The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

The Colorado native was able to survive the round and seemed to have his bearings back in the fifth. But a furious rally from Mann in the final round had many thinking that the boy from Connecticut might have done enough to, at the very least, force a drawn result.

They were wrong. Mann's fightback came too late and as in his debut bout, he lost by unanimous decision.

Crushing the hopes of yet another generation of Nutmeg State fans.

This is entertaining Kenyan

Christopher

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

Crushing the hopes of yet another generation of Nutmeg State fans.

This is entertaining Kenyan

Christopher

Thanks, Chris. I forgot about the connection while I was writing the post regarding you being from Connecticut. I hope Mann can improve in his next fights. He's struggled so far.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continued from post #160)

SUPPORT BOUT

Six days ago, Elmer Ray was in Osaka, Japan eating dinner with Sam McVey and Zora Folley. Ray had been there to support his cousin Terone Haynes in his debut bout in the South-East Asian Boxing League.

Ray, his cousin and the entire Hastings entourage flew back to the U.S.A. on Sunday. They did not stop over in their hometown, instead flying directly to California to prepare for Elmer's second bout in the HBF's World Championship tournament.

From the moment the plane set down at LAX, Elmer Ray and Terone Haynes have been, without a doubt, the main attraction. Yes, it's true that Elmer Ray is only the 33rd seed in the W.C. tournament. It's true that both Jimmy Young and Floyd Patterson are seeded higher than him. But it's also true that Elmer Ray has more charisma, chutzpah and sense of showmanship than both of them combined. This 16 year-old is not even fully-grown yet, but he displays the awareness and maturity of someone twice his age. Simply put, he knows how to sell himself.

Having arrived back in the USA only two days after James Reynolds of the New York Age had launched his latest attack on Ray, many journalists in California focused on the conflict between the Florida slugger and the Gotham City scribe.

"Guess he jus' don't like my way of doin' things," Ray said. "But I ain't gonna sweat it, see? Don't matter what James Reynolds thinks o' me, y'all. Only matter what President Vincennes and all the fans think, man."

Ray had also been asked in the past day what he thought of the rumours regarding an expansion of the HBF.

"Y'all, that'd be somethin' if our sport give a chance to the smaller fellas, sho' nuff. Me and T got a cuz name James. Dude, the brother'd fit right in at welterweight, y'all. He got those quick hands. But we jus' wait and see what happen, I guess."

Unlike his debut bout last month, Elmer Ray had been a perfect gentleman towards his opponent in the lead-up to tonight's event. 20 year-old Tom McMahon of Spring Valley, Illinois, scored an uneventful unanimous decision victory over Nathan Mann in his debut, and Ray had afforded him much more respect than he did Buddy Baer last month.

The 16 year-old had added some bulk to his frame in the five weeks since his debut. Weighing in at 183 for his first fight, Ray tipped the scales at 192 for tonight's bout.

The 65th seed in the tournament, McMahon stood an inch shorter than Ray and weighed five pounds lighter, quite a different proposition than the giant that was Ray's first up opponent, Buddy Baer.

As he had in Japan, Ray made an impressive entrance to the Arrowhead Pond arena in Anaheim. Whereas in Japan the primary colour of the outfits of the Hastings entourage had been black, tonight it was red. However, on this night the entourage was smaller. The audience greeted their entrance enthusiastically.

Accompanied by the song that Ray has previously said is his favourite, Eric B. & Rakim's "Lyrics Of Fury", the entourage made their entrance. First came two of the beautiful ladies who had accompanied Ray to the ring in Japan (Ray had later confirmed they were family members). They wore figure-hugging, ankle-length red halter neck dresses, their hair pulled back and up high. Next came Ray himself, flanked by Terone Haynes on the right and another giant of a man on the left, presumably another one of his cousins. Ray's robe was primarily red, with black and white piping, while his cousins wore sweatsuits that were also dominated by red with touches of black and white. Last up was Ray's cornermen, also decked out in (what else but) red with black and white trim.

