Welcome to the 3 Rivers Fight Club

[DJgreen_72]

4-15-89

Hammerstein Ballroom

NY, NY.

Gerry Cooney makes his return to the ring at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City as the co-headlining bout alongside Mark Breland's WBA welterweight title defense against Rafael Pineda.


On the undercard 3RFC's Abu Bakr Rakin wins his second pro fight with a 4 round unanimous decision over local club fighter Justin Allen.


Pineda took out the reigning WBA champion with a suprisingly one-sided 3rd round KO over Mark Breland.


*****************************
Gerry Cooney (28-2/24KO) vs Trevor Sellers (19-11-3/6KO)
10 rounds - HW


"Gentleman" Gerry made his return to the fight game nearly two years after his last fight, a 5th round TKO loss to former champion Michael Spinks in June of 1987. Cooney, 32, trained hard and looked in fine shape as he was introduced. Cooney made his way to the ring amid a circus like atmosphere, as the fight was hyped greatly in the media. Sellers was selected as an opponent because, well, he had no chance of beating Cooney. Cooney took no time in downing Sellers. Opening the fight with a barrage of punches ending with a right uppercut that knocked Sellers to the mat :34 seconds into the first round! Sellers rose at the count of 9 but was out on his feet. Cooney pressured him for the rest of the round and finished him with another uppercut that knocked Sellers out for good at 2:28 of the first. Cooney picks up the easy win and moves to 29-2.


Winner by 1st round KO - Gerry Cooney
*****************************

[DJgreen_72]

OOC post: Thanks for all the views. Depending on work, will be simming and posting the next batch of fights over the next few days.


- Currently looking to add 1 or 2 fighters to the 3 Rivers Fight Club stable, and thought I'd try and get some feedback on who should join the mix. I've narrowed it down to a handful of boxers that I will choose the next member (or 2) for the 3RFC from. In no particular order they are...


- Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker - LW - At this point Whitaker is 18-1 and holder of the IBF lightweight title. However, outside of a fight with Greg Haugen, the real big names have yet to get into the ring with "Pea". A fighter that, imho, gets overlooked when discussing all-time great lightweights. Fights with Rosario, Chavez and others could be in the works.


- Gerald "G-Man" McClellan - MW - McClellan was a ferocious fighter who tragically had his career cut short in 1995 due to brain injuries after a fight with Nigel Benn. Currently 10-0 (10KO).


- "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler - SMW? - Hagler is one of my all-time favs, who basically walked away from boxing after his loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987. Perhaps a post-prime comeback at SMW or LHW? At this point he's been out of the ring almost two years, so that ship may have already sailed.


- Reggie Strickland - MW - Holds the record for most losses in a pro career (272). Always had a thing for the "loveable loser" type. Currently 2-14 with 1KO.


- Joe Hipp - HW - A tough Native American brawler originally from Montana. I had several Native American friends waaaay back when Hipp fought for the title against Bruce Seldon, and always had a liking for Hipp. Tough, but not an elite fighter, Hipp is currently 5-1, however, I have 3 "big name" heavyweights already.


- Other...open to suggestions

[Gunsmoke]

I vote for Sweet Pea and a very post prime SMW Hagler... though wouldn't be upset with McClellan either :P

[DJgreen_72]

Upcoming Fights announced:


- 3 Rivers Fight Club owner Jason David Green has announced the following fights scheduled for the summer of 1989:


- Alex Stewart will face Lorenzo Boyd in a 10 round heavyweight bout at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, NJ. on May 11th


- WBO LW champion Tracy Spann will make his first title defense on Monday July 3rd against former IBF lightweight title holder Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown at the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, Pa.


- Also on the card July 3rd, Gerry Cooney continues his comeback against veteran Fossie Shmidt. The bouts will be filmed to air on the USA Network on a special 4th of July episode of Tuesday Night Fights


- "Smokin" Bert Cooper will defend the WBO cruiserweight title in August against Kenny Snow, date and location TBD





**Along with the official fight announcements, ESPN is reporting that undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is close to signing a deal for a December bout against the returning George Foreman in what would no doubt be a major PPV event. Foreman's camp is denying the rumors while 3RFC spokeman Matty Kane confirmed "preliminary talks" had been scheduled but refused to elaborate**

[DJgreen_72]

4-27-89

Pittsburgh Civic Arena

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Although we had hoped for a sell out, the crowd of nearly 10,000 was impressive. The main event was WBO light heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, originally from nearby Monessan, Pa., against Leslie Stewart. Second billing went to John "The Beast" Mugabi vs "Irish" Brett Lally. Only one RFC fighter on the undercard, "The Cobra" Dave Anthony gets a chance to fight in his hometown!


