All-Time Great Lightweight Tournament

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282 fighters are prepared to enter the fray in the ATG LW tournament. It begins with four rounds of qualifying, followed by a preliminary round and then, with the field cut to 64, the tournament proper will commence. First preliminary round includes 70 of the lower rated fighters (in the “1” to “4” range). Then, the “5” rated guys join in, followed by the “6” and “7” rated fighters. Thirty-three fighters advance to take on the “8” and “9” rated guys in the preliminary round. Finally, all the “10” and higher rated fighters – including the top 16 seeded guys – commence action in the first round proper.

FIRST ROUND QUALIFYING RESULTS

Charlie Brown (USA) UD 10 Eddie Ludlow (USA)
Ernesto Zabala (USA) UD 10 James Crayton (USA)
Antonio Ramirez (DOM) D 10 Raul Soriano (MEX)
Julio Cesar Sanchez-Leon (MEX) UD 10 Johnny Bean (USA)
Paddy Read (USA) UD 10 Kengo Nagashima (JPN)
Garry Ballieto (USA) TKO 10 Jimmy McCormack (USA)
Justin Juuko (UGA) UD 10 Rocky Randell (USA)
Isagani Pumar (PHI) TD 7 Norman Goins (USA)
Fred Ladd (USA) UD 10 Jerry Powers (USA)
Raul Balbi (ARG) SD 10 Sergio Liendo (ARG)
Moises Pedroza (COL) D 10 Michael Ayers (UK)
Renato Cornett (AUS) KO 2 Sandro Casamonica (ITA)
Joe Ghnouly (USA) MD 10 Rick Yoshimura-Roberts (USA)
Juan Gomez Trinidad (PUR) KO 3 Roque Cassiani (COL)
Dennis Holbaek Pedersen (DEN) KO 1 Johnny Copeland (USA)
Jimmy Britt (USA) TKO 10 Lee Cargle (USA)
Rocky Martinez (MEX) D 10 Ishimatsu Suzuki (JPN)
Andy Ganigan (USA) UD 10 Julian Wheeler (USA)
Claude Noel (TRI) UD 10 Carlos Manuel Fernandes (POR)
Tony Pep (CAN) SD 10 Jimmy Robertson (USA)
Terao Keraka (JPN) UD 10 Omar Bernal (MEX)
Jakcie Rangel (COL) UD 10 Johnny Lira (USA)
Waymon Dawson (USA) UD 10 Lazlo Bognar (HUN)
Eddie Zivic (USA) UD 10 Larry Stanton (USA)
Joey Parks (USA) MD 10 Beau Jaymes (USA)
Alfredo Pitalua (COL) TKO 3 Hugo Barraza (COL)
Miguel Callist (PAN) UD 10 John Brown (USA)
Fernando Angulo (ECU) KO 6 Efren Hinojosa (MEX)
Arturo Pineda (MEX) UD 10 Luis Lizarraga (MEX)
Roy Andrews (USA) MD 10 Koba Gogoladze (GEO)
Art Frias (USA) UD 10 Victor Hugo Paz (ARG)
Steve Murray (UK) UD 10 Yoni Vargas (MEX)
Ricardo Silva (ARG) SD 10 Lauro Salas (MEX)
David Burke (UK) UD 10 Valentin Brown (PAN)
Juan Polo Perez (COL) TKO 10 Justo Sencion (DOM)

Four drawn matches mean four replays.

QUALIFYING FIRST ROUND REPLAYS

Soriano UD 10 Ramirez
Pumar SD 10 Goins
Ayers TKO 6 Pedroza
Suzuki TKO 7 Martinez

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SECOND ROUND QUALIFYING RESULTS

Claude Noel (TRI) KO 7 Paddy Read (USA)
Cisco Andrade (USA) TKO 8 Eduardo Morales (ARG)
Ray Lunny (USA) UD 10 Herman Montes (USA)
Ernesto Zavala (USA) KO 4 Lulu Perez (USA)
Jimmy Britt (USA) UD 10 Al Davis (USA)
Alfredo Urbina (MEX) TKO 5 Louie Lomeli (USA)
Frankie Ryff (USA) UD 10 Jaime Rangel (COL)
Gary Ballieto (USA) UD 10 Lew Jenkins (USA)
Borge Krogh (DEN) UD 10 Michael Clark (USA)
Joe Ghnouly (USA) MD 10 Jackie Donnelly (USA)
Freddy Cruz (DOM) KO 8 Ricardo Silva (ARG)
Tommy Collins (USA) TKO 9 Bobby Scanlon (USA)
Bobby Vanzie (USA) UD 10 Juan Polo Perez (COL)
Wallace Smith (USA) UD 10 Renato Cornett (AUS)
Michael Ayers (UK) UD 10 Fernando Angulo (ECU)
Ishimatsu Suzuki (JPN) KO 4 Art Frias (USA)
Justin Juuko (UGA) D 10 Teruo Kosaka (JPN)
Joe Rivers (USA) UD 10 Wayman Dawson (USA)
Jimmy Soo (USA) UD 10 Isagani Pumar (PHI)
Jorge Noriega (COL) D 10 Daniel Seda (PUR)
Stefano Zoff (ITA) UD 10 Fred Ladd (USA)
Lakva Sim (MGL) SD 10 Maxie Shapiro (USA)
Colin Dunne (UK) UD 10 Tony Pep (CAN)
Gil Cadili (USA) MD 10 Raul Balbi (ARG)
Andy Ganigan (USA) TKO 8 Gilberto Gonzalez (VEN)
Steve Quinonez (USA) MD 10 Djamel Lifa (FRA)
Charlie Brown (USA) KO 3 Alfredo Pitalua (COL)
Jonathan Dele (NGR) UD 10 Lamar Murphy (USA)
Edner Cherry (USA) D 10 Dennis Holbaek Pedersen (DEN)
Courtney Burton (USA) MD 10 Daomai Stihkodam (THA)
Mando Ramos (USA) D 10 Miguel Callist (PAN)
Billy Irwin (CAN) UD 10 Richie Mitchell (USA)
Ray Andrews (USA) D 10 Steve Murray (UK)
Paolo Rosi (ITA) SD 10 Eddie Zivic (USA)
Jean-Baptiste Mendy (FRA) UD 10 Lou Filippo (USA)
Ernesto Espana (SPA) TKO 9 Chango Carmona (MEX)
Gabriel Ruelas (USA) UD 10 Arturo Pineda (MEX)
George Scott (SWE) SD 10 Lou Bizarro (USA)
David Burke (UK) KO 8 Juan Gomez Trinidad (PUR)
Julio Cesar Sanchez-Leon (MEX) DQ 7 Aldo Rios (ARG)
Fabian Tejeda (ARG) TKO 8 Ray Adigun (ARG)
Juan Zurita (MEX) UD 10 Joey Parks (USA)
Gilberto Serrano (VEN) SD 10 Billy Schwer (UK)
Tontcho Tontchev (BUL) TKO 8 Raul Soriano (MEX)

Five drawn bouts, so five replays are mandated.

