The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

LUCK OF THE IRISH?

Wednesday 7 August 2002

Of all the vital matchups scheduled to take place during series seven of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament, the clash between England's Alex Stewart and the Irishman Tom Sharkey has been looked upon as being amongst the top two or three as far as "classic fight" potential is concerned. These two combatants have provided some great, entertaining moments during the tournament with Stewart hanging on by the skin of his teeth to avoid defeat in most of his bouts and Sharkey showing that one doesn't need to be six feet tall to be an explosive puncher.

The bout took place tonight at Walsh Park in Munster, Ireland in front of a capacity crowd of 17,000, most of whom were cheering like crazy for their fellow countryman. Sharkey was considered a slight favourite but some wondered whether, even in front of an audience baying for his blood, Stewart would be able to pull off another escape act. Also appearing on the night were two men who many are hoping will emerge victorious in their respective tournaments, World Championship 9th seed Sam Langford of Canada and the 1st Defense tourney's #1 seed, "The Brockton Blockbuster" Rocky Marciano.

The fight cards that have featured Group Nine of the World Championship tournament have been some of the most thrilling held to date by the HBF and tonight's one was no excpetion...

Opening Bout

Sacramento's Stan Ward ended his stay in the 1st Defense tournament with a 4th round TKO victory over the disappointing Tony Galento. After a tightly-contested opening three rounds, Ward opened an ugly cut over Galento's left eye and the fight was stopped 2:14 into the fourth. It was a shame really as the bout had really started to heat up with an action-packed third round.

Ward improved his record to 4-3(1), finishing in 4th behind Marciano, Slavin and Garcia in Group One. Galento will look back on his campaign and be dissatisfied with his accomplishments. As the tournament's 16th seed he was expected to progress to stage two but could only accumulate a 3-4(3) record. The big New Jersey native may have knockout power but he was also stopped himself on three occasions and will be looking for a much more consistent effort during the Continental Americas Championship tournament.

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Oh, you're writing up a big report on this card so that Sharkey/Stewart fight must of been a barnburner I'm looking forward to seeing what happened.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Oh, you're writing up a big report on this card so that Sharkey/Stewart fight must of been a barnburner I'm looking forward to seeing what happened.

barnburner = understatement

everyone should be

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

barnburner = understatement

everyone should be

So are we talking fight of the universe type stuff here then? Now, I'm real excited to see the fight.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1301)

Preliminary 1

In his best performance to date South Africa's Gerrie Coetzee scored his second career victory, taking a unanimous decision verdict against New Jersey's Jim Savage.

Coetzee dropped his opponent to the canvas with a single uppercut 2:30 into round one and continued to dominate until round four, where Savage rallied strongly. But the South African regained control in the fifth and took a 59-55, 58-56, 59-55 victory.

Savage had shown a lot of fight for no reward in his previous bouts, having held both Alex Stewart and Tom Sharkey to draws. Perhaps the disappointment of those near misses caught up with him tonight because he displayed little resilience against Coetzee.

The 104th-seeded South African ends his run in the World Championship tournament with a 2-5 record. Whether or not he is given a birth in the African Championship tournament remains to be seen but as for Savage, the chances of him staying in the HBF aren't good considering his 0-5-2 mark.

Preliminary 2

Two fighters who have always given 100% clashed in the evening's third contest. Australia's Joe Goddard and Chicago native John Holman both brought two-fight winning streaks into the bout and gave the crowd an entertaining half-hour before having to settle for a draw.

Goddard had the better of an exciting open round before Holman dominated the second, hurting the Aussie with some heavy shots. The third was a tighter affair but Goddard appeared to have the upper hand after he landed a number of telling blows in the fourth. Holman finished strongly, though, doing enough to win the fifth and taking the final round in convincing fashion. Each judge saw the fight differently, with one giving it to Goddard 58-56, another to Holman 59-55 and the third having it tied up at 57-57.

