Gba

[Ian Lord]

Diary

Date: March 12th, 2005
Venue: Carnival City - Big Top Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa

HW: Gerrie Coetzee v Trevor Berbick [10 x 3]
Eliminator for Vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight Title

MW: Ayub Kalule v Maurice Hope [10 x 3]
Eliminator for Vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title

HW: Lennox Lewis v Anthony Willis [8 x 3]

MW: Tadashi Mihara v Iran Barkley [8 x 3]

HW: Marvin Camel v Jody Ballard [4 x 3]

MW: Sumbu Kalambay v Larry Banks [4 x 3]

Date: March 19th, 2005
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Mike Tyson [Holder] v Riddick Bowe [12 x 3]

MW: Marvelous Marvin Hagler v Gerald McClellan [10 x 3]
Middleweight Elimination Tournament. 2nd Round

HW: Evander Holyfield v Tim Witherspoon [10 x 3]

MW: Bernard Hopkins v Alan Minter [10 x 3]
Middleweight Elimination Tournament. 2nd Round

HW: James 'Bonecrusher' Smith v Mike Weaver [8 x 3]

MW: Keith Holmes v Leonard Townsend [6 x 3]

Date: March 26th, 2005
Venue: Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, CT

HW: Larry Holmes v Greg Page [10 x 3]

MW: Mike McCallum v Frank Tate [10 x 3]
Middleweight Elimination Tournament. 2nd Round

HW: Tony 'TNT' Tucker v Tony 'TNT' Tubbs [10 x 3]

MW: James Toney v Vito Antuofermo [10 x 3]
Middleweight Elimination Tournament. 2nd Round

HW: Pinklon Thomas v Derek Banks [8 x3]

MW: John David Jackson v Rogerio Cacciatore [6 x 3]

[Ian Lord]

"In a career that has so far blown hot and cold, Gerrie Coetzee is a national sporting hero in his homeland of South Africa." - South Africa Sun's Nelson Ndlovu prior to Gerrie Coetzee's bout with Trevor Berbick.

On the night of March 12th, in Johannesburg, Gerrie Coetzee blew cold, whilst Trevor Berbick was on fire. Berbick put on the best display of his career so far, beating Coetzee by a unanimous decision by scores of 99-98 twice, and 99-90, winning every round, except the ninth. Berbick spent the entire bout setting Coetzee up with the jab, then punching in solid combinations to take the victory, whereas Coetzee looked to land single, damaging blows, missing more often than connecting.

Berbick showed his superior boxing skills in the opening round, opening up a gash under Coetzee's left eye in the process. Berbick continued to dominate Coetzee, with the fifth round being close, for the remainder of the fight, except the ninth which Coetzee took.berbick put his opponent down in the fifth, with a series of unanswered punches to the head and body. He also put his foe down right at the end of the fight with an inch perfect cross.

This win puts Berbick in line for another crack at Lennox Lewis, who beat him on cuts in January. This time the vacant Commonwealth title will be on the line.

"I knew I'd beat this guy tonight," Berbick stated after the bout, "because that loss to Lewis hurt me so much I need another shot at him. There was no way that fight should have been stopped, but this time I'll return the favour and I'll stop him - in the first round."

Big words, put can he back them up. On tonights performance he stands a very good chance.

In an absolute sizzler of a fight, Maurice Hope won a split decision against Ayub Kalule with scores of 96-95 twice for Hope, and 96-95 for Kalule. It was a really close fight, but Hope did do just enough to grab the decision.

Kalule started well, taking the first two fast paced rounds with the better boxing, causing swelling around Hope's right eye in the process. Hope took the next two with his more telling punches. Again both men kept up a quick pace with plenty of punches thrown. Kalule took the fifth, Hope the sixth. By the end of the sixth both mens workrate had begun to dip, especially Kalules, who began to carry his hands low. The pace slowed dramatically in the seventh, with both men taking a breather in a pretty even round. Kalule took the eighth round, headbutting Hope in the process which caused a really bad gash under his right eye. The referee did nothing. Maurice Hope needed to take the last two rounds to pull the decision out, and he did, landing the more blows against Kayule, who appeared to have punched himself out.

Undercard Action.

Lennox Lewis avenged his only defeat when he stopped Anthony Willis in the fifth round. Lewis took the opening round, but then Willis bounced back and took the next round, with the third even. Lewis then began to take control, with Willis fading quickly. By the time of the stoppage at the 2.55 mark, Willis was no longer defending himself.

