The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ric915

Looking forward to the Feb 10th results hopefully my guy maintains that undefeated record and blasts Ike out of there

So am I.

I'm off work for the whole week after Easter and am planning to make some progress simming all the February fight cards then.

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

MONDAY, 5 FEBRUARY, 2007

HOLMES STAGES LATE RALLY
TO DEFEAT DANIELS

Story by James Reynolds

Brooklyn-born boxer Maurice Holmes produced a fantastic final round fightback to stop Miami's Robert Daniels last night in an IBL junior-heavyweight bout at the Coney Island Athletic Club. In an absolute slugfest, the former WBA light-heavyweight champion was on the verge of his third defeat in four league bouts before flooring Daniels twice in the 10th, referee Raul Caiz jumping in to end the contest at the 2:31 mark with Holmes pummeling a defenseless Daniels. The Florida native had been the better man through the first nine rounds, dropping Holmes with a stinging body shot midway through the 5th and unloading some fearful combinations, particularly in rounds four and six. He was in complete control heading into the 7th, but from that point on Holmes had the edge but still would have lost the verdict if not for his late heroics.

The amazing thing about the fight was that it really never should have happened. IBL followers will remember that Holmes had sustained a right wrist fracture in the final round of his last outing on December 9. He'd lost the fight with the Englishman Carl Thompson by TKO as a result and was expected to be out of action for as long as twelve weeks. It was unclear as recently as two weeks ago whether Holmes would be fit enough to step in the ring. The IBL's administration had said that they were prepared to "freeze" both men's rankings and stage the bout during the late-March Tier Two vs Tier Three matchups. It seemed logical for Holmes to accept this arrangement but he instead chose to go ahead with the fight, citing a medical report that claimed his injury was not as severe as first believed aswell as basic reluctance to pull out of a contest being staged in his hometown.

Holmes is also of the belief that he'll need to take every opportunity on offer to climb up the rankings and so he knew that if he was to go through with the fight and win his standing would most likely be higher than if he was to wait until the end of March. This stance has panned out nicely for him as, following last week's Tier Two junior-heavyweight matchups Holmes will be at #13 when the league rankings are released on the 26th of February, an improvement of three ranking positions over where he was at the end of January. Canada's two-time Olympic gold medallist Sam Langford will suffer a fall from #12 to #20 after his shock KO defeat at the hands of Rydell Booker on Saturday night. Holmes' victory over Daniels improved his record to 40-5-1(34), Daniels dropping to 21-6-2(17). Showing what a hard-fought stoush it was, Holmes had outlanded Daniels by just a trio of punches at the time of the stoppage (231-228).

In the evening's co-feature Long Island's Louis Del Valle rebounded from his defeat to Orlin Norris in the final of the Americas Championship tournament to record a 3rd round knockout of the Pennsylvanian Bert Cooper. Del Valle's effort had been unremarkable up to the point where he unleashed a left-right salvo that dropped Cooper as surely as a sniper's bullet, the victory upping Del Valle's mark to 18-4-1(14) and putting him in the running for another shot at the Americas belt, which was claimed by Guyana's Wayne Braithwaite on Thursday. Also on the undercard 13th-ranked Philadelphia welterweight Meldrick Taylor scored his third consecutive victory since losing to Emile Griffith in the quarter-finals of the world championship tournament. Taylor (25-3(17)) followed up his impressive December win over former WBA champion Roger Menetrey with a comfortable unanimous decision victory against Panama's Tito Marshall (98-93, 97-93, 98-92).

[kenyan_cheena]

Am currently working on an AMERICAN | PUGILIST article about a certain Alliance. It's gonna be a big one but should be posted in about three days from now.

[kenyan_cheena]

AMERICAN | PUGILIST

*** Published bi-weekly out of Chicago, Illinois since 1950 ***

Monday 5 February 2007
Volume 58, Edition 3

CATCHING UP WITH ROY JONES
AND THE FLORIDA ALLIANCE

Story by Lucious Holt

It's been just over eight months since I first visited the Pensacola home and compound of boxing trainer Roy Jones, a visit that was chronicled in the 29 May '06 issue of AMERICAN | PUGILIST. Last month, on Saturday the 28th to be exact, I was back there to catch up with him. The time since that late-May meeting has been busy and eventful for Jones and his stable of fighters, the "Florida Alliance". Back then the International Boxing League's various tournaments were only on the verge of commencing and Jones held high hopes in regards to his quintet's chances of success in them. Remembering his pre-tournament expectations it would be true to say that the Alliance underachieved, despite the fact that Miami-born heavyweight Terone Haynes claimed the world championship with a victory over Ken Norton. The trio of Athens medallists - junior-heavyweight Elmer Ray, middleweight Holman Williams, and the welterweight James Ray - were each eliminated before the semi-final stage of their respective tournaments.

