The Heavyweight Boxing Federation

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

Lyle was coming off his first loss and worst career performance to date against Joe Choynski, a bout in which he looked uninterested and unmotivated. He produced a superior effort this evening but it wasn't enough to defeat an opponent who was just briming with confidence and fought with unmatchable aggression.

Looking at each of the first five rounds individually, Weaver was only just the better fighter but Lyle was terribly unlucky to not be awarded at least one of them by any of the judges. There was no doubt over Weaver's showing in the sixth, where he tagged Lyle with a number of punishing shots.

The tournament's 6th seed was a dejected figure afterwards, knowing his chances of progressing in the tournament are now all but over.

"I don't doubt that I lost the fight," he said, frowning. "I can accept that. Mike was too good for me tonight and he deserved the win. But I can't believe the scoring, man. I can't believe that I went through that whole fight and didn't win a single round. I felt it was really close going into the sixth, felt that if I could finish with a flurry I might have a chance but I was already out of the picture by then. Just makes me shake my head that all three of them saw it the same way."

Looking at the punch totals, it is difficult to see how each judge gave every round to Weaver. The Californian landed 150 of 389 punches (38.6%) while Lyle connected with 111 of 271 (41.0%). But much of the difference between the totals came about in the final round, when Weaver outlanded the top seed 38-15.

It's quite extraordinary how Lyle's 1st Defense tournament campaign has just collapsed in a heap during these past two fights. The Colorado native was sitting in 1st place in Group Six following series four and was still 2nd after last month's loss to Choynski. But tonight's defeat has cost him big time as he's now plummeted all the way down to 4th.

1st: 2(11) Mike Weaver 5-1-0(2)
2nd: 5(35) John Lester Johnson 4-1-1

3rd: 3(19) Joe Choynski 3-2-1
4th: 1(6) Ron Lyle 3-2-1(1)

Choynski has moved in front of Lyle by virtue of last month's win and the top seed's chances of progressing now hinge on the result of Johnson's series seven clash against the group's 8th seed Jurgen Blin. It's an incredible position that Lyle finds himself in, one that would have been unthinkable after he had disposed of Johnson with ease back on the 11th of May.

As for Weaver, he can now breathe a little easier knowing he's secured a stage two birth. He faces a tough contest against Choynski next month, a fight which although appearing meaningless, would make things very interesting if the 19th seed can pull off a victory. Such a result could bring about a three-way tie between Johnson, Choynski and Lyle for 2nd place...

(Coming up: Johnson vs Williams in the Main Event!)

[kenyan_cheena]

***

SATURDAY 20 JULY 2002
RELIANT PARK PAVILION,
HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD

THE MAIN EVENT
"THE BATTLE FOR SOUTHERN TEXAS"

JACK JOHNSON
GALVESTON, TEXAS, USA
4-1-0(2)
6'1", 209 pounds
#3 seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament

vs

CLEVELAND WILLIAMS
HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA
4-0-1(1)
6'3", 211 pounds
#30 seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament

***

Anyone who had been following the last month or so of build-up to tonight's Main Event would have known who the favoured fighter was amongst Texans. Williams, who celebrated his 19th birthday three weeks ago, had enamoured himself to his fellow Lone Star state natives with a modest, reserved nature. He hadn't taken the bait, declining to indulge in the trash-talking of his bragadocious opponent and as a result most of the state and without a doubt all of Houston were in his corner.

By comparison, Johnson had relished playing the role of villain. Having briefly tried to win over the state, "The Galveston Giant" had done some serious bridge burning during the past couple of weeks and had said only yesterday that he couldn't wait to see the faces of those in the Pavilion after he decimated "their boy".

(to be continued)

[CONN CHRIS]

So, is this Kalolo Umaga any good? I sure hope not.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

So, is this Kalolo Umaga any good? I sure hope not.

He was 2-3 in the Asian league and almost lasted the distance with Terone Haynes. He has pretty good power but I don't think he'll give your guy too much trouble.