Juuko SD 10 Kosaka
Seda UD 10 Noriega
Holbaek Pedersen UD 10 Cherry
Ramos KO 8 Callist
Murray KO 4 Andrews

Lowest rated boxers still remaining are Sanchez-Leon, a “1,” and Charlie Brown, a “2.”

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THIRD ROUND, QUALIFYING

Enrique Bolanos (MEX) KO 10 Johnny Busso (USA)
Joe Ghnouly (USA) SD 10 Michael Ayers (UK)
Louis Molina (USA) TKO 7 Levander Johnson (USA)
Kenny Bogner (USA) MD 10 Dave Castilloux (CAN)
Harold Jones (USA) TKO 3 Artur Grigorian (UZB)
Joe Rivers (USA) TKO 10 Pedro Carrasco (SPA)
Colin Dunne (UK) TKO 3 Claude Noel (TRI)
Andy Ganigan (USA) TKO 2 Baby Vasquez (MEX)
Rodolfo Gonzalez (MEX) TKO 4 James Busceme (USA)
Ernesto Zavala (USA) SD 10 Joe Lopes (USA)
Juan Lazcano (USA) UD 10 Israel Cardona (USA)
Juan Zurita (MEX) SD 10 Steve Quinonez (USA)
Frankie Ryff (USA) D 10 Charlie Brown (USA)
Luther White (USA) SD 10 Ray Mancini (USA)
Willie Toweel (SAF) UD 10 Larry Boardman (USA)
Al Singer (USA) UD 10 Nestor Garza (MEX)
Sammy Angott (USA) UD 10 Justin Juuko (UGA)
Eddie Chavez (USA) SD 10 Seranim Ferrer (FRA)
Dennis Holbaek Pedersen (DEN) MD 10 Ernesto Zepeda (MEX)
Giordano Campari (ITA) TKO 10 Greg Haugen (USA)
Sergei Artemiev (RUS) TKO 8 Leach Cross (USA)
Mauro Vazquez (MEX) TKO 7 Daniel Seda (POR)
Kenny Lane (USA) UD 10 Ishimatsu Suzuki (JPN)
Courtney Burton (USA) TKO 9 Arturo Lomeli (MEX)
Young Otto (USA) UD 10 Alberto Sicurella (ARG)
Joey Angelo (USA) TKO 6 Roberto Elizondo (USA)
Fred Galiana (SPA) UD 10 Len Matthews (USA)
Sean O’Grady (USA) KO 5 Harry Arroyo (USA)
Fabian Tejeda (ARG) MD 10 Doug Vaillant (CUB)
George Chaney (USA) UD 10 Andreas Kotelnik (UKR)
Ernesto Espana (VEN) TKO 10 Dennis Pat Brady (USA)
Carlos Aro (ARG) D 10 Ruben Navarro (MEX)
Cisco Andrade (USA) UD 10 Steve Murray (UK)
Allie Stolz (USA) UD 10 Freddy Curz (DOM)
Jose Miguel Coto (PUR) TKO 9 Julio Cesar Sanchez-Leon (MEX)
Richard Kid Howard (USA) TKO 6 Arnulfo Castillo (MEX)
George Araujo (USA) TKO 3 Lakva Sim (MGL)
Matt Zegan (POL) TKO 8 Gary Ballieto (USA)
Eleazar Contreras Jr. (USA) UD 10 Almazbek Raiymkulov (KGZ)
Tommy Collins (USA) UD 10 Armand Savoie (CAN)
Ebo Elder (USA) UD 10 Billy Irwin (CAN)
Sammy Mandell (USA) UD 10 Maurice Cullen (UK)
Mando Ramos (USA) UD 10 Gabriel Ruelas (USA)
Paul Armstead (USA) UD 10 Gilberto Serrano (USA)
Buzzsaw Yamabe (JPN) D 10 George Dunn (USA)
Yuri Romanov (BLR) UD 10 Al Ford (CAN)
Ray Lunny (USA) UD 10 Gil Cadilli (USA)
George Zengaras (USA) UD 10 Tony Morgano (USA)
Sid Terris (USA) MTD 5 Victoriano Sosa (DOM)
Tontcho Tontchev (BUL) D 10 Henry Davis (USA)
Tommy Tibbs (USA) UD 10 Julien Lorcy (FRA)
Arthur Persley (USA) MD 10 Paddy DeMarco (USA)
Jose Cruz (MEX) TKO 8 Jaguar Kakizawa (JPN)
Rocky Kansas (USA) UD 10 Mel Middleton (USA)
George Scott (SWE) UD 10 Jimmy Britt (USA)
Al Foreman (USA) UD 10 Javier Jauregui (MEX)
Jim Watt (UK) UD 10 Paolo Rosi (ITA)
Wallace Smith (USA) UD 10 Alfredo Urbina (MEX)
Stefano Zoff (ITA) TKO 10 Isaac Hlatshwayo (SAF)
Jeff Mayweather (USA) UD 10 Phillip N’Dou (SAF)
Jimmy Soo (USA) KO 8 Bobby Vanzie (UK)
Borge Krogh (NOR) SD 10 David Burke (UK)
Jorge Paez (MEX) TKO 8 Teo Cruz (DOM)
Jean-Baptiste Mendy (FRA) TKO 8 Jimmy Tygh (USA)
Steve Johnston (USA) MD 10 Jonathan Dele (NGR)

Four drawn matches mean four replays. The results:

Ryff UD 10 Brown
Aro TKO 8 Navarro
Yamabe UD 10 Dunn
Davis MD 10 Tontchev

The elimination of Brown means no fighter rated below a “4” is left in the tournament. At the other end, the tough level of competition – even with one more round of qualifying remaining – is indicated by the fact that two notable LW Champions – Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Greg Haugen – make an early exit.

