UTBA-II Boxing League

[bear]

I prefer to think of myself as UTBA Champion in my own mind.

has a ring to it.

[Romultiltus]

Update: Only 3 more teams to update on my stats stuff. I did find my handwritten results sheets for the playoffs and am about 75% done with the updating for those matches.

Just a bit more cleanup and then the EOY Tournaments will follow. (I might just run a few tomorrow if I get burnt out again w/ the stats stuff)...

[lethal liberal]

Originally Posted by Romultiltus

Update: Only 3 more teams to update on my stats stuff. I did find my handwritten results sheets for the playoffs and am about 75% done with the updating for those matches.

Just a bit more cleanup and then the EOY Tournaments will follow. (I might just run a few tomorrow if I get burnt out again w/ the stats stuff)...

Good to see ya get things sorted out...nothing more frustrating than computer problems. Thanks for keeping at it.

[Romultiltus]

I've taken a bit of a break from stats reconstruction and have begun to run the Heavyweight EOY Tournament 1st Round.

BIG UPSETS to report...

[Romultiltus]

UTBA-II Season 2 Heavyweight EOY Touranment - 1st Round
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas NV (USA)
15 April 2009

1st Round Results:

#1 - CH-Sam Langford 40-3-1 (37) vs. #16 - Ray Mercer 23-16-2 (19)

After completing an undefeated regular season, reigning HW Champion Sam Langford walked into the area full of confidence - maybe a bit too much ... His opponent was wily Ray Mercer, who eeked into the tournament in the final spot. Having already been TKO'd twice by Langford in the past, the experts predicted another easy victory for the champion...

Bout Result:

Ray Mercer W-KO5 Sam Langford

Mercer, the lowest seed in the tournament wins a shocker and claims the HV Title for the 1st time.

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#8 - Hasim Rahman 27-12-2 (23) vs. #9 - Ken Norton 30-14-0 (20)

Based on the seedings, this bout should be a pick-em, but we all know that would be the best of all possible senarios for Rahman and the Binks. As for Norton, the tournament provides a fresh start after a somewhat disappointing regular season. These fighters have never faced each other.

Bout Result:

Ken Norton W-TKO9 Hasim Rahman

Binked again!!!

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#5 - Corrie Sanders 32-15-1 (26) vs. #12 - Earnie Shavers 27-15-1 (25)

Another match between two fighters who have never faced each other. Corrie Sanders limped into the tournament after losing both of his matches in the Gold Conference divisional playoffs against the Diggstown Ringers. Shavers climbs into the ring pissed at his low seeding in the tournament. Guess who was more motivated for this fight?

Bout Result:

Earnie Shavers W-TKO6 Corrie Sanders

Even after this impressive victory, Shavers was seen leaving the arena with sour look on his face. This could mean bad news for whomever he faces next.

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#4 - Frank Bruno 32-11-1 (32) vs. #13 - Alexander Zolkin 25-15-2 (13)

These two guys have a good rivalry going. At first it looked like an epic rivalry between the wolf and the sheep after Bruno KO'd Zolkin in their first 3 matches. Then something happened. Zolkin wisely decided not to slug it out with Bruno. Their 4th encounter ended up with Zolkin winning a disputed split decison in each fighter's last regular season bout.

Bout Result:

Alexander Zolkin W-U15 Frank Bruno

It seems that Zolkin has turned the tables on Bruno, but I guess as long the opponent stays on his feet, Bruno will probably lose - since all 32 of his victories have ended by knockout.

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#3 - Ruslan Chagaev 36-9-1 (21) vs. #14 - Lee Ramage 26-15-2 (12)

Chagaev has consistantly shown himself to be the 2nd best HW in the Silver Conference and was rewarded with the 3rd overall seed in the tournament. Ramage seemed just happy to be invited. But could Ramage surprise everyone? He enters this rematch with Chagaev on a 10-1-1 streak including an unexpected decision over Max Schmeling in the Gold Conference divisional playoffs. Chagaev flattened Ramage (KO6) in their first bout back in Season 1.

