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kenyan_cheena · 05-29-2007, 10:40 PM

STRIBLING EDGES LASTARZA IN ATLANTIC CITY

Monday 22 July 2002

Georgia native Young Stribling has moved a step closer to stage two of the HBF's World Championship tournament following a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Roland LaStarza at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City tonight. While the International Boxing League were going through the process of revealing their opening tournament matchups in Las Vegas the action continued for the federation with Stribling improving to 5-1 and in the process eliminating LaStarza (3-3) from the race to progress to the tournament's second stage.

There had been a deal of animosity between these two competitors leading up to tonight's contest, starting back in March when Bronx-born LaStarza had questioned Stribling's position amongst the tournament's top ten seeds and culminating in last month's Staples Center fight card when the two had traded punches in a hallway after the New Yorker had insulted Stribling's parents. Tonight they finally faced each other in a boxing ring and even though the final scorecards all read 58-57, there was little doubt that Stribling had been the superior fighter.

The opening two rounds gave the impression that the crowd was going to be treated to a real tussle as LaStarza had the better of the 7th seed, fighting and scoring from in close and then confidently blunting the Stribling offense. But starting from round three and going through until the fifth the native of Macon, Georgia dominated, stepping up his aggression to the point where LaStarza couldn't match him. Stribling wore his man down with a punishing assault, tagging LaStarza time and again with pinpoint lefts and rights. Stribling swept the judge's cards for those three rounds, leaving LaStarza a defeated, bludgeoned opponent as he slumped back to his corner. Perhaps unwisely, the 17 year-old took his foot off the pedal in round six, allowing LaStarza to do enough to take it and bring about the closeness of the scorecards.

When it was all over, Stribling had landed 150 of 340 punches (44.1%), LaStarza 95 of 193 (49.2%).

(to be continued)

05-29-2007, 10:40 PM	#1233
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	STRIBLING EDGES LASTARZA IN ATLANTIC CITY Monday 22 July 2002 Georgia native Young Stribling has moved a step closer to stage two of the HBF's World Championship tournament following a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Roland LaStarza at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City tonight. While the International Boxing League were going through the process of revealing their opening tournament matchups in Las Vegas the action continued for the federation with Stribling improving to 5-1 and in the process eliminating LaStarza (3-3) from the race to progress to the tournament's second stage. There had been a deal of animosity between these two competitors leading up to tonight's contest, starting back in March when Bronx-born LaStarza had questioned Stribling's position amongst the tournament's top ten seeds and culminating in last month's Staples Center fight card when the two had traded punches in a hallway after the New Yorker had insulted Stribling's parents. Tonight they finally faced each other in a boxing ring and even though the final scorecards all read 58-57, there was little doubt that Stribling had been the superior fighter. The opening two rounds gave the impression that the crowd was going to be treated to a real tussle as LaStarza had the better of the 7th seed, fighting and scoring from in close and then confidently blunting the Stribling offense. But starting from round three and going through until the fifth the native of Macon, Georgia dominated, stepping up his aggression to the point where LaStarza couldn't match him. Stribling wore his man down with a punishing assault, tagging LaStarza time and again with pinpoint lefts and rights. Stribling swept the judge's cards for those three rounds, leaving LaStarza a defeated, bludgeoned opponent as he slumped back to his corner. Perhaps unwisely, the 17 year-old took his foot off the pedal in round six, allowing LaStarza to do enough to take it and bring about the closeness of the scorecards. When it was all over, Stribling had landed 150 of 340 punches (44.1%), LaStarza 95 of 193 (49.2%). (to be continued)