The Federal Boxing Alliance

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights Results, July 16

WBC Lightweight: Lou Bizzarro vs Billy Irwin (Non-Tourney)

Irwin (1-2) is coming off a loss to Greg Haugen in May, while Bizarro (1-1) fights for the first time since losing to Jose Luis Ramirez - getting dropped 3 times - a common opponent, as Irwin was bounced from the tournament by Ramirez in the opening round of the tournament.

The wild swinging Irwin threw everything he had at Bizzarro for 10 rounds, throwing more than 1,400 punches in the fight to Bizarro's 507. But Bizarro landed more than half of his blows, while Irwin landed a ridiculous 12.1%. Aggressiveness will get you some credit, but punching air all night won't.

Though Irwin knocked Bizzarro down, and almost out, in the final minute of the 8th round, Bizzarro would eek out the split decision 95-94, 95-94, 94-95. A dejected Irwin fell to 1-3, the first 3-bout loser in the FBA.


IBF Jr. Bantamweight: #10 Katsuhige Kawashima vs #6 Luis Bolanos

Bolanos comes in after a pair of impressive unanimous decision victories, but it was Kawashima who drew the attention following his upset TKO victory over #2 seed Jiro Watanabe.

A pair of sluggers here, and in the first round it was Kawashima who got the better of Bolanos. But over the next 4 rounds, it was Bolanos who would test
Kawashima's resolve, landing a punishing assortment of punches in a go-for-broke assault that Kawashima impressively withstood but could not counter.

Kawashima would return to control in the 7th, working the body effectively to take the round decisively. But Bolanos would drop him in the 8th, despite a badly swollen right eye, which would lead him to coast the final two rounds and stay out of danger, comfortable in his lead.

His strategy proved correct, as Bolanos wins the decision.

Bolanos UD 10: 96-94, 97-93, 98-93

WBC Flyweight: #7 Prudencio Cardona vs #3 Eric Morel

Both fighters had gone the distance in both of their victories, but speculation coming in was that the slugging Morel would pose a real style problem for Cardona.

Not much to write about this one, as the story was Morel. Cardona went down in the opening round, was battered throughout the fight and dropped again in the 9th.

Cardona would make it to the final bell, but Morel's aggressiveness wilted Cardona essentially from the start.

Morel UD 10: 99-89, 99-89, 98-90. Morel now awaits the winner of Miguel Canto/Saman Sorjaturong

GH

[GForce]

Showtime Championship Boxing Results, July 17

WBC Featherweight: #1 Eusebio Pedroza vs #5 Bobby Chacon

Both fighters made their way here via a pair of unanimous decision victories, and this bout was expected to be a war that may not last the distance.

Pedroza gave mixed signals leading into the fight how he would handle Chacon, but his natural tendency was to fight a defensive battle. Chacon, on the other hand, was simply going to bang, come, and bang some more.

The opening round reached the midway point with little action, Chacon having landed a strong cross for the fight's only meaningful shot to this point. But a pair of violent crosses back to back from Chacon sent Pedroza leaning against the ropes and looking very much in trouble. Pedroza would fire back, doubling up on his jab, but Chacon wasn't deterred. A jab, followed by a hook and a powerful uppercut from Chacon left Pedroza hanging onto a desperation clinch to end the opening round.

Pedroza showed much more movement early in the second, likely trying to clear out the cobwebs. But Chacon was winging punches, particularly wide swinging hooks, leaving himself open, and Pedroza started to find the holes. Pedroza knocked Chacon back, but delayed in following up, and when he did Chacon caught him with a solid uppercut, narrowing the gap, if not winning the round.

Pedroza controlled round 3 in defensive mode, setting up the 4th and an electrifying round. Pedroza landed several straight right hands, and he was following them by getting in Chacon's kitchen and hanging on, banging to the body. This worked for the first minute before caught a backpedalling Pedroza with a stirring combination followed by a cross that Pedroza seemed to defy gravity in by not going down. The final minute was fought in a phone booth, Chacon getting the better of the exchange until Pedroza dropped a right cross square on the jaw. Chacon's face contorted in pain, but he stayed upright to the bell and an eruption from the crowd.

In the 5th, Pedroza kept Chacon at a distance again, winning the round tactically, and the 6th was largely uneventful and even. Chacon seemed to be tiring, and Pedroza seemed aware of it. He wasn't going to take shots he didn't have to, but in the 7th Chacon wouldn't give him a choice.

Chacon tried to create the phone booth fight again, and he'd grab Pedroza at the first sign of his retreat to try and keep him there. Eventually, Pedroza had no choice but to oblige, but his superior movement had Chacon doubling up his punches, and his misses. Chacon was visibly frustrated and was losing some control on his blows. Pedroza looked to be feeling pressure, though, and wanted to fire back on his own. A furious barrage in the final 10 seconds saw few punches land but fists fly and a Pedroza uppercut close out the frame.

Chacon had certainly hurt Pedroza a few times in the bout, but Pedroza seemed to be doing enough that, round by round he was ahead. In the 8th, Pedroza fired a straight right that Chacon dodged and countered with a cross that froze Pedroza. An uppercut, followed by another cross, put Pedroza in a bad way and Chacon smelled blood. Pedroza backpedalled and, after a flurry that was blocked and defended well, Chacon stepped back for a rare moment. When he saw his opening he took it, and another strong cross landed. This time, Pedroza couldn't keep his feet.

He rose quickly, perhaps too quickly, and Chacon had 50 seconds with which to work. But the professional Pedroza's natural tendencies guided him through, rolling off Chacon's blows, taking several off the shoulder and gloves but none to the head, retreating to fight out of the corner and halting Chacon's momentum.

The pendulum had swung for Chacon, but he was near exhaustion. Following up his 8th round was not physically possible for him, and Pedroza was able to keep him at a distance as he had several times when he was in danger throughout the night. Chacon simply couldn't work his way in and Pedroza controlled the round and absorbed little, letting him recover somewhat.

The two touched gloves, holding them together a moment in a show of respect as the crowd rose to its feet for the final three minutes. For 45 seconds nothing of substance landed. Chacon then unleashed a savage hook that caught Pedroza perfectly. He froze, but Chacon couldn't work his way out of a loose clinch to follow up. Both fighters landed a few jabs the rest of the way, but the 10th round from an action standpoint was somewhat anticlimatic.