Iran 'The Blade' Barkley won a split decision against Japan's Tadeshi Mihara. Barkley got off to a blistering start, winning three of the first four rounds, with the third round even. Mihara won the fifth comfortably and looked to be winning the sixth, before a strong finish by Barkley impressed the judges. Barkley, however, punched himself out in the process, and Mihara took the last two rounds, but it was too late, and Barkley won with scores of 77-76 twice, and 77-76 Mihara.

Jody Ballard got his first win in the pro ranks, beating debuting Marvin Camel by scores of 38-37 twice, and 39-37 over four rounds. Both fighters won two rounds apiece, but the knockdown scored by Ballard in the second round from a cross won the fight for him.

In the opener, fellow debutant Sumbu Kalambay took a majority decision over Larry Banks, with scores of 39-37 twice, and 38-38. Kalambay looked impressive, putting his punches together in three and four punch combinations, and winning three of the four rounds.

[Ian Lord]

BOWE TAKES TYSON'S TITLE

March 19th, 2005.
New York, NY. Before a packed house at Madison Square Garden, Riddick 'Big Daddy' Bowe wrested the World heavyweight title away from 'Iron' Mike Tyson by unanimous decision. Scores were 115-112, and 115-113 twice. Bowe took the opening round, keeping Tyson at a distance with his jab, but after round one, technical boxing skills took a back seat, as both men seemed intent on landing shots that would finish the fight, rather than score points. Tyson managed to bull his way inside in round two, landing to head and body, and took the round. The third was even, and Tyson took the fourth. Bowe took the fifth big, keeping Tyson at bay and landing bombs in the process. Tyson, frustrated, began to aim low and drew a warning. Tyson took a very tight sixth, although he finished the round with swelling around his left eye. Bowe took the seventh, saying something that Tyson didn't like when the bell sounded, causing Tyson to throw a punch at the back of Bowe's head. Bowe turned around to go for Tyson but the sistuation was quickly finished by referee Mills Lane and the respective corners.

The eighth round saw Mike Tyson taste the canvass for the first time in his career, in a round which was dominated by Bowe. Bowe was landing punch after punch unanswered, and Tyson finally succumbed, dropping to the canvas. Many in the arena felt that Bowe was the new champion there and then, with Tyson looking out of it, but Tyson miraculously beat the count, although he looked out on his feet. Lane waved the two men together and Bowe continued his assault, although Tyson managed to survive until the bell, then surprise everybody by taking the next two rounds, the ninth convincingly. However, going into the eleventh, Tyson had nothing left, and Bowe won the last two rounds to take the fight and the World title."

"I'm delighted," Bowe beamed after the fight. "I knew I'd be champion, and I'm going to be a champion to look up to. I'll take on all comers." When asked if there will be a third fight with Tyson, Bowe replied. "Yeah, but he's gonna have to wait. I've got other fish to fry, but yeah, I'll fight him again. Taking nothing away from the guy, he was a good champion, but he wasn't in my league tonight, because I'm great."

"Riddick beat me tonight," said a dejected Tyson after the bout. "But I'll be back. The mark of a great fighter is one who can bounce back from defeat."

In the chief support, Marvelous Marvin Hagler won a unanimous decision against Gerald 'The G-Man' McClellan, with scores of 97-92, 95-94, and 96-93. Hagler came out and took the first three rounds comfortably, dropping McClellan in the second. McClellan seemed to come out of his shell in and took the fourth, with Hagler taking the fifth and nearly putting McClellan down in the process. McClellan came out in the seventh and looked to put Hagler away, but tough guy Hagler was still standing at the bell and McClellan went back to his corner looking dejected.

"What have I gotta do to put this guy away," he was heard to say to his trainer between rounds. McClellan again took the eighth, then Hagler took the ninth. McClellan came out in the tenth, looking to finish Hagler, landing strong punches and taking the round, but not the fight.

Undercard Action

In an upset, an out of shape Tim Witherspoon knocked out Evander Holyfield in the sixth round. Holyfield had won four of the first five rounds, with the third even, and dropped Witherspoon in the first and fifth rounds. Then in the sixth, Witherspoon dictated matters, and KO'd Holyfield with a cross at the 2.51 mark. This was the second defeat on the bounce for Holyfield against opponents he was favoured to beat, and he now drops to 4-3 [4].

