The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

O CANADA:
RUDDOCK FLOORS NORTON TWICE,
MOVES INTO 1ST WITH U.D. WIN

Friday 12 July 2002

Concluding what has been a fantastic ten days for Canadian boxing, Donovan Ruddock scored a surprising unanimous decision victory over San Diego's Ken Norton tonight at Reno's Silver Legacy Casino. In doing so Ruddock assumed 1st place in Group Thirteen of the World Championship tournament with only one series of stage one bouts remaining. His victory followed on from wins for Sam Langford over Tom Sharkey last week and George Chuvalo against Ray Mercer this past Wednesday, making him the third Canadian to be sitting on top of their respective tournament group.

It was the type of bout where the scorecards really didn't tell the story. Ruddock was awarded clear-cut verdicts of 59-53, 58-54 and 59-53, largely due to the fact that he was able to knock Norton down twice. Taking away those two vital moments it was, in the opinion of many, a pretty even contest.

Ruddock had famously talked himself into a corner back when the HBF announced their tournament seedings by declaring that he should have been closer to the top ten rather than at #20. He had done little to back up that claim through the first five series of bouts, being held to draws by two lower seeded opponents and just avoiding his first career defeat last month when he was awarded a questionable split decision victory over Iowa's Gerald Griffith.

The superbly fit Norton was not expected to find much trouble from the Canadian and made his way to the ring decked out in the old powder blue and gold of his beloved San Diego Chargers, flanked by fellow USC members James Toney and Sam McVey. Norton had faded late to be held to a draw by Buster Mathis in his last bout but had said in the days leading up to tonight's event that no such thing would happen against Ruddock.

"I've been to hell and back gettin' ready for this," the 13th seed had said. "Ain't no way I'm gonna let this guy beat me."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Strong words, but within sixty seconds of the opening bell Norton found himself on his back staring up at referee Arthur Mercante, a smashing Ruddock right hook dropping him like a bullet from a sniper. The Californian was up at six and while the rest of the round was comparatively uneventful, he still looked shaken as he returned to his corner. Ruddock had clearly outworked him, throwing more than twice as many punches and setting a tone that would last through the remainder of the contest.

Norton gave a strong reply in round two, dominating proceedings and catching Ruddock with a number of solid blows. He also had a lot more success evading the big Canadian's attack, as Ruddock landed just six of 44 punches. Round three would confirm that Norton had a real challenge on his hands as the combatants traded power punches. Norton appeared to be in control through the first half of the round but Ruddock finished strongly, hurting the 13th seed with a hard right hand thirty seconds from the bell.

Ruddock continued his outstanding work in round four, throwing 113 punches in that round alone and after peppering Norton with the jab for much of the stanza, unloaded in the final minute with two separate crushing uppercuts coming close to dropping Norton for a second time in the bout. It had been quite clear before the contest started that most in the crowd were supporting Norton and many of them had descended into an unbelieving, stunned silence by this time of the bout. Their man was in serious trouble and when he walked into another crushing right hook just twenty seconds into the fifth, Norton was on the canvas for the second time in the fight and in his career. Strangely, as in round one, Ruddock failed to capitalise on the knockdown, almost as if he was hesitant to finish his opponent off.

Digging deep, Norton produced his best three minutes of the fight in round six. He absorbed a killer right hand early in the piece but rallied admirably, outworking Ruddock in the round but not really coming close to hurting him.

The Californian knew even before the decision was announced that his undefeated career start was over and he was full of praise for Ruddock afterwards.

"I ain't never been hit so hard in my life," said Norton, shaking his head. "Donovan caught me with some shots that just felt like sledgehammers, like I was gettin' hit by lightnin'. But he really outworked me also. Just had that jab in my face constantly. If he can keep producin' these types of efforts, he'll go far in this tournament, believe me."

Ruddock was ecstatic, showing a smile from ear-to-ear.

