The Heavyweight Boxing Federation - Page 67

kenyan_cheena · 07-07-2007, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Hell of a fight and a great job by Stewart to dig down and pull out those last two rounds. Stewart has to be in the running for most exciting fighter of the tournament so far all of the man's matches seem to come down to the wire, he's probably taking years off the lives of his supporters. Of course, the big news out of this is that we're now one step closer to the debuts of Hanson and myself.

I agree with everything you've said, Romy. I think it's great that two guys who have both struggled for their success (Folley and Stewart) will be in stage two. I'm really hoping that they can cause some surprises there.

That's all the writing I'll be doing for today. Detailing that fight was pretty time-consuming and tiring, so I'll finish off the conclusion of the event tomorrow and continue on from there. Patterson vs Ray is just around the corner also (two days of universe time away) and regardless of the result I'll be giving it the same treatment as Sharkey-Stewart.

See ya tomorrow, guys.

Ric915 · 07-07-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I agree with everything you've said, Romy. I think it's great that two guys who have both struggled for their success (Folley and Stewart) will be in stage two. I'm really hoping that they can cause some surprises there.

That's all the writing I'll be doing for today. Detailing that fight was pretty time-consuming and tiring, so I'll finish off the conclusion of the event tomorrow and continue on from there. Patterson vs Ray is just around the corner also (two days of universe time away) and regardless of the result I'll be giving it the same treatment as Sharkey-Stewart.

See ya tomorrow, guys.

Hell of a fight and hell of a write up. As usual great stuff KC

kenyan_cheena · 07-07-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric915

Hell of a fight and hell of a write up. As usual great stuff KC

Thanks, Ric. I'm glad you enjoyed it and appreciated it.

kenyan_cheena · 07-07-2007, 08:49 PM

(continuation of post #1319)

"I guess I just wanted it more," said Stewart, when asked how he managed to pull off his extraordinary victory. "I think we both knew coming out for the last round that it would be the critical one and I was able to dig a little deeper, show more urgency and work a little harder for those three minutes. Even though I'm so happy to have qualified, I'm feeling for Tommy right now. He fought a great fight and if he'd been able to keep that consistency in the last two rounds, I'm sure he would have been the victor. I wish him the best of luck for the European Championship tournament and would love to see him collect that belt."

The local hero was interviewed soon after and it was an understandably downcast Sharkey.

"This one really hurts," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, against Sammy I knew I'd do well just to win a couple of rounds because, in my opinion, he's the class of the tournament. That guy is the standard bearer so I took that loss pretty easily. But I felt that I was the better fighter for most of the contest tonight. I was confident when I stepped between the ropes that I'd be joining Sammy in stage two and to lose that opportunity in these circumstances ... it cuts pretty deep. I was in control after round four and all it would have taken was for me to win one more round, just one more round and that would have been enough. It's tough going out like this, especially in front of all these wonderful fans. I want to thank all of them for the great support they gave me and I'm just sorry I couldn't give them a win."

The crowd gave sustained applause to these last words, some shouting out encouragement to their hero.

"Now I just have to re-focus," said Sharkey. "The goal has changed now, as disappointing as that may be. But I just have to put my all into being ready for the Euro tournament and making sure I give myself the best chance of success there."

The ring had been cleared some ten minutes later and Walsh Park slowly became empty, thousands of spectators leaving with varying degrees of contentment and frustration following what was a fantastic night of boxing.

And so Alex Stewart has been determined as the one who will join Sam Langford in stage two. Following are the final standings for Group Nine:

1. 1(9) SAM LANGFORD (CANADA), 7-0-0(1)
2. 3(40) ALEX STEWART (ENGLAND), 5-1-1

3. 2(24) TOM SHARKEY (IRELAND), 3-2-2(2)
4. 5(72) JOE GODDARD (AUSTRALIA), 2-2-3
5. 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN (USA), 2-3-2
6. 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE (SOUTH AFRICA), 2-5-0
7. 4(56) JOE BAKSI (USA), 1-4-2
8. 6(88) JIM SAVAGE (USA), 0-5-2

In stage two Langford will be placed into what is going to be a talent-heavy Group Four, while Stewart will find himself in Group One and facing the prospect of bouts against Gene Tunney and Sam McVey, amongst others...

kenyan_cheena · 07-08-2007, 01:01 AM

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

OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
3(24) Stan Ward TKO4 2(16) Tony Galento

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
7(104) Gerrie Coetzee UD6 6(88) Jim Savage

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
5(72) Joe Goddard D6 8(120) John Holman

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
1(9) Sam Langford UD6 4(56) Joe Baksi

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
1(1) Rocky Marciano UD6 4(32) Scott LeDoux

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
3(40) Alex Stewart SD6 2(24) Tom Sharkey

kenyan_cheena · 07-09-2007, 12:01 AM

TREND FAVOURS RAY

Thursday 8 August 2002

The first two fight cards in series seven of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament have seen 3rd-seeded fighters qualifying for the tournament's second stage at the expense of more fancied 2nd seeds. It's a trend that many beieve will continue when Elmer Ray and Floyd Patterson clash in Miami tomorrow night.

