The Greatest Prize in Sports - Page 88

kenyan_cheena · 07-31-2013, 11:20 PM

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: May 15, 2008 2.30 PM ET

Golota vs Friedrich
confirmed for August

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

The camp of Germany's Marko Friedrich threw a curveball on Wednesday when they announced that the former IBF and IBO heavyweight champion had agreed to fight Poland's Andrew Golota during stage two of competition in the International Boxing League's World Championship Conference. The bout will be held in August, although the exact date has not yet been confirmed. Speculation during the last three weeks indicated that Friedrich would be taking on the #3-ranked Englishman Lennox Lewis, who has been inactive since losing a January world title eliminator to Australia's Peter Jackson. Lewis had expressed an interest in arranging a fight with 6th-ranked Friedrich, and actually spoke to the German in the ring after his April 12 win over Ike Ibeabuchi. It now appears that Friedrich took the Athens gold medallist's actions as a sign of disrespect, along with his comments later during the month when he said he had no interest in "taking the safer route" to a world title shot.

"It's not just me that he disrespected," Friedrich said at Wednesday's press conference. "The man disrespected every fighter who is currently ranked in the lower half of the WCC. By saying that any fight against one of those fellows is a "safer route", he's also saying that he doesn't believe they are worthy of their place in the WCC. Ike Ibeabuchi is ranked at the bottom, at #14, and I just fought him last month, but according to Mr. Lewis that bout was a "safer route" for me. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember Mr. Ibeabuchi being in the semi-finals of the world championship tournament back in 2006, and giving Ken Norton a pretty tough time before the fight ended. There's no "safe opponents". I don't care where they are ranked or what their record is. There's no one I can look at here and say, "that's an automatic win for me". I think Mr. Lewis needs to learn to think before he speaks, because what he did last month was talk himself out of a fight with me, a fight that, if he had won, would have greatly helped his chances of securing a world title shot."

The development is a remarkable one for 4th-ranked Golota, who was literally minutes from retirement in his March bout against Mike Hanson before rallying for a victory. Hanson had dropped him in rounds three and five, but Golota knocked out the Indiana slugger late in the 6th. A loss would have made three in a row for Golota after falling to both Norton and Lewis to end '07, and he had indicated before the Hanson bout that another loss would most likely lead to him hanging up the gloves. But he's now in a position where he has a great chance to make a case for a world title shot of his own, while Lewis's options are rapidly running out. Back in February, the league refused to sanction a Haynes-Lewis clash because of the Englishman's previous losses in two eliminators against Peter Jackson, and with Friedrich now opting to fight Golota, the highest-ranked of those yet to schedule a stage two bout is Haynes' fellow Florida Alliance member, Romy Alvarez at #7.

A native of Belle Glade, 24 year-old Alvarez is currently on a five-fight winning streak which included an upset of 5th-ranked Russian Alexander Zolkin in stage one of the WCC. It would be true to say he is currently the heavyweight WCC's most "in-form" competitor, and would certainly provide Lewis with a stern test, to say the least. He is slightly less experienced than Lewis, but that has not been a problem for him lately as each of the wins in his current streak have been against more seasoned opponents. It would make an interesting matchup, akin to a chess match, as the two men fight in a similar style based more on their boxing skill than sheer punching power. Lewis already ruled out a clash with the man he beat to claim gold in Athens, 8th-ranked Brooklyn native Riddick Bowe, so after Wednesday's news it's a good bet that his management may have already approached Alvarez's camp to get the ball rolling.

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

Romdawg88 · 08-01-2013, 12:24 AM

Bring it on Lewis, I'm going to punch him in his stupid looking face and ether this dude. If I take this fight, it will probably the sweetest victory in TGPiS due to how much I disliked the man in real life.

kenyan_cheena · 08-01-2013, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

So I have to sim the May International Conference bouts next, as there's only one WCC bout for the rest of the month (Schmeling-Brody on May 24).

The next posts will be:

* Some other stuff I haven't quite figured out yet, maybe a post or two to fill the gap before Schmeling-Brody arrives, but possibly not

* Then it'll be the month end stuff

Decided this will be entirely not. I want to get to the end of May so I can write up the IC bouts, so the next post will be a review of Schmeling-Brody, then on to the IBL ONLINE fight reviews for May.

Romdawg88 · 08-02-2013, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Decided this will be entirely not. I want to get to the end of May so I can write up the IC bouts, so the next post will be a review of Schmeling-Brody, then on to the IBL ONLINE fight reviews for May.

LET'S GO BRODY, LET'S GO (clap) (clap) LET'S GO BRODY, LET'S GO (clap) (clap)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Let's just say that the IBL might actually have some real competition, down the track...

Also since this kind of got lost in my excitement at getting to possibly punch Lewis' punk face in, that sounds really interesting. I'm thinking maybe that WBC/WBA merger you've been hinting at.

kenyan_cheena · 08-03-2013, 10:05 AM

Yesterday, I was made redundant from my job after being there for 13 and a half years...

...but it's okay because I was planning to resign. So they'll be paying me 12 weeks of redundancy pay that I would not have received if I had resigned.

Plus, 4 weeks in lieu of notice, 8 weeks of annual leave entitlement and 12 weeks of long service leave.

Romdawg88 · 08-03-2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yesterday, I was made redundant from my job after being there for 13 and a half years...

...but it's okay because I was planning to resign. So they'll be paying me 12 weeks of redundancy pay that I would not have received if I had resigned.

Plus, 4 weeks in lieu of notice, 8 weeks of annual leave entitlement and 12 weeks of long service leave.

Congrats man, that sounds like you got yourself a nice little payday for a job you were outs on anyway. So do you have another job already lined up?

kenyan_cheena · 08-03-2013, 08:00 PM

Nah, not yet. I already applied for a couple on a job site on Friday night, so I'll just wait and see what happens early next week with those. But I'm gonna try and get something as soon as possible to avoid eating into the payout I've been given.

Romdawg88 · 08-03-2013, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Nah, not yet. I already applied for a couple on a job site on Friday night, so I'll just wait and see what happens early next week with those. But I'm gonna try and get something as soon as possible to avoid eating into the payout I've been given.

Good luck, hopefully you land one of them soon. Lord knows, looking for work sucks.

kenyan_cheena · 08-05-2013, 08:52 AM

THE MICHIGAN HERALD

Sunday 25 May 2008

BRODY UPSETS SCHMELING
IN STUTTGART

Story by Len Bisley

Detroit heavyweight Brutus Brody scored an abrupt and unconvincing 4th round TKO victory over Germany's Max Schmeling at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart yesterday. It was an International Boxing League World Championship Conference bout, the first for Schmeling since his unsuccessful January challenge for Ken Norton's world championship and the second for Brody after being stopped in five rounds by former world champion Terone Haynes in February. Those losses were the first as professionals for both men, so going into yesterday's showdown they knew that one of them was going to fall to a second consecutive career defeat. Unfortunately for Schmeling, the defeat came completely against the run of play, as he had dominated the opening three rounds and opened a nasty cut on the inside of Brody's left eyebrow late in the 1st.

However, one minute into round four, Brody unleashed a left hook from in close that appeared to catch Schmeling at a frightening velocity and opened a sickening cut on his right eyelid. Within moments of examining the wound, the ringside doctor had advised referee Frank Garza to stop the fight. The doctor looked visibly distressed, as if the cut was one of the worst he had ever seen. For the second fight in a row, the German made a fantastic start only for the bout to end in the 4th round. He dropped Norton in round two back in January, only for the fight to be stopped two minutes into the 4th after a Norton onslaught. Against Brody, Schmeling was having it all his own way and had outlanded the "7 Mile Monster" 134-38 at the time of the stoppage. After being given a lesson by Haynes in February, the boxing public was once again shown that Brody is really not ready for the step up in talent that the WCC presents compared to the opponents he was in against earlier in his career.