"I knew that I had this in me," he said proudly. "I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been at my best in the other fights but I produced when it mattered. This was my most important bout to date and I delievered my best performance. I'm over the moon about it."

While Norton ended up landing a handful more punches, the totals show that Ruddock was the busier, hungrier fighter.

Ruddock 100/469 (21.3%)
Norton 107/239 (44.8%)

"After this, I really feel confident that I'll be good enough to progress," said Ruddock. "I think my power will be too much for Mathis to handle. It's going to carry me through to the next stage of this tournament."

***

In the evening's Co-Feature, the two men who have been right there keeping the pressure on Ruddock and Norton clashed in an absolute barnstormer of a contest, a bloody bout where each man finished cut and bruised. Sioux City's Gerald Griffith and Buster Mathis of Grand Rapids had both come out on the short end of the stick last month in clashes against Group Thirteen's top two seeds. Griffith fought a great fight against Ruddock but lost via split decision while Mathis gave Norton all he could handle before having to settle for his second consecutive draw, a verdict that he felt was a robbery.

Well, tonight Mathis was involved in a third consecutive drawn bout as, after the two men beat the hell out of each other for six rounds, the scorecards showed a 57-57, 58-56 (Mathis), 57-57 verdict. Neither man could really question it as it was a terribly even fight but Mathis was finding it hard to handle the reality of his third draw in a row.

"Just hard to believe, you know?" he said. "All the crap I've put myself through in training during these last three months and I ain't got a single win to show for it. Just makes me wanna scream, y'all."

Griffith came out all guns blazing in round one, dominating the stanza and hurting Mathis on two separate occasions. He cut his opponent over the left eye with a booming right hand late in the round. But the Michigan native turned the tables in the second and third, winning both rounds on all three cards thanks largely to some pinpoint combination punching. He wasn't landing many powerful shots but he was picking Griffith off with great success.

In round four the pendulum swung back in the Iowa slugger's favour, despite the fact that Mathis had him bleeding from the nose early following a perfectly timed left hook. Griffith upped his workrate as the round progressed and took advantage of a clearly tiring Mathis to take the round. The fifth started slowly, with both men seeming content to take an extended break before Mathis went back to work, scoring with punishing body shots and potent left jabs. Griffith connected with a big right hook late in the round, but by then it was obvious to all who had been the better fighter during it.

In the sixth and final round neither man looked to have any sort of ascendency until Griffith came home with something of a flurry, catching Mathis with a number of shots during the final forty seconds. Looking at the cards, it appears to have been the one thing that saved him from falling to a second consecutive defeat as two of the judges scored the round in his favour.

It must be said that Group Thirteen of the World Championship almost stands alone as the most competitive in the tournament. With only one series of bouts left, the top four all have a real chance to progress to the tournament's second stage. There aren't really any other groups that can claim that.

Standings in Group Thirteen following Series Six

1. 2(20) DONOVAN RUDDOCK (CANADA), 4-0-2(1) (14 points)
2. 1(13) KEN NORTON (USA), 4-1-1(2) (13 points)

3. 3(36) BUSTER MATHIS (USA), 3-0-3 (12 points)
4. 4(52) GERALD GRIFFITH (USA), 3-1-2(1) (11 points)

In series seven, Norton will face off against Griffith and Ruddock will take on Mathis. The winners of these two bouts will progress to stage two, although looking at the amount of draws on these men's records, I wouldn't be surprised if both contests end that way...

(Still to come: The Reno Undercard)

[Romdawg88]

A couple of great fights there. I'm shocked that Norton wasn't able to return the favor with a knockdown of his own considering how bad Ruddock's chin is. Tough break for Mathis three straight draws sucks. You know it would be perfect if next round both matches do end in draws it would fit this group perfectly.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

A couple of great fights there. I'm shocked that Norton wasn't able to return the favor with a knockdown of his own considering how bad Ruddock's chin is. Tough break for Mathis three straight draws sucks. You know it would be perfect if next round both matches do end in draws it would fit this group perfectly.

