The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

VINCENNES ADAMANT:
"THE HBF IS NOT EXPANDING!"

Wednesday 13 February 2002

Immediately after arriving at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for tonight's HBF fight card, federation president Michael Vincennes was beseiged by at least a dozen reporters, all of them eager to find out if there was any truth to the sensational James Reynolds-penned story published in the morning edition of the New York Age that claimed the HBF was planning to expand.

"In a word, NO, we are not," Vincennes said, anger evident upon his countenance. "I have known James Reynolds for a number of years, and I cannot comprehend what has possessed him to write this rubbish!"

"President Vincennes, is any part of Mr. Reynolds story truthful?" asked a reporter.

"Certainly," Vincennes said. "I have nothing to hide. I think you all know that. Let me start at the beginning. Yes, I did have a meeting with a group of gentlemen. Last Thursday, to be precise. They approached me about the possibility of entering into a partnership with the HBF, which would lead to the introduction of additional weight classes for our sport. I'm not going to go into every detail of our meeting, but to put it simply, certain aspects of what they were presenting were just unacceptable. After hearing these men out, I politely refused their offer. I told them that if they were to consider creating their own boxing organisation, the HBF would not protest, or stand in their way. I only said that if they did, it would be best, for them and the HBF, for them to stay below 180 pounds. Believe me, there is nothing I woud like more than to see our sport expand, to grow. But what everyone must consider is that it's only been five weeks since the HBF staged its first fight card. Honestly, we are in no position at the present time to even consider expansion."

"So how do you explain today's story?" asked another reporter.

"What I find so absurd about this whole situation, is that I have not spoken to Mr. Reynolds since the meeting took place on Thursday," said Vincennes.
"Obviously, he found out about the meeting from another source, but for some reason, he did not contact me to verify the accuracy of his information. Now, as you would all know, last week Reynolds made some comments about Elmer Ray that I did not agree with. I wasn't in a minority. In fact, most people felt the same about his comments as I did. At the time, I said that I respect Mr. Reynolds as a journalist, but that he is not running the HBF. If I find out that the reason he failed to consult me about today's matter was because of some sort of childish offense he took to my words of last week, then I have to say ... I will lose all respect for him. As a journalist, and as a person in general. Now, that's all I have to say on this matter for now. I'm here to enjoy the sport of boxing. So, excuse me, gentlemen."

As Vincennes entered the Conseco Fieldhouse, the reporters continued to hurl questions at him, which he declined to reply to.

Rest assured that we have not heard the last on this matter...

[kenyan_cheena]

TAKE COVER, INDIANAPOLIS!
CONSECO FIELDHOUSE HOSTS HBF'S
MOST EXPLOSIVE FIGHT CARD YET!

Wednesday 13 February 2002

A truly extraordinary day for the Heavyweight Boxing Federation came to an explosive conclusion tonight at Indianapolis's Conseco Fieldhouse with a fight card that was simply the most action-packed seen so far in the federation's short history.

Featuring three bouts that were each over within three rounds, plus another that most watching have already declared the fight of the year to date, it was an unbelievable finish to a day that started with sensational claims of HBF expansion, followed by a comprehensive evening rebuttal of those claims by federation president Michael Vincennes.

(to be continued...)

[kenyan_cheena]

(...continuation)

In the minutes leading up to the first contest of the night, the air was charged with the electricity of excited chatter. But it wasn't just the fights that would soon be taking place that those in attendance were discussing. It wasn't only Rocky Marciano, Sammy Langford or Tom Sharkey that had tongues waving. Likewise, it wasn't simply the impending return to the ring of Elmer Ray on Friday night, or the HBF's African debut on Saturday. No. If anything, most of the talk concerned the story of the day: the possible expansion of the HBF. The boxing public had been able to speculate on the story that had appeared in the morning edition of the New York Age for most of the day, and the names of a number of boxers who had taken gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, such as the light welterweight Ray Leonard of Maryland, the middleweight Michael Spinks of St. Louis and Italy's welterweight champion Nino Benvenuti were circulating throughout the crowd.

Minutes earlier, HBF President Michael Vincennes had adamantly denied that the HBF was expanding, but this did nothing to stop the talk that had enveloped the arena. No one really cared that parts of the story might have been inaccurate. The fact that the federation would most likely not be involved in an expansion of the sport of boxing matter little, because everyone in the arena knew what was the most important part of James Reynolds's story: there was a group of businessmen who appeared to have the will and the financial backing to expand the sport of boxing. That was all that mattered, and it was exciting.