Next up, 33 bouts in the fourth and final round of qualifying, including the 65 winners from this round, joined by Phil Kim, the lowest ranked “8” fighter – as a slight miscalculation on my part means one “8” guy must drop down to the final round of qualifying to make the numbers work the rest of the way.

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Fourth and final round of qualifying matches.

QUALIFYING, FOURTH ROUND

Al Foreman MD 10 Arthur Persley
Sammy Angott UD 10 Kenny Bogner
Buzzsaw Yamabe TKO 7 Dennis Holbaek Pedersen
Tommy Tibbs D 10 Carlos Aro
Cisco Andrade UD 10 Joey Angelo
Phil Kim UD 10 Harold Jones
Sergei Artemiev UD 10 George Zengaras
Tommy Collins KO 5 Andy Ganigan
Jean-Baptiste Mendy UD 10 Frankie Ryff
Enrique Bolanos TKO 10 Courtney Burton
Ebo Elder SD 10 George Scott
George Araujo MD 10 Joe Rivers
Borge Krogh D 10 Matt Zegan
Jose Miguel Coto UD 10 Jeff Mayweather
Colin Dunne UD 10 Ernesto Zavala
Mauro Vazquez KO 7 Louis Molina
Luther White UD 10 Willie Toweel
Sid Terris KO 3 Jim Watt
Yuri Romanov SD 10 Juan Lazcano
Eleazar Contreras Jr. UD 10 Richard Kid Howard
Jimmy Soo KO 9 Joe Ghnouly
Paul Armstead SD 10 Young Otto
Giordano Campari UD 10 Ernesto Espana
Mando Ramos SD 10 Fabian Tejeda
Al Singer KO 5 Sammy Mandell
Jorge Paez KO 3 Wallace Smith
Allie Stolz UD 10 Jose Cruz
Kenny Lane UD 10 Eddie Chavez
Fred Galiana UD 10 Steve Johnston
Juan Zurita UD 10 Sean O’Grady
Rocky Kansas UD 10 Rodolfo Gonzalez
Stefano Zoff SD 10 Ray Lunny

Two drawn matches means a pair of replays.

Tibbs D 10 Aro
Zegan SD 10 Krogh

Another replay between Tibbs and Aro finally results in a winner after a cuts stoppage.

Aro TKO 7 Tibbs

Juan Zurita (a “4”) is the lowest rated boxer still remaining.


The thirty-three survivors will join 49 "8" and "9" rated boxers in a preliminary round to reduce the field to 64 for the first round proper (that will include 23 boxers rated "10" and above).

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PRELIMINARY ROUND

Al Roth (USA) D 10 Eddie Cool (USA)
Jose Miguel Coto (PUR) UD 10 Charley White (USA)
Colin Dunne (UK) SD 10 Cisco Andrade (USA)
Ad Wolgast (USA) UD 10 Ray Miller (USA)
Billy Petrolle (USA) TKO 8 Jose Luis Ramirez (MEX)
Cecil Payne (USA) DQ 3 Lou Ambers (USA)
Enrique Bolanos (MEX) UD 10 Al Foreman (USA)
Julio Diaz (USA) UD 10 Aldo Spoldi (ITA)
Ray Lampkin (USA) KO 6 George Chaney (USA)
Willie Ritchie (USA) MD 10 Yuri Romanov (BLR)
Roger Bernard (USA) UD 10 Sid Terris (USA)
Mando Ramos (USA) UD 10 Orzubek Nazarov (JPN)
Livingstone Bramble (USA) MD 10 Angel Robinson Garcia (CUB)
Eleazar Contreras Jr. (USA) KO 6 Giordano Campari (ITA)
Sergei Artemiev (RUS) UD 10 Lulu Constantino (USA)
Battling Nelson (DEN) TKO 10 Phil Kim (USA)
Juan Zurita (MEX) UD 10 Davey Day (USA)
Tommy Collins (USA) KO 7 Diego Corrales (USA)
Alejandro Gonzalez (MEX) MD 10 George Araujo (USA)
Kenny Lane (USA) UTD 7 Frank Narvaez (PUR)
Dave Charnley (UK) SD 10 Art Aragon (USA)
Emory Cabana (USA) UD 10 Carlos Aro (ARG)
Sammy Fuller (USA) UD 10 Pedro Montanez (PUR)
Matt Zegan (POL) UD 10 Vilomar Fernandez (DOM)
Arthur King (CAN) D 10 Howard Davis Jr. (USA)
Ludwig Lightburn (HON) D 10 Sammy Angott (USA)
Juan Diaz (USA) UD 10 Mauro Vazquez (MEX)
Beau Jack (USA) UD 10 Fred Galiana (SPA)
George Lavigne (USA) UD 10 Kid McPartland (USA)
Al Singer (USA) KO 4 Buzzsaw Yamabe (JPN)
Jimmy Paul (USA) UD 10 Harlem Tommy Murphy (USA)
Johnny Bizzarro (USA) UD 10 Edwin Viruet (USA)
Rocky Kansas (USA) MD 10 Luther White (USA)
Angel Manfredy (USA) SD 10 Johnny Soo (USA)
Jimmy Carter (USA) TKO 6 Jorge Paez (MEX)
Hilmer Kenty (USA) UD 10 Freddie Dawson (USA)
Jean-Baptiste Mendy (FRA) MD 10 Allie Stolz (USA)
Maxie Docusen (USA) SD 10 Carlos Canete (ARG)
Joe Shugrue (USA) D 10 Paul Armstead (USA)
Lenny Mancini (USA) TKO 1 Ebo Elder (USA)
Johnny Gonsalves (USA) MD 10 Stefano Zoff (ITA)

Four draws means four replays. The results:

Roth MD 10 Cool
Davis MD 10 King
Angott UD 10 Lightburn
Armstead UD 10 Shugrue

The field is narrowed to 64 for the first round proper. Will need to wait a bit as one of the top seeds, Alexis Arguello, is in the final of the JLW tournament. Lowest rated guy to reach this far is Juan Zurita, a “4.”

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An exciting tournament shaping up, with some good matchups even in the opening round ...

FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS (seeds in parenthesis)

Benny Leonard (USA) (1) vs Juan Zurita (MEX)
Angel Manfredy (USA) vs Jimmy Paul (USA)
Jose Luis Castillo (MEX) vs Ray Lampkin (USA)
Bob Montgomery (USA) (16) vs Al Roth (USA)
Julio Cesar Chavez (MEX) (9) vs Paul Armstead (USA)
Beau Jack (USA) vs Livingstone Bramble (USA)
Battling Nelson (DEN) vs Lenny Mancini (USA)
Ike Williams (USA) (8) vs Tommy Collins (USA)
Tony Canzoneri (USA) (4) vs Kenny Lane (USA)
Julio Diaz (USA) vs Dave Charnley (UK)
Edwin Rosario (PUR) vs Johnny Gonsalves (USA)
Alexis Arguello (NIC) (13) vs Al Singer (USA)
Freddie Welsh (UK) (12) vs Jose Miguel Coto (PUR)
Willie Joyce (USA) vs Emory Cabana (USA)
Willie Ritchie (USA) vs Roger Bernard (USA)
Joe Gans (USA) (5) vs Mando Ramos (USA)
Joe Brown (USA) (6) vs Matt Zegan (POL)
Jimmy Carter (USA) vs Alejandro Gonzalez (MEX)
Orlando Zulueta (CUB) vs Maxie Docusen (USA)
Jem Driscoll (UK) (11) vs Enrique Bolanos (MEX)
Esteban DeJesus (PUR) (14) vs Sammy Angott (USA)
Ken Buchanan (UK) vs Johnny Bizzarro (USA)
Sammy Fuller (USA) vs Cecil Payne (USA)
Pernell Whitaker (USA) (3) vs Colin Dunne (UK)
Carlos Ortiz (USA) (7) vs Eleazar Contreras Jr. (USA)
Billy Petrolle (USA) vs Howard Davis Jr. (USA)
Acelino Freitas (BRA) vs Ad Wolgast (USA)
Jack Blackburn (USA) (10) vs Sergei Artemiev (RUS)
Lew Tendler (USA) (15) vs Rocky Kansas (USA)
Ismael Laguna (PAN) vs Juan Diaz (USA)
Hilmer Kenty (USA) vs George Lavigne (USA)
Roberto Duran (PAN) (2) vs Jean-Baptiste Mendy (FRA)

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Form holds up in all the bouts in the top quarter.

Benny Leonard (1) UD 10 Juan Zurita

Leonard is on target from the early going, and Zurita is simply overmatched. Zurita is cut under his right eye in round four, and Leonard goes on to a comfortable UD 10 win (96-95, 98-93, 98-93), easing up a bit in the final two rounds.

Angel Manfredy KO 4 Jimmy Paul

Two evenly matched fighters (#32 and #33 among the 64 finalists in the tournament), but Manfredy breaks through when he puts Paul down and out with a strong combination in round four.

Jose Luis Castillo UD 10 Ray Lampkin

Castillo puts Lampkin down with a barrage of blows in round four, then adds a second KD in round five, two more in round nine, and a fifth in round 10 to complete a lopsided UD 10 win (96-87, 96-89. 96-87).

Bob Montgomery (16) UD 10 Al Roth

Montgomery is the more aggressive of the two in the early going, enabling him to pile up a points advantage. By round seven, Roth is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye, and a late surge from Roth does little to alter the end result (98-93, 98-92 and 99-91, all for Montgomery).

Julio Cesar Chavez (9) UD 10 Paul Armstead

Back in the ring after an earlier than expected exit from the JLW tournament, Chavez drops Armstead twice in round two, and then again in rounds eight and nine, and the four KDs are sufficient to ensure the win (98-88, 99-87, 98-88 are the judges’ scores).

Beau Jack UD 10 Livingstone Bramble

Jack takes advantage of a slow start from Bramble to pile up and early lead. Later in the fight, Bramble tries to get more aggressive but is hindered by a rapidly swelling right eye. Solid UD 10 win for Jack (98-92 on all three cards), who moves on in the tournament.

Battling Nelson MD 10 Lenny Mancini

Mancini gives a good accounting of himself, gaining the upper hand in the early going, landing enough blows to cause some puffiness under the left eye of the Dane, Nelson. However, by round six, Nelson is on track, causing Mancini’s right eye to begin to swell. In the final round, Nelson puts Mancini on the deck to seal the win (97-92, 94-94, 95-94 are the scores, with Nelson getting the nod from two of the three judges).

Ike Williams (8) KO 10 Tommy Collins

Lots of action from the opening bell. A big shot from Williams has Collins down in the fourth round. A second KD follows in round six, then two more in the final round – the last of which puts Collins down for the count.

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No upsets but a couple of bouts that ended in draws will need to be replayed.

Tony Canzoneri (4) UD 10 Kenny Lane

Lane proved to be a difficult opponent for the highly rated Canzoneri, who struggled with his timing the first half of the bout (actually trailing by one, 49-48, on the unofficial card, after five). By the end, Canzoneri had done enough to claim victory, bloodying up the nose of his game opponent in the process (scores were 98-94, 97-95, 97-96, all in Canzoneri’s favor).

Dave Charnley TKO 4 Julio Diaz

Solid start from Diaz, but by round four, it was the Brit Charnley who was firmly in charge, landing blow after blow until the ref stepped in to call a halt. Charnley advances via TKO.

Edwin Rosario UD 10 Johnny Gonsalves

Rosario presses the early action, and by the end of round two, there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of Gonsalves. A Rosario cross puts Gonsalves down briefly in round three, but Gonsalves battles back and, heading into the later rounds, there is swelling under the right eye of Rosario as well. Rosario scores a second KD late in round eight, and in the end, the two knockdowns are enough to outweigh a slight edge in punches landed for Gonsalves (98-90. 96-93, 97-91 are the scores).

Alexis Arguello (13) D 10 Al Singer

Arguello is on the comeback trail after losing in the JLW tournament final. However, he gets off to a sluggish start, and Singer dominates most of the early action. In round three, Singer scores repeatedly, causing noticeable swelling to appear under the right eye of Arguello. Arguello battles back, responding with a big fifth round, but still trails (48-47, on the unofficial card). Round six sees some swelling appear around the left eye of Singer. Singer continues to battle, racking up more points with a huge round eight. With both men tiring, Arguello manages to rally in the last two rounds to secure a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 96-94 for Arguello) and a rematch.

Freddie Welsh (12) UD 10 Jose Miguel Coto

Welsh seizes control early one, and builds an early punches landed and points edge. By the midway point, Coto is trailing and also suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. A late surge from Coto causes swelling under Welsh’s right eye and closes the gap but not enough to prevent the favored Welsh to advance (by scores of 96-95, 96-94, 97-94).

