The Greatest Prize in Sports

[comicfanman]

Congrats and Bravo!!!
Can't wait for future posts

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Congrats on making it to the end of the tournaments KC. That is a big accomplishment, here is to another great year of TGPiS action.

Originally Posted by comicfanman

Congrats and Bravo!!!
Can't wait for future posts

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Next up I have to work on the IBL schedule for the remainder of January. There's not really any big bouts on it as it only features fighters from ranking tiers 4, 5 and 6. As was said in the last thesweetscience.com post the competitors from tiers 1, 2 and 3 won't be back in action unitl February and March.

Therefore, I'll probably only review a handful of the cards, and in a brief fashion. The Lytell-Obelmejias showdown is five days away and that'll be the highlight for the rest of January.

[kenyan_cheena]

Here's the list of fighters who are no longer contracted to the IBL following the completion of the tournaments:

JHW: JULIAN LETTERLOUGH (USA, 11-6-1(7))
JHW: ALEXANDER GUROV (UKRAINE, 10-5-0(7))
WW: MAXIE BERGER (CANADA, 3-3-1(2))
LHW: JOHNNY PERSOL (USA, 13-4-0(8))
LW: JACKIE BEARD (USA, 14-5-0(9))
LW: DOUG VAILLANT (CUBA, 10-5-3(7))
MW: JAMES TONEY (USA, 35-5-1(29))
MW: LUIS FOLLEDO (SPAIN, 10-5-1(7))
HW: OMOVO OKOCHA (NIGERIA, 12-4-0(9))

In addition:

BW: RUBEN OLIVARES (MEXICO, 6-2-0(6))
(moved from FW down to BW)

I thought it would be realistic if we had a number of fighters who decided to leave the league following the tournaments. For some of them (Toney, Beard, Persol) their contract had come to an end but for the others (such as Okocha) it was pretty much a case of them realising they were going to struggle to compete if they stayed with the league. They were still contracted but requested a release from the league, which was granted.

It's likely that more fighters will come to such a conclusion during '07. There's already a couple of others who are contemplating whether to stay or go. The consequences of these departures is a change in the rankings, with every fighter ranked below the ones who left moving up one, and in some cases, two ranking positions.

[kenyan_cheena]

www.inter-box-league.org

Posted: Wednesday 3 January 2007, 10.45am ET

INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE
FIGHT CARD SCHEDULE

MONDAY 8 JANUARY 2007 TO
SUNDAY 28 JANUARY 2007 INCLUSIVE

Note: ALL bouts on these fight cards are eight rounds in duration.

***

MONDAY 8 JANUARY 2007

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

JHW: 56. MAGNE HAVNAA (NOR., 6-0-0(4)) vs 67. RAVEA SPRINGS (USA, 5-1-1(4))
WW: 56. SILVANO BERTINI (ITA., 7-1-1(3)) vs 69. DEMARCUS CORLEY (USA, 5-2-1(3))
JHW: 41. KELVIN DAVIS (USA, 11-3-0(6)) vs 48. LUIS ANDRES PINEDA (PAN., 9-2-2(5))
JHW: 57. ANDRE PROPHET (USA, 6-1-1(2)) vs 66. GARY WILCOX (USA, 5-3-0(3))
WW: 59. JIMMY DOYLE (USA, 6-1-2(3)) vs 66. GENE BURTON (USA, 5-2-1(3))
JHW: 36. DAN HARVISON (USA, 13-2-2(7)) vs 53. LAUDELINO JOSE BARROS (BRA., 7-4-1(4))

TUESDAY 9 JANUARY 2007

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

WW: 54. LIAM MAGHEE (AUS., 4-2-2(2)) vs 71. ELFORD COLES (USA, 4-0-0(3))
JHW: 61. SAMMY REESON (UK, 4-1-0(3)) vs 62. JAMIE WITHERS (AUS., 5-1-2(3))
WW: 42. ERIC BENGTSON (USA, 8-0-3(4)) vs 47. MICHAEL WATSON (AUS., 7-3-1(4))
JHW: 39. DAVE RUSSELL (AUS., 13-3-1(9)) vs 50. ELMER RAY (USA, 6-2-1(5))
WW: 36. JUSTIN ROWSELL (AUS., 14-3-0(8)) vs 53. MICHAEL TAYLOR (AUS., 8-3-2(5))

WEDNESDAY 10 JANUARY 2007

LAGOS, NIGERIA

JHW: 44. DALE BROWN (CAN., 12-3-0(8)) vs 45. JOHN ODHIAMBO (KEN., 13-3-1(7))
JHW: 58. GIACOBBE FRAGOMENI (ITA., 8-2-1(5)) vs 65. CHISANDA MUTTI (ZAM., 5-1-1(2))
JHW: 59. TROY ROSS (GUY., 6-1-1(3)) vs 64. AKIM TAFER (FRA., 5-1-0(2))
WW: 60. ISAAC HLATSHWAYO (SA, 7-1-1(4)) vs 65. IDRISSA DIONE (CON., 5-2-1(3))
WW: 38. PEDRO CABRERA (DR, 6-2-3(4)) vs 51. SEYI OLOFINJANA (NIG., 7-2-2(4))
JHW: 42. DAVID IZEQWIRE (NIG., 15-5-0(9)) vs 47. BJ FLORES (USA, 12-4-1(8))

THURSDAY 11 JANUARY 2007

MEXICO CITY, DF, MEXICO

JHW: 54. VINCENZO ROSSITTO (ITA., 7-0-0(3)) vs 69. FRANCISCO PALACIOS (PR, 3-2-0(2))
WW: 41. CARLOS HERNANDEZ (VEN., 6-2-3(3)) vs 48. NINO LAROCCA (ITA., 6-2-1(3))
WW: 57. ALVARO GUTIERREZ (MEX., 6-0-0(4)) vs 68. TSUYOSHI HAMADA (JAP., 4-1-2(2))
WW: 40. DANILO VILORIA (PHI., 8-1-0(3)) vs 49. ALEXIS VALDERRAMA (COL., 7-2-1(4))
WW: 62. RODOLFO GOMEZ (MEX., 5-2-1(2)) vs 63. GLENWOOD BROWN (USA, 7-2-2(4))
WW: 37. RENE ARREDONDO (MEX., 8-1-1(4)) vs 52. KID AZTECA (MEX., 5-2-1(2))