Bout Result:

Lee Ramage W-TKO8 Ruslan Chagaev

Ramage seems to be on a bit of a roll and makes it 2-for-2 for the Tomato City heavyweights.

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#6 - Tom Sharkey 32-15-0 (29) vs. #11 - Chris Byrd 24-14-2 (6)

Tom Sharkey had a dismal 0-4 start to Season 2, but suddenly turned it around to win 15 of his next 16 matches. He won 1 and lost 1 in the Silver Conference divisional playoffs and heads into the ring full of confidence. The only problem is that light-hitting opponent Chris Byrd knocked him out cold (KO9) back in Week 2. Could Byrd do it again?

Bout Result:

Chris Byrd W-KO9 Tom Sharkey

In an almost carbon copy of their first encounter, Chris Byrd KO's Sharkey again. Of Byrd's total 7 career KO's, 2 of them have been against Sharkey. Bad luck for Sharkey, or does Byrd just have his number.

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#7 - Max Baer 31-14-1 (29) vs. #10 - Andrew Golota 30-17-0 (28)

Bear and Golota have met just once before. Golota won KO-9. Golota has fought for the HW Title twice this season and lost both times - but now that Langford is out, will he get a third chance. Both Baer and Golota fought in the playoffs this season; Golota went 2-0, while Baer went 1-1. The loss was a highly disputed M-12 decision to Ruslan Chagaev. At the weigh-in Baer seemed a little preoccupied and maybe is still stewing over that loss.

Bout Result:

Andrew Golota W-TKO6 Max Baer

The "Foul Pole" stops Baer for the second time and Baer joins teammate Tom Sharkey watching the rest of the tournament with the crowd.

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#2 - Max Schmeling 44-5-1 (31) 1DQ vs. #15 - Ingemar Johansson 28-16-0 (28)

The big question heading into this bout was if their first fight was a fluke. After hightailing it out of the Silver Conference and away from Sam Langford, Schmeling laid waste to the Gold Conference - finishing 16-0 after the trade to Bonner Springs. Ingo ran into Schmeling in the Gold Conference Championship playoff match and battered Schmeling for 9 rounds before the bout was stopped. Now with the overall UTBA Team Championship in his pocket, Schmeling gets a chance for revenge.

Bout Result:

Ingemar Johansson W-KO8 Max Schmeling

Ingo does it again - proving that the first bout was not a fluke. As it stands, every one of Johansson's 29 victories have come by the way of KO/TKO.

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Did anyone happen to notice that every one of the lower seeded fighters won? I don't think that this will ever happen again.

Now moving onto the quarterfinals, #9 Ken Norton is the highest seeded fighter left.

Quarterfinal Matches:

#16 - CH-Ray Mercer vs. #9 - Ken Norton

#12 - Earnie Shavers vs. #13 - Alexander Zolkin

#14 - Lee Ramage vs. #11 - Chris Byrd

#10 - Andrew Golota vs. #15 - Ingemar Johansson

[Romdawg88]

Crazy tournament, I can't believe Mercer beat Sam.

[jbergey22]

What did you do to the database Romy Cant believe some of these results.

The odds of all the lower seeds winning must over a million to 1.

[kenyan_cheena]

[Mad Bomber]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Ditto.

[lethal liberal]

After a somewhat sour season,my man Earnie finally gets it right. I hope he can pull off a couple more big victories. Amazing and shocking tourney thus far.....

[bear]

Wow, all eight of the top seeds gone. I've never seen those kind of results in any tournament. Really unbeleivable.

bear

[mikehoudini]

Originally Posted by bear

Wow, all eight of the top seeds gone. I've never seen those kind of results in any tournament. Really unbeleivable.

bear

I never thought this could happen.

