B-town Boxing: A Heavyweight Universe

[btown32]

Jimmy Thunder, Samoa, debut vs. Fili Savini, Samoa, debut

The Thunderdome, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. We come to you live, from the beautiful, beach city of Santa Barbara, CA, to bring a special presentation of professional boxing. Tonight, Punch-Drunk Promotions brings boxing to the appropriately named ‘Thunderdome’ on the campus of U.C. Santa Barbara, to introduce their heralded prizefighter ’Joltin’ Jimmy Thunder. Thunder is a hard-throwing, Samoan, that makes his residence a few hours away in Las Vegas, NV. He will be squaring off against a fellow Samoan, Fili Savini, who flew into the states just this week due to Visa issues with Homeland Security and the U.S. Government. Savini’s handlers had the option of postponing the fight for two weeks, but Savini was adamant about going forward with this featured attraction and ensured the press and public that he is properly prepared even with the distractions. PDP and Thunder were happy to have the fight in California due to the high population of Samoans living within the state. In attendance tonight are some fellow fighters from the islands, David ‘The Terminator’ Tua, Samoa, 6-0-0 (5), and ‘Mighty Mo’ Siligia, American Samoa, 5-0-0 (4), as well as Pittsburgh Steeler safety, Troy Polamanu. Thunder was measured at 6’2” and weighed in at 225lbs last night. I am surprised that he made weight with all the fantastic food that was being cooked and eaten on the beach the last couple of days. The entire Samoan community has poured onto the beaches of Santa Barbara and have shared their culture and fine cuisine with the seaside city. You can see huge bonfires from the highways as large portions of all types of meats, fish, fruits and vegetables are cooked and prepared to be shared with everybody that passes through. I know I enjoyed the fantastic flavors, but Thunder and Savini must have had some unbelievable discipline to stay away. The referee has finished giving the instructions and the fighters have gone back to their corners. The bell sounds and we are underway. A few nice exchanges before the referee warns Thunder for using his shoulder. Savini failed to throw any punches in the second half of round one. Savini is more effective in round two and continues to put the pressure on by walking down his opponent. Thunder lets his hands loose in the 3rd, and it looks as though he landed a punch that had Savini wobbled as the bell sounded. A big fourth round for Joltin’ Jimmy and Savini is fading fast. 3 rounds to 1 for Thunder going into the fifth. An uppercut lands squarely on Savini’s jaw and he goes down. Savini is up at four but looks severely hurt. A thunderous hook to the body puts Savini down for the second time in round five. Savini cannot manage to get to his feet and the fight is over at the 2:15 mark of the 5th round. There will be some partying tonight as Joltin’ Jimmy Thunder electrifies the Thunderdome crowd.

Winner: Thunder
Result: (KO5)
Cards: 39-37, on all three cards in favor of Thunder
Punch stats: Thunder 137-438, 31.3% - Savini 66-106, 62.3%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Punch-Drunk Promotions' boys are 3-0-0 (3KTFO's)!

[btown32]