The two flanked ref Harry Krause as they awaited the decision...and it was unanimous.

95-94 on all three cards, for the winner, advancing to fight for the WBC Featherweight Title...Eusebio Pedroza.

WBA Jr. Middleweight: #1 Mike McCallum vs #5 Kassim Ouma

Most observers thought this one would not go the distance and shortly before the bell, many wondered if these two would feel they had to live up to the battle that preceded them.

What McCallum did would dictate the fight, and though he could slug if he needed to, he would decide to box Ouma, who would respond in kind.

McCallum hurt Ouma in the opening round, but was far more cautious than expected in following up. Perhaps it was Ouma's rousing KO of Mike Baker to get here, but McCallum seemed to be extending Ouma far more respect than was necessarily due. Ouma would force the closeness in the second, and McCallum didn't like it at all. Ouma clinched for much of the round, practically slapping McCallum in the head during clinches, as McCallum barked at ref Arthur Mercante to stop the tactic. Ouma, perhaps, was trying to bait McCallum into a slugfest.

An even, defensive grabfest in the third culminated with a thudding cross from Ouma that shook McCallum. Inexplicably, Ouma changed his stance from southpaw to orthodox in the final seconds before changing back. His corner would lay into him for getting cute, and McCallum corner preached the gesture was one of disrespect in an effort to get McCallum fired up.

But at the start of the 4th, it appeared the move may have been legitimate confusion on Ouma's part. He landed a pair of blows early, but seemed unsure whether he should box with McCallum or go back to trying to push the slugfest. While he decided, McCallum acted, unloading a vicious left to the body. Ouma responded with a pair of jabs of his own, and McCallum grabbed hold, pulling him in tight. The two traded short blows, and when Ouma retreated out of the break, McCallum buried another deep hook into the ribs of Ouma. Another combination from McCallum was fired by another clinch, and The Bodysnatcher seemed to have found himself.

McCallum would win the fifth round in tactical fashion, but would start to let his hands go in the 6th after an early cross opened up a gash under Ouma's left eye. His right eye had also begun to swell, and McCallum was starting to see the physical effects of his work. A straight right, a cross and a crushing uppercut in the final minute left Ouma rattled and looking worn down. His eye was swelling rapidly and his corner went to work on him after a dominating round from McCallum.

A big right from McCallum opened the 7th, and a left to the head doubled the eye's swelling quickly. Ouma fought gallantly, landing several hard combinations, but McCallum's focus was rigid, and a powerful uppercut inside was followed by more grabbing from McCallum, inside body work in the corner leaving Ouma gasping before Mercante could separate them again.

Ouma missed a wide left hand early in the 8th, and McCallum countered with a body shot and a short, clean cross to drop Ouma. To his credit, Ouma would dodge numerous bullets the rest of the way before McCallum doubled
up on his hook to end the round.

The 9th was a 3-minute respite, and the 10th saw Ouma try to find more in his tank, but McCallum wanted to put a stamp on his night. He'd do it with a smashing right over Ouma's left eye, opening a wide gash that would flow the remainder of the fight, symbolic of his effort and, regrettably for him, of the result.

McCallum UD 10: 97-92, 96-93, 96-93. He'll await the winner of Laurent Boudouani/Terry Norris to see who he'll battle for the title.

WBA Lightweight: #1 Roberto Duran vs #4 Jimmy Paul

The cagey Paul and trainer Emanuel Steward hoped to pick Duran apart and exploit his aggressiveness. In Duran's previous fight, Julien Lorcy was able to counter him effectively for the middle rounds before Duran's power overmatched him. Both Steward and Paul felt he could carry on a similar bout for a longer stretch.

The opening round saw Paul stick jabs in Duran's face while Duran fired everything he had in response. The ceaseless fire from Duran seemed to throw Paul for a while, and after landing a solid straight right of his own, he walked into a big uppercut from Duran that nearly dropped him. He'd counter more in the final minute, but Duran landed a few more powerful shots near round's end.

In the second, Paul continued trying to keep a distance, and this time he frustrated Duran by picking him apart and waiting for an opening. Midway through, Duran essentially tackled Paul, wrapping him up and firing at him from in close. But as he backed away after the ref broke them up, Paul blasted Duran with a combination followed by a right hook that stunned Duran at the bell.

Duran's corner told him to just keep firing, and eventually Paul would wilt under the pressure. Paul countered effectively early in the third, but midway through Duran ripped home a pair of hooks to the body and a clean uppercut. Paul was not throwing anywhere near enough punches, and Duran's power was beginning to slow him down more. Paul landed some power shots through the opening's Duran's constant punching was leaving, but Duran was penetrating his defense and landing far more powerful shots.

Referee Max Parker warned Duran about using his elbows early in the 4th after Paul complained, but the warning wouldn't back Duran off. He banged home combination after combination, and Paul's rare punches were no longer finding the mark. Paul had gotten the look of a fighter trying not to get knocked out, but when Duran cornered him he had nowhere to go. A big hook and a crushing uppercut floored Paul in the corner. He rose at 9, but 30 seconds later he would dodge a straight right from Duran only to take a hard shot to the ribs that put him back on the canvas. Parker was willing to let Paul try and make it out of the round, but after Paul did nothing to avoid a combination from Duran once they were waved back together, Parker ruled he had seen enough.

Duran wins by TKO at 2:51 of the fourth. He will fight Esteban DeJesus for the title.

GH

[GForce]

Duran/Paul on last card is updated.

GH

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights, July 30
WBC Jr. Bantamweight: Sornpichai Ktratingdaenggyum vs Roger Galacia (Non-Tourney)
IBF Flyweight: Betulio Gonzalez vs Koji Kobayashi (Non-Tourney)
WBA Jr. Bantamweight: Rafael Orono vs Felix Machado (Non-Tourney)

Pay Per View, July 31
WBA Featherweight: #1 Salvador Sanchez vs #4 Erik Morales
WBA Light-Heavyweight: #1 Roy Jones Jr. vs #5 Eddie Mustapha Muhammad
WBA Jr. Bantamweight: #10 Celes Kobayashi vs #3 Fernando Montiel

Sunday Night Fights, August 1
WBA Jr. Middleweight: #7 Laurent Boudouani vs #3 Terry Norris
WBC Jr. Lightweight: Gregorio Vargas vs Antonio Amaya (Non-Tourney)
IBF Welterweight: Angel Espada vs Everaldo Azevdeo (Non-Tourney)

GH

[GForce]

I will probably just pick up from where it ended and post a recap of the title fights for the WBA/WBC/IBF with results. It's a lot of work lost, but those who have followed this know what happened, and if guys have questions I'll be glad to explain details of what happened before it.

