The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[mh2365]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

"Cuban cat that Romy befriend at the auditions, name Ariel Reyes," said Ray. "Tall brother, y'all. He turn up at our camp yesterday, sayin' he split with his trainer an' wants to hook up wit' us. So we jus' say cool. He in the QL too but ain't debutin' 'til the end o' the month. He and Romy got a lot in common, they sayin'."

So Reyes will also be laying, twitching at my feet at some point in his career?

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Sweet, it'll be cool to have Ariel Reyes. Solid addition though I don't fancy his chances of beating Mikkel Randeris in his opening bout. Personally, I'm still waiting for David Kane to join the group. I'm shocked he hasn't yet considering how well my character and him hit it off at the auditions.

Thought you'd like that. As for his chances against Randeris, Ariel might be better than you think.

Mr. Kane probably has a picture of you on the mirror in his bathroom so he can see you and hate you every morning.

Originally Posted by mh2365

So Reyes will also be laying, twitching at my feet at some point in his career?

That's quite a possibility, I'd say...

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Thought you'd like that. As for his chances against Randeris, Ariel might be better than you think.

Hmm, interesting now I'm really looking forward to that bout.

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Mr. Kane probably has a picture of you on the mirror in his bathroom so he can see you and hate you every morning.

HA, thats great. Kane is number one on my list of guys I want to fight that are not in my group. Mike of course is the cat I'm looking forward to fighting most overall but I want a Kane fight pretty badly.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1279)

Ray went on to talk about his cousin Terone Haynes, who qualified for the final of the South-East Asian Boxing League tournament yesterday with a 4th round TKO of Jack Beckerman.

"T. jus' took care o' business, y'all," said Ray. "He was jus' too powerful for the dude, you know? Didn't sweat the fac' that he was the favoruite. Jus' went out there and did his thang. No doubt, I can see him bein' 18-0 by the time that World Rankin' tourney is through. Then those brothers up top gonna be lookin' over they shoulders 'cause he be comin' after 'em. We all just real excited 'bout how far he gonna go, y'all."

Ray was asked about last week's confronting words from Indiana's Mike Hanson towards Romy Alvarez, when Hanson had said "Alvarez is first on my list".

"Ha, Romy jus' kinda laugh it off, you know?" replied Ray, smiling. "Amused him that this dude who he ain't never met was throwin' down at him, you know? But, we all guessin' it a good sign for Romy though, knowin' that these other fellas are lookin' at him as the guy to beat. He keepin' his head on his shoulders though, man. Ain't lettin' it get up in the clouds, you know? The brother is jus' workin' his ass off in trainin', jus' bringin' it every day and I can't wait to see him in action, man."

The topic of Joe Jeannette's "Jersey Pride" entourage, which was unveiled back on July 17 in Toms River, was brought up, also. Ray was asked for his opinion on the new group, as he hadn't made any public acknowledgement of them up to now.

"Kinda funny how all these brothas followin' us, y'all," replied Ray. "First USC, now these Jersey cats. Naw, man, they cool. People was sayin' they upstage us 'n' maybe they did. But, they do it in their own backyard so that was cool. I ain't got no problem with 'em and what they doin', had a lot o' style to it. Joe J., he right on track, you know? I can see that brother makin' the semis if he just keep doin' what he been doin'."

Without a doubt, Elmer Ray has been one of the major stars of the HBF's first seven months of competition. He's a fighter who's received more than his fair share of publicity which makes next week's bout against Floyd Patterson even more important. If he loses and misses out on stage two, there will be many who'll ask what all the fuss was about. Ray is keenly aware of the situation.

"I been built up by the media, y'all," he said, matter-of-factly. "Ain't no secret, man. Y'all latched on pretty early but it up to me to live up to the hype, man. To make folks believe it. It'll be beyon' disappointin' if I can't do that, so I ain't thinkin' 'bout it. When I step in that ring 'gainst Floyd, ain't gon' be a single corner of m' mind con'emplatin' defeat, y'all. Not a one."