It will be interesting to see how the IBL's rankings committee handles this result, as Brody (18-1(18)) was on his way to another comprehensive defeat before landing what many will call a lucky punch. A distraught Schmeling and his team were calling for a stage three rematch during the post-fight interview, while Brody's manager Jimmy Vickers did his best to put a positive spin on the less than satisfying ending, calling the left hook that opened Schmeling's eyelid "as devastating as any knockout punch" and the win a "perfectly legitimate" one. Schmeling (21-2(14)) may have been on the verge of victory, but the fact is that he lost the fight. In twenty years from now when the circumstances are forgotten it will be seen as a second straight stoppage defeat on his record, one that in the present day is another blow to the freight train-like momentum he had built going into the Norton fight. Even if he were to defeat Brody in a rematch, he'll still be a good distance from a possible title shot in 2009.

Romdawg88 · 08-05-2013, 10:42 AM

That was the prefect result, now just have to take care of Lennox, if that is the fight that happens, and Top 5 here we come. Could be a couple of wins from a title shot, damn come a longer way since that losing streak.

kenyan_cheena · 08-06-2013, 07:00 AM

I'm about to start working on IBL ONLINE for May, and it just occurred to me that in the March version I completely forgot about all the bantamweight and junior-heavyweight IC bouts that took place on March 31, as I had actually forgotten to sim them before doing the reviews. I think what happened is I saw March 29 on the list of bouts in the History tab and mistakenly thought they were Friday IC bouts when they were Saturday WCC bouts, so I assumed the following Monday would be April 1.

kenyan_cheena · 08-08-2013, 07:42 AM

Haven't made much progress with the IBL ONLINE reviews yet, and I got impatient and simmed all the June WCC bouts.

kenyan_cheena · 08-08-2013, 08:36 AM

Thinking of sneaking in one article before the IBL ONLINE reviews now.

kenyan_cheena · 08-09-2013, 08:06 AM

TheSweetScience.com

FRIDAY 30 MAY 2008

Brian Jasper's Pugilistic Musings

Lewis and Alvarez agree on
terms for August 9 clash

The management team of Olympic gold medallist Lennox Lewis announced on Wednesday that their client had reached an agreement with Florida's Romy Alvarez for an August 9 IBL World Championship Conference stage two bout. The heavyweight stoush will be the main event on a card at the Wembley Arena in Lewis's hometown of London. The two camps had been in discussions for the last couple of weeks, ever since Germany's Marko Friedrich revealed on May 14 that he would be fighting Andrew Golota in stage two. That contest is also scheduled to take place in August, but on the 2nd. Unlike former world champion and fellow Florida Alliance member Terone Haynes, who is trained by Roy Jones and managed by Leroy Ellis, Romy Alvarez is trained and managed by Jones. The Pensacola native voiced his frustrations on Monday over the negotiating tactics employed by the Athens super-heavyweight champion's team, calling them "all take and no give."

Holding the fight in London was a condition that 3rd-ranked Lewis was determined not to budge on, as he has not fought in his hometown since March '07, when he was held to a draw by Russia's Alexander Zolkin, who Alvarez stopped on cuts in his first WCC fight on the 5th of April. The date of the fight was also a sticking point, as Lewis wanted it to be earlier while Jones was not going to let his charge step back into the ring for such an important bout less than four months after his previous one. It means that almost six and a half months will have passed between bouts for Lewis, as he was last in action against Australia's Peter Jackson in a January 26 world title eliminator. As has been covered in recent weeks, Lewis (18-2-2(11)) had previously attempted to arrange fights against both Haynes and Friedrich, but was unsuccessful in both instances. It's believed he's excited by the challenge that #7-ranked Alvarez will present him with, even if he was not his first choice for an opponent.

The clash will be a huge one for both combatants. Following his second defeat to Jackson, Lewis cannot afford another loss as it will push him out of the picture as far as a possible world title challenge is concerned. Even a draw will more than likely damage his prospects in that regard. Alvarez (12-3(7)) has been on a hot streak for the last thirteen months now, going 5-0 during that period against opponents who were all more experienced than he, including former WBA titlist Sergey Anyukov. Defeating Lewis will surely propel him into the WCC top five and bring about a possibly awkward situation where Jones will have two heavyweights in world title contention. Ken Norton defends the championship against Jackson on June 7, while Haynes steps into the ring against New Jersey's Joe Jeannette on the 12th of July. Those fights, along with Lewis-Alvarez and Golota-Friedrich, will go a long way towards determining who next challenges for the title to end 2008.

WCC stage two schedule
is rapidly filling

When the IBL released their updated WCC rankings on the 11th of May, 35 stage two bouts had already been confirmed. In the almost three weeks since, another eighteen have been announced, including those heavyweight showdowns Golota-Friedrich and Lewis-Alvarez. It appears that a number of fighters had been waiting for the new rankings to be released before committing to a stage two opponent. For some that will prove advantageous, but for others it's going to be a hindrance. Amongst those who might have been better served securing a clash with a top-ranked opponent is Mexican featherweight Jesus Carrillo. The former WBC junior-featherweight champ defeated compatriot Orlando Salido back in February and jumped from #10 to #6 in the rankings. But by the time the new standings were released, every competitor ranked about him had arranged a stage two bout, so Carrillo will now have to be satisfied with some lower-ranked opposition for stage two.

One fighter whose current status is unclear is former flyweight champion Candido Tellez, who has not stepped between the ropes since last September when Russia's Yuri Arbachakov dethroned him. Tellez has flip-flopped between retirement, moving up to bantamweight and staying at flyweight, all since committing to spending '08 in the flyweight WCC, but has yet to make a concrete decision. The IBL became frustrated by the uncertainty and dropped him from #2 to #6 in the flyweight rankings, with a warning that if he remained inactive in stage two he would fall even further in the next rankings update. It's true that Tellez had a tough twelve months from September '06 to September '07, during which he fought five times with four of those bouts being IBL title fights. Tellez was inaugural champion before losing the belt to Willie Davison, winning it back from him, and them losing it again to Arbachakov. The Russian defended the title four weeks ago, losing it to Scotland's Benny Lynch.

The problem Tellez faces is that if he remains inactive for the rest of the year, but moves up to bantamweight next year, he would not even get a place in the WCC, as the league will have already dropped him into the flyweight division's relegation zone. If he wants to keep fighting beyond '08, the only option open to him is to compete in stage two and three at flyweight, in order to maintain his current ranking, and then decide what to do going forward. A couple of the biggest names in the sport have yet to arrange stage two bouts, those being middleweight Mike McCallum and lightweight Jim Driscoll. Both were defeated in stage one, McCallum being upset by Nigel Benn while Driscoll was outfought by former world champion Joe Brown. It's amazing to think that both held multiple alphabet titles at the beginning of '06. Neither seems sure of what their next step will be, with the likelihood being bouts against low-ranked opponents that will merely keep them where they are.

Romdawg88 · 08-09-2013, 08:38 PM

I'm going to enjoy soaking up the stunned silence form the crowd after I smoke their hero. August 9th can't come fast enough.

kenyan_cheena · 08-10-2013, 08:57 AM

Gonna be reviewing 12 IC bouts from May, with results for a bunch of others to be summarised. Have written up six of the fights so far, so should be all done in a couple of days, I guess.

Claybor · 08-10-2013, 01:22 PM

I didn't realize you had fired this up again, nice.

Quote:

FINLEY FALLS TO KING IN FIRST '08 BOUT

Ouch. It looks like Finley is going to be little but a tier 2 fighter.

kenyan_cheena · 08-10-2013, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claybor

I didn't realize you had fired this up again, nice.

Ouch. It looks like Finley is going to be little but a tier 2 fighter.

I wouldn't give up on him yet. If he wins his next fight, he'll have a good chance of staying in the WCC for '09.

kenyan_cheena · 08-11-2013, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Gonna be reviewing 12 IC bouts from May, with results for a bunch of others to be summarised. Have written up six of the fights so far, so should be all done in a couple of days, I guess.