Goddard's record is now 2-2-3 and the federation have already confirmed that he'll be placed in the Asian Championship tournament. Holman is 2-3-2 and should sneak into the Continental Americas event as a lower seed.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Support Bout

Having already secured a stage two birth following last month's victory against Tom Sharkey, Canada's Sam Langford gave the experts even more reason to regard him as one of the top contenders in the World Championship tournament with a brilliant performance against Joe Baksi. In what was a "dead rubber" as far as progression is concerned, the 9th seed produced his most comprehensive effort to date, dominating from start to finish and taking a 59-54, 60-53, 59-54 unanimous decision verdict.

Stepping into the ring a trim, ripped 182 pounds, Langford made his intentions clear from the opening bell and it was obvious that the New York-born Baksi was way out of his league. Langford punished him throughout to the delight of the audience in a contest that really should have been stooped when Baksi tasted the canvas after a single left hook a minute into the fourth. He was absorbing a world of pain and rarely fired back, as if he had been cowed into submission by the aggressive Canadian.

It would be entirely reasonable to assume a misprint when looking at the punch totals for the first time but they were accurate and reflected the extent of Langford's brilliance:

Langford: 227/400 (56.8%)
Baksi: 24/56 (42.9%)

"I told the referee a few times that he should stop the fight," said Langford. "The guy just didn't want to fight me. It was pretty obvious and I don't know why they didn't recognise it. It's not a win that I feel too good about 'cause Joe really handed it to me. He didn't make me work for it and it's kind of puzzling, I have to admit."

Langford may have had a low opinion of the contest but that didn't stop the crowd from cheering him back to the dressing room. He may have defeated their hero Sharkey last month, but Langford's friendship with the 24th seed aswell as the classy way he has constantly carried himself in has made him a favourite in Ireland. There's no doubt that they'll continue to be behind him during stage two of the World Championship tournament.

Co-Feature

Almost as if trying to outdo Langford, the 1st Defense tournament's #1 seed Rocky Marciano unleashed a merciless beating on Minnesota native Scott LeDoux in the evening's Co-Feature. It must rank as one of the world's minor miracles that LeDoux was on his feet when the final bell sounded, because Marciano's assault was constant and relentless.

The fight looked like it would be over in the first round when LeDoux was dropped twice in the space of thirty seconds but he beat the count on both occasions and showed tremendous resilience and tenacity to survive the full six rounds. In rounds two and four, the referee could have ended it and no one would have complained, so dominant and crushing was Marciano's handiwork. But LeDoux remained on his feet from the second round onwards and even managed to score a few shots in the final two stanzas. He showed a helluva lot more resistance than Baksi had in the evening's previous bout and the audience acknowledged his efforts after the final bell, as did Marciano.

"I can't believe he stayed on his feet after some of the shots I landed on him," said The Brockton Blockbuster. "I have to take my hat off to him. You know, he couldn't qualify for stage two so that was one reason why he could have just laid down. But he never gave up and he even caught me with a some solid shots towards the end there. He really earned my respect with that effort and I hope he has a lot of success in the American Championship tournament."

The final scorecards were 59-53, 60-51, 59-52 to Marciano and, in an unlikely outcome, he landed the exact same amount of punches as Langford had against Baksi:

Marciano: 227/432 (52.5%)
LeDoux: 77/122 (63.1%)

Marciano takes a perfect 7-0(5) record into stage two while LeDoux's third consecutive loss dropped his record to 3-4(3). As Marciano mentioned, the Minnesota-born slugger will be competing in the Continental Americas Championship tournament. He's shown during his stay in the 1D tourney that he has knockout power and hopefully that will be of greater benefit to him in his upcoming fights than it has in his last three.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

Sorry about the lack of action in the HBF during the last couple of days. I haven't had any home internet access since Monday night (it's now Thursday morning here) because of problems with reconnecting my modem after changes with the technology my ISP is using. Hopefully it'll all be back to normal tomorrow.