********************************
Dave Anthony vs Nicholas Carter
6 rounds - JMW

Carter, a tough club fighter from St. Clairsville, Oh. showed a lot more than anyone expected. Anthony of course dominated, but Carter was able to last all six rounds even winning the 2nd, a round that saw neither fighter very active. Anthony posesses a devastating right hook and he showed it off for the hometwon fans, dropping Carter to the canvas in the 4th & 6th rounds, but Carter beat the count both times to finish the one-sided fight. Anthony cruised to a unaniomous decision, and a 7-0 record.

Winner by unanimous decision (59-53 x3) Dave "The Cobra" Anthony
********************************




********************************
John "The Beast" Mugabi (30-3/30KO)
vs
"Irish" Brett Lally (21-4/13KO)

You could call this a make or break fight for Mugabi. If "The Beast" was going to make it back into world title contention, he would need a win over the tough Lally...another loss would have been devastating. For only having 2 months between fights, Mugabi had a good training camp easily making the 154pd limit. Mugabi was dominant from the opening bell, smothering Lally on the inside and landing hooks and uppercuts seemingly at will. Some swelling around Lally's left eye started early in the second and would nearly close the eye by the end of the fight. Somehow Lally managed to stay on his feet.

...until the 9th round...

Early in the round Lally was dropped to the canvas by a left uppercut. Lally made it to his feet only to be knocked back down, this time by a right cross, later in the round. Lally again beat the count but moments later with Lally leaning on the ropes taking a horrible beating from Mugabi, the referee jumped in and called a halt to the bout. A TKO victory for John "The Beast" Mugabi with only 9 seconds left in the ninth round. The impressive win moves Mugabi to 31-3.

Winner by 9th round TKO, John "The Beast" Mugabi

********************************

[DJgreen_72]

5-11-89

Robert Treat Hotel

Newark, NJ.

Nearly 1,000 packed into the ballroom at the Robert Treat Hotel for tonight's event. Not much of note on the undercard, mostly local fighters and journeymen. Two bouts featuring 3RFC fighters...


"The Battler from Brisbane" Mark Yates moved to 2-0 with a 1st round TKO over Gary Wright (3 KD rule)

Ricky Myers improved his record to 4-0 with a 3rd round knockout of Cameron Bather

*******************************
Alex "The Destroyer" Stewart (20-0/19KO)
vs
Lorenzo Boyd (18-17/11KO)
10 round - HW

Alex was motivated to prove his struggles in the Melton Bowen fight in London were a fluke. Journeyman Boyd was the perfect opponent for it. Boyd was riding a 6 fight losing streak, lasting winning in July of 1987 against some guy named Mark Corn. Stewart dominated from the start, dropping Boyd with a short hook to the temple just :44 seconds into round 1. Boyd beat the count and held on until the 4th but offered little challenge. 2:04 into the 4th round, "The Destroyer" unleashed a vicious combination that sent Boyd to the canvas for the 10-count, and sent Stewart to a 21-0 record.

Winner by 4th round KO, Alex "The Destroyer" Stewart
*******************************

[DJgreen_72]

Tyson press conference gets out of hand...


Excerpts from Jason David Green's 2013 auto-biography...

Up until that point Tyson had been on his best behavior, not saying there weren't a few wild nights here and there but all in all Tyson, and his temper, had been under control since he signed with us...

We waited as long as we could to make it out to Las Vegas. When we got there, as expected, it was a circus. Reporters, women, reporters, bookies, more reporters everywhere!

Did I mention the reporters? They were everywhere.

The fight was on Saturday night, and the Thursday before was the big press conference at the MGM Grand. You know the one...big long table, podium in the middle, Tyson, Kevin Rooney and me one one side...Carl "The Truth" Williams and his camp on the other.

No matter how much we tried to talk about the Tyson/Williams fight, all the reporters wanted to know was..."Will Tyson defend against George Foreman next?" I tried to deflect the questions as much as possible, while Mike just sat there. Finally he got a little annoyed...we all were...and answered...

Tyson: "Look, I'm the champion and I'll take on anyone...if Big George is next then that's who I got...It do---"

Carl Williams leaned forward to his microphone and cut Tyson off...

Williams: "An what makes you think you'll still be champ after Saturday night?!?"

(I thought to myself..."just let it slide Mike")

Tyson laughed...

("Cool, he's gonna let it go")

Tyson: "Ya know what?"

("ok maybe not")

Tyson: "I was gonna take it easy on ya, but now I might just have to end your f****** career...."

Tyson jumped up, flipping over the folding chair he was sitting on. I laughed when Kevin Rooney told me to hire some extra security for presser, boy was I glad they were there. A rush of security guards jumped in between Tyson and Williams. "The Truth", after getting behind his trainer, began taunting Tyson. "Iron Mike" shoved one of the guards to the ground before storming off, flipping over another of the folding chairs and nearly running over a USA Today reporter on his way out of the room...