When Vincennes entered the arena, he was greeted by cheers and handshakes from some, but indifference and even scorn from others. Strangely, astonishingly, this man who had been looked upon as a genius and a visionary only 24 hours earlier, was now being regarded as somewhat of a spoiler. The HBF President chose to focus on those who offered him hospitality, rather than those who gazed at him coldly. His wife by his side, Vincennes took his seat at ringside and waited for the action to begin...

(COMING SOON: ALL THE ACTION OF THE CONSECO FIELDHOUSE FIGHT CARD)

[kenyan_cheena]

Opening Bout

In his HBF debut last month, 18 year-old New Jersey native Tony Galento made the foolish mistake of thinking that he had already won the fight before climbing in the ring. His opponent was 20 year-old Venezuelan Jose Luis Garcia who, despite standing seven inches taller, was not expected to give Galento much trouble.

Galento's cocky self-assuredness would turn out to be more than just foolish. It led to him losing the bout, with Garcia simply outworking the 16th seed in the HBF's 1st Defense tournament before being rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.

Tonight, it was an entirely different Tony Galento on display at the Conseco Fieldhouse. After a relatively uneventful opening stanza, Galento knocked out Syrian-born Detroit resident Oscar Pharo two minutes into the second round. It was an accumulation of mostly body punches, punctuated by a crippling rib shot, that sent Pharo to his knees at the 1:53 mark. He was unable to beat the count.

"I'm really happy with my performance," Galento said. "First fight was just a complete disappointment, and I admit that I took it too lightly. But I was ready for tonight, and I think it showed. Marciano took three rounds to defeat Pharo, only took me two."

Preliminary 1

Rocky Marciano's long awaited second bout had finally arrived. The Brockton-born #1 seed in the 1st Defense tournament was greeted by enthusiastic applause as he calmly made his way to the ring, wearing the same white and black trimmed robe as he had in his debut.

Marciano's opponent had reason to be optimistic. The #56 seed, Jose Luis Garcia had achieved quite an upset in his debut, working hard for a 6 round unanimous decision victory over the #16 seed Tony Galento. He felt that against Marciano, his five inch height advantage would really work in his favour.

Boy, was he wrong.

Marciano was every bit as dominating and brutal as he had been on debut against Oscar Pharo. The only difference was that tonight, he was even more precise and clinical. During eight minutes and nineteen seconds of awe inspiring aggression, the Massachusetts native landed 118 of 246 punches thrown, decimating the Venezuelan with an offensive arsenal that had to be seen to be believed. Marciano had the crowd standing at the end of each round, the fury of his assault simply breathtaking. Garcia's attempts at getting himself into the fight were ineffective, almost to the point of being pitiful. He was completely at the mercy of this relentless punching machine.

The end of the fight came at the 2:19 mark of the third round, with Garcia laying motionless and being counted out after a single, crunching right cross had knocked him out cold. But truly, it was only one of dozens of power punches that Marciano fired home. There were no less than five seperate occasions during the first round where Marciano rocked his opponent, and it was a minor miracle that Garcia was still standing when the bell sounded. It didn't get any better in the second, as Marciano teed off with both hands, uppercuts and straight rights leaving the once-confident Venezuela native dazed and confused going into the third round, where the punishment continued.

"I think my execution was better tonight," Marciano said after the bout, in an interview with ESPN's Jay Marlow.

Showing a lot of humility and little excitement, Marciano let his trainer Allie Colombo do most of the talking.

"In the first fight, there was a bit of adversity with the cut," Colombo said. "Rock got a bit frustrated and missed with a lot of shots. That didn't happen tonight. We had an opponent who pretty much did exactly what we wanted him to. So, it's all fine. We just look at it as two down, fourteen to go. No need for excitement yet."

Marciano and Colombo are quickly earning a reputation as the most self-effacing duo in the sport. There might be no need for them to get excited. But, if some people weren't convinced by his debut, then Marciano's destruction of Garcia would have surely swayed them.

Brockton's Rocky Marciano is the genuine article, and we've only been given a glimpse of what he will become.

[kenyan_cheena]

Preliminary 2

Two men who had both featured in drawn bouts on debut contested what was the only really uneventful fight of the evening.

19 year-old New York City native Joe Baksi clashed with New Jersey's Jim Savage in a fight where only the third and sixth rounds featured any sustained action. The 56th seeded Baksi took a majority decision victory, 59-57, 58-58, 58-57.

As a result, Baksi improved his record to 1-0-1, while Savage, the 88th seed in the World Championship tournament, remained winless at 0-1-1.