[Ric915]

Great stuff, sorry about the internet problems makes me cray when I can't get online

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ric915

Great stuff, sorry about the internet problems makes me cray when I can't get online

It's really pi$$ed me off, putting it lightly. The ISP was forced to change the configuration because the company controlling the phone lines has changed the broadband technology. So it's not entirely the ISP's fault, but they have been all but helpless in regards to helping me re-install the modem with the new settings. I've called up the modem's manufacturer and will be trying *again* when I get home tonight to install it.

[kenyan_cheena]

!!!

I'm not really sure why, but I am now reconnected at home!

I swear that when I was trying to re-install the modem last night, I did exactly the same thing that I did tonight and it didn't work. The new setup has a dialler that I had to log on to and it kept on timing out during my orevious attempts. Tonight, it worked!

k_c's back, baby!

[Ric915]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

!!!

I'm not really sure why, but I am now reconnected at home!

I swear that when I was trying to re-install the modem last night, I did exactly the same thing that I did tonight and it didn't work. The new setup has a dialler that I had to log on to and it kept on timing out during my orevious attempts. Tonight, it worked!

k_c's back, baby!

Hmm Pretty weird,, but any ways Welcome back On with the HBF/IBL

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1306)

Main Event

***

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
WALSH PARK, WATERFORD, MUNSTER, IRELAND
WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST 2002

THE MAIN EVENT

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
STAGE ONE, GROUP NINE

2(24) TOM SHARKEY (IRELAND)
3-1-2(2)
20 years old, 192 lbs, 5'8"

vs

3(40) ALEX STEWART (ENGLAND)
4-1-1
23 years old, 231 lbs, 6'3"

Six rounds of boxing,
with the award for the winner
progression to Stage Two of
the World Championship tournament...

***

In the minutes following Marciano's departure from the ring the audience grew restless, nervous anticipation in abundance as they awaited the combatants for the evening's main event. Soon, spirited chants were resonating around Walsh Park, some in favour of Stewart but most supporting the homeland favourite, Tom Sharkey. The atmosphere was akin to a soccer game and was, in one word, fantastic.

Stewart made his way to the ring first, decked out in his usual black with gold trim and looking focused and determined. He received as good a welcoming as one who ventures into enemy territory could expect but it was clear that the boos directed his way had little effect on the 40th seed.

When Sharkey took the same walk the audience exploded with excited applause, heaping praise onto their champion and increasing the intensity of their chants. Sweat was bubbled across his forehead and he wore his nation's colours of green, white and orange.

The Englishman's height and weight advantage was clear to see as the two men came together in the centre of the ring following the introductions. It really looked like a Heavyweight going up against a Middleweight and Stewart favoured the Irishman with a steely, cold glare to which Sharkey responded with one just as hard and unflinching...

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

(Following is a round-by-round account of Sharkey vs Stewart, as detailed by the London Herald's Douglas Bates)

1ST ROUND

A wave of excitement spreads around the stadium as the opening bell sounds but there's little action to speak of during the top half of the round. Both men show caution, Sharkey in particular who is intent on staying out of range and out of the way of Stewart's right hand. Each man flicks out an occasional jab and when they venture in close are quick to tie up their foe.

The crowd errupts briefly when, after Stewart throws out a lazy left jab, Sharkey toasts him with a sizzling right cross, jolting the Englishman. Stewart replies with a right of his own before they put some distance between themselves. Sharkey becomes more aggressive, motioning for Stewart to engage and when the 40th seed steps in Sharkey tags him with the uppercut! The shot snaps Stewart's head back and brings a howl of approval from the audience. The Irishman follows up with a crisp combination: left, right, left and a crunching right hook. Stewart looks a bit bemused in the face of his smaller opponent's offense.

Once again Sharkey finds the mark with the uppercut and some of the crowd are up on their feet! Stewart ties his man up but once they're seperated Sharkey goes back to work and connects with some hard shots. He's really outworking Stewart here in round one. Stewart's just looking to make it to the bell at the moment and he succeeds in that goal, but not before Sharkey clubs a right hand off his forehead to close the round.