Ray bounced around the ring on his heels, eager to get things started. His trunks were of a similar design to the ones he wore in Japan, but whereas the main body of his Japan trunks were black, tonight's ones were red. The waist band was black with white print, ELMER on the front and HASTINGS on the back. Tassles of black, red and white ran up and down each side.

On the other side of the ring, McMahon seemed oblivious to all the hoopla, talking with his trainer, going over their gameplan.

The opening round was largely uneventful, at least for the first two minutes. In the final third of the round, Ray opened up, landing a number of solid single punches, aswell as an impressive left-right-left combo. He was definitely the more aggressive of the two, constantly coming forward, crowding McMahon on the inside but using his quickness to step back and fire away.

Ray picked up the pace even more in the second round, dominating his opponent with some accurate, powerful shots. He staggered McMahon with a punishing combination late in the round, and acknowledged the audience's applause as he returned to his corner.

The pattern continued in the third, with Ray scoring well early before cruising until the bell. The fight had reached its halfway point and McMahon had not really shown much of anything. It was obvious that he would have to pick himself up if he was to have any chance of victory.

And that's what he did. The fourth round appeared to be proceeding in the same fashion as the previous three. Ray was doing what he pleased through the first ninety seconds. But then, McMahon came to life. It was like he had been jabbed by a cattle prod, and during the second half of the round, he landed probably as many punches as he had landed in the entire fight up to that point. It started with a stinging left jab, followed soon after by a nice left hook. A murmur made its way throught he crowd as they realised that Ray had been cut under the right eye. A nice uppercut snuck through Ray's defense. Ray backpedalled as McMahon teed off, landing shots to both the body and the head. The Illinois native had Ray up against the ropes and ripped away at his body, a stiff straight left snapping Ray's head back as the round came to a close. The audience, already beside themselves as a result of McMahon's sudden rally, rose to their feet and applauded. The Hastings teenager looked a little puzzled (and annoyed) as he returned to his corner.

Unfortunately for McMahon, his brief rally would be all that he had to offer. The cut that Ray sustained was only minor, and he came out steamed in the fifth, showing more resolve than he had in the earlier rounds. McMahon just could not do anything to back Ray up, and the Florida native carried his aggression through the final round, big power shots and rapid-fire jabs illustrating Ray's great fitness. The fight ended with McMahon covering up on the ropes, Ray unleashing a barrage of punches in an effort to score another late knockout. As the final bell sounded, the crowd gave an extended round of applause for Elmer Ray's great performance.

When the judge's verdict came, it surprised no one. Elmer Ray had won by unanimous decision, 59-55, 58-56, 59-55.

Ray was much more subdued than he had been after his victory over Buddy Baer, exchanging jokes and smiles with his entourage, embracing each one of them. He spoke at length to McMahon and his cornermen.

"He's got a lot of power for such a young guy," McMahon said. "He's just sixteen, so he's still a way from reaching his full potential. He just overwhelmed me with his aggression, his activity."

"He didn't show me much, y'all," Ray said. "Jus' that brief flurry in the fourth, you know? Think I kept 'im under ma thumb besides that. Don't know, maybe jus' a bad night for him. But he's a tough dude, man. Took some solid shots and stay on his feet. Y'all, it's all good, man. The hometown's 3-0 now, baby."

ESPN's Tony Daniels asked Ray what he had said to McMahon after the fight.

"Jus' told him to look forward, y'all," answered Ray. "You know, he 1-1 now, but ain't no reason he can't win his next fights, see? Everybody in this tourney gotta realise, man. You might not make stage two, see, but that ain't the end, man. Everyone gotta know that we still got the Continental Americas tourney. You finish high in your group, you be a high seed in that tourney, man. That's what I jus' love 'bout how President Vincennes and the HBF set this thing up, man. Everyone got somethin' to shoot for, y'all."