Bernard 'The Executioner' Hopkins stopped the brave Alan Minter in the ninth round, due to bad swelling round both eyes. Minter could hardly see by the time of the stoppage and had put up a good fight.

James 'Bonecrusher' Smith and Mike 'Hercules' Weaver boxed an exhibition last year for the benefit of troops in the Gulf, but this time when they met it was for real, with Smith coming out on top by way of KO at the 1.50 mark of the fifth round. Weaver had gone down in the first, with Smith tasting canvass in the fourth.

In the opener, Keith Holmes won a razor thin split decision over Leonard Townsend with scores of 58-57 twice, and 59-57 to Banks.

[Ian Lord]

March 26th, 2005.

Ledyard, CT. In the main event at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, Larry Holmes knocked out Greg Page in the sixth round. Holmes dominated, controlling the fight except for the fourth, in which he was put on his back and narrowly beat the count after walking into a crushing left hook. Holmes had put Page down in the previous round with a right cross that seemed to come out of nowhere. Page sruggled to get behind the excellent left jab of Holmes and he was put out of his misery in the sixth after being down from a bodyshot, he was put away by a hook at the 2.12 mark. The victor will now box for the North American title, vacated by new World champion Riddick Bowe. [More on that later].

In the chief support, Mike 'The Bodysnatcher' McCallum scored a controversial decision over Frank Tate, with scores of 96-94 twice, and 95-95. Most observers felt Tate won, by taking six of the ten rounds. There were no knockdowns, as both men elected to box. Tate's team filed a complaint with GBA commisioner Lord after the bout.

Undercard Action.

In a battle of the TNT boys, Tony Tubbs boxed his way to a points win over Tony Tucker, with scores of 98-91, and 97-92 twice. Tubbs opened a gash over Tuckers eye right at the beginning of the fight, which looked as though it could cause problems. The flow of blood was stopped however between the second and third rounds. Tubbs was in control for most of the fight, with Tucker taking the third and seventh. Tucker went down right before the final bell as well from a bodyshot. Tucker has now lost two fights on the trot since challenging Tyson for the World title, and now seems to be quite a way away from making another challenge. Tubbs, however, looks to be a good candidate for a title shot.

James 'Lights Out' Toney scored a unanimous decision over Vito Antuofermo, with scores of 97-93 twice, and 96-94. Toney won seven rounds with his greater ring smarts, keeping Antuofermo on the outside, where he was less effective.

Pinklon Thomas kept his impressive run going with a knockout victory over Derek banks in the fifth round. Banks took the opener, but from then on it was all Thomas and he finished Banks with a hook with two seconds remaining in the fifth. Thomas' manager said he is now looking to get Pinklon into the top ten.

In the opener, John David Jackson boxed his way to a six rounds points win over Roggerio Cacciatore with scores of 58-53 twice, and 58-54. Jackson went down in the fourth, but then put Cacciatore down twice, in the fifth and sixth.

[Ian Lord]

Results and Rankings for March, 2005.

Heavyweight

Riddick Bowe W12 Mike Tyson
[Wins World Title]
Larry Holmes KO6 Greg Page
Tony Tubbs W10 Tony Tucker
Trevor Berbick W10 Gerrie Coetzee
Tim Witherspoon KO6 Evander Holyfield
Lennox Lewis TKO5 Anthony Willis
Pinklon Thomas KO5 Derek Banks
James Smith KO5 Mike Weaver
Jody Ballard W4 Marvin Camel

Middleweight

Mike McCallum W10 Frank Tate
Marvin Hagler W10 Gerald McClellan
Bernard Hopkins TKO9 Alan Minter
Maurice Hope W10 Ayub Kalule
Iran Barkley W8 Tadeshi Mihara
Keith Holmes W6 Leonard Townsend
John David Jackson W6 Roggerio Cacciatore
Sumbu Kalambay W4 Larry Banks

Heavyweight

World Champion:
Riddick Bowe 6-1 [3]

1. Larry Holmes 8-1 [6]
2. Mike Tyson 6-1 [5]
3. Tony Tubbs 8-4-1 [2]
4. James 'Buster' Douglas 4-2-1 [1]
5. Tim Witherspoon 6-4 [4]
6. Greg Page 5-3 [3]
7. John Tate 6-4 [4]
8. Tony Tucker 3-4 [0]
9. Michael Dokes 2-8-1 [1]
10.Evander Holyfield 4-3 [4]

