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kenyan_cheena · 08-24-2010, 01:33 AM

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: April 22, 2007 10.15 AM ET

McVey obliterates Hanson,
retains championship

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

On a night when some of the heavyweight division's future superstars took a big step forward it was the one who is regarded as the best of their group who provided the ultimate highlight. Fighting in the main event of an IBL card at the Staples Center on Saturday night Oxnard's Sam McVey retained his Americas championship with a clinical decimation of Indiana's Mike Hanson. Following on from his 11th round TKO of Cheetah Brown in February where he claimed the title, McVey floored Hanson twice on the way to a comprehensive 6th round stoppage. Most observers had expected it to be an intriguing matchup but it turned out to be a mismatch, the not-especially-mobile Hanson being overwhelmed by McVey's speed and aggression throughout the contest.

Hanson stepped into the ring full of confidence after his sensational 1st round KO of Romy Alvarez on the same card on which McVey had defeated Brown, but by the end of round two it was clear that he wouldn't be able to produce the same effort against the defending champion and hometown favourite. With the exception of round four, the only time when Hanson appeared to have a chance was during the opening minute of the 1st when he rocked McVey with a left-right salvo. But by the time the round was over the momentum was entirely with McVey as he found the mark with a pair of flush right crosses and a four-punch combo that snapped the challenger's head back and put him on his heels. Round two was even more emphatic, McVey landing a succession of shots and seemingly using his bigger, slower opponent as a punching bag.

Little was happening in the 3rd until McVey unleashed a left hook midway through which dropped Hanson for the first time in his career. He was up at four but, surprisingly, McVey didn't go for the jugular, simply keeping Hanson at a distance for the remainder of the frame. For most of the 4th Hanson held his own and looked to be finally getting into the fight, especially when he had McVey reeling after a left hook about a minute from the bell. But during those last sixty seconds McVey stole the round with a flurry of activity, the pick of his work being a left-right salvo that sent a spray of sweat from Hanson's shaven pate. When the champion dominated the 5th the end appeared near. If Hanson proved one thing in the fight it's that he has an outstanding chin. He absorbed some absolute haymakers in round five and kept on coming at McVey, futile as his efforts were.

A sizzling right cross put Hanson on his backside thirty seconds into the 6th. He was up at three, wearing a resigned smile as he moved in to take more punishment. This time McVey was ruthless in his execution. He nearly chopped Hanson in half with two seperate left hooks to the body, also landing a left hook and a pair of penetrating jabs to the head. When he had Hanson trapped in a corner and unloaded a good half-dozen flush, unanswered blows referee Mark Nelson had seen enough and jumped in to end it, McVey the winner by TKO at 1:48 of round six. His support team flooded the ring to celebrate with him, amongst them fellow Californian heavyweights Ken Norton and Jack Johnson. Amazingly, McVey outlanded Hanson by a ratio of almost 5:1. He connected with 228 of 504 punches (45.2%), Hanson 46 of 104 (44.2%).

McVey is now 12-1(8) while Hanson fell to 10-2(8), his only other loss coming against the man who inflicted McVey's sole defeat, former champion Cheetah Brown. Hanson accepted the outcome with good humour, saying that McVey was "too awesome" for him to handle and joking that he was amazed he lasted as long as he did. McVey was gracious in victory, praising Hanson's punching power and revealing that it was the fear of catching one of those "killer bombs that took out Alvarez" which led to him being so active and aggressive. The win has set up what will be an eagerly anticipated rubber match between McVey and Brown after the Tampa native made mince meat of former world title challenger Michael Dokes in the evening's co-feature. The bout was an official eliminator for the Americas championship, Brown scoring a 4th round TKO to earn a chance to regain his crown.

The Brown-Dokes bout was the third of three heavyweight clashes on the evening matching seasoned veterans against up-and-coming youngsters. The final scorecard was a comprehensive 3-0 whitewash for the junior sluggers. Florida Alliance member Romy Alvarez kicked things off with a unanimous decision win over hometown hero Mike Hunter before Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt achieved the same against Ray Mercer, although in much tougher fashion. There had been a lot of support for Dokes coming into the evening, much like when he took on Ken Norton in the world championship tournament last June. But the Ohio native's age and ring mileage really showed against Brown, the youngster inflicting a terrible beating before dropping him late in the 4th. Dokes was up at six but when Brown landed a huge straight right moments later the referee waived the contest over, five sconds before the bell.