[kenyan_cheena]

Note: Just added two extra paragraphs to the previous post where Elmer Ray is asked his opinion on Jersey Pride.

Coming up in the HBF...

* Vincennes responds to Schmeling's European refusal

* Bruno and Mason: In the spotlight in England

* A preview of all the upcoming action for the start of series seven

[kenyan_cheena]

VINCENNES "FINE" WITH
SCHMELING'S EUROPEAN SNUB

Saturday 3 August 2002

Heavyweight Boxing Federation President Michael Vincennes has confirmed today that he has no problem with German fighter Max Schmeling's apparent snubbing of the organisation's upcoming European Championship tournament.

"It's entirely up to him," said Vincennes today from the federation's Manhattan headquarters. "I'm fine with it. We have never said that entry into our regional tournaments is mandatory and in a way I actually admire Max for the decision he's made. I don't think it has anything to do with what some are calling arrogance on his part. He's a proud man and I know he's hurting over his failure to qualify for stage two of the World Championship tournament. It could be that he's punishing himself for that failure. To be honest, his path to a world title shot would have been just as difficult if he had entered the European tournament because there will be some really talented fighters in the field. The loser of this week's Sharkey-Stewart matchup will be there, for one, as will the loser of the bout between Woodcock and Gardner in a couple of weeks. They're all excellent fighters who would give most of our top contenders a hard night's work."

Vincennes went on to say that he'll be granting Schmeling's wish and entering him in the World Ranking tournament.

"That is, of course, unless he changes his mind during the next couple of months," he added. "His presence in the World Ranking tournament will only add to what's already a competitive event. Just looking at some of the fighters from our feeder leagues who are favoured to qualify, there's the potential for a lot of exciting matchups. You've got Terone Haynes, Olympic Champion Lennox Lewis and Harry Wills just for starters and whoever wins the African League will have really earned his spot. I have no problem with Max taking part in the tournament but he might just want to think of that famous phrase "be careful what you wish for" before he makes his decision final."

[kenyan_cheena]

BRUNO AND MASON ARE
THE TOAST OF ENGLAND

Sunday 4 August 2002

English Heavyweight boxers and good friends Frank Bruno and Gary Mason made a joint appearance on last night's episode of the popular British chat show Parkinson, where they discussed their HBF careers to date and excitement over their own futures and the sport in England in general.

Currently sitting in 2nd place in Group Seven of the World Championship tournament, Bruno has accumulated a 4-0-2(1) record which includes victories over top seed Young Stribling and also the Canadian Earl Walls, both of whom were undefeated before tackling the big Englishman. A win in his final stage one bout against Roland LaStarza will secure his passage to the tournament's second stage although even if he loses he could still qualify.

Mason has been one of the great stories of the HBF to date. Coming into the World Championship tournament as the 66th seed, the Jamaican-born slugger clinched a birth in stage two with last week's victory over Tony Alongi, the win improving his record to 5-1(1). Mason has also scored great victories (in consecutive bouts) over Group Fifteen's top two seeds Jack Sharkey and Oscar Bonavena and is the lowest seeded fighter in the tournament to have qualified for stage two.

"It's been an incredible run through the tournament for both of us," said Bruno. "I think Gary would agree with me that neither of us expected to make such great career starts or to be in contention for the second stage. I'm just so proud of what Gary has achieved so far, especially those wins against Bonavena and Sharkey."

Mason picked up where Bruno left off, talking about his apprehension in regards to a possible stage two matchup against his good mate.

"The way it looks now, we'll both be in Group Three in stage two," said Mason. "It's going to be a tough night when we step into the ring against each other, something I really won't be looking forward to."

The show's host Michael Parkinson ran off a list of other English fighters who have performed well in the HBF, such as Alex Stewart, Bruce Woodcock and Herbie Hide, to which Bruno replied enthusiastically.

"I would love to see one of us bring the World Championship home," he said, the studio audience responding with applause. "It's something I believe could really happen and something that we all should be striving for."