All of their exits were both controversial and heartbreaking. Elmer Ray bowed out in stage one of the Americas event, his bout with the higher-seeded Pennsylvanian Dan Harvison questionably scored as a draw. Both Williams and James Ray suffered defeats in the quarter-finals of the Challenger's tournament. Williams lost a razor-thin unanimous decision verdict to the eventual tournament winner and his rival from the amateur days, New Jersey's Mickey Walker. This was despite cutting Walker early in the opening round and both outlanding him and connecting on his punches with greater accuracy. James Ray's defeat was the most discussed of the three, as his Japanese opponent Shoji Ohashi was declared a winner by TKO 88 seconds from the closing bell due to a cut above Ray's right eye. Having dominated the fight, the scorecards revealed that each judge had Ray leading by three points going into the 8th and final stanza. Like Walker, Ohashi went on to win the tournament.

The newest member of Jones's stable at the time, Belle Glade heavyweight Romy Alvarez acquitted himself impressively to reach the semi-finals of the Americas tournament. But once there he was edged out by the more experienced Californian Mike Weaver, who won by split decision and sent Alvarez to his first career defeat. The 23 year-old encountered more frustration in his very next bout, an official Americas title eliminator against another Californian in Oxnard's Sam McVey. Once again, Alvarez was on the wrong side of a split decision verdict. While Williams and James Ray ended '06 with confidence-boosting wins (and the #8 world ranking in their respective divisions), Elmer Ray struggled in the aftermath of his tournament exit. He lost two of his following three fights, both of which were clear cases of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. Elmer commenced the new year ranked at #50.

Haynes was the only member of the group who was able to deliver on his promise, as he claimed the world heavyweight championship in fine style on December 29. After quarter- and semi-final wins over Tyrell Biggs and Russia's former WBA champion Sergey Anyukov he took on Norton in the tournament decider and triumphed. It was the most anticipated heavyweight contest of the last twenty years. Haynes climbed off the canvas twice in the 1st round and went on to dominate the rest of the fight, pummeling a brave Norton into submission before the referee called a halt to the carnage in round eight. The victory brought to an end Haynes' quest to be recognised as the best heavyweight in the world, something he's been striving for ever since winning the WBO belt from fellow Florida native Ray Mercer in September 2004.

So as the calendar ticked over to 2007 the members of Jones' stable were faced with varied challenges, with only Haynes in a position to sit back for a period of time and appreciate what he'd achieved. For Elmer Ray there was a trip down under to Sydney, Australia for his opening bout of the year on January 9, a clash with local fighter Dave Russell that Elmer won with ease by 5th round TKO. It was a welcome return to form for the Athens bronze medallist, with the presence of Jones working his corner having a positive impact on his confidence and performance. Back during the weeks leading up to the Haynes-Norton bout there'd been some obvious tension between Jones and Ray, with the trainer required to focus squarely on preparing Haynes for the biggest fight of his life and therefore unable to dedicate any time to Elmer. However, they seemed to be in sync and on the same page while in Australia.

The victory over Russell elevated Elmer to #44 in the world rankings and improved his record to 7-2-1(6). However, he still has a tough road ahead of him during the coming months. He's currently positioned in what many observers have been calling the IBL's "testing grounds", the 4th ranking tier. Although the exact date is yet to be confirmed Elmer's next bout will be against the talented Englishman David Haye in early March. Ranked at #39, Haye (13-1(6)) is on a four-fight winning streak and will start as a warm favourite. Regardless of the result Elmer will remain in the 4th tier. However, a win elevates his ranking and increases the likelihood of him facing a lower-ranked opponent in mid-April, when he'll fight to maintain his position and, if victorious, earn the chance to make the jump to the 3rd tier come late May.

It's a situation that Jones never contemplated Elmer would be in when his stable signed on with the league as, despite his inexperience, Jones really felt that the young slugger would mount a serious challenge for the Americas championship. Elmer's inconsistent performances were one of the first topics we discussed upon my arrival at the Jones home. The trainer conceeded that he may have overestimated how far Ray had progressed before the IBL tournaments started and that, out of all of his charges, the 20 year-old was the one who would have benefitted the most from a few extra bouts before joining the league. One of Jones' assistant trainers (who is no longer part of his team), Montel Howard, had worked Ray's corner for both of his defeats and Jones did not hesitate to place a portion of the blame for those results on Howard. Jones said the win over Russell had made him confident in Elmer's prospects for the rest of the year.

My first visit to Pensacola had been on a beautiful day at the tail end of Spring, during which Jones' extended family staged a fantastic barbeque dinner that I was fortunate enough to partake in. Now we're a month into winter and those cold mid-fifty temperatures. Roy and I conversed in his backyard accompanied by a chill in the air that was carried on a biting breeze and backed up by ominous clouds in multiple tones of grey towering overhead. Jones' efforts in guiding the careers of Haynes and co. have made him a wealthy man but you wouldn't know it based on his humble home. While the block of land is large there's nothing about the property that speaks of extravagance, and it's no accident. In many ways Jones is a simple man, and one of those ways relates to material possessions.