Bob Fitzsimmons, England, debut vs. Pele Reid, England, 0-3-0

Mansfield Civic Centre, Mansfield, England. The UK Boxing Group is proud to introduce the first of its three local fighters today. UKBG has decided to put on three shows at three separate venues for each of its fighters because it believes that all three have a chance to reach the elite level in today’s heavyweight division. The first to debut will be Bob Fitzsimmons. “Wait, I do not know a Fitzsimmons in the heavyweight division. Is that name correct? It says that this is ‘Ruby’ Robert Fitzsimmons fighting here tonight.” Bob Fitzsimmons was a very good amateur fighter in the middleweight division but this cannot be the same fellow? This Fitzsimmons lad had some serious punchin’ power, even in the light-heavies if I recall correctly, but I don’t know how he will fare against these big lads. Fitz is a very good fighter but we will have to see how well everything translates over to this division. Bob Fitzsimmons comes into this fight at a mere 177lbs over his 5’11 ½” frame, and that is soaking wet. Tonight Fitz faces off against a true heavyweight in Pele Reid. Reid is also from England, born is Sheffield, and currently living in Birmingham, West Midlands. Reid comes into the fight at 6’3” and 221lbs. The tale of the tape shows a huge disparity in height (about 4 inches) and weight (a whopping 44 lbs!). Reid comes into tonight’s fight with a 0-3-0 record with losses to Gary Mason (TKO2), who is 8-0-0 (7) and is here in the stands tonight, Ould Donald McBane (MDec10), and Al Marson (UD10). Another highly regarded English heavyweight in attendance tonight is Jack Broughton 10-0-0 (4). Round one is nothing to write home about, with one brief exchange and a lot of feeling out. Reid starts off the 2nd by landing a left hook flush to the body, Fitz takes the rest of the round with aggressive effective punching. Fitz is undersized but is using his quickness to his advantage as he outlands Reid again here in the 3rd round. Reid was warned for a head butt in that round as Fitzsimmons luckily escaped without any damage. The fourth round is definitely the best round of the fight as both men land some serious shots as the crowd comes to life and cheers exuberantly. Reid walks into a wicked right hook and the fight is over as quickly as the round started! The crowd acknowledges the amazing boxing skills and punching power of a man outweighed by nearly 50lbs. I guess everything ‘Ruby’ Robert Fitzsimmons showed at the lower weight classes does transfer over as Reid is knocked out at the 0:43 mark of the fifth round.

Winner: Fitzsimmons
Result: (KO5)
Cards: 40-36, 39-37, 40-36, all three cards in favor of Fitzsimmons
Punch stats: Fitzsimmons 124-296, 41.9% - Reid 47-126, 37.3%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Joe Bugner, England, debut vs. Richard Dunn, England, 1-3-0 (1)

Earls Court, London, England. A sold-out crowd of 18,000 have come to witness the debut of the another fighter that fights under the UK Boxing Group banner, Joe Bugner. Bugner is sort of an oddity, a citizen in three countries, Hungary, Australia and England. He was born in Hungary, resides in Australia, actually going by the nickname ‘Aussie Joe’, and fighting here in England. Nobody confuses Bugner with a DWTS contestant, but he is effective in the style that he implements under the expert boxing tutelage of Whitey Bimstein. The cameras have captured a beautiful actress here tonight, Kate Beckinsale, along with the beautiful couple of Victoria and David Beckham in the stands. David Beckham is recovering from surgery to his Achilles tendon that will keep him out of the World Cup this year. The tale of the tape shows Bradford, England’s, Richard Dunn standing 6’4” and weighing 206lbs compared to Bugner at 6’4” and 230lbs. Dunn brings the fight to Bugner as the beginning of the fight gets underway. Dunn lands a lead left, but Bugner counters with a nice combination of his own. A nice, action-packed first round ends in favor of Bugner. A straight right, followed by a left uppercut puts Dunn down for a count of seven in the 2nd round. Dunn shakes off the affect of the last round and rebounds with a solid third round of his own. Both men take the 4th off with Bugner landing a few more shots than Dunn. Dunn is completely unable to get away from anything that Bugner throws and is looking a little worse for the wear. Bugner lands a brutal combination in the eighth that has Dunn on the seat of his pants for a count of 3. Completely drained and fatigued, Dunn walks into a right hook that puts him down. Dunn is incredibly courageous and survives two knockdowns in the 9th to make it to his corner for the last and final round. Dunn does wonders to survive the one-sided affair tonight here at Earls Court. We go to the scorecards.