Both men will be back in action at the end of the month, with Bruno's vital clash against LaStarza on the 26th and Mason taking on Arthur Pelkey on the 30th...

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 4 August 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 05/08/2002 - SATURDAY 10/08/2002 INCLUSIVE

MONDAY 05/08/2002 - AICHI MARTIAL ARTS HALL, NAGOYA, AICHI, JAPAN

1D/G1: 5(40) MIKE SCHRECK vs 8(64) OSCAR PHARO
WC/G8: 6(89) ROGER RISCHER vs 7(105) JOHNNY BOUDREAUX
WC/G8: 5(73) LEM FRANKLIN vs 8(121) ARTURO GODOY
WC/G8: 1(8) SAM MCVEY vs 4(57) JOHNNY ARTHUR
1D/G1: 6(48) FRANK SLAVIN vs 7(56) JOSE LUIS GARCIA
WC/G8: 2(25) TONY TUCKER vs 3(41) ZORA FOLLEY

TUESDAY 06/08/2002 - ULLEVI STADIUM, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
THE NORTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS

(3) ARTUIR CLAFFEY vs (4) BRION MAYO
(1) INGEMAR JOHANSSON vs (2) FLEMMING EKELUND

WEDNESDAY 07/08/2002 - WALSH PARK, WATERFORD, MUNSTER, IRELAND

1D/G1: 2(16) TONY GALENTO vs 3(24) STAN WARD
WC/G9: 6(88) JIM SAVAGE vs 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE
WC/G9: 5(72) JOE GODDARD vs 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN
WC/G9: 1(9) SAM LANGFORD vs 4(56) JOE BAKSI
1D/G1: 1(1) ROCKY MARCIANO vs 4(32) SCOTT LEDOUX
WC/G9: 2(24) TOM SHARKEY vs 3(40) ALEX STEWART

THURSDAY 08/08/2002 - PACAEMBU STADIUM, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
THE SOUTH AMERICAN BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS

(5) BERNARDO MERCADO vs (3) ROBERTO DAVILA
(2) JORGE LUIS GONZALEZ vs (1) GREGORIO PERALTA

FRIDAY 09/08/2002 - AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA

1D/G8: 6(41) LEE SAVOLD vs 7(49) KEENE SIMMONS
1D/G8: 5(33) KALLIE KNOETZE vs 8(57) JOE ERSKINE
WC/G16: 6(81) BUDDY BAER vs 7(97) ROCKY JONES
WC/G16: 5(65) TOM MCMAHON vs 8(113) TONY ROSS
WC/G16: 1(16) JIMMY YOUNG vs 4(49) NATHAN MANN
WC/G16: 2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON vs 3(33) ELMER RAY

SATURDAY 10/08/2002 - WEMBLEY CONFERENCE CENTRE, LONDON, ENGLAND

1D/G8: 1(8) HERBIE HIDE vs 4(25) BILLY WALKER
WC/G1: 6(96) BOONE KIRKMAN vs 7(112) GARVIN SAWYER
WC/G1: 5(80) TYRELL BIGGS vs 8(128) JOSE URTAIN
WC/G1: 2(32) EARNIE SHAVERS vs 3(48) LARRY MIDDLETON
WC/G1: 1(1) GENE TUNNEY vs 4(64) KARL MILDENBERGER
1D/G8: 2(9) EMBRELL DAVIDSON vs 3(17) BOB DEVERE

[kenyan_cheena]

JUDGMENT DAY FOR MANY IN SERIES SEVEN

Sunday 4 August 2002

During the next four weeks, seven months of struggle and hard work will reach either a triumphant or sorrowful conclusion for a number of HBF fighters as stage one of the federation's World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments comes to an end. There's still plenty of chances for progression to stage two up for grabs and during these coming seven days alone, there's a bunch of important matchups.