I was really surprised when I was watching that fight unfold. I kept on thinking that Norton would take over any minute, but it never happened. And as you can see from the punch totals, Ruddock really did outwork him.

I feel sorry for Mathis, also. Back when he was 3-0, in his worst nightmares he would not have dreamed of what has followed. He could go through stage one undefeated and still fail to progress to stage two.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if both fights end as draws. This has been a really even group, with some of the other guys also providing some stubborn resistance.

Just a note on the round-by-round writeups. I'm going to be cutting back on them because they are very time consuming. I'll keep them in reserve for fights that are clearly worthy of that in-depth treatment, such as Patterson v Ray in series seven. It will allow me to get through to stage two of the tournament a bit more quickly.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Reno Undercard

OPENING BOUT

In a bout between fighters who will be lucky to stay in the federation beyond August, New York's Jeff Merritt scored his first tournament victory with a unanimous decision against the winless New Jersey native Mel Turnbow.

Merritt sent his opponent to the canvas midway through the opening round but to Turnbow's credit, he made a fight of it the rest of the way. The scorecards read 57-56, 58-55, 57-56.

PRELIMINARY 1

Spain's Alfredo Evangelista kept his hopes of progression in the 1st Defense tournament alive with a unanimous decision victory over the Norwegian Steffen Tangstad (58-54, 57-55, 58-54).

Evangelista established control early and floored Tangstad at the end of round two with a body shot. He cruised through the next three rounds but was given a scare when Tangstad knocked him down with a left hook a minute into the sixth. Up at seven, the Spaniard was able to survive the round and win the fight.

With his record now 4-2(1), to progress Evangelista will have to win his final stage one bout and will also need 29th seed Bernie Reynolds to fall to defeat in both of his last two contests.

PRELIMINARY 2

Having impressed many through the early months of the World Championship tournament, Massachusetts native Tom McNeeley finally scored his first tournament victory tonight, defeating Philadelphia's Jesse Ferguson by majority decision.

In a spirited contest, McNeeley rallied from a 2nd round knockdown to floor Ferguson in the 5th and take a 58-54, 56-56, 57-55 decision.

McNeeley kept Ken Norton honest on debut and went on to hold both Donovan Ruddock and Buster Mathis to draws, but that debut victory had eluded him until tonight. His record is now 1-3-2 and many are hopeful that the federation will take some of those earlier performances into account when they allocate places for their upcoming tournaments.

SUPPORT BOUT

Trying for his second consecutive win, Harlem's Coley Wallace was surprisingly outpointed by the winless Denver native Leroy Jones (58-57, 59-56, 58-57). Wallace struggled in the early rounds and by the time he started to hit his straps, the damage had already been done.

The World Championship tournament's 84th seed fell to 1-3-2. Like McNeeley, he had shown admirable fighting spirit in his earlier bouts. Wallace held Ruddock and Griffith to draws and lost by majority decision to Mathis, so he might also be one of the lower placed fighters that the federation will give special consideration to.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 12 JULY 2002
SILVER LEGACY CASINO, RENO, NEVADA, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
7(53) Jeff Merritt UD6 8(61) Mel Turnbow

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
5(37) Alfredo Evangelista UD6 6(45) Steffen Tangstad

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Thirteen
8(116) Tom McNeeley MD6 7(100) Jesse Ferguson

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Thirteen
5(68) Leroy Jones UD6 6(84) Coley Wallace

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Thirteen
3(36) Buster Mathis D6 4(52) Gerald Griffith

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Thirteen
2(20) Donovan Ruddock UD6 1(13) Ken Norton

[kenyan_cheena]

"I'M GONNA MAKE AN EXAMPLE OUT OF HIM"

Saturday 13 July 2002

Speaking on ESPN last night in the lead-up to the HBF's Reno fight card, Galveston's Jack Johnson dismissed claims that he was in danger of another upset loss when he steps into the ring against fellow Texan Cleveland Williams at Reliant Park Pavilion next Saturday. His words have sparked off more outrage in southern Texas, with switch boards being bombarded on various local radio stations this morning.