GH

[Gunsmoke]

If your able GForce I would repost your Title Bouts threads with the results added as that would give a reasonably concise state of play.

[GForce]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

If your able GForce I would repost your Title Bouts threads with the results added as that would give a reasonably concise state of play.

I'm not clear...do you mean the separate threads I did with the title fights in them, or do you mean reposting all the results in this thread? I don't have any posts saved, so the latter would be quite time consuming.

GH

[Gunsmoke]

Nah I meant to repost your summary threads with the results as that would remind everybody of what has happened so far... certainly didn't mean the type up all the title fights again option.

Mark

[GForce]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

Nah I meant to repost your summary threads with the results as that would remind everybody of what has happened so far... certainly didn't mean the type up all the title fights again option.

Mark

That's the likely plan, I think. Then if anyone wants specifics I can do them if needed.

Thanks.

Gregg

[GForce]

With KC's help, I've found a lot of stuff. Let's try and piece this all together...

Sunday Night Fights Results, July 18

WBC Cruiserweight: #2 Jean-Marc Mormeck vs #11 S.T. Gordon

The heavily favored Mormeck looked to outwork Gordon, who upset #6 seed Luis Andres Pineda before taking out #14 seed Thomas Hansvol, who had knocked #3 seed Luis Azille out of Gordon's path.

Closing in on 2 minutes of the first round, Mormeck sidesteps a Gordon left and lands a crushing right hand to counter. For the round's final minute, Mormeck smothered Gordon in the corner, but Mormeck couldn't but him down.

The two fought evenly for the next several rounds, Gordon relying very heavily on his hook, and Mormeck was able to counter effectively once Gordon's attack got too predictible.

Mormeck started to assume control in rounds 5 and 6, dodging or blocking most of Gordon's blows and landing far more shots of his own as Gordon's defenses wore down.

In the 7th, Gordon charged at Mormeck only to be spun around in Mormeck's corner and dropped with a savage combination to the head. Gordon was up at 9 only to be drilled with a hook that stunned Gordon, followed by a cross to put him down. Gordon rose at 8 this time, leaning back on the ropes and covering up. Mormeck charged and fired wildly, missing over and over before a pair of uppercuts found the mark and went unanswered. Referee Pat Russell jumped in to stop the bout and give Mormeck the 7th round TKO victory and a shot at the WBC Cruiserweight belt. He will fight the winner of #1 Vasily Jirov vs #5 Alexandre Gurov.


IBF Jr. Lightweight: #2 Alfredo Escalera vs #6 Cornelius Boza-Edwards

Stylistically, this bout looked to most boxing experts to be a slaughter waiting to happen. Escalera, an efficient boxer with solid defense battling the slugging, at times wild, Boza-Edwards. Boza might hurt him, they thought, but eventually, Escalera will just wait him out and wear him down, or be content to pick him apart for 10 rounds to go the distance.

The experts had it right. Boza-Edwards landed some stiff shots during the bout, but never strung together enough to where he could make things hard on Escalera.

PunchStat numbers has Escalera landing 50% of his punches compared with Boza-Edwards, who landed only 12%.

Escalera could have a wait ahead of him...Daniel Attah and Yodsanan Nanthachai will have a rematch of their draw, the winner taking on top seed Julio Cesar Chavez to fill the other half of the title fight.

The most intriguing part of the fight was the decision...Escalera took a majority victory, 99-91 on two cards but another scored evenly at 95-95. That card was from judge Larry O'Connell, who hails from England, which also happens to be where the Ugandan Boza-Edwards currently calls home.

Sources say FBA officials plan to talk with O'Connell, but declined to say specifics or if any punishment was being considered.

WBC Jr. Welterweight: #1 Bruno Arcari vs #4 Sharmba Mitchell

Arcari had breezed through his first two bouts, dismantling both Morris East and Diosbelys Hurtado in unanimous victories. Mitchell stopped Alfonzo Frazer in his opening matchup, but was arguably more impressive in his destruction of Juan Martin Coggi to advance to the semifinals. This night's main event wouldn't disappoint...at least the fight wouldn't.

Mitchell was the aggressor early, and Arcari was having a devil of a time landing despite throwing many more punches. Mitchell was sticking his jab and landing combinations at will it seemed for the first three rounds. Through 3 rounds, Mitchell had pitched a shutout.

Arcari awoke in the fourth, and quickly. A right cross shook Mitchell in the opening seconds, but Mitchell was able to evade and cover for the next minute and a half. Arcari doubled up with the hook later in the round, though, stunning Mitchell again, but despite a big scoring round, Arcari never got enough punches together to put Mitchell in danger.

Mitchell responded in the fifth, but Arcari still controlled the pace, and a double left to the body followed by an uppercut was a sweet combination that likely won him the round.

Mitchell circled in the 6th, making more of an effort to stick and move on Arcari again, and he did it effectively. He wasn't landing as he had earlier, but Arcari was no longer landing his blows either. Mitchell was relying on his defense again, which opened the way for his attack in the first three rounds. Here, Arcari worked the body again when he could, but Mitchell appeared back in control.

It seemed even more that way in the 7th, when Mitchell picked Arcari apart from outside with a precision effort. A big uppercut wobbled Arcari and, when he finally got Mitchell to engage in tight late in the round, it was Mitchell who got the better of it.

The 8th was even and things looked comfortably in Mitchell's hands until an Arcari right cross slammed off the top of Mitchell's head midway through the 8th. From there, the round was Arcari's, working the body again and landing some solid shots in the final minute to take what was, all in all, a pretty even round.

Arcari went for broke in the 9th, hammering away, and an early 3-punch combo put Mitchell on his heels. Arcari stalked Mitchell, cornering him throughout the round, and this time Mitchell was having a hard time getting away. Arcari would rattle his cage several more times during the round, but was unable to get him down, Mitchell grabbing, clinching and doing all he could to make it through the assault.