Starting tomorrow in Japan, Tony Tucker and Zora Folley will clash with 2nd place in Group Eight and progression to stage two of the WC tournament awaiting the winner. Tucker was victorious in each of his first four bouts but has fallen to back-to-back losses and will be wanting to avoid a third while Folley has rebounded from a difficult stretch that saw him go winless in three consecutive fights. He was absolutely decimated by the group's top seed Sam McVey back in May but if he can overcome Tucker and progress to stage two it will be an inspiring achievement. On the same card, the Australian Frank Slavin and Venezuela's Jose Luis Garcia will go head-to-head in the Co-Feature to decide who'll join top seed Rocky Marciano in the second stage from Group One of the 1st Defense tournament.

On Wednesday, Ireland's Tom Sharkey will have a home crowd in his corner as he takes on England's Alex Stewart. Both men have shown courage and tenacity throughout the World Championship tournament but only one of them will qualify for stage two and it figures to be an exciting fight. Friday night sees an eagerly anticipated contest when Florida Alliance leader Elmer Ray competes in his home state for the first time, going up against Floyd Patterson at Miami's American Airlines Arena. Group Sixteen of the World Championship event has been, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating from either of the federation's premier tournaments and Ray will have a lot of support when he steps in the ring. The group's top seed Jimmy Young also faces an important bout as a loss against Nathan Mann could very well cost him a place in stage two.

Saturday night will see a 1st Defense tournament bout headlining an HBF fight card for the first time when Embrell Davidson and the Irishman Bob Devere slug it out for progression in the 1st Defense tournament. Michigan-born Davidson will be looking to complete a fantastic fightback from the brink of elimination, going for three consecutive victories over UK opponents following wins over England's Billy Walker and Herbie Hide in his previous two bouts. The World Championship tournament's #1 seed Gene Tunney has been relegated to Co-Feature status for his fight against Germany's Karl Mildenberger as he has along with Ohio's Earnie Shavers already wrapped up a birth in stage two.

The week also features the semi-finals of both the Northern Europe and South American Boxing Leagues, where the chance to fight for a spot in the federation's upcoming World Ranking tournament will be on the line. It all adds up to to an exciting seven days of action...

[kenyan_cheena]

A GRAND ACHIEVEMENT:
FOLLEY DOMINATES TUCKER
TO QUALIFY FOR STAGE TWO

Monday 5 August 2002

Producing his greatest career performance to date, Arizona's Zora Folley has scored a convincing unanimous decision victory over Tony Tucker to qualify for stage two of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament. This was a bout that many boxing experts said was too close to pick, with both fighters having shown little in their recent bouts to justify favouritism. Last month, Folley had been fortunate to stop Johnny Arthur on cuts in round two but had gone winless in his three bouts before then, including a crushing loss to top seed Sam McVey. Tucker could have already been sitting pretty with qualification under his belt if he'd been able to defeat Johnny Arthur back in May. But a loss in that fight followed by another against McVey made tonight's contest a must win and as it would happen, the tall Michigan native found himself struck out when the night was over.

Yes, there was a lot of uncertaintly going into the evening over who would prevail but after the opening two rounds Folley was in complete control. From the opening bell, the Arizone native came out like a man possessed, throwing four and five punch combinations with accuracy and intensity and keeping a clearly bemused Tucker on the back foot. If the Grand Rapids fighter had stepped between the ropes with any sort of gameplan, it had been torn to shreds as his shorter opponent went to town on him. Tucker was trying to establish a jab but Folley was having a lot of success evading it. So not only was he landing his punches at a high percentage, he was also making Tucker miss with many of his own. Folley was simply fantastic in those first two rounds, picking his man off at will and outlanding Tucker by an incredible 80-18. On his stool after the second, Tucker received a verbal spray from his corner crew, a number of choice expletives in the mix.

It seemed to do the trick as the 25th seed was the better man in round three, showing much more aggression and working a lot harder. He had more success with the jab and also used his advantage in size, leaning on Folley and bumping shoulders from in close. Round four would follow a similar path although Folley finished it with an impressive burst of activity during the final thirty seconds, leading to each judge scoring it 10-10. Tucker had outhrown his opponent by a surprising 2:1 ratio to this point in the fight, but Folley had landed 116 punches while Tucker had connected with just 63.