Middleweight

World Champion:
Title Vacant

1. Bernard Hopkins 2-0 [2]
2. Marvin Hagler 3-0 [2]
3. James Toney 3-0 [1]
4. Mike McCallum 2-0 [1]
5. Frank Tate 1-1-1 [0]
6. Vito Antuofermo 1-1 [1]
7. Gerald McClellan 1-1 [1]
8. Alan Minter 1-1 [0]
9. Maurice Hope 1-1 [0]
10.Iran Barkley 1-1 [0]

[Ian Lord]

McCallum - Tate Statement

Following the complaint lodged by members of Frank Tate's team to Commisioner Lord as regards the scoring of the McCallum - Tate bout, Lord has stated that there will be no further action. Most felt that Tate should have won, including Lord himself, who said the following on the subject.

"I feel that Frank Tate and his team are justified in feeling aggrieved at losing the bout to Mike McCallum, however, the result shall stand. It was a good, close fight, and close fights can go either way. I also don't want to start a precedent whereby fighters are putting in complaints every time they lose a close decision, this is boxing after all, and judging fights is pretty subjective. The result stands."

Frank Tate and his team refused to comment after the hearing. Mike McCallum had this to say:

"I won that fight, although I beleive it was close. No disrespect to Frank Tate, but you can't go crying to officials just because you lose. This is a tough sport, and you've got to take the rough with the smooth. However, if he wants another shot at me, he can have it, although I've got the little matter odf winning the World middleweight title to sort out first."

[Ian Lord]

GBA CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS

Riddick Bowe will make the first defense of his World title he won against Mike Tyson, when he takes on Tim Witherspoon in July. Witherspoon is coming of an impressive kayo over Evander Holyfield.

Bowe, upon winning the World title, vacated his North American and US titles. GBA officials, however, have decided to no longer have a US title. The Ohio title is also being dropped. Ohio champ James 'Buster' Douglas, who was to be the mandatory challenger for the US title, will instead box Larry Holmes for the vacant North American belt in May.

The vacant Commonwealth heavyweight and middleweight titles will be contested for in May as well. Lennox Lewis and Trevor Berbick will meet for the heavyweight title, whilst Alan Minter and Maurice Hope will meet for the middleweight belt. The vacant British middlewight title will aslo be on the line.

Middleweight Elimination Tournament Semi Final fights for May.

Mike McCallum v James Toney
Marvin Hagler v Bernard Hopkins

[Ian Lord]

Diary

Venue: AJ Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
Date: April 9th, 2005.

HW. John Tate v Michael Dokes [10 x 3]
MW. Vito Antuofermo v Roggerio Cacciatore [10 x 3]
MW. Geral McClellan v Leonard Townsend [10 x 3]
MW. Keith Holmes v Tadeshi Mihara [8 x 3]
MW. Ayub Kalule v Shinji Takehara [8 x 3]
HW. Marvin Camel v Derek Amos [6 x 3]

Venue: Wheeling Island, Wheeling, WV.
Date: April 16th, 2005.

HW. Pinklon Thomas v Jody Ballard [10 x 3]
MW. Frank Tate v Larry Banks [10 x 3]
MW. Iran Barkley v Chris Walsh [10 x 3]
MW. John David Jackson v Davey Moore [8 x 3]
HW. Gerrie Coetzee v Gary Winmon [8 x 3]
MW> Sumbu Kalambay v Juan Carlos Barretto [6 x 3]

[Ian Lord]

April 9th, 2005.

Pittsburgh, PA. Leading up to the bout between John Tate and Michael Dokes, rumours had been circulating about the supposed cocaine use of Michael Dokes. The whisperings were going on behind the scenes at the GBA, and also around the underbelly of Akron, OH where Dokes hails from. Leading up to the bout against John Tate, Dokes appeared distant and subdued, leaving one boxing journalist to comment that "I've seen more zest in a heroin addict." Never a truer word spoken in jest.

Anyway, to the bout. Both men came out of there corners and Dokes immediately walked into a thunderous cross from Tate, and going down. Dokes beat the count and lasted the round, putting together some good combinations in places. However, Dokes came out for the second round looking lethargic, and was soon getting punched around the ring by the aggressive Tate. Dokes' hands dropped to his side and he took a barrage of unanswered punches to both head and body before the referee waved it all off at the 1.06 mark of round two. It was an impressive win for Tate following his fifth round stoppage defeat at the fists of Greg Page, but a crushing defeat for the erratic Dokes, who now drops to 2-9-1.