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #1222)

Those words would have surely swayed even more to side with Williams, but when the 30th seed made his way to the ring wearing an oversized sky blue Houston Oilers jacket and cap, the arena absolutely erupted. Stepping through the ropes, Williams raised his arms and nodded his head, acknowledging the crowd's standing ovation. He removed the jacket to reveal an Oilers home jersey underneath and trunks of sky blue with red and white trim, motioning to his back and the number 1 and the name MOON stenciled across his shoulder blades.

Having spoken of his love for the Oilers during the week, Williams had given no indication that he would honor his childhood hero in such a fashion but the audience completely ate it up and an unlikely "Oilers!" chant resounded around the Pavilion for a full two minutes, Williams standing in the middle of the ring nodding, arms outstretched.

A few minutes later that applause turned to abuse and derision as, accompanied to the ring by the James Brown classic "Sex Machine", Johnson defiantly strutted down the aisle. Once in the ring he removed his robe of white and in his own tribute to the Godfather of Soul went down on one knee, one of his corner crew moving over to him and placing the robe over his shoulders and back like a cape. It was a scene that the crowd clearly didn't appreciate and Johnson gave each corner of the arena a look of disdain before getting straight into Williams' face and explaining to him in an animated way how the fight would pan out.

There haven't been too many better introductions to a fight during the short life of the HBF and this one set up the contest that was to come beautifully. Johnson was clearly pumped as the referee gave final instructions to the two combatants at centre ring, "The Galveston Giant" continuing to talk and bringing his gloves down hard on Williams' before returning to his corner.

Following is a round-by-round account of the bout provided by the Houston Herald's Larry Dale...

ROUND ONE

Johnson looks intent on testing Williams early, coming forward aggressively right from the opening bell. My, he's throwing a lot of leather, catching the hometown hero with a series of crisp jabs. Williams is clearly perturbed and on the defensive, backpedalling and showing little in the way of attack.

Cleveland just can't get a shot off because Johnson is really working that jab, three four five in a row there! Williams tries to muscle inside and Johnson lands a big right hand! His man is staggered and OH! The left hook has just deposited Williams onto his backside midway through the opening round! What a start for Johnson!

Up at three, Williams looks rattled but the crowd are trying their hardest to encourage him. Johnson shouts something back at them and when the referee orders them to fight, he goes back to work, peppering Williams with that jab. I don't think Williams has landed a punch yet and he's barely thrown anything. He wraps Johnson up and burns some precious seconds off the clock by stepping back out of range and staying away from the #3 seed.

Johnson's output falls away in the final minute of the round but Williams has not done a thing to worry him or even show that he'll be able to compete. The bell sounds and Johnson spits aggressive words at his opponent before returning to his corner.

Punch totals in Round One

Johnson 29/44
Williams 0/5

ROUND TWO

Williams is able to get himself into the fight in round two, having some success with the jab and catching Johnson with a sweetly timed uppercut midway through the stanza. He also manages to avoid most of Johnson's flurries, the Galveston slugger unable to hurt him with anything substantial.

It looks like the knockdown hasn't had any lingering effects on Williams and the crowd reacts with delight to his strong showing in the round. It's only really in the final thirty seconds where Johnson lands a number of shots, all of them jabs that do little more than keep Williams on the backfoot. A nice effort there from Williams to get himself back in the contest.

Punch totals for Round Two

Johnson 12/37
Williams 19/28

ROUND THREE

Johnson wrestles back control of the bout in the third, working harder than Williams (throwing more than twice as many punches) although he fails to do any major damage. Johnson has calmed down and looks to have a clear plain laid out towards victory. The jab is a potent weapon and he knows it and is using it to the fullest. Williams is already showing some swelling around the right eye.

I don't think I've ever been witness to such a one-sided crowd as this one. Every time Williams does something even mildly successful they applaud wildly. It's incredible how much they want him to win (or want Johnson to lose).

Punch totals for Round Three

Johnson 28/61
Williams 11/25

ROUND FOUR

With half of the fight in the books, Williams must know that he'll have to step it up if he wants to be victorious. He does just that in round four, a round which will turn out to be the most competitive of the fight.

Johnson is busy early on, keeping that jab in Cleveland's face. He lands a crushing right cross, a shot that staggers Williams but the crowd favourite comes back strongly with his best work of the contest. He tags Johnson on the jaw with a booming straight right and then cuts him over the left eye with another one moments later. He then snaps Johnson's head back with an uppercut and by this point the crowd is delirious, on their feet screaming for a knockdown.