Next up for Baksi is the 120th seed in the tournament, John Holman, while Savage has the daunting task of taking on the 9th seed (and top seed in the group), Canadian dynamo Sam Langford.

Support Bout

On January 9, fighting in front of his hometown fans in England, 22 year-old Alex Stewart was lucky to escape with a draw against Jim Savage. The 40th seed in the World Championship tournament finished strongly over the final two rounds in avoiding what would have been an embarassing defeat.

His opponent tonight had also featured in a drawn bout on debut. 28 year-old Australian Joe Goddard had taken part in a highly entertaining fight against Joe Baksi, in which the momentum had swung like a pendulum from round-to-round. The 72nd seed went into this clash with Stewart confident of his chances. What he could not have known was that he would be involved in what many have already called THE FIGHT OF THE YEAR.

The New York Sun's boxing analysist Peter Roman was ringside, capturing all the action.

***

WEDNESDAY 13/02/2002 - CONSECO FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, USA

3(40) ALEX STEWART, 22 years old, England (0-0-1)
vs 5(72) JOE GODDARD, 28 years old, Australia (0-0-1)

Tale of the Tape

Height - Stewart: 6'3" Goddard: 6'0"
Weight - Stewart: 226 lbs Goddard: 196 lbs
Reach - Stewart: 78.5" Goddard: 73"


Alex Stewart enters the ring in black and gold, looking much more focused than he did in his debut. I think on that night, the fact that he was fighting in front of his own countrymen really worked against him. There are no such distractions tonight. He has the advantage over his Australian opponent in height, weight and reach, and I believe he'll be able to do enough to win the bout.

However, Goddard really did put up a great effort against Joe Baksi last month. He showed that he fights with a lot of heart, but will that be enough tonight? Probably not.

ROUND ONE

The opening two minutes of the fight are cautious ones, with the only punch of note a solid straight right landed by Stewart 44 seconds in.

But then comes an explosion of action, with the Englishman connecting with another jolting right hand, stunning Goddard. He shakes it off, though, and with Stewart on the ropes, Goddard unleashes a crushing right cross, snapping Stewart's head around, hurting him!

Stewart backpedals, and the Australian follows aggressively, a pair of left hooks sending a spray of sweat from Stewart's head. The bell sounds, with Stewart looking a little shaky.

*

After a slow start, the round featured some great action in its final third. Both men landed some telling blows. Strange how they started so cautiously, and then, almost by mutual consent, decided to discard their defensive plans and bang away at each other. A fascinating start to the fight.

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: 10-10


ROUND TWO

Joe Goddard comes out for the second with a stern set to his jaw, stalking his taller opponent, showing no fear.

Oh, my! What a shot! Goddard has just unloaded with a big left hook! Stewart looks to be in trouble! He almost lost his footing there. A lead right does some more damage, and the 40th seed in the World Championship tournament is on the back foot. Goddard has him cornered and lands another big shot, a smashing uppercut thrown from the floor! The crowd is going nuts!

Stewart looks like he's gonna go, but he manages to tie the Australian up and when the referee separates them, it appears that his head has cleared.

Goddard seems to be catching a breather, as if his onslaught to start the round really took a lot out of him. But soon the two men are engaging each other at close quarters, neither one caring to utilise a jab, hooks and straight rights catching air more often than not.

Stewart just connected with a big left hook! Goddard is staggered, his face contorted with pain as he backpedals. Stewart tracks him down and Goddard tries to keep him off with a straight right that misses.

Oh, what a shot! Goddard is down! Stewart just walked in and unloaded with a crushing straight right that speared straight through Goddard's defense!

He's up quickly, though, at the count of 2, to be exact. He's looking at Stewart wearily, as if to say, "Where the hell did that come from?"

The referee administers the standing eight, and allows Goddard to continue. But Stewart isn't able to follow up and Goddard survives the round, despite looking even more shaky than the Englishman did at the end of the first.

*

Well, now. I have to say, this fight has already given us more than I expected. Stewart has just shown that he has the type of punching power that should be feared. That knockdown was just a killer, and I'm simply amazed that Goddard got up so quickly. The Aussie fighter looked concerned as he made for his corner at the end of the round. I really have no idea what's going to happen next. This bout has already had two distinct momentum shifts.

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: STEWART 10-9
(I'm sure the judges will have scored this round 10-8 for Stewart, but in all honesty, I can't make myself do it. If the knockdown hadn't occured, I would have given the round to Goddard).
(STEWART LEADS 20-19 AFTER TWO)


ROUND THREE

Coming out agressive once more, Goddard takes the fight up to Stewart and scores with a nice hard cross 37 seconds into the round. That punch seems to have hurt Stewart.