"Okay, now Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Young haven't fought yet tonight. How do you think they will each go in their bouts?" Daniels asked.

Ray laughed. "Man, Floyd's gonna show that Jimmy Young's a bum, see? Floyd's goin' in 'gainst Tony Ross, the dude that almost beat Jimmy Young in Japan ... Floyd's jus' gonna dominate him. Young's goin' up against Rocky Jones. Wouldn't surprise me if Rocky give him a helluva fright, man. That's what I see happ'nin', y'all. Jus' let y'all know, I be ringside for Jimmy Young. Ain't gonna miss that."

"Now, your next two bouts are against both of those guys, Tony Ross and Rocky Jones. You must feel confident that you can beat them both and get to 4-0 before you clash with Jimmy Young."

Ray nodded. "That's def'nitely the plan, man. But, you know, we jus' take it one at a time. Don't wanna look too far ahead, see?"

With that, "The Hastings Express" departed the ring, the audience applauding Elmer Ray and his entourage as they made their way back to the dressing room...

[GForce]

Very nice stuff, KC. Well thought out and executed.

GH

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by GForce

Very nice stuff, KC. Well thought out and executed.

GH

Thanks, GForce.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Geez, it took me EIGHTEEN DAYS to journalise the events that took place during ONE DAY in my universe!

This is quite a display of dedication! I also must commend you on your flawless use of the apostrophe, a much missused printer's symbol these days.

Keep up the good writing.

Christopher

[kenyan_cheena]

CO-FEATURE

Floyd Patterson's performance in his debut bout last month was considered by many to be amongst the best of all the first series bouts. He totally dominated Rocky Jones, landing 158 punches to 81 (many of Jones's punches coming in the final round) and winning all but one round on one judge's scorecard.

Italian-born Pennsylvania native Tony Ross had gone into his debut bout against Jimmy Young as a huge underdog. The 113th seed in the tournament (and bottom seed in his group), Ross had not been expected to trouble Young, who was the 16th seed in the tournament and top seed in the group. Well, Ross shocked many people when he almost pulled out a victory against Young, whose unsound tactics during the bout were as much responsible for the drawn result as Ross's tenacity.

So, going into tonight's match-up, Ross had some reason for optimism. He knew that Patterson would most likely be a tougher proposition than Young, but he was still confident.

Many have said that Patterson - a native of Waco, North Carolina who has been living in New York City for the past five years - is now the favourite to finish atop of Group Sixteen. Against Ross, he started well, rocking him with a crushing uppercut 77 seconds into the bout. At the two minute mark, a hammer-like right hand landed flush on the chin, snapping Ross's head around. It was a minor miracle that he managed to stay on his feet. But then Ross rallied. A lead right pierced through Patterson's defense. Then, after blocking a Patterson hook, Ross landed with one of his own, cutting Patterson under the left eye. Ross crowded the 17th seed and pounded away at his mid-section, the two fighters embraced in a clinch as the round came to an end. Ross returned to his corner buoyed by the fact that he had opened Patterson up and the crowd showed their appreciation for an exciting, action-packed first round.

The second round was a quieter affair, with both fighters proving more watchful than in the opening stanza. It was, however, about as even as the first round, and going into round three, Tony Ross had given quite a good account of himself.

However, from that point on, it went downhill for him. Floyd Patterson showed some masterful defensive skills in the third round, avoiding a series of big shots, bobbing and weaving as Ross fired away. Patterson would counter with lead rights and left hooks, powerful punches that frustrated Ross.

The punishment continued into the fourth round, with Patterson now appearing to be firmly in control of proceedings. The cut that Ross had inflicted at the end of the first round seemed a distant memory, as Patterson pounded the Pennsylvania resident into submission with volume rather than power. A brief rally by Ross at the end of the round did little to slow Patterson down.

Despite his best efforts, Ross couldn't make any sort of impression in the fifth and sixth rounds. Patterson picked off his shorter opponent with ease, outlanding Ross at the rate of two to one. As the bell sounded to bring the bout to its finish, the two men embraced in the centre of the ring and the crowd applauded.