In a mismatch, Italy's Vito Antuofermo pounded Brazil's Roggerio Cacciatore to defeat inside two rounds. Antuofermo dominated the opening round and finished it in the second when he had Cacciatore trapped in the corner. Antuofermo pounded away, then landed a right cross which put Cacciatore to the canvas for the count, as much from the cummulative damage as from the cross itself.

Gerald 'The G-Man' McClellan stopped the brave but outclassed Leonard Townsend in the sixth round when Townsend could no longer fend for himself. McClellan had dominated procedings for the entire fight, with the fourth an especially punishing round for Townsend. the ref stopped the bout in the sixth to stop Townsend from any further punishment.

Japan's Tadeshi Mihara outpointed Keith Holmes over eight rounds, with scores of 78-74 twice, and 79-73. Mihara took every round with his more aggressive approach, except the fifth.

Uganda's Ayub Kalule KO'd Japan's Shinji Takehara right before the final bell. Kalule would have won the fight anyway after winning every round except the sixth.

In the opener, Marvin Camel got his first win in the pro ranks, but only just, winning a majority decision against Derek Amos with scores of 58-56 twice, and 57-57.

[Ian Lord]

April 16th, 2005.

Wheeling, WV. The GBA promoted it's first card in the state of West Virginia, with Pinklon Thomas taking on Jody Ballard in the main event. It proved to be short and brutal, with Thomas knocking Ballard out in the second round. Both men started aggressively, with Thomas doubling up on the jab and looking to get inside. Ballard landed a peach of a cross however and put Thomas down, with Thomas only just beating the count. Thomas was on shaky legs as Ballard tried to finish him, but he lasted the round. Ballard came out for the second looking to finish it, but that just sparked Thomas into action. Both men were landing heavy shots. Thomas then feinted to go for the body, but instead landed a bolt out of the blue, which finished Ballard at the 1.35 mark.

"I don't want Pinky in anymore fights against guys like this," Thomas' manager Joe Lewis stated after the fight. "I want him in against ranked contenders now. We've worked too hard to go and be derailed against a guy like Ballard. Nodisrespect to Ballard, but Pinky's in a different class."

In the chief support, Frank Tate dominated against Larry Banks, winning all but the fifth round which was even, and dropping his opponent in the eighth with a wicked combination. The scores were 99-90,99-91, and 99-92, all for Tate. After the bout, the likeable Tate had this to say:

"The thing between me and Mike [McCallum] got all blown out of proportion. I was pretty hacked off about the decision going against me, but I know that's boxing. One of my team complained because he felt so strongly about it. But when I heard Mike question my toughness that hurt. I don't want any ill feelings towards the guy, but when we do fight again, he's going to eat his words."

Undercard Action.

New York toughguy Iran 'The Blade' Barkley brutalised 'Irish' Chris Walsh, stopping him in the ninth round. It should have been stopped earlier. Walsh was out of his league from the opening bell. Barkley took all the rounds except the third, which Walsh just edged. By the sixth however, Walsh was no longer fighting back and Barkley was landing at will. The referee stopped the bout at the 2.03 mark in the ninth.

Davey Moore scored an impressive knockout over John david Jackson at the end of the opening stanza. Jackson was using his jab to try and keep the more aggressive Moore at bay, but to no effect, with Moore getting in close and pounding away at Jackson, putting him away with a combination to the head.

Gerrie Coetzee KO'd Gary 'The Bull' Winmon in the third round. Coetzee won the opening two rounds, then really opened up in the third. He dropped Winmon with a lightning bolt shot, with Winmon barely beating the count. Winmon was on shaky legs from then on. Coetzee, sensing he had his opponent where he wanted him, looked to finish the fight. He dropped Winmon again, with Winmon beating the count, then put Winmon on his knees with a bodyshot. winmon looked across at his corner, shook his head and took the count. The end came at 2.07.

Sumbu Kalambay stopped Juan Carlos Barretto in the fourth of a six rounder. Barretto was cut over the left eye in the opener, and was never in the fight. Barretto went down in the second, narrowly beating the count and suffering swelling over his right eye. By the end of the third he had swelling over his other eye as well. It was stopped at the end of the fourth when Barretto was no longer fighting back.

[meade95]

The Bowe Vs Tyson II fight was great! (third match up down the road will be interesting) -

Also McClellan Vs Hagler fight was a great match-up - (I've always wanted to sim that one...but haven't yet).

