The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yeah, sorry about that. But I knew you'd understand. In the next post I'll give a bit of detail about what happened in each round, but as you'll see it was very one-sided and would have been quite a chore to write about round-by-round and, I imagine, quite a chore to read also.

As for Shavers being humbled? Well...

Understandable that you didn't want to write out the whole thing when it was so one-sided. I would have done the same thing. I look forward to seeing what this beating doesn't humble Shavers some maybe we'll have to get the Iron Sheik to introduce him to his special brand of humbling.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1118)

Shavers looked ready to explode as he made his way to the ring decked out in a robe of solid navy blue, sweat beading upon his forehead. Tunney followed soon after in white, showing a confident disposition. Clearly, the #1 seed received the bigger ovation. Shavers started in with the trash talking from the moment Tunney stepped into the ring and when the two came together for the pre-fight instructions he continued it, ignoring referee Waldemar Schmidt entirely.

When the opening bell sounded, it was like the audience as a collective stopped holding their breath, a palpable wave of excitement passing over the Boardwalk Hall. When Shavers landed the first punch of the fight, a booming straight right just twelve seconds in, the crowd exploded. Tunney backpedalled, avoiding any sort of follow up and within moments he had settled into a rhythm that he would use to control almost the entire fight. He was throwing punches on the move, stepping in and tagging Shavers with clean, flush shots before springing back out of range.

"Man!" exclaimed ringside commentator Jacob Bell when the punch totals for the opening round flashed up on his monitor. Tunney had landed 50 of 86 punches, Shavers just 6 of 43. The pattern would continue during the next three rounds, with Tunney picking off his man like it was target practice and Shavers unable to get in close enough to do any sort of damage. The more blood-hungry members of the crowd were becoming restless, unimpressed by Tunney's brilliance. When a hard straight right from the #1 seed opened up a cut under Shavers' left eye, it brought a gasp from those at ringside. But Tunney continued on relentlessly, sticking to his gameplan perfectly. To say Shavers was frustrated would be an understatement. After that fourth round he didn't immediately return to his corner, snapping at Tunney and shouting a few choice expletives at him. The New York native simply smiled, which brought a round of applause from the audience.

Anyone who had just tuned in must have wondered if there was a problem with ESPN's computers when the punch totals as at the end of round four were flashed up on the screen:

Tunney 162/259 (62.5%)
Shavers 31/160 (19.4%)

But it was no error and Tunney's dominance only continued in the fifth, where he seriously hurt Shavers for the first time in the contest, showing a real desire to punish him with a series of powerful shots. When the round was over, the 32nd seed slumped back to his corner, shaking his head.

In the final stanza, Shavers produced an admirable attempt to score a miracle knockout, throwing more punches in the round (72) than in any other of the fight. He actually rattled Tunney twice, a left-right salvo early in the piece and a pair of hooks later in the round doing some damage, although not nearly as much as they would have if they'd landed in round one.

When the final bell sounded the two men did not exchange handshakes, didn't embrace each other and didn't speak to each other's corner crews. Tunney walked around the ring left hand held high while Shavers stewed in his corner.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

The verdict surprised no one and confirmed that, having already qualified for stage two following series five, Tunney had secured a 1st place finish in Group One.

"It couldn't have worked out any more nicely," said Tunney, smiling. "We came up with a flightplan and I was able to execute it to an even greater degree than we even dared hope-"

Tunney was interrupted by Shavers' aggravated ramblings from the other side of the ring, the Ohio native shouting something about "fighting me like a man!" Tunney smiled and continued talking.

"I felt more in control of this fight than in any of my others," he said, relishing his victory. "I was surprised by how easily I was able to tag him. He couldn't keep up with the pace I set and that was something we were expecting to happen."

"Yeah, just one more fight and we'll be there," said Tunney when asked about the tournament's second stage. "Sam McVey's booked his place also and he'll be in my group so I know just right there, he's gonna be a tough opponent. But I've still got the fight against Mildenberger to get through before then and even though it's a "dead rubber", I'll be training hard for that. I think the key to being successful in the HBF will be to treat each opponent with as much respect as possible. If I keep my preparations solid at this stage of my career, that will really be of benefit down the track."

After Tunney had left the ring, a clearly upset Earnie Shavers was interviewed by ESPN's Jacob Bell.