Patterson had put on another dominant performance, and the judges agreed, giving him the decision, 60-55, 58-56, 59-56.

"There's no question about it in my mind. Floyd Patterson is a better fighter than Jimmy Young," Ross said afterwards. "I've fought them both, and the difference is like night and day. Floyd's smarter, stronger and more aggressive. I have to take my hat off to him, he was far too good for me tonight."

Patterson was modest in his summing up of the fight.

"I could have done some things better," he said. "I could have been more careful, especially at the end of the first when he cut me. I'm actually surprised by the decision, because I thought it would be a little bit closer. Tony Ross is a very talented fighter. He'll cause some surprises before this tournament is over, I'm sure."

Patterson (2-0) is set to tackle Tom McMahon (1-1) in his next bout. McMahon, defeated by Elmer Ray earlier in the night, will surely be hungry for victory against the 17th seed in the tournament.

For Tony Ross (0-1-1), things might get slightly easier, as his next opponent is Connecticut's Nathan Mann (0-2). The 49th seed in the tournament, Mann has been a disappointment so far, losing against two fighters seeded lower than him. Ross will be hoping that he can continue that unfortunate trend when the two men clash in five weeks.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

This is quite a display of dedication! I also must commend you on your flawless use of the apostrophe, a much missused printer's symbol these days.

Keep up the good writing.

Christopher

Thanks, Chris. I try to make each one of my posts as correct as possible in regards to punctuation. I guess when you mention the apostrophe, your talking about Elmer Ray's speech patterns. As with most of the characters in my thread, I've created him a certain way, so I have to stay true to that.

Thanks for the kind words, and congrats on your Glasgow Picayune website. It looks great.

[kenyan_cheena]

MAIN EVENT

In his HBF debut last month, #16 seed Jimmy Young shot himself in the foot when he abandoned successful "jab-and-move" tactics that had seen him take the opening round with ease in favour of mixing it up with his unfancied opponent, Tony Ross. The fight ended in a draw, and many criticised Young's performance as incompetent and just plain dumb.

Young's opponent in his second bout would be Rocky Jones, another Pennsylvania native and the 97th seed in the tournament. Jones had been easily defeated by Floyd Patterson in his own debut, and Jimmy Young didn't need to be told twice that Jones would be hungry for victory second time out.

But Young wasn't just facing a determined opponent tonight. He also had to contend with the presence of Elmer Ray at ringside. Ray, the 33rd seed in the World Championship tournament and 3rd seed in Group Sixteen, had taken his record to 2-0 earlier in the night, which meant that a victory for Young was imperative if he was to stay close to the top of the group standings. Ray did not utter a word, choosing instead to bestow an icy glare upon the 16th seed, whom he had called "a bum" on more than one occasion.

In the moments leading up to the bell and also as the two fighters met in the centre of the ring, Rocky Jones was firing verbal shots at Jimmy Young, reminding him of his sub-par performance against Tony Ross and telling him what he had in store for him. Jones wore a hot-tempered scowl as he returned to his corner, appearing as if he was ready to explode.

The opening round started slowly, with neither fighter landing a meaningful punch during the first minute. It wasn't until the final minute of the round that the action picked up, with Young landing some nice, quick combinations. Indeed, it was the same Jimmy Young that we all saw in round one against Tony Ross, the one who jabbed and moved and hardly got hit. The 21 year-old Philadelphian returned to his corner with confidence.

Young continued his good work as the second round progressed, landing some telling blows during the first half of the round. Jones was struggling to connect with anything. It appeared that the 16th seed was simply too quick and agile for him. But then, it happened again. Inexplicably, Young allowed Jones to get in close and the man from Chester obliged, letting rip with a number of damaging hooks. Young was caught on the ropes, but instead of getting out of there he started trading bombs with Jones. There was no doubt that Jones got the better of the exchange, and his work during this period of the round was enough to convince all three judges to score it in his favour.