FRIDAY 12 JANUARY 2007

LONDON, ENGLAND

WW: 43. WILLY QUATUOR (GER., 7-3-0(3)) vs 46. MIGUEL MONTILLA (DR, 7-3-0(5))
JHW: 43. JOHNATHON BANKS (USA, 10-2-1(6)) vs 46. ENZO MACCARINELLI (UK, 14-3-0(11))
JHW: 40. DAVID HAYE (UK, 12-1-0(6)) vs 49. VINCENZO CANTATORE (ITA., 8-2-0(5))
WW: 39. ERNIE RODERICK (UK, 6-2-1(3)) vs 50. AHMED SANTOS (MEX. 4-2-2(3))
JHW: 37. TERRY DUNSTAN (UK, 17-5-1(10)) vs 52. PAWEL KOLODZIEJ (POL., 11-5-0(8))
WW: 58. JIMMY FULTON (UK, 23-1-2(18)) vs 67. RAMON TISCARENO (MEX., 4-2-2(2))

SATURDAY 13 JANUARY 2007

OMAHA, NEBRASKA, USA

WW: 61. CLYDE GRAY (CAN., 4-1-1(2)) vs 64. GERALD DREYER (SA, 5-2-0(2))
JHW: 60. EZRA SELLERS (USA, 6-1-2(4)) vs 63. ROB CALLOWAY (USA, 4-1-1(3))
WW: 55. JUAN VILLEGAS (ARG., 17-4-0(12)) vs 70. FLOYD MAYWEATHER (USA, 4-2-0(2))
JHW: 55. AARON WILLIAMS (USA, 6-0-1(2)) vs 68. VALERY BRUDOV (RUS., 4-2-1(3))
WW: 44. MIGUEL VELASQUEZ (SPA., 15-3-0(11)) vs 45. MAX RASMUTH (USA, 7-1-1(4))
JHW: 38. MARK ELWOOD (USA, 11-3-0(8)) vs 51. RUDOLF KRAJ (CR, 10-4-0(7))

***

MONDAY 15 JANUARY 2007

MILAN, ITALY

LHW: 61. BOBBY CASSIDY (USA, 6-1-1(3)) vs 64. LOTHAR STENGEL (GER., 5-1-1(3))
LW: 40. EMAD ALLAM (EGY., 7-1-2(3)) vs 49. JEAN-BAPTISTE MENDY (FRA., 12-4-1(6))
LW: 55. JACQUES PRIGENT (FRA., 9-1-0(5)) vs 68. GILBERTO SERRANO (VEN., 5-2-2(3))
LHW: 56. CHARLEY BELANGER (CAN., 8-0-1(4)) vs 69. PIERO DEL PAPA (ITA., 4-2-0(1))
LHW: 38. CLARENCE HINNANT (USA, 5-2-2(2)) vs 51. CHRISTIAN ANDOLINI (ITA., 8-4-1(4))
LHW: 54. GIRALDO ROSSETTI (ITA., 6-2-2(4)) vs 71. MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ (USA, 7-2-1(4))

TUESDAY 16 JANUARY 2007

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, USA

LHW: 43. ALLEN THOMPSON (USA, 9-3-1(3)) vs 46. YVON DURELLE (CAN., 5-3-0(2))
LW: 43. LARRY BOARDMAN (USA, 7-2-1(4)) vs 46. EMORY CABANA (USA, 5-2-1(2))
LHW: 58. EDDIE DAVIS (USA, 7-0-2(4)) vs 67. MIKE QUARRY (USA, 5-3-2(2))
LHW: 42. TONY ANTHONY (USA, 7-2-0(3)) vs 47. CHARLES WILLIAMS (USA, 9-2-0(4))
LHW: 36. SAM BAROUDI (USA, 6-2-0(2)) vs 53. HENRY HANK (USA, 6-5-1(4))
LW: 37. RAY MANCINI (USA, 7-2-2(5)) vs 52. LOVE ALLOTEY (GHA., 5-4-2(4))

WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2007

TOKYO, JAPAN

LHW: 40. ALI HABIB (AUS., 8-1-1(5)) vs 49. FRANCISCO AVELINO (PER., 6-3-2(3))
LHW: 44. JUKKA KOIVISTO (FIN., 7-2-2(3)) vs 45. JASON WANGANEEN (AUS., 6-4-1(6))
LW: 36. HWAN-KIL YUH (KOR., 7-2-2(4)) vs 53. LARRY STANTON (USA, 5-4-1(3))
LW: 44. AZUMAH NELSON (GHA., 7-2-0(5)) vs 45. ISHIMATSU SUZUKI (JAP., 6-2-2(3))
LW: 59. SAMMY MANDELL (USA, 5-1-1(2)) vs 64. IWAO OTOMO (JAP., 6-1-1(5))
LW: 41. KUROKAWA TAIKI (JAP., 10-2-1(6)) vs 48. SHINICHI YAMABE (JAP., 7-2-0(3))

THURSDAY 18 JANUARY 2007

BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET, ENGLAND

LW: 61. JOEY ANGELO (USA, 5-1-1(2)) vs 62. AUSTIN GIBBONS (UK, 9-2-1(6))
LHW: 41. WILLI HOEPNER (GER., 11-3-3(8)) vs 48. ALEX BUXTON (UK, 7-2-1(3))
LHW: 39. STEVE FINLEY (USA, 11-1-0(10)) vs 50. DAVID JAMISON (UK, 7-2-1(4))
LHW: 57. CHRIS FINNEGAN (UK, 7-0-1(4)) vs 68. ROCCO MAZZOLA (ITA., 4-2-0(2))
LHW: 37. ALLAN THOMAS (UK, 9-3-2(5)) vs 52. VICTOR CORDOBA (PAN., 6-2-2(4))
LHW: 55. FREDDIE MILLS (UK, 9-0-1(5)) vs 70. HUGO GARAY (ARG., 4-3-1(2))

