), 4-0-1
2. (6) JOE ALEXANDER (USA), 3-0-2(1)

3. (3) CLARENCE BURMAN (USA), 3-2-0
4. (10) BRUCE CRICKETT (USA), 2-2-1(1)
5. (7) JACK O'HALLORAN (USA), 1-4-0
6. (11) RAY IMPELLETIERE (USA), 0-5-0

The semi-finals will take place on the 30th of July, with the matchups being:

(1) Harry Wills (4-0-1) vs (6) Joe Alexander (3-0-2(1))
(2) Bob Pastor (4-0-1) vs (12) Sonny Banks (3-2-0)

One would think that Pastor will be too good for Banks, but the 12th seed wasn't expected to get this far so it would not be a huge surprise to see him spring an upset. Wills will have a tougher challenge against Alexander and with both men undefeated, missing out on a birth in the final will be a huge disappointment for the loser of their contest. Wills has not been as dominant in the Atlantic League as most observers expected, but for him to miss out on the tournament final is almost unthinkable...


SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
TUESDAY 25 JUNE 2002
HSBC ARENA, BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA

THE U.S. ATLANTIC COAST BOXING LEAGUE


OPENING BOUT

(10) Bruce Crickett SD6 (11) Ray Impelletiere

PRELIMINARY 1

(12) Sonny Banks UD6 (9) Dan Hodge

PRELIMINARY 2

(4) Ernie Schaaf UD6 (5) Tim Carlisle

SUPPORT BOUT

(6) Joe Alexander SD6 (3) Clarence Burman

CO-FEATURE

(2) Bob Pastor UD6 (7) Jack O'Halloran

MAIN EVENT

(1) Harry Wills UD6 (8) Randy Baez

[Romdawg88]

Great job by Sonny Banks, good for him. Granted this might turn out to be the high point of his career but at least he's done something that no one else had done. He has to be the lowest seed to advance in any of the tournaments right?

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Great job by Sonny Banks, good for him. Granted this might turn out to be the high point of his career but at least he's done something that no one else had done. He has to be the lowest seed to advance in any of the tournaments right?

In regards to the eight feeder leagues, there's two or three other guys seeded 8 or 9 who have a chance of progressing to the semi-finals, but no one else who's seeded last in their league like he is.

It's a pretty good achievement, although the fact that the level of talent in these leagues is much lower than in the WC and 1D lessens it somewhat.

Still, it would be cool to see him make the final, win it and qualify for the World Ranking tournament. Unlikely, yes, but it would be cool.

[kenyan_cheena]

BATTLE OF THE POCKET ROCKETS

Wednesday 26 June 2002

Both standing just 5'8", Canada's Sam Langford and Ireland's Tom Sharkey are amongst the shortest competitors in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. That apparent disadvantage didn't stop the HBF naming the two talented fighters as the 9th and 24th seeds respectively in their World Championship tournament following last October's auditions. It hasn't stopped them from accumulating a combined 8-0-2(3) record through the tournament's first five series of bouts, either.

A week from tonight the two will clash in one of the most anticipated contests of series six, the fight card scheduled to take place at the Millenium Dome in London, England. Langford and Sharkey have become good friends since the start of the World Championship tournament but neither man doubted that they'll be in for their most difficult challenge to date when interviewed this afternoon at the venue.

"I'm going to be tested like never before," said Langford. "Tom has just been fantastic in his opening bouts and there's no reason to believe things will be any different next week. We're both undefeated and I know that neither of us wants to lose that distinction. I've had a great preparation, but that won't count for much if I can't produce on the night."

Back in London for the first time since his professional debut on the 9th of January, Langford spoke of his interest in attending the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, which started on Monday.

"I'd love to be able to watch Agassi or Sampras, maybe the Williams sisters also," said Langford, smiling. "I'm a big tennis fan so I'm looking forward to that."

As for Sharkey, the Irishman is hoping that his fellow countrymen will come out in large numbers to support him next week.

"I'm going to need them," he said. "When I think of taking on Sam, it's quite daunting and I think I'll need that extra support to pump me up. I feel that I'll have to take risks, to step out of my comfort zone if I want to defeat him."

With London's own Alex Stewart fighting Joe Baksi in the evening's Support Bout and the "Brockton Blockbuster" Rocky Marciano in action in the Co-Feature, it promises to be an exciting night of boxing.

YOUNG AND PATTERSON ARRIVE IN BRISBANE ON SAME FLIGHT

They may be stepping into the ring against each other in nine days, but today Philadelphia's Jimmy Young and New York's Floyd Patterson flew into Brisbane, Australia on the same plane.

"We even spoke for a while," said Young, laughing. "Yeah, we're fighting next week, but that doesn't mean we can't talk to each other, does it? Not every set of opponents has to be like Gene Tunney and Earnie Shavers, man. I've got no problem with Floyd so I'm not gonna ignore the guy. Of course, on the night it'll be all business. We both know that."