The heavyweight king Haynes was down south in Miami spending some quality time with his family. He'd be returning to Pensacola in mid-February to commence training for his March 24 title defense against the Australian Peter Jackson. Terone aside, each of the other four members of Jones' stable were present and being put through their paces by Jones' team of assistants. Romy Alvarez was ripping into one of the heavy bags that hangs from the carport railings while Jones' nephew Holman Williams went through a routine of calisthenics: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jump rope. Jones' lifelong friend Jimmy Louis was working with Elmer Ray on the hand pads. Some twenty yards from us in the right hand corner of the yard James Ray and the Alliance's newest member, Jacksonville-born welterweight Elford Coles, were trading blows in a lively sparring session in Jones' custom-built and sheltered 22x22 foot ring.

As we watched them go at it for a few minutes Jones told me the story of how Coles had come to be the sixth member of his roster. Elford's uncle Albert had raised him as one of his own from the age of three following his mother's death and was doing his best to make the youngster's dream of becoming a world champion boxer a reality. After a brief run in the amateur ranks Elford made his professional debut last June, Albert managing and training him single-handedly. The 18 year-old was spotted by an IBL talent scout in November while featured on a card in his hometown, Coles recording a 2nd round knockout to improve his record to 4-0(3). The league was intrigued by his ability and approached Albert with a three-year contract offer for his nephew in mid-December. After discussing it with Elford, Albert informed the league that they would accept the offer.

Elford was immediately slotted in at #71 in the IBL's welterweight world rankings, with his opening league bout scheduled to be on the same January 9 Sydney card on which Elmer Ray appeared. In a confident showing Coles defeated the Australian Liam Maghee by unanimous decision (77-73 on all three cards) and jumped ten places in the rankings as a result. He made a nervous start but after dropping Maghee in round two Elford took control of the contest. There was a brief hiccup when he hit the canvas for a two-count a minute into the 5th before he went on to dominate the final three frames. Coles landed exactly twice as many punches as Maghee (168-84). In the days leading up to the card Albert had struck up a friendship with Jones, leading to the trainer being there at ringside for Elford's fight. Roy was "mighty impressed" by what he saw.

The following day Albert spoke to Roy while they ate breakfast and told him how determined he was to see Elford's ambitions come to fruition. He told Roy that his love could only take the teenager so far and that Elford needed the guidance of a top class trainer to reach his true potential. Albert believed that destiny had brought him, his nephew and Roy together in Sydney. He asked Roy to become Elford's trainer and Roy agreed to the request. Elford had been in Pensacola for a week and had settled in fine, according to Roy. He described the youngster's talent as "scary good" and while we were observing him and Jimmy Ray spar I was given an example of it. A dazzling five-punch salvo from Elford's lightning fast hands backed Ray up, four of the blows appearing to connect cleanly. With both of them welterweights Ray has already taken Elford under his wing, playing the role of mentor.

Elford's next IBL bout will be against the 58th-ranked Mexican Rodolfo Gomez, in either late February or early March. It's possible that it could be allocated to the same March 3 New York fight card on which IBL world champion Emile Griffith defends his title against Japan's Shoji Ohashi and Jimmy Ray takes on 5th-ranked Cleveland native Marvyn Rollins in the co-feature. Jones certainly hopes so. Ray's clash with Rollins, a former WBA junior-welterweight world title challenger and IBL world championship tournament semi-finalist, will be the biggest fight of his career to date. A win would elevate Ray into the top six, with the slim possibility (depending on other results) of him reaching as high as #3 and earning a place in the May world title eliminator. Many experts and observers have spoken for some time of Jimmy Ray as a future world champion but Jones is determined to keep the Athens silver medallist grounded in the present.

Jones isn't going to hope that the higher-ranked fighters slip up and sees the Rollins fight as simply the first of four bouts during '07 that will earn Jimmy a title shot in early 2008. The controversial defeat Ray suffered at the hands of Ohashi has already taught the St Johns County native to avoid looking too far ahead and he knows that his focus needs to be firmly on Rollins and no one else. The scenario is identical for Holman Williams, who faces the tough Englishman Nigel Benn on March 15 in front of what will surely be a hostile crowd in London. Both men were defeated by eventual winner Mickey Walker in the Challenger's tournament and with both super keen on securing a future rematch with the New Jersey slugger their clash is of huge importance. Roy still finds it hard to deal with the loss his nephew suffered to Walker and will insist 'til the day he dies that Holman was robbed.

