The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[Claybor]

Bah, those bums are all talk. It's the quiet ones you have to look out for!

[mh2365]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

I must say I'm interested in seeing how you plan to get the Madden Cruiser over to where KC is. Did you make it seaworthy without me knowing?

I was thinking we could use the hookers breasts as floatation devices.

[kenyan_cheena]

FLORIDA ALLIANCE HEADS HOME

Wednesday 18 September 2002

During the next twenty-four hours Elmer Ray and Romy Alvarez will fly back into their respective Florida hometowns. For both young men it's going to be their first time back in the state since Ray's defeat at the hands of Floyd Patterson back on the 9th of August. It's been a crazy, exhausting six weeks, one that started in Miami and continued with an extended stay in Las Vegas for both Alvarez's debut and fellow Alliance member Oliver McCall's loss to Tommy Morrison.

On August 25th they found themselves in Derby, England where Ariel Reyes made his professional debut. Only five days later they were down in Japan to see Terone Haynes claim the South-East Asian Boxing League title. The travel continued, with the group making their way to Connecticut, being there at ringside when James Ray almost defeated Ray Leonard on debut. It was then out to Los Angeles for Alvarez's second Qualifying League bout, which took place just last night and in which "The Iceman" was victorious and improved to 2-0(1).

"Hard to believe, y'all," said Elmer Ray today at LAX. "Somethin' we gotta stop, I been thinkin'. You know, we all like brothers but come a time when we gotta be lookin' at the big picture. All this travellin' jus' tire hell out of me, gotta say. I be goin' home to sleep fo' a couple o' weeks. Romdawg be doin' the same. Like I say we all like brothers, but even brothers get sick o' seein' each other after a while. We gots t' get back to our fam'lies, y'all."

In contrast to August, September has been a good month for the Alliance with the group's members undefeated in all three fights they contested. It's a fact Elmer Ray was pleased with, but he acknowledged that the coming months will be hugely important for the group.

"We all strivin' for diff'rent thangs," Ray said. "We gots t' be prepared fo' the challenges 'head o' us, no doubt. But we gonna take a timeout first, y'all. We be crashin' fo' these nex' few weeks, man."

[kenyan_cheena]

That'll be the last story to feature the Florida Alliance for a while. We've had a bit of an Alliance overload lately so I'll be focusing on some other HBF competitors during the next couple of universe weeks.

[Romdawg88]

Man, I feel a little bit jetlagged just from reading that article. The Alliance has really been jetting around alot lately. It does seem like Florida Alliance stories come in big brusts probably due to having some many fighters and having their bouts pretty close together. We should probably fade into the background for awhile until at least Reyes' second bout.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

We should probably fade into the background for awhile until at least Reyes' second bout.

Yep, I've set it up for that with Elmer's words on just crashing for a while.

[kenyan_cheena]

STOBER OUTLASTS ALANOVIC
TO WIN SOUTH EURO LEAGUE

Thursday 19 September 2002

In a bout that was more entertaining than expected, Germany's Markus Stober scored a majority decision victory over Croatian native Lovro Alanovic tonight in the final of the Southern Europe Boxing League tournament (77-75, 76-76, 77-75). Stober achieved the win in front of a parochial home crowd at Berlin's Estrel Convention Center, booking himself a place in the HBF's World Ranking tournament.

The fight was a rematch of the two combatant's final preliminary bout back in July, which was also won by Stober and also held in Germany. Tonight's clash was a spirited one in which most of the rounds had a clear cut winner. Stober looked to be in control of the contest through the first five rounds, winning all but the 2nd on all three cards and landing some punishing shots along the way. But the Croatian made things interesting with a strong finish during the last three frames.

Punch totals

Stober: 218/448 (.487)
Alanovic: 165/453 (.364)

Of all the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's feeder leagues, the South European one has been regarded as the weakest but Stober and Alanovic sent it out on a high note, to say the least. It remains to be seen whether either of them can continue to succeed as their careers progress, but for now they've done quite well. Stober will take a 6-1(1) record into the WR tourney, where it's possible that he could come up against compatriot and former World Championship hopeful Max Schmeling. Alanovic (4-2-1(1)) will be placed in the Qualifying League.

(Still to come from Berlin: Undercard Highlights)

[kenyan_cheena]

ESTREL CONVENTION CENTER,
UNDERCARD HIGHLIGHTS...

* Having scored a clear-cut unanimous decision win over the Englishman Charles Bradley on debut, Nashville's Max Cayton improved to 2-0 with an even more impressive showing against the much-hyped Russian giant Aleksandr Bystrov. The 21 year-old Bystrov had floored Torsten Hildebrand four times on the way to a TKO victory in his own debut so this shaped up as the evening's most interesting matchup.