...did I mention there were ALOT of reporters there?

Up Next...Mike Tyson vs Carl "The Truth" Williams!

[DJgreen_72]

6-24-89


From the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.


Live on PPV


No suprises here as a standing room only crowd of nearly 17,000 packed into the MGM Grand Arena. While the main event was the biggest attraction, several interesting bouts were held on the undercard:


3RFC fighter Jake "The Snake" Rodriguez won an easy unanimous decision over Morgan Wills in a 4 round JWW bout to move to 3-0-1

Fellow 3RFC prospect Dave "The Cobra" Anthony impressed, moving to 8-0 (6KO) with a dominating 2nd round KO over Lionel Brett

Up and coming young middleweight prospect Gerald "G-Man" McClellan remained undefeated (11-0) with a unanimous decision victory over Dennis Milton in his first 10 round bout. 3 Rivers Fight Club has been rumored to be interesting in signing McClellan to their stable of boxers

The co-featured bout saw IBF bantamweight champion Orlando Canizales retain with a 1st round TKO destruction of veteran Johnny "The Dancing Machine" Carter

But let's be honest, everyone was here to see the main event...

************************************
"Iron" Mike Tyson (36-0/32KO) (C)
vs
Carl "The Truth" Williams (22-2/17KO)

12 rounds for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world

After Thursday's press conference, there was a heightened sense of anticipation for this bout. Rumors were already flying about a possible Tyson/Foreman showdown in December and the rumors intensified even more when Foreman's trainer Angelo Dundee and two of his assistants turned up with front row seats! Tyson looked as focused as he's ever been. After announcer Michael Buffer's iconic "Let's get ready to ruuuuuuumble!" it was showtime!

Round 1 - Tyson tore into Williams from the opening bell. Williams was staggered multiple times throughout the round by Tyson's power. Somehow Williams survived...barely.

Round 2 - More of the same as Tyson stunned "Truth" with a hard hook early in the round and punished him for the whole 3 minutes. By the end of the round Williams' left eye was swelling noticeably but again he survived...barely.

Round 3 - Williams began to gather himself early in round 3. Tyson was still landing some brutal shots, but "The Truth" was beginning to get some distance between them and by the end of the round was using his jab to set up the classic 1-2 combo! A close round on the scorecards.

Round 4 - By the 4th, both of Williams' eyes were swelling, the right eye was already close to closing. Tyson again began the round punishing Williams with hard hooks to the body and looping overhand shots to the head but inexplicably seemed to back off from Williams, giving time to recover. On several occasions "Iron" Mike seemed to walk straight through a Williams combination to land his shots then back off. Late in the round Williams landed perhaps the best punch he ever threw in his entire career, an uppercut that caught Tyson right on the chin. Tyson laughed it off and responded with a four punch combo that sent the challenger stumbling into the ropes as the round came to an end. Another close round to score.

Round 5 - Tyson's power was taking it's toll. Williams was throwing less and less...Tyson landing more and more. Still, the champ seemed to back off on multiple occasions to let Williams regroup. Both of Williams' eyes were badly swollen by the end of the fifth, a one sided round for the champ.

Round 6 - In between rounds, Tyson's trainer Kevin Roooney could be heard chastising Tyson..."Stop ****ing around with this guy, Mike!" Still more of the same for the next three minutes. How Williams survived is a miracle. It was midway through the sixth when HBO commentator Jim Lampley speculated on Tyson's strategy...
"It's reminiscent of Ali's 'What's My Name' fight with Ernie Terrell, Tyson seems to be allowing Williams to survive, just to inflict more punishment!"
Late in the round, with Williams barely throwing punches, referee Randy Neumann warned Carl Williams he was close to stopping the fight, but the bell rang and a battered Williams survived again...barely.

Round 7 - Maybe Mike Tyson just had enough of Rooney screaming at him or maybe he just started to pity the badly beaten Williams, but in round 6 the champ seemed determined to end the fight. Early in the round, the swelling around Williams' right eye burst like an over ripened tomato from a vicious Tyson left hook. Before Neumann could stop the bout to check on Williams badly bleeding right eye, Tyson unleashed a flury of punches ending with a left hook that sent Carl "The Truth" Williams to the canvas. Neumann didn't even bother to count, he waved it off, the fight was over!

Winner by 7th round KO and still undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, "Iron" Mike Tyson
************************************


Finally...a Mike Tyson left hook mercifully puts and end to the brutal one-sided beating.

[DJgreen_72]

Controversy and a little luck at the Blue Horizon...