On the other hand,

8 - Hasim Rahman 27-12-2 (23) vs. #9 - Ken Norton 30-14-0 (20)

Based on the seedings, this bout should be a pick-em, but we all know that would be the best of all possible senarios for Rahman and the Binks. As for Norton, the tournament provides a fresh start after a somewhat disappointing regular season. These fighters have never faced each other.

Bout Result:

Ken Norton W-TKO9 Hasim Rahman

Binked again!!!

This definitely could, and did, happen! Ouch!

"When you're a Bink, you're a Bink all the way!
From your opening bout til your last losing foray!"

The Rock could have been the top-seeded man for Round 2!

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by lethal liberal

After a somewhat sour season,my man Earnie finally gets it right. I hope he can pull off a couple more big victories. Amazing and shocking tourney thus far.....

The puncher may go far given all the other upsets. Go get 'em!

[mikehoudini]

Regarding Chris' avatar, it was sad to read about the Bird's passing. I was there on July 4 his rookie season when he beat the Birds! he deserved better!

[Romultiltus]

UTBA-II Season 2 Light Heavyweight EOY Touranment - 1st Round
Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff (WALES)
16 April 2009

1st Round Results:

#1 - CH-Roy Jones Jr 39-1-3 (30) 1DQ vs. #16 - Julio Gonzalez 24-17-1 (17)

No team wants to see this in the EOY Tournament - especially in the first round, but UTBA-II Champion Bonner Springs Bald Beavers find teammates Roy Jones Jr and Julio Gonzalez facing each other for the first time. Will Jones Jr break the upset hex that we saw in the HW Tournament?

Bout Result:

Roy Jones Jr W-U15 Julio Gonzalez

Jones Jr retained his belt in a spirited contest that saw him drop his teammate 5 times. It just seemed like Roy chose not to close the show and allowed Gonzalez to reach the final bell.

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#8 - Karoly Balzsay 32-16-0 (24) vs. #9 - Jimmy Adamick 28-13-1 (24)

These two guys are certainly no strangers to each other. All 5 of their bouts have ended with a devastating KO with Admaick holding a 3-2 edge in victories. Chances are this fight will not be any different.

Bout Result:

Karoly Balzsay W-U15 Jimmy Adamick

Well, guess the outcome was different. Adamick hit the canvas 3 times but managed to stay competitive for the entire bout.

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#5 - Jack Delaney 35-8-0 (26) vs. #12 - Lucian Bute 27-12-2 (20)

Representing the lowly Toronto Tornados, Jack Delaney put together an impressive 15-5-0 season and entered the tournament looking for something positive before the offseason. His opponent Lucian Bute was an easy target since Delaney had already beaten him 4 straight times.

Bout Result:

Lucian Bute W-TKO12 (c) Jack Delaney

Through the first 11 rounds, Delaney continued his dominance over Bute. Bute's repeated attempts at head butting finally paid off in the 12th when a butt opened a bad gash inside Delaney's mouth. Mere seconds later, Bute landed a punch which opened a very deep cut over Delaney's right eye. Bloody and unable to see, Delaney tournament run ended when the referee stopped the contest. For the record, Delaney was way ahead on all scorecards.

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#4 - Bob Fitzsimmons 34-8-0 (27) vs. #13 - Bob Murphy 28-15-4 (22)

Bob Fitzsimmons finished the regular season 17-3 and won his last 7 bouts. He eagerly awaited a return match against champion Roy Jones Jr whom he lost to (L-KO9) earlier in the season. Bob Murphy came into the tournament just hoping to survive past the 1st round. In their only previous meeting, Fitzsimmons KO'd Murphy in the 1st.

Bout Result:

Bob Murphy W-TKO 10 (i) Bob Fitzsimmons

Both Murphy and Fitzsimmons traded big shots for most of the bout, with Murphy's confidence rising after the completion of each round. But just when Fitzsimmons seemed to be taking control of the fight, he landed a big shot on the top of Murphy's hard head that resulted in a broken right hand and could not continue.