With two rounds to go it looked like Tucker still had something of a chance, but it was in round five where Folley put the result beyond doubt. Returning to his form of the opening rounds, he dominated the stanza with speed and aggression, jolting Tucker's head back with a series of crunching power shots, lefts and rights sending the sweat flying. For the first time in the fight, Folley came close to dropping the big man with a smashing right hand two minutes in. Folley remained resolute in the final round and although Tucker tried valiantly for the late miracle knockout, the Arizona slugger had done more than enough to secure the round.

The 22 year-old received a standing ovation from the Aichi Martial Arts Hall crowd, making a circuit of the ring with his right fist raised. When the verdict was announced, the realisation of what he had achieved overwhelmed Folley and he wept openly, embracing his trainer. The 41st seed had been awarded a 58-57, 59-56, 58-57 verdict, perhaps closer than it deserved to be but he didn't care.

"I really can't believe it," said Folley after he had composed himself. "I was gone after Sammy kicked my ass. I couldn't see how I would come back from that, at least in the short term. But you know, I had a lot of help from Johnny on that night and then when I fought him it was just one punch that won me the fight. Tonight was just ... I just went out there with no fear, no hesitation. If I was to lose, I didn't want to have any regrets and it's worked out better than I could have ever hoped for. I kinda feel like I've slain a giant and I wish Tony all the best in the American tournament. I know he'll be disappointed after what's happened in his last three fights, but I also know he'll turn that all around in the future."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Folley landed exactly twice as many punches as Tucker, and at a superb strike rate:

Folley: 174/236 (73.7%)
Tucker: 87/347 (25.1%)

"Just too good," said a dejected Tucker afterwards. "Zora gave me a lesson on what it takes to succeed in this tournament. It's just a shame for myself that I failed to build on how I started this thing. When I was 4-0 I thought that was it. I thought they couldn't pass me from there and maybe I let my intensity slip. I still look back on that Arthur fight and wonder how I lost it. Maybe I couldn't get past that fact, you know? Maybe I let it push me down too much. But you know, it ain't the end. Might be the end of my chances in this tourney, but I have to look ahead with positivity. I feel I've got a good shot of success in the American tournament and that's what I'll be focusing on."

***

Earlier in the evening, the South African Johnny Arthur was trying to keep his oh-so-slim chances of second stage qualification alive when he went toe-to-toe against top seed Sam McVey. Arthur knew that if he could upset the Californian and have it followed by a draw in the main event, he'd qualify.

Coming off the disappointment of a 2nd round TKO loss to Zora Folley last month, Arthur put in a brave, admirable performance but in the end it wasn't quite good enough and McVey was the winner by a close unanimous decision (57-55, 57-56, 57-55).

Some had said that, having already qualified for stage two, McVey would have trouble getting himself up for the fight. That wasn't the case, at least during the top half of the bout. McVey showed that he was deadly serious, outworking Arthur and building a healthy lead with his customary brilliance and aggression. Through three rounds McVey had swept two of the cards and led by two points on the other. It looked like being another impressive trademark victory for the Oxnard native but it all changed in round four.

Knowing that his chances were almost over, Arthur came out on fire in the fourth and took the momentum away from McVey. It all started with a straight right a minute into the round. The punch hurt McVey and when the South African connected with a crushing uppercut a minute later McVey was staggered. Another straight right had the 8th seed holding on to survive and he wore a perturbed expression as he sat on his stool during the intermission.

Round five started out in an uneventful fashion but it was clear that McVey was more cautious than he'd been earlier. Through the first two minutes Arthur had the upperhand behind a potent jab. At the 2:23 mark he unleashed a flush right hook that snapped McVey's head around on his shoulders and dropped him to the canvas! For a moment it looked like the upset was about to happen as McVey didn't move until the count reached five. He pushed himself to his feet at eight, shaking his head following the second knockdown of his career. McVey was in survival mode as the final seconds of the round ticked away, absorbing a four punch combo but making it to the bell on his feet.