Before any of those bouts take place Belle Glade heavyweight Romy Alvarez is scheduled to be back in action on the 24th of February in Pinellas Park. He'll trade blows with the hard hitting Indiana slugger Mike Hanson in the co-feature bout on a card where Cheetah Brown defends his Americas title against Oxnard's Sam McVey in the main event. In the aftermath of his back-to-back split decision losses to Mike Weaver and McVey the Hanson fight is, without a doubt, a must-win outing for Alvarez. A third straight defeat could do even further damage to his confidence, which Jones said was rocked after the defeat to McVey. Looking at the contrasting styles of Alvarez - a slick boxer with perhaps the quickest hands in the division - and Hanson - a power puncher with poor mobility - you'd think Alvarez should be able to jab his way to a convincing win.

However, unlike Alvarez, Hanson brings a two-fight winning streak and tremendous confidence into the matchup. He defeated Chicago's Frank Childs by split decision in October and followed it up with a majority decision nod over Chile's Arturo Godoy in December. The IBL have indicated that while the bout is not an official eliminator for the Americas championship, the winner will be one of the favourites to receive the next shot at the belt. Both of Alvarez's losses were eliminators, although the first was actually a tournament semi-final. So if he can get past Hanson he could very well earn that title fight he's been striving for. Jones was confident "The Iceman" can overcome Hanson but regardless of the result the path ahead figures to be a tough one for Alvarez. If he doesn't end up fighting for the Americas belt, his next opponent would instead be one of the considerably more experienced veterans from the 2nd ranking tier in mid-April.

A win in that matchup would push the "Romdawg" into the big time, a likely twelve-round clash with a top-tenner in June. Jones revealed that what Alvarez is looking for in the short term, above anything else, is a meeting with Cheetah Brown, whether the regional belt is on the line or not. Brown is the one who has emerged as the #1 young American heavyweight and both Jones and Alvarez regard him as the standard that Romy needs to attain and surpass before the year is over. So considering that, the Hanson fight is a huge one for him. But even if he wins it the IBL could very well decide to reward the title shot to another fighter. For me, keeping track of Alvarez's efforts in '07 is going to be a major highlight. Jones watched Romy working on the heavy bag and pointed out the crispness and sharpness of his blows, calling the snap in his jab "a thang o' beauty".

Our conversation turned to Haynes, with Roy reiterating his words from an HBO interview earlier in the month when he'd called Terone's world championship triumph the proudest moment of his training career. It had been a whole month since the fight took place but Roy still found himself amazed by the reality that his star pupil was the world heavyweight champion. He went over the simple goal that he and Haynes had set for '07: get past Jackson and then send Ken Norton into retirement. Despite what many experts have said Jones is very much aware of how difficult just achieving the first part of their quest will be. While less experienced than Terone, Peter Jackson has already proven himself to be a fantastic talent and he'll be stepping into the ring on March 24 with no fear, because no one expects him to win.

In that respect the pressure is on Haynes to dispatch Jackson and retain his title. If he succeeds and Norton ends up being his challenger for the second half of the year Haynes has said he wants to defeat the man in a fashion so comprehensive that he'll have no choice but to retire. Jones simply summed up he and Terone's opinion of Norton. "The brother's time 'as pass'd," he said. It's clear that they want him out of the picture for good, that while Norton's time may have passed Terone's is only just beginning. Some think that the future belongs to the likes of Jack Johnson, Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe, but Roy isn't convinced. He's looked ahead with confidence and can see Haynes' reign being a long, outstanding and destructive one. The type of reign that will one day see him ranked amongst the greatest heavyweights of all time.

The afternoon was moving into the evening, the training session coming to an end. Roy's wife Carol emerged from the house, having been preparing with her sister a mouth-watering dinner of greens, rice, chicken and salmon. Once again, I was invited to stay for the meal. It was a casual affair, most of us standing while we ate with Roy's younger nieces and nephews sitting at the table. I spoke with Carol, and with each member of the Alliance: Romy, Holman, the Ray cousins and young Elford, who really impressed me with his maturity and unassuming nature. I ended my May article by saying I felt that Roy Jones was building an empire in Pensacola. While the bottom half of '06 didn't quite work out the way he was expecting it looks like 2007 is going to be a year of triumph for the man and his stable of fighters. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2007

Sanchez and Saldivar fined following
Mexico City nightclub incident

Story by Steve Bruce

Last week it was reported that Mexican featherweights and bitter rivals Salvador Sanchez and Vicente Saldivar had taken part in a violent brawl at the El Comillo nightclub in Mexico City. At the time their exact involvement in the incident - which occured on Friday 26 January - could not be confirmed, but after investigations by local authorities the issue has become much clearer. As was already known, Sanchez was at the club with a number of family and friends to celebrate his 19th birthday. One of Saldivar's associates was there and alerted the Athens bantamweight gold medallist via text message and within half an hour Saldivar was there also with a twenty-strong entourage. The brawl started not long before midnight and was reportedly set off by an argument over a woman between members from each group.