Dressed in a stylish dark suit, the World Championship tournament's #3 seed openly disrespected Williams, saying that the Houston native "won't have a prayer's chance" of defeating him.

"Have you actually watched the brother's fights?" Johnson asked ESPN presenter Ken Peterson. "He's just been scraping through, man. He's lucky that he doesn't have two losses already. Just compare our efforts last month at the Garden if y'all want more proof. I dismantled Renaldo Snipes and he pretty much got his ass kicked by that Mexican dude, Ramos. No, man. When we step in the ring next week, I'm gonna make an example out of him."

According to a poll that was taken on Houston radio station KILT-AM last month, some 62% of Houstonians are hoping that Williams will defeat Johnson.

"I really don't give a damn about that," replied Johnson, when the subject was mentioned. "They don't want to support me, to hell with 'em. The people in Texas want me to be a robot, man. They want me to say and do all the right things so that they can feel good about supporting me. I tried for a little while, but that ain't me. I'm a guy that likes to have a good time, man. I like to party and I'm gonna party, no matter what anyone else thinks. If they don't like that, whatever, man. They're all supporting Williams because the guy couldn't threaten a mouse. I'll show them next week how far that will take the brother."

As Johnson said, he did try for a brief period to be the poster child that Houston sports fans have demanded. He appeared to have won their favour after a convincing unanimous decision victory against Pedro Lovell at the Pavilion back in early April, an occasion when he had appeared sincere when speaking about how important it was for him to makes Texas proud.

"There's really nothing more important to me than making Texas proud," he had said on that night. "I know that I might have, well, alienated some of you with my foolishness, but I swear that's all behind me now. You won't see a more dedicated boxer in the HBF than Jack Johnson, believe that. So thank you all, so much, for your great support tonight."

However, it didn't take long for Johnson to return to his partying ways. He was in the headlines again when while down in Havana for his following fight, he became involved romantically with a popular Cuban TV personality. Johnson was also victorious in the boxing ring as he defeated the Italian Franco Cavicchi by 4th round knockout. However, he stayed in Havana for a further 25 days after the fight, eventually returning home to Texas on the 5th of June.

He wasn't there for long as his next fight was due to take place at the federation's home Madison Square Garden on the 15th. While in New York, Johnson helped out with the HBF's Qualifying League auditions and also sampled some of the city's nightlife before, as he said during last night's interview, he "dismantled" Renaldo Snipes, winning by a clear-cut unanimous decision. He took a shot at Williams after, stating that the 30th seed would "be lucky to go the distance" with him. It was this comment in part that convinced a proportion of people who took part in the KILT-AM poll to side with Williams.

In the four weeks since, Johnson has rarely been in the news. It was rumoured that he had briefly returned to Cuba but he confirmed last night that he hadn't.

"You know, that was just some fun that happened back there," said Johnson, smiling. "Nothin' more, nothing less, man. I'd like to go back there some day, but I've just been focused on training lately. I ain't that arrogant to think I can just show up and beat Williams. I don't have a single shred of doubt in my mind about defeating him but I gotta get myself ready for what he's gonna throw at me."

Without a doubt, Johnson vs Williams has been one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes on the federation's schedule and it figures to be an explosive night in Houston come July 20...

[kenyan_cheena]

If any of you have ever wondered, I've always pictured HBF President Michael Vincennes as looking similar to former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

[CONN CHRIS]

I used to always root for Tom McNeeley and Mel Turnbow in the old card game. Of course they never won.

Nice to see Tom notching a 'W'!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

I used to always root for Tom McNeeley and Mel Turnbow in the old card game. Of course they never won.

Nice to see Tom notching a 'W'!