"The guy fought like a coward!" exclaimed Shavers incredulously. "A coward! Spent the whole fight runnin' 'way from me! He knew that he wouldn't be able to handle me if he stood toe-to-toe so he went the punk-ass route."

"Surely this is something you would have considered leading up to the fight, though?" asked Bell.

Shavers gave the commentator a look that would have melted solid ice, stuttering briefly before launching into another outburst.

"You put us back in the ring and he fights me like a man he don't last two rounds," Shavers proclaimed. "I'd be happy to take him on again, maybe during the break between stage one and stage two 'cause he gotta know he ain't earned that win tonight. He ran his way to a victory, man, plain and simp'."

It's highly unlikely that the HBF would authorise a Tunney-Shavers rematch and the fact that Shavers brought up the topic showed his dillusional mindset in the moments after the bout. No, if he wants to fight Gene Tunney again, at least in the near future, he'll have to do it by finishing as the winner of Group Four in stage two of the World Championship tournament. Considering some of the talent that will most likely join him there, that seems highly unlikely also...

(Coming up: The Atlantic City Undercard)

[Romdawg88]

Well, there goes the idea that this loss might humble Shavers. Classy interview by him, great job KC turning Shavers into such a heel the man is very unlikable.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Well, there goes the idea that this loss might humble Shavers. Classy interview by him, great job KC turning Shavers into such a heel the man is very unlikable.

Thanks, Romy. Depending on the result of the fight, I could have gone a couple of ways with him. After I ran the fight I decided the best thing to do would be to have him pull out the old "fight like a man" nonsense because that would be more realistic in allowing him to maintain his heelness. I'm hoping he goes on a destructive tear in his upcoming bouts, showing his frustration over being beaten by Gene.

As I said in that last post, the only way he'll be able to get a rematch would be if he somehow manages to finish on top of Group Four in stage two and Gene finishes on top of Group One. If that happens, they'd clash in the tournament semi-finals. It's very unlikely, considering that Holmes, Bowe and Langford will all be numbered amongst the eight fighters in Group Four.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Thanks, Romy. Depending on the result of the fight, I could have gone a couple of ways with him. After I ran the fight I decided the best thing to do would be to have him pull out the old "fight like a man" nonsense because that would be more realistic in allowing him to maintain his heelness. I'm hoping he goes on a destructive tear in his upcoming bouts, showing his frustration over being beaten by Gene.

As I said in that last post, the only way he'll be able to get a rematch would be if he somehow manages to finish on top of Group Four in stage two and Gene finishes on top of Group One. If that happens, they'd clash in the tournament semi-finals. It's very unlikely, considering that Holmes, Bowe and Langford will all be numbered amongst the eight fighters in Group Four.

I get a kick out of the old "fight like a man" line. I like that you decided to go this route as I think it fits in better with how you've written Shavers so far. I'm hoping that someone in stage two does fight him like a man and takes him out.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Atlantic City Undercard

OPENING BOUT

Ireland's Bob Devere started the evening by moving into 2nd place in Group Eight of the 1st Defense tournament with a convincing unanimous decision victory over the Englishman Billy Walker. Despite showing pockets of resistance, Walker was simply outfought by the tournament's 17th seed and Devere took the verdict by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 59-55.

Back in April, Walker looked a good chance of progressing to the tournament's second stage with his record at 3-1. But he's now lost back-to-back contests and will need a victory in his final bout against top seed Herbie Hide to have any chance of achieving that goal. Devere is now 3-2-1(1).

PRELIMINARY 1

With Tunney and Shavers having already secured their births in stage two following the events of series five, the other competitors in Group One of the World Championship tournament's focus had shifted to making sure they'd finish well enough to be offered spots in the federation's regional tournaments.

For Garvin Sawyer and Jose Urtain - sitting in 6th and 7th with a combined record of 2-7-1 - that ambition had already looked shaky before tonight and it didn't improve after their bout ended in a draw. Admittedly, they did put on a great show with the contest featuring a number of spirited, exciting exchanges. When it was all over two judges had it knotted up at 57-57 while the third favoured the Spaniard 58-56.

Sawyer is now 1-3-2 while Urtain is 1-4-1.

PRELIMINARY 2

Philadelphia's Tyrell Biggs failed to build on the momentum he found with last month's victory over Garvin Sawyer as he was held to a draw by the winless Washington state native Boone Kirkman in an underwhelming performance. This really was a bout where the upperhand shifted from round to round as all three judges scored each round identically: they gave Biggs rounds one, three and five and Kirkman the second, fourth and sixth, leading to a unanimous 57-57 verdict.