In the 10th, Arcari got inside and was able to bull Mitchell, working the body and coming off that to land high. Mitchell would dance for much of the round, but his legs were betraying him, and Arcari was doing a better job of cutting off the angles. Arcari landed hard blows throughout the round, Mitchell not scoring a blow of significance until the final minute. Mitchell appeared comfortable the decision was his, the only way to explain his final round effort.

The cards were then announced as follows:

96-95, Mitchell

96-94, Arcari

95-95...

The bout was a draw. Arcari was stonefaced, likely thankful he would get another opportunity. Mitchell was visibly irate, feeling he had controlled the entire bout.

"The final two rounds were the only rounds he won all night," Mitchell said postfight. "How could anyone say it was a draw, and even more than that...how could anyone say he WON this fight?"

Disgusted, Mitchell left the ring. The two will do it again, likely in early September, the winner to face the winner of Kostya Tszyu/Monroe Brooks.

GH

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights Results, July 23

WBA Light-Heavyweight: Montell Griffin vs Eric Harding (Non-tourney)

Both fighters 0-1, Griffin having lost a unanimous decision to Reggie Johnson, while Harding lost a unanimous decision to #2 seed Bob Foster.

Griffin has two senational rounds in the fight, the third and fifth. Every other round was dull and largely devoid of action, but rounds that largely went Harding's way.

End result, Harding takes a unanimous but hardly inspiring decision 96-94, 96-94, 97-93.


WBA Light-Heavyweight: Bobby Czyz vs Reggie Johnson (Non-tourney)

The second fight in the WBA's ligh-heavyweight ranks, Czyz tries to get a win after dropping a surprise decision in the opening round of the tournament to Roger Rouse. Johnson took out Montell Griffin before dropping a unanimous decision, as Harding had before him, to Bob Foster.

Czyz unloads early, a body shot dropping Johnson less than 20 seconds into the fight. Czyz stays on Johnson for the duration of the round, but Johnson survives. Czyz would control the second round as well until the final minute, when a straight right from Johnson turned the tide and it was Johnson blasting away at Czyz with an onslaught that in the eyes of many was enough to steal the round.

Czyz controlled the first half round 3, only to get caught by another straight right from Johnson to turn the tide, giving Johnson momentum and Czyz - dropped 2 times by Rouse in his first fight - showing signs his chin may again fail him. The signs told the truth, as Johnson dropped Czyz with a flurry in the 4th, but missed wildly on too many of his shots in the remainder of the round to bury Czyz.

Johnson was cut early in the 5th under the right eye, and though it was bleeding badly it wasn't in spot to really hinder his actions. A fact Czyz could attest to after being knocked down a second time. Johnson pressured Czyz who out of desperation kept firing back. But Johnson was landing the bulk of the shots, and Czyz was gamely hanging on. He would land a glancing blow to Johnson, and suddenly referee George Siller halted the bout. After an examination by the ringside physician, Johnson's cut was considered too bad to continue, and Czyz declared the winner via TKO.

An irate Johnson kicked at the ropes, pushed his handlers away and barked at anyone in shouting distance. He demanded a rematch, and it remains to be seen if he will receive one.

The judges had the bout even at the time of the stoppage, but Johnson would have taken the fifth 10-8 due to the knockdown.


WBC Jr. Featherweight: #1 Sergio Palma vs #5 Ji-Won Kim

Hard to put a finger on exactly what happened here. Kim dominates Palma for the opening two rounds before the favorite responds, grabbing hold of Kim and working him over in close, coming perilously close several times to hitting on the break.

Palma was in control in the fourth as well, picking Kim apart with jab after jab until a right cross from Kim dropped Palma in a heap. With Palma looking in a complete daze, Kim attacked, but Palma moved and blocked effectively to make it out of the round.

Inexplicably, that was the last offense Kim would muster for the fight. He would land a total of 100 punches for the fight, and half of those were in the first 4 rounds. Palma dictated tempo the rest of the way and proved too evasive and defensive for Kim to reach the rest of the way. It's hard to believe that, in the shape Kim had Palma in at the end of the 4th, and with a title shot on the line, he couldn't put forth more of an effort in the final 6 rounds.

Regardless, Palma advances to the title fight and will face the winner of Mike Ayala vs Victor Callejas.

Palma MD 10: 96-94, 97-94, 95-95

GH
__________________

[GForce]

Pay Per View Results, July 24

WBC Bantamweight: #1 Carlos Zarate vs #5 Johnny Carter

The heavily favored Zarate was expected to blow through Carter en route to a title bout with the winner of Ruben Olivares/Junior Jones. But Carter, an accurate if not overpowering puncher, vowed to not wilt under Zarate's pressure and gradually pick the top seed apart.

A minute into the fight, Carter was felled by a combination from Zarate, and had to use his best defenses to withstand the subsequent onslaught. Carter tried to show he wasn't hurt near round's end by standing in there with Zarate, which proved only to get him hit some more. Carter grabbed Zarate by the head and pulled it down, holding a furious Zarate until the ref jumped in and the round soon ended.

Carter got his bearings back in the second and fought more of his fight, bobbing and weaving, hitting Zarate with jabs and combinations when openings allowed. He was still absorbing hard shots from Zarate, but far less frequently. After he stuck Zarate with a 4-punch combination late, Zarate responded with a ferocious left hook that left Carter dazed and punctuated an even, and entertaining round 2.

Carter got Zarate on his heels early in the third, but all his aggressiveness did was play into Zarate's hands. The two banged away and after Carter acquitted himself well early, Zarate took over in the second half, landing several hard blows including a straight right that busted Carter's lip open. By round's end, his right eye was swollen as well, and the punishment he was taking was starting to show.

Still, Carter would repeat his mistake, even in a round 4 he controlled. For the first two minutes, Carter peppered Zarate from outside, guarding well and getting inside for moments of effective body work before bouncing back outside. He wasn't throwing many punches, certainly nowhere near as many as Zarate, but he was landing at a good clip. But the better he did, the more he wanted to engage Zarate and, as in the third, Zarate took over late in the round, blasting home several power punches. Carter won the round, but momentum at the end was still Zarate's way.

At this point, Carter's lip had been largely put under control, but both eyes were now significantly swollen. For the next three rounds, Carter gave all he had to hang in, but Zarate was relentless with his power shots, and Carter's moderate punching activity slowed to a crawl. He did enough to keep the fight going, but it was obvious he would need a knockout that wasn't coming.