One would think that the loss has ended the already slim chance Dokes had of climbing into the upper reaches of the heavyweight rankings, but whether he's ready to hang up the gloves is another thing entirely. He wore a smile from ear to ear afterwards, congratulating Brown and saying what an honor it was to step in the ring with one of the sport's "young aces". Dokes called Brown (11-1(9)) a "future world champion" and added that he wanted to keep on fighting, despite the severity of his defeat. His record is now 35-9-2(24), the loss his third in five IBL bouts. McVey and Brown first clashed in the October semis of the Americas tournament, Brown taking a unanimous decision verdict and going on to claim the title with a 3rd round stoppage of Mike Weaver. On the same night McVey earned a rematch with his split decision win over Alvarez and then made the most of it in that February meeting.

Alvarez was superb in pitching a near shutout and breaking a disheartening three-fight losing streak. He always appeared to be in control against a listless Hunter (33-8-3(23)) and took the verdict by scores of 98-92, 100-90 and 99-91. He outlanded Hunter 334-118, that superb jab of his opening up a cut under his opponent's left eye late in round seven and keeping him in the grip of frustration for most of the fight. Alvarez improved to 8-3(4), the victory his first since he overcame Fres Oquendo in the quarter-finals of the Americas Championship tournament last August. That win had been followed by a couple of heartbreaking split decision defeats to Mike Weaver and McVey before the devastating KO loss to Hanson in February. When Alvarez was announced as the victor last night he closed his eyes and pointed his right hand to the heavens, nodding with relief as his fellow stablemates congratulated him.

When the IBL's tournaments commenced Alvarez was considered one of the most promising young fighters taking part in them. Understandably his trio of defeats dampened that belief but last night's victory has definitely stopped the bleeding and set up a June meeting with Russia's former WBA champion Sergey Anyukov. Mundt's victory over Mercer seemed an unlikely thing after the Jacksonville native cut him, dropped him and then almost finished him off in the opening round. A hard left opened the cut over Mundt's right eye thirty seconds in before a perfect uppercut floored him midway through the frame. Mercer's follow-up assault had the referee poised to step in as the final seconds ticked away. Luckily for Mundt he didn't, as the Hebron-born 27 year-old established control with a fantastic 2nd round retort and outfought Mercer through most of the remaining rounds to take a 96-93, 97-93, 96-93 verdict.

Mundt is now an impressive 15-2(10) and has recorded three straight wins to start '07, last losing to the Samoan Kalolo Umaga by a freakish final round TKO in December. Like Alvarez, Mundt has secured himself a 2nd tier ranking and a lucrative June clash with one of the top-ranked heavyweights. Having already bested one Olympic Champion in Mercer he'll be facing another one next in the shape of the undefeated Jack Johnson. Alvarez and Mundt will both go into those fights as heavy underdogs but they'll really have absolutely nothing to lose and if they take that attitude with them it can only strengthen their chances. As for Mercer, the defeat will be a difficult one to overcome. After losing to Anyukov in the world championship tournament he'd worked his way up to #12 in the rankings with three consecutive wins and only needed to get past Mundt to secure a shot at a spot in the top ranking tier. That dream is now over, and with it could be his career.

Earlier on last night's card Virginia light-heavyweight Steve Finley ran his winning streak to six with a unanimous decision nod over Italy's Piero Del Papa (79-73, 80-72, 78-74). It was a must-win fight for Finley as he was defending his #36 ranking and looking to secure a shot at a place in the 3rd ranking tier. The 21 year-old suffered a considerable setback when, as the #1 seed, he was defeated in the opening stage of the Americas tournament. It was his first IBL bout and since then he's had to run off that succession of wins just to get in a position to make the jump into the 3rd tier. Now 14-1(10), Finley looks set to make a run for the upper rankings of the 175-pound division through the bottom half of '07.