7-3-89

The Blue Horizon

Philadelphia, Pa.

A sell out crowd of 1,500 turned out for a night of boxing at the famed Blue Horizon. After several prelims featuring local Philadelphia fighters, the 3RFC had three boxers are on the bill...

Abu Bakr Rakin scored an impressive 3rd round KO over Antonio Garcia (pug) in a 4 rd BW fight...

***********************************

"Gentleman" Gerry Cooney (28-2/24KO)
vs
Fossie Shmidt (20-12/13KO)

10 rounds - HW


Cooney takes another step in his comeback with a bout against journeyman Fossie Shmidt. Cooney started off with a swarming attack, laying into the overwhelmed Shmidt and knocking him to the canvas 1:44 into round 1. Shmidt was up at the count of six and looked to be clear headed, but Cooney landed a looping right hand late in the round that stung Shmidt. Fossie dropped to one knee and, despite looking as if he could continue, took the 10 count ending the fight. Cooney displayed impressive power, but a handful of fans rewarded him with chants of "bull****" as they too thought Shmidt could continue but simply quit on the match. Still, Cooney moved his record to 29-2.

Winner by 1st round KO, Gerry Cooney

***********************************

***********************************
Tracy Spann (20-0/15KO) (C)
vs
Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown (26-11-2/18)

12 rounds for the WBO lightweight championship of the World

Despite being hyped as a former world champion, Brown was hardly a world class opponent. A solid veteran, Brown won the vacant IBF lightweight title in 1984 against the unheralded Melvin Paul, lost it in his first defense, then had a mediocre career worthy of the "journeyman" title...

...A minute into the match and you could see Brown was here to fight, not just collect a paycheck...

Rounds 1 & 2 saw "Choo Choo" dominate, staying away from Spann's power, controlling the ring and darting in and out with combinations. Spann was never in trouble of a KO, but clearly lost the first two rounds on the scorecards. By the end of the 2nd round trainer Kevin Rooney was spending less time discussing strategy and more time trying to motivate Spann...mostly by questioning his manhood. It worked as Spann started to take over the fight in the third. Finally catching the elusive Brown with power punches, especially heavy hooks to the body. The 3rd & 4th rounds easily belonged to Spann on the cards. Going into the 5th Spann had the momentum and Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown was slowing down...

...So he stopped running and started trading punches in the center of the ring...

The 5th was an absolute war with both men landing a bevy of power punches. Spann seemed to be the heavier hitter, but Brown landed more and took the round on two of three judges cards. The 6th round started off the same but midway through the round Spann caught Charlie Brown with a hard body shot that hurt him. Brown spent the rest of the round in defensive mode as Spann tried for the KO, but Brown managed to make it through the round. It was obvious that entering the 7th Brown had yet to fully recover from the hard body shot in the 6th. Early in the round, Spann landed a hard uppercut that sent "Choo Choo" to the canvas. Somehow, Brown beat the count and continued on. By the end of the 7th, Spann was tiring and Brown had shaken off the effects from the knock down. Into the 8th, and Brown seemed to be the fresher man. He rocked Spann early with a heavy combination, and later in the round with a hard flurry of punches to the head that started some moderate swelling under the right eye of Tracy Spann.

...the 9th round could have been the end of Spann's undefeated record if not for a little "luck"...

Brown started off the round again in control. Midway through the round, Spann was tagged with a heavy right hook that nearly sent him to the canvas. Spann covered up as Brown let loose with heavy punch after heavy punch. Spann layed on the ropes, then in desperation uncorked a hard punch that was low...very low. Was it intentional? Spann would say no but hard to tell. Maybe the shot hurt Brown or maybe he didn't realize just how close Spann was to going down, but the 30 seconds or so he took to recover gave Spann enough time to clear his wits and finish the round. The 10th round was Spann's on two of the three cards. Spann landed the heavier punches as Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown looked to be loosing steam. More of the same in the 11th. Despite his right eye nearly closed with swelling Spann was able to stalk Brown and land combinations repeatedly through out the round. The 12th and final round started off well for Spann. Less than 30 seconds into the final round Spann landed a counter left hook that caught Brown off balance. He staggered backwards and instinctively put his hand out to break his fall. Brown never hit the canvas, but his right glove did, and it was enough for the referee to administer the standing 8 count. Bad break for Charlie. Brown recovered and gave everything he had for the rest of the round. He hurt Spann with an uppercut late and the fight ended with Spann covered up and leaning on the ropes with Brown wailing away!

Even with the back and forth battle being much closer than anyone expected, the two knock downs were enough for Tracy Spann to secure a unanimous decision, retain the WBO title and move to 21-0.