Written up all the fight reviews, just have to do the summaries tomorrow morning and it can be posted. Then there will be a handful of non-IBL fights reviewed in Boxing Monthly, then on to the excitement of June and four weekends of IBL world title fights!

kenyan_cheena · 08-11-2013, 09:43 PM

IBL ONLINE

The Official Website of the
International Boxing League

Sunday, June 1, 2008

(Following are selected entries from the website's "Inside the Ropes: Fight Focus" section for the month of May 2008).

MONDAY MAY 5: PARIS, FRANCE
(*IC*) (MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION)
IAN LORD (ENGLAND, 16-1(8)) TKO6 LAURENT BOUDOUANI (FRANCE, 19-6-1(13))

Former Inter-Continental champion Ian Lord recorded his second consecutive victory over a French opponent, following up March's decimation of Laurent Dauthuille with a 6th round stoppage of the more experienced Laurent Boudouani. The bout was held in Boudouani's homeland, although it was not the main event on the card, with that honour going to his compatriot Robert Villemain. Lord did not have it all his own way, as Boudouani started strongly in the opening two rounds. The Coventry native took control in the third stanza and never looked back, although Boudouani fought gamely in an action-packed 5th. The Frenchman tasted the canvas courtesy of a perfect uppercut midway through round six, and the fight was called off at the 2:25 mark after a vicious follow-up assault from Lord. He outlanded Boudouani 204-86 and is now 2-0 in the International Conference.

WEDNESDAY MAY 7: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA
(*IC*) (MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION)
JAKE MORRISON (USA, 14-3(14)) KO4 DON FULLMER (USA, 7-5-5(3))

Wisconsin's Jake Morrison found himself in a mismatch for the second fight in a row, and he was not happy about it. After flooring Utah's Don Fullmer three times on the way to a 4th round knockout, Morrison vented his frustrations, saying he feels like 2008 is going to be a "wasted year" for him if it continues like this in his next three fights. He spoke of finding it difficult to motivate himself to train, but when ESPN's James Horn mentioned that he would not be in this predicament if he had defeated Marvin Blanks last August, Morrison did not deny the truth of that. After coming to the league with a 6-0 record, Fullmer has had a horrible time in the IBL, winning just one of eleven bouts while somehow being involved in five drawn contests, four of which occurred in 2007.

MONDAY MAY 12: ROSARIO, ARGENTINA
(*IC*) (FLYWEIGHT DIVISION)
YOKO GUSHIKEN (JAPAN, 16-1-2(9)) KO7 GABRIEL BERNAL (MEXICO, 9-5-2(3))

Japan's premier flyweight Yoko Gushiken continued his untroubled start to '08, following up March's unanimous decision win over Hugo Soto with a 7th round knockout of Mexico's Gabriel Bernal. With the exception of a competitive 3rd stanza, Gushiken was always in control and he dropped Bernal late in round six and then again two minutes into the 7th. The Mexican was counted out at the 2:14 mark. Compared to Gushiken's last three opponents, Bernal was a step down in quality and experience but he did a good job of dispatching him with little trouble. There are many observers who are already certain that Gushiken will qualify for the '09 WCC, and considering the lack of stability at the top of the division, they are excited about his chances there.

WEDNESDAY MAY 14: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
(*IC*) (FLYWEIGHT DIVISION)
PANCHO VILLA (PHILIPPINES, 21-3(15)) SD10 ERIC ORTIZ (MEXICO, 13-5-1(9))

Athens gold medallist Pancho Villa had to rally from a slow start to eek out a split decision win over the unfancied Mexican Eric Ortiz in Manila (96-94, 93-97, 96-94). Ortiz swept the opening three rounds on each scorecard, and there were two or three others through the rest of the fight that could have gone either way but were given to Villa. Looking back at the expectations for Villa when his pro career started, one would say Villa has been underwhelming to date. The spotlight has definitely been taken by lightweight IBL champion Ben Villaflor, as far as boxing in the Philippines is concerned.

MONDAY MAY 19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
SCOTT MUNDT (GERMANY, 18-3(11)) TKO7 FRANCOIS BOTHA (SOUTH AFRICA, 28-9(21))

This was a rematch of a WCC qualifying tournament bout from last August, with the outcome being the same. Once again, Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt overcame the tough South African Francois Botha. It wasn't all smooth sailing for the former accountant, though, as Botha dropped him with a left-right salvo totally against the run of play late in round five. Mundt had dominated the bout to that point, and continued to do so afterwards, but it was a brief scare that he could have done without. Botha suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose early in the 5th, and the fight was stopped twice in an eventful round seven to have it inspected. The first came just thirty seconds in, before an uppercut floored Botha at the two minute mark. He was down again from another uppercut thirty seconds later, and moments after he struggled to his feet the action was halted again. Botha was allowed to continue after the inspection, but when Mundt landed three flush unanswered blows referee Joachim Jacobsen jumped in and saved the big South African from further punishment, the bout over at the 2:39 mark.

MONDAY MAY 19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
JACK JOHNSON (USA, 19-2-1(12)) UD10 PIERRE COETZER (SOUTH AFRICA, 16-7-2(10))

Fighting in his adopted hometown for the first time in eleven months, Texas-born Olympic gold medallist Jack Johnson put on a show in totally outclassing South Africa's Pierre Coetzer. Johnson took a comfortable unanimous decision verdict (99-90, 98-91, 99-90), dropping Coetzer with a flurry of blows midway through round four. Coetzer had the better of an action-packed opening round, but Johnson dominated proceedings for the rest of the bout. He outlanded Coetzer 427-117, connecting with an impressive 52% of his punches. Johnson appeared capable of ending it at any moment, but seemed intent to let it go the distance. He split Coetzer's lip in round three, and was cut himself on the right eyebrow during a head clash in the 8th. Johnson looked distracted and even disinterested at times, which makes his efforts all the more remarkable.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
MIKE WEAVER (USA, 30-9-1(24)) KO2 JUAN DE LA CRUZ (PHILIPPINES, 9-5(8))

The career of Filipino heavyweight Juan de la Cruz continued its downward spiral as he fell to a fourth consecutive loss, three of which have come by knockout. Amazingly, in the one that went the distance he was sent to the canvas seven times, by Adam Brooks in March. There were concerns voiced for de la Cruz's health after the fight, but he passed a medical examination and was cleared to step in the ring against the veteran Californian Mike Weaver. In a brief, but showstopping slugfest, de la Cruz came within a few punches of stopping Weaver in the opening round, before being knocked out himself late in the 2nd. Incredibly, de la Cruz was dominating round two before a left hook dropped him midway through the frame, abruptly halting his momentum. From that moment on Weaver was merciless, landing a right cross, a pair of uppercuts and another left hook before a flush uppercut turned de la Cruz's lights out, the bout over at the 2:54 mark.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
RON E. VINCENT (USA, 14-1(7)) KO1 KALOLO UMAGA (SAMOA, 14-5-1(11))

The explosive start to the St. Pete Times Forum card continued when Virginia's "Punching Preacher" Ron E. Vincent knocked out the Samoan Kalolo Umaga with a right cross just thirty seconds into the opening round. Umaga was counted out at the 0:42 mark. Vincent scored a 7th round TKO of Fres Oquendo in his first International Conference bout in March, so he is currently in a strong position to earn a WCC berth for 2009. With his record now 15-1(8), it has been a mighty impressive start to his professional career, with the only blemish being a stoppage defeat to Mike Hanson in a WCC qualifying bout last August. Umaga lost for the third time in four fights, and is 3-5 since the beginning of '07.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
DAVID KANE (USA, 13-5-1(11)) KO5 MARK LYONS (USA, 13-3(11))

The dangerous, but inconsistent Orlando native David Kane scored the best win of his career to date, dropping Baltimore's Mark Lyons four times and knocking him out in the 5th round. It was a considerable upset, as while both are numbered amongst America's best young heavyweights, Lyons has been the more assured and polished of the two. But with the exception of a brief period at the beginning of round two, he was never comfortable against Kane. The Florida slugger had the better of round one, and then floored Lyons with a left hook midway through the 2nd. Kane hurt him with a combination and a straight right before the frame was over and then dropped him again with a right cross one minute into round three. Lyons had been rattled by a left-right salvo some thirty seconds earlier, and he was down for a third time as the stanza approached the two-minute mark. He climbed back to his feet at eight and absorbed a stinging body shot moments before the bell.