On Monday, 41st seed Zora Folley pulled off the upset against Tony Tucker, winning by unanimous decision to secure a 2nd placed finish in Group Eight and consign Tucker to the Continental Americas Championship tournament. Folley had gone winless for three consecutive bouts during the midpoint of stage one while Tucker pulled off a major choke job, following up victories in his first four bouts with defeats in his last three. Yesterday, the Englishman Alex Stewart produced a brilliant effort to take a split decision win over Tom Sharkey in front of some 17,000 of the Irishman's fans. Stewart overcame a fantastic opening half from Sharkey to dig deep in the final rounds and take the win and progression to stage two. It's the type of result that has been the story of Stewart's campaign to date, his third split decision win joining a razor thin unanimous decision victory and a draw earlier in the tournament as moments that have had his followers on the edge of their seats.

Tomorrow night's event is a huge one for the 17 year-old Elmer Ray. He'll be fighting in his home state for the first time and with a win against Patterson he'll finish on top of Group Sixteen, an achievement that will match the hype that has surrounded the Florida Alliance leader ever since his fiery debut back in January.

"I'm taking Ray by a majority decision," said New York Age journalist James Reynolds. "It's going to be a tough fight for both men but I think that Elmer's aggression and power will just be too much for Floyd to handle. Floyd will be right in it all the way but Elmer's going to be fighting in front of his people for the first time and I think that will have a big influence on the outcome."

The fight will conclude the trilogy of bouts between Group Sixteen's top three seeds Jimmy Young, Patterson and Ray. Back on the 31st of May, Young took a split decision against Ray in asn exciting contest before being held to a draw by Patterson last month in Brisbane, Australia.

"Elmer said it himself last week," said Reynolds. "There's a lot of pressure on him to succeed because he's been built up as one of the top five or six fighters in the HBF and, to be honest, he probably doesn't deserve that status. He's the 33rd seed in the World Championship tournament and while he's fought to a standard above that level, I can't see that he'd be in any HBF "dynamite dozen". Most of the top seeds have justified their standing in the tournament and, besides Jack Sharkey, I don't believe he's ahead of any of them. I think that Elmer would agree with me on that assessment."

Whatever the result, tomorrow's clash figures to be an exciting affair but if Ray can emerge victorious, it'll make an unlikely 3-0 run for the #3 seeds to start series seven...

kenyan_cheena · 07-10-2007, 11:47 PM

PERALTA AND MERCADO QUALIFY
FOR SOUTH AMERICAN LEAGUE FINAL

Thursday 8 August 2002

The semi-finals of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's South American Boxing League tournament were held this evening in Brazil, at Sao Paulo's Pacaembu Stadium. As the HBF had done with some of the other feeder leagues, the fights were staged as a curtain raiser to another sporting event, in this case a soccer game between Corinthians and Vasco.

Despite the fact that there were no Brazilians featured in the two bouts, the stadium was close to it's 37,500 capacity by the time the first punch was thrown and the crowd were treated to a pair of exciting, entertaining bouts.

In the opener, 5th-seeded Colombian Bernado Mercado barely kept his undefeated record in tact as he was held to a draw by Peru's Roberto Davila (58-58 on all three cards). The opening two rounds were more or less uneventful but Davila had the greater success during them, leaving Mercado in a spot of bother going into round three. But the man who finished on top of Group A picked up the pace in the third, dominating the stanza and maintaining his momentum into the fourth and an action-packed round five, where both fighters scored some damaging blows. Round six was also an evenly-fought affair and when the contest had come to an end, the crowd greeted it with a healthy round of applause. Each judge had given the opening two rounds to Davila, the middle two to Mercado and scored the final two 10-10.

Mercado was jubilant after the verdict as, despite the drawn result, he had qualified for the final. Under the rules of the federation's feeder leagues, in the event of a drawn semi-final the fighter with the superior win-loss-draw record during the tournament's preliminary rounds qualifies for the final. Mercado's unblemished mark of 5-0 put him in that position, trumping Davila's 3-1-1 record.

The main event saw the league's top seed, Argentina's Gregorio Peralta take a tough majority decision win against the Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzalez (58-56, 57-57, 58-56). Despite topping Group B, Gonzalez was an underdog going into the clash as, even though he had fallen to a defeat against Mercado back in April, Peralta was still considered a favourite to win the tournament. The Cuban made that opinion look very questionable after he controlled the opening two rounds with ease, hurting Peralta late in round two with a crunching right hand. But like Mercado in the earlier contest the Argentinian rallied strongly, taking charge with a dominant third round before getting the better of a bruising fourth anf then cruising through the fifth and sixth against his tiring opponent. It was an admirable fightback from the man who, along with World Championship tournament contender Oscar Bonavena, is being looked upon in his homeland as having a very real chance of success in the HBF.

Following their successful outings, Mercado and Perlata will meet for the second time in their careers on the 12th of September, most likely in Mercado's backyard of Colombia...