FRIDAY 19 JANUARY 2007

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA

LHW: 62. BATTLING SIKI (SEN., 6-1-0(4)) vs 63. BOB GODWIN (USA, 4-1-0(2))
LW: 60. BOBBY SCANLON (USA, 4-1-0(2)) vs 63. PHILLIP N'DOU (SA, 7-2-0(4))
LHW: 60. FRANKIE SWINDELL (USA, 5-1-2(3)) vs 65. BRUNO GIRARD (FRA., 5-2-0(2))
LHW: 59. OLE KLEMETSEN (NOR., 6-2-1(5)) vs 66. BOB AMOS (USA, 5-1-0(2))
LW: 39. RAY MILLER (USA, 9-1-0(4)) vs 50. WILLIE TOWEEL (SA, 8-4-0(5))

SATURDAY 20 JANUARY 2007

MONTERREY, MEXICO

LW: 58. ALDO NAZARENO RIOS (ARG., 5-1-1(3)) vs 65. YURI ROMANOV (BEL., 6-1-1(4))
LW: 42. ALFREDO MARCANO (VEN., 6-3-2(4)) vs 47. ALFREDO PITALUA (COL., 7-2-2(3))
LW: 38. DAOMAI SITHKODOM (THA., 6-3-0(3)) vs 51. BERNABE VASQUEZ (MEX., 6-3-1(3))
LW: 57. MIGUEL ANGEL GONZALEZ (MEX., 5-0-0(4)) vs 66. FABIAN TEJEDA (ARG., 5-2-0(3))
LW: 56. JUAN CARLOS RAMIREZ (MEX., 8-1-1(4)) vs 67. RICKY QUILES (PR, 4-2-0(3))
LW: 54. JAVIER LOPEZ (MEX., 25-4-1(17)) vs 69. ALI FUNEKA (SA, 4-2-1(2))

***

MONDAY 22 JANUARY 2007

PARIS, FRANCE

MW: 60. ITALO SORTICHINI (ITA., 5-2-0(2)) vs 65. ERIC REGAN (USA, 5-2-2(3))
MW: 62. VITO ANTUOFERMO (ITA., 12-3-1(7)) vs 63. JIMMY BEAU (USA, 8-2-1(4))
MW: 61. LAURENT DAUTHUILLE (FRA., 6-1-1(3)) vs 64. HEROL GRAHAM (UK, 5-1-0(3))
MW: 41. PAUL PIRRONE (USA, 8-2-0(4)) vs 48. RENE JACQUOT (FRA., 11-4-2(6))
MW: 44. GRATIEN TONNA (FRA., 10-3-1(5)) vs 45. JULIO ALVARES (CUB., 7-3-0(3))
FW: 36. FRANCOIS SALVATERRE (FRA., 7-2-0(5)) vs 53. KAZUYOSHI OMURA (JAP., 8-5-1(5))

TUESDAY 23 JANUARY 2007

MEXICO CITY, DF, MEXICO

MW: 56. LOU GUTIERREZ (NIC., 7-0-1(3)) vs 69. JOE DENUCCI (USA, 6-2-2(3))
FW: 55. PEDRO GOMEZ (VEN., 6-1-0(3)) vs 70. LUIS FUENTE (MEX., 5-3-0(3))
FW: 40. DANIEL BLANCO (COL., 13-3-3(8)) vs 49. CLEMENTE SANCHEZ (MEX., 12-4-1(7))
FW: 54. FERNANDO TAVAREZ (DR, 10-6-1(7)) vs 71. JAVIER VIDRIO (MEX., 5-1-1(3))
FW: 61. AURELIO HERRERA (MEX., 7-1-1(4)) vs 64. ELINO FLORES (PHI., 7-1-2(4))
MW: 57. CARLOS BOJORQUEZ (MEX., 7-1-0(3)) vs 68. TROY ROWLAND (USA, 6-3-1(3))

WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY 2007

LEICESTER, LEICESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND

FW: 57. ANSEL BELL (PAN., 6-0-0(3)) vs 68. SERGIO CAPRARI (ITA., 5-3-0(3))
MW: 58. GARY STRETCH (UK, 7-2-1(3)) vs 67. PEDRO MIRANDA (CUB., 6-3-0(4))
MW: 59. HARRY SCOTT (UK, 5-1-1(2)) vs 66. WILLIE GIBBS (USA, 5-2-1(3))
FW: 62. BILLY HARDY (UK, 6-2-0(3)) vs 63. DAVE CROWLEY (UK, 8-1-1(5))
MW: 36. TONY SIBSON (UK, 7-2-0(4)) vs 53. OMAR ENDARA (PAN., 4-3-2(3))

THURSDAY 25 JANUARY 2007

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

FW: 38. JOE TETTEH (GHA., 6-3-0(4)) vs 51. RUBEN PALACIOS (COL., 7-3-1(4))
MW: 37. DON FULLMER (USA, 6-3-1(3)) vs 52. LOMANA WAMBA (CON., 5-2-2(3))
FW: 56. PATRICK FORD (GUY., 7-1-0(3)) vs 69. LUISITO ESPINOSA (PHI., 3-2-0(1))
MW: 43. JESUS ENAMORADO (CUB., 7-2-0(3)) vs 46. MICHAEL CRONJE (SA, 5-3-1(2))
MW: 40. AHMET DOTTUEV (RUS., 11-1-0(7)) vs 49. CHARLIE WEIR (SA, 7-3-4(5))
FW: 39. WELCOME NCITA (SA, 10-1-0(4)) vs 50. ROLLY SANTIAGO (PHI., 5-3-1(3))

