The Greatest Prize in Sports

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TheSweetScience.com

SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2007

Lenny Blaylock's live blog from the
St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida
of the IBL Americas heavyweight championship fight card

Blog commencement time: 24 February 2007, 7.30pm ET

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Hey, fight fans, this is Lenny Blaylock for TheSweetScience.com coming to you live from Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum for tonight's big International Boxing League heavyweight event. Our headline bout will see the local favourite, Pinellas Park's Cheetah Brown make the first defense of his Americas championship against the man he defeated in the semi-finals of the title tournament, Sam McVey of Oxnard, California. It's a scheduled twelve-rounder, of course, and this will no doubt add some intrigue to the matchup as the first bout between these two young guns was fought over ten rounds. It's gonna be interesting to see what effect the longer duration has on each man.

Neither has gone twelve rounds before and only Brown has actually been involved in a fight scheduled for that distance, which was the inaugural championship bout in December when he bombed out McVey's fellow Californian Mike Weaver inside of three rounds. I have to say personally that of all the fights on the IBL's February schedule this is the one I've been looking forward to the most. Brown and McVey's first meeting was a thriller and I have a good feeling that we'll see something equally explosive tonight. For McVey it's three consecutive bouts against Florida opponents as he followed up his semi-final loss to Brown with a heartstopping split decision win over Belle Glade's Romy Alvarez in an official eliminator to earn tonight's rematch.

Speaking of Alvarez, he'll be looking to get back in the winner's circle after suffering back-to-back split decision defeats when he takes on Indiana's power-punching big man Mike Hanson in our co-feature, which is scheduled to get underway in about ten minutes. Alvarez appeared on course for a berth in the tournament final after some impressive wins in stage one and the quarter-finals but he was outfoxed by the more experienced Weaver in the semis. He followed that up with an almost identical and equally frustrating defeat to McVey. Despite those losses the IBL have said that if he can get past Hanson it's likely that he'll finally earn a shot at the Americas belt.

If I was Alvarez's trainer Roy Jones I'd have been telling him to forget about the title and just worry about winning because, for a fighter with his talent, at this early stage of his career it's certainly not going to be a good look having three straight defeats on his record. Not to mention what it'll do to his confidence and self-belief, which according to some reports has already been damaged. As for Hanson, he's going in the opposite direction. He came closer than anyone has to defeating Cheetah Brown when he was on the losing side of a split decision verdict in the tournament quarter-finals but has rebounded from that disappointment to post wins over Frank Childs and Arturo Godoy. A victory tonight against Alvarez would cap an outstanding sequence of results for him and would surely be enough to secure a title challenge.

Known for his loud, outgoing disposition Hanson has been very vocal in the lead-up to tonight's clash. Back in December he called Alvarez "soft" following his loss to McVey and questioned his ability to come through when the going gets tough. Since then he's only upped the ante, continually stating that Alvarez won't be able to handle his power and that his goal was to send the 23 year-old into an early retirement. Alvarez hasn't taken the bait, though, only conceeding that he was disappointed with the outcomes of his last two starts and that he'll be trying his best to get past Hanson. At yesterday's weigh-in Hanson persisted with his verbal attacks and Alvarez continued to meet them with indifference. Hanson tipped the scales at a solid 232 pounds, Alvarez a ripped 212.

We've already seen two of the four bouts on tonight's card but I'll have to discuss those prior to our main event because Romy Alvarez and his fellow "Florida Alliance" members are now making their way to the ring, accompanied by a thunderous heavy metal tune I'm not familiar with. "The Iceman" is getting a warm reception from the crowd, who are understandably siding with the sunshine state slugger. Alvarez is leading the procession in a robe of black with red and white trim, "ICEMAN" stencilled on the black in bold, tall red, head buried under a large hood. He's followed by Jones and his corner crew assistants plus stablemates James Ray, Holman Williams and Elford Coles. World heavyweight champion Terone Haynes is absent, which isn't a huge surprise considering he commenced training for his upcoming title defense a couple of weeks ago. Elmer Ray is also a no-show as he'll be in action in Texas on Thursday.

Alvarez is prowling around the ring now, having flipped off his hood to reveal his long hair pulled back into a ponytail, sweat beaded upon his forehead. There's an intensity in his eyes that paints a picture of how much this moment means to him. Now Hanson and his team are entering the arena and they've been greeted by a considerable number of boos and cat calls. He's also going with a hard rock theme for his ringwalk, pounding guitar-driven rhythms blasting from the speaker system. Decked out in the dark blue and gold of his beloved Notre Dame University Hanson's wearing a maniacal-like smile from ear to ear as he looks towards the ring, his shaved pate and goatee beard giving him a sinister appearance to compliment that grin. His entourage is not as big as Alvarez's, just him and his three cornermen. But as he approaches the squared circle he smiles and waves to some acquaintances at ringside.

Once between the ropes Hanson immediately moves towards Alvarez, scowling with hostility, which brings howls of disapproval from the audience. Alvarez doesn't shy away but Jones steps in between the two and tells the Indianapolis native in no uncertain terms to make his way to the other side of the ring. Hanson smiles at him sarcastically and does just that, laughing towards the crowd and shouting. Jimmy Lennon issues the introductions, Hanson still in an antagonistic mood when they come together for the final pre-fight instructions from referee Frank Garza. He continually chats to Alvarez, relentlessly trying to get under his skin. As they touch gloves Hanson brings his down hard before turning and striding back to his corner.

(to be continued)

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(continuation)

#31 ROMY ALVAREZ (USA, 7-2(4)) vs #32 MIKE HANSON (USA, 9-1(7))

ROUND ONE

The time for speculation and predictions is over as these two young talents move towards each other with the sound of the opening bell. Alvarez immediately pumps a pair of stiff jabs into Hanson's face, both of them landing and followed by a right cross. Alvarez is up on his toes, circling Hanson, who is still showing that crazy smile. He probes with a couple of jabs but Alvarez is out of range. Alvarez comes in behind the left and Hanson unloads with a hard overhand right that catches Alvarez flush on the jaw! He's down on one knee and taking a count! Hanson is shouting as he moves to a neutral corner. Wow, what a start! Just thirty seconds into the fight and Alvarez has been knocked down! This crowd is shocked.

Alvarez is up at six but he looks hurt, groggy. Garza is going to let him continue, though. Hanson moves in and dips as if going to the body but he launches a left hook that crashes into Alvarez's temple, putting him back on his heels. My, the Florida slugger looks in bad shape! Hanson pins him in the blue corner and fires away to the body before a left-right salvo snaps Alvarez's head back. He appears completely stunned and we haven't even reached the round's midpoint yet. Alvarez manages to skip out of danger and is able to tie Hanson up, something he desperately needed to do. Garza seperates them now and Hanson bullies his way inside. That knockdown has taken away all of Alvarez's spark and speed, Hanson backing him into a neutral corner.

OH!!! Hanson just fired away with a right cross that caught Alvarez flush on the jaw, jolted his head around and put him flat on his back! Alvarez is down for a second time and I don't think he'll be getting up from this one! Hanson's already got his right hand up in victory. The count is at six, seven, Alvarez makes it to a knee, nine, ten! That's it! All over! Mike Hanson has literally destroyed Romy Alvarez here in the opening round! The Florida Alliance member has been counted out just under two minutes into the opening round. Hanson's crew are already between the ropes celebrating with him, the big man shouting and hollering excitedly as they embrace him. Alvarez has been led back to his corner by Garza on unsteady legs and is now on his stool, his countenance showing that he doesn't quite know what's happened.