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 8 AUGUST 2002
PACAEMBU STADIUM, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

THE SOUTH AMERICAN BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS

CO-FEATURE

(5) Bernardo Mercado D6 (3) Roberto Davila

MAIN EVENT

(1) Gregorio Peralta MD6 (2) Jorge Luis Gonzalez

kenyan_cheena · 07-11-2007, 12:04 AM

Coming soon...

PATTERSON VS RAY!!!

kenyan_cheena · 07-12-2007, 04:21 AM

HBF SCOUTS DEPART FOR
SOUTH AFRICA AND AUSTRALIA

Friday 9 August 2002

Having completed a four week trip through North America and Europe during June, the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's team of expert talent scouts headed back onto the road today. Two seperate teams flew out to South Africa and Australia for the start of two weeks of auditions to determine the competitors for the federation's upcoming African and Asia/Oceania Championship tournaments.

There had been some disappointment in these regions when the HBF decided against traveling there for the June Qualifying League auditions but the next two weeks should rectify that. After one week stays in South Africa and Australia, the scout teams will move on to Nigeria and New Zealand respectively. As will be the case in the European Championship tournament, the African and Asia/Oceania tournaments will feature a field of twelve fighters.

Speaking this evening at Miami's American Airlines Arena in the lead-up to tonight's HBF fight card, federation president Michael Vincennes spoke of his enthusiasm for the auditions.

"What we are hoping is that a lot of people who may have been hesitant about pursuing a boxing career in the past will be more open to the possibility now," said Vincennes. "We've already confirmed that two of our World Championship tournament competitors will be placed in these regional tournaments, those being Johnny Arthur in Africa and Joe Goddard in Asia. There's a couple of others who might find a place, such as the South African fella who's fighting tonight, Kallie Knoetze. But those fighters aside, there's at least ten places available in each tournament. It's a fantastic opportunity for the young men of South Africa, Nigeria, Austraia and New Zealand to make a career for themselves in this fine sport of ours."

After discussing the tournament auditions for several more minutes, Vincennes excused himself but not before giving his prediction for the evening's eagerly awaited main event between Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray.

"I think it's going to be a tremendously close contest," said Vincennes. "It's two of our youngest competitors going head-to-head for a spot in the second stage, so they have everything to fight for. I'm hoping that each of them can produce a great effort but I have a feeling that fighting in front of his home crowd will really bring the best out of Elmer Ray. That might be just enough to get him over the line."

kenyan_cheena · 07-13-2007, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Coming soon...

PATTERSON VS RAY!!!

E.T.A. 24 hours...

CONN CHRIS · 07-13-2007, 07:50 AM

Ray destroys Pretty Patterson.

I just noticed Kallie Knoetze mentioned - does he have a record yet?

Ric915 · 07-13-2007, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

E.T.A. 24 hours...

The build up has just been great.looking forward to this contest

mh2365 · 07-13-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

Ray destroys Pretty Patterson.

I just noticed Kallie Knoetze mentioned - does he have a record yet?

Only minor stuff like B&E and Cruelity to Animals .. no felonies

Romdawg88 · 07-13-2007, 06:56 PM

I'm torn on this matchup, on one hand I've been rooting for Patterson since the start of this tournament but on the other hand I've really grown to like KC's Elmer Ray plus my fighter is part of his alliance. So I'm rooting for Nathan Mann to beat Young and Patterson to take the match against Ray so both Patterson and Ray move on to the second stage. My prediction will be Patterson by close UD.

Quote:

I just noticed Kallie Knoetze mentioned - does he have a record yet?

Kallie Knoetze is 3-3

kenyan_cheena · 07-13-2007, 11:44 PM

MIAMI HEATWAVE...

Friday 9 August 2002

Few would disagree that of all the tournament groups in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's two premier events, Group Sixteen of the World Championship tournament has been one of the most intriguing and exciting since the commencement of competition back in January. Featuring three fighters of more or less equal talent in Jimmy Young, Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray aswell as a supporting cast that have occasionally upset the apple cart, it's been a joy to follow. The rivalry and efforts of those talented top three seeds in trying to avoid being "the one" to miss out on progression captured the public's attention from the outset.

From the very first fight card when the group's top seed Young was held to a draw by Tony Ross and then called a bum by Elmer Ray, through to that shocking April evening in New York when Patterson was KO'd by a single Buddy Baer right hand 41 seconds into round one and finishing off with the last two cards featuring fantastic clashes between Young and Ray and then Young and Patterson, there's no doubt that the group has been one of the greatest highlights of the federation's first eight months of existence.

Tonight, competition in the group reached it's conclusion at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, with 33rd seed Elmer Ray fighting in his home state for the first time. One of the most popular competitors in the HBF, the 17 year-old leader of the Florida Alliance was facing a true moment of reckoning in his bout against Floyd Patterson. A win for Ray would see him qualify for stage two and also finish in 1st place in Group Sixteen. While the main event was the clash that everyone in attendance had come to see, the Co-Feature that preceeded it held just as much importance in regards to the final group standings.