FRIDAY 26 JANUARY 2007

TOKYO, JAPAN

FW: 37. FERNANDO ZAMACOLA (PER., 7-2-2(4)) vs 52. DONG-KYUN YUM (KOR., 6-4-0(2))
MW: 38. JAE-DO YUH (KOR., 9-4-0(5)) vs 51. WALTER GOMEZ (ARG., 8-3-1(4))
FW: 59. TIM HEGARTY (AUS., 5-0-2(2)) vs 66. CARMELO COSTA (USA, 6-2-1(2))
FW: 43. KAZUO TAKAYAMA (JAP., 8-3-0(4)) vs 46. LEO CRUZ (DR, 6-3-0(3))
MW: 42. SHINJI TAKEHARA (JAP., 7-2-0(4)) vs 47. DENNY MOYER (USA, 7-2-1(3))
FW: 42. MITSUNORI SEKI (JAP., 9-2-1(5)) vs 47. STEVE CRUZ (USA, 9-2-2(5))

SATURDAY 27 JANUARY 2007

TACOMA, WASHINGTON, USA

FW: 58. CALVIN GROVE (USA, 5-0-1(2)) vs 67. RED CHAPMAN (USA, 4-2-1(2))
FW: 44. JACK WOLFE (USA, 6-2-0(3)) vs 45. JESAN VALENZUELA (PHI., 7-3-1(5))
FW: 41. PAUL JORGENSEN (USA, 6-1-2(3)) vs 48. ANUCHA THONGLAO (THA., 6-2-1(3))
MW: 39. HUGO CORRO (ARG., 8-1-1(5)) vs 50. CHRIS HENDRICKS (USA, 6-2-2(5))
FW: 60. OSCAR GARDNER (USA, 9-2-2(5)) vs 65. OSCAR LEON (COL., 6-2-1(4))
MW: 55. GENE WELLS (USA, 14-3-1(8)) vs 70. FRED BOATWRIGHT (USA, 8-0-1(3))
MW: 54. FREDDIE STEELE (USA, 35-2-1(30)) vs 71. TERRY JOHNSON (USA, 14-5-0(2))

***

[Infinity]

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for my guy. It's been entertaining thus far.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Infinity

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for my guy. It's been entertaining thus far.

Thanks, Infinity. I have a feeling that '07 will be a good year for Mr. Fehner.

Above post (#804) has been updated.

[Ric915]

Originally Posted by Infinity

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for my guy. It's been entertaining thus far.

I agree my guys just'a itchin to get back in the ring

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ric915

I agree my guys just'a itchin to get back in the ring

His title defense against Williams will be on the 10th of February.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Next up I have to work on the IBL schedule for the remainder of January. There's not really any big bouts on it as it only features fighters from ranking tiers 4, 5 and 6. As was said in the last thesweetscience.com post the competitors from tiers 1, 2 and 3 won't be back in action unitl February and March.

Therefore, I'll probably only review a handful of the cards, and in a brief fashion. The Lytell-Obelmejias showdown is five days away and that'll be the highlight for the rest of January.

Scratch that idea. I want to get to February as quickly as possible so I won't be reviewing any of the cards listed on the above schedule. What I'll do is simply review some of the individual bouts in the January issue of Boxing Monthly.

The next post will be a review of Lytell vs Obelmejias. After that, maybe two or three "outside the ropes" stories to take us to the end of the month.

[javier_83]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yep, a great night concluding a spectacularly successful Mexican world title campaign. Their fighters were 4-1 in the world championship bouts, with only the welterweight Enrique Diaz missing out.

Not sure if you noticed it, Javier, but your fighter featured for the first time in this uni not long ago. Just search for Javier Aguirre within the thread and you should be able to find the post.

yeah i read it, he is gonna jump to profesional boxing
lets see if he can handle it..

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

SUNDAY, 14 JANUARY, 2007

MASSACRE AT CAESAR'S PALACE:
OBELMEJIAS DROPS LYTELL
SEVEN TIMES IN TITLE FIGHT

Story by James Reynolds

No matter how much time passes by, the world of sports never ceases to amaze and surprise. Upsets and unexpected results teach us that there's really no such thing as a "sure thing", but that never seems to stop us from, more often than not, making the "sensible" choice. Last night we were given another example of what an unpredictable beast sports can be when Venezuela's Fulgencio Obelmejias produced one of the most comprehensive demolition jobs in boxing history. In the first big showdown of the year Obelmejias sent WBC middleweight champion Bert Lytell to the canvas an incredible seven times on the way to a unanimous decision win. The vacant WBC super-middleweight belt was on the line, with the winner also to be recognised as the world super-middleweight champion. The fact that Obelmejias won the fight was not a great surprise, but the brutal fashion in which he did so certainly was.

Coming into the evening Lytell was ranked amongst the top five non-IBL pound-for-pounders in boxing. He'd scored a fantastic knockout victory over Freddie Steele in July and despite the fact that he was going to be fighting at 168 for the first time (and against the division's #1 guy) most observers were expecting him to defeat Obelmejias, although not easily. But so certain were some of them that they had already started speaking of a possible Lytell-Mike McCallum blockbuster for later in the year. After last night that fight is history. In the days leading up to the clash Obelmejias had warned Lytell not to think of him as a "stepping stone on the path to superstardom". It appears that Lytell gave the South American his complete and proper respect but in the final evaluation it looks to have been a simple case of a great bigger man beating a great smaller man.

Obelmejias had tipped the scales on Friday afternoon right on the 168-pound limit, Lytell surprisingly weighing in at 165.5. His camp had indicated during their training camp that their target weight would be 167, but for reasons that remain unknown Lytell was unable to reach it. In the ring during the pre-fight introductions the Venezuelan looked composed, calm, as if he was totally aware of what was to come. In contrast Lytell appeared uncharacteristically apprehensive and uneasy, sweat bubbling on his forehead as he paced in an agitated fashion. Obelmejias was decked out in his national colours, his trunks knee length and solid gold with red and dark blue trim. His surname was stencilled in red on the waistband. Lytell's trunks were white with red trim.