As I said in the fight card review, McNeeley has been one of the better lower seeded fighters in the tournament. He's a tough SOB who has given most of his opponents a hard night's work. If he can win his final bout he should get a spot in the Continental Americas tournament, which will be nice for him.

[Romdawg88]

No one cares about McNeeley so can we move on to the "Alliance Grows" and the star of this show, me. Well, I think it is about me anyway well it should be as I'm the only one who matters in this whole thing.

No, seriously when you consider the type of trouble McNeeley has given to his opponents I hope that he makes the Continental Americas tournament regardless of if he wins or loses his final match. I think it would be a good in game world by the HBF that they don't only look at the records but that in-ring efforts are important as well.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

No one cares about McNeeley so can we move on to the "Alliance Grows" and the star of this show, me. Well, I think it is about me anyway well it should be as I'm the only one who matters in this whole thing.

No, seriously when you consider the type of trouble McNeeley has given to his opponents I hope that he makes the Continental Americas tournament regardless of if he wins or loses his final match. I think it would be a good in game world by the HBF that they don't only look at the records but that in-ring efforts are important as well.

Yep, I think he has a good chance of making it in regardless of what happens in his next fight. As for the Alliance Grows story, you'll have to wait a couple more days for that as we still have to hear about Larry Holmes's adventures in Japan. But don't worry, it'll be worth the wait.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yep, I think he has a good chance of making it in regardless of what happens in his next fight. As for the Alliance Grows story, you'll have to wait a couple more days for that as we still have to hear about Larry Holmes's adventures in Japan. But don't worry, it'll be worth the wait.

Cool, glad to hear that he'll likely make it. Lord knows Chris needs something to cheer about considering Nathan Mann's HBF career up to this point.

I've been waiting for the joining alliance story for character since I first signed up to be in the league so a couple more days ain't nothing. I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait. So lets see what kind of hijinks Mr. Holmes can get himself into over in Japan.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

I've been waiting for the joining alliance story for character since I first signed up to be in the league so a couple more days ain't nothing. I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait.

I'll be posting the Japan fight card during today and tomorrow and should be able to get the Alliance story on here by Sunday at the latest.

[kenyan_cheena]

HOLMES STOPS BRENNAN IN FOUR,
QUALIFIES FOR STAGE TWO

Saturday 13 July 2002

Pennsylvania's Larry Holmes has become the latest 1st seed to qualify for stage two of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament following a convincing 4th round TKO victory over Louisville native Bill Brennan. Holmes improved his record to 6-0(2) and also secured a 1st place finish, meaning that he'll join Sam Langford and Riddick Bowe in Group Four of stage two.

Holmes came out aggressively, keeping Brennan off balance with that piston-like left jab. The Kentucky competitor brought an undefeated 3-0-2 record into the fight but none of his previous opponents were able to prepare him for the challenge of facing Holmes and that opening round made this fact plain to see. Holmes continued to control the contest through the next two rounds and after a clubbing right hand opened up a vicious cut over Brennan's left eye, the bout was called off at the 2:46 mark of the 4th.

Well on his way to passing 200 punches for the night at the time of the stoppage, Holmes finished with numbers of 141/286 (49.3%) while Brennan had managed to land 54 of 135 punches (40.0%).

"It's not a big deal," said the 4th seed's animated trainer Saoul Mamby when asked how he felt about his charge's second stage qualification. "Why you wanna ask me about that? You don't think that our ambitions are bigger than that? Come on, man. It doesn't even register. All these early fights are where Larry is developing his trade. Their sole purpose is to get him ready for next year, when the really important ones role around. That might sound arrogant, but I'm being completely honest."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Holmes was more talkative after tonight's fight than he usually is, although his main concern was thanking the people of Japan for the "wonderful hospitality" they'd shown his team.

"This is our first visit here and we couldn't be happier," said a smiling Holmes. "We've been treated like royalty during this past week and it's been quite a humbling experience. I want to thank all of you for that. All of us in the HBF know that you're our biggest fans and I hope we can come back here soon and do it again."