The fighters clinch, and Goddard shows that he can jab, peppering Stewart with a volley of lefts. Goddard is making Stewart look tired here, avoiding a number of wild shots. It looks like Stewart still wants to brawl, but Goddard has decided to settle down.

Stewart is hurt! Goddard just scrambled his circuits with a perfectly timed uppercut! The Englishman looks dazed, but he manages to tie Goddard up and doesn't let go until the referee orders him to.

Trying to clear his head, Stewart alternates between clinching and backpedaling for the next minute.

Goddard unloads with a big left hook, almost throwing himself off his feet. But Stewart isn't in a position to counter. He seems content to let this round slip away, breathing heavily. I don't think he expected this much action so early in the fight.

The Aussie connects with another booming uppercut, and Stewart staggers back onto the ropes! But before Goddard can finish him off, the bell rings, bringing the third round to a close.

*

Three momentum shifts in three rounds? This fight has been incredible. I really don't know what happened to Alex Stewart in that round. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. I hope for his sake that, right now, his trainers are reminding him of what happened last month in London, because it appears to be happening again. Goddard looked absolutely fantastic in that round. He's really made me believe he can win this fight.

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: GODDARD 10-9
(ALL TIED UP AT 29-29 THRU THREE ROUNDS)

To be continued...

(Still to come from Indianapolis: The conclusion of Stewart-Goddard, plus everybody's favourite pocket-rockets, Sam Langford and Tom Sharkey!)

*Apologies for my inactivity during the past five days. Life keeps getting in the way!

[kenyan_cheena]

STEWART vs GODDARD


ROUND FOUR

Stewart comes out for the fourth with a concerned look in his eyes. I'd have to say, honestly, that he just appears to be plain tired, out of gas.

Within moments of the bell, Stewart's already initiated a clinch. Goddard muscles his way out of it, bouncing on his toes and full of beans. He corners Stewart and snakes a nice left jab through his defenses.

Another clinch follows, which the referee has to break up. Stewart paws at Goddard ineffectively with the jab and the Australian responds with another snapping left. He keeps the pressure on, a stinging left-right combo bouncing sweat from Stewart's head.

Indeed, Goddard is winning this round handily at the midway point, and he illustrates this by doubling up with the left, first pounding the 40th seed's ribcage and then catching him right on the mouth.

Stewart shakes his head, frustrated, before launching a wild uppercut that misses by about a foot.

The two men stand toe-to-toe and a brief, fierce exchange comes of it, greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Stewart appears to have gotten the better of it.

Goddard ties Stewart up and the referee once again separates the fighters.

The Australian fighter appears content to cruise through the remainder of the round, as if confident that he's already done enough to win it.

Stewart comes at him and scores with a nice right cross, but a subsequent left hook sails through empty airspace.

Oh, Stewart just went down! Goddard landed a tremendous counter body punch and the Englishmen dropped to one knee, leaning forward, trying to catch his breath.

Before the referee can even start the count, the bell rings, and the round is over. Stewart is helped back to his corner, clutching his ribs and grimacing.

*

As in his pro debut, Alex Stewart has completely lost the plot in the middle rounds of the fight. That late knockdown was absolutely huge for Goddard, as it gives him the round by a 10-8 margin instead of 10-9. He really did dominate that round, and the knockdown just served to illustrate it. Alex Stewart is in serious trouble going into the fifth round.

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: GODDARD 10-8
(GODDARD LEADS 39-37 AFTER FOUR)


ROUND FIVE

Stewart's head trainer launched a colourful verbal tirade upon his man during the break, slapping him in the face, trying to ignite a fire under him.

But it's Goddard who comes racing out of his corner, a big left hook missing by inches. He'd better not get too reckless, because he already knows that Stewart has some power.

Oh, Stewart stunned Goddard with a nice left-right combo! The Australian is staggered, and Stewart is all over him.

OH! The left hook! Goddard is down! Stewart just crushed him with a huge left hook! Goddard is on his side. He looks up at the referee, blinking. Goddard pushes himself up at five and takes the standing eight.

Stewart comes in for the kill, but he can't execute. He's missing with wild shots, partially connecting with ineffective jabs, bouncing hammer-like blows off Goddard's shoulders. All the while, the Australian is in retreat. He really doesn't look like he's recovered from the knockdown.

A pair of left hooks cannon Goddard into the ropes. He covers up, but when he gets the chance, he ties Stewart up. For the rest of the round, he frustrates his bigger opponent, blunting or evading his attack. When the bell sounds, Stewart returns to his corner with disappointment evident on his visage. He knows that he blew a chance to finish the fight right there.