Jones and a pair of medical staff are examining him. Hanson has pulled a veil of stunned silence over this crowd and he hasn't stopped reveling in his victory. Some of his friends who were sitting at ringside have managed to make their way into the ring to share in his triumph. Eventually he moves over and affords Alvarez a brief commiseration, Jones wearing a blank expression as he offers curt congratulations. It's a quick exchange and Hanson is then right back to celebrating. A couple of minutes later Jimmy Lennon is back in the centre of the ring and is announcing Hanson as the winner by knockout at 1:53 of the opening round, Garza raising the victor's hand.

My, word. I'm pretty much stunned as I sit here typing this, my hands slightly trembling. Despite all of Hanson's pre-fight bravado and punching power I never even contemplated that the bout would turn out this way. All the experts said Hanson's only chance was to land the big punch and he was able to do that within thirty seconds of the opening bell. Once that happened Alvarez's night was over, despite him lasting a further ninety seconds. You could see from the way he was moving that the first knockdown completely scrambled his circuits. Maybe if he'd survived the round he could have recovered, but we'll never know now.

Alvarez is being escorted from the ring, no doubt to be taken back to the dressing rooms for a further examination. He's assisted by the medicos, with Jones and the rest of his team following. Back in the ring Hanson is being interviewed, talking in an animated fashion and seemingly oblivious to the concerns for Alvarez. I have to say that in all my years of covering this sport I've never seen a more comprehensive example of a fighter backing up his bark with his bite. Remembering that Alvarez pushed both Mike Weaver and Sam McVey to the brink of defeat in his last two outings makes this performance from Hanson even more impressive. His record is now 10-1(8) while after such a promising opening to his pro career Alvarez is an ordinary-looking 7-3(4).

Well, with our co-feature done and dusted well before it's scheduled ending that leaves us with a deal of time, in fact some 45 minutes, before our main event is set to kick off. As I said earlier, I'll be going over the results of the evening's first two contests but in addition I'll also be answering some of the questions all of you fight fans out there have been posting on our blog during the course of tonight's event. It's something I'd planned to do at the conclusion of the card but with the spare time we have I'll be able to fit in some of them now. Just looking at the posts I can see that it's an enthusiastic, educated fanbase that's logged on to follow our coverage. I'm just going to take a five-minute break and will be back shortly.

It was a pair of heavyweight veterans who took the spoils in the preliminaries, with Michael Dokes defeating Leon Higgins in the opener before Sydney Olympics gold medallist Ray Mercer accounted for England's Joe Bugner. When Dokes overcame Frankie Goddard to record his 34th career win this past new year's eve it snapped an eight-fight, four-and-a-half year winless streak for him. He only had to wait another eight weeks for his 35th win and he achieved it in style, cutting Higgins under the right eye and flooring him three times on the way to a comprehensive unanimous decision win (98-89 on all three cards).

The Ohio native has received a lot of encouragement during his comeback and there's been a campaign waged by some of his supporters to convince the IBL to give him a shot at the Americas belt. More than anything, it seems to be sentiment that has driven this push but after tonight's impressive showing Dokes is not only eligible to challenge for the belt during April's Tier 2 vs Tier 3 heavyweight matchups, he might just also be deserving of it. He started his well-publicised comeback with a courageous defeat to Ken Norton in the IBL's world championship tournament quarter-finals and was then defeated by England's Gary Mason in a world ranking bout. But after tonight's win he's a respectable 2-2 under the league's banner, which is probably better than many observers expected from him.

Mercer has also enjoyed success of late, rebounding from a terrible showing against Sergey Anyukov in the world championship tournament to record wins over Gerrie Coetzee (MD8, September), Tyrell Biggs (UD8, December) and now Bugner by a comfortable unanimous decision verdict (98-92, 99-91, 98-92). As a result Mercer will retain his #12 standing when the IBL releases their world rankings on Monday. I can already confirm that Mercer's next opponent will be the 35th-ranked Englishman Herbie Hide, who was defeated by Mike Weaver in Los Angeles last Wednesday. That's a bout Mercer (34-6-1(22)) should win just as easily as he did tonight's, but he'll have to make sure of it because a loss will see him plummet into the 3rd ranking tier and miss out on the chance of moving into the top twelve.

(to be continued)

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(continuation)

I'm now going to turn my attention to some of the questions posted by you, our fight fans, on this evening's blog:

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Hi, Lenny. Looking forward to the coverage of tonight's card. Got a question for you regarding the governance of the sport. It should be pretty obvious to most people that the IBL and newly-formed IBO are now the two financial powers in boxing. People are always complaining about how there are too many titles, which makes them meaningless and makes it near impossible to follow who the best fighters in each division are. Molk, Vincennes, Tattaglia and their associates are clearly on the right track to taking the sport back to its glory days while the WBA and WBC are determined to hang onto the little power they have left.

Taking all that into account, the solution is, on the surface, a simple one. Molk and Tattaglia need to get together, pool their combined resources and push the WBA and WBC into oblivion. I understand that most if not all of these fighters are motivated by money. I don't really blame them and I'd think that an organisation like the one which would come about by a Molk/Tattaglia merger would be able to satisfy those motivations. What do you think? Shouldn't the solution be that simple?

- Ken B., Chicago

Like you said, Ken, "on the surface" it appears that simple. However, it's too simple to say that chucking a load of money at these guys is going to make them all fight for the same overlord. I was, quite frankly, amazed by how many of them signed with the IBL last year because the path they have to take to reach the top is a helluva lot more challenging than that which was in place before Molk and co. came on the scene. This is boxing, not tenpin bowling. It's a sport where the competitors put their life on the line each time they compete and the fact that so many of them bought into Molk's vision was astonishing. I'm not dismissing the toughness of all the alphabet champions, but anyone who thinks their careers are going to be tougher than the IBL guys during the coming years is kidding themselves.

That aside, I can tell you that you've got two stubborn egos going against each other in Molk and Tattaglia. Both of them would already be aware of the reality of what you've said, but neither guy would dare be the first one to broach the subject. I think in the short term the best we can hope for is for each organisation to grow more powerful, to the point where the WBA and WBC are no longer able to sustain themselves. That's what I'm hoping for personally and if it comes about then I'll be satisfied that Molk has achieved what he set out to when he created the IBL.

Lenny,

Thanks for your efforts in covering tonight's fights. I'm just wondering what your opinion is on Sam Langford's recent decision to drop down to the light-heavyweight division?

- Michael Hubbert, Ontario, Toronto

Reading the reasons behind it, I understand his decision. If he believes he'll be more effective at 175, then that's what he has to do. But just the fact that it's gonna take him almost eighteen months and ten fights, which ALL have to be victories, to reach the same ranking at light-heavyweight as he's already at now at cruiserweight ... that's a big sacrifice to make. If he'd stayed where he was and ran off a series of wins he could very well have been world champion in eighteen months. He'll have to move back up eventually, so it's a big decision he's made. A lot of folks think he could be world heavyweight champion some day but this is really gonna make any chance of that happening a lot more difficult. But, we'll just wait and see what happens, I guess.

