OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Way It Should Have Been(Alternate History)

Bryan Swartz · 08-28-2014, 04:14 AM

1858

A record four new additions this year: it looks like the sport is ready to start growing at a more healthy pace with new fighters expected every year as far as the eye can see. American Martin Neary, the debut of our first Canadian in featherweight St. John Tommy Kelly, and two from England in Tom Allen and welterweight Bob Smith, the first combatant of that class. All are expected to be in action by late spring. The additions bring the total to new highs of 10 in North America(7 ranked), 9 in Europe(5 ranked). With the remaining four members of the 'American Quintet' expected to retire at any time, there is certainly still the need for more -- but at least the youth movement is picking up some steam.

2.26 John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan vs. John Morrisey

Raw power vs. superior movement and technical skill. These are the best of the 'new generation', although to be fair Morrisey is in the middle of his prime and no longer a new face. This is the most compelling matchup the division has seen since the initial title fights between Morrisey and Hyer five years ago.

A cautious start to the first round -- too cautious for the fans. The third changed things up as Morrisey found more consistent room to punish the slower Heenan, but got a bit cocky towards the end and a big hook found a home for the champion. A more aggressive round in the 4th, didn't get him much at first but he put Morrisey on the ground late with another hook. He was up at 3 and didn't seem too fazed.

In the fifth, no pretense of caution from either fighter as it has turned into another slugfest. A couple of big shots by Heenan, volume from Morrisey, but both fighters stay upright. More power punches both ways in the sixth -- how long can they survive this kind of punishment?
By the 8th both were starting to look gassed, espescially the Benicia Boy. A big right by Morrisey took advantadge, he was barely able to struggle to his feet at 9, just beating the count. A furious combination and he's down again, up again at 6. I didn't think he'd be able to respond after that. A body shot late in the round ended his game effort -- he's not getting up from that. Morrisey retakes the title here via 8th-round KO, coming at 2:50!

5.14 John Morrisey vs. John C 'the Benicia Boy' Heenan

A rematch wasn't a certainty, but seemed a better choice than any of the other options. Only Bill Poole was arguably ready for a title shot, but he'll have to take on the resurgent George Thompson to earn it having lost three straight recently.

In the early rounds, Morrisey was very effective at not giving Heenan anything to hit, and the young challenger soon became frustrated with the situation and went more conservative himself -- the opposite of how the first fight played out. Several big uppercuts from Heenan in the fourth changed the dynamic however.

By the end of the fifth, a disgusted corner was vocally yelling at Morrisey, and the champion had gotten in very little in the last couple of rounds. He came out much better in the sixth, and by this point both fighters' faces are starting to swell up. We've gotten here by a different path, but it's the same situation as the first fight -- whose body will be able to take the most punishment?

Morrisey put the Benicia Boy down twice in the 7th and it looked like it might end just like the last one, but he was able to survive the round. A desperate Heenan landed three huge blows early in the 8th, but Morrisey showed his toughness by surviving the barrage and going to work himself in the second half of the round. The 9th was pretty much a replay of the same thing, and neither fighter has much of anything left in the tank.

Heenan is down again early in the 10th, up at 6 but you have to wonder how many more times he can get up. Several more big punches later, he's down again in the final minute -- and up again at 6! After another hook, the ref jumps in and he's calling it here, a 10th-round TKO ... great heart shown by Heenan but at this point he was just getting carved up by Morrisey.

Meanwhile, Tom Hyer has decided to hang 'em up, the former champion has a final mark of 43-15-9(7 KOs), and is the standard that Morrisey is chasing.

9.10 John Morrisey vs. George Thompson

After sinking to near the bottom, Thompson has won three in a row and five out of six to get himself another chance at the title. The early rounds offered little hope that he'd fare better this time around, as he was able to do little to bother Morrisey. Nothing much seemed to change until some serious body shots in the 9th by Thompson gave him his best round of the day, but it seemed too little, too late.
Another big combination in the 10th, and then followed up by a sweet uppercut and the champion was down! Up at a 5-count, but Thompson is all of a sudden very much a danger here. More body shots but Morrisey stays up, and from somewhere finds a big right hand to make Thompson think twice about his aggression.

Midway through the 11th, the champ returns the favor and Thompson tastes the canvas for an 8-count. Again he went down with a minute left in the round, but up quickly and survived. That basically ensured a decision win for Morrisey, all he needed now was to survive the final round. It was a moderately-active, even round. There was a surprising amount of variance in the scores and overall a little closer than most expected, but John Morrisey wins and retains the title by UD12(117-109, 115-111, 114-112).