80th-seeded Biggs was undefeated at 1-0-1 after his first two bouts but has only managed that single victory over Sawyer since then. To be fair, the only opponents who have beaten him are the group's top two seeds Tunney and Shavers, so I can't be too harsh on him. He's now 2-2-2 and while he'll find a place in the Continental Americas tournament, a win tonight would have gone a long way towards helping him secure a higher seeding there.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

SUPPORT BOUT

In a contest that would help to determine the minor placings in Group One, Baltimore's Larry Middleton improved to 3-3 and moved into 3rd place with a surprisingly easy unanimous decision win against the German Karl Mildenberger.

After a competitive opening two rounds Middleton took control and never looked back, a knockdown with a minute remaining in the final stanza putting the finishing touches on a solid performance. He was awarded the decision by scores of 60-54, 58-56 and 60-54.

Mildenberger dropped to 2-2-2(1), also falling to 5th place in the process.

CO-FEATURE

Detroit's Embrell Davidson continued his push for an unlikely top two finish in Group Eight of the 1st Defense tournament with an astonishing unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated top-seeded Englishman Herbie Hide.

Davidson is the #9 seed in the tournament but after accumulating a disappointing 1-3 record through the first four series of bouts (all of which were against lower seeds), a birth in stage two appeared out of the question. But the Michigan native showed what he's capable of when he convincingly defeated the 3-1 Billy Walker last month in Japan via 5th round TKO. He continued in that same rich vein of form tonight, dominating Hide on the way to a 58-55, 59-54, 58-55 unanimous decision win.

Clearly the better fighter in all but the final round, Davidson sent Hide to the canvas with a killer combo two minutes into round two, making it the second consecutive bout where the Englishman had been floored. The punch totals reflected the sheer difference between each man's performance, with Davidson landing 181 of 484 punches (37.4%) and Hide just 88 of 237 (37.1%).

Having already secured a stage two birth following his victory over Bob Devere last month, Hide wrapped up first place in the group despite the loss. Billy Walker's defeat earlier in the night made it impossible for any other competitior in Group Eight to surpass him, no matter what happens in series seven.

Although not one of the most talked about, Group Eight of the 1st Defense tournament has been one of the more exciting groups in the federation's two premier tournaments. It has featured a number of close, hard-fought contests and as it stands now, the fight for 2nd place figures to have an exciting conclusion next month.

Group Eight Standings after Series Six

1. 1(8) HERBIE HIDE (ENGLAND), 4-1-1(3)
2. 3(17) BOB DEVERE (IRELAND), 3-2-1(1)

3. 2(9) EMBRELL DAVIDSON (USA), 3-3-0
4. 4(25) BILLY WALKER (ENGLAND), 3-3-0(1)
5. 5(33) KALLIE KNOETZE (SOUTH AFRICA), 3-3-0
6. 8(57) JOE ERSKINE (WALES), 2-2-2
7. 6(41) LEE SAVOLD (USA), 1-2-3
8. 7(49) KEENE SIMMONS (USA), 1-4-1

Davidson's victory over Hide catapulted him from 7th to 3rd and also eliminated 25th seed Billy Walker from contention. Davidson and Devere will clash in series seven, with 2nd place the prize awaiting the victor...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 6 JULY 2002
BOARDWALK HALL, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
3(17) Bob Devere UD6 4(25) Billy Walker

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
7(112) Garvin Sawyer D6 8(128) Jose Urtain

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
5(80) Tyrell Biggs D6 6(96) Boone Kirkman

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
3(48) Larry Middleton UD6 4(64) Karl Mildenberger

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
2(9) Embrell Davidson UD6 1(8) Herbie Hide

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group One
1(1) Gene Tunney UD6 2(32) Earnie Shavers

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 7 July 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 08/07/2002 - SATURDAY 13/07/2002 INCLUSIVE

MONDAY 08/07/2002 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA

1D/G5: 7(52) JOHNNY RIGGINS vs 8(60) DON WARNER
1D/G5: 5(36) TOXIE HALL vs 6(44) BILL TATE
WC/G5: 7(108) SANTE AMONTI vs 8(124) TOM COWLER
WC/G5: 5(76) GERRY COONEY vs 6(92) ALEX MITEFF
WC/G5: 3(44) OTTO VON PORAT vs 4(60) HEIN TEN-HOFF
WC/G5: 1(5) RIDDICK BOWE vs 2(28) JOE BUGNER