Lyons managed to stay on his feet through the 4th, despite eating a succession of power shots. Kane was in a zone, the smell of blood boosting his confidence and aggression. Lyons started round five promisingly, driving a left hook into Kane's ribs. But thirty seconds later, it was all over. A crunching uppercut put Lyons flat on his back and he was counted out at the 0:45 mark, continuing a night of eye-catching stoppages. Kane brought an 8-0 record to the IBL but has been unable to win more than two fights in a row during the almost two years since. After the way he obliterated Lyons, it's hard to understand why, as he looked capable of beating anyone. He's now 6-5-1(5) in IBL competition but, more importantly, he's 2-0 in the International Conference. Lyons will have to go back to the drawing board, as he has now lost three of his last five fights. He went from dropping Pierre Coetzer four times in March, to being floored four times by Kane in his very next fight.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
JOHN FEHNER (USA, 12-2(10)) KO6 SAMUEL PETER (NIGERIA, 18-5(14))

Just like David Kane, Nigeria's Samuel Peter can be a destructive force when in the right mood, and just like Kane, he has struggled since coming to the IBL. Going into his bout with San Francisco's John Fehner, Peter's win-loss streak in league bouts was LWLWLWLWWLW. Florida Alliance member Romy Alvarez blew him away in a WCC qualifying tournament bout last October, but Peter started the new year with a 2nd round KO of Francois Botha. When he dropped Fehner with a right cross late in round one, and then produced a furious fightback in the 2nd, it appeared that he might win for the fourth time in five bouts, but it was not to be. The two booming right hands and chin-snapping uppercut that Peter landed were a wake-up call for the more talented Fehner, and he dominated round three. Things only got worse for Peter in the 4th, and he was lucky the referee didn't jump in and end it as Fehner unleashed a terrible beating.

The Nigerian looked done as he rose from his stool to start round five, and Fehner picked him off with pin-point lefts and rights before dropping him for the first time late in the frame. Peter was up at eight, moments before the bell saved him from further punishment. But his respite was brief and Fehner finished the job midway through round six. He started by cutting Peter on the bridge of the nose, and then flooring him again seconds later. Peter tried to get back to his feet, but could only make it to one knee before referee Kevin Champion reached ten, the bout over at the 1:48 mark. Fehner (13-2(11)) is another in the young brigade of American heavyweights to have started '08 with two wins, and he's only going to get better as the year continues.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA
(*IC*) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
CHEETAH BROWN (USA, 14-2(10)) KO8 SAM LEULUAI (NEW ZEALAND, 26-10-2(21))

Former two-time IBL Americas champion Cheetah Brown added his name to the list of 2-0 heavyweights in the International Conference, stopping the resilient, veteran New Zealander Sam Leuluai in the 8th round of the main event at the St. Pete Times Forum. Brown is now on a three-fight winning streak since being upset by Samuel Peter in the first stage of the WCC qualifying tournament in August, a loss that seems all the more inexplicable following Fehner's win over the Nigerian in Tampa. Leuluai made things uncomfortable for Brown for a long time in this fight, and even had him staggered and covering up in round six after landing a right cross, two left hooks and an uppercut all in the bottom half of the frame. A right cross stopped Leuluai cold two minutes into the 8th, though, and he couldn't beat the count. Brown outlanded him 171-125, and is now 9-2(5) in IBL competition.

MONDAY MAY 26: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA
(*IC*) (JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION)
VINCENZO CANTATORE (ITALY, 12-5-1(9)) KO5 ELMER RAY (USA, 13-3-1(11))

Florida Alliance member Elmer Ray suffered a blow to his chances of qualifying for the 2009 World Championship Conference when he was knocked out in the 5th round by the Italian Vincenzo Cantatore. After starting '08 with stoppage wins over Vadim Tokarev and David Haye, Ray was expected to move to 3-0 with a victory against the unfancied Cantatore. There was nothing to indicate this would not be the case through the opening two rounds, but when Cantatore dominated the 3rd and maintained the momentum in round four, there was suddenly reason for concern. Ray appeared agitated as he sat on his stool during the intermission, but within two minutes his night was over. 22 seconds into the 5th, Cantatore ended the fight in brutal and abrupt fashion, snapping Ray's chin back and taking his legs out from under him with a vicious uppercut. Ray was counted out at 0:33, the loss deeply disappointing and, most likely, mighty costly.

***

(Following are selected entries from the website's "Inside the Ropes: Results at a Glance" section for the month of May 2008).

5/5: PARIS, FRANCE

(*IC*) (MW) ROBERT VILLEMAIN (FRANCE, 12-2-4(5)) UD10 TERRY JOHNSON (USA, 16-9-1(9))

5/7: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA

(*IC*) (MW) MARVIN BLANKS (USA, 29-9(20)) UD10 AHMET DOTTUEV (RUSSIA, 13-6(9))
(*IC*) (MW) JEMAR LOFTON (USA, 24-1-1(18)) KO10 RENE JACQUOT (FRANCE, 14-6-4(6))

5/9: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

(*IC*) (MW) MAURICE HOPE (ENGLAND, 17-4-2(12)) TKO1 ODDONE PIAZZA (ITALY, 15-8-1(7))

5/12: ROSARIO, ARGENTINA

(*IC*) (FLY) FRITZ CHERVET (SWITZERLAND, 27-6-1(19)) UD10 KIMIO FURESAWA (JAPAN, 7-5-2(3))
(*IC*) (FLY) DAISUKE NAITO (JAPAN, 28-6-1(18)) KO9 FERNANDO ATZORI (ITALY, 8-4-2(3))

5/14: MANILA, PHILIPPINES

(*IC*) (FLY) LUIS MALDONADO (MEXICO, 38-7(29)) TKO2 CARLOS SEDA (PUERTO RICO, 13-5-4(8))

5/16: TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

(*IC*) (FLY) JORGE ARCE (MEXICO, 12-3(8)) SD10 TAE-SHIK KIM (SOUTH KOREA, 17-7-2(10))

5/19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA

(*IC*) (HW) EDDIE MACHEN (USA, 21-7-1(13)) TKO3 LAWRENCE CLAY-BEY (USA, 12-4-1(7))
(*IC*) (HW) NATIE BROWN (USA, 7-7-1(3)) UD10 INGEMAR JOHANSSON (SWEDEN, 14-4(9))
(*IC*) (HW) RAY MERCER (USA, 36-8-2(23)) KO5 NEEMIA SIVIVATU (NEW ZEALAND, 14-6(10))

5/21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA

(*IC*) (HW) ARTURO GODOY (CHILE, 19-6-1(14)) TKO8 GARY MASON (ENGLAND, 30-5-2(23))

5/23: MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA

(*IC*) (HW) STEVIE WILLIAMS (USA, 18-4-1(12)) TKO2 GERRIE COETZEE (SOUTH AFRICA, 22-7-2(15))
(*IC*) (HW) ADAM BROOKS (USA, 10-4-1(5)) MD10 NELSON NDUNGANE (SOUTH AFRICA, 15-8(8))

5/26: FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA

(*IC*) (BW) MAURICIO MARTINEZ (PANAMA, 25-6-2(18)) UD10 VICTOR RABANALES (MEXICO, 21-8(17))
(*IC*) (BW) LEO ESPINOZA (PHILIPPINES, 10-4-1(3)) UD10 KATSUHIGE KAWASHIMA (JAPAN, 33-5-1(21))
(*IC*) (BW) SIXTO ESCOBAR (PUERTO RICO, 20-2(10)) UD10 JOE CORNELIS (BELGIUM, 23-9-3(13))
(*IC*) (BW) PAULIA AYALA (USA, 22-2-1(13)) D10 JESUS PIMENTEL (MEXICO, 27-7(17))