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#3 - Michael Moorer 39-6-2 (27) vs. #14 - Prince Charles Williams 24-16-1 (16)

This scheduled match will be the first meeting between the two fighters. Moorer has to be considered on of the tournament favorites and enters with an unbeaten 18-0-2 record for the season. One of his two draws was against current LHW Champion Roy Jones Jr. Even though Prince Charles Williams enters with a 11-8-1 record, he also fought well against Roy Jones Jr - losing a very disputed "hometown" split decison to the champ.

Bout Result:

Michael Moorer W-KO9 Prince Charles Williams

Moorer wasted no time showing the crowd that he meant business. As the rounds wore on, it was clear that Williams was outclassed. Once he hit the canvas, there was little reason for him to beat the count.

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#6 - Alvaro Lopez 31-11-1 (25) vs. #11 - Tony Anthony 28-16-2 (19)

With the Nebraska Corn Jabber owner SAL still MIA, Tony Anthony was a big question mark as to whether or not he would find his way across the pond to the Cardiff Arena. Lopez had already beaten him once by KO in the past and Lopez was heard commenting that he thought Anthony wouldn't even show up. Lopez was ready, having won his last 15 bouts.

Bout Result:

Tony Anthony W-TKO9 (c) Alvaro Lopez

Up until the time that he made his ring entrance, there was still questions about whether or not Anthony would make it to the arena on time. Once the bout started, it was clear that he was either very pissed off or had put something illegal in his gloves. A good back and forth contest deteriorated once Lopez was cut badly in the 7th. The cut was reopened in the 8th and then again in the 9th for the last time. The referee had seen enough and stopped the contest.

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#7 - Glencoffe Johnson 27-8-7 (14) vs. #10 - George Gardiner 27-14-3 (16)

Glencoffe Johnson finished the season with 5 Draws - 1 shy of the UTBA season record set by Clinton Woods also this season. Johnson finished the season 12-3-5. Gardiner entered the tournament as the only man to have ever defeated champion Roy Jones Jr. and also fought him to a draw during the season. Johnson and Gardiner have never fought.

Bout Result:

George Gardiner W-TKO14 Glencoffe Johnson

Gardiner put on a boxing clinic against the cagey Johnson until being cut in round 9. Worried about a referee stoppage, Gardiner poured it on in the next few rounds - dropping Johnson twice before the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight in the 14th.

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#2 - Harold Johnson 38-6-2 (13) vs. #15 - Chad Dawson

Harold Johnson earned the #2 seed in the tournament after a successful 17-2-1 season. Among those victories was a disputed majority decision against his tournament opponent "Bad" Chad Dawson. Dawson enters the tournament coming off an outstanding playoff run for the Hebron Haymakers compiling a 4-0-2 (1) record.

Bout Result:

Chad Dawson W-TKO11 Harold Johnson

For some reason, Johnson appeared to be lethargic for the first part of the fight. He did manage to cut Dawson in the 8th. After the cut was reopened in the 9th, Dawson kicked in another gear and battered Johnson until the referee stopped the bout late in the 11th.

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Not as many surprises as with the HW tournament, but only the #1, 3 & 8 seeds remain.

Quarterfinal Matches:

#1 - CH-Roy Jones Jr vs. #8 - Karoly Balzsay

#12 - Lucian Bute vs. #13 - Bob Murphy

#3 - Michael Moorer vs. #11 - Tony Anthony

#10 - George Gardiner vs. #15 - Chad Dawson

[Romultiltus]

I'm hoping to get things moving a bit quicker now. I am about 90% complete with rebuilding my stats sheets for the season through the playoffs.

I am now working on putting the playoff matches back into the db. Basically, I am re-running the bouts and then manually changing the resuts to match what really happened. I have noticed that even if you edit the bout result, the fighter's individual records do not change as well. The records have to be manually updated as well.

That's it for today - I need to grab a couple of hours of sleep before heading out to work tonight.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by mikehoudini

Regarding Chris' avatar, it was sad to read about the Bird's passing. I was there on July 4 his rookie season when he beat the Birds! he deserved better!