Winner: Bugner
Result: (UD10)
Cards: 98-88, on all three cards in favor of Bugner
Punch stats: Bugner 281-680, 41.3% - Dunn 120-643, 18.7%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Carl Gizzi, Wales, debut vs. Iftikhab Ahmed, UK, debut

Cardiff International Arena. The sadness felt by an entire nation is on the verge of being lifted away as a new Welsh superstar makes his debut in front of a capacity crowd in Cardiff, Wales. The retirement of all-time legend, and undefeated champion, Joe Calzaghe has left a void in the Welsh countryside and sporting community. Along to save the day, to bring sunshine to the depression that surrounds the dark void, comes a heavyweight boxer that some say could bring the pride and belt back to Cardiff. His name is Carl Gizzi, and UKBG is proud to be here to promote its future title contender in front of his home crowd. Beautiful Welsh actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas are on hand to witness this spectacle. And speaking of the former all-time great champion, Joe Calzaghe is in the house! Asked about the fight, the ‘Pride of Wales’ stated “I am glad to be here alongside the great fight fans of Wales to support the next great champion from our proud country. Carl Gizzi will electrify all that are watching and will quickly develop into a top-ranked heavyweight contender under the direction of UK Boxing Group and trainer Whitey Bimstein.” Tonight’s tale of the tape, Rochdale, Lancashire’s own Iftikhab Ahmed stands 6’1” and weighed in at 210lbs, while Rhyl, Wales native Carl Gizzi measures in at 190lbs. What an atmosphere we have here tonight as the fight gets underway. Both men look ready to go as the leather starts flying from the time the bell sounds. Gizzi keeps the pressure on the entire round and doubles up on his punch totals compared to Ahmed. Ahmed has no answer for Gizzi in the 2nd as Gizzi catches his opponent on the ropes and splits his guard with some straight punches to the head. The third is another one-sided round as Gizzi is showing the fans what the hype was all about. Gizzi shows us some effective defensive techniques, stepping to the side and moving his head to avoid Ahmed’s punches. It looks as though Ahmed is running out of gas at the end of the 4th. The fifth round is probably the most competitive of the fight so far. Ahmed shows us some nice counter-punching that round. The 6th and 7th are very slow rounds, tough to score, but I would probably give the 7th to Ahmed. The fight will be an easy decision win for Gizzi in his debut fight, but I sense that the fans would liked to have seen Gizzi end the fight in a more spectacular fashion. Maybe a bit too cautious, but a win is a win.

Winner: Gizzi
Result: (UD10)
Cards: 100-90, 98-92, 100-90, all three cards in favor of Gizzi
Punch stats: Gizzi 258-601, 42.9% - Ahmed 71-579, 12.3%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Rocky Marciano, USA, debut vs. Joe Hill, USA, 1-1-0

Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA, USA. A decent crowd has shown up tonight to watch the main event, brought to you by Billy Goat Promotions, this evening featuring local, fan favorite, Rocky Marciano, out of Brockton, MA, taking on Joe Hill. I am surprised to have so many people here inside of the Hynes Convenion Center because of the blizzard that has left the city in a virtual stand still. Not too much is known about the challenger tonight except that Hill has a record of 1-1-0, with his only win coming by way of (DQ2) against Frank Girton in February of 1979. In that fight, Hill slipped and was on one knee when Girton took a shot at Hill’s head and knocked him unconscious. Hill had to be taken to the hospital and sustained a concussion that he has had lingering effects from until about three months ago. The doctors finally cleared him to participate in normal, everyday activities in October 1979, and this will be his first fight since the disqualification. Marciano is a heralded fighter with a great amateur pedigree. He is being trained by Bill Gore and looks to be in great condition. Marciano stands in at 5’10” and weighed in at 183lbs last night. Actors Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson are on hand tonight, taking a break from filming on location. I hear that the movie is called “The Departed” and it is a decent cop/mob drama that takes place here in Boston, MA. Well, it looks as though everybody is set to begin the fight and there is the sound of the bell. Almost immediately, Hill ties Marciano up and pushes his head down. Hill has to be warned about holding and pushing the neck only a few seconds into the fight. Marciano doesn’t seem flustered and mounts an offensive attack to take control of the first round. An exchange to start the 2nd, as Hill is able to land two shots before taking an amazing amount of unanswered, punishing blows. The referee is looking at Hill closely, but the ring sounds and saves Hill from any further damage. I am very impressed with the ring generalship that the young Marciano has shown tonight. His ability to land punches with both hands and his powerful shots are also impressive. Round three is a continuation of what was happening to end the last round - Hill getting tattooed by head and body shots. Marciano lands a beautiful combination to the head of Hill that puts him down for the evening at the 2:48 mark of the round. A very nice beginning to the career of a young prospect that we will have to keep an eye on.