5/26: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

(*IC*) (JHW) WAYNE BRAITHWAITE (GUYANA, 24-8-1(17)) KO7 TERRY DUNSTAN (ENGLAND, 22-7-2(13))
(*IC*) (JHW) BRUCE SCOTT (ENGLAND, 26-7-4(18)) TechUD8 MASSIMILIANO DURAN (ITALY, 32-11-1(22))
(*IC*) (JHW) ORLIN NORRIS (USA, 16-3(10)) UD10 MOHAMED AZZAOUI (ALGERIA, 26-8-2(17))

5/28: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

(*IC*) (BW) JULIAN SOLIS (PUERTO RICO, 31-5-1(22)) D10 JIMMY KRUG (USA, 11-2-1(5))
(*IC*) (BW) RUBEN OLIVARES (MEXICO, 12-3(12)) KO2 LUIS CASTILLO (MEXICO, 18-5-4(14))

5/28: MOSCOW, RUSSIA

(*IC*) (JHW) ANACLET WAMBA (FRANCE, 27-5-3(17)) UD10 GRIGORY DROZD (RUSSIA, 25-7-1(18))

5/30: BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND

(*IC*) (BW) CARMELO ALEMAN (USA, 9-2-3(6)) KO1 JOSE TOLUCO LOPEZ (MEXICO, 9-4-5(4))

5/30: LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, USA

(*IC*) (JHW) MARK ELWOOD (USA, 16-5-1(11)) KO8 RAVEA SPRINGS (USA, 9-4-1(5))

07-31-2013, 11:20 PM	#1741
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	*ESPN* *Boxing* Updated: May 15, 2008 2.30 PM ET Golota vs Friedrich confirmed for August By Larry Holman ESPN.com Archive The camp of Germany's Marko Friedrich threw a curveball on Wednesday when they announced that the former IBF and IBO heavyweight champion had agreed to fight Poland's Andrew Golota during stage two of competition in the International Boxing League's World Championship Conference. The bout will be held in August, although the exact date has not yet been confirmed. Speculation during the last three weeks indicated that Friedrich would be taking on the #3-ranked Englishman Lennox Lewis, who has been inactive since losing a January world title eliminator to Australia's Peter Jackson. Lewis had expressed an interest in arranging a fight with 6th-ranked Friedrich, and actually spoke to the German in the ring after his April 12 win over Ike Ibeabuchi. It now appears that Friedrich took the Athens gold medallist's actions as a sign of disrespect, along with his comments later during the month when he said he had no interest in "taking the safer route" to a world title shot. "It's not just me that he disrespected," Friedrich said at Wednesday's press conference. "The man disrespected every fighter who is currently ranked in the lower half of the WCC. By saying that any fight against one of those fellows is a "safer route", he's also saying that he doesn't believe they are worthy of their place in the WCC. Ike Ibeabuchi is ranked at the bottom, at #14, and I just fought him last month, but according to Mr. Lewis that bout was a "safer route" for me. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember Mr. Ibeabuchi being in the semi-finals of the world championship tournament back in 2006, and giving Ken Norton a pretty tough time before the fight ended. There's no "safe opponents". I don't care where they are ranked or what their record is. There's no one I can look at here and say, "that's an automatic win for me". I think Mr. Lewis needs to learn to think before he speaks, because what he did last month was talk himself out of a fight with me, a fight that, if he had won, would have greatly helped his chances of securing a world title shot." The development is a remarkable one for 4th-ranked Golota, who was literally minutes from retirement in his March bout against Mike Hanson before rallying for a victory. Hanson had dropped him in rounds three and five, but Golota knocked out the Indiana slugger late in the 6th. A loss would have made three in a row for Golota after falling to both Norton and Lewis to end '07, and he had indicated before the Hanson bout that another loss would most likely lead to him hanging up the gloves. But he's now in a position where he has a great chance to make a case for a world title shot of his own, while Lewis's options are rapidly running out. Back in February, the league refused to sanction a Haynes-Lewis clash because of the Englishman's previous losses in two eliminators against Peter Jackson, and with Friedrich now opting to fight Golota, the highest-ranked of those yet to schedule a stage two bout is Haynes' fellow Florida Alliance member, Romy Alvarez at #7. A native of Belle Glade, 24 year-old Alvarez is currently on a five-fight winning streak which included an upset of 5th-ranked Russian Alexander Zolkin in stage one of the WCC. It would be true to say he is currently the heavyweight WCC's most "in-form" competitor, and would certainly provide Lewis with a stern test, to say the least. He is slightly less experienced than Lewis, but that has not been a problem for him lately as each of the wins in his current streak have been against more seasoned opponents. It would make an interesting matchup, akin to a chess match, as the two men fight in a similar style based more on their boxing skill than sheer punching power. Lewis already ruled out a clash with the man he beat to claim gold in Athens, 8th-ranked Brooklyn native Riddick Bowe, so after Wednesday's news it's a good bet that his management may have already approached Alvarez's camp to get the ball rolling. Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer. Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 08-01-2013 at 01:47 AM.

08-01-2013, 12:24 AM	#1742
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Belle Glade, FL Posts: 4,182	Bring it on Lewis, I'm going to punch him in his stupid looking face and ether this dude. If I take this fight, it will probably the sweetest victory in TGPiS due to how much I disliked the man in real life. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 13 - 4 (7) Henry Armstrong > You.

08-05-2013, 10:42 AM	#1750
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Belle Glade, FL Posts: 4,182	That was the prefect result, now just have to take care of Lennox, if that is the fight that happens, and Top 5 here we come. Could be a couple of wins from a title shot, damn come a longer way since that losing streak. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 13 - 4 (7) Henry Armstrong > You.