Winner by unanimous decision (114-113, 115-111, 116-110) and STILL WBO lightweight champion Tracy Spann.
***********************************

(OOC: The Spann/Brown fight was much more exciting than expected. The 115-111 & 116-110 scores seemed off to me, as I thought it was much closer. Got a little nervous when the first score came up 114-113!)

[DJgreen_72]

New additions to the 3 Rivers Fight Club roster and a major fight announcement...


July 10th, 1989...

From a conference room at the historic Westin William Penn hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa. 3 Rivers Fight Club president Jason David Green held a press conference to announce the signing of 2 new members of the club's stable...

- Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker (18-1/11KO) -
It was well known that Whitaker, the current IBF lightweight title holder, was somewhat unhappy with his last management group as they failed to secure a high profile, big money fight for Whitaker against the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez or Edwin Rosario. With Chavez now fighting at JWW and Rosario having fought last night, thoses fights are off the table but another big name is up next for Sweet Pea.


- Marvelous Marvin Hagler (62-3-2/52KO) -
A suprise to say the least, as Hagler had for all intents and purposes retired after his July 1987 loss to Sugar Ray Leonard. Hagler, now 35, looked fit and in fighting shape at the press conference as he talked about wanting "one last run" as a major world title holder. Hagler's first bout back will be at super middleweight on September 2nd at Boston Garden against undefeated prospect Dan Morgan (26-0).


After introducing the fighters, Jason David Green made official the fight that had been speculated on since June...Mike Tyson vs George Foreman for the undisputed world heavyweight title. The fight will be held on Saturday, December 16th at the Astrodome in Houston, Tx. and to be shown live on PPV. Foreman, who fights out of Houston, will be the "hometown favorite" in what promises to be one of the biggest fights in recent memory. Also on the card (and presumably how 3RFC lured Pernell Whitaker into the fold) current WBC junior lightweight champion Azumah Nelson will be stepping up in weight to challenge Pernell Whitaker for the IBF LW title. Mike Tyson was not at the press conference, but trainer Kevin Rooney was confident that "Iron" Mike would be ringing in the New Year, and decade, still undefeated after fighting Foreman. For his part, Whitaker was almost sarcastically respectful to Nelson before declaring, "...no way he can touch me, this will just be my chance to show you how good I really am..."

[DJgreen_72]

Upcoming fights of note:


8/19/89 @ Arco Arena, Sacremento, Ca.
John Mugabi vs Buster Drayton (10 Rd JMW)
Bert Cooper vs Kenny Snow (12 Rd - WBO CW title defense)


9/2/89 @ Boston Garden, Boston, Ma.
Marvin Hagler vs Dan Morgan (10 Rd SMW)
Alex Stewart vs Everett Martin (10 Rd HW)


10/12/89 @ Hammerstein Ballroom, NY, NY.
Gerry Cooney vs Mike Evans (10 Rd HW)


11/17/89 @ Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, FRG
Tracy Spann vs Jean-Baptiste Mendy (12 Rd - WBO LW title defense)


12/16/89 @ The Astrodome, Houston, Tx.
Mike Tyson vs George Foreman (12 Rd - Undisputed HW title defense)
Pernell Whitaker vs Azumah Nelson (12 Rd - IBF LW title defense)

[DJgreen_72]

8-19-89
Arco Arena
Sacremento, Ca.

A sold out crowd was on hand to see Julio Cesar Chavez defend the WBC Light Welterweight title against Frankie Randall. Chavez would retain with a lopsided unanimous decision victory. "Smokin" Bert Cooper would be the co-featured bout while two other 3RFC members would be on the undercard.


Junior Middleweight prospect Dave "The Cobra" Anthony moved to 9-0 with an easy unanimous decision win over local club fighter Ross Smith in a 6 round bout.

*********************************
John "The Beast" Mugabi (31-3/31KO)
vs
Buster Drayton (33-11-1/25KO)
10 rounds - JMW


Mugabi was coming off an impressive 9th round stoppage over "Irish" Brett Lally in April. Drayton came into the fight losing three of his last four fights (albeit against Matthew Hilton, Julian Jackson and Terry Norris), and would be a test for Mugabi...

...or so it looked for two rounds...

The first two rounds of the fight were close, with both men trading punches in the center of the ring at a frantic pace. Mugabi took both rounds on the scorecards, but they were close. Mugabi clearly had the heavier hands and by the third he started to wear down Drayton. "The Beast" dominated for the rest of the fight. Both the right and left eyes for Drayton nearly swelled shut, but he just wouldn't give up. Mugabi dropped Drayton once each in the 6th, 7th and 9th rounds but he managed to finish the fight, the first time in Mugabi's career one of his fights had ever gone to the scorecards! Mugabi easily won a unanimous decision to move his record to 32-3.