The top-seeded Johnson rallies and for the remaining minute of the round the two are literally going toe-to-toe, throwing bombs from in close with no thought to taking a backward step. The crowd stays on their feet applauding as the combatants take a breather.

Punch totals for Round Four

Johnson 24/67
Williams 27/38

ROUND FIVE

Johnson appears concerned about the influence the crowd might have on the judges, telling his trainer between rounds that he needs another knockdown or a knockout. "Their swayin' 'em," he says, shaking his head.

Williams shows promise for much of round five, landing some hard shots and rattling Johnson for the first time in the fight with a devastating combination midway through.

But Johnson puts his foot down in the final minute, indulging in what almost seems like target practice on his clearly tiring opponent and worsening the swelling around Cleveland's eyes. Left-left-right is the strategy and Williams is just being tagged by too many shots.

When the bell sounds, Williams walks back to his corner slowly, Johnson watching him and taunting him, continuing to talk to the crowd.

Punch totals for Round Five

Johnson 35/88
Williams 17/24

ROUND SIX

One would think that Johnson has the fight in hand, but the same opinion existed as he came out for round six in his debut against Joe Beckett and everyone knows what happened then. Showing why he's the #3 seed in the World Championship tournament, Johnson produces the best single round of his career to date, succeeding in silencing the crowd for the first and only time in the fight.

A game Williams somehow stays on his feet despite being hit by all manner of punches: body blows, uppercuts, crushing hooks and flush right hands. All the while Johnson is talking to him, getting in his head as he's been doing through the whole fight and it looks like the words are finally doing their damage. Johnson opens an alarming gash over Williams' right eye as the final minute of the contest ticks away and by the time the round is over, he's thrown almost as many punches during it as Williams has through the course of the ENTIRE FIGHT.

Johnson draws the crowd's ire when he refuses to acknowledge Williams after the bell, preferring to stand upon the ring post and pound his chest with his right fist.

Punch totals for Round Six

Johnson 58/114
Williams 7/12

Punch totals for the entire fight

Johnson 186/408
Williams 81/132

***

Five minutes later, it's confirmed that, for the first time, Jack Johnson is in 1st place in Group Three of the World Championship tournament but it's also confirmed that his fears in regards to the crowd's influence were real: the final scorecards are only 57-56, 58-55 and 57-56, hard to fathom considering that he scored a knockdown in the opening round and was the better man for at least four of them.

Johnson shakes his head and flicks his hand as if attempting to swat away a pesky fly.

"No one in this entire arena wanted me to win tonight," he said, disgusted. "They tried their best to take this win away from me and, looking at the cards, they came close to succeeding. But ain't one of y'all can deny that I kicked your boy's ass! Look at him, man? He's a bleedin', swollen, mess! And someone thought the brother could beat me?!? Please, man. Get serious."

Johnson left the ring soon after, cutting the interview short and making his way back to the dressing room with his right fist raised in the air, staring straight ahead and ignoring the crowd.

Back when Johnson was a shock loser on debut to Joe Beckett, many questioned whether he was good enough to even qualify for stage two of the tournament. But now after five consecutive victories and with still one stage one bout to come, he has secured his spot there. 1st place is not wrapped up yet, but no matter what happens in his next bout against Manuel Ramos, Johnson will be there in stage two. He'll be joined by either Williams or Renaldo Snipes, who will go head-to-head next month with the reward of progression awaiting the winner.

1st: 1(3) Jack Johnson 5-1-0(2)
2nd: 2(30) Cleveland Williams 4-1-1(1)

3rd: 3(46) Renaldo Snipes 4-2-0

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
SATURDAY 20 JULY 2002
RELIANT PARK PAVILION, HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
3(19) Joe Choynski D6 4(27) Curtis Sheppard

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
7(110) Pat Valentino UD6 8(126) Joe Beckett

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
5(78) Franco Cavicchi TKO1 6(94) Pedro Lovell

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
3(46) Renaldo Snipes UD6 4(62) Manuel Ramos

CO-FEATURE

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Six
2(11) Mike Weaver UD6 1(6) Ron Lyle

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Three
1(3) Jack Johnson UD6 2(30) Cleveland Williams

[Romdawg88]

Damn, Cleveland got worked in that fight. If Johnson had any power he would have probably would have scored a easy stoppage. Johnson was scary good tonight if he keeps up that form he'll be tough to beat.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, Cleveland got worked in that fight. If Johnson had any power he would have probably would have scored a easy stoppage. Johnson was scary good tonight if he keeps up that form he'll be tough to beat.