Willie Joyce D 10 Emory Cabana

Close bout, slight early edge to Joyce based primarily on punches landed. Cabana up on the unofficial card (48-47) at the midway point. Not surprisingly, this close bout ends up being scored a majority draw (96-96, 95-95, 96-94 for Joyce) and will be replayed..

Willie Ritchie SD 10 Roger Bernard

Early edge to Ritchie, who dishes out enough punishment to cause a trace of swelling under Bernard’s right eye as early as round two. Ritchie takes a slight lead (48-47, according to the unofficial scorer) into the second half of the bout and hangs on to take a split duke (93-97, 97-94, 96-94).

Joe Gans (5) TKO 3 Mando Ramos

Surprise flash knockdown in round two, as a wicked cross from Ramos puts Gans down. Gans arises to battle back and goes on to dominate the action in round three, opening a severe cut over the left eye of Ramos. More blows from Gans’ fists lead to a second gash opening over Ramos’ right eye, which also spurts blood, causing an immediate stoppage. Thus, #5 seed Gans advances.

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Next set of bouts sees the first seeded fighter eliminated.

Joe Brown (6) MD 10 Matt Zegan

A spirited effort from Zegan, who proves to be a troublesome opponent for the highly regarded #6 seed. Brown builds an early lead then falls back into a defensive posture in the later rounds. Zegan’s aggressiveness earns him an even score from one of the judges, although the majority favor Brown (98-94, 96-96, 98-94).

Jimmy Carter D 10 Alejandro Gonzalez

Carter starts well and holds an edge in punches landed through most of the bout. In the second half, Gonzalez rallies, landing the harder shots. In round nine, Carter is rocked by a straight right from Gonzalez right before the bell. Carter manages to secure a draw and a rematch by winning the final round (95-95, 95-95, 94-96 Gonzalez are the judges’ scorecards).

Orlando Zulueta UD 10 Maxie Docusen

Slight edge to Zulueta in the early going, and he presses forward with a strong effort in round three. In round four, Zulueta is cut over his left eye, and the cut is reopened in round seven and, again, in the final round. Docusen has his best round in the eighth and Zulueta, suffering from some swelling under his right eye in addition to the cut, carries a narrow lead into the final two rounds. He manages to do enough to take the decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-94) and advance to the next round.

Jem Driscoll (11) SD 10 Enrique Bolanos

“Peerless Jim” appears to have the better of it in the early going, but Bolanos gets his attention by landing some hard shots near the end of round four. Bolanos, the more aggressive of the two, continues pressing the attack, forging a narrow lead at the midway point (49-48 on the unofficial card). Driscoll battles back, allowing Bolanos to wear himself out and re-establishing control of the bout by using his jab. Driscoll wins the last three rounds to register a come-from-behind victory (96-94, 95-96, 97-93 are the judges’ scores).

Sammy Angott TKO 4 Esteban DeJesus (14)

Angott starts well, and he manages to rip open a gash on DeJesus’ forehead with a huge cross in the opening round. The cut signals trouble for DeJesus and his corner, and Angott takes advantage, targeting the cut which results in a TKO stoppage win. DeJesus thus becomes the first seed to be eliminated.

Ken Buchanan UD 10 Johnny Bizzarro

Big opening round for Buchanan, as Bizzarro walks into a cross and hits the deck, taking a four-count before arising. Not much action the rest of the way, although Buchanan suffers from a swollen left eye and Bizzarro, a nick under his left eye, neither of which has much effects, as Buchanan cruises to a relatively easy win (98-92, 98-91 and 98-92 are the judges’ scores).

Sammy Fuller DQ 6 Cecil Payne

Two fighters square off who were contemporaries in real life. Fuller comes away with a slight edge in the first half of the bout, which takes a sudden turn in round six when Payne is called for some flagrant low blows and disqualified.

Pernell Whitaker (3) UD 10 Colin Dunne

Whitaker looks sharp from the opening bell, dominating most of the action and dropping Dunne a total of three times: once, with a combination in round five; then twice in round nine. Lopsided UD win for Whitaker (97-89, 97-88, 97-90) who looks to be a strong contender in this tournament.

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Wrapping up the rest of the bracket ...

Carlos Ortiz (7) KO 8 Eleazar Contreras Jr.

To the surprise of many, Contreras manages to keep the bout close through the opening rounds. With both men focusing on working on the outside, the bout is even (47-all) at the midway point, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. As the bout wears on, Ortiz’s superior stamina begins to tell, and finally the end comes when he floors Contreras with a devastating cross in round eight, and Contreras is unable to beat the count.

Billy Petrolle UD 10 Howard Davis Jr.

Petrolle, the “Fargo Express,” is on target early, and there is puffiness under Davis’ right eye as early as the end of the opening round. Another big round for Petrolle in the third, and he continues to exhibit some power punching, connecting with a short, clean uppercut to floor Davis for the bout’s only KD in round seven. The bout goes the distance, and the scores were surprisingly close (96-93, 97-92, 96-93) considering how dominant Petrolle was throughout much of the bout.

Acelino Freitas UD 10 Ad Wolgast

Wolgast is on top early, but Freitas seizes the initiative in round three and lands some good shots that cause a trace of swelling to appear around the left eye of Wolgast. Wolgast is able to stagger Freitas with a big uppercut in round five, and he takes a slight lead (48-47) at the midway point, according to the unofficial card. Freitas, however, manages to keep the bout close and overcomes an edge for Wolgast in the punches landed stat to take a surprising UD 10 decision (96-94. 96-94, 97-93).

Jack Blackburn (10) UD 10 Sergei Artemiev

Great start from Artemiev, who takes the opening round and does even better in round two. Blackburn gradually works his way into the match, serving notice by stunning Artemiev with a big hook to force the Russian to cover up in round four. However, Blackburn cannot follow up and the bout remains close (48-all) at the midway point. No cuts or knockdowns, and a couple of big rounds in rounds seven and eight are enough to put Blackburn over the top (winning with scores of 97-94, 96-95, 96-95) after a tough battle with a determined foe.

Lew Tendler (15) UD 10 Rocky Kansas

Kansas comes out swinging, landing repeatedly in round two, enough to cause some swelling to appear around the left eye of Tendler. Tendler bounces back with a solid round in round three. Energetic performance from Kansas, who falls just short in the end, with the steady Tendler holding on for a narrow points win (96-95, 96-94, 96-95) to advance.