Winner by unanimous decision (99-87, 100-86, 99-88) John "The Beast" Mugabi
*********************************


*********************************
"Smokin" Bert Cooper (22-3/19KO) (C)
vs
Kenny Snow (27-7/19KO)

12 rounds for the WBO Cruiserweight championship

Cooper was making his first defense of the WBO belt he won in March, while journeyman Snow was looking for the biggest win of his 7 year career. Snow was coming up in wieght from 167 to face Cooper and it showed. He never managed to mount much offense, while Cooper won almost every round. Cooper knocked Snow down in the 5th and finished him for good in the 9th with three knockdowns, which by WBO rules gave the impressive TKO victory to "Smokin" Bert Cooper, who moved to 23-3.

Winner by 9th round TKO and STILL WBO Cruiserweight champion, "Smokin" Bert Cooper
*********************************

[DJgreen_72]

-WBC threatens to derail Tyson vs Foreman!

(Excepts from the New York Times sports page, 8/22/89)

- In a statement issued yesterday morning, WBC president Jose Sulaiman threatened to strip "Iron" Mike Tyson of the WBC heavyweight crown if he refuses to face the WBC's #1 ranked contender, James "Buster" Douglas in his next title defense...

Sulaiman stated, "We had agreements with the WBA & IBF to see the title defended against Carl Williams and then the next #1 ranked contender who at this time is James Douglas. We would sincerely hope that Mr. Tyson honors that agreement."

Tyson's manager and promoter 3 Rivers Fight Club owner Jason David Green responded in a brief phone interview late last night...

"The WBC may have had agreements with the WBA or IBF, but not with Mike, our attornies have carefully reviewed ALL contractual obligations...all I can say is get your tickets for Houston in December."

Most assume that promoter Don King who was stung last year when Tyson turned him down to sign with the 3RFC is behind the move to, as Green put it, "bully" Tyson into fighting Douglas. Would the WBC actually strip Tyson of the belt? Would anyone take serious a WBC champion that did not defeat "Iron" Mike?

- Up next fights from September and October, including a major upset!

[DJgreen_72]

9-2-89
Boston Garden
Boston, Ma.

The main event, well the last bout of the night, was WBC Welterweight champion Marlon Starling defending his belt against Korean Yung-Kil Chung. But on this night the fans were really here to see the return of former Middleweight kingpin "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler.

Starling would retain via UD in the main event, but there were several other interesting bouts on the undercard:

- Undefeated Heavyweight prospect Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe moved to 6-0 with a 3rd rd KO over club fighter Phil Ferguson

- 3RFC prospect Abu Bakr Rakin picked up his second straight 3rd rd TKO victory, this time against a fighter named Wesley Stranaghan. Rakin's record stands at 4-0(2KO)

**********************************
Alex "The Destroyer" Stewart (21-0/20KO)
vs
Everett "Bigfoot" Martin (17-6-1/8KO)
10 rounds - HW

Stewart came into the fight a 5-1 betting favorite over the smaller Martin. The bigger, faster, stronger Stewart looked to press his advantage early going right after Martin with a flurry of power punches to start the first round. Martin responded with a hard counter right hand 1:00 into the fight that shook Stewart. Seconds later Martin followed up with a short left hook to Stewart which opened a cut over Stewart's right eye...

...a BAD cut over the right eye...

The blood was pouring from the wound and moments later referee Pat Russell jumped in and called time. He led Stewart to a neutral corner and called on the ringside doctor. After swabbing at the cut briefly the ringside doctor could be seen shaking his head. Stewart...and the crowd...were in disbelief, but the doctor was calling the fight. Stewart couldn't continue, Everett "Bigfoot" Martin was the winner by 1st round TKO! Stewart protested but their was no use, "The Destroyer" suffered his first career loss and fell to 21-1.

Winner by 1st rd TKO (stoppage due to cuts), Everett Martin
**********************************


**********************************
"Marvelous" Marvin Hagler (62-3-2/52KO)
vs
Dan Morgan (26-0/20KO)
10 rounds - SMW


The crowd's reaction to Hagler's introduction was something to see, a standing ovation that would send a shiver down your spine. Morgan, a tough fighter from Minneapolis who worked days as a steel worker, had built a perfect 26-0 record against mostly low level competition...

...he had no chance against Hagler...

Atleast for one night, the old Marvin Hagler was back. Hagler unleashed a steady flow of heavy combinations to the head and hard hooks to the body, and the crowd roared at every shot landed. That Morgan even survived the 1st round was something of a small miriacle. He wouldn't last through the second. Hagler opened a nasty cut under Morgan's right eye early in the first. A second cut was opened early in the second over the left eye. Late in the round, Hagler pinned Morgan against the ropes and unloaded a torrent of hooks and uppercuts on the helpless Morgan. Finally, referee Terry O'Connor jumped in and waved the fight off, saving the badly bloodied Morgan from any further damage. Hagler celebrated his dominating return to the ring with his trainer Jason David Green as the crowd cheered. Hagler moves to 63-3-2.