There'd been a deal of talk beforehand in regards to the problems Lytell's southpaw stance would pose for Obelmejias, but after the first two rounds it was clear that the Venezuelan was well prepared. After controlling an uneventful 1st Obelmejias split Lytell's lip with a left hook one minute into round two. Lytell was holding his own until Obelmejias rocked him with an uppercut late in the frame. In what would remarkably be his one highlight of the contest Lytell took the 3rd round, employing a more aggressive disposition and peppering Obelmejias with that potent right lead of his. The beginning of a long, painfully stretched out end commenced in round four, Obelmejias pummeling Lytell through the bottom half of the stanza. In the space of one-hundred seconds he landed a crunching uppercut, a hard right, a trio of flush, seperate left hooks and a three-punch combo.

Lytell wobbled back to his corner on unsteady legs, a mouse that hadn't been there when the round started now prominent under his left eye. Obelmejias continued to dominate and pretty much do as he pleased through the next three frames and so, as the 7th round ended, Lytell appeared a thoroughly defeated man. It was a truly astonishing sight, something that no one at ringside had prepared themselves for. Obelmejias' corner remained professional and calm, the man himself given away nothing while on the other side of the ring Lytell's trainer Butch Jackson was suggesting they throw in the towel. The San Jose slugger's response was a brief but fierce profanity-laced tirade that left Jackson speechless and made it clear that, if Lytell had his way, the fight would not be ending anytime soon.

In hindsight Lytell would have been better served to agree with Jackson. Over the course of the next four rounds Obelmejias turned the fight from a one-sided affair to a domination so complete that referee Richard Steele's decision to allow it's continuation made it farcical. After hurting Lytell with an uppercut and a left hook early in the 8th Obelmejias dropped him for the first time with a right hook at the two minute mark. Up at eight, Lytell was down again from a short, clean cross some fifteen seconds before the bell. He lurched to his feet at six, the clock beating Obelmejias as he came in to finish the job. Lytell was offering nothing in the way of offense in round nine, Obelmejias staggering him with an uppercut before flooring him for the third time with another right cross late in the round.

Lytell struggled to his knees at four and was upright at nine, at which point Steele really should have waved it off. But he didn't and Lytell returned to his corner with his left eye all but closed. He appeared to have recovered as he kept Obelmejias off with the lead right through the opening minute of round ten, but a wild overhand right resulted in his fourth trip to the canvas midway through the frame. Surprisingly, Lytell was up at two and eager (and deluded enough) to convince Steele he could continue. Amazingly the referee granted his wish and Obelmejias planted a left hook on his jaw before getting the better of a furious exchange in the final minute. Despite being completely outfought, Lytell was not going to give in. He made that known to Jackson once again during the intermission, the cameras catching him spitting out the words "motherf---er's gonna have to kill my ass fo' 'em to stop it!"

Eighteen seconds into the 11th a three-punch salvo put Lytell on his backside, the fifth knockdown of the bout. He was up at five and one minute in a right cross crashed into his temple, sending Lytell sideways to the mat. Once again he was up quickly and a look of bemusement was blanketed over the Venezuelan's face. Lytell's courage was clearly something he'd never come up against before. Within twenty seconds he'd planted him on his rump again, an uppercut snapping Lytell's head back and dropping him. He made it to his feet at five and implored Obelmejias to "come get me". By this time the crowd was applauding Lytell's resolve and incredibly as the round's final seconds ticked away he unleashed a straight left that split Obelmejias open on the bridge of his nose. Lytell was given a standing ovation as he returned to his corner, Obelmejias looking frustrated for the first time in the fight during the intermission.

Incredibly, Steele stopped the action early in the final round to allow the ringside doctor to examine Obelmejias' wound. The Venezuelan had given up on trying to knock Lytell out and was content to cruise through the final frame, allowing the Californian to take it behind his jab. The crowd started coming to their feet with about thirty seconds remaining, applauding both Obelmejias' brilliance and Lytell's bravery. At the final bell they embraced, Obelmejias wearing an expression that conveyed his amazement at Lytell's determination. The scorecards were a mere afterthought but they came back as the most lopsided in a world title fight since the introduction of the 10-point must system: 118-103, 120-101, 118-102. Obelmejias (34-1-1(24)) had landed 321 of 1,050 punches (30.6%), Lytell (32-2(23)) 196 of 472 (41.5%).

Within moments of the verdict being announced Lytell had been escorted from the ring, medical officials concerned for his welfare after he started displaying symptoms of concussion. Apparently he was admitted to nearby Sunrise Hospital and stayed there overnight for observation. Having been so supportive of Lytell at every press conference leading into the fight promoter Tyrone Hillier was, unsurprisingly, singing the praises of Obelmejias' during the lively post-fight interview. Having signed the Venezuelan from underneath Bobby Tattaglia's nose back in September Hillier's investment appears to have been a wise one, even though Obelmejias has effectively put the kybosh on a McCallum-Lytell clash. Having accused him of "sabotaging boxing" back in August, Obelmejias was very much buddy-buddy with WBC president Luis Velazquez when the title belt was put around his waist.

It'll be interesting to see where each fighter goes from here. There've been less brutal defeats than the one Lytell suffered that have ended careers, so we'll have to wait to find out what becomes of him. No doubt Obelmejias will take the San Jose native's place in the upper realms of the pound-for-pound rankings but with him clearly being the standout super-middleweight is there anyone in the division who presents an appealing matchup? Obelmejias had expressed an interest in fighting for the WBA belt back when he was still the IBF champion so perhaps a unification bout with Houston's recently crowned champion Michael Barrett could eventuate. Only time will tell...