Sitting in 2nd place in the group with a 4-0-2 record coming into the evening, top seed Jimmy Young needed to win his bout against the disappointing Connecticut native Nathan Mann (1-5) to guarantee himself a place in stage two. There was little reason to believe that Young would be troubled against the 49th seed but the fact that it was a must-win contest had led to speculation of a possible upset. Some were hoping for it simply for the fact that a loss for Young would mean that Elmer Ray would qualify regardless of the result of his bout against Patterson.

The outcome? As expected, and to the disappointment of all those Elmer Ray fans, Young scored a unanimous decision victory (60-55, 59-57, 60-55). It was a bout that was probably closer than the cards indicated as, in what will most likely be his last appearance in a HBF bout, Mann kept the Philadelphia native honest for much of the contest. Rounds two and three were really the only stanzas where Young was in complete control, with the bottom half of the bout being a fiercely competitive period.

"It feels good to have justified the HBF's belief in me," said a smiling Young afterwards. "I had some tough moments early during the tournament but I've managed to make it through stage one undefeated and I'm pretty proud of that."

Young landed 198 of 356 punches (55.6%) while Mann connected with 112 of 225 (49.8%). As mentioned earlier, Mann has probably seen his last action in the HBF. Of course, there's always the possibility of him being invited back down the track when the Junior-Heavyweight Championship tournament starts, but the immediate future is not at all bright for him. With his 1-6 record it's unlikely that he'll be selected to take part in the Continental Americas Championship tournament or the World Ranking tournament.

Asked who he felt would be victorious in the main event, Young was hesitant to answer one way or the other.

"You know, I heard that Floyd has been really sharp during his training," said Young. "They were saying that Elmer's going to have to be pretty quick to get the better of him. But he's got to be pumped that we're here in Florida. I know that when I was fighting back in Philly it really gave me a lift and I think the same thing will happen to Elmer. It's going to be a great fight."

After Young and his corner crew had departed the ring, the feeling of unbearable anticipation that had been a potent presence in the arena since the opening bout of the night went to another level as the arrival of Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray was just moments away...

(to be continued)

Romdawg88 · 07-14-2007, 12:46 AM

Dammit, that is what I get for placing my faith in a guy from Connecticut. Those Connecticut fellows never come though when you need that to, bastards. Great now one of my favorites is not going to advance man I'm not looking forward to this bout at all.

kenyan_cheena · 07-14-2007, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Dammit, that is what I get for placing my faith in a guy from Connecticut. Those Connecticut fellows never come though when you need that to, bastards. Great now one of my favorites is not going to advance man I'm not looking forward to this bout at all.

I knew that it was too much to be relying on that bum Nathan Mann although I was hoping beyond all logic that he'd pull off a minor miracle. To no avail.

kenyan_cheena · 07-14-2007, 01:49 AM

(continuation of post #1335)

***

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 9 AUGUST 2002
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MAIN EVENT

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
STAGE ONE, GROUP SIXTEEN

2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON
(NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA)
4-1-1
18 years old, 184 lbs, 6'0"

vs

3(33) ELMER RAY
(HASTINGS, FLORIDA, USA)
5-1-0(2)
17 years old, 185 lbs, 6'0"

Six rounds of boxing,
with progression to stage two of
the World Championship tournament
awaiting the victor...

***

The American Airlines Arena was packed to its full capacity, the crowd at ringside featuring a number of high profile celebrities such as George Clooney and Eddie Murphy and famous locals Sidney Poitier, Don Johnson and Andy Garcia. In a break from the federation's usual policy of having the lower seeded fighter enter the ring first, Floyd Patterson made his way down the aisle and stepped between the ropes, his face a blanket of concentration and resoluteness against a chorus of boos and cat calls. The North Carolina-born New Yorker shut out all of it, listening to his trainer's words and nodding in response.

Just as the audience's volume was dying down, a bass heavy, lethargic kick-snare hip-hop beat assaulted the arena's speaker system, the bass rumble a physical presence upon one's eardrums and sending the crowd into excited raptures. The beat was soon joined by frenetic DJ scratching and keyboard stabs before the enlarged entourage of the Florida Alliance appeared, Elmer Ray out front in a robe that was predominantly red with touches of black and white.

"Make some noise, Miami!!!" he shouted into a microphone before launching into a boastful, bragadocious rap that borrowed the line "Flashbacks interfere, you start to hear, the R.A.K.I.M. in your ear" from his favourite song "Lyrics of Fury" by Eric B. & Rakim, replacing R.A.K.I.M. with E.L.M.E.R. to the crowd's delight.

The entourage featured every member of the Alliance: Terone Haynes, Oliver McCall, Tommy Gomez, James Ray, Romy Alvarez and the group's newest member, the tall Cuban fighter Ariel Reyes. Also present were Haynes' girlfriend Lisa Watts and three of Elmer's sisters and cousins, all four ladies dressed stylishly in figure-hugging red or black ankle-length halterneck dresses. Once in the ring, Ray flipped off his hood to reveal a freshly-shaven pate, raising his left fist in the air and making a circuit of the ring, nodding to the crowd and favouring Patterson with an intense glare.