[Ian Lord]

GBA Results and Rankings for April, 2005.

Heavyweight

John Tate TKO2 Michael Dokes
Pinklon Thomas KO2 Jody Ballard
Gerrie Coetzee KO3 Gary Winmon
Marvin Camel W6 derek Amos

Middleweight

Frank Tate W10 Larry Banks
Vito Antuofermo KO2 Roggerrio Caciatore
Gerald McClellan TKO6 Leonard Townsend
Iran Barkley TKO9 Chris Walsh
Ayub Kalule KO8 Shinji Takehara
Tadeshi Mihara W8 Keith Holmes
Davey Moore KO1 John David Jackson
Sumbu Kalambay TKO4 Juan Carlos Barretto

Heavyweight

World Champion:
Riddick Bowe 6-1 [3]

1. Larry Holmes 8-1 [6]
2. Mike Tyson 6-1 [5]
3. Tony Tubbs 8-4-1 [2]
4. James 'Buster' Douglas 4-2-1 [1]
5. Tim Witherspoon 6-4 [4]
6. Greg Page 5-3 [3]
7. John Tate 7-4 [5]
8. Tony Tucker 3-4 [0]
9. Michael Dokes 2-9-1 [1]
10.Evander Holyfield 4-3 [4]

Middleweight

World Champion:
Title Vacant

1. Bernard Hopkins 2-0 [2]
2. Marvin Hagler 3-0 [2]
3. James Toney 3-0 [1]
4. Mike McCallum 2-0 [1]
5. Frank Tate 2-1-1 [0]
6. Vito Antuofermo 2-1 [2]
7. Gerald McClellan 2-1 [2]
8. Alan Minter 1-1 [0]
9. Maurice Hope 1-1 [0]
10.Iran Barkley 2-1 [1]

[Ian Lord]

Diary

May 15th, 2005.
York Hall, Bethnall Green, London, England

HW. Lennox Lewis v trevor Berbick [12 x 3]
Vacant Commonwealth heavyweight Title

MW. Alan Minter v Maurice Hope [12 x 3]
Vacant British and Commonwealth Middleweight Titles

HW. Greg Page v Gerrie Coetzee [10 x 3]

MW. frank tate v Vito Antuofermo [10 x 3]

MW. Iran Barkley v davey Moore [10 x 3]

MW. Sumbu Kalambay v Anthony Bartinelli [8 x 3]

May 22nd, 2005.
Bally's Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ.

HW. Larry Holmes v James 'Buster' Douglas [12 x 3]
Vacant North American Heavyweight Title]

MW. Marvelous Marvin Hagler v Bernard Hopkins [10 x 3]
Middleweight Title Tournament. Semi Final.

MW. Mike Mccallum v James Toney [10 x 3]
Middleweight Title Tournament. Semi Final.

HW. Tony Tucker v Evander Holyfield [10 x 3]

MW. Gerald McClellan v Larry Banks [10 x 3]

HW. Marvin Camel v Derek Banks [8 x 3]

[Ian Lord]

May 15th.

London, England. The York Hall in Bethnall Green, unsurpassed for atmosphere anywhere else in Great Britain, staged the heavyweight contest between Britain's Lennox Lewis and Jamaica/Canada's Trevor Berbick. The vacant Commonwealth title would be on the line. These two had met before, with Lewis, behind on points, stopping Berbick due to cuts. Berbick had been fuming about it since, claiming the stoppage was premature. He had a point.

"There'll be no doubts this time, I'll knock him out," Berbick boasted. " If it goes the distance, I lose, I'm in his back yard. So, I'll knock him out."

The fight didn't go the distance. In fact, it didn't even go one round, with referee Micky Vann waving the fight off with two seconds remaining in the opener, after Lewis punished the outgunned Berbick for almost three minutes. Berbick, to his credit remained on his feet, despite taking some heavy damage, at one point he actually span around, as a result of some heavy shots from Lewis.

"That wasn't me in the ring tonight," a dejected Berbick told Steve Bunce afterwards. "I was feeling fine until about five minutes before I left my dressing room. I had a bit of water, then began to feel funny. Maybe something was in it, but I know I can do better than that. I want a rematch."
How Steve Bunce managed to keep a straight face, no-one knows.