The crowd applauds wildly as their man scampers back to his corner, a little pump of his fist showing his own excitement.

^<^>^

A great finish to the round from the Irishman. It bodes well for his chances in this bout and if he can keep up that standard, he'll most likely find himself in the second stage by the time the night is over.

My scorecard for round one: Sharkey 10-9

Punch totals for Round One

Sharkey: 33/68 (48.5%)
Stewart: 11/22 (50.0%)

2ND ROUND

In contrast to the 1st they start round two in a hurry, a fantastic toe-to-toe exchange bringing the crowd to their feet. Sharkey connects with another one of those flush uppercuts a minute in and Stewart is on the backfoot. Sharkey follows up strongly once again but Stewart fires back, catching the 24th seed with a hard left and a crunching right hand. Now they circle each other, pawing with occasional jabs before Sharkey steps in and hammers his man with yet another stinging uppercut, staggering Stewart! He stumbles backwards into the ropes. The shorter Irishman is swinging from the floor with that punch and Stewart's going to have to do something if he wants to avoid spending the whole night eating that right hand.

Sharkey has his man trapped, but like a cornered animal Stewart blasts his way out of trouble. He lands a nice combination that backs up Sharkey. Hitching up his trunks, Stewart moves forward now and lands a flush uppercut! Sharkey almost went down but he hangs onto Stewart for support. Those amongst the audience supporting the Englishman love what they're seeing and when Stewart pushes Sharkey off, he drops the right hand and then triples up with the jab. OH! A flush right hook from Stewart! Sharkey is in trouble! He's covering up and Stewart is going all out to finish it right here! Lefts and rights are raining down upon Sharkey but many of them are missing or bouncing hard off his arms, gloves and shoulders.

The Irishman looks to have regained his senses and he is retreating, staying away from the hard hitting Englishman. As the final seconds of the round tick away Stewart comes in and smashes his man right in the face with a left and a right! Sharkey bounces off the ropes and somehow stays on his feet, the bell sounding to save him from a possible early night! The crowd is just going crazy right now and I can't wait to see what round three will bring!

^<^>^

My, my, my. What a fantastic round! Sharkey looked like he was going to replicate his opening round efforts but Stewart turned the tables in a huge way in that final minute.

My scorecard for round two: Stewart 10-9
(All tied up at 19-19 after round two)

Punch totals for Round Two

Sharkey: 29/52 (55.8%)
Stewart: 39/83 (47.0%)

Punch totals after Round Two

Sharkey: 62/120 (51.6%)
Stewart: 50/105 (47.6%)

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

3RD ROUND

After the action of round two, the third starts slowly with both men seeming to make a mutual agreement to extend the intermission. Forty seconds into the round Sharkey goes back to the well and tags Stewart with a solid uppercut, shaking his bigger opponent. Sharkey pins him in a corner but when Stewart unloads, Sharkey ties him up, the referee having to separate the two men.

They go toe-to-toe for a few seconds, both men letting their hands fly and scoring with some hard shots to the audience's delight. Oh, a nice hook to the body from the Irishman! That punch stopped Stewart in his tracks and there's a pained expression on his face. He tries to retaliate with the right hand but misses, as does Sharkey when he telegraphs a left hook. Stewart fires away with the left and the right, finding the mark but Sharkey counters nicely, doubling up with the jab.

Again, Sharkey finds the mark with that uppercut. My, oh, my, Stewart has had no success evading that punch. This one wobbles him briefly and Sharkey pushes home the advantage, finishing the round strongly behind a potent jab aswell as some effective body work. His fans greet the end of the round with hearty, enthusiastic applause and it appears that the Irishman is back in control.

^<^>^

Great work from Sharkey in round three, snatching back the momentum that Stewart had taken in round two. The Englishman is going to have to dig deep in these last three rounds because Sharkey has been more consistent to this point. He's produced three excellent rounds while Stewart can only claim one great one and two ordinary ones.