Lenny, my man! How are ya? Great blog tonight. Hoping my Oxnard brother Sammy V brings the gold home to the west coast tonight. I was hoping you could go over who you think is gonna win each of the IBL's March world title fights. Thanks.

- Doughboy, Los Angeles

I think McVey has a very good chance of dethroning Brown. Either way, it should be a classic. As for the IBL title bouts, here's my selections with the winner in caps, starting from heavy all the way down to flyweight:

HW: HAYNES vs Jackson - by stoppage around round five or six. Jackson's a talent, but he's simply not ready for Haynes yet.

JHW: Lampkin vs BELBOULI - mid-to-late round stoppage. As much as I admire Lampkin, I can't see him climbing the mountain again.

LHW: Johnson vs AMAKOCHI - another mid-to-late rounder. Johnson's been a great world champion but that Amakochi kid is gonna be something special, starting next month. Plus, I just can't see Johnson producing another effort like what he gave against Keshi.

MW: WAJIMA vs Walker - again, by stoppage sometime after round ten. A really tough one. Walker appears to be the more talented of the two but Wajima has already defied the experts against Toney, Mugabi and Darcy so I can't see why Walker'll be a bigger problem for him. The fifteen-round duration is going to be the New Jersey slugger's undoing.

WW: GRIFFITH vs Ohashi - by mid-round stoppage. I'm confident in saying that Emile could very well be one of the IBL's longest-reigning inaugural world champs. Ohashi got really lucky to make the Challenger's tournament final but he's a class below Griffith.

LW: LIMON vs Bolanos - by stoppage inside of ten rounds. Limon gets the nod here based on his big fight experience but Bolanos is going to give him some trouble before it's over.

FW: Vasquez vs SANCHEZ - mid-round stoppage. My opinion of Olympic champion Sanchez is much like my opinion of Amakochi. He's going to be one of the great ones and I can't see Vasquez, despite his courage and determination, standing in his way.

BW: Roman vs FENECH - late round stoppage. That's right, folks. I'm picking the tough little Aussie to become his nation's first IBL champion. Fenech was fantastic during the Challenger's tournament and his aggression and workrate will just be too much for Roman to handle.

FLY: TELLEZ vs Davison - mid-round stoppage. Probably the easiest of the bunch to pick. Tellez has been the class of the flyweight division for some time now and Davison is going to struggle to make an impact on him.

Been enjoying the blog, Lenny. Can't believe Hanson took Alvarez out like that. My questions relate to some of the alphabet guys. Firstly, do you think Toney can come back? Secondly, what do you think McCallum's next step should be? Thirdly, do you think Marquez is on the downslope and fourth, how do you think Driscoll will go as a lightweight? Also, with the IBL, do you think my buddy Richie Plunkett'll win back the Americas title? Thanks.

- Brx_Bmr, Gotham

I've heard that when Toney signed with the IBO it was a three-fight deal but as far as I'm concerned he's a shot fighter and it's doubtful that he'll ever step back in the ring again. McCallum was really set on taking on Lytell but Obelmejias blew those plans out of the water and it appears he had nothing to fall back on. It's obvious that there's no reason for him to remain at junior-middleweight but looking at 160 there's not a lot to get excited about there, either. His only option might be to jump all the way to 168 and challenge Obelmejias himself, although I'm not sure what the WBC would think about that seeing as it'd have to be a non-title bout. Mike isn't getting any younger but he still looks strong and skillful. Probably a case of "watch this space", I'd say.

It's hard to say whether Marquez is on the way out or not. He looked fantastic when he defeated Ortiz but Brown just had his way with him. He shouldn't have any trouble getting past Martinez so it's going to be the fight later in the year when he takes on the winner of Brown-Ortiz that is going to tell us where he's at. As for Driscoll, I'm really excited about the prospect of him taking on those elite lightweights. Even before he gets there it's likely that we'll see what should be a fantastic matchup against Molina for the junior-lightweight belt, which is something to look forward to just by itself. I think if Plunkett and Williams both win their next bouts then it's a no-brainer for the IBL that a rubber match is a must at the end of May.

Hi, Lenny. I'm sitting here feeling real down after what happened to my man Romdawg tonight. I'm the guy's biggest fan, I live just a few miles from his hometown but I gotta ask the question: do you think after these three straight losses that he should step away from the sport for a while? Looking at the results of this week's tier two and tier three bouts, Romy's gonna be ranked at #34 when they release the rankings on Monday. So in his next fight he'll be up against the English cat, #13 Gary Mason, in just eight weeks from now. No offense to Hanson but Mason's gonna be an even tougher challenge for Romy. I don't wanna see the guy suffer some serious harm and I'm worried that could be the case if he keeps on fighting.

- Dan Young, Pahokee, FL

That's a real good question, Dan. I can only wonder what the fella's thinking right now, only a half-hour after suffering that beatdown. It's something that he and his trainer Roy Jones are going to have to consider in the days and weeks ahead because it's clear that his career has been completely derailed by these last three bouts. Prospects don't have 7-3 records. After ten fights they're usually 10-0. I think what's happened is that he's come into something that he really wasn't ready for. Romy'd only had five bouts before coming over to the IBL and, like a number of fighters who signed on with them, it's probably been too much, too soon for him. At this stage of his career he should be fighting the six-rounders still, but in the IBL he's been pushed right into the high pressure stakes of competing for a regional title.

It's obvious that the guy is a fantastically talented fighter, but surely these three losses are going to have a terrible effect on his confidence. There's no way he's the same fighter now as he was after he beat Oquendo back in August. Even in that fight he was knocked down once, and he's now been floored six times in his last four bouts. I really, really hope he can fight back from these setbacks because in my opinion he's one of the most gifted fighters the heavyweight division's seen for a long time. It's going to be really interesting to see what path Jones chooses for him.

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That's all the posts we have time for right now. Our main event is only ten minutes away so I'll be taking another intermission before it gets underway. I'll be back in time for our two combatant's ringwalks.

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

We're coming up to 8.30 here at the St. Pete Times Forum and Sam McVey's usual entrance song, 2Pac's "California Love" has just started playing from the arena speaker system. His large entourage is on the way to the ring, his stunningly-beautiful model girlfriend Claudette James out front in a head-turning white ankle length strapless dress, her hair braided and spilling down her back. There's also a breathtaking asian woman in the procession, just behind James, who must be Jack Johnson's latest conquest. I think I remember hearing recently that he visited the Philippines with her. Johnson's there, back in the group behind McVey and former world champion Ken Norton. McVey and his corner crew are wearing silks of solid white with purple and gold trim. The 21 year-old's wearing an intense, focused countenance.

Now the defending champion is making the walk down the race, Brown decked out in solid black and once again sporting a shaved head as he did when he won the belt in December. A chaotic rock-rap type track assaults the audience but they don't care. They're cheering wildly for their hometown hero, Brown acknowledging their support but not breaking into a smile. He glares towards the ring and his adversary awaiting him there. It's been a remarkable rise for the young man who, like McVey, only fought briefly as an amateur. A win tonight solidifies his status as the premier up-and-coming heavyweight in America and it's clear from his determined disposition that he's completely aware of that fact.