12.3 John Morrisey vs. John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan

It's a good thing these two are a compelling matchup, because it's looks like we're going to continue to see a lot of them. They're head and shoulders above the competition. Heenan comes out with some big shots right away in a strong start to the bout. From there it was back and forth for a while, but the Benicia Boy came away with some swelling by his left eye after the fighters came together in the third ...
A frustrated Heenan starts a clinch-a-thon in the sixth, leading to plenty of boos -- then a little more action in an even seventh. Looks like he's trying to just be unpredictable more than anything else. The eighth was finally back to more of the slugfest action that their previous fights have been known for, setting up a great finish -- but Heenan's eye is looking pretty grim.

Early in the 9th, Morrisey surprised Heenan and put him down, unable to beat the count. That punch seemed to come out of nowhere, at 0:33 he's counted out for yet another failed title challenge.

North American Rankings(Heavyweight)

CH John Morrisey(USA, 27-4-6, 9 KO)
#1 John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan(USA, 14-8-0, 6 KO)
#2 George Thompson(USA, 14-16-0, 3 KO)
#3 Chris Lilly(USA, 24-32-8, 1 KO)
#4 Bill Poole(USA, 25-28-14, 2 KO)
#5 Tom McCoy(USA, 18-42-8, 5 KO)
NR St John Tommy Kelly(CAN, FW, 3-1-0)
NR Mike 'Deck Hand Champion' McCoole(USA, 8-6-0, 2 KO)
NR Martin Neary(USA, 0-3-0)

European Rankings(Heavyweight)

#1 Jem Mace(ENG, 25-2-6, 4 KO)
#2 Tom Sayers(ENG, 14-11-9, 1 KO)
#3 Sam Hurst(ENG, 13-12-7)
#4 Joe Coburn(IRL, 3-9-6)
#5 Pat McGowan(IRL, 2-16-2, 1 KO)
NR Tom Allen(ENG, 2-1-0)
NR Joe Goss(ENG, 3-5-4)
NR George Seddons(ENG, FW, 2-5-2)
NR Bob Smith(ENG, WW, 0-3-0)

Jem Mace's unbeaten streak, which lasted more than 7 years, finally ended as Sayers knocked him out early in the year. It was short-lived, and he's back on top again .