Winner: Marciano
Result: (KO3)
Cards: 20-18, on all three cards in favor of Marciano
Punch stats: Marciano 107-304, 35.2% - Hill 25-85, 29.4%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Ray Mercer, USA, debut vs. Jim Rice, USA, debut

Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ, USA. Tonight marks the debut of two, big, American amateur fighters here at the Red Bull. Billy Goat Promotions and the area of Jersey City, NJ, are excited to watch local, heavyweight prospect Ray Mercer take on Big Jim Rice. A New York boss, a New Jersey boss and another wise guy (three Jersey natives in real-life) take their seats, arriving straight from the set of the award winning show, The Sopranos. Hope nobody got hurt for those tickets? This Jim Rice gets the same type of treatment here in Jersey City that the Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox would get over in the Bronx, unpleasant gestures and colorful language! Round one starts off and is completely dominated by Mercer. The fans are on their feet, and the beer is hitting the floor, as Mercer is letting loose with both hands. Rice develops some swelling around his right eye as he is unable to keep Mercer at a distance. A left jab followed by a right cross sends Rice to the floor. Rice is up, but Mercer is unable to pounce as the bell sounds to end the round. Rice gets off his stool but still looks unstable from the end of round two. Mercer launches an assault upon Rice and traps him in his own corner. Rice is covering up well, but is not able to respond to any punches being landed by Mercer. Referee Tony Weeks mercifully steps in and stops the fight. Ray Mercer was just merciless...hmmm, does Ray have a nickname... tonight with his destruction of Jim Rice as the referee steps in and stops the fight (TKO3) at the 1:14 mark of the round.

Winner: Mercer
Result: (TKO3)
Cards: 20-17, on all three cards in favor of Mercer
Punch stats: Mercer 96-190, 50.5% - Rice 6-26, 23.1%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

George Stankovich, New Zealand, debut vs. Seth James, Australia, 0-1-0

ABA Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand. I am very excited to be here at ABA Stadium to witness the professional debut of a fighter that I have been following since I saw him capture a bronze medal in the ‘78 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. After a brilliant 2 year amateur career, Billy Goat Promotions has brought in trainer Bill Gore to fine tune Stankovich’s overall boxing fundamentals, skills and technique, to prepare him for this night. I have to admit that Stankovich is a personal favorite of mine and while following him in the amateurs, I noticed that he didn’t have a nickname, so I fondly named him “The Kiwi Tank.” There are others here to support their beloved Kiwi, as I can see actor Russell Crowe and model, Rachel Hunter together in the front row. Stankovich will face a big brawler from Australia by the name of Seth James, who lost his only previous fight by a tough (UD10) to Bill Smith on 1979-07-17. James charges forward after the bell and runs smack-dab into a big left by Stankovich. James staggers into the ropes but manages to stay on his feet and survives a big first round for Stankovich. The 2^nd round is too close to call, but James goes on the offensive in the 3^rd and lands some big shots that causes some swelling under Stankovich’s left eye. James has really brought his A-game here tonight as he continues to land, clean and effective punches that are winning rounds for him. The 5^th is a give and take round, but Stankovich suffers a cut above the right eyebrow from a punch in the last part of the round. Another close round in the 6^th, but I would say that James landed the harder punches to win it. James is definitely ahead in this fight right now but is starting to breathe heavily through his mouth. Chick Ferrera did a great job closing the cut between rounds and Stankovich starts to really apply the pressure to James in the 7^th. The 8^th is the same as the 7^th, as James looks completely worn out and is doing his best to make it to the end of the fight. Stankovich has won the last two rounds but may have started too late to take a decision. James lands a straight right that reopens the cut above Stankovich’s right eye. The doctor is summoned up to the ring to take a look and allows the fight to continue. James is bushwhacked by a vicious right hook and goes down in a heap. James makes it to his feet by eight and barely makes it to his stool. The two point round could be huge in making up any difference on the score cards. We move to the 10^th and final round. Both fighters touch ‘em up and then go to war. Both fighters do not want to leave it to the judges. Oh, a short, clean combination puts James down again. Stankovich has really summoned up the courage and will-power to try to finish this fight. James manages to get to his feet again and does well to tie up Stankovich for the rest of the round. We will now go to the scorecards.