Bystrov was able to stay in the fight through the opening three rounds but it was clear that Cayton was the more polished of the two, the 19 year-old's previous high school experience in evidence as he outboxed his taller opponent. Cayton worked well behind the jab and took advantage of the occasional opportunities that Bystrov presented to get inside and work the body. The top half of the bout featured some smashing exchanges, both combatants displaying busy dispositions. Continuing to control the contest in the 4th, Cayton dropped Bystrov with a crushing uppercut just after the two minute mark before cruising to another unanimous decision victory (59-54 on all three cards).

Bystrov appeared exhausted afterwards, sporting a cut under his left eye and swelling around the right.

Punch totals

Max Cayton: 119/413 (.288)
Aleksandr Bystrov: 82/475 (.173)

"I'm pretty relieved to get the win," said Cayton. "Folks have been saying some things about the guy that made him sound like a future World Champion. I'm not sure if that was just hype or if I caught him on a bad night. Either way I'm happy with my performance. It's nice to be 2-0."

* New York's Carl Williams destroyed the Californian Jerry Quarry in an eye-catching performance. Dominating the opening round with aggression and volume Williams caught his man with a flush right early in the 2nd that sent Quarry to the canvas for the full count, the bout over at the 0:39 mark. Williams joins Cayton at 2-0 and has so far lived up to the promise he showed at the federation's auditions.

* After an eventful six rounds, Belgium's Jean-Pierre Coopman and England's Michael Richardson had to settle for a draw (57-55, 56-56, 55-57). Richardson appeared to have the fight in hand after he put Coopman on his backside late in the 3rd but the Belgian returned the favour at the end of round four and did enough to avoid a fifth career defeat. He's now 1-4-2(1), his sole victory coming against the Slovenian Drago Bencek back in May.

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2002
ESTREL CONVENTION CENTER, BERLIN, GERMANY


OPENING BOUT

HBF Qualifying League - Stage One - Group Four
7(81) Carl Williams KO2 6(69) Jerry Quarry

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF Qualifying League - Stage One - Group Nine
6(64) Max Cayton UD6 7(76) Aleksandr Bystrov

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF Qualifying League - Stage One - Group Four
5(57) Jean-Pierre Coopman D6 8(93) Michael Richardson

CO-FEATURE

HBF Qualifying League - Stage One - Group Nine
8(88) Torsten Hildebrand UD6 5(52) Charles Bradley

MAIN EVENT

Southern Europe Boxing League - Tournament Final
(2) Markus Stober MD8 (7) Lovro Alanovic

[kenyan_cheena]

There's an IBL Lightweight card from Panama I still have to post to finish off the action for Thursday 19 September. After that we've got two IBL cards on the 20th, both in the USA with the one in West Virginia featuring Richie Plunkett to take place first.

Not sure yet if there'll be any HBF stories for the 20th. Either way I probably won't be able to post anything on the weekend because my former ISP stuffed up my cancellation, delaying the transfer to the new one. As a result I'm still without internet access at home and have been for six days now.

[kenyan_cheena]

JOHNSON BACK IN CALI
AFTER DOWN UNDER VACATION

Saturday 21 September 2002

HBF World Championship contender Jack Johnson jetted back into the USA today, arriving at LAX with his girlfriend Jessica Aguilar some five weeks after departing the same airport for the Philippines. While there Johnson was victorious in his final bout in stage one of the World Championship tournament and Aguilar, an LA-born Filipina who has worked as a model, dancer and actress became quite a celebrity, receiving a number of attractive job offers.

Soon after the pair retreated to the Australian resort of Hamilton Island to relax and "chill out", as Johnson put it. They enjoyed it so much that they spent three weeks there. Dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, Johnson looked to be in great shape as he made his way through the airport, his extended holiday doing him no harm. He confirmed that he'd be getting back into serious training within the next week, his first stage two bout scheduled for November the 1st in Osaka, Japan against Oakland's Lou Nova.

Johnson and Aguilar walked hand-in-hand, the pair asked how their relationship was going. The Texas-born slugger responded with a cheeky grin before regarding Aguilar with a smile.

"She's a wild one, I tell ya," he said, laughing. "Had trouble controllin' her, man."

Aguilar laughed at this, smacking Johnson on the forearm playfully.

"We had a fantastic time down in the Philippines and Australia," continued Johnson. "Nothin' like gettin' away and relaxin', but now it's time for us to get back to workin'. To makin' a livin'."

The two looked a perfectly happy couple as they joked and touched each other affectionately, making their way to the parking lot where they climbed into a waiting sports car that quickly sped them away from the airport...

[Jeff1787]

You ever think about writing a book????????????? If not, you should...some great writing talent there my friend.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

You ever think about writing a book????????????? If not, you should...some great writing talent there my friend.

I am writing an action/drama story about a civil war in a completely fictional world but haven't worked much on it lately. I guess I've lost some interest in doing it but I was thinking just a few hours ago that I need to start putting aside a couple of hours each week to devote to it.