An upbeat Lewis said after the bout:

"I knew I'd beat him tonight, but I didn't expect it to be this quick. I started off cautious, using the jab, saw my opening, and bang, I knew I had him. He stood no chance from then on." When asked about his plans for the future, Lewis replied. "I'm ready for any of the top ten guys, so if anyone's listening, let's get it on. Ultimately, I'd love to have a crack at [World Champion] Bowe. I beat him in the amatuers, I beleive that I can beat him again."

The chief support also saw a fight for the vacant Commonwealth title, this time at middleweight with the vacant British title on the line also, between Alan Minter and Maurice Hope. The opener saw both men using there jab, with Hope being more effective and taking the round. However, Minter took the second, flooring Hope in the process with a wicked dig to the body. Hope also ended the round with swelling around his left eye. Minter took the third and fifth, with Hope winning the fourth, causing swelling around Minter's right eye in the process. Minter also suffered a gash over his left eye in the fifth. Minter took the sixth, but from then on, Hope began to take command of the fight. Hope took the seventh, then won the eighth big, whilst Minter's left eye also began to swell. Minter's right eye had swollen almost to the point of being shut at this point, and Hope took advantage, forcing referee John Coyle to halt procedings in the ninth, when Minter could no longer see the punches being slung his way. The end came just before the bell.

Minter was first to congratulate the new British and Commonwealth middleweight champion after the bout.

"Fair play to him," Minter said afterwards. "He won fair and square, and all the best to him. I'll have to go home and rest up, then see where I go from here. I lost a fight, it's not the end of the world. I'm just a bit worried about these cuts and swellings, they seem a recurring problem."

The new champion, Maurice Hope, thanked Minter for putting up a tough fight, then looked to the future.

"I'm going to go for the European next, [currently vacant], and then the world. I want to be World champion before I retire."

Undercard Action.

Highly ranked heavyweight Greg Page stopped South Africa's Gerrie Coetzee in the seventh round, after Coetzee had been down earlier in the round, and failed to recover. The end came at the 2.41 mark. Coetzee started well, but soon began to fade. Page dropped him in the sixth, and finished him a round later.

Frank Tate beat Italy's Vito Antuofermo over ten rounds by scores of 96-94 twice, and 97-93. Tate used his superior boxing skills to keep Antuofermo on the outside, where he was less effective and take the decision.
Note: Fights in Britain are scored by the referee only, unless they are for the European or one of the alphabet belts. In the GBA however, we have three judges for all our fights.


Iran 'The Blade' Barkley KO'd Davey Moore with one of the punches of the year, a lightning bolt out of the blue. This was a tough, exciting bout between two men who wanted to stand toe to toe and fight. Moore looked for the finish in the opener, but failed to put Barkley away, and Barkley rallied back, dropping Moore in the third after Moore threw an uppercut and left himself wide open. 'The Blade' finished things of in the seventh after twenty eight seconds.

Zaire's Sumbu Kalambay extended his erecord to 3-0 with a knockout win over journeyman Anthony Bartinelli in the fourth round. Kalambay dominated from the opening bell and finished his foe in the fourth with a three punch combination followed by a hook at the 2.39 mark. There were concerns for Bartinelli after the bout as he struggled to regain his feet and was took to the hospital afterwards as a precaution. Thankfully, he was alright.

[meade95]

I'm still shocked at the Witherspoon over Holyfield result (huge upset). Do you have Holy fighting in his prime?

[Ian Lord]

Hi Meade,

I have got Holyfield in his prime. I was shocked as well. I was also surprised when he got stopped against Dokes. Maybe he'll get back on track in his next bout against Tony Tucker.

All the best,
Ian.

[Ian Lord]

May 22nd.

Atlantic City, NJ. Larry Holmes won the vacant North American title and staked his claim for a shot at the World title, currently held by Riddick Bowe, by beating James 'Buster' Douglas by majority decision. The first seven rounds were pretty even, with Holmes just edging it. By the eigth round onwards, however, Holmes began to take control. Douglas went down in the eighth, and only narrowly beat the count. He went down again in the eleventh, when he swung a wild hook at Holmes and missed, with Holmes immediately countering with an overhand right and flooring Douglas for a count of seven. The scores were 117-110, 117-111, and a surprising 113-113.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler scored a sensational first round knockout over Philadelphia hardcase Bernard 'The Executioner' Hopkins. Hagler started the bout by stalking Hopkins down, with Hopkins using good lateral movement and counter punching, when Hagler suddenly landed an uppercut flush on the jaw, snapping Hopkins head back and sending him crashing to the canvas. The count was a formality. Hagler now progresses to the final of the middleweight tournament.

