[bigMatt]

CHICAGO - Soldiers Field hosts the final round of the UoLBA tournament, pitting the best heavyweights in the world against one another to determine the first UoLBA champion. Only four fighters remain - Frank Slavin (22-2-0) faces John Dwyer (24-0-0), and Hasim Rahman (23-0-0) squares off against John Heenan (23-0-0). The winners will meet to determine the first Heavyweight Champion of the Universe of Leather Boxing Association.

The opening bout pits John Dwyer, who has steamrolled his way through all foes to date, against Frank Slavin, who has been equally impressive in the tournament. While Dwyer is the pick of most ringside experts, Slavin has the talent to match the slugging Canadian.

Round 1 - At the bell, Dwyer charges to ring center, winging a right hook that appears to hurt Slavin. Slavin throws out a defensive jab to hold off Dwyer, but the glancing blow does not slow the Canadian one bit. Dwyer lands a straight right. Slavin regroups, and as Dwyer looks to follow up his advantage, Slavin sneaks in a right hook that slows the Canadian. Slavin follows up with a right hook. Dwyer blinks in surprise. A follow-up hook staggers the Canadian, forcing him into a corner. At the very end of the round, Slavin lands a smashing hook. Dwyer looks to be hurt by the blow. The bell sounds, ending a close round, with a slight nod to Slavin.

Round 2 - Round one has emboldened Slavin, who does not appear to be the least bit daunted by Dwyer's power or his reputation. Slavin looks to force the action, but his first two offerings slide wide of the mark. Dwyer looks to be trying to avoid Slavin early in the round. Slavin draws first contact a minute into the round, catching Dwyer with a nice uppercut. Dwyer and Slavin trade shots near the end of the round, another close one for Slavin.

Round 3 - Dwyer's corner urged their fighter to become more active, and Dwyer heeds the call early, dropping a powerful right hand flush on Slavin's jaw. Slavin looks shaken. Slavin slides to Dwyer's left and lands a solid right cross that staggers Dwyer, who tries to counter but misses. Slavin catches Dwyer with another right, stopping him in his tracks. A combination scores for Slavin. Dwyer seems to be looking for a place to hide. The round ends, another one in the books for Slavin.

Round 4 - Many in the crowd are shocked by Slavin's surprise start, but no one more surprised than Dwyer's corner. Dwyer himself evidently got the message, refusing to take a seat between rounds. At the outset of the round, Dwyer looks to force the action, winging an overhead right. But Slavin blocks it, and now it looks like Dwyer is favoring the hand. Could he have injured it? Dwyer advances on Slavin, who tries to stop him with a right but Dwyer ducks it. Dwyer lands a powerful cross. Looks like that right hand is okay - the shot wobbles Slavin. Another uppercut raises a mouse under Slavin's left eye. A third shot draws gasps from the crowd, who wonders how Slavin could remain upright. Dwyer's possum play has paid off, with a fourth bomb rocking Slavin as the bell sounds, a very solid round for Dwyer.

Round 5 - Slavin is sporting significant swelling under the left eye as the rounds starts. This will make an inviting target for Dwyer, who wastes no time getting started with a jab to the eye. Slavin winces in pain. Dwyer lands a second, stinging jab to the right side of Slavin's face, and follows with a jolting uppercut. The blows split the skin outside Slavin's right eye, and he begins to bleed freely from the wound. With swelling under his left eye and blood flowing near his right, Slavin appears to be in trouble. It seems to have affected his aggressiveness as well, as he now looks intent on protecting his damaged face. Dwyer lands another right midway through the round. Slavin keeps him honest with a combination to the midsection, slowing Dwyer's advance. Slavin tries to follow with a left but misses, and Dwyer counters with a smashing cross, hurting Slavin. The American's left eye is swelling to the point where he can't see Dwyer's punches coming. The round ends with another devastating cross from Dwyer that just about sends Slavin to la-la land.

Round 6 - After dominating early, Slavin is currently in a fight to merely hang on as round 6 commences. Dwyer smells his injured quarry and sets about for the kill. The bleeding around Slavin's right eye is under control, but the swelling around his left looks increasingly ugly. Dwyer hits paydirt again and Slavin winces. Slavin tries to stay away from Dwyer's right, and continues to manuever and cover to protect himself. Slavin makes it through the round, but with barely a punch thrown. Advantage Dwyer.