Ismael Laguna UD 10 Juan Diaz

Huge opening round for Laguna, who pummels and punishes Diaz, causing some swelling to appear under Diaz’s left eye. Then, later in the bout, in round six, Diaz suffers a cut under his right eye. A round later, a short, clean hook from Laguna sends Diaz to the canvas for the bout’s first and only knockdown. Not much in the way of resistance as Laguna records a solid UD win (99-90, 98-92, 99-90).

George Lavigne UD 10 Hilmer Kenty

Solid start from Lavigne, who does well in terms of the punches landed count through the early rounds. However, by the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Kenty in front, by one (48-47). The bout remains close until round eight, when Kenty walks into a Lavigne combination and goes down, arising only after the count reaches seven. Lavigne scores a second KD later in the same round but cannot finish Kenty. Kent bounces back to win the final two rounds, but Lavigne had done enough to secure the win (94-93, 95-92, 94-93) and Kenty, a slight favorite in the bout, is eliminated.

Roberto Duran (2) TKO 3 Jean-Baptiste Mendy

One of the leading title favorites, “Hands of Stone” Roberto Duran wasted little time, dropping Mendy on his back for an eight count in the opening stanza. Mendy continued to offer little resistance, and the bout was halted after Duran had bludgeoned Mendy into submission in round three, thus saving the French fighter from further punishment. Great start to the tournament for Duran.

[JCWeb]

FIRST ROUND REPLAYS

Arguello (13) TKO 8 Singer

Good action in the opening round, slight edge to Arguello. Singer wins the second round, and the bout remains close until round five, when Arguello hammers away, causing a cut and some swelling to develop around Singer’s left eye. The end comes a few rounds later, as Arguello pounds Singer into submission to secure his spot in the next round. Of the tournament.

Joyce SD 10 Cabana

Joyce builds an early lead, and by the midway point, Cabana is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. Joyce continues to dominate in the later rounds, winning rounds seven and eight. A late surge from Cabana in the last two rounds falls just short (scores are 97-93 and 96-94 for Joyce, with one judge seeing in 94-96 in favor of Cabana).

Gonzalez UD 10 Carter

Carter has a solid start, and Gonzalez is hampered by a cut under his left eye suffered while he was having a very good round in round four. More trouble for Gonzalez when a trace of swelling appears under the other eye (the right one) in round five. Nonetheless, Gonzalez battles back, winning a key round in round six as both men face off on the inside in some toe-to-toe action. The action continues to ebb and flow, with round seven going to Gonzalez, round eight to Carter, and round nine, an even round. Final round goes to Gonzalez, who wins by a narrow UD 10 (96-95 on all three cards).

With the ouster of only one seed (#14 DeJesus), only minor re-jiggering of the draw for the second round is needed.

SECOND ROUND PAIRINGS

Benny Leonard (1) vs Angel Manfredy
Jose Luis Castillo vs Ken Buchanan
Julio Cesar Chavez (9) vs Beau Jack
Ike Williams (8) vs Battling Nelson
Tony Canzoneri (4) vs Dave Charnley
Alexis Arguello (13) vs Edwin Rosario
Freddie Welsh (12) vs Willie Joyce
Joe Gans (5) vs Willie Ritchie
Joe Brown (6) vs Alejandro Gonzalez
Jem Driscoll (11) vs Orlando Zulueta
Lew Tendler (15) vs Sammy Angott
Pernell Whitaker (3) vs Sammy Fuller
Carlos Ortiz (7) vs Billy Petrolle
Jack Blackburn (10) vs Acelino Freitas
Bob Montgomery (16) vs Ismael Laguna
Roberto Duran (2) vs George Lavigne

[JCWeb]

All seven remaining seeds advanced to the round of 16 without much difficulty.

Benny Leonard (1) TKO 1 Angel Manfredy

Leonard appeared to be gaining the upper hand when the bout came to a sudden end, after Leonard opened a severe gash over the right eye of Manfredy. Blood flowed freely, affecting the fighter’s vision, and an immediate stoppage was ordered. Leonard advances via TKO.

Ken Buchanan SD 10 Jose Luis Castillo

Good close bout, with Buchanan managing to battle back after having been on the deck in round two. Final cards favor Buchanan by a two-to-one vote of the judges (scores were 95-94, 94-95, 96-93).

Julio Cesar Chavez (9) UD 10 Beau Jack

Good opening stanza for Jack, who worries Chavez by causing a mouse to form under the Mexican’s right eye. Chavez bounces back with a strong round four, then dropped Jack in rounds seven and eight to advance via a solid points win (96-92 on all cards).

Ike Williams (8) TKO 7 Battling Nelson

Nelson suffered a nick under his left eye in the opening round. Williams targets the cut, and by the end of round two, there is some noticeable swelling under the injured eye. The eye continues to be a problem, as the swelling becomes so severe to lead to a stoppage in round seven. Williams gets the TKO win.


Tony Canzoneri (4) UD 10 Dave Charnley

Action heats up in round two when Canzoneri drops the overmatched Charnley with a short, clean uppercut. Charnley gets back to his feet and does well to last the distance. Solid performance from the “Roman Warrior,” who takes a comfortable UD 10 (96-93, 97-92, 96-93).

Alexis Arguello (13) TKO 2 Edwin Rosario


Early edge to Arguello, who has Rosario back on his heels from the opening bell. Even better round from the “Explosive Thin Man” in round two, and the action is halted with Rosario defenseless against the ropes. Early stoppage TKO for Arguello.

Freddie Welsh (12) UD 10 Willie Joyce

Welsh struggles with his timing in the early going, but by round five he is in charge, landing some punishing blows that result in a badly swollen right eye for Joyce. Welsh is able to maintain and build on a points lead at the midway point (49-47, on the unofficial card), resulting in a fairly lopsided UD win (99-92, 98-93, 98-93).

Joe Gans (5) UD 10 Willie Ritchie

Gans, the “Old Master,” administers a beating to the outgunned Ritchie, who is battling a swollen left eye by the end of the bout. Scores at the end are 99-91 (twice) and 97-93, all in Gans’ favor.

[JCWeb]

A few upsets to report in the bottom half ...

Joe Brown (6) UD 10 Alejandro Gonzalez

Trouble for Gonzalez as early as round three, when he suffers from a cut under his left eye as well as some swelling around his right eye. In round four, Brown suffers a split lip that does little to slow his progress, as he gradually wears down Gonzalez in the second half of the bout en route to a solid UD 10 win (98-93, 99-92, 98-92).