Winner by 2nd rd TKO (ref stoppage), Marvin Hagler
**********************************

[DJgreen_72]

10-12-89
Hammerstein Ballroom
New York, Ny.

A sell out crowd was on hand for the Gerry Cooney/Mike Evens heavyweight main event. Two 3RFC fighters saw action on the undercard...


JWW Ricky Meyers picked up a UD win to move to 5-0(2)

Mark Yates, also JWW, also scored a UD victory, his record is now 3-0(1)

********************************************
"Gentleman" Gerry Cooney (30-2/26KO)
vs
"Mighty" Mike Evans (19-3-1/12)
10 rounds - HW


Evans would be Gooney's toughest test to date in his "comeback", a solid six year pro who went the distance in a losing effort to Tony Tubbs in April. Cooney would dominate from the start. Winning the first four rounds by a wide margin. Over the course of the bout Cooney would average a ridiculous 36 punches landed per round! Heavy swelling would develop around both of Evans' eyes and Cooney would end it in the 6th round with a hard right cross that sent Evans to the canvas for the ten count. Cooney looked strong stepping up in competiton, sending his record to 31-2.
********************************************

[DJgreen_72]

November 1989, news and notes for the 3 Rivers Fight Club...




Tyson shows respect...Whitaker shows contempt...King shows his true colors...




During in interview on the Arsenio Hall show, Heavyweight champion "Iron" Mike Tyson showed an unusual amount of humility and respect towards his next opponent, former world champion George Foreman. Tyson refered to Foreman as, "a great warrior" and said it was an honor to get into the ring with him...




On the opposite end of the spectrum IBF Lightweight champion Pernell "Sweat Pea" Whitaker refered to his December opponent Azumah Nelson as a "coward" in a recent interview with ESPN. Nelson, the WBC Junior Lightweight champion, has skipped all of the media events for their December 16th fight, instead returning to his native Ghana to train for the fight.


In October, the WBC gave Mike Tyson and his management team a 30 day "ultimatum" to sign to face WBC #1 contender James "Buster" Douglas instead of their scheduled opponent George Foreman. With the deadline come and gone, the WBC officially stripped Tyson of the WBC Heavyweight title. The WBC title will be contested in an upcoming bout between Douglas and an opponent to be named. It is universally accepted that promoter Don King is behind the move. King, who has a very close relationship with the WBC (perhpas too close), was incensed last year when Tyson turned down his multi-million dollar contract offer to sign with the 3 Rivers Fight Club. But the question is, will this move hurt Tyson, King or the WBC?



Don King's statement on the WBC's decision to strip Tyson of their title...

"It's a shame...in this day and age some fight for pride...some fight for respect...some fight for their heritage...but some are just in it for the money. The almighty green, I say, Mike turned his back on his duty as champion to fight for that money...an that is a shame...a damn shame...."



When asked his feelings over being stripped of the WBC title Mike Tyson responded, "I don't care. I got some many dang belts, they can have that one back. It's one less to carry around."

[DJgreen_72]

11-12-89
Westfalanhalle
Dortmund, FRG

A tremendous crowd of over 13,000 was on hand for a night of boxing in West Germany. The main event saw undefeated German hero Graciano "Rocky" Rochigiani defend his IBF Super Middleweight title with a UD win over American Tony Thorton. The featured bout was 3RFC's Tracy Spann defending the WBO Lightweight belt against Jean-Baptiste Mendy.


3RFC prospect Jake "The Snake" Rodriguez picked up a win on the undercard with 6 Rd majority decision over German fighter Gerritt Bachert in a JWW bout

****************************************
Tracy Spann (21-0/15KO) (C)
vs
Jean-Baptiste Mendy (30-3-2/17KO)
12 rounds for the WBO Lightweight title


Despite his lack of experience against top level opponents, Spann came into the fight a 2-1 betting favorite. The 26yo Mendy was considered one of the top prospects out of France. From the opening bell the two proved to be an even match.

Rd 1 - An absolute slugfest from the opening bell. Mendy was determined to prove he could stand up to Spann's power. The two traded shots in the center of the ring, with neither man gaining the upperhand.

Rd 2 - Spann seemed to be taking control in the second. Spann scored early in the round with a violent combination that hurt Mendy. But the Frenchman held on, recovered, and was back to trading blows in the center of the ring by the end of the fight.

Rd 3 - Spann maintained control, landing punches at a nearly 2 to 1 rate. Still, Mendy was absorbing the hardest shots Spann could muster and kept moving forward.