I just finished with tax filing season and 70+ hour works weeks. It just started hitting me last night.

This guy was IT in my youth. I was 10 when he broke in and loved him to pieces. Wore his number everytime a team I was on had a '20' that fit me, saved every picture I could find of him, begged Dad to take me to Pawtucket when he tried making a comeback (didn't make it over there), went to see him the few times he was making public appearances over the years.

When I was in college (mid eighties), I actually found his address and wrote him a letter. I probably should not have acted like a stalker but I had to tell him how much I idolized him as a child and how inspired I was as a young man seeing the attitude that he displayed after his career was cut short. He probably was inundated with letters like that but still was saying in the nineties how great fans are and how much he appreciates them.

The world could use more men like Mark Fidrych. I feel like crying again.

[CONN CHRIS]

And, to tie it to boxing lest I be accused of going off-topic:

Jackie Kallen remembers the Bird:

Kallen remembers fun times with Fidrych | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Q:If you could write Fidrych's epitaph, what would it say?

A:"Mark Fidrych: The Bird loved life."



Pictures of Jackie and the Bird as well as Jackie and some fat boxing geek website denizen

[lethal liberal]

Originally Posted by mikehoudini

Regarding Chris' avatar, it was sad to read about the Bird's passing. I was there on July 4 his rookie season when he beat the Birds! he deserved better!

Yeah,he sure grabbed the attention back in the day. He exploded on the scene and was gone just as quick. One of the all-time great characters of the game. He was fun to watch...RIP Bird.

[Romultiltus]

UTBA-II Season 2 Middleweight EOY Touranment - 1st Round
Sydney Stadium, Sydney NSW (AUSTRALIA)
17 April 2009

1st Round Results:

#1 - CH-Carl Olson 24-14-2 (17) 1DQ vs. #16 - Billy Papke 9-9-2 (6)

Current MW Champion Carl "Bobo" Olson and Billy Papke will meet for the first time in the tournament. Bovo will be making his 4th defense. Billy Papke is one of two rookies who qualified for the MW tournament this season. Papke is also the only fighter to enter the tournament with less than 10 victories during the regular season.

Bout Result:

CH-Carl Olson Draw-15 Billy Papke

(Immediate Rematch is ordered)

Billy Papke W-TKO10 CH-Carl Olson

Papke gets dropped in the first bout, but boxes his way back to earn a draw on the cards. In the rematch, the champion seemed to lose his edge and the rookie drops him 6 times before the referee stops the fight and awards the Title to Papke.

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#8 - Tony Ayala Jr 31-14-0 (28) vs. #9 - Frank Wissenbach 33-18-3 (8)

Tony Ayala Jr and Frank Wissenbach meet in this rubber-match bout. Each has one win against the other. Ayala now makes his home in the Gold Conference with Left Jab Inc. after a late season trade. Wissenbach enters the tournament following a disappointing performance in the playoffs - compiling a 2-4-0 record.

Bout Result:

Tony Ayala Jr W-T12 (c) Frank Wissenbach

This was a pretty dull match up until the 7th when Ayala gets an accidental cut. Ayala began fighting with more urgency, but the cut was opened again in the 10th. The cut reopened again in the 12th and the referee chose to stop the fight and send it to the cards.

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#5 - Michael Watson 30-9-2 (22) vs. #12 - Alan Minter 32-19-2 (17)

First meeting between Michael Watson and Alan Minter. Watson entered the ring looking quite fresh and ready. Alan Minter had just completed a 4-2-0 (3) playoff run for the UTBA-II Champion Bonner Springs Bald Beavers.

Bout Result:

Michael Watson W-TKO12 Alan Minter

The bout was fairly even up to the 10th round when Watson scored a big knockdown. From that point it was just a matter of time. The bout gets stopped in the 12th.