08-09-2013, 08:06 AM	#1754
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	TheSweetScience.com FRIDAY 30 MAY 2008 Brian Jasper's Pugilistic Musings Lewis and Alvarez agree on terms for August 9 clash The management team of Olympic gold medallist Lennox Lewis announced on Wednesday that their client had reached an agreement with Florida's Romy Alvarez for an August 9 IBL World Championship Conference stage two bout. The heavyweight stoush will be the main event on a card at the Wembley Arena in Lewis's hometown of London. The two camps had been in discussions for the last couple of weeks, ever since Germany's Marko Friedrich revealed on May 14 that he would be fighting Andrew Golota in stage two. That contest is also scheduled to take place in August, but on the 2nd. Unlike former world champion and fellow Florida Alliance member Terone Haynes, who is trained by Roy Jones and managed by Leroy Ellis, Romy Alvarez is trained and managed by Jones. The Pensacola native voiced his frustrations on Monday over the negotiating tactics employed by the Athens super-heavyweight champion's team, calling them "all take and no give." Holding the fight in London was a condition that 3rd-ranked Lewis was determined not to budge on, as he has not fought in his hometown since March '07, when he was held to a draw by Russia's Alexander Zolkin, who Alvarez stopped on cuts in his first WCC fight on the 5th of April. The date of the fight was also a sticking point, as Lewis wanted it to be earlier while Jones was not going to let his charge step back into the ring for such an important bout less than four months after his previous one. It means that almost six and a half months will have passed between bouts for Lewis, as he was last in action against Australia's Peter Jackson in a January 26 world title eliminator. As has been covered in recent weeks, Lewis (18-2-2(11)) had previously attempted to arrange fights against both Haynes and Friedrich, but was unsuccessful in both instances. It's believed he's excited by the challenge that #7-ranked Alvarez will present him with, even if he was not his first choice for an opponent. The clash will be a huge one for both combatants. Following his second defeat to Jackson, Lewis cannot afford another loss as it will push him out of the picture as far as a possible world title challenge is concerned. Even a draw will more than likely damage his prospects in that regard. Alvarez (12-3(7)) has been on a hot streak for the last thirteen months now, going 5-0 during that period against opponents who were all more experienced than he, including former WBA titlist Sergey Anyukov. Defeating Lewis will surely propel him into the WCC top five and bring about a possibly awkward situation where Jones will have two heavyweights in world title contention. Ken Norton defends the championship against Jackson on June 7, while Haynes steps into the ring against New Jersey's Joe Jeannette on the 12th of July. Those fights, along with Lewis-Alvarez and Golota-Friedrich, will go a long way towards determining who next challenges for the title to end 2008. WCC stage two schedule is rapidly filling When the IBL released their updated WCC rankings on the 11th of May, 35 stage two bouts had already been confirmed. In the almost three weeks since, another eighteen have been announced, including those heavyweight showdowns Golota-Friedrich and Lewis-Alvarez. It appears that a number of fighters had been waiting for the new rankings to be released before committing to a stage two opponent. For some that will prove advantageous, but for others it's going to be a hindrance. Amongst those who might have been better served securing a clash with a top-ranked opponent is Mexican featherweight Jesus Carrillo. The former WBC junior-featherweight champ defeated compatriot Orlando Salido back in February and jumped from #10 to #6 in the rankings. But by the time the new standings were released, every competitor ranked about him had arranged a stage two bout, so Carrillo will now have to be satisfied with some lower-ranked opposition for stage two. One fighter whose current status is unclear is former flyweight champion Candido Tellez, who has not stepped between the ropes since last September when Russia's Yuri Arbachakov dethroned him. Tellez has flip-flopped between retirement, moving up to bantamweight and staying at flyweight, all since committing to spending '08 in the flyweight WCC, but has yet to make a concrete decision. The IBL became frustrated by the uncertainty and dropped him from #2 to #6 in the flyweight rankings, with a warning that if he remained inactive in stage two he would fall even further in the next rankings update. It's true that Tellez had a tough twelve months from September '06 to September '07, during which he fought five times with four of those bouts being IBL title fights. Tellez was inaugural champion before losing the belt to Willie Davison, winning it back from him, and them losing it again to Arbachakov. The Russian defended the title four weeks ago, losing it to Scotland's Benny Lynch. The problem Tellez faces is that if he remains inactive for the rest of the year, but moves up to bantamweight next year, he would not even get a place in the WCC, as the league will have already dropped him into the flyweight division's relegation zone. If he wants to keep fighting beyond '08, the only option open to him is to compete in stage two and three at flyweight, in order to maintain his current ranking, and then decide what to do going forward. A couple of the biggest names in the sport have yet to arrange stage two bouts, those being middleweight Mike McCallum and lightweight Jim Driscoll. Both were defeated in stage one, McCallum being upset by Nigel Benn while Driscoll was outfought by former world champion Joe Brown. It's amazing to think that both held multiple alphabet titles at the beginning of '06. Neither seems sure of what their next step will be, with the likelihood being bouts against low-ranked opponents that will merely keep them where they are. Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 08-09-2013 at 08:26 AM.

08-09-2013, 08:38 PM	#1755
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Belle Glade, FL Posts: 4,182	I'm going to enjoy soaking up the stunned silence form the crowd after I smoke their hero. August 9th can't come fast enough. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 13 - 4 (7) Henry Armstrong > You.

08-03-2013, 10:05 AM	#1745
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	Yesterday, I was made redundant from my job after being there for 13 and a half years... ...but it's okay because I was planning to resign. So they'll be paying me 12 weeks of redundancy pay that I would not have received if I had resigned. Plus, 4 weeks in lieu of notice, 8 weeks of annual leave entitlement and 12 weeks of long service leave.

08-03-2013, 08:00 PM	#1747
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	Nah, not yet. I already applied for a couple on a job site on Friday night, so I'll just wait and see what happens early next week with those. But I'm gonna try and get something as soon as possible to avoid eating into the payout I've been given.

08-05-2013, 08:52 AM	#1749
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	THE MICHIGAN HERALD Sunday 25 May 2008 BRODY UPSETS SCHMELING IN STUTTGART Story by Len Bisley Detroit heavyweight Brutus Brody scored an abrupt and unconvincing 4th round TKO victory over Germany's Max Schmeling at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart yesterday. It was an International Boxing League World Championship Conference bout, the first for Schmeling since his unsuccessful January challenge for Ken Norton's world championship and the second for Brody after being stopped in five rounds by former world champion Terone Haynes in February. Those losses were the first as professionals for both men, so going into yesterday's showdown they knew that one of them was going to fall to a second consecutive career defeat. Unfortunately for Schmeling, the defeat came completely against the run of play, as he had dominated the opening three rounds and opened a nasty cut on the inside of Brody's left eyebrow late in the 1st. However, one minute into round four, Brody unleashed a left hook from in close that appeared to catch Schmeling at a frightening velocity and opened a sickening cut on his right eyelid. Within moments of examining the wound, the ringside doctor had advised referee Frank Garza to stop the fight. The doctor looked visibly distressed, as if the cut was one of the worst he had ever seen. For the second fight in a row, the German made a fantastic start only for the bout to end in the 4th round. He dropped Norton in round two back in January, only for the fight to be stopped two minutes into the 4th after a Norton onslaught. Against Brody, Schmeling was having it all his own way and had outlanded the "7 Mile Monster" 134-38 at the time of the stoppage. After being given a lesson by Haynes in February, the boxing public was once again shown that Brody is really not ready for the step up in talent that the WCC presents compared to the opponents he was in against earlier in his career. It will be interesting to see how the IBL's rankings committee handles this result, as Brody (18-1(18)) was on his way to another comprehensive defeat before landing what many will call a lucky punch. A distraught Schmeling and his team were calling for a stage three rematch during the post-fight interview, while Brody's manager Jimmy Vickers did his best to put a positive spin on the less than satisfying ending, calling the left hook that opened Schmeling's eyelid "as devastating as any knockout punch" and the win a "perfectly legitimate" one. Schmeling (21-2(14)) may have been on the verge of victory, but the fact is that he lost the fight. In twenty years from now when the circumstances are forgotten it will be seen as a second straight stoppage defeat on his record, one that in the present day is another blow to the freight train-like momentum he had built going into the Norton fight. Even if he were to defeat Brody in a rematch, he'll still be a good distance from a possible title shot in 2009.

08-06-2013, 07:00 AM	#1751
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	I'm about to start working on IBL ONLINE for May, and it just occurred to me that in the March version I completely forgot about all the bantamweight and junior-heavyweight IC bouts that took place on March 31, as I had actually forgotten to sim them before doing the reviews. I think what happened is I saw March 29 on the list of bouts in the History tab and mistakenly thought they were Friday IC bouts when they were Saturday WCC bouts, so I assumed the following Monday would be April 1.

08-08-2013, 07:42 AM	#1752
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	Haven't made much progress with the IBL ONLINE reviews yet, and I got impatient and simmed all the June WCC bouts.

08-08-2013, 08:36 AM	#1753
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	Thinking of sneaking in one article before the IBL ONLINE reviews now.

08-10-2013, 08:57 AM	#1756
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	Gonna be reviewing 12 IC bouts from May, with results for a bunch of others to be summarised. Have written up six of the fights so far, so should be all done in a couple of days, I guess.