While Saldivar and Sanchez did not actually take part in the brawl itself they crossed paths in its aftermath and exchanged some angry words before engaging in a brief fist fight of their own. Neither was seriously injured, although Saldivar was said to be sporting a bruise under his right eye. According to the report Sanchez had to be restrained, so angered was he that Saldivar had turned his birthday party into a violent brawl. Following confirmation of their actions International Boxing League president James Molk acted quickly, fining each man a total of $200,000, which will be deducted from the prize money they earn in their upcoming March bouts. Molk said that he was "deeply disappointed" by both fighters and that if not for their post-brawl confrontation the league would have allowed the matter to pass without any penalty.

Sanchez is scheduled to take on compatriot Gilberto Vasquez on the 17th of March with the IBL world championship up for grabs while Saldivar faces 5th-ranked Dallas native Keith Harrison in the main preliminary on the same card. While Sanchez will pocket a minimum of $1 million dollars, win, lose or draw, Saldivar could make as little as $300,000 from his fight so clearly the penalty is a much harsher one for him. The El Comillo brawl is still a major story in Mexico, now almost two weeks since it happened. While Sanchez does not appear to have instigated the incident it has still done some damage to his reputation amongst Mexican fight fans, who have always viewed him as a role model. In contrast, Saldivar is often regarded as the villian in the conflict between the two, with most seeing him as a bully who fails to get his way. No doubt if the two ever step in the ring again down the road, there will be some major fireworks.

[PWillisTheMan]

I was scouring the braithwaite/norris write up for a result of an under card fight from the off air portion of the broadcast.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I was scouring the braithwaite/norris write up for a result of an under card fight from the off air portion of the broadcast.

Gonna be writing up some of those undercard bouts in the Feb. issue of Boxing Monthly. My plan is to review only the regional title fights through until the end of the month so that I can get through it quicker.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Manila Metro

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2007

VILLAFLOR DOMINATES SPOLDI,
RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP

Story by Romeo Concepcion

Negros lightweight Ben Villaflor was in outstanding form last night as he knocked out Italy's Aldo Spoldi late in the 7th round to retain his IBL Inter-Continental championship. Making his first defense of the belt he won in December, Villaflor gave the crowd at Manila's Rizal Coliseum a night they won't soon forget. With the exception of a competitive opening round Spoldi was never in the contest, Villaflor stepping on the accelerator in round three and never looking back. He punished the Italian with his quick hands and exceptional workrate, Spoldi appearing forlorn and bemused as he sat on his stool following round six. Worse was to come as Villaflor gave him a terrible beating in the 7th before finishing him off with a left-right salvo. Spoldi collapsed to the canvas and was counted out at the 2:56 mark. The referee had appeared set to end it before the knockdown so it was strange that he went through with the count.

In just under seven rounds of work Villaflor landed an impressive 230 of 517 punches (45.5%), Spoldi connecting with 122 of 448 (27.2%). Villaflor's record improved to 18-1(10) while Spoldi fell to 10-2(6). As that record shows Villaflor does not have an imposing knockout rate but the win over Spoldi was his second stoppage victory in a row following an 11th round TKO of the Congo Republic's Frederick Tshilolo in the final of the championship tournament on December 11. He's a perfect 5-0 in the IBL and, after being somewhat overlooked before the league kicked off is gaining a healthy following here in the Philippines. There are some observers who believe he has a very good chance of successfully defending his regional belt five times and earning himself a shot at the world championship. Villaflor has said that while it would be fantastic, if he fails to reach that goal he'll concentrate exclusively on working his way up into the top ranking tier.

It was a great night for Filipino boxing, with three of the four fighters featured on the undercard recording victories. In the opener bantamweight Rush Dalma rebounded from back-to-back defeats to score an upset majority decision win over the American Tommy Kelly. Leo Espinosa followed that up with a majority decision nod of his own. His opponent was Mexico's Efrain Pintor. Canada's Nicholas Fillion was a little bit too classy for Johnny Sato and won their lightweight bout by unanimous decision, dashing Sato's hopes of securing a possible shot at Villaflor's belt. In the co-feature Rene Barrientos had the crowd on their feet in applause as he was surprisingly far too good for England's Michael Ayers. The majority decision verdict didn't indicate how dominant Barrientos was, as he landed more than twice as many punches as Ayers and secured himself a big move up the rankings from his pre-fight standing of #22.

[kenyan_cheena]

Melbourne Herald-Sun

SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2007

Somogyi drops Lucas six times
on way to knockout victory

Story by Les Hayes

Melbourne light-heavyweight Mark Somogyi made an outstanding first defense of his International Boxing League Inter-Continental Championship last night, flooring the Englishman Alexander Lucas a remarkable six times and winning the bout by an 8th round knockout. In a rematch of their clash from September, which had been an I-C championship tournament semi-final, Somogyi gave Lucas an even more comprehensive beating. In stark contrast to their first meeting there was a complete absence of trash talk from Lucas' camp this time around, with the fighter himself saying he'd simply be doing his best to take the championship home with him. Once again, they met at the Rod Laver Arena with a healthy crowd on hand to cheer Somogyi to victory. Some of the 23 year-old's handlers have said they don't believe Somogyi has received the credit he deserves following his undefeated career start, but that will certainly change following last night's win.