I agree. I couldn't believe it when I saw that he'd landed 58 punches in that final round. It was good also that the game co-operated with the storyline by having the scorecards pretty close even though it was a dominant win, showing the judges being influenced by the pro-Williams crowd.

As you'd be seeing, I'm thinking of turning Johnson into a bit of a heel, although one a lot cooler than Shavers. There'll be another post relating to him during the coming week of stories.

[a87star]

I'm a little concerned for my guy in the opening round. "The Big Shake" is nothing to sneeze at.

[kenyan_cheena]

Sunday 21 July 2002

HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE
MONDAY 22/07/2002 - SATURDAY 27/07/2002 INCLUSIVE

MONDAY 22/07/2002 - TRUMP TAJ MAHAL HOTEL AND CASINO, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, USA

1D/G7: 7(50) BOB SATTERFIELD vs 8(58) MANNY BURGO
1D/G7: 5(34) TOM KENNEDY vs 6(42) DICK RICHARDSON
WC/G7: 7(106) WILLI BESMANOFF vs 8(122) DAN FLYNN
WC/G7: 5(74) MAC FOSTER vs 6(90) JACK RENAULT
WC/G7: 3(42) FRANK BRUNO vs 4(58) EARL WALLS
WC/G7: 1(7) YOUNG STRIBLING vs 2(26) ROLAND LASTARZA

WEDNESDAY 24/07/2002 - PACIFICO YOKOHAMA, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN

1D/G7: 3(18) DON COCKELL vs 4(26) OLLE TANDBERG
WC/G10: 7(103) FLOYD CUMMINGS vs 8(119) GEORGE JOHNSON
WC/G10: 5(71) JOE GRIM vs 6(87) THAD SPENCER
WC/G10: 3(39) STEVE HAMAS vs 4(55) RANDALL COBB
1D/G7: 1(7) DOUG JONES vs 2(10) NATIE BROWN
WC/G10: 1(10) MAX SCHMELING vs 2(23) FRANK MORAN

FRIDAY 26/07/2002 - SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

1D/G2: 7(55) KEVIN ISAAC vs 8(63) JACK ROPER
1D/G2: 5(39) CHUCK WEPNER vs 6(47) WIM SNOEK
WC/G15: 7(98) ALONZO JOHNSON vs 8(114) ARTHUR PELKEY
WC/G15: 5(66) GARY MASON vs 6(82) TONY ALONGI
WC/G15: 3(34) BRUCE SELDON vs 4(50) TED LOWRY
WC/G15: 1(15) JACK SHARKEY vs 2(18) OSCAR BONAVENA

SATURDAY 27/07/2002 - LUNA PARK, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

1D/G2: 3(23) JOHNNY WILLIAMS vs 4(31) PETER MAHER
WC/G2: 7(111) PHIL SCOTT vs 8(127) NICK BARONE
WC/G2: 5(79) HAROLD CARTER vs 6(95) ALEJANDRO LAVORANTE
WC/G2: 3(47) CHARLEY RETZLAFF vs 4(63) LOU NOVA
1D/G2: 1(2) JAMES JEFFRIES vs 2(15) MARVIN HART
WC/G2: 1(2) SONNY LISTON vs 2(31) MICHAEL DOKES

[kenyan_cheena]

INTRIGUING HBF MATCHUPS
ADD TO HUGE WEEK FOR BOXING

Sunday 21 July 2002

With the International Boxing League set to unveil the competitors for their World Championship tournaments tomorrow night in Las Vegas and a quartet of mouthwatering fight cards in the HBF, this coming week promises to be an absolutely huge one for the sport of boxing. The cards will conclude series six of the federation's World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments and there are plenty of interesting matchups.