And so the fight entered its final, vital round. Anyone keeping score must have known that the knockdown would have drawn Arthur level so the task for both men was simple: win the round or lose the fight. Showing his champion qualities, McVey took that winning possibility out of Arthur's hands with a smashing left hook 56 seconds into the round. The South African's legs turned to rubber and he slumped to the canvas. He climbed off the mat at seven, cursing himself. The rest of the round would prove to be anti-climatic as McVey backpedalled behind a jab and Arthur, his tank empty, was unable to track him down.

McVey had thrown more than twice as many punches, landing 125 of 432 (28.9%) compared to 103 of 184 for Arthur (56.0%).

"I got the win but I'm not happy," said McVey. "Yeah, it didn't matter as far as progressin' is concerned but I hate to lose and I came closer to it tonight than I have before. I shouldn't 've been in that position, 'specially after those first three rounds. I feel lucky that I got out of it with the win and I have t' hand it to Johnny. He really came back strong and he should be proud of what he's achieved in the tournament. I think I heard that he'll be taking part in the African Championship tournament next and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he wins it."

Following Folley's victory in the evening's Main Event, the final standings at the top of Group Eight look like this:

1. 1(8) SAM MCVEY (USA), 7-0-0(1)
2. 3(41) ZORA FOLLEY (USA), 4-1-2(1)

3. 2(25) TONY TUCKER (USA), 4-3-0(1)
4. 4(57) JOHNNY ARTHUR (SOUTH AFRICA), 3-2-2

Folley must be complimented on his efforts in finishing 2nd while Tucker will no doubt be long looking at this tournament as a golden opportunity slipping through his fingers. We'll have to wait and see how he performs in the Continental Americas Championship tournament but he would have to be considered as one of the favourites to win the regional belt. As for Arthur, Sam McVey was correct with the words he spoke about him. The South African will be entered into the upcoming African Championship tournament and will certainly have something of an advantage over the rest of the field, most of whom will be fighters with no previous experience.

***

In the Co-Feature, two overachieving fighters clashed for a place in stage two of the 1st Defense tournament. 48th-seeded Australian Frank Slavin and the Venezuelan 56th seed Jose Luis Garcia had both been KO'd by #1 seed Rocky Marciano earlier in the tournament but tonight one of them would be confirmed as joining "The Brockton Blockbuster" in stage two.

Slavin has become an unlikely celebrity in his homeland thanks to his admirable run through the tournament and his easy-going, laid-back personality. He's also been looked upon as single-handledly making the handlebar moustache fashionable again in Australia. Whether that's a good thing or not is up for debate but what couldn't be disputed is the fact that through his first six bouts, he'd accumulated a 5-1(2) record and a win against Garcia would complete an unexpected journey into stage two.

The key to Garcia being in position to progress had been victories over higher seeds Tony Galento and Stan Ward earlier in the tournament. He was bringing his first two-fight winning streak into the clash but, like in the main event that would follow, this was a bout where the winner was considered difficult to pick.

Garcia would make a strong start to the contest, dominating for most of the opening round before Slavin landed a big uppercut late in the piece. Once again, the Venezuelan was in control for much of the second but Slavin dropped his man with a vicious right cross right on the bell. It was a knockdown that would prove to be of huge significance towards the final outcome.

The action slowed somewhat during the next three rounds with both men finding it difficult to mount a consistent offense. Garcia was clearly working harder, constantly pushing out the jab to keep Slavin at a distance. Going into the final round it looked to be either combatant's victory for the taking and they both fought accordingly. Slavin was explosive in the opening minute, tagging Garcia with some powerful shots, in particular a booming uppercut that stopped the Venezuelan in his tracks. As the round progressed it appeared that Slavin had done enough to win it but Garcia made a strong case for himself with a late rally, staggering the Aussie with a punishing combination twenty seconds from the bell.