Grammy award winning artist Alicia Keys made her way into the ring and delivered a passionate rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the crowd responding with a standing ovation before ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced the combatants. As expected, Ray was given a thunderous ovation from the crowd. The Florida Firebrand removed his robe to reveal perhaps his most eye-catching pair of trunks yet. The right leg was red, the left leg white with a black waistband, FLORIDA stencilled in red on the front and ALLIANCE in white on the back. Running up and down the side of each leg were numerous tassles of red, white and black.

Soon after, the ring was cleared and the referee called for the opening bell...

(to be continued)

Ric915 · 07-14-2007, 02:03 AM

Great beginning and build up and an awesome knowledge of old school hip hop. To this day no one was better then Rakim on the mic

kenyan_cheena · 07-14-2007, 02:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric915

Great beginning and build up and an awesome knowledge of old school hip hop. To this day no one was better then Rakim on the mic

Thanks, Ric. I'm a big fan of old school hip hop: Eric B. & Rakim, PE, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Gangstarr, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Q

07-07-2007, 08:49 PM	#1324 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	(continuation of post #1319) "I guess I just wanted it more," said Stewart, when asked how he managed to pull off his extraordinary victory. "I think we both knew coming out for the last round that it would be the critical one and I was able to dig a little deeper, show more urgency and work a little harder for those three minutes. Even though I'm so happy to have qualified, I'm feeling for Tommy right now. He fought a great fight and if he'd been able to keep that consistency in the last two rounds, I'm sure he would have been the victor. I wish him the best of luck for the European Championship tournament and would love to see him collect that belt." The local hero was interviewed soon after and it was an understandably downcast Sharkey. "This one really hurts," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, against Sammy I knew I'd do well just to win a couple of rounds because, in my opinion, he's the class of the tournament. That guy is the standard bearer so I took that loss pretty easily. But I felt that I was the better fighter for most of the contest tonight. I was confident when I stepped between the ropes that I'd be joining Sammy in stage two and to lose that opportunity in these circumstances ... it cuts pretty deep. I was in control after round four and all it would have taken was for me to win one more round, just one more round and that would have been enough. It's tough going out like this, especially in front of all these wonderful fans. I want to thank all of them for the great support they gave me and I'm just sorry I couldn't give them a win." The crowd gave sustained applause to these last words, some shouting out encouragement to their hero. "Now I just have to re-focus," said Sharkey. "The goal has changed now, as disappointing as that may be. But I just have to put my all into being ready for the Euro tournament and making sure I give myself the best chance of success there." The ring had been cleared some ten minutes later and Walsh Park slowly became empty, thousands of spectators leaving with varying degrees of contentment and frustration following what was a fantastic night of boxing. And so Alex Stewart has been determined as the one who will join Sam Langford in stage two. Following are the final standings for Group Nine: 1. 1(9) SAM LANGFORD (CANADA), 7-0-0(1) 2. 3(40) ALEX STEWART (ENGLAND), 5-1-1 3. 2(24) TOM SHARKEY (IRELAND), 3-2-2(2) 4. 5(72) JOE GODDARD (AUSTRALIA), 2-2-3 5. 8(120) JOHN HOLMAN (USA), 2-3-2 6. 7(104) GERRIE COETZEE (SOUTH AFRICA), 2-5-0 7. 4(56) JOE BAKSI (USA), 1-4-2 8. 6(88) JIM SAVAGE (USA), 0-5-2 In stage two Langford will be placed into what is going to be a talent-heavy Group Four, while Stewart will find himself in Group One and facing the prospect of bouts against Gene Tunney and Sam McVey, amongst others... __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports

07-08-2007, 01:01 AM	#1325 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST 2002 WALSH PARK, WATERFORD, MUNSTER, IRELAND OPENING BOUT HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One 3(24) Stan Ward TKO4 2(16) Tony Galento PRELIMINARY 1 HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine 7(104) Gerrie Coetzee UD6 6(88) Jim Savage PRELIMINARY 2 HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine 5(72) Joe Goddard D6 8(120) John Holman SUPPORT BOUT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine 1(9) Sam Langford UD6 4(56) Joe Baksi CO-FEATURE HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One 1(1) Rocky Marciano UD6 4(32) Scott LeDoux MAIN EVENT HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine 3(40) Alex Stewart SD6 2(24) Tom Sharkey __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports

07-09-2007, 12:01 AM	#1326 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	TREND FAVOURS RAY Thursday 8 August 2002 The first two fight cards in series seven of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament have seen 3rd-seeded fighters qualifying for the tournament's second stage at the expense of more fancied 2nd seeds. It's a trend that many beieve will continue when Elmer Ray and Floyd Patterson clash in Miami tomorrow night. On Monday, 41st seed Zora Folley pulled off the upset against Tony Tucker, winning by unanimous decision to secure a 2nd placed finish in Group Eight and consign Tucker to the Continental Americas Championship tournament. Folley had gone winless for three consecutive bouts during the midpoint of stage one while Tucker pulled off a major choke job, following up victories in his first four bouts with defeats in his last three. Yesterday, the Englishman Alex Stewart produced a brilliant effort to take a split decision win over Tom Sharkey in front of some 17,000 of the Irishman's fans. Stewart overcame a fantastic opening half from Sharkey to dig deep in the final rounds and take the win and progression to stage two. It's the type of result that has been the story of Stewart's campaign to date, his third split decision win joining a razor thin unanimous decision victory and a draw earlier in the tournament as moments that have had his followers on the edge of their seats. Tomorrow night's event is a huge one for the 17 year-old Elmer Ray. He'll be fighting in his home state for the first time and with a win against Patterson he'll finish on top of Group Sixteen, an achievement that will match the hype that has surrounded the Florida Alliance leader ever since his fiery debut back in January. "I'm taking Ray by a majority decision," said New York Age journalist James Reynolds. "It's going to be a tough fight for both men but I think that Elmer's aggression and power will just be too much for Floyd to handle. Floyd will be right in it all the way but Elmer's going to be fighting in front of his people for the first time and I think that will have a big influence on the outcome." The fight will conclude the trilogy of bouts between Group Sixteen's top three seeds Jimmy Young, Patterson and Ray. Back on the 31st of May, Young took a split decision against Ray in asn exciting contest before being held to a draw by Patterson last month in Brisbane, Australia. "Elmer said it himself last week," said Reynolds. "There's a lot of pressure on him to succeed because he's been built up as one of the top five or six fighters in the HBF and, to be honest, he probably doesn't deserve that status. He's the 33rd seed in the World Championship tournament and while he's fought to a standard above that level, I can't see that he'd be in any HBF "dynamite dozen". Most of the top seeds have justified their standing in the tournament and, besides Jack Sharkey, I don't believe he's ahead of any of them. I think that Elmer would agree with me on that assessment." Whatever the result, tomorrow's clash figures to be an exciting affair but if Ray can emerge victorious, it'll make an unlikely 3-0 run for the #3 seeds to start series seven... __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 07-09-2007 at 03:55 AM.

07-10-2007, 11:47 PM	#1327 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	PERALTA AND MERCADO QUALIFY FOR SOUTH AMERICAN LEAGUE FINAL Thursday 8 August 2002 The semi-finals of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's South American Boxing League tournament were held this evening in Brazil, at Sao Paulo's Pacaembu Stadium. As the HBF had done with some of the other feeder leagues, the fights were staged as a curtain raiser to another sporting event, in this case a soccer game between Corinthians and Vasco. Despite the fact that there were no Brazilians featured in the two bouts, the stadium was close to it's 37,500 capacity by the time the first punch was thrown and the crowd were treated to a pair of exciting, entertaining bouts. In the opener, 5th-seeded Colombian Bernado Mercado barely kept his undefeated record in tact as he was held to a draw by Peru's Roberto Davila (58-58 on all three cards). The opening two rounds were more or less uneventful but Davila had the greater success during them, leaving Mercado in a spot of bother going into round three. But the man who finished on top of Group A picked up the pace in the third, dominating the stanza and maintaining his momentum into the fourth and an action-packed round five, where both fighters scored some damaging blows. Round six was also an evenly-fought affair and when the contest had come to an end, the crowd greeted it with a healthy round of applause. Each judge had given the opening two rounds to Davila, the middle two to Mercado and scored the final two 10-10. Mercado was jubilant after the verdict as, despite the drawn result, he had qualified for the final. Under the rules of the federation's feeder leagues, in the event of a drawn semi-final the fighter with the superior win-loss-draw record during the tournament's preliminary rounds qualifies for the final. Mercado's unblemished mark of 5-0 put him in that position, trumping Davila's 3-1-1 record. The main event saw the league's top seed, Argentina's Gregorio Peralta take a tough majority decision win against the Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzalez (58-56, 57-57, 58-56). Despite topping Group B, Gonzalez was an underdog going into the clash as, even though he had fallen to a defeat against Mercado back in April, Peralta was still considered a favourite to win the tournament. The Cuban made that opinion look very questionable after he controlled the opening two rounds with ease, hurting Peralta late in round two with a crunching right hand. But like Mercado in the earlier contest the Argentinian rallied strongly, taking charge with a dominant third round before getting the better of a bruising fourth anf then cruising through the fifth and sixth against his tiring opponent. It was an admirable fightback from the man who, along with World Championship tournament contender Oscar Bonavena, is being looked upon in his homeland as having a very real chance of success in the HBF. Following their successful outings, Mercado and Perlata will meet for the second time in their careers on the 12th of September, most likely in Mercado's backyard of Colombia... SUMMARY OF RESULTS HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD THURSDAY 8 AUGUST 2002 PACAEMBU STADIUM, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL THE SOUTH AMERICAN BOXING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS CO-FEATURE (5) Bernardo Mercado D6 (3) Roberto Davila MAIN EVENT (1) Gregorio Peralta MD6 (2) Jorge Luis Gonzalez __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 07-11-2007 at 12:07 AM.