TUESDAY 09/07/2002 - STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA
THE U.S. PACIFIC COAST BOXING LEAGUE

(10) GREG WILLIAMS vs (11) TONY DOYLE
(9) HOWARD KING vs (12) CHARLEY POWELL
(4) GRAHAM JEFFERSON vs (5) DAVID BEY
(3) FREDDIE BESHORE vs (6) JIM BARRY
(2) LEOTIS MARTIN VS (7) JIM FLYNN
(1) ROSCO TOLES VS (8) TERRY DANIELS

WEDNESDAY 10/07/2002 - CARNIVAL CITY BIG TOP ARENA, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

1D/G5: 3(20) CESAR BRION vs 4(28) GUS RUHLIN
WC/G12: 7(101) AL ETTORE vs 8(117) BRIAN LONDON
WC/G12: 5(69) TOMMY JACKSON vs 6(85) RUEBEN VARGAS
WC/G12: 3(37) AL JONES vs 4(53) TOMMY GOMEZ
1D/G5: 1(5) NINO VALDES vs 2(12) CARL MORRIS
WC/G12: 1(12) GEORGE CHUVALO vs 2(21) RAY MERCER

THURSDAY 11/07/2002 - HANNS-MARTIN SCHLEYER HALLE, STUTTGART, GERMANY
THE SOUTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE

(10) PABLO RAMIREZ vs (11) LEONIDAS JASKUCIONIS
(9) NINI PERRONI vs (12) DRAGO BENCEK
(4) VITTORIO CAMPOLO vs (5) ALEXANDER DAFOUSKA
(3) HANS BIRKIE vs (6) SHAKES QOBOZA
(2) MARKUS STOBER vs (7) LOVRO ALANOVIC
(1) GENADI YANTCHEV vs (8) JEAN-PIERRE COOPMAN

FRIDAY 12/07/2002 - SILVER LEGACY CASINO, RENO, NEVADA, USA

1D/G4: 7(53) JEFF MERRITT vs 8(61) MEL TURNBOW
1D/G4: 5(37) ALFREDO EVANGELISTA vs 6(45) STEFFEN TANGSTAD
WC/G13: 7(100) JESSE FERGUSON vs 8(116) TOM MCNEELEY
WC/G13: 5(68) LEROY JONES vs 6(84) COLEY WALLACE
WC/G13: 3(36) BUSTER MATHIS vs 4(52) GERALD GRIFFITH
WC/G13: 1(13) KEN NORTON vs 2(20) DONOVAN RUDDOCK

SATURDAY 13/07/2002 - RYOGOKU SUMO ARENA, TOKYO, JAPAN

1D/G4: 3(21) WAYNE BETHEA vs 4(29) BERNIE REYNOLDS
WC/G4: 7(109) LORENZO ZANON vs 8(125) JAMES BROAD
WC/G4: 5(77) HENRY CLARK vs 6(93) AL MCCOY
WC/G4: 3(45) HARRY THOMAS vs 4(61) JOHNNY RISKO
1D/G4: 1(4) TREVOR BERBICK vs 2(13) JIM MALONEY
WC/G4: 1(4) LARRY HOLMES vs 2(29) BILL BRENNAN

[kenyan_cheena]

THE BIG FIGHTS KEEP ON COMING

Sunday 7 July 2002

Story by James Reynolds for the New York Age

The first week of action in series six of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments provided some fantastic moments and the next seven days should be no different. The action won't let up with a host of huge fights set to take place during the coming week.

Tomorrow night sees Brooklyn's hero Riddick Bowe (5-0-0(3)) back in action when he makes his Madison Square Garden debut, facing off against the big Englishman Joe Bugner (3-1-1(1)). The World Championship tournament's #5 seed will secure a birth in stage two with a win and, depending on other results, could also wrap up 1st place in Group Five.