The action starts tomorrow night in Atlantic City. The HBF would have been better served to schedule this event in a timezone where it won't clash with the IBL, but they've chosen to hold it in New Jersey and it's a card that features a fascinating main event between Georgia's Young Stribling and New Yorker Roland LaStarza. The native of the Bronx had tried to get under Stribling's skin for some time without success but made a big time breakthrough during last month's Staples Center fight card in Los Angeles. Both men traded punches backstage early in the evening, apparently because LaStarza had insulted Stribling's parents, who are also his trainers. It was the start of a terrible night for the Striblings as they went into meltdown before, during and after Young's bout against Frank Bruno, a contest he lost by split decision for his first career defeat. LaStarza was also beaten on the night, losing to the Canadian Earl Walls. It's entirely likely that the loser of tomorrow's bout will kiss goodbye to their chances of progression in the tournament. The Co-Feature that preceeds it between Walls and Bruno holds just as much importance and should be an entertaining tussle.

On Wednesday, the HBF will be back in Japan where Max Schmeling will attempt to get his campaign back on track against the undefeated Pennsylvanian Frank Moran. Schmeling was outfought and, like Stribling, fell to his first defeat last month at the hands of New Jersey's Steve Hamas. A loss to Moran could end the German's hopes of going any further in the World Championship tournament. Considering the fact that he is Europe's brightest hope for success, the stakes can not be overstated.

The federation will stay down in the Asian region for Friday's event in Australia, where the troubled Bostonian Jack Sharkey will attempt to remain in contention for a spot in stage two against Argentina's Oscar Bonavena. The card will be held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and if Sharkey should fall to his third loss, he'll earn the ignominious tag of being the only top seed in the World Championship tournament to date to be mathematically eliminated from progression to stage two. Group Fifteen of the tournament has been one of the most exciting, even and competitive to this stage, with 66th-seeded Englishman Gary Mason currently sitting on top. He'll take on Florida's Tony Alongi in a bout where a win would seal an unlikely birth in stage two.

Finally, on Saturday "The Missouri Monster" Sonny Liston will step into the ring against Michael Dokes in Argentina. As has been widely reported in the past, Liston is planning to move permanently to Scotland once stage one of the tournament is complete and he's spent all but a few days over there since his victory over Charley Retzlaff on June 22. The #2 seed in the World Championship tournament will secure his place in stage two with a win over Dokes and many are predicting that it could be one of Liston's most destructive showings yet...

[kenyan_cheena]

Just a note to avoid any confusion: Chris requested a name change for his character and he is now called Scott Mundt. To reflect this, I've edited each post in both the IBL and HBF threads that feature him.

[kenyan_cheena]

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)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

"It's been a tough last month," said Stribling's father William afterwards. "But we feel that we've put it behind us now and tonight was a great step forward for the family and for Young, in particular. Mr. LaStarza hasn't been shy about running his mouth and I think that Young did a good job of keeping him quiet tonight."

ESPN's Bill Farris persisted on the matter of the Los Angeles incident, bringing a somewhat irritated reply from "Pa" Stribling.

"Well, if you can stand here and tell me that your family's never had a bad day, you're a better man than me," he said. "We just happened to have one of those days where the entire public saw it but like I said, we've put that behind us."

Young Stribling had stayed silent to that point, standing beside his father. But he spoke up in reinforcement of William's words.

"It's you media types that put us up on that pedestal," he said, glaring at Farris. "We didn't ask to be looked upon as a perfect family, because we know we aren't and it was pretty silly to make us feel like we should be. I hope that you all see that now."

There was a brief, awkward silence, Farris's face showing a sour expression which Stribling clearly enjoyed. But the ESPN correspondent composed himself and moved on to his next question.

"We've had some talk recently about the possibility of you competing at Junior-Heavyweight after the World Championship tournament is over," said Farris. "You've weighed in closer to 180 than 190 in all of your fights so the rumours are understandable."

Stribling released an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

"Truly, I haven't given it a moment's thought," he said. "I'm trying to win the World Heavyweight Championship, you know? Until I'm eliminated from the possibility of achieving that, nothing else matters."

The Stribling family left the ring soon after, the audience giving them something of a lukewarm response, something they gave little notice to.