McVey (10-1(6)) is introduced by Lennon as "Oxnard's Finest" while Brown (10-0(8)) is referred to as "The Headhunter", a nickname that's caught on since his decimation of Weaver. The face-off as referee Eddie Cole delivers the final instructions is an intense one, McVey wearing a boiling sneer with lip curled as he backs off to his corner, resolute in his desire to reverse the result of their first meeting. The crowd is nearing a fever pitch as the opening bell sounds and the two warriors move to engage.

#25 CHEETAH BROWN (USA, 10-0(8), CHAMPION) vs #29 SAM MCVEY (USA, 10-1(6))
INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE AMERICAS HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND ONE

McVey looks fantastic in the opening round, taking it convincingly with aggression and power. He stuns Brown early with a left-right-left salvo and a stinging body shot and catches the champion flush with a pair of jolting crosses and a head-snapping uppercut in the bottom half of the frame. Brown's best work comes from a crunching left hook at the one-minute mark and a winging right to the midsection thirty seconds before the bell. McVey shouts excitedly as he turns on his heel and returns to the blue corner.

===

Gee, Sammy V made a great start there! He's in superb shape and he was beating Brown to the punch but the champion maintained his poker face. Let's see how he replies.

My scorecard: McVey 10-9

ROUND TWO

How does Brown reply? Impressively, to say the least. Brown wins round two, not as clearly as McVey took the 1st but well enough so that each judge would surely give it to him. After an even first minute Brown takes the initiative after planting a hard right into McVey's ribs. The Californian is then staggered by a flurry of shots just as the stanza enters its bottom third, McVey backing off into a neutral corner. The crowd goes absolutely nuts each time Brown connects. In something of a comical scene McVey wraps up Brown in a headlock and unloads, Cole issuing a stern warning after he breaks them up. McVey lives dangerously in the final seconds when he launches an uppercut from way outside that grazes Brown's lip, the champ unable to counter.

===

An intriguing start to this contest through the first two rounds. What's going to happen next? I really have no idea.

My scorecard: Brown 10-9
(19-19 after round two)

ROUND THREE

Just as quickly as Brown grabs the momentum, McVey steals it back. He dominates the 3rd to an even greater degree than he did round one, rocking Brown with a succession of power punches. Much of the damage is inflicted in the round's top half, where McVey finds the mark with a pair of thudding left-right combos, a solid right hand and two seperate uppercuts. Trying to keep his composure and clear his head Brown is able to wrap McVey up three times through the rest of the round, bleeding away precious seconds in the process. McVey spits some harsh words at him as the round ends, Brown ignoring them and making for the safety of his corner.

===

Unbelievable is all I can say. If this pattern continues we could very well witness one of the most extraordinary fights of all time. Brown is going to have to dig real deep to win this one because McVey looks more determined than I've ever seen him during his brief career to date.

My scorecard: McVey 10-9
(McVey 29-28 after round three)

ROUND FOUR

Remarkably, the pattern does continue. Brown received a vicious dressing down from his trainer following round three and he comes out for the 4th with renewed vigour, wobbling McVey with a right cross down the pipe, another cross some twenty seconds later and then a snapping left-right combo, all before the round reaches its midpoint! Silenced in the 3rd the audience is once again in full voice, cheering their hero on. McVey fires off a hard right in retort before Brown lets rip with a left hook from inside, some puffiness now evident under McVey's left eye. He crashes a left hook into Brown's body but when the Florida slugger connects with a sledgehammer straight right and a lead cross McVey backs off, seemingly having enough for this round.

===

Can this get any better? Well, maybe if both guys catch fire at the same time it will. For now I'll just enjoy this amazing spectacle.

My scorecard: Brown 10-9
(38-38 after round four)

ROUND FIVE

McVey is rocked by a jolting cross early in the frame but he recovers well, controlling the tempo for the next couple of minutes. He backs Brown up with a hard right that bounces off the champ's forehead and is much more the busier of the two, throwing his punches in bunches and making it difficult for Brown to respond. He lands a nice right cross midway through the round but just as it appears that McVey is going to take it easily Brown mounts a late fightback, making it much closer. He connects with a left hook to the head, a right cross to the body and a nicely timed cross from the outside that catches McVey flush on the jaw. But McVey claims the last big punch of the round, a left hook that collides into the side of Brown's head. The crowd applauds warmly, both men nodding with respect before returning to their corners.

===

This one's really heating up now! Neither fighter looks like backing down so it's gonna go right down to the wire. Even though Brown came back nicely late in that round I'll have to give it to McVey, who was in control for its majority.

My scorecard: McVey 10-9
(McVey 48-47 after round five)

ROUND SIX

Looking at both of them you'd think Brown was winning handily based on the swelling aorund McVey's left eye, but that's not the case. Once again McVey controls the top half of the round, landing a flurry of blows capped off by a stiff right cross. He then pumps a right hand into Brown's face before they lock up in a clinch, Cole quickly pushing them apart. As in the 5th Brown storms home, dropping the right hand flush on McVey's chin and then landing some nice scoring shots to the head and body. With this title fight reaching halftime it really is either man's to win.

===

Another intriguing round, although not quite as exciting as round five. I'll have to score it even, as both guys had their moments and neither was able to produce anything really eye-catching.

My scorecard: 10-10
(McVey 58-57 after round six)

(to be concluded!)

[kenyan_cheena]

(conclusion)

ROUND SEVEN

Unsurprisingly after the pace they've set so far, the action slows considerably in the 7th. Brown shows little interest in engaging, allowing McVey to take it by being only marginally more aggressive. The Californian scores with a flurry of punches a minute in and a short jab from inside soon after. As the round enters its final sixty seconds he snaps Brown's head back with a crisp jab but most of the round is spent with the two men locked in a series of clinches. Maybe Brown is steeling himself for a more active effort in the closing rounds.

===

Can't blame them for taking a round off. Even so, Brown allowed McVey to build on his lead so we'll have to see if that comes back to bite him.

My scorecard: McVey 10-9
(McVey 68-66 after round seven)

ROUND EIGHT

Brown comes out with remewed energy in the 8th and has the crowd on their feet when he snaps McVey's head back with a crushing uppercut about twenty seconds in. The Oxnard native is hurt and he backpedals. Brown pursues him but is tied up. When they seperate he unloads a left hook that crashes into McVey's jaw, bringing a roar of approval from the audience. McVey is staggered, looks hurt and that swelling around his left eye is getting really ugly. He pushes a jab out but Brown ignores it and rips a left hook to the body, bringing a grimace to McVey's face.

We're only halfway through the round and McVey's gonna have to dig deep to stay on his feet. Now they're trading blows and it's Brown who has the better of the exchange! McVey shakes his head, clearly frustrated. They're both looking tired now but McVey blasts away to the body, landing a stinging right to the ribs. Brown really felt that! The champion misses with a left hook and McVey counters with a straight right of his own. Now it's Brown who is struggling! What a round! Not long to go now and I'm sure both guys can't wait for the sound of that bell. Brown blunts McVey's rally with some damaging body work, and after that McVey appears out on his feet. Luckily for him the bell rings, ending a classic round of boxing.

===

Yes, yes, yes! That's what boxing is all about, folks! The courageous back and forth between two warriors! That frame has put Brown right back into the contest. There's an electric buzz in the air here in the arena and this crowd is loving every minute of it.