Round three saw Young re-establish control of the bout. He kept Jones at a distance - jabbing, bobbing and weaving, constantly on the move. Jones appeared to be getting frustrated by Young's tactics, unable to do much damage at all during the round. At the halfway point in the fight, all three judges had Young leading by a point, but their opinions would differ greatly during the final three rounds.

The action slowed down quite noticeably in the fourth. Strangely, Young seemed to be labouring. His workrate dropped by about half during the round, as he allowed Jones to throw leather and then initiate clinches. Two of the judges scored the round in Jones's favour, and some sections of the audience booed as the two men returned to their corners. Elmer Ray sat in stony silence, continuing to regard Jimmy Young with disdain. Young's trainer was seem slapping his man between rounds, cursing his lacklustre effort.

Young was sharper in the fifth, peppering Jones with a series of jabs after making a slow start to the round. But Jones had his moments, too, making it a tricky round to score. Two of the judges gave it to Young, but if either one of them had gone the other way, this fight would have had an entirely different result.

Showing a vastly improved performance in comparison to his debut embarassment against Floyd Patterson, Rocky Jones had won large sections of the crowd over, and as the bout entered its final round many felt that he was close enough to pull off an upset.

Unfortunately, round six did not produce much in the way of drama or excitement. Neither man really did enough to win it and as a result, two of the judges scored the round even.

Returning to his corner to await the verdict, Jimmy Young wondered if he had let another victory slip through his fingers.

But when the verdict came, he could breathe a sigh of relief. Young had eeked our a split decision victory, 58-57, 56-58, 59-57. Some in the audience were not in agreement with the result, and let their feelings be known. Rocky Jones was visibly upset at the verdict, unable to believe that his efforts had not garnered him at least a draw.

The punch totals for the fight showed that Young did deserve the win. He landed more punches and threw more punches. But what was surprising was the amount of times he was hit, especially considering that Jones had barely laid a hand on him during the first round-and-a-half.

YOUNG punches landed 138 punches thrown 326 (42%)
JONES punches landed 108 punches thrown 251 (43%)

(To be continued, with post fight comments from the Main Event, plus the Jimmy Young-Elmer Ray out of ring altercation!)

[kenyan_cheena]

Jimmy Young didn't pull any punches in summarising his performance.

"Just really terrible," he said. "I'm the top seed in the group, so I shouldn't be struggling like this. A draw and a split decision. That's a baaaad start. I'm really gonna have to step it up next time out. I gotta show everyone that the HBF didn't make a mistake putting me here."

"I think some people might think that you're being a bit hard on yourself, Jimmy," said ESPN's Tony Daniels. "You are still undefeated, after all."

"Yeah, I know. I've heard people say 'A win is a win'. That might be true, but it doesn't mean I should be satisified. There are two guys above me in the standings who have completely outperformed me in these opening two bouts. One of them has fought the same guys as me and the other has fought guys who are supposedly even tougher, so I ain't got no excuse. I have to be hard on myself."

Having left the ring in disgust some ten minutes earlier, Rocky Jones was not available for comment. Jimmy Young paid compliment to his opponent.

"I feel for him. He put in a great effort tonight, and he probably feels like he's got nothing to show for it. But I tell you, he's a talented fighter."

A few minutes later, Jimmy Young stepped out of the ring, but waiting for him at ringside, offering loud applause, was Elmer Ray. Dressed in black, Ray approached the 16th seed.

"Y'all, that was jus' a kickass effort, man," Ray said. "Congrats, man, you on the scoreboard now. A split decision. Who know, maybe next time y'all can win by majority decision!"

Young, already annoyed by his own poor performance in the ring, took a step towards Elmer Ray.

"Just get out of my face, you little punk! Go back to your momma in Florida, boy!"

Ray smiled. "Oh, yeah. We see in May who the punk gonna be, y'all bum!"