Winner: Stankovich
Result: (UD10)
Cards: 96-92, 96-92, 97-91, all three cards in favor of Stankovich
Punch stats: Stankovich 234-696, 33.6% - James 142-520, 27.3%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Jack Johnson, USA, debut vs. Harry ‘The Moester’ Moestra, USA, debut

Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, MD, USA. Two young heavyweights make their debut fights tonight here at Du Burns Arena. Boardwalk Promotions must have a lot of confidence in their young prospect to bring him into “The Moester’s’ backyard. Both fighters had productive amateur careers but Harry Moestra is the real deal out here in Terp country. In fact, Moestra’s good friends from the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback, Joe Flacco, and middle linebacker, Ray Lewis, are on hand to give Moestra their support. Personally, I haven’t seen this Jack Jackson fight, but I have heard some good thing about him. I believe that it is Johnson and not Jackson. You may be correct, I apologize. Although, either way, I hear that he is real quick, moves like lightning and has decent overall skills. Yeah, he may move like lightning, but Moestra has the thunder in his gloves! Johnson stands in at 6’1 ½” and 194, while Moestra weighed in at 195 even. I just can’t wait to see ‘The Moester” in action as the bell gets us underway. Moestra is moving around the ring waiting for an opportunity to strike. I cannot believe it, Moestra has been knocked down by a strong cross and the fight is over before Moestra even had the opportunity to land a punch! This Johnson character comes into Du Burns Arena and completely quiets the crowd with a stunning (KO1).

Winner: Johnson
Result: (KO1)
Cards: N/A
Punch stats: Johnson 38-38, 100% - Moestra 0-0, 0%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Joe Jeannette, USA, debut vs. Rocky Oliver, USA, debut

Schuetzen Park, North Bergen, NJ, USA. Boardwalk Promotions gladly introduces North Bergen’s own, Joe Jeannette, here tonight to take on Rocky Oliver in a ten round, main event attraction at Schuetzen Park. BWP was really glad that is was able to lock up Jeannette when he decided to turn pro. BWP believes that Jeannette has the potential to go all the way to the top of the heavyweight division and will ultimately bring the belt back to North Bergen, say that fast a couple of times. We have a great crowd here tonight, and normally I would let you know who is here, but I will take the fifth tonight because I think that I would like to be able to start my car and walk into my front door, on my own two legs after the fight. Oliver weighed in at 220lbs, while Jeannette measures in at 5’10” and 187lbs. Twenty-two seconds into round one and Jeannette drops Oliver with a short, clean right cross. Oliver gets up and takes an amazing amount of punishment over the last two minutes. The ref is looking closely at Oliver as the bell sounds to end the round. Jeannette keeps pressuring Oliver and goes to work on his body as Oliver tries to clinch to catch his breath. Oliver is down again…no, the ref has called it a push. Oliver is able to land a punch but receives about twenty for his troubles. A left jab opens a cut on Oliver’s lip. Oliver is doing a lot of holding and very little hitting as Jeannette is in complete control of this round and the fight. Atlas does a good job of instructing Jeannette in the corner between rounds. Jeannette leans on Oliver here in round 5. Jeannette catches Oliver with a hook to the body and Oliver stumbles forward, landing awkwardly on his face. I think the shot from the canvas might have done more damage then the body shot. Oliver is unable to respond to the count and the fight is over (KO5) at the 1:38 mark of the round.

