[bigMatt]

PITTSBURGH - The fight of the year, as it was dubbed going into tonight's match, was every bit as exciting as everyone anticipated. Tonight, Frank Slavin, the #3 fighter in the world, put his title hopes on the line against undefeated contender Chet Shandel. Shandel, who last month vanquished 5th ranked Duncan McDonald, hoped for more of the same against Slavin. Slavin, for his part, saw the match as an opportunity for a big gate against an opponent he thought beatable.

Round 1 thru 4 was an even contest, with both fighters locking horns in a tussle over who would own the ring. After 4, Jim Trunzo, the ringside scorer, saw the bout 2-1-1 in favor of Shandel. The judges, polled after the match ended, saw it largely Slavin's match to lose. Round 5 changed everything. Round 5 was the last in the books for a match that will be forever remembered as one of the greatest in UoLBA history.

The round began with both fighters focused on eliminating the other. Within the first minute of the round, each had buckled the knees of the other and each believed in his own ability to end the match. We pick up the play by play mid round:

02:06 Slavin lets go with a hook but Chet Shandel blocks it and then he scores with a hook of his own!
02:19 Shandel lands a smashing cross!
02:19 Frank Slavin is hurt!
02:31 Shandel lands a right cross but Slavin turned with it, diluting some of its power.
02:35 Slavin's right eye is becoming more swollen and it's going to need controlled in order for Slavin to see properly out of it.
02:40 Both fighters launched hooks but Shandel's got there first! He digs a second hook to the body of Slavin.
02:49 * Shandel lands a violent shot under Slavin's ribcage and Slavin instantly drops down on both knees.
02:51 The count begins...
02:51 1... 5:37
02:52 2... 5:37
02:53 3... 5:37
02:54 4... 5:37
02:55 5... 5:37
02:56 6... 5:37
02:57 7... 5:37
02:58 8... 5:37
02:59 Slavin makes it to a knee at the count of 9 but he's still struggling to get his legs under him!
03:00 10! 5:37
03:00 * That's it! Slavin can't beat the count. Shandel wins this fight with a knockout.

Chet Shandel walks away the victor of the match, continuing his march up the ranks. His victory topples the second top five heavyweight this month, elevating him to 5th position in the UoLBA.

In other bouts,

On the undercard, Dominic McCaffrey, another fighter inching towards the top 10, found an unyielding challenger in Jack Welsh, who extracted a draw in 10 rounds. While two judges had the bout even, Welsh actually led on one judge's card and felt he won the match outright. McCaffrey was lucky to escape with a draw, but the draw drops him to 16th in the UoLBA.

Here are the complete results from tonight's fights:

October 21, 1890
HW: Chet Shandel 22-0-1 (12) KO5 Frank Slavin 23-3-0 (16)
HW: Dominic McCaffrey 23-0-0 (10) MDraw10 Jack Welsh 20-2-0 (2)
HW: Jake Kilrain 20-3-1 (2) TKO9 Fred Crossley 19-3-0 (10)
HW: Tom Allen 22-1-0 (12) TKO4 Al Greenfield 18-4-1 (8)