My scorecard for round three: Sharkey 10-9
(Sharkey leads 29-28 after round three)

Punch totals for Round Three

Sharkey: 31/65 (47.7%)
Stewart: 12/28 (42.9%)

Punch totals after Round Three

Sharkey: 93/185 (50.3%)
Stewart: 62/133 (46.6%)

4TH ROUND

Stewart starts the round impressively, doubling up with the left hook to the head and the body before Sharkey initiates a clinch. Stewart is really using the jab in the early going, the punch spitting out at Sharkey time and again. The Irishman bullies Stewart into a neutral corner and follows a pair of crisp jabs with a glancing left hook and then a solid right to the body. Stewart tries to back Sharkey off with the jab but the 24th seed steps in aggressively and plants a left hook right on Stewart's jaw. A minute into the round and the Englishman looks tired, a worrying sign for him.

Sharkey peppers his man with the jab but Stewart avoids the blows, works inside and catches Sharkey with a crunching uppercut. The referee has to separate them and as the action slows, Stewart's corner can be heard shouting encouragement to him. The round has now passed the midpoint and Sharkey brings the crowd back to their feet with a winging right hand, the punch jolting Stewart's head halfway round. Sharkey presses forward and pins the tiring Englishman in a corner, letting his hands go but doing no real damage.

OH! Stewart catches Sharkey with a big right hand and then lands a flush left! Another right! The Irishman backs off and Stewart follows. They're bumping shoulders now, leaning on each other as this fantastic round ventures into its final quarter. Sharkey sneaks in a nice uppercut and when Stewart makes himself some room they exchange heavy leather, the audience cheering them on. Now Sharkey lands the right cross and Stewart is carrying his arms low. He really looks spent right now and Sharkey should be trying to capitalise.

He tries to do just that, trapping Stewart against the ropes, making some room for himself and piercing a left jab through the Englishman's defenses, following up with another punishing uppercut. Stewart is in terrible trouble but the bell should save him. Oh, a nice and surprising end to the round from Stewart as he finds the mark with a flurry of punches just before the bell sounds. The crowd are on their feet once again, offering long and appreciative applause as the two warriors return to their corners.

^<^>^

Another excellent round, the most even of the fight without a doubt. Sharkey probably landed the heavier punches but, despite looking tired for much of it, Stewart showed a great willingness to work. It's too close for me to give it to one man or the other, so I'll score it 10-10.

My scorecard for round four: 10-10
(Sharkey leads 39-38 after round four)

Punch totals for Round Four

Sharkey: 32/55 (58.2%)
Stewart: 27/66 (40.9%)

Punch totals after Round Four

Sharkey: 125/240 (52.1%)
Stewart: 89/199 (44.7%)

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

Uppercut Frenzy!!!! If this fight ends in a stoppage the final punch had better be an uppercut as it just won't be right if it was any other punch. Hell, of a fight so far I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Uppercut Frenzy!!!! If this fight ends in a stoppage the final punch had better be an uppercut as it just won't be right if it was any other punch. Hell, of a fight so far I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Glad you're enjoying it, Romy. If you can stay up for another hour, you''ll get to see how it ends and you'll also find out the result. Just about to start writing up the end of the fight...

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Glad you're enjoying it, Romy. If you can stay up for another hour, you''ll get to see how it ends and you'll also find out the result. Just about to start writing up the end of the fight...

Sweet, staying up shouldn't be a problem as I don't go to bed until 3 am anyway. Can't wait to see the write-up.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

5TH ROUND

Just two rounds to go and really, the contest and stage two progression is there for either man to take. Sharkey and Stewart exchange resolute stares before the action continues. Stewart works behind the jab again, moving forward and snaking it out at Sharkey, who ties him up when the big Englishman gets too close. Sharkey connects with a right hand after they break but then Stewart lands one of the punches of the fight, a booming right hand that scrambles the 24th seed's circuits. It landed as Sharkey was throwing a right of his own and his legs have turned to jelly! He backs off and Stewart pursues him. OH! Another right hand pummels Sharkey into the ropes! He's in big trouble here and the round isn't even a minute old!