Winner: Jeannette
Result: (KO5)
Cards: 40-35, on all cards in favor of Jeannette
Punch stats: Jeannette 204-319, 63.9% - Oliver 32-90, 35.6%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Lawrence Clay-Bey, USA, 10-0-0 (7) vs. Max Baer, USA, 10-0-0 (10)

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA. Tonight we have a 12-round, fight between undefeated, heavyweight fighters, Lawrence Clay-Bey and Max Baer for the United States Boxing Associated Championship. Clay-Bey is from Hartford, CT, and measured in at 6’3”, 223lbs, while Baer is from Livermore, CA, and measured in at 6’2 ½”, 218 lbs. Clay-Bey won his last bout (KO7) vs. Herb Siler on 1979-11-29, while Baer won his last bout just one month ago to the day, by (TKO2) over Brandon Quigley. A lovely rendition of our anthem by popstar, Rihanna and the final instructions of our referee before round one gets underway. Clay-Bey goes on the offensive as soon as the bell sounds and hurts Baer to the ribs. Baer is getting bombarded from every angle in the 1^st round of our title fight. Baer looks dazed to end the first. A much better round for Baer as he is able to slip some punches and land effectively while on the inside. Clay-Bey finishes the round off with a flurry which probably gave him the round. Clay-Bey makes a mistake by switching to southpaw during the middle of the round and Baer lands several right hands over Clay-Bey’s left jab. Why would you switch when everything is going in your favor? Big mistake early in the fight by Clay-Bey. Clay-Bey tries to go to the body but Baer blocks the shot and lands a cross of his own that sends Clay-Bey spiraling down to the canvas! The ref gets to five and Clay-Bey is up. The crowd is up cheering as Baer tries to close the show. Clay-Bey does a great job of tying up Baer and makes it to the end of round 4. That knockdown should erase any lead that Clay-Bey had accumulated through the first three rounds. There is an initial exchange to start the round, but Baer takes the lead with shots fired out of a cannon, after the 1:00 mark. Clay-Bey is in serious trouble and is taking blow, after blow, after blow. A hook, an uppercut and finally, a three-punch combo forces the ref to step in to stop the fight at the 2:49 mark of the 5^th round. The winner and new, USBA Champion, by way of (TKO5), is Max Baer!

Winner: Baer
Result: (TKO5)
Cards: 38-37, 39-36, 38-37, all three cards in favor of Baer
Punch stats: Baer 110-376, 29.3% - Clay-Bey 113-265, 42.6%

[btown32]

BTW, are there any pics of Jeff Shelburg, Ibar Arrington or George Stankovich in the forum, or anywhere else?

[Romultiltus]

Originally Posted by btown32

BTW, are there any pics of Jeff Shelburg, Ibar Arrington or George Stankovich in the forum, or anywhere else?

Only have Ibar Arrington. There are a couple of other Ibar pics over in the pictures thread.

[btown32]

Originally Posted by Romultiltus

Only have Ibar Arrington. There are a couple of other Ibar pics over in the pictures thread.

Thank you very much.

[btown32]

The North Bergen Police Department wanted to speak to the CEO of Boardwalk Promotions to see if he could identify any of the gentlemen under survellience. The New Jersey Athletic/Boxing Commission also had some concerns about the element that was present in North Bergen county, specifically, in attendance at the BWP event. Questions could arise to the legitimacy of the outcomes of certain fights.

[bear]

Originally Posted by btown32

the north bergen police department wanted to speak to the ceo of boardwalk promotions to see if he could identify any of the gentlemen under survellience. The new jersey athletic/boxing commission also had some concerns about the element that was present in north bergen county, specifically, in attendance at the bwp event. Questions could arise to the legitimacy of the outcomes of certain fights.

lol

[kenyan_cheena]

lolz

[btown32]

I am going to try to finish the promotional fights off tonight. Had to find some photos for venues in Cuba. (Make sure you guys check out my venue photos in the mods section). After I finish the promotional fights, I will auto-schedule the rest of the universe for January 1980. I also have one more regional title fight (EBU). Regional titles are introduced after fighters get to 10 wins. Top 2 fight for title, and if tied for 10 wins, it is determined by performance points. I will put up next months opponents list after simming and will fast track the fights for February.