My scorecard: Brown 10-9
(McVey 77-76 after round eight)

ROUND NINE

Brown builds on the momentum he gained in the 8th as he controls most of round nine. He rattles McVey with a pair of left hooks and with his left eye already swollen the Californian's face is wearing another wound by the time the bell sounds. Midway through the two men clash heads, McVey reeling out of the collision with a nasty cut above his right eye. It really looks like Brown is now in the driver's seat but still, with only three rounds remaining the gold is up for grabs!

===

As I said, all the momentum is running with Brown and it'll be an outstanding win if he can carry it all the way to the final bell.

My scorecard: Brown 10-9
(86-86 after round nine)

ROUND TEN

Brown works hard through the opening minute, unloading on McVey with a left-right-left salvo and snapping his head back with a perfect uppercut to the chin from inside. He keeps pressuring McVey, letting his hands go from in close but the challenger covers up well. They're in the middle of the ring and McVey unleashes a hard left hook that drops Brown! Wow, that punch came from nowhere but it dropped the champ like a bullet! The count is up to six, seven before Brown pushes himself to his knees. He's up after Cole counts nine and must haven been a breath from being counted out there. This crowd has been silenced once again.

Still half of the round remaining. McVey comes in for the kill but misses with a wild right. Oh! He caught Brown with a hard left to the midsection and the champ is down again! Brown pushes himself up at six but he's clearly hurt. McVey has stolen the momentum in the most devastating way possible! He's swinging for the fences now but can't land a clean shot, an exhausted Brown somehow evading those haymakers. McVey goes to the body again, hurting Brown with a tremendous right just above the waistline. Brown wraps McVey up in a clinch as the final seconds of the round tick away. Cole seperates them and McVey tries for the homerun, flailing wildly with a right hand that Brown easily evades. There's the bell and McVey screams like a crazy person as he almost runs back to his corner. In contrast, Brown trudges back to his.

===

Well, well, well. I thought Brown was on his way to a famous win but you never can tell. McVey has wrenched the upperhand away from him with a fantastic effort there in the 10th and I won't be surprised if he closes the deal in round eleven. After that disaster Brown's gonna need a knockout, or at least two or three knockdowns, to hold onto that belt.

My scorecard: McVey 10-7
(McVey 96-93 after round ten)

ROUND ELEVEN

Both of these warriors are now wearing some nasty swelling, much of Brown's coming through after the beating McVey administered in round ten. The crowd was trying to encourage their hero during the intermission with a continuous "CHEETAH-BROWN!" chant, but just thirty seconds into the 11th it's clear the champ has little left as McVey drops him for a third time with a smashing uppercut. Brown falls back onto the seat of his pants and for a moment it looks like he'll stay there. But he pushes himself up at four, his face a mask of exhaustion. McVey moves in and chops away with a right cross, Brown backing off. They trade shots, Brown landing a left before McVey responds with a stiff right.

A minute in and McVey unloads a body shot that would have split an oak tree in two, Brown almost sagging to the canvas but somehow staying upright. Midway through the round now and McVey floors the champ for a fourth time with a looping, thunderous right hand that looked like it came from the third row. My, surely he can't get up from that one! But he does! Brown pushes himself up at five. His face is now a swollen mess. McVey comes in for the kill but it's Brown who lands the next hard punch, a wicked uppercut that momentarily stuns McVey. Brown throws a leaping left that fails to find the mark. McVey doesn't care now, he unloads a succession of shots, lefts and rights that push Brown back into the ropes.

Cole jumps in and wraps his arms around Brown! That's it, he's ended it! Sam McVey has stopped Cheetah Brown late in the 11th round to claim the IBL's Americas Championship! He's fallen to his knees, now flat on his chest and has burst into tears! His cornermen plus Kenny Norton, Jack Johnson and the other members of his entourage have flooded the ring to congratulate him. He quickly picks himself up and moves over to Brown's corner, embracing the vanquished champion and speaking words of admiration to him. Brown does the same, patting McVey on the head and back, seeming to speak the words "You deserve it".

===

What a remarkable ending to an incredible bout and evening! Sam McVey has won the Americas title, taking one of the two IBL heavyweight belts held by Florida sluggers west to California. The ring is crowded now with media and the two fighter's camps, McVey's girlfriend hugging him and planting relieved kisses on his forehead, cheeks and lips, tears streaming down her face. Jack Johnson and Ken Norton are united in their joy for their mutual friend's achievement. McVey's had his gloves cut off and he's now handed the championship belt. Johnson and Norton team up to hoist him onto their shoulders and parade him around the ring. Though ultimately disappointed the crowd cannot help but offer genuine applause for McVey's outstanding effort in wrestling the title away from Brown.

The official time of the stoppage was announced as 2:47 of round eleven. CompuBox punch stats are telling us that McVey landed 284 of 835 punches (.340), Brown 204 of 421 (.485). Perhaps thanks to the parochial crowd the three judges had it an even closer thing than I did heading into the 11th. Two of their cards show 95-94 scorelines with the third 95-93, all to McVey. With the win McVey improves to 11-1(7) while Brown suffers his first defeat and falls to 10-1(8). The only losses on each man's record have come against each other and although they're still young and early in their careers this is surely going to be a rivalry that'll last for many years. McVey is being interviewed by ESPN now and talking about how he never stopped believing that he'd win, thanking his trainer, his girlfriend and his "mentors" Ken Norton and Jack Johnson.

It's turned out to be a disappointing night for Florida, to say the least. Mercer may have won his bout but what the crowd here really wanted to see were the two results that could have finally set up a clash between Brown and Alvarez. But once again, for the third time now, they've been denied. It makes you wonder whether they are destined to avoid each other throughout their careers, although with the IBL's scheduling policy surely they'll cross paths eventually. We've got some information here on what the Tier 2 and Tier 3 rankings will be when they're released on Monday. Based on those and the assumption that the IBL will select Hanson as the first challenger for McVey and the Filipino de la Cruz as Schmeling's next Inter-Continental challenger we can list the April "Tier 2 vs Tier 3" matchups:

#24 SCHMELING (CHAMPION) vs #28 DE LA CRUZ (INTER-CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP)
#26 MCVEY (CHAMPION) vs #27 HANSON (AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP)
#12 MERCER vs #35 HIDE
#13 MASON vs #34 ALVAREZ
#14 HUNTER vs #33 TIALATA
#15 BOTHA vs #32 SIVIVATU
#16 DOKES vs #31 BROWN
#17 VIRCHIS vs #30 GODOY
#18 COETZEE vs #29 DAMIANI
#19 HIGGINS vs #25 WEAVER
#20 BIGGS vs #23 BUGNER
#21 LEULUAI vs #22 GODDARD

Besides the two regional championship matchups the one bout that really sticks out from the bunch is the Dokes-Brown clash. If this is how the schedule pans out it would make perfect sense for the IBL to designate that clash as an official eliminator for the Americas belt, considering Dokes' back-to-back victories and Brown's status as the now former champion.

Well, that's about a wrap from here in Tampa. The camps of both fighters are now making their way back to the dressing rooms and the arena is quickly emptying of all but a handful of fans. It's still pretty early here, coming up to 9.30 only. It's been an eventful couple of hours since this blog started and I have some website commitments I have to fulfill before returning to my hotel room. Once there, I'll be back online to continue answering the posts you wonderful fight fans have made tonight. For everyone else, good night from Tampa and thanks for following along with our coverage of tonight's card. This is Lenny Blaylock for TheSweetScience.com.