Somogyi could not have made a better start, dropping Lucas for the first time just thirty seconds into the opening round with a flush left hook. He landed a series of power punches through the remainder of the frame and referee Paul Thomas would have been within his rights to call off the contest. But he allowed the Englishman to continue and while Lucas stayed out of trouble during the next three rounds he was having little success penetrating Somogyi's defenses. In the 5th Lucas actually managed to open a cut on the inside of Somogyi's left eyebrow. It was the most action-packed frame of the fight with Lucas mounting a late rally after Somogyi had landed some scorching blows earlier. Round six was the beginning of the end, though, as Lucas was floored twice by single punches. The first was from a right cross at the midpoint and the second from another one of those devastating Somogyi left hooks about thirty seconds from the bell.

Lucas barely beat the count after the second knockdown and was down for a fourth time in the bout just as round seven entered its bottom half. He showed a deal of tenacity to once again climb off the canvas and make it to the bell, even after absorbing more punishment before the round was over. But he was fighting a losing battle and Somogyi dropped him two more times in the 8th, a left-right salvo doing the job a minute in before a flurry of blows chased by a left hook to the temple finishing the Brit off. Lucas was counted out at the 2:16 mark of round eight, Somogyi the winner by knockout and still IBL Inter-Continental Champion. His record is now 14-0(10) while Lucas fell to 18-3(12). The punch totals gave a clear indication of Somogyi's dominance, as he landed twice as many as Lucas. Somogyi connected with 251 of 674 punches (37.2%), Lucas 124 of 371 (33.4%).

The chances of a third meeting between Somogyi and Lucas down the road would seem extremely remote, as the IBL would have a hard time justifying another title challenge for Lucas while Somogyi is still champion. It's possible that Somogyi's next opponent could be the talented young Frenchman Petite Fourie, who recorded a 5th round TKO of the American George Nichols last Monday. Fourie had lost his previous two bouts with a shot at the I-C title being on the line each time, so whether the IBL will reward him with one now, after defeating an outclassed opponent, remains to be seen. The New Zealander Paul Anderson would also come into consideration, as he looked mighty impressive in dispatching Mike Rossman in the opening round of their bout on last night's card.

[kenyan_cheena]

Sorry about my lack of activity in recent days. I'm on holiday but it's a renovation holiday, as I'm painting my house and haven't had much time to write.

Ironically, I'll be back at work tomorrow and will then have more time for TGPiS.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Star-Ledger

SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2007

Williams upsets Plunkett,
claims Americas title

Story by Michael Rossetto

Trenton lightweight Ike Williams sprung a major surprise last night when he defeated Richie Plunkett of the Bronx to win the International Boxing League's Americas Championship. Fighting in the main event of a fight card at the Bronx Coliseum, Williams floored Plunkett three times on the way to a convincing unanimous decision win (115-109, 114-111, 116-108). The 19 year-old gained some sweet revenge for the 1st round knockout Plunkett had inflicted upon him in the semi-finals of the Americas tournament back in September. At first it appeared that Williams might completely reverse the result of their previous clash as he dropped Plunkett twice within the space of thirty seconds late in the opening frame. The knockdowns more or less set the tone for the remainder of the contest, the first coming from a wild overhand right and the second from a sniper-like left hook.

The shell-shocked defending champion made it to his feet at eight, with the round ending before Williams had a chance to finish the job. But he maintained the momentum through most of the 2nd, beating Plunkett to the punch time and again until the local favourite backed Williams up with a flurry of shots twenty seconds before the bell. Plunkett had the better of round three and stunned Williams with a left hook and a hard right cross, bringing renewed optimism to the silenced crowd. However, Plunkett seemed to sleep through round four, allowing Williams to take it with little effort on his part. The action really picked up in the 5th, Williams taking the stanza but not before Plunkett fought back on two seperate occasions to make it closer than it should've been. Williams had caught him with a pair of jolting rights early on before the Irish-Italian responded with two solid lefts and, after absorbing another barrage, a flurry of shots chased by a stiff left.

But Plunkett was in deep trouble again in the 6th, which Williams dominated. He worked the body early before launching a right hand that caught Plunkett flush on the chin. Stunned, the 24 year-old tasted the canvas for the third time in the fight some thirty seconds later when he walked into a left hook. He was up quickly, though, but looked to be on unsteady legs. Williams strafed away at him with volleys of punches and when he unloaded a left to the body late in the round a pained grimace came to Plunkett's face. And so with the bout only at its midpoint Plunkett looked almost certain to surrender the title he'd fought so hard to win. Aware of this he produced what ended up being his best work of the fight in round seven. Plunkett roared back to life and staggered Williams with three seperate left hooks during the stanza. He also hurt him with a stinging right to the ribs.