[btown32]

Damian Norris, Cuba, debut vs. Arcadio Fuentes, Cuba, debut

Teatro Santos & Artigas, Havana, Cuba. Boardwalk Promotions travels to beautiful Havana, Cuba, to promote the debut fight of Damian Norris. Norris is another in the long line of fine Cuban fighters that has developed his skills in the Cuban National Boxing system. He follows in the footsteps of Nino Valdes 7-0-0 (7), Juan Carlos Gomez, 7-0-1 (5), Young John Herrera 7-1-0 (6), Rafael Pedro 6-1-0 (3), Pedro Carrion 5-0-0 (4), and most recently, Teofilo Stevenson. Norris is the last of Cuba’s heavyweights to debut but some say that he may be better than them all. Norris is a big, 6’5”, boxer, with decent power and good overall skills. Tonight he faces another young Cuban heavyweight, also making his debut, Arcadio Fuentes. Fuentes is not as highly regarded here in Cuba, but he has a good amateur background and has sparred with Norris on several occasions during their stint in the national program. Two former Cuban standout pitchers, Livan Hernandez and Aroldis Chapman are ringside along with beautiful model, Vida Guerra. There’s the bell. Fuentes lands the first shot but Norris immediately counters with a brutal hook to the head of Fuentes that flattens him within the first 30 seconds of the fight. Fuentes manages to get to his feet but will have to survive over two minutes more in this round. A big overhand right puts Fuentes down again. And again Fuentes scrambles to his feet. Norris closes the distance and tries to finish Fuentes off. A big straight right, left to the body, right to the face and finally the fight is stopped at the 2:00 mark of the opening round. What a debut performance by BWP’s Damien Norris!

Winner: Norris
Result: (TKO1)
Cards: N/A
Punch stats: Norris 27-45, 60% - Fuentes 6-6, 100%
TPE: 0.25

[btown32]

Tom Sharkey, Ireland, debut vs. ‘Irish’ Jack O’Dowd, Ireland 0-2-0

Bill Graham Civic Center, San Francisco, CA, USA. Golden Gate Promotions gladly welcomes you to a double bill of debut, heavyweight action at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco, CA. Tonight, GGP will introduce the world to two of their newest fighters, Tom Sharkey from Dundalk, Ireland, and Proud Kilimanjaro, from Zimbabwe. Both fighters are thought to be the best heavyweights ever produced from their respective countries, maybe the best fighters from any weight class period. Tom Sharkey will be first up tonight, as he takes on ‘Irish’ Jack O’Dowd, who comes into tonight’s fight with an 0-2-0 record. O’Dowd lost both fights overseas in Cork, Ireland, to Jim Dunn (KO5) and Mike McTigue (TKO5), both highly regarded, young prospects. ‘Sailor’ Tom comes into tonight’s fight at a slim and trim 183lbs over his 5’8” frame. The fighters are in their corners waiting for the bell to start round one. Irish Jack is doing a fine job of beating his opponent to the punch. The ref warns Sharkey about leading with his head. Sharkey finally shows some aggression towards the second half of the round. The fans are up cheering as a great first round full of action comes to an end. Sharkey backs O’Dowd into the corner and lands a huge cross that ends the fight with O’Dowd laying on his back. GGP has a superstar in the making with the successful debut of Sailor Tom Sharkey.

Winner: Sharkey
Result: (KO2)
Cards: 10-9 Sharkey, 10-9 Sharkey, 10-9 O’Dowd
Punch stats: Sharkey 41-165, 24.8% - 38-38, 100%
TPE: 0.25