Surprisingly, LaStarza had waited around to speak to Farris.

"I guess I have a lot of egg on my face," said the New Yorker. "But I'm man enough to admit I was wrong about the kid. He's a great fighter and I can see him going really far in the tournament. As for myself, it's disappointing. If I'd performed to my best ability in my other fights, tonight would have been my first loss and I'd still be in contention. But now the focus changes, I guess. I can still play the role of spoiler next month against Bruno but beyond that I'll be trying my hardest to claim that American Championship once the tournament gets underway."

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

***

Having sent the top-seeded Stribling to his first career defeat last month, England's Frank Bruno was at it again tonight as he scored a brutal 6th round TKO victory over the formerly undefeated Canadian Earl Walls in the Co-Feature. Bruno moved into 2nd place in the Group Seven standings, the win improving his record to 4-0-2(1) and continuing his push for progression to stage two.

It was a huge fight for both men but especially for Walls. He came into the contest on top of the group standings with an impressive 4-0-1 record and was looking to join fellow Canadians Sam Langford and George Chuvalo in stage two. A win would have seen him achieve that goal but instead he'll now have to defeat Stribling next month to make it through.

Bruno had been, in the opinion of many, a bit of a disappointment through the tournament's first four series. He'd struggled to accumulate a 2-0-2 record and most experts gave him little chance against Stribling. But the big Englishman finally showed what he's capable of in that fight and tonight was no different. He started fast, hurting Walls in the opening round with a number of powerful left hooks and straight rights. The contest became a more even affair during the next three rounds as Walls showed more resistance and aggression, some spirited, powerful exchanges bringing much applause from the audience.

Going into the fifth it was either man's fight to win and it was Bruno who seized control. He had Walls holding on and just trying to survive after a sledgehammer right hand early in the round and he staggered the Canadian shortly before the bell. No doubt he would have had him on the canvas if there'd been another twenty seconds on the clock. Walls looked in real trouble during the intermission and when Bruno floored him with a straight right 22 seconds into the final round, it was the beginning of the end. Walls was up quickly but found himself on his back again less than a minute later, a left right left salvo doing the job this time. Up at eight, he looked gone but the referee allowed the fight to continue. Walls was able to tie Bruno up briefly but a crushing left hook dropped him for a third and final time at the 1:48 mark, Bruno declared the winner immediately via the three knockdown rule. The 42nd seed walked around the ring triumphantly, left fist raised.

"I know that I was really struggling in those early fights," he said. "Maybe it was a lack of confidence or nerves, I'm not quite sure. But I had a lot of trouble, that's certain. I feel like I've been a lot more relaxed in these last two bouts and that's really helped me."

Following Stribling's defeat of LaStarza in the main event, the standings at the top of Group Seven look like this:

1st: 1(7) Young Stribling 5-1-0 (15 points)
2nd: 3(42) Frank Bruno 4-0-2(1) (14 points)

3rd: 4(58) Earl Walls 4-1-1 (13 points)

The series seven matchups will see Stribling take on Walls and Bruno go up against the eliminated LaStarza. A win would guarantee Bruno progression, but even if he was to lose he'd still move on if Stribling defeats Walls, which would be the expected result. It figures to be an exciting final night for this particular tournament group...

ON THE UNDERCARD

* Chicago's Bob Satterfield improved to 2-4 with a dominant unanimous decision win over Manny Burgo in the opener. Satterfield dropped his English-born opponent twice, once in the 1st and then again in the 4th and took the verdict by scores of 59-53 on all three cards.

* In another 1st Defense tournament bout, Welshman Dick Richardson was a majority decision winner for a second fight in a row, taking a 58-57, 58-58, 58-57 verdict against Tom Kennedy in a competitive contest. Richardson is now 3-3 while Kennedy fell to 1-4-1.

* A contest between two winless fighters ended in the worst possible way for both of them: as a draw. For Germany's Willi Besmanoff it was the third time in his last four fights that he'd been greeted by such a decision after the final bell and his record is now an unfortunate 0-3-3. The result ended a career-starting five fight losing streak for Flynn, so he was probably a bit happier than the German. The scorecards read 58-57, 58-58, 57-58.