Unfortunately for Plunkett, Williams cancelled out his rally in the very next round. Urged on by his trainer Jimmy Floyd the teenager answered back brilliantly in the 8th, controlling most of the round until Plunkett was able to land some body shots late. After a lacklustre round nine Plunkett had the better of the 10th and an entertaining 11th, but he needed knockdowns or a knockout and Williams was still standing. Round twelve was somewhat anti-climatic, with Plunkett unable to conjure one last rally and Williams content to sit on his lead. At the sound of the bell he raised his arms in victory and gave Plunkett a look which spoke "I told you so" in backing up his pre-fight proclamations where he'd said he'd give the New Yorker a "boxing lesson". Despite the animosity that has developed between the two they shared an embrace moments later, Plunkett's countenance wearing the wounds and acceptance of defeat.

Even though it appeared to be a clear-cut triumph Williams still reacted with shock when the verdict revealed him to be the new champion, falling to his knees and shouting jubilantly. He was mobbed by his trainer and fellow North Bergen stablemates Joe Jeannette, Jimmy Krug, Mickey Walker and Abram Sin. Williams had thoroughly outlanded Plunkett 356-177, throwing on average just over 100 punches per round and connecting at an accuracy rate of 29%. Williams (8-1(6)) was understandably overwhelmed by his achievement, saying he couldn't believe that he'd been able to turn around the result of their September clash so convincingly and win a championship in only his ninth professional bout. Wearing some nasty swelling around his right eye, Plunkett (13-1(10)) could only conceed that he'd been beaten by a hungrier, more determined opponent but added that he looked forward to a third meeting between the two in the future.

To earn a chance to reclaim his belt Plunkett would have to be victorious in his next outing, which will be in early April against an opponent yet to be determined from the 2nd ranking tier. As for Williams, it'll be a marvellous feat if he's able to hold onto the belt through the rest of the year. While Jimmy Floyd said after the fight that he never doubted Williams would win it's going to be a tough task for him to retain the title, with most of his opponents likely to be more experienced than he is. With Mickey Walker scheduled to fight for the league's world middleweight championship next month Floyd's stable could very well be boasting two IBL titleholders by the end of March. The veteran trainer played down the possibility, saying that Walker will really have his hands full against Japan's Koichi Wajima come March 17.

In the evening's co-feature Melio Bettina of Beacon, New York achieved what Plunkett was unable to do in the main event. He retained his light-heavyweight Americas title with a 10th round knockout of Philadelphia's Dan Bucceroni. In a rematch of their tournament semi-final (which Bettina won by unanimous decision) the defending champion produced a dominant effort, dropping Bucceroni once in round eight and twice in the 10th. Bucceroni was counted out at 2:41 of the round and was heading for a comprehensive defeat if it had gone the distance. Bettina (10-1(5)) took leads of seven, eight and ten points into round ten and outlanded the challenger 305-122. The win continued an impressive start to the 19 year-old's time with the IBL, as he's now a perfect 5-0 in league bouts.

While the night ended on a high for Floyd's camp it didn't start that way, with his young bantamweight Jimmy Krug falling to the first defeat of his professional career. Ranked at #56 the 19 year-old Newark native was knocked out cold by 71st-ranked British fighter Stan Rowan at the 1:45 mark of round six. Krug (7-1(3)) had made a good start to the fight, taking rounds one and three convincingly before Rowan (5-2-1(3)) seized control in the 4th. He never let go of it, punishing Krug in rounds four and five and then dropping him with a sizzling right cross midway through the 6th. It's a win that will see his ranking rise considerably and Krug's fall just as dramatically.

[Ric915]

I knew I shouldn't have partied so hard during training. . Even though I was on the losing end a very entertaining write up KC. I'll bounce back and look forward to following this incredible uni.

[kenyan_cheena]

Thanks, Ric. I was surprised your guy lost that one. I wasn't expecting another 1st round KO, by any means, but I thought he'd be good enough to get past Ike again. Makes a possible rubber match something to look forward to.

Gonna be working on updating my Alphabet Contenders spreadsheet today.

[Gunsmoke]

Woohoo, one down 4 more defences to go.

Who's Next!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

Woohoo, one down 4 more defences to go.

Who's Next!