Wednesday will bring with it a much anticipated stoush as Canada's toughman Geroge Chuvalo (4-1-0) attempts to move into 1st place in Group Twelve of the World Championship tournament when he takes on the controversial Florida native Ray Mercer (4-0-1(1)) in Johannesburg. Undefeated through series five, Mercer will guarantee himself a spot in stage two and a 1st place finish in the group with a win and there are a number of other competitors who are hoping he'll be able to do just that. Tommy Gomez, Al Ettore and Tommy Jackson are all nipping at Chuvalo's heels and if Mercer can beat him it will aid their cause greatly.

The federation visits Reno on Friday, with the card featuring a pair of bouts that will go a long way to determining who stays alive and who doesn't in Group Thirteen of the World Championship tournament. Michigan's Buster Mathis (3-0-2) and Iowa native Gerald Griffith (3-1-1(1)) will step into the ring against each other in the Co-Feature in a fight where, for Griffith, defeat will mean he can kiss goodbye to any chance of a stage two birth. It's not as dire for Mathis but a win will elevate him into the top two, so that's plenty of incentive to succeed. Following in the Main Event, San Diego's Ken Norton faces Donovan Ruddock of Canada, a clash that should produce some major fireworks. The winner will be sitting in 1st place going into the seventh and final series while the loser will find themselves down in 3rd, so both men should be going all-out to achieve victory.

Finally, the man who many are predicting to become the inaugural HBF World Champion will be looking to keep his perfect record intact when he makes his Japanese debut on Saturday. Following on from his decimation of the previously undefeated Harry Thomas last month, Pennsylvania's Larry "The Easton Assassin" Holmes (5-0-0(1)) will go up against Kentucky's Bill Brennan (3-0-2(1)). In a clear indication of the regard he is held in, the 25 year-old Holmes is an unbackable favourite to defeat Brennan and book his place in stage two of the World Championship tournament.

With so many exciting contests on their way, it's a great time to be a fan of boxing in general and the Heavyweight Boxing Federation in particular...

[kenyan_cheena]

BOWE TURNS BACK BRAVE BUGNER
AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Monday 8 July 2002

Brooklyn's Riddick Bowe has become the latest 1st seed to book a place in stage two of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament following a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over England's Joe Bugner. Showing a great deal more resistance than expected, the tournament's 28th seed pushed Bowe all the way but his efforts weren't quite enough to stop the man known as "Big Daddy" from claiming the decision by verdicts of 58-55, 57-56 and 58-56.

Bowe, who had in recent days spoken of victory against Bugner as if already accomplished, joined Gene Tunney, Sam Langford and Sam McVey in progressing to the tournament's second stage although it would be fair to say that he endured more tonight than those three did last week. Bugner had eeked out a split decision win over Alex Miteff back in April and fell to his first defeat last month against the German Hein Ten-Hoff, hardly the type of form he would have wanted to take into his clash against Bowe. But those results meant nothing when he stepped into the ring this evening at Madison Square Garden.

This was a special evening for Riddick Bowe as it was his professional debut at the federation's HQ. He'd already experienced fighting at the home of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers (Ebbets Field) back in March and had spoken with excitement about stepping in the ring at MSG. He made his way into the arena to thunderous applause, dressed in an oversized New York Knicks warmup jacket, smiling and waving to the capacity audience who were singing along as Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played over the speaker system.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

Made some mistakes in those last few posts:

Post #1130: The schedule for the fights involving seeds #5-#8 in the WC/1D tournaments is wrong. The matchups should be 5v6 and 7v8, not 6v7 and 5v8.

Post #1132: I wrote that Bugner was defeated by Amonti when he was actually beaten by Hein Ten-Hoff.

Both errors will be fixed shortly.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1132)

Keeping with the Knicks theme, Bowe wore trunks of white with a blue waistband and thin black, orange and blue piping, BIG DADDY stencilled in white on the front band. The audience showed their recognition and appreciation with a sustained round of applause, Bowe holding his arms out and smiling, ever the showman.

Despite being a big underdog, Bugner made his intentions known early as he caught Bowe with a solid uppercut within twenty seconds of the opening bell. The Brooklyn native retaliated with a crushing left hook a minute in, bringing the crowd to their feet and backing Bugner off. Both fighters were showing a busy disposition, probing with the jab and exchanging some hard shots in a willing fashion. Bugner had been the better man through most of the round but Bowe finished it strongly: a pair of hooks, a short, crisp uppercut from in close and a nice left-right combo swayed it in his favour. Both men nodded to each other as the round ended and the crowd applauded wildly, impressed by their efforts.