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing
Larry Holman Blog

Tattaglia pitches McCallum-Napoles II
with IBO title up for grabs
Thursday, January 18, 2007 | Print Entry

International Boxing Organisation president Robert Tattaglia has been accused of many things over the years, but one of them certainly isn't letting an opportunity pass him by. On Wednesday at an Atlantic City press conference the boss of the new sanctioning body revealed that he'd contacted the camps of both Jamaica's Mike McCallum and Miami's Jose Napoles with a proposal to stage a rematch of their December showdown. While their first clash was a non-title bout this time the IBO's inaugural junior-middleweight championship would be on the line. Tattaglia instigated his plan on Monday in the aftermath of Saturday night's Fulgencio Obelmejias-Bert Lytell fight, where the Venezuelan captured the vacant WBC super-middleweight title by flooring Lytell an incredible seven times on the way to a unanimous decision win.

The result extinguished a possible Lytell-McCallum blockbuster for later in the year, which many observers had been talking up. While McCallum and Napoles' first stoush was a competitive contest there had not been any rematch speculation but now that Tattaglia has raised it, such a fight makes sense. There doesn't appear to be anything else worthwhile on the horizon for McCallum, and Napoles would certainly relish a second shot at the Jamaican legend. One stumbling block, which was raised at yesterday's press conference, could possibly be McCallum's disdain for the alphabet organisations. He held the WBC and IBF's junior-middleweight belts until both organisations stripped him of them in the space of a week in early August for refusing to defend them against opponents they'd selected.

Tattaglia said that he would be prepared to grant "certain concessions" in order to make the fight happen, but would not mention specifics when pressed on the issue. One thing goes without question. If Tattaglia is able to pull it off it'd guarantee that the organisation would be the home to not only the best lightweight in the world (due to the already scheduled Brown-Ortiz title fight) but also the best junior-middleweight. Tattaglia has stated on a number of occasions that he's determined to fight the International Boxing League for control of the sport and he's doing a good job of living up to that claim. It's still remarkable to look back on the mess that both the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation were in just six months ago and compare it to the healthy, vital status of the merged entity that is the current day IBO.

While the McCallum-Napoles revelation was the biggest news item to come out of the conference, it wasn't the only one. Tattaglia also announced the schedule for a number of confirmed IBO title fights, the first of which is taking place in Puerto Rico on Saturday. Each of them involves at least one fighter who held either an IBF or WBO championship when the merger took place on January 1. The dates are listed below:

20 January: San Juan, Puerto Rico, junior-lightweight championship
Jose Molina (IBF) (Puerto Rico, 30-2-1(22)) vs Floriano Becite (WBO) (Philippines, 27-1-1(21))

27 January: Detroit, Michigan, USA, cruiserweight championship
Michael Vaughan (IBF) (USA, 19-3(11)) vs James Sinclair (WBO) (USA, 23-1(15))

3 February: Berlin, Germany, super-middleweight championship
Christian Fritz (WBO) (Germany, 23-2(18)) vs James Toney (USA, 35-5-1(29))

10 February: Los Angeles, California, USA, light-heavyweight championship
Tyrell Brown (WBO) (USA, 19-1(13)) vs Michael Foreman (USA, 17-3-1(11))

17 February: Buenos Aires, Argentina, junior-bantamweight championship
Gustavo Ballas (WBO) (Argentina, 28-1(20)) vs Sergio Milito (Argentina, 19-2(13))

17 March: Caracas, Venezuela, junior-welterweight championship
Alejandro Vielma (WBO) (Venezuela, 30-3-1(23)) vs Orlando Sierra (Puerto Rico, 22-1(16))

24 March: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, lightweight championship
Joe Brown (IBF) (USA, 34-2-1(25)) vs Francisco Ortiz (WBO) (Dominican Republic, 37-2(30))

7 April: Moscow, Russia, heavyweight championship
Igor Berezutskiy (IBF) (Russia, 25-1(20)) vs Marko Friedrich (Germany, 28-1-1(22))

Title fights for the remaining weight classes (middleweight, junior-middleweight, welterweight, featherweight, junior-featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight) are still being arranged and Tattaglia assured that they'll be finalised by the end of January.

Lytell fires trainer following
loss to Obelmejias

In something of an unfortunate postscript to Saturday night's super-middleweight showdown Bert Lytell's management confirmed on Tuesday that the San Jose fighter had parted ways with his trainer of the past four years, Butch Jackson. It appears that Jackson has absorbed the lion's share of responsibility for the former middleweight champion's crushing defeat. Lytell was apparently furious following the Friday afternoon weigh-in when he tipped the scales 1.5 pounds lighter than the weight they'd planned for him to reach, 167. He believes that if he'd achieved the target weight things might have been quite different at Caesar's Palace on Saturday night.

In addition Lytell has stayed true to his words of last week, when he said he'd relinquish the WBC middleweight title if Obelmejias was to beat him. The sanctioning body announced on Monday that Lytell had vacated the championship. Of course, it's not yet known what his next move will be but one thing that is known is that Lytell is a proud man. Some experts have speculated that after the beating Obelmejias inflicted upon him he'll be desperate for redemption, meaning that a rematch is likely somewhere down the road.

Marquez to step back in ring
on March 10

Former world lightweight champion Patricio Marquez will make his return to the ring in Mexico City on March 10 against compatriot Raul Martinez. In his first outing since being TKOd in three rounds by Joe Brown in November, Marquez will be up against an opponent who is tough and durable but not especially quick. Martinez was thoroughly outboxed by Athens gold medallist Pernell Whitaker on the way to a unanimous decision loss in October and recorded a knockout of the Californian Jimmy Tills in his most recent outing last month. One would think he'll provide Marquez with an easy target, an even easier victory and a reasonable workout before what is expected to be a challenge to the IBO championship later in the year.

[Romdawg88]

Wow, Obelmejias/Lytell was surprising to say the least. Didn't expect to see that kind of beating in the fight. Have to say I'm not overly excited about a possible McCallum/Napoles rematch at the moment. I think McCallum proved he was the better man first time around. Maybe after the two of them win a couple more fights.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Wow, Obelmejias/Lytell was surprising to say the least. Didn't expect to see that kind of beating in the fight. Have to say I'm not overly excited about a possible McCallum/Napoles rematch at the moment. I think McCallum proved he was the better man first time around. Maybe after the two of them win a couple more fights.