[Romdawg88]

Wow, well that didn't go as well as I hoped to say the least.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Wow, well that didn't go as well as I hoped to say the least.

Sorry, buddy.

Your guy's going through a tough period and I'm really, really hoping that he can fight back against it.

[kenyan_cheena]

La Gazzetta dello Sport

SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2007

ARCARI DETHRONES GUTIERREZ,
WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Story by Giovanni Lippi

Atina-born junior-welterweight boxer Bruno Arcari ended one of the sport's longest title reigns last night when he defeated Argentina's Javier Gutierrez to claim the WBC world championship at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gutierrez won the title almost four years ago to the day and was defending it for the eleventh time. Arcari had been the IBF champion before that organisation was abolished following its merger with the WBO at the beginning of the year. Instead of opting for a shot at the newly-formed IBO's championship Arcari had sought out the more lucrative matchup with Gutierrez and it was perhaps the best decision he's made in his career.

Arcari dominated the opening three rounds before Gutierrez showed signs of getting into the contest in the 4th. But it was a hope that proved fleeting as Arcari resumed control in round five and, after keeping it through the 6th, 7th and 8th he floored the South American twice in round nine. Referee Luis Guzman jumped in at the 1:53 mark, putting an end to the slaughter and confirming Arcari as the winner and new champion. Remarkably he had outlanded Gutierrez by more than three times as many punches, 297-96. The win upped his record to 28-2-1(20) while the vanquished Argentinian fell to 38-5-2(29). Gutierrez hinted afterwards that it might have been his final fight, saying he could feel something was missing and that his body was betraying his mind during the bout.

Not only did Gutierrez lose his championship. He also misses out on a likely unification bout with the American WBA champion Eddie Perkins. Last month Perkins had made a verbal agreement which stated that if he was to get past New York's Leron Mathis when he defends his belt against him in March he would then take on the Gutierrez-Arcari winner later in the year with both his own WBA title and the WBC strap on the line. Most experts believe that Perkins will have an easy night when he steps in the ring with Mathis so it's now almost certain that having previously held the IBF title and now claiming the WBC championship Arcari is set to also fight for the WBA title, most likely in September.

[comicfanman]

I am stunned

But I salute it all at the same time. Kept you on the edge of your seat round by round.

AWESOME PRESENTATION!!!!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by comicfanman

I am stunned

But I salute it all at the same time. Kept you on the edge of your seat round by round.

AWESOME PRESENTATION!!!!

Thanks, cfm. I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if the result was not what you were hoping for.

I'm going to start working on the February issue of Boxing Monthly tomorrow, which will feature every result for our community fighters that weren't covered in any of the individual posts.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I'm going to start working on the February issue of Boxing Monthly tomorrow, which will feature every result for our community fighters that weren't covered in any of the individual posts.

I've made good progress during the last two days and am more than halfway through the write-up. There's some February alphabet bouts I have to run and add to the issue so I'm hoping to have it all done in about 48 hours from now.

Hope everyone is still enjoying my uni.

[Claybor]

Hope everyone is still enjoying my uni.

Is good stuff!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Claybor

Is good stuff!

Thanks, Finster!

[Infinity]

One of the finest uni's out there. Can't wait to see what's in store for my guy, who should be fighting again soon!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Infinity

One of the finest uni's out there. Can't wait to see what's in store for my guy, who should be fighting again soon!

Thanks, Infinity. You'll have your answer shortly!

[Jeff1787]

Originally Posted by Infinity

One of the finest uni's out there. Can't wait to see what's in store for my guy, who should be fighting again soon!

A big ditto from me!!!!

[kenyan_cheena]

BOXING
MONTHLY

VOLUME 29, ISSUE 2 - FEBRUARY 2007

(following are selected entries from the magazine's
"Fight Review" section)

1 February: San Diego, California, USA
Mark Lyons (8-1(8)) KO7 Thad Spencer (5-1(2))
(IBL heavyweight division)

In his first outing since late November Baltimore-born heavyweight Mark Lyons maintained his 100% stoppage record with a dominant showing against Portland's Thad Spencer. Appearing in the opener of the Norris-Braithwaite Americas card Lyons was in fine form, dropping Spencer with a jolting cross two minutes into round one and twice in round seven, the final knockdown coming a couple of seconds before the bell leading to Spencer being counted out after the round had ended. With the exception of the 6th Lyons controlled most of the action that came in between and unloaded some really punishing blows in round three. The win pushed Lyons up into the 5th ranking tier, where he'll be looking to stay when he steps back in the ring in mid-March.

1 February: San Diego, California, USA
Charlie Shipes (12-2-1(8)) SD10 Ike Quartey (28-4(22))
(IBL welterweight division)

The IBL record of Ghana's Ike Quartey fell to 1-3 after Oakland's Charlie Shipes produced an outstanding mid-fight rally and then held on to take an upset split decision verdict (97-94, 96-97, 96-95). It was an action-packed contest, with Shipes edging Quartey in the punches landed department, 247-237. After exiting the world championship tournament via a split decision loss to Marvyn Rollins, Quartey defeated Charley Scott before dropping a unanimous decision verdict to Wilfred Benitez in his last outing. With his world ranking now at #18 it's going to take a series of victories through the rest of the year to get Quartey positioned for a jump into the top tier. Having defeated the Filipino Emmanuel Torres in December, Shipes recorded his second straight victory since losing a technical unanimous decision to Carmelo Barea in September.

1 February: San Diego, California, USA
Carmelo Barea (27-3-1(18)) KO10 Charley Scott (13-6-1(8))
(IBL welterweight division)

In a thrilling co-feature on the Norris-Braithwaite title fight card Puerto Rico's Carmelo Barea avoided what would have been a disasterous defeat when he knocked out Charley Scott late in the final round. After building a healthy lead through the first half of the bout Barea appeared to run out of steam, leading to Scott sweeping rounds seven to nine on all three scorecards. This was despite the fact that Scott had been badly cut on the bridge of his nose in round two, the would re-opening and being examined by the ringside doctor in the 5th and 9th frames. With only thirty seconds remaining Barea unleashed a flurry of shots that put the Philadelphian on his back. Scott was counted out at the 2:39 mark and Barea had held onto his all-important #12 world ranking. He'll face his talented but much less experienced compatriot Angel Espada in late March and can't afford to make the same mistakes then that he made against Scott.

2 February: Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Yoko Gushiken (11-0-1(8)) UD8 Manuel Vargas (13-4-1(8))
(IBL flyweight division)

Japan's rocketman Yoko Gushiken extended his winning streak to four bouts since a draw with fellow countryman Hiroyuki Ebihara saw him exit the Inter-Continental Championship tournament in its opening stage. He was far too aggressive and quick for Vargas to handle, taking the verdict by scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 79-73. Gushiken outlanded the Mexican 245-110 with his piston-like jab being a particularly lethal weapon throughout. He made a minor move in the world rankings up to #39 as a result of the win but still has a pair of bouts against lower-ranked opponents that he has to get through unscathed before he can challenge for a spot in the 3rd ranking tier.