07-11-2007, 12:04 AM	#1328 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	Coming soon... PATTERSON VS RAY!!! __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports

07-12-2007, 04:21 AM	#1329 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	HBF SCOUTS DEPART FOR SOUTH AFRICA AND AUSTRALIA Friday 9 August 2002 Having completed a four week trip through North America and Europe during June, the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's team of expert talent scouts headed back onto the road today. Two seperate teams flew out to South Africa and Australia for the start of two weeks of auditions to determine the competitors for the federation's upcoming African and Asia/Oceania Championship tournaments. There had been some disappointment in these regions when the HBF decided against traveling there for the June Qualifying League auditions but the next two weeks should rectify that. After one week stays in South Africa and Australia, the scout teams will move on to Nigeria and New Zealand respectively. As will be the case in the European Championship tournament, the African and Asia/Oceania tournaments will feature a field of twelve fighters. Speaking this evening at Miami's American Airlines Arena in the lead-up to tonight's HBF fight card, federation president Michael Vincennes spoke of his enthusiasm for the auditions. "What we are hoping is that a lot of people who may have been hesitant about pursuing a boxing career in the past will be more open to the possibility now," said Vincennes. "We've already confirmed that two of our World Championship tournament competitors will be placed in these regional tournaments, those being Johnny Arthur in Africa and Joe Goddard in Asia. There's a couple of others who might find a place, such as the South African fella who's fighting tonight, Kallie Knoetze. But those fighters aside, there's at least ten places available in each tournament. It's a fantastic opportunity for the young men of South Africa, Nigeria, Austraia and New Zealand to make a career for themselves in this fine sport of ours." After discussing the tournament auditions for several more minutes, Vincennes excused himself but not before giving his prediction for the evening's eagerly awaited main event between Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray. "I think it's going to be a tremendously close contest," said Vincennes. "It's two of our youngest competitors going head-to-head for a spot in the second stage, so they have everything to fight for. I'm hoping that each of them can produce a great effort but I have a feeling that fighting in front of his home crowd will really bring the best out of Elmer Ray. That might be just enough to get him over the line." __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports

07-13-2007, 07:50 AM	#1331 (permalink)
CONN CHRIS Global Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 21,322	Ray destroys Pretty Patterson. I just noticed Kallie Knoetze mentioned - does he have a record yet? __________________ REC World Prizefighter Rankings

07-13-2007, 11:44 PM	#1335 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	MIAMI HEATWAVE... Friday 9 August 2002 Few would disagree that of all the tournament groups in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's two premier events, Group Sixteen of the World Championship tournament has been one of the most intriguing and exciting since the commencement of competition back in January. Featuring three fighters of more or less equal talent in Jimmy Young, Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray aswell as a supporting cast that have occasionally upset the apple cart, it's been a joy to follow. The rivalry and efforts of those talented top three seeds in trying to avoid being "the one" to miss out on progression captured the public's attention from the outset. From the very first fight card when the group's top seed Young was held to a draw by Tony Ross and then called a bum by Elmer Ray, through to that shocking April evening in New York when Patterson was KO'd by a single Buddy Baer right hand 41 seconds into round one and finishing off with the last two cards featuring fantastic clashes between Young and Ray and then Young and Patterson, there's no doubt that the group has been one of the greatest highlights of the federation's first eight months of existence. Tonight, competition in the group reached it's conclusion at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, with 33rd seed Elmer Ray fighting in his home state for the first time. One of the most popular competitors in the HBF, the 17 year-old leader of the Florida Alliance was facing a true moment of reckoning in his bout against Floyd Patterson. A win for Ray would see him qualify for stage two and also finish in 1st place in Group Sixteen. While the main event was the clash that everyone in attendance had come to see, the Co-Feature that preceeded it held just as much importance in regards to the final group standings. Sitting in 2nd place in the group with a 4-0-2 record coming into the evening, top seed Jimmy Young needed to win his bout against the disappointing Connecticut native Nathan Mann (1-5) to guarantee himself a place in stage two. There was little reason to believe that Young would be troubled against the 49th seed but the fact that it was a must-win contest had led to speculation of a possible upset. Some were hoping for it simply for the fact that a loss for Young would mean that Elmer Ray would qualify regardless of the result of his bout against Patterson. The outcome? As expected, and to the disappointment of all those Elmer Ray fans, Young scored a unanimous decision victory (60-55, 59-57, 60-55). It was a bout that was probably closer than the cards indicated as, in what will most likely be his last appearance in a HBF bout, Mann kept the Philadelphia native honest for much of the contest. Rounds two and three were really the only stanzas where Young was in complete control, with the bottom half of the bout being a fiercely competitive period. "It feels good to have justified the HBF's belief in me," said a smiling Young afterwards. "I had some tough moments early during the tournament but I've managed to make it through stage one undefeated and I'm pretty proud of that." Young landed 198 of 356 punches (55.6%) while Mann connected with 112 of 225 (49.8%). As mentioned earlier, Mann has probably seen his last action in the HBF. Of course, there's always the possibility of him being invited back down the track when the Junior-Heavyweight Championship tournament starts, but the immediate future is not at all bright for him. With his 1-6 record it's unlikely that he'll be selected to take part in the Continental Americas Championship tournament or the World Ranking tournament. Asked who he felt would be victorious in the main event, Young was hesitant to answer one way or the other. "You know, I heard that Floyd has been really sharp during his training," said Young. "They were saying that Elmer's going to have to be pretty quick to get the better of him. But he's got to be pumped that we're here in Florida. I know that when I was fighting back in Philly it really gave me a lift and I think the same thing will happen to Elmer. It's going to be a great fight." After Young and his corner crew had departed the ring, the feeling of unbearable anticipation that had been a potent presence in the arena since the opening bout of the night went to another level as the arrival of Floyd Patterson and Elmer Ray was just moments away... (to be continued) __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports

07-14-2007, 12:46 AM	#1336 (permalink)
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 3,703	Dammit, that is what I get for placing my faith in a guy from Connecticut. Those Connecticut fellows never come though when you need that to, bastards. Great now one of my favorites is not going to advance man I'm not looking forward to this bout at all. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 5-0 (3) UTBA-II: Muckboys 1-0, 1st Place, 17-15 (13), 56 points Fighter of the Week 1. Sergei Artemiev 2-0

07-14-2007, 01:49 AM	#1338 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,618	(continuation of post #1335) ***** HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD FRIDAY 9 AUGUST 2002 AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, MIAMI, FLORIDA THE MAIN EVENT HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT STAGE ONE, GROUP SIXTEEN 2(17) FLOYD PATTERSON (NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA) 4-1-1 18 years old, 184 lbs, 6'0" vs 3(33) ELMER RAY (HASTINGS, FLORIDA, USA) 5-1-0(2) 17 years old, 185 lbs, 6'0" Six rounds of boxing, with progression to stage two of the World Championship tournament awaiting the victor... ***** The American Airlines Arena was packed to its full capacity, the crowd at ringside featuring a number of high profile celebrities such as George Clooney and Eddie Murphy and famous locals Sidney Poitier, Don Johnson and Andy Garcia. In a break from the federation's usual policy of having the lower seeded fighter enter the ring first, Floyd Patterson made his way down the aisle and stepped between the ropes, his face a blanket of concentration and resoluteness against a chorus of boos and cat calls. The North Carolina-born New Yorker shut out all of it, listening to his trainer's words and nodding in response. Just as the audience's volume was dying down, a bass heavy, lethargic kick-snare hip-hop beat assaulted the arena's speaker system, the bass rumble a physical presence upon one's eardrums and sending the crowd into excited raptures. The beat was soon joined by frenetic DJ scratching and keyboard stabs before the enlarged entourage of the Florida Alliance appeared, Elmer Ray out front in a robe that was predominantly red with touches of black and white. "Make some noise, Miami!!!" he shouted into a microphone before launching into a boastful, bragadocious rap that borrowed the line "Flashbacks interfere, you start to hear, the R.A.K.I.M. in your ear" from his favourite song "Lyrics of Fury" by Eric B. & Rakim, replacing R.A.K.I.M. with E.L.M.E.R. to the crowd's delight. The entourage featured every member of the Alliance: Terone Haynes, Oliver McCall, Tommy Gomez, James Ray, Romy Alvarez and the group's newest member, the tall Cuban fighter Ariel Reyes. Also present were Haynes' girlfriend Lisa Watts and three of Elmer's sisters and cousins, all four ladies dressed stylishly in figure-hugging red or black ankle-length halterneck dresses. Once in the ring, Ray flipped off his hood to reveal a freshly-shaven pate, raising his left fist in the air and making a circuit of the ring, nodding to the crowd and favouring Patterson with an intense glare. Grammy award winning artist Alicia Keys made her way into the ring and delivered a passionate rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the crowd responding with a standing ovation before ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced the combatants. As expected, Ray was given a thunderous ovation from the crowd. The Florida Firebrand removed his robe to reveal perhaps his most eye-catching pair of trunks yet. The right leg was red, the left leg white with a black waistband, FLORIDA stencilled in red on the front and ALLIANCE in white on the back. Running up and down the side of each leg were numerous tassles of red, white and black. Soon after, the ring was cleared and the referee called for the opening bell... (to be continued) __________________ MLB: 1958 and Beyond... The Greatest Prize in Sports Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 07-14-2007 at 02:43 AM.

07-14-2007, 02:03 AM	#1339 (permalink)
Ric915 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Prescott, Arizona Posts: 788	Great beginning and build up and an awesome knowledge of old school hip hop. To this day no one was better then Rakim on the mic