The appreciative audience applauded wildly and the wait for the decision must have been excruciating for the two warriors. Ring announcer Larry Rosof eventually took up the microphone to put them out of their misery...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a split decision," he said. "Judge Rodolpho Hill of Panama has scored the contest 57-56 to Frank Slavin. Judge Franz Marti of Switzerland has also scored it 57-56, to Jose Luis Garcia. Judge Jacob Insonsa of Mexico scores it 58-56 to the winner, who will continue his run through the 1st Defense tournament ... FRANK SLAVIN!!!"

The Australian collapsed to his knees, raising his hands triumphantly and screaming. He quickly climbed back to his feet and offered commisserations to Garcia and his corner. Slavin had landed 119 of 277 punches (43.0%), Garcia 139 of 487 (28.5%).

"I've never said this before but when I tried out for the tournament it was just for a bit of fun," said Slavin, laughing. "Never really thought I'd get this far. Just thought I could make some dough from it and be able to say that I fought professionally. Now I'm really excited about the second stage, I have to admit."

Slavin is one of a handful of fighters who have defied the odds so far in the HBF. Much like Gary Mason in the WC tournament, Slavin's stay is set to stretch beyond what was expected and it will be interesting to see how far he can go. Garcia will find a place in the Continental Americas tournament and if he can show the same determination and courage that he displayed in the 1st Defense tournament, he'll be certain to make a mark on it.

ON THE UNDERCARD

Opening Bout

Cincinnati's Mike Schreck ended his dreadful stay in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation in the same way it started: with a KO loss. Up against the similarly winless Oscar Pharo, Schreck was counted out 1:40 into round three after eating a single right uppercut. The Ohio native had controlled the opening two rounds but, like in his other fights, his glass jaw betrayed him once again.

Schreck was made the 40th seed in the 1st Defense tournament and while he wasn't expected to progress to stage two, the HBF could not have foreseen the horror show that was his tournament campaign. Schreck's 0-7 record included a federation-high six stoppage defeats, five in a row since losing a unanimous decision to Stan Ward in February. Five of those stoppages were inside of three rounds and, strangely, top seed Rocky Marciano was the only one who didn't actually knock him out.

Pharo had been almost as bad as he lost his first three bouts by stoppage inside of three rounds before going the distance in his last three. The chances of either man seeing further action in the HBF are slim, at best.

Preliminary 1

Oakland's Roger Rischer ended his stay in the World Championship tournament with a hard-fought majority decision win over Houston's Johnny Boudreaux (58-56, 57-57, 58-56). Both men put on a good show with the Texan finishing strongly against a tiring Rischer.

The Californian improved his record to 2-4-1 and might be given a low seeding in the upcoming American tournament while Boudreaux finishes his run through the World Championship tournament without a win at 0-6-1.

Preliminary 2

Alabama's Lem Franklin earned the admiration and respect of many during the first four series of the World Championship tournament. Up against Group Eight's top four seeds (McVey, Tucker, Folley and Arthur), Franklin failed to record a win but went the distance in each fight and showed courage and tenacity.

Recording his first victory against Johnny Boudreaux in May and his second over Roger Rischer last month, Franklin made it three in a row tonight as he KO'd the Chilean Arturo Godoy in round four. Franklin was in control through the first three rounds and floored Godoy 1:30 into the fourth. Up at nine, Godoy was on his back again ten seconds later and was counted out exactly two minutes into the round.

Lem Franklin's determination to make something of his boxing career should be looked upon as an inspiration to many and it will be a pleasure to follow his progress during the Continental Americas Championship tournament...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2002
AICHI MARTIAL ARTS HALL, NAGOYA, AICHI, JAPAN


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
8(64) Oscar Pharo KO3 5(40) Mike Schreck

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
6(89) Roger Rischer MD6 7(105) Johnny Boudreaux

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
5(73) Lem Franklin KO4 8(121) Arturo Godoy

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
1(8) Sam McVey UD6 4(57) Johnny Arthur

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
6(48) Frank Slavin SD6 7(56) Jose Luis Garcia

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
3(41) Zora Folley UD6 2(25) Tony Tucker

[Romdawg88]

I look forward to following what should be a long and fruitful career for Mike Schreck.