*

Momentum shift number four. Anyone feel like saying Fight of the Year? I really can't believe what we've seen in this bout. Sure, it hasn't been pretty. It's been brutal, damaging, unpredictable. And I absolutely love it. And guess what? We're all tied up going into the final round.

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: STEWART 10-8
(ALL TIED UP AT 47-47 WITH ONE ROUND TO GO)

...

[kenyan_cheena]

ROUND SIX

The audience come to their feet as one and show their appreciation for the great spectacle these two warriors have given them as Stewart and Goddard touch gloves to begin the final round.

Stewart looks much more determined and hungry than he did only two rounds earlier, while Goddard is still, in my opinion, showing that he has not recovered from that brutal left hook in the fifth.

As the round progresses, my suspicions are confirmed. Goddard has nothing left to offer. Within the first 92 seconds of the round, Stewart unloads a world of hurt on the Australian, landing a crunching left uppercut, a straight right that snaps Goddard's head back, another brutal uppercut and a sizzling four punch combo.

Despite his best efforts, Goddard's body is unable to deliver the punches that his mind is asking for, and Stewart, confident that he's done more than enough to win both the round and the fight, keeps Goddard at bay with a series of double and triple jabs. In the process, he shows everyone that he can box just as well as he bangs.

The final bell sounds, the two combatants embrace, and the crowd rises to their feet once more, offering a sustained standing ovation for what might well be the fight of the year.

*

Well, it wasn't quite the explosive finish some might have hoped for, but they can hardly complain. Joe Goddard was not the same fighter after being floored in the fifth, and Alex Stewart realised this and made the most of it. This was a fantastic battle, probably the best I've had the pleasure to be at ringside for. I'm pretty confident that the judges will award the victory to Stewart, but you never know...

ROMAN'S SCORECARD: STEWART 10-9
(STEWART WINS THE BOUT BY THE SCORE OF 57-56)

[kenyan_cheena]

Five minutes later, ring announcer Frank Shain was ready to reveal the judge's verdict.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a unanimous decision," said Shain. "The winner of this incredible bout, by scores of 56-55 on all three judges cards, is ALEX STEWART!"

The crowd applauded, but not in a wild, over the top manner. They realised they had just seen something special, and that whether one fighter or the other was the winner didn't really seem to matter.

The look on Alex Stewart's face was one of relief more than anything else. Joe Goddard smiled, shook his hand and embraced him, sharing words with Stewart's cornermen before ESPN's Jay Marlow brought both of them together in the centre of the ring.

"Guys, that was just amazing," Marlow said.

The audience responded to this comment as one, another round of applause filling the arena, Stewart and Goddard both acknowledging the crowd's appreciation. They both thanked Marlow.

"Some are saying this is the best fight they've seen so far in the HBF," Marlow continued. "That's quite a compliment."

Both fighters smiled and laughed, fidgetting nervously.

"Now, Alex, you must be happy to have gotten the win," Marlow said. "But, just like last month, you really struggled in the middle there, didn't you?"

Stewart smiled. "Yes, that's something I really have to work on, for sure. But, yeah, I'm happy that I won. Then again, if it had been a draw, I don't think I would have cared. I'm just happy that we were able to put on such a great show for this great audience."

Said audience showed their appreciation once again.

"I think we both knew that something pretty remarkable was going on," said Goddard, in response to a question from Marlow about the nature of the bout. "This was a bout that either one of us could have won. I really take my hat off to Alex. This guy has really got some power in those fists. I think you all saw how that left hook in the fifth pretty much killed me."

"Well, some people say that certain matchups are made in heaven," said Marlow. "I think this was one of them. Joe, you've been in two exciting fights so far, but with no victory to show for it. It must be frustrating for you."

"Um, not really," Goddard replied. "To me, the fact that I haven't won yet just isn't important. I know in my heart that I've competed hard both times out, and come terribly close both times. If I had to choose between losing like I did tonight, and getting my butt kicked for six rounds, I'd take tonight every time. I gave it my best shot. Couldn't really ask for more than that."

"Well, unfortunately, things aren't going to get any easier for you in the next couple of bouts, where you'll be taking on the top two in the group, Sharkey, and then Langford. I think this audience would agree with me when I say good luck for those bouts, Joe."

The audience showed their agreement, cheering for the determined Australian's future success.

"Thank you," said Goddard. "All I'd like to say is that I guarantee all of you ... I won't stop giving 100%. When those fights are over, Tom Sharkey and Sam Langford are both gonna know that they were in a serious contest."