In the 8th, Zarate bullied Carter, pushing him around and working in several uppercuts that throttled Carter, punishing the body and working off that to the head. A final uppercut late was all referee Robert Byrd needed to see, stopping the fight and protecting a gutty but battered and bloodied Carter from further punishment.

Zarate TKO 8.


IBF Middleweight: #1 Bernard Hopkins vs #4 Iran Barkley

Iran Barkley knew Hopkins was willing to wait. His intention was to force the pace.

Hopkins adapted quickly, roughhousing with Barkley in a series of clinches, clutches and grabs, firing body shots and countering effectively to open a fight to set up the IBF Middleweight championship bout.

Hopkins surprised Barkley early in the second by attacking at the bell, a combination snapping Barkley's head back violently and setting the tone for Hopkins' methodical dominance, which would last two minutes until Barkley came to life in the final minute, outbanging Hopkins in a round-ending exchange but now having lost the first two rounds in a fight where his entire focus was to smother Hopkins early.

A pair of hooks in the first half of the round brought attention to Barkley's left eye, which was rapidly beginning to swell. Barkley's attack slowed noticeably, and Hopkins was happy to simply pick him apart at will, burying his head in Barkley's chest and battering him with hooks to the body, coming up high occasionally. With 3 rounds done, it was all Hopkins.

Not winded, Hopkins surprisingly took the 4th round essentially off. Barkley stalked him and did some fine body work, nothing to put Hopkins in danger, but enough for Barkley to finally win a round.

Barkley's left eye was giving him fits, however, and in the 5th it was blatant target practice for Hopkins. After controlling the early part of the round, Hopkins backed off, daring Barkley to approach. When he did, Hopkins landed a perfect uppercut to drop Barkley to the canvas. Hopkins would attack, landing a solid cross, before the two tumbled into the corner and stayed locked there to end the round.

The 6th was devoid of action until it closed on 1:30, when Hopkins buried a hook into Barkley's ribs, dropping him again. Barkley got up at 9, and with nearly half a round remaining Hopkins went to work. Barkley stood his ground and weathered a vicious assault from Hopkins, who was throwing everything at him. Miraculously, the half-blind and now bloodied Barkley, survived the round.

Hopkins would drop Barkley as part of a dominating 7th round in which referee Brian Garry looked ready at several times to call a halt to the bout. But Barkley rose quickly, and with the knockdown at the end of the round, that was enough for Garry to let Barkley go on.

The 8th was Barkley's last ditch effort, landing a few heavy shots early but Hopkins was glad to just back off, let the exhausted Barkley punch himself out, and work him over late in the round. Barkley was visibly spent as the 9th began.

Barkley came out throwing wildly, and Hopkins was in pure evade mode. It quickly became apparent that Barkley had nothing left. After he stumbled missing a wild right nowhere near the mark, Garry jumped in and called it to an end.

Hopkins will face the winner of Gerald McClellan vs Sumbu Kalambay

Hopkins TKO 9.

WBC Lightweight: #1 Pernell Whitaker vs #4 Jose Luis Ramirez

The buzz for this fight was somewhat disrespectful to Ramirez, a tough fighter in his own right. But if Whitaker won here, and Mayweather Jr. won tomorrow night, one of the FBA's most anticipated matchups would occur for the gold later this year.

What occurred this night was simply a masterpiece. Not a long writeup because there isn't much to say. Ramirez landed a big uppercut to end the first round, and fought an effective round in the 5th. But other than that, for 10 rounds, Whitaker put on an absolute boxing clinic.

This fight can be told in the numbers:

Whitaker threw 76 punches a round, landing 52.1%
Ramirez threw 65 punches a round, landing 13%

Simply put, Whitaker was virtually untouchable.

After the fight, his final comment was "Tell the pretty one I'll be waiting."

Whitaker UD 10: 100-90, 100-90, 98-92

GH

[GForce]

Sunday Night Fights Results, July 25

WBA Cruiserweight: Massimiliano Duran vs Johnny Nelson (Non-tourney)

A largely uneventful bout here. No blood, no knockdowns, no significant swelling, and not a lot of action.

Nelson is the busier of the two, and his aggressiveness dictates the first 3 rounds. But Duran starts to find his spots and as he connects with greater accuracy, he throws more punches, never really hurting Nelson but upping the activity level enough to appease the judges.

Duran lands 47% of his blows, compared with 22% for Nelson. Ultimately, Duran gets the majority decision;

Duran MD 10: 96-95, 96-95, 96-96

IBF Heavyweight: #10 Frank Bruno vs #11 Michael Dokes

When Michael Dokes failed to show up for the pre-fight press conference, the Bruno camp charged first that Dokes was afraid, then that he was probably out somewhere "coked up."

Drugs had been rumored to be part of Dokes' life outside the ring, but all anyone knew for sure was that he had fought two excellent bouts to get here, and with another win, the flamboyant and articulate native of Akron, Ohio, would fight for a share of the Heavyweight title.

There have been no drug test results released, but from watching the fight it is clear that something was wrong with Dokes, and it wasn't an injury.

Simply put, Bruno - always in prime physical shape - battered a slightly soft and more-than-slightly foggy Dokes for 7 1/2 rounds, knocking him down in the 6th and 7th before a final knockdown in the 8th forced ref Abe Goldstein to call a halt to the bout at 1:31 of the 8th.

Dokes had destroyed Tim Witherspoon and battered Ken Norton to get here. Whatever happened leading up to this fight, what happens to Dokes from this point will be interesting to watch.

Bruno now waits for the winner of Mike Tyson/Floyd Patterson to see who he will fight for the title.

Bruno TKO 8.


WBC Lightweight: #2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs #3 Hilmer Kenty

A pair of defensive stalwarts lock up here to see who fights Pernell Whitaker for the title. Kenty publicly shrugged off Mayweather's constant talking of a bout between him and Whitaker - acting as though beating Kenty was a foregone conclusion - but those close to Kenty said he was furious and out to ruin Mayweather's plan.

Mayweather said before the fight that he was not impressed by Whitaker's victory last night, and spent more time talking of the disrespect shown to him by having Whitaker headline the Pay Per View, while Mayweather was put on the Sunday Night Fights card. Lost on Mayweather was Whitaker being the #1 seed.

"Just another mistake," he said. "But that's OK. He won't be able to run from me. I'm going to walk right through him."