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

08-24-2010, 01:33 AM	#1057
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	*ESPN* *Boxing* Updated: April 22, 2007 10.15 AM ET McVey obliterates Hanson, retains championship By Larry Holman ESPN.com Archive On a night when some of the heavyweight division's future superstars took a big step forward it was the one who is regarded as the best of their group who provided the ultimate highlight. Fighting in the main event of an IBL card at the Staples Center on Saturday night Oxnard's Sam McVey retained his Americas championship with a clinical decimation of Indiana's Mike Hanson. Following on from his 11th round TKO of Cheetah Brown in February where he claimed the title, McVey floored Hanson twice on the way to a comprehensive 6th round stoppage. Most observers had expected it to be an intriguing matchup but it turned out to be a mismatch, the not-especially-mobile Hanson being overwhelmed by McVey's speed and aggression throughout the contest. Hanson stepped into the ring full of confidence after his sensational 1st round KO of Romy Alvarez on the same card on which McVey had defeated Brown, but by the end of round two it was clear that he wouldn't be able to produce the same effort against the defending champion and hometown favourite. With the exception of round four, the only time when Hanson appeared to have a chance was during the opening minute of the 1st when he rocked McVey with a left-right salvo. But by the time the round was over the momentum was entirely with McVey as he found the mark with a pair of flush right crosses and a four-punch combo that snapped the challenger's head back and put him on his heels. Round two was even more emphatic, McVey landing a succession of shots and seemingly using his bigger, slower opponent as a punching bag. Little was happening in the 3rd until McVey unleashed a left hook midway through which dropped Hanson for the first time in his career. He was up at four but, surprisingly, McVey didn't go for the jugular, simply keeping Hanson at a distance for the remainder of the frame. For most of the 4th Hanson held his own and looked to be finally getting into the fight, especially when he had McVey reeling after a left hook about a minute from the bell. But during those last sixty seconds McVey stole the round with a flurry of activity, the pick of his work being a left-right salvo that sent a spray of sweat from Hanson's shaven pate. When the champion dominated the 5th the end appeared near. If Hanson proved one thing in the fight it's that he has an outstanding chin. He absorbed some absolute haymakers in round five and kept on coming at McVey, futile as his efforts were. A sizzling right cross put Hanson on his backside thirty seconds into the 6th. He was up at three, wearing a resigned smile as he moved in to take more punishment. This time McVey was ruthless in his execution. He nearly chopped Hanson in half with two seperate left hooks to the body, also landing a left hook and a pair of penetrating jabs to the head. When he had Hanson trapped in a corner and unloaded a good half-dozen flush, unanswered blows referee Mark Nelson had seen enough and jumped in to end it, McVey the winner by TKO at 1:48 of round six. His support team flooded the ring to celebrate with him, amongst them fellow Californian heavyweights Ken Norton and Jack Johnson. Amazingly, McVey outlanded Hanson by a ratio of almost 5:1. He connected with 228 of 504 punches (45.2%), Hanson 46 of 104 (44.2%). McVey is now 12-1(8) while Hanson fell to 10-2(8), his only other loss coming against the man who inflicted McVey's sole defeat, former champion Cheetah Brown. Hanson accepted the outcome with good humour, saying that McVey was "too awesome" for him to handle and joking that he was amazed he lasted as long as he did. McVey was gracious in victory, praising Hanson's punching power and revealing that it was the fear of catching one of those "killer bombs that took out Alvarez" which led to him being so active and aggressive. The win has set up what will be an eagerly anticipated rubber match between McVey and Brown after the Tampa native made mince meat of former world title challenger Michael Dokes in the evening's co-feature. The bout was an official eliminator for the Americas championship, Brown scoring a 4th round TKO to earn a chance to regain his crown. The Brown-Dokes bout was the third of three heavyweight clashes on the evening matching seasoned veterans against up-and-coming youngsters. The final scorecard was a comprehensive 3-0 whitewash for the junior sluggers. Florida Alliance member Romy Alvarez kicked things off with a unanimous decision win over hometown hero Mike Hunter before Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt achieved the same against Ray Mercer, although in much tougher fashion. There had been a lot