Round two would prove to be even more action-packed, surprising considering that Bowe and Bugner are two of the bigger contestants in the HBF. Bowe started up where he left off, dominating the first two minutes of the round with the highlights of his work being some effective body shots early and a four punch combo that staggered Bugner at the midpoint. The Englishman was able to answer back as the round drew to a close, catching Bowe with some scoring counter-punches. The crowd reacted in an excited manner as the two combatants went toe-to-toe late in the round, unloading power punches with neither man backing down.

The third round would bring the first real sign that Bowe would be too good for Bugner as he won it with ease, finding the mark with some booming right hands and peppering the 28th seed with that potent left jab. The danger signs were there to see: a wicked right hand at the one minute mark, a stunning combo midway through and a right hand that had Bugner on the ropes two minutes in, all before the finishing touch of a jolting right cross as the round neared a close.

Indeed, they'd set a cracking pace up to the halfway point, as the punch totals after round three showed:

Bowe: 90/159 (56.6%)
Bugner: 52/116 (44.8%)

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

If Bowe thought that Bugner would capitulate in round four, he was badly mistaken. The Englishman rallied from a slow start to hurt the 5th seed late in what was an action-packed round. Even so, Bowe's work in the top half of it was enough to sway all three judges to award it to him. The Brooklynite looked somewhat frustrated as he sat on his stool between rounds and could be heard saying "Dude is tough" to his trainer.

Determined to bring his night's work to an end, Bowe came dreadfully close to finishing Bugner off in an awe-inspiring fifth. He unleashed a merciless assault, cutting Bugner with a sledgehammer straight right and tagging him with numerous power punches. It started with a booming uppercut thirty seconds in, a shot that was followed by a trio of flush combinations, crunching right hands and another big uppercut as the round drew to a close. At the end of the three minutes Bowe had landed an astonishing 54 punches, Bugner connecting with only six. But the Englishman was still standing and Bowe stared at him for a handful of seconds, a perplexed "What do I have to do?" expression showing on his face.

It was clear to all that Bugner's only chance in the final round would come via knockout and while he didn't achieve that, he continued to put up a brave resistance, giving as good as he received and actually finishing the round stronger, pounding Bowe with three hard right hands during the fight's final moments. The audience came to their feet in applause and the two men embraced, Bowe praising Bugner for his courage and tenacity.

The final punch totals showed that Bowe had connected with 198 of 347 punches (57.1%), Bugner 106 of 232 (45.7%).

"He's one tough SOB," said the 5th seed, sweat bubbled over his forehead. "Stood in there and took some big shots and never gave in. Hurt me a few times, also. Dude's got all my respect and admiration, man."

Bowe was asked how he felt knowing he had qualified for the World Championship tournament's second stage.

"Well, I said before that I expected it," he replied. "That ain't changed, but I am feelin' a little bit of pride over this effort. Joe could o' had me knocked out cold if I'd been at all careless. I'm really happy about the way I fought tonight. It was a good test for me, something that I probably needed. You know, I'd love to see him go through with me but I don't even know if that will be possible after what happened earlier tonight."

Bowe was referring to the result of the bout between Sante Amonti and Tom Cowler, which the 108th-seeded Italian won by a comfortable unanimous decision (60-53 on all three cards), his fourth consecutive victory improving his record to an amazing 4-1-1. Amonti was always in control of the contest with Cowler only coming close to a level footing in round four before being floored twice in the final stanza.

But even better was to follow for the fiesty Italian as Germany's Hein Ten-Hoff was surprisingly defeated by Otto Von Porat in the evening's Co-Feature. The Norwegian was on a three fight losing streak but he handled Ten-Hoff with ease, dropping him in round three and holding the upperhand for most of the bout before taking a 59-55, 59-56, 59-55 unanimous decision victory. Ten-Hoff's record fell to 4-2(2) and he also dropped into 3rd place in the group standings, elevating Amonti to 2nd.