Kenty wouldn't boast enough to say it would be him facing Whitaker, but he did caution Floyd not to look ahead. "If he doesn't see me coming, he'll regret it."

In the opening round, Kenty landed a hard uppercut early and controlled the first half of the round, waiting on Mayweather and finding the few holes he would leave. But Kenty walked into a stiff combination near the 2-minute mark that rattled him and opened the door for Mayweather to land another one before the end of the round, stealing it on all three cards.

Kenty was the aggressor again the 2nd, banging a shot off Mayweather's head and following up with a straight right. A straight right over a Mayweather jab scored as well as Kenty piled up the points early. Mayweather responded again in the final minute, but Kenty still took the round convincingly.

The 2nd, however, left Kenty with a gash over his right eye. He would paw at it early in the third after a cross from Mayweather raked it. Mayweather caught Kenty coming in with an uppercut and then let his hands go, his first truly aggressive moment of the fight. The moment would last the rest of the round, Kenty unable to score and spending most of his time dodging and ducking Mayweather's attack.

An uneventful fourth was followed by Kenty opening up in the 5th, hurting Mayweather with a series of combinations and an uppercut that sent him staggering into the corner. Mayweather takes single blows the rest of the way, but his defense prevents Kenty from following up and capitalizing.

Mayweather remained cautious in the 6th, as Kenty picked his spots to land, easily taking a rather dull round. And after Mayweather opened strong in the 7th, he resorted to clowning and clinching, letting Kenty score enough and reassume enough aggresiveness to take the round.

Mayweather was given a tounge-lashing in his corner about his lack of aggressiveness, and he stepped it up a bit in the 8th. But Kenty's defense proved virtually impregnable for the first 2 minutes until a combination from Mayweather shook him. Mayweather banged home another cross to punctuate the round in his favor.

The 9th was still another tactical round, both fighters pawing their jabs in search of an opening. Kenty was marginally ahead in the round before a devastating right hook from Mayweather stunned Kenty. Unfortunately for Mayweather, it was too close to the end of the round for him to be able to follow up, and the fight would head to the 10th.

Both fighters missed early and often with their jabs in the final stanza, Kenty again dictating pace. The most forceful shots of the round, however, were a stirring combination from Mayweather that left Kenty clinching him to regain his composure. The crowd, restless for much of the fight, booed a listless final minute to the close, defensive battle.

The unanimous decision: 96-94, 96-94, 97-93...

For Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather fell to his knees briefly before jumping up to leap on the ropes in the corner. Kenty shook his head, stunned. He had dictated the pace for much of the fight, been more aggressive, thrown more punches (906-781) and connected on the same percentage (22%).

"I won this fight," Kenty said afterward. "And after Whitaker picks him apart, I hope to get a rematch."

Mayweather laughed when told of Kenty's comments. "His only rematch will be if he earns a title shot, because after I face Whitaker, that's what I'll be...CHAMP!"

GH

[GForce]

Other July Non-Tourney Bouts


WBC Heavyweight: David Tua vs Jerry Quarry (Quarry TKO 9, swelling)

WBA Heavyweight: Fres Oquendo vs Oliver McCall (Oquendo UD 10: 96-94, 97-93, 98-92)

IBF Jr. Middleweight: Robert Frazier vs Rocky Mattioli (Mattioli UD 10: 97-95, 98-93, 97-95)

WBC Bantamweight: Julio Zarate vs Ricardo Vargas (Zarate SD 10: 96-94, 96-94, 94-96)

WBC Welterweight: Charlie Shipes vs James Page (Shipes MD 10: 96-94, 95-94, 95-95)

WBA Lightweight: James Buscemo vs Gilberto Serrano (Serrano SD 10: 96-94, 95-94, 94-95)

WBA Jr. Welterweight: Bruce Curry vs Micky Ward (Curry TKO 8, cuts)

WBC Flyweight: Erbito Salvarria vs Luis Alberto Estaba (Salvarria UD 10: 97-
94, 97-95, 96-95)

IBF Welterweight: Bruce Finch vs Dave Green (Green KO 6)

WBA Jr. Lightweight: Sammy Serrano vs Hwan-Kil Yuh (Serrano UD 10: 96-95 on all 3 cards)

IBF Middleweight: Ronnie Harris vs Jean-Claude Bouttier (Harris UD 10: 97-95, 96-95, 97-94)

WBA Bantamweight: Alfonzo Zamora vs Daorung Chuvatana (Zamora KO 6)

WBC Featherweight: Eloy Rojas vs Juan Cabrera (Rojas KO 2)

IBF Lightweight: Juan Lazcano vs Howard Davis Jr. (Lazcano UD 10: 97-91, 96-92, 96-92)

IBF Jr. Welterweight: Gary Hinton vs Wilfredo Negron (Negron SD 10: 94-93, 94-92, 92-94)

IBF Welterweight: Michael Trabant vs Joey Gamache (Gamache SD 10: 97-94, 96-94, 94-96)

WBC Jr. Welterweight: Juan Martin Coggi vs Roger Mayweather (Mayweather UD 10: 98-90, 97-91, 97-91)

IBF Featherweight: Paul Hodkinson vs Victor Polo (Hodkinson UD 10: 97-92, 96-92, 97-91)

WBA Feathweight: Antonio Cermeno vs Hector Acero Sanchez (Cermeno TKO 6, cuts)

GH
__________________

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights, August 6
IBF Flyweight: #2 Myung-Woo Yuh vs #3 Hilario Zapata
WBC Jr. Featherweight: #2 Mike Ayala vs #3 Victor Callejas
WBA Heavyweight: Joe Bugner vs Carl Williams (Non-Tourney)

HBO Boxing After Dark, August 7
WBC Cruiserweight: #1 Vasily Jirov vs #5 Alexandre Gurov
IBF Flyweight: #1 Michael Carbajal vs #5 Sot Chitalada
IBF Lightweight: Leonard Dorin vs Levander Johnson (Non-Tourney)

Sunday Night Fights, August 8
WBA Welterweight: #7 Rafael Pineda vs #3 Luis Rodriguez
WBA Middleweight: #2 Rodrigo Valdez vs #3 Dick Tiger
WBA Jr. Welterweight: Saoul Mamby vs Sang Hyun-Kim (Non-Tourney)