I've never run a fight before where one guy was knocked down seven times, so it was pretty remarkable. I was really hoping Lytell would win in order to set up a clash with McCallum but that's all down the toilet now.

As for a McCallum-Napoles rematch, there's a lot of doubt over it actually happening. I think at the moment it's just a case of Tattaglia going all out to lure some more big names to the IBO. I haven't yet decided how it'll pan out.

[kenyan_cheena]

LOS ANGELES DAILY MAIL

Wednesday, 24 January, 2007

Johnson having a blast
in the Philippines

Story by Richard Howell

In the aftermath of a fantastic December 29 victory over Russia's Sergey Anyukov, Los Angeles-based heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson has been taking a break from the rigours of his professional career. Last week he flew to the Philippines for a holiday with his girlfriend Jessica Aguilar and is not expected back in the states until mid-February. The Athens gold medallist scored a comprehensive unanimous decision win over the more experienced former WBA champion Anyukov in the co-feature bout on the Las Vegas card which crowned Terone Haynes as the International Boxing League's inaugural world champion. It was the biggest fight of Johnson's young pro career to date, the win maintaining his undefeated record and also securing an initial world ranking of #5 for him.

Johnson's impressive efforts in his opening IBL bouts have led many experts to predict that he'll earn himself a shot at the world championship by the end of '07, something that he's said is his primary goal. His next outing is scheduled to take place on March 24 in Miami against the 8th-ranked New Jersey native Joe Jeannette. Like his bout against Anyukov it'll be the main preliminary bout before the world heavyweight championship is contested in the main event, with Haynes to defend his belt against the Australian Peter Jackson. With a win Johnson will at least maintain his current ranking but could possibly rise higher depending on other results, while a loss would be disasterous and see him fall out of short-term world championship contention.

With the matchup against Jeannette still two months away Johnson has taken the opportunity to indulge in his favourite activity: having a good time! A notorious womaniser, Johnson first met Aguilar at a Hollywood night club last June. The LA-born Filipina actress was expected to be simply the latest on a long list of conquests for the Galveston-born Johnson, but it's now seven months later and they are still together as an apparently very happy couple. While rest and relaxation has been the main reason for their trip to the Philippines, the pair also appeared on a television variety program. Despite her stunning beauty 21 year-old Aguilar has struggled to make a name for herself in the tough world of Hollywood but in her parent's homeland she has become quite a celebrity due in large part to her relationship with the world-famous Johnson. It's something she appears to be taking advantage of.

In the past Johnson had been known to let extra-curricular activities interfere with his pre-fight preparations so it will be interesting to see if this Filipino holiday has any negative outcomes for his clash with Jeannette. Based on the excellent condition he was in for the Anyukov fight he's started to get his priorities sorted out, so it would be a surprise if he steps in the ring on March 24 in anything less than great shape.

[kenyan_cheena]

During the next couple of days I'll start working on the January issue of Boxing Monthly. However, I haven't had a chance to run any of the IBL cards from the schedule posted further up the page. Gonna have to get those done as the week progresses. I might come up with another article to close out the month in the meantime.

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

FRIDAY 26 JANUARY 2007

Brian Jasper's Pugilistic Musings

IBL releases schedule for
"March Madness" championship bouts

As they say, it's all in the timing. So it will be for the International Boxing League come March, with the first series of their world championship title defenses all scheduled to take place within the third month of the year. League president James Molk and his associates planned it so that each of the nine world title belts would be defended for the first time exactly twelve weeks after the inaugural champions were crowned and it's resulted in boxing's version of "March Madness", an unusual situation where each bout is to be contested during the month. The league posted the championship bout schedule on their website inter-box-league.org on Thursday and to say it looks appetising is an understatement. Included on the bill is a pair of doubleheaders in Mexico which required the lightweight and flyweight bouts to be pushed back one week to make them possible.

It all starts on the 3rd of March, with the junior-heavyweight and welterweight belts to be defended on seperate cards as part of an HBO split-broadcast. The plan is for the Madison Square Garden welterweight showdown between Emile Griffith and Japan's Shoji Ohashi to commence at approximately 8.30pm eastern time before the Youngstown, Ohio junior-heavyweight stoush pitting local favourite Jeff Lampkin against the Frenchman Taoufik Belbouli kicks off ninety minutes later. Subscribers will be able to switch back and forth between each event at their own leisure as the undercards progress. The following weekend Philadelphia's Harold Johnson defends his light-heavyweight championship at the Wachovia Center against Nigeria's Celestine Amakochi in what many experts believe will be the most challenging fight of his career.

March 17 brings an absolute extravaganza for fight fans, with three title bouts scheduled to take place on the day. New Jersey's young undefeated middleweight Mickey Walker travels to Tokyo, Japan where he'll attempt to claim the world championship from Koichi Wajima. The fight is scheduled to commence at around about 9am on the US east coast. In the evening Mexico City's Arena Mexico plays host to the lightweight and featherweight championship bouts. Both bouts are all-Mexican affairs. In the co-feature Rafael Limon puts his lightweight belt on the line against Enrique Bolanos before Gilberto Vasquez will attempt to end the seemingly unstoppable run of Athens gold medallist Salvador Sanchez in a highly anticipated featherweight clash.

The big boys will have the 24th of March all to themselves, with heavyweight champion Terone Haynes to defend his title against the fantastically talented but less experienced Caribbean-born Australian Peter Jackson in Miami. It's a fight that Haynes is a warm favourite to win, but Jackson has fought hard to earn this title shot and he'll be giving it his all. On the same night the world lightweight championship will be on the line in Atlantic City when New Orleans native Joe Brown squares off against the Dominican Republic's Francisco Ortiz for the inaugural IBO title. That fight will be broadcast through Showtime in partnership with IBO president Robert Tattaglia's company Boardwalk Promotions, Inc.