Rd 4 - The tide started to turn here. Mendy started finding the range from outside, frustrating Spann with his movement while connecting seemingly at will. An accidental headbutt late in the round started some swelling around the right eye of Mendy, but that was Spann's only highlight in a one sided round.

Rd 5 - Spann bounced back from a poor 4th to dominate the 5th. A hard combination early capped of with a left uppercut that stagger Mendy set the tone in a one-sided round for Spann, the champ seemed to be ahead at this point of the fight.

Rd 6 - Midway through the 6th Mendy landed a thunderous right to the body that hurt Spann. The champ covered up just to survive the round as Mendy poured it on. Spann avoided the knock down, but lost the round convincingly.

Rd 7 - Spann never seemed to shake off the hard shots in the 6th that had hurt him. He mustered little offense as Mendy dominated another round. Wisely, the challenger didn't press to hard, instead content to stay outside and land effective combos on Spann to take a second straight round.

Rd 8 - Throughout the fight Mendy, a southpaw, had used an effective right jab and by the eith some swelling was noticeable around the right eye of Tracy Spann. Both men were starting to slow down and the 8th was a close round, with Mendy landing more but Spann trying to steal the round with a late flurry.

Rd 9 - More of the same in the ninth as Mendy was in defensive mode and Spann seemed too tired to land many punches of his own. Mendy's counter punching seemingly won him another close round.

Rd 10 - By the tenth Spann seemed to realize his undefeated record was in jeopardy and tried to pick up the pace. Mendy still danced, using his foot speed and flicking jab to keep the champion at bay. Another close round with Spann landing slightly more than Mendy.

Rd 11 - A combination of frustration and fatigue set in here as Spann was unable to land much of anything through the 11th. Mendy won the round easily, landing combinations from the outside that, while doing little damage to Spann, scored in the eyes of the judges.

Rd 12 - Trainer Kevin Rooney was in Spann's face before the round and the motivation worked as Spann took it to Mendy in the closing round. Spann landed an impressive hook early in the round that buckled the knees of Mandy, and capped off the round with a series of punches to Mendy who laid on the ropes trying to finish the one sided final 3:00 without a knockdown.

To the score cards...

116-113

117-113

116-113

...all for the winner by unanimous decision and NEEEEW WBO Lightweight champion Jean-Baptiste Mendy!
****************************************

A disapointing outcome for Tracy Spann who, while like many at ringside thought the fight was much closer, was gracious in defeat and praised Mendy's performance.

Next Up...the December "supercard" from Houston- Whitaker vs Nelson and Tyson vs Foreman

[DJgreen_72]

Holyfield to fight Douglas for the WBC title...

Just days before the media was set to descend on San Antonio for the pre-fight media events surrounding the Mike Tyson vs George Foreman heavyweight title bout, the WBC and promoter Don King announced a January 6th fight between undefeated Evander Holyfield and WBC #1 contender James "Buster" Douglas for the organization's now vacant title.


Holyfield and Douglas staredown during the fight announcement press conference...


***************************
Alex Stewart will face Everett Martin on the undercard of Tyson/Foreman in a rematch of the September 2nd bout that saw Stewart loose for the first time in his career due to a 1st round stoppage on cuts.

John "The Beast" Mugabi has signed a deal to face Darrin "Schoolboy" Van Horn in an IBF eliminator bout to be held on January 13, 1990. The winner of the bout will fight for the IBF Junior Middleweight title in either May or June. The IBF title is currently held by veteran Gianfrano Rossi.

While 3 Rivers Fight Club owner Jason David Green had been seeking a title bout for the returning "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, that seems unlikely for now. Rumors are swirling that Hagler is close to announcing a fight against the Ring Magazine comeback fighter of 1989, Roberto Duran. The two faced off in a tightly contested bout in 1983 and the rematch is expected to take place in January, perhaps on the same card as Mugabi vs Dan Horn.

Despite his string of dominating title defenses over the last several years, bettors have moved the line on the Tyson vs Foreman bout to 1-1. Tyson opened as a 5-2 favorite, only to see a flood of bets on Foreman swing the line back to even.

[PWillisTheMan]

I look forward to Evander taking Mike's belts.

[DJgreen_72]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I look forward to Evander taking Mike's belts.

Assuming Mike survives San Antonio and Evander gets by Douglas...a mega re-unification could be in the works for sometime in 1990...of course there is a 260pd big "IF" by the name of George Foreman that could mess up the plans


I wonder...had Tyson not lost in Japan then beaten Holyfield in say late 1990 or sping 91...would Holyfield still be considered one of the all-time greats? (assuming that, outside of the two Tyson fights in 96 & 97, his career was the same as irl)