Thanks for the compliments, Jeff.

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 22 September 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 23/09/2002 - SATURDAY 28/09/2002 INCLUSIVE

TUESDAY 24/09/2002 - BELL CENTRE, MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
THE CANADIAN BOXING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT FINAL
& THE HBF QUALIFYING LEAGUE

QL/G5: 6(68) MARCO SANTINO vs 7(80) DEUTRON SHELBY
QL/G8: 6(65) STEVE FINLEY vs 7(77) LUIS GOMEZ
QL/G5: 5(56) LEONIDAS JASKUCIONIS vs 8(92) YEVGENY SEMSHOV
QL/G8: 5(53) DRAGO BENCEK vs 8(89) DWAYNE PETERS

THE CANADIAN BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT FINAL

(2) ROBERT CLEROUX vs (4) JOHN FERGUSON

THURSDAY 26/09/2002 - SURELERE STADIUM, LAGOS, NIGERIA
THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT FINAL
& THE HBF QUALIFYING LEAGUE

QL/G2: 6(71) YETI YATES vs 7(83) MARK JONES
QL/G11: 6(62) KENT ARES vs 7(74) SEAN HARGRAVES
QL/G2: 5(59) TONY DOYLE vs 8(95) NATHAN WILLIAMS
QL/G11: 5(50) GRANTHAM ABDUL-KAFAR vs 8(86) VASILY ANYUKOV

THE AFRICAN BOXING LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT FINAL

(1) IKE IBEABUCHI vs (6) OMOVO OKOCHA

[kenyan_cheena]

FEEDER LEAGUES CONCLUDE
DURING COMING WEEK

Sunday 22 September 2002

Having started back on the 5th of February the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's feeder league tournaments reach their conclusion this coming Thursday in Nigeria. It would be true to say that the leagues haven't been amongst the HBF's more popular initiatives but they have served a purpose, at the very least. A number of talented fighters have been able to showcase their talents including Florida Alliance member Terone Haynes, New Orleans native Harry Wills and Detroit's Rosco Toles. This week's final two bouts will see champions drowned in the Canadian and African Leagues with Montreal's Robert Cleroux favoured to be victorious against John Ferguson in his hometown on Tuesday while Thursday's bout between Ike Ibeabuchi and Omovo Okocha promises to be a thriller.

"The feeder leagues have been a great success," said HBF President Michael Vincennes. "And while it's somewhat sad that they're reaching an end, their conclusion will signal the beginning of a new and even more exciting period for the federation. Both of this week's finals look like being exciting and I'm looking forward to them."

Each card also features a quartet of bouts in the federation's Qualifying League with a number of intriguing matchups scheduled to take place. In Montreal New York's Marco Santino looks like being a slight favourite in his bout against Cleveland native Deutron Shelby and Virginia's Steve Finley should be too strong for Arizona's Luis Gomez, who is old enough to be Finley's father. Gomez was held to a draw on debut in what was regarded as a poor decision but he'll find it tough as he tries to earn his first victory against the 20 year-old Virginian.

The Nigerian event sees Santino's good friend and fellow New Yorker Mark Jones with his hands full as he tackles the hard-hitting, dangerous Englishman Yeti Yates. Both men had wins on debut but there are many who think that Yates' aggressive, reckless style will cause the 40 year-old Gotham native all manner of trouble, despite Jones' impressive first-up outing. The passionate American-born Irishman Kent Ares will also be in action as he clashes with the South Korean-born Californian Sean Hargraves in a fight that most observers are saying is too close to call...

[kenyan_cheena]

LEWIS ITCHING TO GET FIGHTING AGAIN

Monday 23 September 2002

Story by David Gomez for espn.com

It's been a day shy of five weeks since Canadian Olympic Champion Lennox Lewis last stepped foot in a boxing ring. On that night at Montreal's Molson Centre he was held to a draw by good friend Robert Cleroux in the semi-finals of the Canadian Boxing League, the result spelling a surprising end to Lewis' run in the tournament. Expected to waltz through the event with a perfect record Lewis instead finished with an underwhelming 4-1-1(3) mark that included a shock unanimous decision defeat at the hands of the unheralded John Ferguson in the preliminaries.

In the days since the Cleroux bout Lewis has reflected with frustration on his premature exit from the Canadian tournament, but it's what his failure has prevented him from doing that has caused him so much anguish. The winners of each of the federation's feeder league events are awarded a place in the upcoming World Ranking tournament while the losing finalists and semi-finalists find themselves in the less prestigious but possibly more talented Qualifying League. The difference between the two as far as where competitors can be placed at their conclusion is huge, with those finishing near the top of their WR group likely to be ranked in the 60s when the initial rankings are released. By comparison, the top performers in the Qualifying League earn a shot at a place at the bottom of the ladder, the 10th and last World Ranking tier (covering ranks #108 - #119).