Round 7 - A left hook at the beginning of the round reopens the cut near Slavin's right eye, and it begins to bleed freely once again. A right cross by Dwyer inflicts further damage to the swelling around Slavin's left eye. Slavin slings a left to Dwyer's gut, slowing for a moment. The round ends with both fighters clinching, evidently a bit winded from the action. Round 8 probably belongs to Dwyer.

Round 8 - Dwyer scores with a right cross that lands flush on the damaged left eye of Slavin. The swelling is really turning ugly. Dwyer manuevers around Slavin's offerings and pops a jab at Slavin's eye. Slavin grabs ahold of Dwyer to slow him, but Dwyer shakes him off and lands again with a hook to the body. By the end of round 8, it looks like Dwyer has at least evened the contest with 5 strong rounds in the last 6.

Round 9 - A left jab to Slavin's right eye opens the cut once again. Slavin counters with a piston-like combination to Dwyer's midsection. Dwyer might now be the aggressor, but Slavin won't give up easily. Both fighters have slowed some since the early going. Perhaps they have punched themselves out? Dwyer swings and misses but Slavin cannot take advantage. Dwyer delivers a short hook to Slavin's midsection. Slavin looks hurt and he is now carrying his arms lower, but Dwyer looks winded. But with 5 seconds left in the round, Dwyer lands a tremendous right to the left side of Slavin's face. Slavin suddenly has a vacant look in his eyes, and swelling begins under his right eye. The bell sounds before Dwyer can follow up his advantage, but he clearly won the round.

Round 10 - Frank Slavin's left eye shows significant swelling, and his right eye shows evident damage as well. It is getting harder for him to see the challenger as he advances, and Dwyer immediately takes advantage of his opponent's plight, landing a solid hook to Slavin's head. A follow-up right hook sends Slavin reeling backward, and he is lucky that Dwyer's left just misses. Slavin regroups and sends a cross to Dwyer's nose, but it doesn't seem to faze him. Dwyer counters with a solid right cross that shakes Slavin. Dwyer takes advantage of his opponent's weakened condition and pummels him with another combination. As the bell sounds, it looks as though Dwyer is in firm control of the match.

Round 11 - Dwyer begins the chapter with a devastating hook, but Slavin blinks through it. Slavin regroups and advances on Dwyer. Slavin realizes it might be now or never, digs deep and delivers a crippling right hand to Dwyer's head. The crowd roars as Dwyer's knees buckle. Where did that come from? Slavin tries to take advantage of Dwyer's cobwebs. He swings and misses not once, but twice. Again, Slavin fires a lead right that Dwyer manages to avoid. Dwyer counters with a jab that lands cleanly to the left side of Slavin's head, reopening the cut once more. Slavin slings a wild left and misses, giving Dwyer an opening for his big right hook, and he takes advantage landing it flush to the left side of Slavin's head. Slavin looks shaken, and the swelling continues to grow uglier by the second. The bell sounds ending a great round, a close one that could go either way, a likely round for Slavin.

Round 12 - For a fight with no knockdowns, this one has seen plenty of action. Slavin dominated the first three rounds, but Dwyer clearly won at least 4 of the last 7. It is anyone's guess how the judges see it going into round 12. Both fighters know this fight may well still be up for grabs. The first minute find both exhausted fighters trying vainly to land. But as the first minute passes, they find themselves toe-to-toe at ring center. Slavin lands a hook to Dwyer's head. Dwyer counters with a hook of his own. Both fighters lean on one another, obviously exhausted. Dwyer gets in a couple of glancing shots to the head and chest of Slavin. An uppercut lands for Slavinr. Another clinch and the fans will think they're attending a high school dance. As the final seconds toll, Slavin tries vainly to score a right hand. He had an opening but whiffed the punch. The bell sounds, ending the contest.



Judge CJ Ross scores it 115-113





Judge Ismael Fernandez scores it 114-114




Judge Jose A Torres scores it 115-113






The winner, and championship contender is........



John J Dwyer!