2 February: Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Trevor Berbick (7-3(5)) MD8 Fres Oquendo (13-3(8))
(IBL heavyweight division)

This bout looked like it was going to be a thriller after an exciting opening three rounds. Berbick came out firing and almost ended it in round one before Oquendo responded strongly in the 2nd. Berbick then took back the momentum in round three. But from the 4th onwards it descended into a real snoozer and only became exciting again when Berbick floored Oquendo moments before the final bell. As the scorecards of 76-75, 76-76 and 78-73 indicate it proved to be a vital knockdown, as the bout would have been a draw otherwise. After starting his time in the IBL with three consecutive losses Jamaican-born Englishman Berbick has now won two in a row and jumped up ten places in the rankings to #43. Oquendo went in the opposite direction, falling ten spots to #46.

3 February: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ingemar Johansson (9-2(6)) TKO4 David Kane (10-1-1(9))
(IBL heavyweight division)

Only a week prior to stepping in the ring against Johansson, Kane had appeared on a radio show and shot his mouth off in regards to fellow Florida sluggers Romy Alvarez and Cheetah Brown, saying that they were scared by the prospect of facing him in the future. In a major embarassment for the 22 year-old he failed to back up his boasts with action as he was blown out in less than four rounds by the Swede Ingemar Johansson. Kane started the fight well, winning round one convincingly but it was pretty much all down hill from there. Johansson answered back with an equally impressive effort in the 2nd and then dropped Kane a minute into round three with a smashing left-right combo. Kane barely made it to the bell and then, after landing some damaging blows early in the 4th he was clubbed into oblivion in the bottom half of the frame. Johansson floored him for a second time with a hard left hook and finished the job in outstanding fashion, landing a series of flush power punches until the referee jumped in and ended it two seconds before the bell. Kane may have one helluva punch but he's got a long way to go before he can be recognised as a skilled boxer.

3 February: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wilfred Benitez (14-0-2(10)) UD10 Emmanuel Torres (16-4-1(11))
(IBL welterweight division)

Puerto Rico's Athens bronze medallist Wilfred Benitez found a tougher time than expected in the shape of Emmanuel Torres. The Filipino came into their bout on a three-fight losing streak in the IBL but kept Benitez honest through the opening half of the bout. Benitez took control with a dominant period from round six through to the end of the 8th and was awarded the verdict by scores of 97-93, 98-93 and 96-94. Like compatriot Carmelo Barea, Benitez (ranked #14) will secure the chance to challenge for a spot in the top ranking tier with a victory in his next outing (which is against the 31st-ranked Japanese fighter Akio Kameda in late March).

3 February: Berlin, Germany
Scott Mundt (12-2(9)) UD8 Alfredo Evangelista (10-5-2(8))
(IBL heavyweight division)

Connecticut-born German heavyweight Scott Mundt bounced back from an unlucky Christmas night loss to New Zealand's Kalolo Umaga, recording a convincing unanimous decision victory over Uruguay's Alfredo Evangelista (78-70, 77-73, 78-70). Mundt scored knockdowns in round five and eight, but was also deducted a point for a low blow in the 5th, only thirty seconds after Evangelista had risen from his trip to the canvas. He was never troubled by the limited South American and landed 271 punches at an outstanding accuracy rate of 73%. By comparison, Evangelista connected with just 101 of his shots at 23.1%. Mundt said afterwards that his objective during the coming year is to get into a position where he can challenge for the Inter-Continental belt, whether compatriot Max Schmeling is holding it or not. Mundt was ranked at #37 when the IBL released their February rankings and a look at the league schedule reveals that he'll have to win his next four or five bouts to achieve that title goal.

3 February: Berlin, Germany
Ashley Jackson (9-1(8)) UD10 Hector Thompson (7-2-2(4))
(IBL welterweight division)

Back in action for the first time since his surprising loss in the final of the Inter-Continental Championship tournament England's Ashley Jackson had to work hard against a determined Hector Thompson to earn a unanimous decision win (97-95, 96-95, 97-95). Neither man was able to establish dominance for more than a round at a time and this led to the closeness of the final verdict. Jackson landed 211 of 1,031 punches (20.5%), Thompson 202 of 739 (27.3%). If Thompson had been more aggressive he might have been able to steal a victory, but Jackson's impressive workrate made that almost impossible. It had been assumed beforehand that if Jackson was victorious he'd be selected as the next challenger to the I-C belt and following his tireless effort there's no reason to believe otherwise. A rematch with Kohler and the chance to win the belt and gain revenge for his only defeat would surely be high on his list of priorities.

4 February: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Ron E. Vincent (8-0(4)) TKO5 Carl Morris (4-0-1(2))
(IBL heavyweight division)

Virginia's punching preacher Ron E. Vincent maintained his perfect career record, scoring his second consecutive stoppage victory in eye-catching style at the Coney Island Athletic Club. After a competitive opening four rounds Vincent decimated Morris in the 5th, staggering him with a score of punishing lefts and rights before the referee jumped in to rescue the disorientated Californian at the 2:57 mark. 21 year-old Vincent continues to improve with every bout and based on his current form could very well be challenging for the Americas title in about twelve months from now.

4 February: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Nelson Ndungane (12-5(7)) MD8 Adam Brooks (6-2(4))
(IBL heavyweight division)

Tennessee's Adam Brooks fell agonisingly short in his attempt to bounce back from a 1st round KO defeat at the hands of David Kane, losing his second fight in a row and third in five bouts under the IBL banner. He made a woeful start against South Africa's Nelson Ndungane, being planted on his backside by an uppercut just thirty seconds into the bout and struggling to get into the fight through the next two frames. Brooks then staged an admirable comeback, sweeping the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th rounds on all three cards and appearing on the way to a fantastic victory. But his rally stalled in the final round as he ran out of steam, allowing Ndungane to do just enough to win the frame on two scorecards and, as a result, take a 76-75, 76-76, 76-75 verdict. Brooks actually outlanded Ndungane 185-114, much of that margin built during his dominance in the bottom half of the bout. The 22 year-old is a talented fighter but fell to #50 in the IBL rankings following this defeat and will have to work hard over the coming months to climb higher.

5 February: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Scot Long (9-1-2(4)) SD10 In-Chul Baek (11-1-1(7))
(IBL light-heavyweight division)

Seeded #2 in the IBL's Americas Championship tournament, Kansas native Scot Long had been one of the favourites to walk away with the title but was bundled out by eventual champion Melio Bettina in the quarter-finals. Since then Long has looked less than convincing in a draw against Yvon Durelle and a unanimous decision win over George Nichols. Despite the split decision verdict he was more impressive in his victory over Baek than in any bout since his IBL debut back in June. While Baek was the busier of the two Long proved to be much more effective with his punches, landing 208 of 541 (.384) compared to Baek's 136 of 715 (.190). The two judges who scored the bout in Long's favour (98-92 and 98-93) were pretty much spot on while the Argentinian official who gave it to Baek (96-95) seemed to have been watching a different fight. With the win 28th-ranked Long became eligible to challenge for the Americas belt when the division's 3rd ranking tier steps back in the ring in early April. The IBL's rankings and championships committee confirmed on the 21st that they had indeed awarded Long the next shot at Americas champion Melio Bettina, their rematch scheduled for Saturday the 7th of April in New York.