08-28-2014, 04:14 AM	#9
Bryan Swartz Major Leagues Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 457	1858 A record four new additions this year: it looks like the sport is ready to start growing at a more healthy pace with new fighters expected every year as far as the eye can see. American Martin Neary, the debut of our first Canadian in featherweight St. John Tommy Kelly, and two from England in Tom Allen and welterweight Bob Smith, the first combatant of that class. All are expected to be in action by late spring. The additions bring the total to new highs of 10 in North America(7 ranked), 9 in Europe(5 ranked). With the remaining four members of the 'American Quintet' expected to retire at any time, there is certainly still the need for more -- but at least the youth movement is picking up some steam. 2.26 John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan vs. John Morrisey Raw power vs. superior movement and technical skill. These are the best of the 'new generation', although to be fair Morrisey is in the middle of his prime and no longer a new face. This is the most compelling matchup the division has seen since the initial title fights between Morrisey and Hyer five years ago. A cautious start to the first round -- too cautious for the fans. The third changed things up as Morrisey found more consistent room to punish the slower Heenan, but got a bit cocky towards the end and a big hook found a home for the champion. A more aggressive round in the 4th, didn't get him much at first but he put Morrisey on the ground late with another hook. He was up at 3 and didn't seem too fazed. In the fifth, no pretense of caution from either fighter as it has turned into another slugfest. A couple of big shots by Heenan, volume from Morrisey, but both fighters stay upright. More power punches both ways in the sixth -- how long can they survive this kind of punishment? By the 8th both were starting to look gassed, espescially the Benicia Boy. A big right by Morrisey took advantadge, he was barely able to struggle to his feet at 9, just beating the count. A furious combination and he's down again, up again at 6. I didn't think he'd be able to respond after that. A body shot late in the round ended his game effort -- he's not getting up from that. Morrisey retakes the title here via 8th-round KO, coming at 2:50! 5.14 John Morrisey vs. John C 'the Benicia Boy' Heenan A rematch wasn't a certainty, but seemed a better choice than any of the other options. Only Bill Poole was arguably ready for a title shot, but he'll have to take on the resurgent George Thompson to earn it having lost three straight recently. In the early rounds, Morrisey was very effective at not giving Heenan anything to hit, and the young challenger soon became frustrated with the situation and went more conservative himself -- the opposite of how the first fight played out. Several big uppercuts from Heenan in the fourth changed the dynamic however. By the end of the fifth, a disgusted corner was vocally yelling at Morrisey, and the champion had gotten in very little in the last couple of rounds. He came out much better in the sixth, and by this point both fighters' faces are starting to swell up. We've gotten here by a different path, but it's the same situation as the first fight -- whose body will be able to take the most punishment? Morrisey put the Benicia Boy down twice in the 7th and it looked like it might end just like the last one, but he was able to survive the round. A desperate Heenan landed three huge blows early in the 8th, but Morrisey showed his toughness by surviving the barrage and going to work himself in the second half of the round. The 9th was pretty much a replay of the same thing, and neither fighter has much of anything left in the tank. Heenan is down again early in the 10th, up at 6 but you have to wonder how many more times he can get up. Several more big punches later, he's down again in the final minute -- and up again at 6! After another hook, the ref jumps in and he's calling it here, a 10th-round TKO ... great heart shown by Heenan but at this point he was just getting carved up by Morrisey. Meanwhile, Tom Hyer has decided to hang 'em up, the former champion has a final mark of 43-15-9(7 KOs), and is the standard that Morrisey is chasing. 9.10 John Morrisey vs. George Thompson After sinking to near the bottom, Thompson has won three in a row and five out of six to get himself another chance at the title. The early rounds offered little hope that he'd fare better this time around, as he was able to do little to bother Morrisey. Nothing much seemed to change until some serious body shots in the 9th by Thompson gave him his best round of the day, but it seemed too little, too late. Another big combination in the 10th, and then followed up by a sweet uppercut and the champion was down! Up at a 5-count, but Thompson is all of a sudden very much a danger here. More body shots but Morrisey stays up, and from somewhere finds a big right hand to make Thompson think twice about his aggression. Midway through the 11th, the champ returns the favor and Thompson tastes the canvas for an 8-count. Again he went down with a minute left in the round, but up quickly and survived. That basically ensured a decision win for Morrisey, all he needed now was to survive the final round. It was a moderately-active, even round. There was a surprising amount of variance in the scores and overall a little closer than most expected, but John Morrisey wins and retains the title by UD12(117-109, 115-111, 114-112). 12.3 John Morrisey vs. John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan It's a good thing these two are a compelling matchup, because it's looks like we're going to continue to see a lot of them. They're head and shoulders above the competition. Heenan comes out with some big shots right away in a strong start to the bout. From there it was back and forth for a while, but the Benicia Boy came away with some swelling by his left eye after the fighters came together in the third ... A frustrated Heenan starts a clinch-a-thon in the sixth, leading to plenty of boos -- then a little more action in an even seventh. Looks like he's trying to just be unpredictable more than anything else. The eighth was finally back to more of the slugfest action that their previous fights have been known for, setting up a great finish -- but Heenan's eye is looking pretty grim. Early in the 9th, Morrisey surprised Heenan and put him down, unable to beat the count. That punch seemed to come out of nowhere, at 0:33 he's counted out for yet another failed title challenge. North American Rankings(Heavyweight) CH John Morrisey(USA, 27-4-6, 9 KO) #1 John C 'The Benicia Boy' Heenan(USA, 14-8-0, 6 KO) #2 George Thompson(USA, 14-16-0, 3 KO) #3 Chris Lilly(USA, 24-32-8, 1 KO) #4 Bill Poole(USA, 25-28-14, 2 KO) #5 Tom McCoy(USA, 18-42-8, 5 KO) NR St John Tommy Kelly(CAN, FW, 3-1-0) NR Mike 'Deck Hand Champion' McCoole(USA, 8-6-0, 2 KO) NR Martin Neary(USA, 0-3-0) European Rankings(Heavyweight) #1 Jem Mace(ENG, 25-2-6, 4 KO) #2 Tom Sayers(ENG, 14-11-9, 1 KO) #3 Sam Hurst(ENG, 13-12-7) #4 Joe Coburn(IRL, 3-9-6) #5 Pat McGowan(IRL, 2-16-2, 1 KO) NR Tom Allen(ENG, 2-1-0) NR Joe Goss(ENG, 3-5-4) NR George Seddons(ENG, FW, 2-5-2) NR Bob Smith(ENG, WW, 0-3-0) Jem Mace's unbeaten streak, which lasted more than 7 years, finally ended as Sayers knocked him out early in the year. It was short-lived, and he's back on top again . Last edited by Bryan Swartz; 08-28-2014 at 04:34 AM.