With that, Goddard left the ring, congratulating Stewart once more and raising a hand to acknowledge the crowd's applause.

Marlow continued conversing with Alex Stewart.

"Alex, I guess the best way to sum up the start to your HBF career is to say you've done things the hard way," Marlow said. "In both of your bouts, you've had to fight back in the late rounds. You've managed to stay undefeated, and I think you should be commended for that."

Stewart smiled, wiping his face. "Without a doubt, it hasn't been easy," he said. "I guess my main problem has been focusing for the full six rounds. I think if I can solve that, my performances will improve. Still, like you said, I'm undefeated. Gerrie Coetzee is next up for me. Now, he didn't go so well against Tom Sharkey, and he's fighting Sammy Langford later tonight. Some might say I can take it easier against him, but there's no way I'm going to do that."

"Well, Alex, we'll all be looking forward to your next fight. Once again, everyone, a round of applause for your winner, Alex Stewart!"

Stewart shook Marlow's hand and stepped through the ropes, making his way back to the dressing room to the tune of appreciative applause from the audience...

[kenyan_cheena]

Co-Feature

Last month, Ireland's Tom Sharkey looked fantastic in dismantling South Africa's Gerrie Coetzee inside of two rounds. It was an outstanding debut for the World Championship tournament's 24th seed, one that pointed to a bright future.

In recent days, Sharkey had said that he needed to make himself look better than Sam Langford, the #9 seed in the tournament and top seed above Sharkey in Group Nine.

Well, tonight, Sharkey had the chance to do exactly that against Chicago's John Holman, the 120th seed and the man that Langford punished and dominated but failed to knock out in his debut.

You may be wondering if Sharkey was able to look more impressive than Sam Langford. The answer? Well ... you'll see.

*

Tom Sharkey entered the ring in a robe of Irish green with white trim, bouncing on his toes, showing his taller opponent an icy glare. He looked like a ball of muscle and energy set to erupt. Meanwhile, Holman showed a laid back exterior, as if the Irishman's disposition barely registered on him.

The audience greeted the opening bell with a loud cheer, some of them standing and clapping before a punch had been thrown. They were pumped up following the brilliance of the Stewart-Goddard bout and knew that the business end of the evening had arrived.

Round One

The audience was treated to a lively opening round during which both fighters had their moments.

Holman showed more than some had expected of him. There were, in fact, many who had predicted that the contest would be over in the first round, certain that Sharkey's awesome arsenal would overwhelm the bigger man. Well, they were wrong.

It's true that Sharkey did enough to win the round. His highlights included a crushing left uppercut midway through the round and a number of nice combinations that came off a piston-like jab. But Holman actually landed the first big punch of the fight, a jolting right cross 54 seconds in that backed the Irishman up.

The round featured a classic exchange at the two minute mark, started off by a wild Sharkey right hand that Holman ducked under. He came up swinging, a big uppercut crashing into Sharkey's chin, staggering him. But somehow, the Irishman was quick to regain his senses and fired back with a straight right that landed flush, sending the Chicago native into the ropes.

So, Sharkey took the round, but must have held some concern over the liveliness of Holman. Many had expected him to be like a corpse after his night against Langford. As Tom Sharkey sat on his stool between rounds, he could not have known how close HE would come to being knocked out in the next three minutes...

Round Two

The man from Illinois comes out for the second stanza showing an angry sneer, pressing Sharkey, cutting off the ring and firing jabs at him.

Sixteen seconds in, one of the jabs leads to a stunning straight right, and the Irishman is hurt! Holman blazes away, another left-right combo bouncing off Sharkey's head. The 24th seed retreats, and all of a sudden it's the taller man who seems to be the rampaging bull.

Sharkey is able to tie Holman up, but soon after they separate he misses with what looks like a desparation punch, a wild right hand. Sharkey is tagged again! Left jab, straight right, right hook! Sharkey's knees buckle and he almost goes down! The crowd rise to their feet in unison, a collective howl of disbelief coming from them.

Holman has Sharkey trapped in a corner, and the two are trading bombs! Sharkey is trying to fight his way out and the crowd is cheering for Holman! The underdog lands a winging right hand, turning Sharkey's head halfway round. The Irishman immediately fires back, trying to survive. Holman just misses with a huge right hook. If that had connected, the fight could have been over!

Oh! A huge uppercut from Holman! Sharkey bounced off the ropes, but manages to maintain his footing! He answers back with a straight right! This is just unbelievable! Sharkey is tagged again! This time by a right cross!

Sharkey might not see out the round! There's still a minute to go!