The victorious "Easton Assassin" received a thunderous round of applause as he departed the arena, waving and smiling to the audience. Holmes entrenched himself as the overall tournament favourite with last month's masterful decimation of Harry Thomas and tonight's win will simply reinforce that position.

As for the rest of Group Four, the race to join Holmes in stage two has officially ended as a result of Holmes's victory and Harry Thomas's unanimous decision win over Johnny Risko in the evening's fourth contest. Shrugging off that comprehensive defeat at the hands of Holmes, Thomas improved to 5-1 with a 58-56, 57-56, 58-56 victory in a bout that, with the exception of rounds two and six, never scaled any great heights.

The standings at the top of Group Four now look like this:

1st: 1(4) Larry Holmes 6-0-0(2)
2nd: 3(45) Harry Thomas 5-1-0

3rd: 2(29) Bill Brennan 3-1-2(1)
4th: 4(61) Johnny Risko 3-1-2

As they show, Brennan and Risko have been mathematically eliminated from any chance of finishing in the top two. In series seven, Holmes will fight Risko and Brennan will take on Thomas in dead rubbers where nothing but pride and prize money will be on the line. Considering the general lack of enthusiasm that many boxing followers have shown for this particular tournament group, it almost seems a fitting way for it to end.

***

In the evening's Co-Feature, Jamaica's Trevor Berbick qualified for stage two of the 1st Defense tournament with a 6th round TKO of Boston's Jim Maloney.

After an ordinary opening half, the afro-headed top seed stormed back into the contest fantastically. He floored Maloney twice in round four, came close to finishing him off in the fifth and then succeeded in doing so with just nine seconds remaining in the final round. The referee saved an exhausted, defenseless Maloney from any further punishment and Berbick improved to 6-0, scoring his second stoppage victory.

Already out of contention for a place in stage two, Maloney's record fell to a disappointing 2-3-1(2). The tournament's 13th seed lost for the third time in four bouts and was stopped for the second time in a row following last month's 4th round KO defeat at the hands of Bernie Reynolds.

Starting off the evening, that very same Bernie Reynolds failed to wrap up a stage two birth in the 1D tourney as he was held to a draw by South Carolina's Wayne Bethea. It appeared that the native of Fairfield, Connecticut had done enough to overcome Bethea, especially during a strong middle section of the bout. One judge agreed with that observation and awarded the contest to him 59-56 but the other two had it all tied up at 57-57.

The result has made things very interesting in Group Four of the 1st Defense tournament...

1st: 1(4) Trevor Berbick 6-0-0(2)
2nd: 4(29) Bernie Reynolds 4-1-1(2)

3rd: 5(37) Alfredo Evangelista 4-2-0(1)
4th: 3(21) Wayne Bethea 3-2-1(1)

Reynolds faces the real prospect of missing out on progression as he is scheduled to clash with Berbick in series seven. Evangelista has a very winnable fight against the winless 8th seed Mel Turnbow while Bethea squares off against the slumping Jim Maloney. No doubt, it figures to be an intriguing series seven for this group.

In other bouts on the card, Italy's Lorenzo Zanon and North Carolina native James Broad fought out a 58-56, 57-57, 56-58 draw and San Francisco's Henry Clark scored his second consecutive victory, defeating Al McCoy by unanimous decison (58-57, 58-56, 58-57).

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 13 JULY 2002
RYOGOKU SUMO ARENA, TOKYO, JAPAN


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
3(21) Wayne Bethea D6 4(29) Bernie Reynolds

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
7(109) Lorenzo Zanon D6 8(125) James Broad

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
5(77) Henry Clark UD6 6(93) Al McCoy

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
3(45) Harry Thomas UD6 4(61) Johnny Risko

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
1(4) Trevor Berbick TKO6 2(13) Jim Maloney

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Four
1(4) Larry Holmes TKO4 2(29) Bill Brennan