This is how the picture now looks at the top of Group Five in the World Championship tournament:

1st: 1(5) Riddick Bowe 6-0-0(3)
2nd: 7(108) Sante Amonti 4-1-1

3rd: 4(60) Hein Ten-Hoff 4-2-0(2)
4th: 2(28) Joe Bugner 3-2-1(1)

What had been only a fantasy and a dream seven months ago now looks like becoming an absolute reality for Sante Amonti. The 108th seed only needs to defeat the limited Argentinian Alex Miteff in his final bout to retain 2nd place and even if he were to lose, his chances of staying there are still quite good. Ten-Hoff faces the daunting task of overcoming the #1 seed Riddick Bowe while Bugner clashes with Von Porat, which is by no means a sure victory. Even if Bugner and Amonti finish with identical 4-2-1 records, Amonti will finish higher based on the tie-breaking procedures. Their head-to-head matchup back in January was a draw and Amonti will hold the edge in the second tie-breaker, strength of victory, due to his wins over Von Porat and (most importantly) Ten-Hoff.

When the World Championship tournament's groups were first released and Group Five showed five Europeans, Amonti would not have been seriously considered as the one who would join Riddick Bowe in stage two. But it really does look like the federation will have it's first "Cinderella" story come August 12.

(To follow: The MSG Undercard)

[kenyan_cheena]

THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN UNDERCARD

Opening Bout

Having put in a disappointing effort in his last bout (a split decision loss to Toxie Hall), Spokane native Johnny Riggins returned to the winner's circle with an easy unanimous decision victory (60-54, 59-55, 60-54) against the winless Philadelphian Don Warner.

Riggins improved to 3-3 but despite the win, his chances of progressing to the 1st Defense tournament's second stage will end if 20th seed Cesar Brion defeats Gus Ruhlin on Wednesday in South Africa.

Preliminary 1

In an all-Chicago matchup, Bill Tate scored something of an upset when he defeated Toxie Hall by unanimous decision (58-57, 59-56, 60-55). The win was Tate's first in the tournament, his record improving to 1-3-2 while Hall fell to 2-4 and said goodbye to any chance of going beyond stage one in the 1st Defense tournament.

Preliminary 2

Sante Amonti vs Tom Cowler (see previous post).

Support Bout

Gerry Cooney came into the World Championship tournament backed by the support and belief of many in his home state of New York and optimistic about his chances. Standing 6'7", the strong 21 year-old was expected to challenge for a top two spot in his group and there were some who even thought he'd be able to challenge fellow New Yorker and tournament 5th seed Riddick Bowe.

But from his first bout, Cooney's professional boxing career has been a dismal flop. In his debut, he started well before his German opponent Hein Ten-Hoff exerted his control, flooring him in rounds three, four and five. Cooney failed to make it back to his feet after the third knockdown and was counted out thirty seconds into round five. His backers thought it was a simple case of bad luck but when the losses kept coming, even they fell silent. Stopped inside of three rounds in his next three bouts (against Otto Von Porat, Joe Bugner and Riddick Bowe), Cooney's tournament was over before it had really even started.

Last month against the Italian Sante Amonti, Cooney went the distance for the first time but was a clearly beaten man, tasting the canvas three times during the bout. With that loss he fell to 0-5, a mark that was unthinkable before the tournament started.

Tonight, Cooney finally stumbled upon the winning formula, but only just and in controversial fashion. He scored his first professional victory, taking a split decision verdict against the Argentinian Alex Miteff. Cooney looked far too good for his opponent in the opening half of the bout, punishing Miteff and sweeping two of the judge's cards through the first three rounds. But things went haywire after that as Miteff took round four before Cooney was deducted a point in the 5th after being warned one too many times for using his elbows. Two judges gave the round to Miteff, making it a 10-8 round for him. Miteff looked to have finished strongly against a tiring Cooney in the final round but two of the judges awarded it to the New Yorker. When Cooney was announced a 57-56, 56-57, 57-56 victor, many in the crowd booed and when it was discovered that only one judge had given Miteff the final round, his corner exploded, the Argentinian camp furious that he had been robbed of a victory.

Plodding up the aisle back to the dressing room, Cooney must have been wishing that the ground would open up and swallow him. Even in victory he looked like a loser and the chances of his career continuing beyond stage one of the World Championship tournament must be dreadfully slim...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
MONDAY 8 JULY 2002
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
7(52) Johnny Riggins UD6 8(60) Don Warner

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
6(44) Bill Tate UD6 5(36) Toxie Hall

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
7(108) Sante Amonti UD6 8(124) Tom Cowler

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
5(76) Gerry Cooney SD6 6(92) Alex Miteff

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
3(44) Otto Von Porat UD6 4(60) Hein Ten-Hoff

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Five
1(5) Riddick Bowe UD6 2(28) Joe Bugner