Holman is starting to pick his shots. He rips a left hook to Sharkey's body and then another one to his head. Sharkey manages to slip out of the corner on unsteady legs. The two men exchange punches in the centre of the ring, bringing a roar from the already frenzied audience.

Sharkey initiates a clinch. His face shows a stunned expression, unable to believe the extent of the beating he has taken in the round.

Sharkey is able to keep his distance for the remainder of the round, the chants of "Holman! Holman! Holman!" filling the arena. The bell sounds, and Tom Sharkey makes his way back to his corner a shadow of the man who started this contest just seven minutes earlier...

*

My, my, my. This night just keeps on getting more incredible! Who would of predicted this? Simply put, Tom Sharkey got his butt kicked in that round, and John Holman must surely go into round three brimming with confidence that he can cause a huge upset...

(To be continued...)

[kenyan_cheena]

(...continuation)

Round Three

Tom Sharkey's trainer has given his charge a dreadful throttling during the intermission, just stopping short of trading punches with the Irishman himself.

Sharkey comes charging out of his corner like his trunks have just caught fire, pressing Holman, pursuing him around the ring.

The Chicago man is cautious, as if he is fearful that the previous round has simply served to wake a sleeping beast. Holman paws at the #24 seed with defensive jabs.

Sharkey digs a short hook into Holman's ribs. The round is progressing in an uneventful fashion, a complete opposite of the action-packed second round. Sharkey is much more watchful and much less assured than he was at the beginning of the bout.

Sharkey shows some frustration, bullying Holman into the ropes and teeing off with at least half a dozen power shots, all of which either miss or connect high on Holman's shoulders. To make matters worse, Holman counters with a crisp right cross that rocks Sharkey. He shakes his head, backing off.

Holman presses forward and swings for the fences, a big uppercut sending a nice cool breeze Sharkey's way and leaving Holman dreadfully exposed. Sharkey pounces! A straight right crashes into Holman's left cheek, snapping his head around and turning his legs to jelly! Holman stumbles backwards and the Irishman hunts him down mercilessly! Holman is dazed as he leans back on the ropes. OH! Another straight right collides with Holman's jaw!

Sharkey smells blood and he's ready to finsh off his prey. MY GOD! That left hook knocked him out cold! Holman crumbles to the canvas like he's been struck by lightning! The audience erupts, thunderous applause filling the arena.

The referee has started the ten count, but I don't know why he is bothering! Holman is done! Sharkey is pumped. He jumps up on one of the corner ring supports and pounds his chest.

It's all over! John Holman has been counted out, 1:57 into the third round!

[kenyan_cheena]

"That ain't the way I hoped it would go at all," Sharkey said soon after. "To be truthful, it was bloody terrible."

"I guess it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that John Holman just gave you the fright of your life," said Jay Marlow.

'"No doubt," replied Sharkey. "I'm relieved I was able to finish it off, there. He got a little bit careless, so there was some luck involved, certainly."

"Tom, you said leading up to this fight that you felt you needed to look better than Sam Langford. I take it that by your own assessment, you failed in that task tonight?"

"I don't think I could have looked worse. Well, obviously, I could have if I'd lost, but this was an ugly victory. Sammy's gonna have to have a pretty terrible night to look less impressive than I did."

"There must be some positives you can take from this fight?" said Marlow.

"Only that I won," Sharkey quickly replied. "We're going to have to look at the tape, especially that second round. That was just atrocious how I let myself get tagged like that. Maybe it will bring some positive lessons for the future."

"Well, Tom, you're still undefeated, and you've stopped both of your opponents inside three rounds. I think that's something to be proud of."

The audience showed their agreement with a round of applause.

"Now, next up for you is the tough Aussie fighter, Joe Goddard," said Marlow. "He's been in two wars to start the tournament, but hasn't been able to get a victory yet. He's going to be quite a challenge for you."

Sharkey nodded. "He's just shown so much heart and determination. I'm really going to have to keep my wits about me in that fight, for sure."

"Well, Tom, I just want to extend ESPN's best wishes to you for your future in the tournament, and I'm sure everyone here would agree with me."

Marlow shook Sharkey's hand. Thanking him, the Irishman left the ring, his path to the dressing room accompanied by a chorus of warm, appreciative applause...

[kenyan_cheena]

Main Event

A night already packed with more excitement and drama than the audience had a right to ask for came to its conclusion when the #9 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament climbed into the ring for his second professional bout.

The pride of Nova Scotia, Sam Langford entered the ring wearing a robe of red and white, his trunks white with a trio of thin red piping up each side. All 5'8" of him was a mass of hyper-frenzied activity, showing head movements upon head movements to his South African opponent, Gerrie Coetzee as he prowled around the ring.