Young appeared almost like he'd had enough, but a moment before he could venture to take another step in Ray's direction, his trainers forcibly ushered him towards the dressing room. Elmer Ray's taunts and sarcastic smile stayed with him every step of the way, burning his ears and eyes, further stoking his anger and hatred...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
FRIDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2002
ARROWHEAD POND, ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, USA



OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
4(25) Billy Walker SD6 6(41) Lee Savold

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Eight
3(17) Bob Devere UD6 5(33) Kallie Knoetze

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Sixteen
6(81) Buddy Baer UD6 4(49) Nathan Mann

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Sixteen
3(33) Elmer Ray UD6 5(65) Tom McMahon

CO-FEATURE

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Sixteen
2(17) Floyd Patterson UD6 8(113) Tony Ross

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Sixteen
1(16) Jimmy Young SD6 7(97) Rocky Jones

[kenyan_cheena]

Just to let you all know, once I've journalised the "Saturday 16 February 2002 Johannesburg fight card", I'll be posting group standings for the four WC tournament and two 1D tournament groups that have completed their second series of bouts. I'll also post a schedule for the fight cards that will take place in my universe during the period Monday 18 February 2002 - Saturday 23 February 2002.

[Romdawg88]

I have to admit that last post got me really looking forward to seeing the Young vs Elmer match so be a boatload of fun. Though Floyd's going to smoke em when they fight.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

once I've journalised the "Saturday 16 February 2002 Johannesburg fight card", I'll be posting group standings for the four WC tournament and two 1D tournament groups that have completed their second series of bouts.

That's what I've been waiting for. That will certainly help me to keep straight what you have going on Kenyan.

Looking forward to it,

Christopher

[Brooks TVB]

I look forward to the rankings. Still enjying your write ups.

[kenyan_cheena]

A collective thanks to Chris, Romdawg and Brooksie for your support.

I thought you'd be happy about that, Chris. I'll be doing it on each "sunday" in my universe from now on, because at the end of each week there will be another four WC tournament groups and two 1D tournament groups that will have completed their second series of bouts.

I'm looking forward to that fight, too, Romdawg. I like Group Sixteen the most out of all the groups, as it has Patterson, Young and Ray all competing for two spots in the second stage. The fact that one of them will miss out makes it all the more exciting.

Thanks for the kind words, Brooks. Knowing that others are getting enjoyment from my writing in this thread gives me a lot of happiness.

[kenyan_cheena]

TUNNEY DELIGHTS JO'BURG AUDIENCE
WITH MASTERFUL DISPLAY

Saturday 16 February 2002

story by Henry Lowe of the Washington Herald

The #1 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament, Gene Tunney brought the fifth week of the federation's tournament action to a close with a punishing, dominant showing against the game but thoroughly outclassed Garvin Sawyer of Arnold, Pennsylvania.

To the delight of the 5,000 strong crowd in attendance at Johannesburg's Carnival City Big Top Arena, Tunney showed exactly why he is the top seed in this tournament. Before the bout was stopped just eighteen seconds from the final bell, Tunney had landed 199 of 342 punches thrown, compared to Sawyer's 52 of 180.

The card was the culmination of almost three weeks of training camps and other promotional events put on by the HBF, most of which were headed by Tunney himself and which were designed to spread the gospel of the sport of boxing thorughout South Africa and the broader African continent.

HBF President Michael Vincennes arrived in South Africa on Thursday evening and spoke to the audience before tonight's card got under way, thanking them for the wonderful, enthusiastic support they had shown to the federation during the past few weeks.

***

After his professional debut against Jose Urtain, some experts had questioned Tunney's strength, claiming that he lacked knockout power. His defeat of Sawyer won't do anything to pacify those critics, but really, in this reporter's opinion, it's a redundant argument. Whether Gene Tunney possesses knockout power or not is simply irrelevent. In the two bouts he has contested, Tunney has only been hit a grand total of 75 times, with 47 of those coming in the opening round. By comparison, the man has landed 413 punches. It's true that his two opponents have been outclassed, but what Tunney has done in those two bouts easily exceeds the performances of the other high seeds who contested their second fight this week.