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#4 - Jermain Taylor 33-10-0 (25) vs. #13 - Harris Martin 12-8-0 (9)

Here we go again with the bad luck. Both Jermain Taylor and Harris Martin are teammates. Only one will move on in the tournament. Taylor lead the Brooks Battlers with 16 wins in the regular season, while Martin qualified for the tournament as a rookie.

Bout Result:

Jermain Taylor W-TKO5 Harris Martin

Taylor demonstrated why he is one of the best Middleweights in the Silver Conference. He knocks down Harris once in the 3rd and twice more in the 5th. The referee stops the contest in the 5th.

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#3 - Steve Belloise 35-10-1 (26) vs. #14 - Rocky Graziano 26-17-2 (23)

Another first-time matchup is featured between Steve Belloise and Rocky Graziano. Steve Belloise won the Season 1 MW EOY tournament to capture the MW Title and made 11 successful defenses in Season 2. Graziano also makes a return visit to the tournament, but he was bounced in the first round last season.

Bout Result:

Steve Belloise W-U15 Rocky Graziano

Belloise continued his undefeated streak in the EOY Tournament. Although he was cut in the 10th, he managed to score knockdowns in both the 9th and 10th while cruising to a decision.

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#6 - Charles Turner 30-9-1 (28) vs. #11 - Paul Pender 26-14-3 (6)

This is a return match between the two which was won by unanimous decison by Pender. Pender is a former WW Champion who won the title from Season 1 EOY Tournament winner Steve Belloise and made 1 successful defense before losing the title. Turner stormed through the Gold Conference racking up 19 consecutive victories before an unexpected 1st round KO loss in his last fight of the season.

Bout Result:

Charles Turner W-KO15 Paul Pender

Paul Pender came out quickly and dominated the entire fight. He scored big knockdowns in the 6th round and the 9th round. Turner looked bad and was also cut in the 10th. With time running out, Turner landed the perfect punch and dropped the former champ. The former champ could not get up and Turner moves on to the next round.

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#7 - Kelly Pavlik 33-12-0 (20) 1DQ vs. #10 - Tiger Flowers 27-12-3 (8) 1DQ

Although both of these fighters finished the season with winning records, Season 2 was disappointing for each. Pavlik lost 6 bouts while Flowers lost 8. Can the power and aggression of Pavlik stop the boxing finesse of Tiger Flowers? With both fighters having DQ losses on their record, will fouling be a factor?

Bout Result:

Tiger Flowers W-U15 Kelly Pavlik

As expected, Kelly Pavlik started off very strong and scores a big knockdown in the 2nd round, but he could not close the show. Once recovered, Flowers takes over the bout and his defense turns out to be the key to the fight. Pavlik could not get near him for the rest of the fight and Flowers moves on to the next round with a decision victory.

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#2 - Michael Nunn 47-7-2 (24) vs. #15 - Artie Towne 25-17-2 (13)

Second seeded Michael Nunn holds the record for most overall victories in UTBA-II history with 47. He finished the regular season 16-2-2 and followed that up with a 5-1-0 record in the playoffs. He also made it to the tournament final last season - losing by KO in the 15th to Steve Belloise. His oppoent is Artie Towne, a man he has already beaten twice by KO (1st round and 2nd round KO). Towne finished the season with a 10-10-0 record. The fighters last met in the 2nd round of the tournament last season.

Bout Result:

Michael Nunn W-KO12 Artie Towne

No suprise here, folks. At least Towne lasted into the 12th round. The highlight of the fight for him was cutting Nunn in the 11th. For his part, Nunn dominated, knocking down Towne in the 3rd, again in the 11th and finally in the 12th to end the fight.

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Another #1 seed has gone down, but otherwise, most of the favorites did what they had to do to advance.

Quarterfinal Matches:

#16 - CH-Billy Papke vs. #8 Tony Ayala Jr

#5 - Michael Watson vs. #4 Jermain Taylor

#3 - Steve Belloise vs. #6 Charles Turner

#10 - Tiger Flowers vs. #2 Michael Nunn