The gigantic month of title bouts concludes on March 31 with the second of the Mexican doubleheaders, to be held in Guadalajara. Candido Tellez defends the flyweight championship against Pennsylvania's Willie Davison before Gilberto Roman steps in the ring with the tough, relentless Aussie Jeff Fenech in the bantamweight title fight. There's no doubt that it'll be a month of boxing to match the one we recently witnessed, the IBL's "December to Remember". Listed below in detail is the full schedule of International Boxing League March title bouts:

Saturday 3 March 2007

Youngstown, Ohio, USA

junior-heavyweight championship

(WC) JEFF LAMPKIN (USA, 36-7-1(29)) vs (01) TAOUFIK BELBOULI (FRANCE, 31-2(21))

---

New York, New York, USA

welterweight championship

(WC) EMILE GRIFFITH (USA, 30-1-1(22)) vs (01) SHOJI OHASHI (JAPAN, 20-0-1(14))

***

Saturday 10 March 2007

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

light-heavyweight championship

(WC) HAROLD JOHNSON (USA, 37-1-2(26)) vs (01) CELESTINE AMAKOCHI (NIGERIA, 23-1(15))

***

Saturday 17 March 2007

Tokyo, Japan

middleweight championship

(WC) KOICHI WAJIMA (JAPAN, 24-1-2(16)) vs (01) MICKEY WALKER (USA, 15-0(11))

---

Mexico City, DF, Mexico

lightweight championship

(WC) RAFAEL LIMON (MEXICO, 31-1(20)) vs (01) ENRIQUE BOLANOS (MEXICO, 23-2-3(17))

featherweight championship

(WC) GILBERTO VASQUEZ (MEXICO, 29-2(19)) vs (01) SALVADOR SANCHEZ (MEXICO, 19-0(15))

***

Saturday 24 March 2007

Miami, Florida, USA

heavyweight championship

(WC) TERONE HAYNES (USA, 24-0(20)) vs (01) PETER JACKSON (AUSTRALIA, 17-0(11))

***

Saturday 31 March 2007

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

flyweight championship

(WC) CANDIDO TELLEZ (MEXICO, 29-0-2(20)) vs (01) WILLIE DAVISON (USA, 26-3-1(19))

bantamweight championship

(WC) GILBERTO ROMAN (MEXICO, 26-1(19)) vs (01) JEFF FENECH (AUSTRALIA, 19-0(16))

***

Big fights on the horizon

It appears that the junior-bantamweight division is a step closer to one of its most intriguing title fights in years, with the news from earlier in the week that Thai dynamo Chatchai Chaisam has relinquished his WBA fyweight title in order to campaign in the 115-pound weight class. There's been talk since August of a possible matchup with Venezuela's WBA junior-bantamweight champion Giancarlo Arango, who last defended his belt in September. Chaisam fought in the division for the first time on December 16 in a non-title bout against compatriot Prawit Nongkhai, which he won via 9th round TKO. Apparently Chaisam (37-3-1(27)) is planning to step back in the ring in March against an as yet unnamed opponent, after which his management will begin negotiations for a title fight. Arango (33-2(25)) seems the most likely, but they're also considering pursuing a clash with Panamanian WBC champion Roman Moreno.

There's been some promising noises coming out of the junior-welterweight division, which could possibly have a unified WBA/WBC champion by the end of the year. Back in June former IBF titleholder Bruno Arcari (27-2-1(19)) was calling out each of the other alphabet champions for a unification bout, but none of them seemed interested. While he's no longer a champion himself the Italian appears to have gotten his wish, as he'll challenge WBC champion Javier Gutierrez (38-4-2(29)) on the 24th of February in what will be the Argentinian's eleventh title defense. In addition, Mississippi's WBA champ Eddie Perkins (35-2(25)) puts his strap on the line against the New Yorker Leron Mathis in mid-March and has made a verbal agreement that if he gets past Mathis he'll take on the winner of Gutierrez-Arcari in a unification blockbuster, most likely in August or September.

Fresh off his decimation of Bert Lytell Venezuela's Fulgencio Obelmejias is also thinking unification, with his management pitching a May matchup to WBA champion Michael Barrett. The Houston native claimed his belt in November and taking on Obelmejias in his first defense, which would also be a unification clash, would be viewed by most observers as a big risk. Barrett is a talented fighter but at this stage of his career he's clearly not in Obelmejias' class and would almost be giving his title away by fighting him. Then again, he could end up with the biggest payday he'll ever see if he accepts the contest. Obelmejias is not only the best boxer in South America, he's also the best super-middleweight in the world but it must be said that the pickings at 168 are currently pretty slim. It wouldn't surprise me to see him move up to light-heavyweight within the next eighteen months.

McCallum not interested in
Napoles rematch

Last week International Boxing Organisation president Robert Tattaglia hatched an audacious plan to stage a rematch between Jamaica's Mike McCallum and Miami's Jose Napoles with the inaugural IBO junior-middleweight title up for grabs. On Monday it was confirmed that the fight won't be happening, with McCallum turning it down flatly. The former IBF and WBC champion defeated Napoles by a clear-cut unanimous decision verdict in their December non-title fight and could see no reason to step in the ring against him for a second time, and so soon after their first encounter. It's not known what McCallum's next move will be but it seems that, like many others, he was hoping for a meeting with Lytell later this year. With that blockbuster off the cards his immediate prospects are unclear.

While McCallum showed no interest in Tattaglia's proposal, Napoles certainly did. He was ready and willing to take McCallum on again and while it didn't work out Napoles was able to negotiate a shot at the inaugural IBO title anyway. The former WBC welterweight champion will step in the ring on April 14 against untested fellow Florida slugger Jemar Lofton at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. It's something of a surprising move for Napoles (28-2(24)) as he was expected to stick with the WBC and fight for their vacant belt. However, he confirmed that Tattaglia won him over with his respectful attitude and the generous offer that was tabled. It's not exactly clear what that offer was, but it's believed that Napoles is now contracted to the IBO until the end of 2009.

[kenyan_cheena]

One week down, two to go with running those January IBL fight cards. Hopefully have the rest done during the next two or three days.

[kenyan_cheena]

turn

[kenyan_cheena]

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