As was the case in Tunney's debut against Jose Urtain, he started slowly. The man from Greenwich Village, New York, did just enough to take the first round. But in the second round, Tunney unleashed a terrible beating upon Sawyer. He came at the 112th seed with a variety of combinations, with his most damaging punches being a pulverising uppercut at the 0:48 mark, a crushing left hook 30 seconds from the end of the round and a flush right hand moments before the bell sounded. Having been beaten senseless against Earnie Shavers on debut, it was obvious that Garvin Sawyer was in for another night of pain.

Tunney was not as damaging in the third round, but a left jab - straight right - left hook combination put Sawyer on his backside as the round ended, bringing a huge cheer from the audience. The fourth round would be the most even round of the fight, with Tunney clearly easing off. Sawyer's right eye was badly swollen, but it didn't stop him from landing his best punch of the bout, a big uppercut that momentarily stunned the number one seed. But it only served to spur Tunney back into action, as he re-asserted his will in the lower half of the round. Even so, Sawyer's impressive showing earlier in the round (and that uppercut in particular) was enough to sway each judge to award him the round.

The course of the bout returned to normality in the fifth round, as Tunney blitzed his rapidly tiring opponent with a number of crisp combinations, relying on the cumulative effect of his punches rather than their power. The sixth and final round would continue in the same way. Sawyer had nothing left to offer, and a killer uppercut from Tunney with 22 seconds remaining in the fight had the Pennsylvanian out on his feet. Tunney would land another five solid blows to Sawyer's head before referee Robert Byrd pulled the #1 seed away at the 2:42 mark of the final round. Tunney's precision punching brought the audience to their feet and they offered a sustained round of applause once they realised the bout was over.

"I have to take my hat off to Garvin Sawyer," Tunney said soon after. "Just like Jose Urtain, he's a tough fighter. That shot he landed in the fourth really shook me up. I think it'd be wise for his next opponent to take him seriously. He's made it into the final round against two guys who, according to the HBF, are much better fighters than him. That's really commendable, in my opinion."

"Some people have criticised your lack of a knockout punch," said ESPN's Ray Gibbs. "They've said that you should be finishing these fights off in two rounds. Has that affected you at all?"

"No, it hasn't," replied Tunney. "But when I look at some of the other top seeds who have fought their second bouts this week, I wonder what the fuss is about. Sam McVey and Sam Langford don't have a single knockout victory between them. No offense to them, they're both great fighters. But why is no one talking about them in the same way?"

Gibbs reminded Tunney that his next bout will be in his hometown.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm really looking forward to it. It will be great to fight in Madison Square Garden. It's strange. I grew up watching the Knicks play there, but I never figured that one day I'd be competing as a professional athlete there. It's going to be pretty surreal, I think."

"You'll be fighting Boone Kirkman in New York," said Gibbs. "Now, he's another guy who is 0-2. Do you think he'll give you a tougher time than Urtain and Sawyer did?"

"I think every fight's going to be tough," Tunney replied. "I mean, he lost his opening bout by split decision, basically because he just ran out of steam at the end there. I'm really going to have to stay on my toes."

"President Vincennes mentioned earlier that the HBF's work here in South Africa is not done yet. What did he mean by that?"

Tunney smiled. "That's true. We've still got a number of youth camps and special events that we'll be holding before returning to the States. I don't think we're scheduled to be back in New York until next Friday. I want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you who have helped to make our stay here such a pleasant one. I've just enjoyed it so much, more than I could have imagined."

Departing the ring, Tunney exchanged words and a handshake with the HBF President and also stopped to sign autographs and chat with fans before eventually making it back to the dressing room some fifteen minutes later...

(STILL TO COME ... THE JOHANNESBURG UNDERCARD)