Stewart isn't panicking, though, he's measuring his shots, a left jab piercing Sharkey's defense and after Sharkey misses with a wild right Stewart tags him with a hard left hook. It'll be a minor miracle if the Irishman can get through this round without tasting the canvas. Sharkey is backpedalling, keeping to the left of Stewart, away from that right hand.

Sharkey backs himself into a corner and Stewart steps in and unloads the uppercut, but it doesn't land cleanly. Sharkey ties him up and when they're separated he fires away desperately, catching Stewart but also wearing a hard left hook to the jaw. My, Sharkey is showing tremendous tenacity here. There's still a minute to run in the round and Sharkey scores with a left-right combination. Stewart looks content to cruise to the bell now, unprepared to dig deep enough to produce a knockdown. He flicks the jab out at Sharkey, finding the mark but there's not much power behind those punches. Sharkey ties him up when the big man gets in close and the round ends with the two combatants locked in a tired embrace.

^<^>^

We are set for a fantastic finish to this fight, because with that effort in round five Stewart has kept himself right in it. He was clearly the better man in the fifth and Sharkey might have exhausted himself with that great showing through the first four rounds.

My scorecard for round five: Stewart 10-9
(All tied up at 48-48 after round five)

Punch totals for Round Five

Sharkey: 12/31 (38.7%)
Stewart: 28/60 (46.7%)

Punch totals after Round Five

Sharkey: 137/271 (50.5%)
Stewart: 117/259 (45.2%)

6TH ROUND

The crowd are on their feet applauding as Sharkey and Stewart come out for the final round of what has been a magnificent tussle. They touch gloves and the 17,000 in attendance stay on their feet, imploring their favourite to produce a final three minutes that will bring them victory. Sharkey staggers his opponent with a hard right off the top of Stewart's head, but after the Englishman initiates a clinch Sharkey is warned for hitting on the break, bringing a chorus of boos from the crowd. Soon after Stewart finds the mark with a short uppercut and works the body, Sharkey wrapping his man up in a headlock before the referee quickly separates them.

One minute down, two to go and Stewart works that jab again, snapping it out and thudding it into Sharkey's face before the Irishman ties him up. They separate and Stewart crushes a big right hand off Sharkey's head! How did he find the reserves of strength for that? Sharkey staggers back into the ropes. He'll have to start throwing some punches or else this fight might just slip out of his hands. Stewart is the aggressor, working the body. Sharkey misses with a big left hook, the punch whistling by a fraction of an inch from Stewart's nose.

We're now into the final sixty seconds of the contest and Stewart is finishing strongly, a left hook sending the sweat from Sharkey's head and bringing a vacant look to his eyes. He paws away with the jab but when Stewart tries to unleash the right hand he smothers it and ties him up, precious seconds bleeding off the clock. Sharkey makes room for himself and lands a glancing left hook, Stewart backing off and regrouping. The final seconds of the bout tick away, Sharkey trying for a miracle knockout but finding nothing but air.

The bell sounds, ending one of the fights of the year. It's greeted by deafening applause from the crowd, Sharkey and Stewart embracing in the middle of the ring and congratulating each other on their efforts. They speak to each other's corner crews before acknowledging the audience and then returing to their corners.

^<^>^

What a fantastic contest we've witnessed. It's a cliche, I know, but it's a shame that there has to be a loser. But then again, I can only wonder how the judges have scored it. In my opinion, Stewart has stolen a wonderful victory and a spot in stage two of the World Championship tournament with a brilliant effort in the final two rounds. But we'll just wait and see what the judges think...

My scorecard for round six: Stewart 10-9
(Stewart wins 58-57)

Punch totals for Round Six

Sharkey: 15/28 (53.6%)
Stewart: 20/47 (42.6%)

Punch totals after Round Six

Sharkey: 152/299 (50.8%)
Stewart: 137/306 (44.8%)

(Coming up: The Verdict!!!)