That was a great win for Somogyi. I get this image of him being a bit like Danny Green when he was younger. As for his next opponent, as the post said it'll likely be either Anderson or Fourie. I'd think the IBL will probably go with bear's guy 'cause they'll believe he'll be a tougher challenge for you. That'll be great having two forum guys fighting for a title.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: February 13, 2007 11.30 AM ET

Former heavyweight champion
announces comeback

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

35 year-old former WBC heavyweight champion Donnie Bates has announced that he is making a comeback to the sport. Appearing on Monday evening's edition of SportsCenter Bates said that he planned to take part in at least three bouts - win, lose or draw - between now and the end of the year, after which he would decide if he'll continue fighting into 2008. Bates has not fought since being knocked out in the 3rd round by Ken Norton on 13 November 2004 in a defense of the WBC title. He announced his retirement from the sport four months later with a record of 39-3-1(30). Bates had claimed the vacant WBC belt in June 2001 following the splintering of the undisputed championship with the retirement of Laurence Mays.

He held it through until the Norton bout, making seven defenses of the title. Despite his impressive reign the one fight he has often been most remembered for was his September '02 clash with Michael Dokes, which is regarded by many as one of the most poorly judged world title fights in the history of the sport. After appearing to win the fight quite convincingly Dokes was robbed of the championship when the bout was scored a draw. An injury prevented him from taking part in a rematch and Bates instead defended the title against Frankie Goddard and then Sydney Olympics gold medallist Tyrell Biggs before finally losing the strap to Norton.

Bates has spent the last couple of years running a gym in his native Houston and said that he had been inspired to step back in the ring by the efforts of Dokes with the International Boxing League. Bates said he's been training for the last month and would be aiming for a June return. With the current state of the non-IBL heavyweight division a Bates comeback could stir up some much needed interest. A run at the WBC belt wouldn't be out of the question, as the organisation announced a couple of weeks ago that they'll be holding a tournament during the coming months featuring four journeymen fighters in Jamal Close, Julius Jones, Albert Croft and Larry Martell to crown a champion. The title has been vacant since Norton relinquished it in favour of the IBL last April.

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

[kenyan_cheena]

TORONTO STAR

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007

Gorecky dominant in
first title defense

Story by Geoff Neill

Middleweight boxer Greg Gorecky's quest to earn himself a shot at the IBL's world championship started in fine style last night as he completely dominated New Jersey native Ernie Vigh on the way to a comprehensive unanimous decision victory (120-107, 118-109, 120-107). It was Gorecky's first defense of the league's Americas championship and a rematch of the tournament semi-final from September (which had also been held at the Maple Leaf Gardens). Gorecky produced a performance that was surely the best of his career to date, as he subdued Vigh during the top half of the contest before easing off and then finishing strongly in the final two frames. He put an exclamation point on his efforts by dropping Vigh with a textbook right hand a minute into round twelve, which brought a thunderous ovation from the crowd.

Gorecky (now 10-0(5)) landed exactly 400 punches, having thrown 1,084 and connecting at a rate of 36.9%. Showing how outclassed he was, Vigh (8-3(5)) could only land 123 of 613 (20.1%). The Scarborough-born 25 year-old built his victory behind a smart defense and an outstanding left jab, with the CompuBox numbers revealing that the punch accounted for almost one-third of the blows he landed. He spent some thirty minutes in the ring and at ringside following the completion of the bout, conducting a lengthy interview and then signing autographs and posing for pictures. The faultless start he's made to his professional career has Gorecky placed as one of the most promising young fighters, not only in the Americas, but also in the world.

Gorecky's second title defense could very well be against compatriot Frank Battaglia, who recorded a unanimous decision win over Denmark's Tom Bogs in the evening's opener (96-92, 97-93, 98-92). Bogs actually outlanded Battaglia by some fifty blows but the Winnipeg native was very much the busier of the two, throwing more than twice as many punches. Battaglia (8-2(3)) also scored two knockdowns, dropping his opponent in rounds five and nine. If the IBL chooses Battaglia as Gorecky's next challenger the next couple of months are going to be full of excitement and expectation for Canadian fight fans.

It appeared that the two men were heading for a clash in the tournament final but Battaglia was defeated in the semis by Willie Monroe. He was then knocked out by Vigh in the 2nd round of an elimination bout on the same night Gorecky won the championship, further delaying their matchup. Gorecky would go into the clash as a warm favourite to retain the belt, but of course, stranger things have happened. For now he's the toast of the town, a talented pugilist who overcame adversity and hardship as a youngster and has made every post a winner during his brief professional career. Without a doubt, Greg Gorecky is a fighter that boxing fans should be keeping an eye on in 2007.

[Romdawg88]

Nice another crushing win for the forum boys good times.

[Mad Bomber]

I am going to continue train hard following a couple of weeks off, and I hope to keep it going in the future.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Nice another crushing win for the forum boys good times.

If only Richie had been able to get past Williams, it would have been a great trio of victories. Even so, great wins for Gunsmoke and Mad Bomber.

Originally Posted by Mad Bomber

I am going to continue train hard following a couple of weeks off, and I hope to keep it going in the future.

I have a really good feeling about your guy's chances. He's been untroubled so far in the IBL and I can see him riding that Americas belt all the way to a world title challenge.