GH

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights, August 13
WBA Jr. Bantamweight: #1 Khaosai Galaxy vs #5 Luis Alberto Perez
WBA Cruiserweight: Henry Tillman vs Fabrice Tiozzo (Non-Tourney)
WBC Welterweight: Antonio Diaz vs Oba Carr (Non-Tourney)

Showtime Championship Boxing, August 14
WBA Jr. Lightweight: #1 Alexis Arguello vs #5 Rocky Lockridge
IBF Jr. Featherweight: #1 Jeff Fenech vs #13 Jose Sanabria
WBA Light-Heavyweight: #2 Bob Foster vs #3 Victor Galindez

Sunday Night Fights, August 15
WBA Jr. Featherweight: #1 Wilfredo Gomez vs #4 Loris Stecca
IBF Bantamweight: #1 Jeff Chandler vs #4 Eijiro Murata
IBF Featherweight: Danny Lopez vs Derrick Gainer (Non-Tourney)

GH

[GForce]

Forgotten July bouts: Draw rematches

WBC Heavyweight: Joe Frazier (1) vs Greg Page (9)

Their first fight was considered a good effort by page, but a surprisingly unaggressive effort on the part of Frazier. The assumption here was that Frazier would come out firing. Still, Frazier would be giving up 7 1/2 inches in reach and 2 1/2 in height, both attributes all the aggression in the world could counter, but not alter. Page used his reach to a major advantage in the first out, and it would take aggressiveness from Frazier, bulling to get inside, to counter it.

Less than 30 seconds into the bout, Frazier did as expected. He forced his way inside on Page, banging away to the body. But Page was able to land some shots of his own, and Frazier was doing more pushing than punching at this point. Page caught Frazier with a hook then combination in the final moments of the opening round that won the round for him.

Frazier banged away in the second as well, and controlled the early part of the round until a combination from Page backed him off. From the distance, Page stuck his jab in Frazier's face for the round's duration while Frazier fired away, landing a pair of crosses. Still, he couldn't get back in close and Page, though being economical with his punches, seemed to feel he'd at least hold his own so long as he could keep Frazier on the outside.

The third was a dull round, uneventful but tactically brilliant by Page, who just pawed his jab in Frazier's face, unwilling to let him get close. Frazier, since the opening of the fight, was having a devil of a time overcoming Page's reach advantage, but a left to the body and a stiff combination punctuated a third round in his favor.

In the fourth, the Frazier fans expected finally showed up. A relentless attack backed Page up, and Frazier landed a hook and cross, sending Page falling into the ropes. Frazier continued the assault, getting forced outside by Page but now able to get himself back inside with Page too dazed to effectively carry out his fight plan. So he did the next best thing. He held on to Frazier, then held him again. Page was wobbly, but upright, at the end of the round, and Frazier was energized by his attack.

Which is what made the fifth round so stunning. Frazier couldn't land a thing, and Page, still frugal with his punches, seemed to be landing everything he threw, and stiffly. Combinations from outside landed at will, Frazier seeming stuck between punches all round, unsure what he wanted to do. All momentum from the 4th was lost, and Page had reassumed control.

Throughout the fight, Page had neutralized, or at least stalled, Frazier's attack by clinching, leaning on him and letting his leverage work as a weapon. Frazier would control the 6th, battering Page with hook after hook, his left doing fine work, but Page would not let him mount a consistent attack, holding anytime a surge happened. Frazier's right eye was swelling as well, and both fighters seemed to be tiring.

Frazier complained to referee Richard Steele about the clinching in the 7th, an even round slightly tilted in Page's favor, but Steele simply waved the two back together. Frazier took the 8th, landing a leaping left hook that wobbled Page, but missing with a follow-up right that, had it landed, would have undoubtedly dropped the off-balance Page.

The 9th round was thoroughly uneventful, both fighters almost seeming to be conserving energy for a vital 10th round. A thudding left to the ribs from Frazier got the 10th off to a good start for him, but Page was able to land from outside again in response. Still, Frazier's shots seemed to be harder, and he was certainly the aggressor. What seemed clear though was that, though he was more aggressive than the first fight, Page was exerting his will a great deal when it came to styles. Frazier simply couldn't get inside on him consistently, and with everyone in the building knowing that was his intent, Page was likely scoring points simply for preventing Frazier from carrying out his plan.

It was announced as a majority decision, the first card 95-95 even.

The next two were 96-95 and 96-94, for the winner...

Greg Page.

A livid Frazier shook his head in disgust, stomping around the ring and barking at Richard Steele. But Page, whose commitment to hard work had been the biggest question surrounding him, had knocked off the top seed and now would face Corrie Sanders for the right to fight Vitaly Klitschko in a surprise matchup for the WBC Heavyweight Title.

As an aside, given the draw the first time and Page's victory here, I simmed 100 fights, fearing maybe despite my downgrading Page from the original version I hadn't cut him enough. In the sim, Frazier won 96 of 100, Page winning 2 and 2 draws. Needless to say, Page stepped up his game for the tournament. But, I'm sure, Frazier will be heard from again.

GH

[GForce]

Other July rematches:

WBC Jr. Bantamweight: Medgeon Singsurat (3) vs Payao Poontarat (11)
Their first bout saw Singuarat win one card 97-94, but the other 2 were scored even. Poontarat simply worked his tail off in that fight, but many experts were unsure he could do better. They knew Singsurat could, and thus Singsurat was expected to emerge.

There was some concern that Singsurat had trained too hard, particularly given the battle that occurred only a month prior. Poontarat, however, looked fresh and ready to go. Looks were deceiving, though, as Singsurat turned up the pace and outworked Singsurat this time, throwing 20 more punches per round.

The early rounds were a slugfest, Poontarat taking the opener before Singsurat battered away at him in the 2nd. And there was the difference. Last time, Poontarat was able to respond anytime Singsurat hurt him. This time, the starch was taken out of him.

Singsurat took the third as well before dropping Poontarat in the 4th with a devastating uppercut. Poontarat survived the round and responded well in the 5th and 6th, though he became more tentative and seemed to lose his desire to brawl. He went with a more evasive, defensive tact, and Singsurat just waited him out.

Singsurat would regain control in the 7th and, with Poontarat visibly weary, Singsurat attacked in the 8th with combinations before a blistering body shot dropped Poontarat and left him down for the count.