At 183 pounds, the 19 year-old Canadian was only three pounds above the HBF's minimum weight limit. Coetzee, the 104th seed in the tournament, tipped the scales at 199. Standing six inches taller, some had said that he might be able to use this advantage to frustrate and smother Langford's attack. Obviously, those people hadn't seen the Canadian in his debut against the also much taller John Holman.

Well, on this night, those people who had given Coetzee a chance would be only very slightly right.

Langford was not quite as dominant as he had been on debut against John Holman, and Coetzee showed a lot more than he had while being decimated by Tom Sharkey. Even so, in the end, the dynamic Canadian was able to take a comfortable unanimous decision victory, 59-55, 59-56, 59-55.

With the exception of round two, Langford was in control for the duration of the bout, building up on his workrate as the fight progressed, to the point where he showed some dazzling combinations and ripping left hooks in the fourth and fifth rounds. There were no knockdowns.

The final punch totals showed the ease with which Langford achieved this victory, as he landed 173 punches to 82.

"I give all credit to The Lord," Langford said. "This is the path He's laid down for me. Gerrie Coetzee's a tough guy. He showed a lot of heart in there tonight, and I wish him all the best in his future bouts."

The audience applauded Langford's graciousness, and Coetzee himself exchanged another series of handshakes and kind words with the 9th seed.

"Sam, so far in this tournament, you've had to fight two guys who both stood at least six inches taller than you," said Jay Marlow. "Your next opponent is Jim Savage, who is a bit shorter by comparison at only five-ten. Will that be a relief to be going against someone shorter?"

Langford laughed. "Here you are, going on about my height again?" he joked. "No, I don't think it really matters. No respect to John Holman and Gerrie Coetzee, but the height difference isn't important. Doesn't matter if the guy is a foot taller than me, I'm going to prepare and do what is necessary to give me the greatest chance of success."

"Now, leading up to tonight, Tom Sharkey had taken it upon himself to draw comparisons between the two of you, saying that he needed to make himself look better than you. Has that had any impression on you?"

Langford smiled. "The guy looked pretty good tonight," he said. "That was just a great knockout, I have to say. You know, he's the 2nd seed in the group and it doesn't surprise me at all that he has said those things. We are all competing for the one prize, and in our group, I am supposedly his biggest obstacle, being the top seed. It's just going to be a great challenge when we step into the ring against each other. He's done an excellent job so far, you know. He's knocked out two guys within three rounds who have both taken me the full six rounds, so you can't ignore that."

"We really are all looking forward to that, Sam," said Marlow. "Congratulations on your victory tonight, and best of luck for your next bout in the tournament."

"Thank you so much, Jay," said Langford. "I want to thank ESPN and the HBF, but mostly I want to thank this terrific audience for helping to make tonight so special. I think all of you really inspired the fighters to raise their level of competitiveness. So, thanks to all of you, and God bless."

Once again, Sam Langford had shown that he knows how to win a crowd over, and he returned to the dressing room with the chants of "Langford! Langford! Langford!" ringing in his ears...

[kenyan_cheena]

A few minutes after Sam Langford had departed the ring, HBF President Michael Vincennes stepped through the ropes and said a few words to the audience.

"I'd like to reiterate Sam Langford's sentiments and thank all of you for your patronage here tonight," said Vincennes. "As all of you would know, this has been quite a turbulent day for the federation, and for it to come to such an exciting ending is just incredible. So thank you so much for coming out and giving your support to the people who really matter in this business, the fighters. This has been, without a doubt, the most thrilling fight card the federation has staged in our short life, so thank you all for helping to make it such a memorable night."

The audience gave the HBF President a standing ovation, forgetting, at least for that moment, the uncertainty and speculation that the sport of boxing and the Heavyweight Boxing Federation would surely be facing in the days, weeks and months to come.

The crowds began to file out of the arena and slowly, the Conseco Fieldhouse became empty and fell silent, a night of truly memorable fights bringing an end to a truly incredible day...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
WEDNESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2002
CONSECO FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, USA



OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
2(16) Tony Galento KO2 8(64) Oscar Pharo

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group One
1(1) Rocky Marciano KO3 7(56) Jose Luis Garcia

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
4(56) Joe Baksi MD6 6(88) Jim Savage

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
3(40) Alex Stewart UD6 5(72) Joe Goddard

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
2(24) Tom Sharkey KO3 8(120) John Holman

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Nine
1(9) Sam Langford UD6 7(104) Gerrie Coetzee