Next week's card will be an open air event, with the ring and seating to be set up in the middle of a football field at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. The main event will be a battle for 1st place in Group Sixteen of the federation's World Championship tournament, with Young (4-0-1) currently occupying the position and Patterson (4-1) in 2nd. But both men are aware that the loser will more than likely drop to 3rd place, as the Florida Firebrand Elmer Ray is nipping at their heels sporting the same 4-1 record as Patterson. He'll be fighting Connecticut's Nathan Mann in the Co-Feature and is an almost unbackable favourite to win.

"It's a huge fight for me," said Young. "If I win I qualify for stage two but if I lose I'll be down in third. That's a big swing on just one result."

Young's victory against Elmer Ray at the end of May was the most watched event in the brief history of the HBF. It was a win that made Young really believe that he deserved his position amongst the #1 seeds in the World Championship tournament.

"Most definitely," he said. "Back in January and February after my first couple of fights I heard folks saying I was a bum, that I didn't belong in the tournament. That was harsh and some of it was warranted, but I feel I've done enough in my three fights since then to show that I can compete with the best this tournament has to offer. If I can get up over Floyd, that'll just be the cherry on top of the cake."

In a fight he was expected to win quite handily, Patterson suffered a shock single punch 1st round KO loss to Buddy Baer back in April. Held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in his hometown of New York, it's a bout that still disappoints him becuase he knows that if he'd won, he would currently be sitting in 1st place in the group standings with a perfect record.

"That was just one moment of carelessness," he said. "But that's all it takes sometimes. I feel like if I can defeat Jimmy, that will bring me some redemption and show that that loss was a fluke more than anything else. I've got a tough road ahead of me with Jimmy next week and Elmer Ray next month, but if I want to be seen as the class of our group I have to take them both out, plain and simple."

[kenyan_cheena]

HAYNES BACK TO HIS
DESTRUCTIVE BEST IN JAPAN

Thursday 27 June 2002

Sending a message out to the "doubters and haters", Florida's Terone Haynes scored a crushing 3rd round knockout of Australia's Allan Horace at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan today.

Appearing in the main event of the final preliminary fight card of the HBF's South-East Asian Boxing League tournament, Haynes was in a destructive mood, sending Horace to the canvas twice in round two before finishing him off late in round three, the Australian being counted out at the 2:23 mark.

Haynes and his entourage, his cousin Elmer Ray amongst them, made their way to the ring accompanied by the old school Public Enemy classic "You're Gonna Get Yours", Haynes dressed in his customary all black and wearing a sour sneer on his countenance.

Having been taken into the sixth and final round in both of his previous fights (going the distance five weeks ago in Manila), Haynes was looking for an early night and started the contest impressively. He hurt the Australian with at least three hard single punches, Horace backpedalling for much of the opening round before landing what would turn out to be his only clean shots of the fight: a left hook followed by a jolting straight right as the final seconds of the round ticked away.

Only twenty seconds of round two had elapsed before Horace found himself on his backside, a thunderous left hook sending him literally airborne and sideways. Clearly stunned, he only just beat the count and no one would have complained if the referee had declared him counted out right there. But the fight continued and Haynes hunted him down, looking for that one big punch to finish the Aussie off with. Horace was on the canvas for a second time midway through the round courtesy of a stinging body shot, pain contorted over his face as he slumped to his knees. This time he was up at six and although Haynes rattled his cage with a punishing combination late in the round, Horace was still standing when the bell sounded.

Round three would prove to be an unfortunate one for Horace as the "Hastings Hammer" unleashed big time: 0:12, a jolting, flush uppercut; 0:40, a winging right hand that snapped Horace's head around on his shoulders and sent the sweat into the front row; 0:54, a crushing right hand that collided brutally with the Australian's jaw; 1:25, a left hook that buckled Horace at the knees.

Horace showed tremendous (some would say foolish) courage to stay in there, but at the 1:42 mark, after a rapid four punch salvo from Haynes, referee Jay Edison could be heard asking the Aussie if he wanted him to stop the fight. Both combatants looked at him incredulously, an almost comical pause in the action before Haynes put the finishing touches on a powerhouse performance.

A hard right hook sent Horace into the ropes. He covered up but Haynes fired away, lefts and rights bouncing off his arms and body until Horace lowered his arms to protect his torso. A left hook landed flush and after the follow up straight right Horace was gone: his eyes glazed over, his body sagged and he slid down the ropes, Haynes' right hand cocked at the ready but not used.

The Florida Alliance member strolled to a neutral corner, a swagger in his step, shouting towards the ringside media contingent as the referee applied what was an almost redundant count. Horace did not move and the bout was over at the 2:23 mark of round three.

(to be continued)

[Ian Lord]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Monday 24 June 2002

An entry in the Births, Deaths and Marriages notices section in this evening's edition of the Manassa Times:

***

WILLIAM HARRISON DEMPSEY

born to Hyrum and Celia Dempsey
at Conejos County Hospital

6 lb, 4 oz.

***

I've got a feeling this kid will be a bit of a handful.
Great stuff as always KC.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ian Lord

I've got a feeling this kid will be a bit of a handful.
Great stuff as always KC.

Thanks, Ian. I agree with you on that. Thinking ahead, I'm contemplating a Dempsey-Frazier-Holyfield rivalry around about year 20 of the story (if i make it that far, that is).