* Fresno's Mac Foster followed up last month's win over Besmanoff with a 3rd round TKO of Jack Renault. The Canadian had won both of the opening two rounds and looked capable of springing an upset but Foster went to town on him in the third with a nasty cut over Renault's left eye leading to the fight being called off in Foster's favour 2:53 into the round. When the night's action was over, Foster would find himself up in 4th place in the Group Seven standings, his 3-2-1(2) record moving him ahead of 26th seed Roland LaStarza, who he sensationally KO'd back in April and who now sits in what is an embarassing 5th place...

[kenyan_cheena]

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION FIGHT CARD
MONDAY 22 JULY 2002
TRUMP TAJ MAHAL HOTEL AND CASINO, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, USA


OPENING BOUT

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
7(50) Bob Satterfield UD6 8(58) Manny Burgo

PRELIMINARY 1

HBF 1st Defense Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
6(42) Dick Richardson MD6 5(34) Tom Kennedy

PRELIMINARY 2

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
7(106) Willi Besmanoff D6 8(122) Dan Flynn

SUPPORT BOUT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
5(74) Mac Foster TKO3 6(90) Jack Renault

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HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
3(42) Frank Bruno TKO6 4(58) Earl Walls

MAIN EVENT

HBF World Championship Tournament - Stage One - Group Seven
1(7) Young Stribling UD6 2(26) Roland LaStarza

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CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE FLORIDA ALLIANCE

From top to bottom:

* ELMER RAY
* TERONE HAYNES (pictured with his girlfriend Lisa Watts)
* OLIVER MCCALL

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AND...

* "TAMPA" TOMMY GOMEZ
* JAMES RAY
* ROMY ALVAREZ

(Note: As I've stated before in the thread, Terone Haynes resembles Ben Wallace quite strongly and I haven't mentioned it before now, but I picture James Ray looking similar to Floyd Mayweather, Jnr.)

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CALIFORNIA, HERE I COME

Tuesday 23 July 2002

Apparently fed up with the attitude that his fellow Texans hold towards him, Heavyweight Boxing Federation competitor Jack Johnson has revealed today that he'll be packing up and moving to Los Angeles "within the week".

Johnson was a convincing victor over Houston's Cleveland Williams at the Reliant Park Pavilion just three days ago in a contest where a large majority of the audience were vehemently against him. The win improved Johnson's tournament record to 5-1(2) and moved him into 1st place in the Group Three standings for the first time.

"Just had enough of it," Johnson said today. "They don't like me, so to hell with all of 'em. Maybe the folks in LA will appreciate my style and my talents for what they are. I wish I could leave today but there's a couple of loose ends I gotta tie up first. This time next week, I'm-a be on the beach in Malibu. Gonna be great times, no doubt."

Johnson's situation bears strong similarities to that of fellow HBF competitor Sonny Liston, who has said that once the first stage of the federation's World Championship tournament is complete, he'll be leaving these shores and settling permanently in Glasgow, Scotland. Liston served time in the Missouri State Penitentiary and there have been many in his home state who have made it their business to continually remind Liston of that dark period in his life. The fact that the 2nd and 3rd seeds in the World Championship tournament have both experienced this type of trouble is a sad situation.

"You want me to speculate on it?" said Johnson, a serious look in his eyes. "You really want me to? Well, let me think about it. You got two guys who are right at the top of the pecking order in the HBF and who, for different reasons, are both hated in their home state. Maybe we brought it on ourselves, but those people over in Scotland don't seem to have a problem with Sonny. The folks down in Cuba and up in NYC didn't hate on me. So I don't know what it says about Texas and Missouri. Maybe you can figure it out."

Asked what the chances were of him joining Sam McVey's USC clique, Johnson laughed and smiled.

"I don't really go in for that kind of stuff," he said. "Although if I could find some ladies interested in escorting me to the ring, that would be somethin'."

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GONE IN 682 SECONDS:
SCHMELING TKO'D IN 4TH,
ELIMINATED FROM STAGE TWO!