Jem Driscoll (11) D 10 Orlando Zulueta

After some close opening rounds, Zulueta begins to think about pulling off the upset, as he holds a narrow one-point lead (48-47 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. Driscoll, who took a long time to settle in, does better in round six. The bout comes down to the wire with Zulueta as the aggressor, while Driscoll is content to remain on the outside, in a more defensive-minded posture. The bout remains close right down to the wire, with Zulueta taking round nine but Driscoll manged to snag a draw by taking the final round from two of three judges. In the end, two of the three judges see it even (95-all) while a third had Zulueta the winner (96-94), so a rematch is ordered.

Sammy Angott SD 10 Lew Tendler (15)

Edge to Tendler in the early going, but Sammy “the Clutch” Angott recovers with a strong second half, despite running low on energy as Tendler seemed a bit overconfident. Angott takes a split duke by the narrowest of margins (96-95, 95-96, 96-95) to pull off the upset.

Pernell Whitaker (3) UD 10 Sammy Fuller

Action is slow to develop, but Whitaker manages to pull ahead with a big round four, exhibiting his superior boxing skills. Fuller does well to keep the bout reasonably close but lacks the weapons to seriously challenge the #3 seed. UD 10 for Whitaker (98-93, 97-95, 97-94).

Billy Petrolle UD 10 Carlos Ortiz (7)

Petrolle serves notice with a big round three, followed by another good round in the fourth for the “Fargo Express.” Ortiz struggles to find the range, and Petrolle takes advantage, pulling off another upset via a points win (97-93 on all three cards). Ortiz becomes the highest seed to be eliminated thus far.

Acelino Freitas KO 5 Jack Blackburn (10)

Blackburn, the favored fighter, has trouble getting on track. In round five, Freitas seizes his opportunity, landing a solid cross that puts Blackburn down and out.

Bob Montgomery (16) UD 10 Ismael Laguna

Slight edge for Montgomery (48-47, according to the unofficial scorer) at the halfway point, and he continues to press the action on the inside, taking a big round six en route to a close but solid points win (96-94, 96-94, 97-93).

Roberto Duran (2) TKO 4 George Lavigne

Duran seizes the initiative in round three, ripping open a cut under the left eye of Lavigne. The end comes a round later, after a Duran hook puts Lavigne down. Then, a cut under the other eye leads to an immediate stoppage although it appeared to be just a question of time before Duran would put Lavigne on the deck again. Second straight stoppage inside five rounds for the “Hands of Stone,” who has looked very impressive thus far.

[JCWeb]

SECOND ROUND REPLAY

Jem Driscoll (11) UD 10 Orlando Zulueta

In the opening round, a Zulueta jab opens up a cut under Driscoll’s left eye. The cut is quickly patched up and does not become a factor. Driscoll gets off to a better start and, at the midway point, he pulls ahead (48-47, on the unofficial card). Buoyed by a huge round seven, Driscoll gradually wears down his opponent to seal a solid points win (99-92, 98-92, 99-91) to advance.

Top six seeds remain, but some carnage in the bottom half of the draw necessitates some reshuffling as the round of sixteen looms.

PAIRINGS FOR THIRD ROUND

Benny Leonard (1) vs Ken Buchanan
Julio Cesar Chavez (9) vs Jem Driscoll (11)
Tony Canzoneri (4) vs Billy Petrolle
Joe Gans (5) vs Bob Montgomery (16)
Joe Brown (6) vs Alexis Arguello (13)
Pernell Whitaker (3) vs Sammy Angott
Ike Williams (8) vs Freddie Welsh (12)
Roberto Duran (2) vs Acelino Freitas

[JCWeb]

On to the round of 16, and 12-round bouts ...

Benny Leonard (1) UD 12 Ken Buchanan

A huge round two sees Leonard hammering away, turning Buchanan’s left eye into a swollen mess. More of the same in round three and, while Leonard has piled up a huge points landed advantage in the first half of the bout, the unofficial scorecard which has “the Ghetto Wizard” only up by three (59-56) seems overly generous to the overmatched Buchanan. Leonard goes on to dominate the rest of the way and, in a bout no knockdowns or cuts, the routine win by Leonard over a totally outclassed opponent seems rather mundane. Final scores are 116-113, 118-112 and 118-112, all for Leonard, who eased up near the end with a solid points win well in his pocket.

Julio Cesar Chavez (9) D 10 Jem Driscoll (11)

Great start for Chavez, who decks Driscoll in the opening stanza with a big cross. After a brief respite in round two, Driscoll settles in and does well enough to outbox the Mexican veteran in rounds three and four. By round five, there is a trace of swelling beneath the right eye of Chavez, a sign of the effectiveness of Driscoll’s jabs. Then, in round six, a second KD from a Chavez hook that puts Driscoll on the deck again. However, Driscoll battles back with a strong round in the ninth, slicing Chavez’s lead to just one point (86-85) on the unofficial card with just three rounds remaining. Driscoll manages to keep the bout close and, despite the two knockdowns, managed to secure a draw and a rematch (scores were 113-all, 114-113 Chavez, and 113-all – a majority draw.)

Tony Canzoneri (4) D 10 Billy Petrolle

Fairly even bout, not much happening until Canzoneri ripped open a cut over the left eye of Petrolle in round five. This did little to slow down “the Fargo Express,” who managed to match Canzoneri punch-for-punch most of the way. Once the cut was reopened in round eight, Canzoneri took charge and dropped Petrolle with a hook. Petrolle regained his footing after letting the count reach nine – within one of being counted out. A resurgent Petrolle battled back to take charge in round 10, opening a cut over Canzoneri’s left eye but Petrolle also suffered from a rapidly swelling right eye. After a bruising battle, the bout came down to the wire, with Petrolle taking the final two rounds to win the vote of one judge to secure a draw and a guaranteed rematch (scores were 114-114, 115-113 Canzoneri, 113-114 Petrolle).

Joe Gans (5) TKO 6 Montgomery (16)

The “Old Master,” Gans, took an early points lead, and by round five, there was noticeable puffiness around the left eye of Montgomery. Then, near the end of round six, Gans fired a barrage of blows, hammering Montgomery to the canvas. After arising at the count of seven, a groggy Montgomery appeared defenseless to another Gans assault, leading to a TKO stoppage with just two seconds left in the round.