08-11-2013, 09:43 PM	#1760
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	IBL ONLINE The Official Website of the International Boxing League Sunday, June 1, 2008 (Following are selected entries from the website's "Inside the Ropes: Fight Focus" section for the month of May 2008). MONDAY MAY 5: PARIS, FRANCE (IC) (MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION) IAN LORD (ENGLAND, 16-1(8)) TKO6 LAURENT BOUDOUANI (FRANCE, 19-6-1(13)) Former Inter-Continental champion Ian Lord recorded his second consecutive victory over a French opponent, following up March's decimation of Laurent Dauthuille with a 6th round stoppage of the more experienced Laurent Boudouani. The bout was held in Boudouani's homeland, although it was not the main event on the card, with that honour going to his compatriot Robert Villemain. Lord did not have it all his own way, as Boudouani started strongly in the opening two rounds. The Coventry native took control in the third stanza and never looked back, although Boudouani fought gamely in an action-packed 5th. The Frenchman tasted the canvas courtesy of a perfect uppercut midway through round six, and the fight was called off at the 2:25 mark after a vicious follow-up assault from Lord. He outlanded Boudouani 204-86 and is now 2-0 in the International Conference. WEDNESDAY MAY 7: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA (IC) (MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION) JAKE MORRISON (USA, 14-3(14)) KO4 DON FULLMER (USA, 7-5-5(3)) Wisconsin's Jake Morrison found himself in a mismatch for the second fight in a row, and he was not happy about it. After flooring Utah's Don Fullmer three times on the way to a 4th round knockout, Morrison vented his frustrations, saying he feels like 2008 is going to be a "wasted year" for him if it continues like this in his next three fights. He spoke of finding it difficult to motivate himself to train, but when ESPN's James Horn mentioned that he would not be in this predicament if he had defeated Marvin Blanks last August, Morrison did not deny the truth of that. After coming to the league with a 6-0 record, Fullmer has had a horrible time in the IBL, winning just one of eleven bouts while somehow being involved in five drawn contests, four of which occurred in 2007. MONDAY MAY 12: ROSARIO, ARGENTINA (IC) (FLYWEIGHT DIVISION) YOKO GUSHIKEN (JAPAN, 16-1-2(9)) KO7 GABRIEL BERNAL (MEXICO, 9-5-2(3)) Japan's premier flyweight Yoko Gushiken continued his untroubled start to '08, following up March's unanimous decision win over Hugo Soto with a 7th round knockout of Mexico's Gabriel Bernal. With the exception of a competitive 3rd stanza, Gushiken was always in control and he dropped Bernal late in round six and then again two minutes into the 7th. The Mexican was counted out at the 2:14 mark. Compared to Gushiken's last three opponents, Bernal was a step down in quality and experience but he did a good job of dispatching him with little trouble. There are many observers who are already certain that Gushiken will qualify for the '09 WCC, and considering the lack of stability at the top of the division, they are excited about his chances there. WEDNESDAY MAY 14: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (IC) (FLYWEIGHT DIVISION) PANCHO VILLA (PHILIPPINES, 21-3(15)) SD10 ERIC ORTIZ (MEXICO, 13-5-1(9)) Athens gold medallist Pancho Villa had to rally from a slow start to eek out a split decision win over the unfancied Mexican Eric Ortiz in Manila (96-94, 93-97, 96-94). Ortiz swept the opening three rounds on each scorecard, and there were two or three others through the rest of the fight that could have gone either way but were given to Villa. Looking back at the expectations for Villa when his pro career started, one would say Villa has been underwhelming to date. The spotlight has definitely been taken by lightweight IBL champion Ben Villaflor, as far as boxing in the Philippines is concerned. MONDAY MAY 19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) SCOTT MUNDT (GERMANY, 18-3(11)) TKO7 FRANCOIS BOTHA (SOUTH AFRICA, 28-9(21)) This was a rematch of a WCC qualifying tournament bout from last August, with the outcome being the same. Once again, Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt overcame the tough South African Francois Botha. It wasn't all smooth sailing for the former accountant, though, as Botha dropped him with a left-right salvo totally against the run of play late in round five. Mundt had dominated the bout to that point, and continued to do so afterwards, but it was a brief scare that he could have done without. Botha suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose early in the 5th, and the fight was stopped twice in an eventful round seven to have it inspected. The first came just thirty seconds in, before an uppercut floored Botha at the two minute mark. He was down again from another uppercut thirty seconds later, and moments after he struggled to his feet the action was halted again. Botha was allowed to continue after the inspection, but when Mundt landed three flush unanswered blows referee Joachim Jacobsen jumped in and saved the big South African from further punishment, the bout over at the 2:39 mark. MONDAY MAY 19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) JACK JOHNSON (USA, 19-2-1(12)) UD10 PIERRE COETZER (SOUTH AFRICA, 16-7-2(10)) Fighting in his adopted hometown for the first time in eleven months, Texas-born Olympic gold medallist Jack Johnson put on a show in totally outclassing South Africa's Pierre Coetzer. Johnson took a comfortable unanimous decision verdict (99-90, 98-91, 99-90), dropping Coetzer with a flurry of blows midway through round four. Coetzer had the better of an action-packed opening round, but Johnson dominated proceedings for the rest of the bout. He outlanded Coetzer 427-117, connecting with an impressive 52% of his punches. Johnson appeared capable of ending it at any moment, but seemed intent to let it go the distance. He split Coetzer's lip in round three, and was cut himself on the right eyebrow during a head clash in the 8th. Johnson looked distracted and even disinterested at times, which makes his efforts all the more remarkable. WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) MIKE WEAVER (USA, 30-9-1(24)) KO2 JUAN DE LA CRUZ (PHILIPPINES, 9-5(8)) The career of Filipino heavyweight Juan de la Cruz continued its downward spiral as he fell to a fourth consecutive loss, three of which have come by knockout. Amazingly, in the one that went the distance he was sent to the canvas seven times, by Adam Brooks in March. There were concerns voiced for de la Cruz's health after the fight, but he passed a medical examination and was cleared to step in the ring against the veteran Californian Mike Weaver. In a brief, but showstopping slugfest, de la Cruz came within a few punches of stopping Weaver in the opening round, before being knocked out himself late in the 2nd. Incredibly, de la Cruz was dominating round two before a left hook dropped him midway through the frame, abruptly halting his momentum. From that moment on Weaver was merciless, landing a right cross, a pair of uppercuts and another left hook before a flush uppercut turned de la Cruz's lights out, the bout over at the 2:54 mark. WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) RON E. VINCENT (USA, 14-1(7)) KO1 KALOLO UMAGA (SAMOA, 14-5-1(11)) The explosive start to the St. Pete Times Forum card continued when Virginia's "Punching Preacher" Ron E. Vincent knocked out the Samoan Kalolo Umaga with a right cross just thirty seconds into the opening round. Umaga was counted out at the 0:42 mark. Vincent scored a 7th round TKO of Fres Oquendo in his first International Conference bout in March, so he is currently in a strong position to earn a WCC berth for 2009. With his record now 15-1(8), it has been a mighty impressive start to his professional career, with the only blemish being a stoppage defeat to Mike Hanson in a WCC qualifying bout last August. Umaga lost for the third time in four fights, and is 3-5 since the beginning of '07. WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) DAVID KANE (USA, 13-5-1(11)) KO5 MARK LYONS (USA, 13-3(11)) The dangerous, but inconsistent Orlando native David Kane scored the best win of his career to date, dropping Baltimore's Mark Lyons four times and knocking him out in the 5th round. It was a considerable upset, as while both are numbered amongst America's best young heavyweights, Lyons has been the more assured and polished of the two. But with the exception of a brief period at the beginning of round two, he was never comfortable against