Wednesday 24 July 2002

In a result that will send shockwaves through Germany in particular and Europe in general, 10th seed Max Schmeling was sensationally eliminated from progressing to stage two of the HBF's World Championship tournament when he was TKO'd in round four by Frank Moran today in Japan. Schmeling was Europe's highest seeded fighter in the tournament but with still one series of stage one bouts remaining, he has become the first #1 seed to be mathematically eliminated from progressing. Many thought that dubious honor would go to Boston's Jack Sharkey, who will join Schmeling in being eliminated if he falls to Oscar Bonavena on Friday night.

The nature of Moran's victory was shocking, to say the least. The opening three rounds of the contest had been more or less uneventful but Schmeling was clearly in control. He was keeping Moran at bay with a solid jab and, unable to mount a counter-attack, the Pittsburgh native was showing his frustration, especially following round three when he tagged the German after the bell.

Two of the judges had given Schmeling all three rounds while the other had scored two in his favour. However, it would be a flush straight right early in round four that would signal the beginning of the end. The punch staggered Schmeling and Moran didn't hesitate to follow up. He peppered the German with lefts and rights, keeping him off balance and connecting with another solid right before, at the two minute mark, came the shot that had the Pacifico Yokohama crowd on their feet: a textbook, perfect left hook that took Schmeling's legs out from under him and jolted his head violently around on his shoulders. Somehow, he made it back to his feet at eight and convinced referee Arthur Mercante he could continue. But Moran came charging in and landed four crushing unanswered shots, the last one catching Schmeling right in the face and literally sending him into Mercante's arms. The referee waved his left arm to signal the fight was over while supporting Schmeling with his right.

Moran jumped in the air, pumping his fist as his corner crew flooded the ring to congratulate him. The official time of the stoppage was 2:22 of the fourth round.

"The guy had been knocked down four times in his other fights," said an excited Moran. "So we knew that was something I could work on. He did a good job of keeping me at a distance in those first three rounds but once I caught him with the right, he was gone. I was actually surprised at how quickly it happened. I guess I underestimated my own power."

Schmeling wasn't in any condition to speak to the media afterwards and was taken back to the dressing room within minutes of the fight's conclusion.

The win stretched Moran's perfect record to six and was his first stoppage victory since a 5th round TKO of Floyd Cummings on debut. It also clinched a stage two birth for Moran.

As for Schmeling, he's 4-2 and, incredibly, will now be a big favourite to win the federation's European Championship tournament. That will surely be the furtherest thing from his mind though as he'll have to deal with the disappointment of an entire nation in the coming days. He'll finish his stay in the World Championship tournament with a meaningless contest against Randall Cobb. It's a situation that no one could have conceived of mere weeks ago but it's now a reality, one that Schmeling will surely have a difficult time accepting.

***

Moran will be joined in stage two by Steve Hamas, the New Jersey native also improving to 6-0 with a hard-earned unanimous decision win over a gutsy Randall Cobb. The Texan came in with a 1-4 record but he'd given Moran a challenging time in his last fight and did the same to Hamas.

The final scorecards were close, 57-56, 58-56 and 57-56 to Hamas. After an indifferent opening round, the member of "Jersey Pride" was awarded rounds two, three and four by all three judges, despite the fact that Cobb landed a number of punishing shots in the third and fourth. They were both thrilling rounds as was the fifth, which Cobb took with a late surge that included a crunching three punch salvo and then an uppercut that dropped Hamas to the canvas for the first time in his career as the bell sounded.

Hamas was able to finish strongly and only found out once the cards had been revealed how close he was to defeat, or at the least a draw.

"If I didn't finish it off like that in the sixth, maybe we'd be having a different conversation," he said. "I feel really fortunate to have won the fight because Randall just put in an incredible effort. He caught me with some hard shots and I'm surprised that I only went down once. He deserves a lot of admiration for what he did because at 1-4, it must be difficult to keep that fire burning. He knows he can't progress but he still made the fight a nightmare for me."

With Moran and Hamas both 6-0, all that's left to decide is who will finish on top of the group. Their August 28 clash will achieve that and it should be a thrilling contest.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Moran, when asked about the fight. "I don't know if there's any other group in the tournament like this, where you've got two guys with perfect records who'll fight it out for first place in the final bout. It's going to be an exciting fight."

(Coming up: The Yokohama Undercard)