Two draws, two near-upsets and two replays thus far. On to the bottom half ...

[JCWeb]

Alexis Arguello (13) MD 12 Joe Brown (6)

Brown is on target early, and by round two, Arguello is battling a rapidly swelling left eye. After struggling in the early going, Arguello bounces back with a strong round six, slicing Brown’s lead to just one point (58-57 on the unofficial scorecard). Both men tire backly heading into the final few rounds, when a late Arguello surge is enough to secure the MD 12 win (115-114, 115-115, 115-114).

Pernell Whitaker (3) UD 12 Sammy Angott

Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker is dominant from the opening round, when he lands repeatedly to cause noticeable swelling around the right eye of Angott. By round five, Angott is carrying his hands low. Round nine, a flurry from Whitaker staggers Angott, who somehow manages to remain upright and survives the round. Solid points win for the #3 seed (116-112, 119-109, 119-109 are the scores).

Ike Williams (8) MD 12 Freddie Welsh (12)

Action is slow to develop, but Williams does enough to build a points lead on the unofficial card (59-55, at the midway point) although the punches landed stats favor the “Welsh Wizard.” Round nine, Williams rips open a cut over Welsh’s left eye. In a bout that is hard to score, it comes down to the judges’ decision, which goes to Williams (116-112, 114,114, 117-113), and Welsh is eliminated.

Roberto Duran (2) KO 2 Acelino Freitas

Once again, Duran dominates a weaker opponent from the opening bell. After a huge round one, in round two Duran drops Freitas with a hook for the bout’s first KD. Freitas arises after taking a six-count, but Duran’s killer instinct kicks in, and he is able to finish Freitas with another hook, and this time the Brazilian does not beat the count.


Two replays (Chavez-Driscoll and Canzoneri-Petrolle) are needed, then on to the quarterfinals.

[JCWeb]

THIRD ROUND REPLAYS

Jem Driscoll (11) UD 12 Julio Cesar Chavez (9)

Slight edge to Driscoll in the opening round, with Chavez being warned for holding and hitting. Chavez recovers to take round two, but Driscoll is on target in rounds three and four, taking both rounds and causing some puffiness around the left eye of Chavez. Driscoll’s early success translates into a narrow points lead (58-56, on the unofficial scorecard) at the midway point. Then, over the course of the next three rounds, Driscoll pulls ahead even further, focusing on defense first and frustrating Chavez’s efforts to regain the initiative. The bout goes the full 12, with Driscoll taking a well deserved UD 12 (117-112, 116-112, 117-111).

Billy Petrolle UD 12 Tony Canzoneri (4)

The bout remains fairly even for the first four rounds, with neither man dominating the action. The “Fargo Express,” Petrolle, comes on strongly in rounds five and six, moving ahead on the unofficial card (58-56) at the midway point. The bout remains close through the middle rounds, but then Petrolle – taking a more aggressive posture – breaks through in round nine, nailing Canzoneri with a three-punch combo that forced the “Roman Warrior” to cover up. Two rounds later, in round 11, another sharp combination from Petrolle rocks Canzoneri, who covers up again. The late surge is sufficient to to secure a UD 12 win for Petrolle (116-113, 115-112, 116-111), taking out the #4 seed.

The top three seeds remain in the draw as the ATG tournament reaches the quarterfinal stage.

QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS

Benny Leonard (1) vs Billy Petrolle
Joe Gans (5) vs Ike Williams (8)
Pernell Whitaker (3) vs Jem Driscoll (11)
Roberto Duran (2) vs Alexis Arguello (13)

[JCWeb]

Benny Leonard (1) UD 12 Billy Petrolle

It’s the “Ghetto Wizard” versus the “Fargo Express.” Both men start cautiously, looking to set up the jab. Petrolle takes the opening round, Leonard the second, staggering Petrolle with a big hook. Slight edge to Petrolle in the third round, but Leonard rebounds with a big round four. Petrolle becomes the aggressor, while Leonard takes a defense-first approach. Unofficial scorer has Leonard up by two (58-56) at the midway point. Petrolle stuns Leonard with a big cross in round seven, forcing Benny to cover up. It’s Petrolle’s best moment of the bout, but he is unable to follow up, and Leonard contnues to rack up the points to take a convincing UD 12 win (115-113, 116-113, 115-113), eliminating the last unseeded fighter from the tourney.

Joe Gans (5) UD 12 Ike Williams (8)

Close in the early rounds, but by round four Gans, “the Old Master,” is on top. Unofficial ringside observer has Gans leading at the midway point (58-56), and by the end of round eight, things look bad for Williams, who is battling a rapidly swelling left eye. A confident Gans then coasts to a very comfortable points win (117-111, 115-113, 118-110 are the final scorecards).

Jem Driscoll (11) DQ 10 Pernell Whitaker (3)

Strong start by the favored Whitakes, who builds a solid points lead by the midway point (59-56, according to the unofficial scorecard). Driscoll appears to lack the firepower to mount a rally, and by round eight, he is showing signs of swelling around both eyes. However, Whitaker gets careless, and is warned for hitting below the belt in round nine. In round 10, the blatant low blows continue, and Whitaker is disqualified, removing the #3 seed from the tournament.

Roberto Duran (2) KO 5 Alexis Arguello (13)

Two great Central American fighters square off in an action-packed bout. In the opening round, Arguello connects with a barrage of blows, putting Duran on the canvas. 10-8 round for Arguello. The “Explosive Thin Man” remains in control for most of the first four rounds, but then in round five, Duran breaks through, landing an uppercut, then a three-punch combo, then finally the coup-de-grace with a straight right hand that puts Arguello down and out.

That sets up the following matchups for the semifinals:

SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS
Benny Leonard (1) vs Jem Driscoll (11)
Roberto Duran (2) vs Joe Gans (5)

Good to see the top two seeds -- Leonard (Benny, not Sugar Ray) and Duran -- both make it to the semis.

[Fightfan8568]

I love reading your tourney updates. How do you come up with your ranking of fighters?

[JCWeb]

Ranking is based on overall boxer ratings and then a tiebreaker system that Jim Trunzo (the original game designer) came up with years ago.

Which is as follows:

1. Combined Control Factor numbers (versus boxer plus versus slugger)

2. HP + PL - KDR 1 - KDR 2 - KOR

3. Better defense (lower number is better)

4. Better endurance (higher number is better)

(I should add that this formula was first published in the All-Star Replay magazine, Vol. III, No. 2).