of support for Dokes coming into the evening, much like when he took on Ken Norton in the world championship tournament last June. But the Ohio native's age and ring mileage really showed against Brown, the youngster inflicting a terrible beating before dropping him late in the 4th. Dokes was up at six but when Brown landed a huge straight right moments later the referee waived the contest over, five sconds before the bell. One would think that the loss has ended the already slim chance Dokes had of climbing into the upper reaches of the heavyweight rankings, but whether he's ready to hang up the gloves is another thing entirely. He wore a smile from ear to ear afterwards, congratulating Brown and saying what an honor it was to step in the ring with one of the sport's "young aces". Dokes called Brown (11-1(9)) a "future world champion" and added that he wanted to keep on fighting, despite the severity of his defeat. His record is now 35-9-2(24), the loss his third in five IBL bouts. McVey and Brown first clashed in the October semis of the Americas tournament, Brown taking a unanimous decision verdict and going on to claim the title with a 3rd round stoppage of Mike Weaver. On the same night McVey earned a rematch with his split decision win over Alvarez and then made the most of it in that February meeting. Alvarez was superb in pitching a near shutout and breaking a disheartening three-fight losing streak. He always appeared to be in control against a listless Hunter (33-8-3(23)) and took the verdict by scores of 98-92, 100-90 and 99-91. He outlanded Hunter 334-118, that superb jab of his opening up a cut under his opponent's left eye late in round seven and keeping him in the grip of frustration for most of the fight. Alvarez improved to 8-3(4), the victory his first since he overcame Fres Oquendo in the quarter-finals of the Americas Championship tournament last August. That win had been followed by a couple of heartbreaking split decision defeats to Mike Weaver and McVey before the devastating KO loss to Hanson in February. When Alvarez was announced as the victor last night he closed his eyes and pointed his right hand to the heavens, nodding with relief as his fellow stablemates congratulated him. When the IBL's tournaments commenced Alvarez was considered one of the most promising young fighters taking part in them. Understandably his trio of defeats dampened that belief but last night's victory has definitely stopped the bleeding and set up a June meeting with Russia's former WBA champion Sergey Anyukov. Mundt's victory over Mercer seemed an unlikely thing after the Jacksonville native cut him, dropped him and then almost finished him off in the opening round. A hard left opened the cut over Mundt's right eye thirty seconds in before a perfect uppercut floored him midway through the frame. Mercer's follow-up assault had the referee poised to step in as the final seconds ticked away. Luckily for Mundt he didn't, as the Hebron-born 27 year-old established control with a fantastic 2nd round retort and outfought Mercer through most of the remaining rounds to take a 96-93, 97-93, 96-93 verdict. Mundt is now an impressive 15-2(10) and has recorded three straight wins to start '07, last losing to the Samoan Kalolo Umaga by a freakish final round TKO in December. Like Alvarez, Mundt has secured himself a 2nd tier ranking and a lucrative June clash with one of the top-ranked heavyweights. Having already bested one Olympic Champion in Mercer he'll be facing another one next in the shape of the undefeated Jack Johnson. Alvarez and Mundt will both go into those fights as heavy underdogs but they'll really have absolutely nothing to lose and if they take that attitude with them it can only strengthen their chances. As for Mercer, the defeat will be a difficult one to overcome. After losing to Anyukov in the world championship tournament he'd worked his way up to #12 in the rankings with three consecutive wins and only needed to get past Mundt to secure a shot at a spot in the top ranking tier. That dream is now over, and with it could be his career. Earlier on last night's card Virginia light-heavyweight Steve Finley ran his winning streak to six with a unanimous decision nod over Italy's Piero Del Papa (79-73, 80-72, 78-74). It was a must-win fight for Finley as he was defending his #36 ranking and looking to secure a shot at a place in the 3rd ranking tier. The 21 year-old suffered a considerable setback when, as the #1 seed, he was defeated in the opening stage of the Americas tournament. It was his first IBL bout and since then he's had to run off that succession of wins just to get in a position to make the jump into the 3rd tier. Now 14-1(10), Finley looks set to make a run for the upper rankings of the 175-pound division through the bottom half of '07. Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.