"It gets to me pretty much every day," lamented the 23 year-old when I spoke to him recently. "The thought of how much time I've cost myself and how many fights I'll have to win just to get to where I would have been if I hadn't messed up ... it's difficult to accept. I was talking to my mother about it just the other day and she reassured me, saying my time will come if I just stay patient. That's going to be a big part of my career for the next couple of years. Patience."

When one considers that Lewis missed out on auditioning for the federation's World Championship due to a family illness, his failure in the Canadian tournament can be regarded as just the latest setback in the Olympic Champion's quest for success in the professional ranks. Certainly, this is not the way he envisioned the start of his career.

Lewis has been placed in Group Ten of the Qualifying League and a cursory glance over the other competitors in his group leads one to think he'll have little trouble sweeping it. But folk said the same thing about his CBL experience and we all know how that turned out. Lewis confirmed that "there's no chance in hell" he's going to underestimate a single opponent, saying he'll be preparing for every contest like it's a World Championship bout.

"It hurt so bad when I lost to Ferguson," he said. "I didn't show it but it was just a crushing experience. I never want to feel that pain, ever again."

I asked Lewis if he would be tuning in to watch tomorrow night's Canadian League tournament final, to which he repiled that he wouldn't be.

"I'll be happy for Robert if he wins it," he added. "But it really doesn't mean anything to me besides that and I'm thinking that watching it can only put me in a bad mood, get me frustrated. So I'll probably just do some training or get on the PS2 instead."

With his first Qualifying League bout scheduled for November 12, Lewis might find himself getting "on the PS2" quite often during the coming weeks...

[kenyan_cheena]

CLEROUX WINS CANADIAN LEAGUE,
BOOKS BERTH IN WORLD RANKING TOURNEY

Tuesday 24 September 2002

Fighting in front of an enthusiastic, supportive crowd at Montreal's Bell Centre local hero Robert Cleroux earned himself a place in the HBF's upcoming World Ranking tournament with a unanimous decision victory over New Brunswick's John Ferguson in the final of the Canadian Boxing League (79-72, 78-72, 79-71). Although Cleroux came into the evening as a warm favourite there were some who believed Ferguson was capable of springing an upset, mostly on the basis of his defeat of Olympic Champion Lennox Lewis back in June. But that never came close to eventuating, Cleroux establishing control quickly. After dominating the opening two rounds he floored Ferguson with a solid right cross twenty seconds into the 3rd but failed to push home the advantage. Cleroux's aggression in those early rounds made it difficult for Ferguson to get into any kind of rhythm and it was something that continued through most of the contest.

In round four Ferguson was showing signs of promise but all his good work was cancelled out when Cleroux dropped him for a second time, another right cross sending the New Brunswick native to the canvas at the bell. The bout entered into something of a lacklustre period during the next three rounds, Cleroux seemingly content to cruise and allowing Ferguson to get back to something close to a level footing. Ferguson's best work of the fight came in round six where he caught Cleroux with a series of scoring combinations, although nothing that troubled the #2 seed.

Cleroux was much more aggressive in the final round and he staggered Ferguson with two seperate uppercuts within the first fifty seconds before rubberising his legs with a winging right hand late in the stanza. When the final bell sounded the crowd applauded heartily, Cleroux raising his hands and nodding in acknowledgement. The verdict surprised no one but Cleroux was nonetheless ecstatic with the confirmation that he was the Canadian Boxing League Champion.

Punch totals

Robert Cleroux: 163/613 (.266)
John Ferguson: 114/255 (.447)

"It's been a great start to my career," said Cleroux, who improved to 5-0-2(2). "I always felt confident in my chances and it feels great knowing I've made it into the World Ranking tournament. I'm really looking forward to making the most of this chance, this opportunity. The alternative was unacceptable to me so I'm happy I've been able to avoid it."

Ferguson finishes the Canadian League tourney with a 5-2 record and must be commended for his achievements throughout the event. Whether he'll be able to back it up in the Qualifying League is up for debate, to say the least.

(to be continued)

[Romdawg88]

God, I would love to fight Cleroux at some point in my career just to see how low I could get his connect % down to. I'm not sure he could even break .100% against someone whose idea of defense wasn't blocking punches with their faces.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

God, I would love to fight Cleroux at some point in my career just to see how low I could get his connect % down to. I'm not sure he could even break .100% against someone whose idea of defense wasn't blocking punches with their faces.

It'll be interesting to see how he goes in the WR tourney against the likes of Schmeling, Haynes and Wills. Personally I'm hoping he can get a top six finish to earn a WR.

As for your guy taking him on that could happen pretty soon after the QL tourney finishes if Cleroux ends up with a low ranking.

[kenyan_cheena]

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