Undercard Action.

Mike 'The Bodysnatcher' McCallum busted up James 'Lights Out' Toney for nine rounds, then finished him off in the tenth. Toney took the opening round, which was an absolute barnstormer, but after that it was all McCallum, with the referee getting ready to stop the bout in the fourth. McCallum was winning big, landing shots consistently and not taking many in return. Both of Toney's eyes swelled up, making it difficult to see. He also sufferd a bloody nose. McCallum finally put his foe down in the ninth from a barrage of punches. The brave Toney beat the count. the end came in the tenth at the 2.42 mark, following a combination of punches to the head. McCallum will now fight Hagler for the vacant World middleweight title, whilst Toney will take on Hopkins for the vacant North American strap.

Frank Tate, who was sat at ringside, gave praise to the bravery of Toney.

"All praise to the guy," he said. "He took a beating tonight, but he still hung in there, and he nearly made it. I think it makes my performance against Mike [McCallum] look even better now. Mike's a great, great fighter and I think he'll win the title, then I just hope he gives me the first shot."

Both Tony 'TNT' Tucker and Evander Holyfield had lost there last three fights, and both men were hoping to get back on the winning track. The fight ended unsatisfactorily however, when Holyfield broke his hand on Tuckers head!!! He was in so much pain the referee wouldn't allow him to continue, giving the fight to Tucker by way off TKO. Holyfield had took the first round, although he was staggered right at the end of the round. Tucker came out and dominated the second, and it was all even going into the third, when Holyfield threw a hard punch which connected with the top Of Tucker's head, and breaking his hand. This will probably put Holyfield out for a while, whereas Tucker said he is now going to try anfd get back into the title picture.

Gerald 'The G-Man' McClellan outclassed Larry Banks before finishing him off at the 1.18 mark of round six when his opponent walked onto an uppercut and got counted out.

Derk Banks won a unanimous decision over Marvin Camel after eight close, hard fought rounds. The scores were 79-74, 79-73, and 80-73.

[Romdawg88]

Great job so far, GBA. I'm loving this dynasty so far but damn who did Holyfield piss off cause ain't nothing going right for the man so far.

[Ian Lord]

Hi Romdawg,

I'm glad you're enjoying it. As for Holyfield, I'm as surprised as everyone else. It was bad luck in his last fight but he's definately the GBA's biggest underachiever at the moment.

All the best,
Ian.

[Ian Lord]

GBA Results and Rankings for May, 2005.

Heavyweight

Larry Holmes W12 James 'Buster' Douglas
[wins vacant North American title]
Greg Page TKO7 Gerrie Coetzee
Tony Tucker TKO3 Evander Holyfield
Lennox Lewis TKO1 Trevor Berbick
[wins vacant Commonwealth title]
Derk Banks W8 Marvin Camel

Middleweight

Marvin Hagler KO1 Bernard Hopkins
Mike McCallum KO10 James Toney
Frank Tate W10 Vito Antuofermo
Gerald McClellan KO6 Larry Banks
Maurice Hope TKO9 Alan Minter
[wins vacant British and Commonwealth titles]
Iran Barkley KO7 Davey Moore
Sumbu Kalambay KO4 Anthony Bartinelli

Heavyweight

World Champion:
Riddick Bowe 6-1 [3]

1. Larry Holmes 9-1 [6] North American champ.
2. Mike Tyson 6-1 [5]
3. Tony Tubbs 8-4-1 [2]
4. James 'Buster' Douglas 4-3-1 [1]
5. Tim Witherspoon 6-4 [4]
6. Greg Page 6-3 [3]
7. John Tate 7-4 [5]
8. Tony Tucker 4-4 [1]
9. Michael Dokes 2-9-1 [1]
10.Evander Holyfield 4-4 [4]

Middleweight

World Champion:
Title Vacant

1. Marvin Hagler 4-0 [3]
2. Mike McCallum 3-0 [2]
3. James Toney 3-1 [1]
4. Bernard Hopkins 2-1 [2]
5. Frank Tate 3-1-1 [0]
6. Vito Antuofermo 2-2 [2]
7. Gerald McClellan 3-1 [3]
8. Maurice Hope 2-1 [1] British and Commonwealth champ.
9. Iran Barkley 3-1 [2]
10.Alan Minter 1-2 [0]