Singsurat wins, KO 8. Singsurat won't have much time to recouperate before fighting #10-seed Alimi Goitia in the semifinal.


IBF Jr. Bantamweight: Alexander Munoz (1) vs Katsuya Onizuka (9)

Their first contest is a fight of the year candidate for both the frenetic pace of the first half of the fight and Munoz's right hand to drop Onizuka - who appeared on his way to victory - with 10 seconds left in the fight to earn the 10-8 round needed to force the draw, and the rematch.

It was clear from the first bout that Onizuka's style posed all sorts of problems for Munoz, whose power bailed him out. But Munoz was reluctant to offer any credit to Onizuka for the first bout, and seemed sure this rematch would be a knockout victory. When tales started circulating that Munoz had broken training several times, it was clear he was officially taking Onizuka lightly.

Munoz came out firing and took the opening round convincingly, nodding as he walked back to his corner. But in the second, Onizuka let him know he'd be in for a fight again, stinging home combinations that Munoz could neither counter nor block. Rounds 3 and 4 were even, Munoz landing the harder blows but Onizuka landing more often.

Less than a half minute into the 5th, Onizuka smashed home a cross that sent Munoz tumbling to the canvas. He would rise at 9 and absorb a beating for the next 2 minutes. With referee Carlos Padilla looking near ready to stop the bout, Munoz unleashed a hammer of a right hand that stopped a charging Onizuka in his tracks. Another big straight right from Munoz had Onizuka looking as though he would fall, but the round came to a close to an eruption from the crowd.

The 6th was even, neither fighter absorbing much punishment. But when the 7th began, only one fighter still seemed in the fight.

In a matter of minutes, Munoz looked like he had lost all his energy. Onizuka spent the next 4 rounds beating Munoz to the punch - when he even threw any - and wearing him down with stiff, quick combinations. Munoz never hit the canvas, but he didn't have to.

Onizuka pulls off the upset, UD 10: 97-92, 97-92, 96-93. He will now fight #4-seed Masamori Tokuyama to see who will battle Luis Bolanos for the title.

GH

[GForce]

Friday Night Fights, August 20
IBF Featherweight: #1 Vicente Saldivar vs #12 Cecilio Lastra
WBC Cruiserweight: Luis Andres Pineda vs Thomas Hansvoll (Non-Tourney)
WBC Jr. Middleweight: Paul Vaden vs Oscar Albarado (Non-Tourney)
WBC Jr. Featherweight: Willie Jorrin vs Soo-Hyun Chung (Non-Tourney)
WBC Flyweight: Melchor Cobb Castro vs Jaime Rios (Non-Tourney)

Pay Per View, August 21
IBF Jr. Middleweight: #1 Oscar De La Hoya vs #4 Denny Moyer
WBA Featerweight: #2 Manny Pacquiao vs #6 Freddy Norwood
WBA Jr. Lightweight: #2 Hector Camacho vs #3 Acelino Freitas
WBC Jr. Lightweight: #2 Joel Casamayor vs #3 Ben Villaflor
WBC Cruiserweight: Robert Daniels vs Vincenzo Cantatore (Non-Tourney)

Sunday Night Fights, August 22
IBF Middleweight: #2 Gerald McClellan vs #3 Sumbu Kalambay
IBF Cruiserweight: #2 Ancalet Wamba vs #3 Kelvin Davis
WBA Featherweight: Naseem Hamed vs Antonio Esparragoza (Non-tourney)
WBC Jr. Middleweight: Jae-Do Yuh vs Miguel DeOliviera (Non-tourney)
IBF Bantamweight: Greg Richardson vs Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Non-Tourney)

GH

[GForce]

I'm going to shorten recaps unless a fight warrants it. It won't have to be a "big" fight, but one that has enough action and is close enough to warrant a longer write up. Just writing long for the sake of doing so doesn't serve much purpose, I don't think.

Friday Night Fights Results, August 6

WBA Heavyweight: Joe Bugner vs Carl Williams (Non-Tourney)

Williams fights an excellent battle and Bugner does nothing after the fifth round. "The Truth" wins by unanimous decision, 98-92 on all 3 cards.

WBC Jr. Featherweight: #2 Mike Ayala vs #3 Victor Callejas

Both fighters won their first bouts by TKO, their second by decision. Ayala chose to try and fight a tactical battle, despite being capable of slugging it out if he needed to. Callejas knows one direction, and that's forward, so what he was bringing here was not a shock to anyone.

An uneventful opening round saw Callejas leave himself open to a big uppercut from Ayala that put him on his heels, and a big cross his next time in. Callejas got cautious and didn't do much, leaving his corner frustrated with his effort.

The tide quickly turned though, as Callejas dropped Ayala 20 seconds into the second round. Ayala pulled himself up by the ropes, looking dazed and confused. Callejas fired away, but did so without control, landing several shots but missing most of them, letting Ayala out of the round.

Still, Ayala was in trouble. Worse, he was backpedalling a lot, letting Callejas be the aggressor. He was countering fairly well, but rarely initiating, and Callejas' blows had significantly more starch in them. Callejas won the third round and Ayala tried to stand in more in the 4th. He was effective in that he landed more blows, but Callejas landed more as well, and with the harder shots, Callejas was doling out more punishment.

Ayala was in a bind now, fighting defensively wasn't working and slugging with Callejas was still putting him on the short end. Callejas took the next 2 rounds convincingly before Ayala went back defensive to fight a near perfect 7th. Sensing a momentum shift, he decided to go on the attack rather than keep the status quo.

The 8th round was an exceptional slugfest, both fighters blasting away taking turns putting the other against the ropes. Ayala was connecting at a better rate, but Callejas' shots continued to have more sting. The fighters kept swinging at the bell with the crowd on its feet.

Ayala went defensive again in the 9th, countering a tired Callejas effectively. But the 10th round would show that the tactics of the 9th were born, not of tactical thought, but out of necessity. Ayala had nothing in the tank, and Callejas roared off his stool for the final round, battering Ayala for the duration and securing his place in the title bout against #1 seed Sergio Palma.

Callejas UD 10: 98-91, 96-93, 96-93


IBF Flyweight: #2 Myung-Woo Yuh vs #3 Hilario Zapata

A badly overweight Zapata fights a solid defensive fight but never mounts a real attack, and Yuh finds enough openings to take a rather dull contest.

Yuh MD 10: 98-92, 97-93, 95-96

GH