[kenyan_cheena]

JOHANSSON CRASHES AT HOME

Tuesday 6 August 2002

The semi-finals of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's feeder league tournaments experienced their first upset tonight when Sweden's Ingemar Johansson fell to a unanimous decision defeat in front of his fellow countrymen at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. In an all-Scandinavian matchup, the #1 seed in the Northern Europe Boxing League engaged in one of the fights of the year against Denmark's Flemming Ekelund and in the end, it was a third round knockdown that made all the difference. Each judge gave Ekelund the verdict by identical scores of 57-56.

Ekelund may have been the #2 seed but the consensus favoured Johansson as being a class above anyone else in the league. He was expected to represent it in the World Ranking tournament but ran into an inspired opponent tonight. Johansson brought a perfect 5-0(2) record into the evening while Ekelund was 4-1(1), having suffered his lone defeat at the hands of Ireland's Artuir Claffey back in May.

The contest started in a lively fashion with the opening two rounds being split: Ekelund the aggressor in the first before Johansson clicked into gear in round two. Both fighters were swinging for the fences, landing some fierce shots. The vocal Swedish crowd fell into a stunned silence when their man tasted the canvas for the first time in his career thanks to a stinging bodyshot forty seconds into the third. Ekelund had connected with a flush uppercut about twenty seconds earlier that appeared to scramble Johansson's circuits and he still looked unsteady when he rose from the knockdown. Ekelund applied further pressure as the round progressed but was unable to finish the job, much to the relief of the audience.

Johansson would rally strongly in rounds four and five, winning both in a convincing fashion and hurting Ekelund on several occasions while doing so. He'd put himself right back into the contest and one could only wonder if the two would be able to sustain their cracking pace in the final stanza. The answer was given as a yes as they went toe-to-toe, Johansson seemingly having the better of most of it before Ekelund finished with a flurry of activity. It would turn out to be a point of controversy that all three judges awarded the round to the Dane and when the verdict was announced it was greeted with outrage from the audience, some of whom threw paper cups and food into the ring.

The #1 seed simply sat on his stool, a stunned expression on his face, barely acknowledging the chaos around him. Ekelund had to be rushed from the ring by security, unable to even give a post-fight interview. Johansson would follow soon after, despair still blanketing his countenance.

The punch totals indicated the explosive nature of the contest:

Ekelund 144/347 (41.5%)
Johansson 171/299 (57.2%)

***

In the first semi-final Artuir Claffey proved far too good for his fellow Irishman Brion Mayo, flooring him at the end of round two and dominating the contest to take a 58-55 (x3) unanimous decision victory.

Claffey improved to 6-0(2) while Mayo fell to 3-2-1, going winless for the third fight in a row. The disappointment was evident on his face afterwards. Claffey had landed an impressive 174 of 221 punches (78.7%), Mayo 95 of 266 (35.7%).

***

It's a reality that will be hard for the Swede to accept, but Johansson will be placed in the Qualifying League along with Mayo. No doubt he'll have to re-evaluate where he believes he is in his career because he was supremely confident going into tonight's event.

In a rematch of their May 28 clash, Ekelund and Claffey will meet in the tournament final on September 10, the venue likely to be Ireland. In addition to qualifying for the World Ranking tournament, the Dane will no doubt be looking to gain some revenge...

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
TUESDAY 6 AUGUST 2002
ULLEVI STADIUM, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

THE NORTHERN EUROPE BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS


CO-FEATURE

(3) Artuir Claffey UD6 (4) Brion Mayo

MAIN EVENT

(2) Flemming Ekelund UD6 (1) Ingemar Johansson