Kane. The Florida slugger had the better of round one, and then floored Lyons with a left hook midway through the 2nd. Kane hurt him with a combination and a straight right before the frame was over and then dropped him again with a right cross one minute into round three. Lyons had been rattled by a left-right salvo some thirty seconds earlier, and he was down for a third time as the stanza approached the two-minute mark. He climbed back to his feet at eight and absorbed a stinging body shot moments before the bell. Lyons managed to stay on his feet through the 4th, despite eating a succession of power shots. Kane was in a zone, the smell of blood boosting his confidence and aggression. Lyons started round five promisingly, driving a left hook into Kane's ribs. But thirty seconds later, it was all over. A crunching uppercut put Lyons flat on his back and he was counted out at the 0:45 mark, continuing a night of eye-catching stoppages. Kane brought an 8-0 record to the IBL but has been unable to win more than two fights in a row during the almost two years since. After the way he obliterated Lyons, it's hard to understand why, as he looked capable of beating anyone. He's now 6-5-1(5) in IBL competition but, more importantly, he's 2-0 in the International Conference. Lyons will have to go back to the drawing board, as he has now lost three of his last five fights. He went from dropping Pierre Coetzer four times in March, to being floored four times by Kane in his very next fight. WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) JOHN FEHNER (USA, 12-2(10)) KO6 SAMUEL PETER (NIGERIA, 18-5(14)) Just like David Kane, Nigeria's Samuel Peter can be a destructive force when in the right mood, and just like Kane, he has struggled since coming to the IBL. Going into his bout with San Francisco's John Fehner, Peter's win-loss streak in league bouts was LWLWLWLWWLW. Florida Alliance member Romy Alvarez blew him away in a WCC qualifying tournament bout last October, but Peter started the new year with a 2nd round KO of Francois Botha. When he dropped Fehner with a right cross late in round one, and then produced a furious fightback in the 2nd, it appeared that he might win for the fourth time in five bouts, but it was not to be. The two booming right hands and chin-snapping uppercut that Peter landed were a wake-up call for the more talented Fehner, and he dominated round three. Things only got worse for Peter in the 4th, and he was lucky the referee didn't jump in and end it as Fehner unleashed a terrible beating. The Nigerian looked done as he rose from his stool to start round five, and Fehner picked him off with pin-point lefts and rights before dropping him for the first time late in the frame. Peter was up at eight, moments before the bell saved him from further punishment. But his respite was brief and Fehner finished the job midway through round six. He started by cutting Peter on the bridge of the nose, and then flooring him again seconds later. Peter tried to get back to his feet, but could only make it to one knee before referee Kevin Champion reached ten, the bout over at the 1:48 mark. Fehner (13-2(11)) is another in the young brigade of American heavyweights to have started '08 with two wins, and he's only going to get better as the year continues. WEDNESDAY MAY 21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) CHEETAH BROWN (USA, 14-2(10)) KO8 SAM LEULUAI (NEW ZEALAND, 26-10-2(21)) Former two-time IBL Americas champion Cheetah Brown added his name to the list of 2-0 heavyweights in the International Conference, stopping the resilient, veteran New Zealander Sam Leuluai in the 8th round of the main event at the St. Pete Times Forum. Brown is now on a three-fight winning streak since being upset by Samuel Peter in the first stage of the WCC qualifying tournament in August, a loss that seems all the more inexplicable following Fehner's win over the Nigerian in Tampa. Leuluai made things uncomfortable for Brown for a long time in this fight, and even had him staggered and covering up in round six after landing a right cross, two left hooks and an uppercut all in the bottom half of the frame. A right cross stopped Leuluai cold two minutes into the 8th, though, and he couldn't beat the count. Brown outlanded him 171-125, and is now 9-2(5) in IBL competition. MONDAY MAY 26: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA (IC) (JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION) VINCENZO CANTATORE (ITALY, 12-5-1(9)) KO5 ELMER RAY (USA, 13-3-1(11)) Florida Alliance member Elmer Ray suffered a blow to his chances of qualifying for the 2009 World Championship Conference when he was knocked out in the 5th round by the Italian Vincenzo Cantatore. After starting '08 with stoppage wins over Vadim Tokarev and David Haye, Ray was expected to move to 3-0 with a victory against the unfancied Cantatore. There was nothing to indicate this would not be the case through the opening two rounds, but when Cantatore dominated the 3rd and maintained the momentum in round four, there was suddenly reason for concern. Ray appeared agitated as he sat on his stool during the intermission, but within two minutes his night was over. 22 seconds into the 5th, Cantatore ended the fight in brutal and abrupt fashion, snapping Ray's chin back and taking his legs out from under him with a vicious uppercut. Ray was counted out at 0:33, the loss deeply disappointing and, most likely, mighty costly. *** (Following are selected entries from the website's "Inside the Ropes: Results at a Glance" section for the month of May 2008). 5/5: PARIS, FRANCE (IC) (MW) ROBERT VILLEMAIN (FRANCE, 12-2-4(5)) UD10 TERRY JOHNSON (USA, 16-9-1(9)) 5/7: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA (IC) (MW) MARVIN BLANKS (USA, 29-9(20)) UD10 AHMET DOTTUEV (RUSSIA, 13-6(9)) (IC) (MW) JEMAR LOFTON (USA, 24-1-1(18)) KO10 RENE JACQUOT (FRANCE, 14-6-4(6)) 5/9: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (IC) (MW) MAURICE HOPE (ENGLAND, 17-4-2(12)) TKO1 ODDONE PIAZZA (ITALY, 15-8-1(7)) 5/12: ROSARIO, ARGENTINA (IC) (FLY) FRITZ CHERVET (SWITZERLAND, 27-6-1(19)) UD10 KIMIO FURESAWA (JAPAN, 7-5-2(3)) (IC) (FLY) DAISUKE NAITO (JAPAN, 28-6-1(18)) KO9 FERNANDO ATZORI (ITALY, 8-4-2(3)) 5/14: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (IC) (FLY) LUIS MALDONADO (MEXICO, 38-7(29)) TKO2 CARLOS SEDA (PUERTO RICO, 13-5-4(8)) 5/16: TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO (IC) (FLY) JORGE ARCE (MEXICO, 12-3(8)) SD10 TAE-SHIK KIM (SOUTH KOREA, 17-7-2(10)) 5/19: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA (IC) (HW) EDDIE MACHEN (USA, 21-7-1(13)) TKO3 LAWRENCE CLAY-BEY (USA, 12-4-1(7)) (IC) (HW) NATIE BROWN (USA, 7-7-1(3)) UD10 INGEMAR JOHANSSON (SWEDEN, 14-4(9)) (IC) (HW) RAY MERCER (USA, 36-8-2(23)) KO5 NEEMIA SIVIVATU (NEW ZEALAND, 14-6(10)) 5/21: TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA (IC) (HW) ARTURO GODOY (CHILE, 19-6-1(14)) TKO8 GARY MASON (ENGLAND, 30-5-2(23)) 5/23: MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA (IC) (HW) STEVIE WILLIAMS (USA, 18-4-1(12)) TKO2 GERRIE COETZEE (SOUTH AFRICA, 22-7-2(15)) (IC) (HW) ADAM BROOKS (USA, 10-4-1(5)) MD10 NELSON NDUNGANE (SOUTH AFRICA, 15-8(8)) 5/26: FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA (IC) (BW) MAURICIO MARTINEZ (PANAMA, 25-6-2(18)) UD10 VICTOR RABANALES (MEXICO, 21-8(17)) (IC) (BW) LEO ESPINOZA (PHILIPPINES, 10-4-1(3)) UD10 KATSUHIGE KAWASHIMA (JAPAN, 33-5-1(21)) (IC) (BW) SIXTO ESCOBAR (PUERTO RICO, 20-2(10)) UD10 JOE CORNELIS (BELGIUM, 23-9-3(13)) (IC) (BW) PAULIA AYALA (USA, 22-2-1(13)) D10 JESUS PIMENTEL (MEXICO, 27-7(17)) 5/26: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA (IC) (JHW) WAYNE BRAITHWAITE (GUYANA, 24-8-1(17)) KO7 TERRY DUNSTAN (ENGLAND, 22-7-2(13)) (IC) (JHW) BRUCE SCOTT (ENGLAND, 26-7-4(18)) TechUD8 MASSIMILIANO DURAN (ITALY, 32-11-1(22)) (IC) (JHW) ORLIN NORRIS (USA, 16-3(10)) UD10 MOHAMED AZZAOUI (ALGERIA, 26-8-2(17)) 5/28: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (IC) (BW) JULIAN SOLIS (PUERTO RICO, 31-5-1(22)) D10 JIMMY KRUG (USA, 11-2-1(5)) (IC) (BW) RUBEN OLIVARES (MEXICO, 12-3(12)) KO2 LUIS CASTILLO (MEXICO, 18-5-4(14)) 5/28: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (IC) (JHW) ANACLET WAMBA (FRANCE, 27-5-3(17)) UD10 GRIGORY DROZD (RUSSIA, 25-7-1(18)) 5/30: BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND (IC) (BW) CARMELO ALEMAN (USA, 9-2-3(6)) KO1 JOSE TOLUCO LOPEZ (MEXICO, 9-4-5(4)) 5/30: LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, USA (IC) (JHW) MARK ELWOOD (USA, 16-5-1(11)) KO8 RAVEA SPRINGS (USA, 9-4-1(5)) Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 08-12-2013 at 02:29 PM.