5 February: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Petite Fourie (8-2(4)) TKO5 George Nichols (6-2(2))
(IBL light-heavyweight division)

Following a pair of bouts where he had seen certain victory slip through his fingers at the death colourful Frenchman Petite Fourie was back in the winner's column, stopping Buffalo native George Nichols on cuts in round five. Fourie opened up the cut above Nichols' left eyebrow with a stiff jab midway through the opening round. The wound worsened as Fourie targeted it through the 2nd and 3rd. After an uneventful 4th stanza he re-opened the cut late in round five, leading to the ringside doctor advising a stoppage. It was quite a sight seeing the Marseille-born boxer take Nichols apart so gradually, akin to a work of art. Fourie was one of a quartet of fighters from Tiers 2 and 3 eligible to challenge Australia's Inter-Cotinental Champion Mark Somogyi in his next defense and was considered to be the most suitable of the four by the league. As a result he'll go head-to-head with Somogyi in the Aussie's hometown of Melbourne on April 4.

6 February: Liverpool, England
Ruben Olivares (6-2(6)) KO3 Norman Lewis (8-4-1(6))
(IBL bantamweight division)

Mexican dynamo Ruben Olivares made an outstanding start to his time in the IBL's bantamweight division, scoring a one-punch 3rd round knockout of local favourite Norman Lewis in Liverpool, England. Olivares' controversial departure from the featherweight division has been well-documented and he said after the fight that he just wanted to leave it behind him and focus on climbing the 118-pound rankings. The win over Lewis helped greatly in that endeavour as he jumped from #72 to #60. Victories in his next three bouts will see him positioned in the 3rd ranking tier by the end of June, with the chance to progress even further before the new year. It's something that the top bantamweight contenders should be weary of, to say the least.

6 February: Liverpool, England
Klaus Bierhoff (25-4(18)) TSD8 John Conteh (25-2-2(17))
(IBL light-heavyweight division)

In December Germany's Klaus Bierhoff was convincingly defeated by the Australian Mark Somogyi in the final of the IBL's Inter-Continental light-heavyweight championship tournament. However, following fellow 175-pounder Johnny Persol's departure from the IBL in January the league moved Bierhoff up the rankings from #26 into the 2nd ranking tier at #23. Persol had been ranked at #11, meaning every fighter below him gained an extra ranking. But in order to avoid a Tier 2/Tier 3 scheduling conflict Bierhoff leap-frogged the two regional champions (#24 Somogyi and #25 Melio Bettina) and found himself preparing for a clash with 12th-ranked Englishman John Conteh. That bout was the main event on the February 6 Liverpool card and in a controversial outcome Bierhoff was awarded a technical split decision victory after the bout was stopped due to a cut outside Conteh's left eyebrow. It had been caused by an accidental headbutt at the end of round eight. The referee halted the contest at 2:56 of round nine, the ringside doctor examining the wound and ruling that Conteh could not continue. Scorecards were tallied and Bierhoff was declared the winner by verdicts of 77-76, 76-77 and 77-76. In an ill-tempered stoush both men had been earlier warned, Bierhoff for an intentional headbutt in the 3rd that almost caused a brawl and Conteh for rabbit-punching in the 7th, which resulted in a crucial one-point deduction for him. Bierhoff jumped to #17 in the rankings and Conteh dropped to #18, dashing his short-term hopes of breaking into the top ranking tier.

7 February: Havana, Cuba
Vicente Santana (10-2-1(6)) TKO9 Leonel Hernandez (32-4-1(23))
(IBL lightweight division)

Hernandez's goal of challenging for the world championship was dealt a terrible blow as he was thoroughly outfought by Americas Championship tournament finalist Vicente Santana before the contest was stopped in round nine due to a cut on Hernandez's right eyebrow. It had been opened just thirty seconds into round one by a hard left hook and clearly troubled the Venezuelan, as Santana sent him to the canvas once in each of the first three frames. Hernandez fired back in the 4th, flooring Santana at its midpoint. After controlling the action through until the end of the 8th it appeared that Hernandez was on the way to victory but the danger of a stoppage was constantly hanging over him, with the doctor examining his cut in rounds four and six. It was third time unlucky when the bout was halted 43 seconds into the 9th, the doctor advising the referee to stop the fight. Like the German light-heavyweight Klaus Bierhoff, Santana had been bumped up into the 2nd tier in a rankings shuffle. Unlike Bierhoff's, his win was a truly convincing one. He's now ranked 16th and in his next bout will face off against the man who defeated him for the Americas belt in December, the now-former champion Richie Plunkett.

7 February: Havana, Cuba
Orlando Zulueta (14-0-3(11)) TKO7 Claude Noel (24-7-1(17))
(IBL lightweight division)

Competing in his homeland for the first time since signing with the IBL Cuba's Orlando Zulueta recorded a no-nonsense 7th round TKO victory over Trinidad and Tobago's Claude Noel. The 23 year-old opened a cut on Noel's forehead with a left hook in round two and despite his corner's best efforts Zulueta was able to re-open it on two further occasions before it caused the end of the fight midway through the 7th. Zulueta had built a healthy lead through six rounds behind a piston-like left jab, the win securing the #12 world ranking and completing step one in his quest to earn a place in the top tier. Zulueta did not make the greatest start to his time with the IBL, being held to draws in his opening two bouts and then scratching out a slim majority decision win over Rene Barrientos to finish '06. Hopefully his performance against Noel is the start of a highly successful 2007.

9 February: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Earnie Shavers (3-0(3)) KO2 Jimmy Grant (10-3-1(2))
(heavyweight division)

Ohio slugger Earnie Shavers added to what has been an untroubled start to his professional career, knocking out local favourite Jimmy Grant with a single sledgehammer of a right hand midway through round two of their clash. The former amateur standout said in the days following his win that he wasn't in any rush to "align" himself with one of the four sanctioning organisations and believes he still has a long way to go to learn the nuances of the professional game.

10 February: Los Angeles, California, USA
Michael Foreman (17-3-1(11)) UD12 Tyrell Brown (19-1(13))
(light-heavyweight division, IBO title fight)

In the second of what ended up being a quartet of upsets in the IBO's inaugural February world title bouts (the first being James Toney's loss to Christian Fritz) lightly-regarded Chicago native Michael Foreman made an outstanding opening to his clash with local favourite and pre-merger WBO titleholder Tyrell Brown and then held on through some tough closing rounds to emerge with a unanimous decision win (115-113, 116-113, 115-114). The bout was the main event of a card held at the Staples Center and a healthy crowd turned up. Unfortunately for them, Brown didn't, at least not during the first four or five rounds. It was there where Foreman won the fight, sweeping each scorecard to build a big lead. Brown staged an admirable rally but it came too late. The 24 year-old Los Angeles slugger had been out of action for almost ten months due to firstly a training injury and then a September title bout being cancelled, and it seems that the "ring rust" played a part in his unexpected defeat. By contrast, Foreman had fought three times during the same period.

10 February: Los Angeles, California, USA
Frank Galvano (8-0(7)) UD6 Ray Burnett (6-3-1(3))
(middlewight division)

Fighting on the undercard before the IBO's inaugural light-heavyweight world title fight New York's Frank Galvano pitched a shutout against San Diego's Ray Burnett. Galvano floored his opponent twice and took the verdict by identical scores of 60-52 from all three judges. While promoted by Robert Tattaglia's Boardwalk Promotions, Inc. Galvano has yet to sign a contract with the IBO. With his career still young it's been decided by Tattaglia that the best option would be to maximise the opponents that Galvano can face. If he was to sign with the IBO the opposite would happen, as IBO-contracted fighters can only step in the ring against each other and no one else. At ringside during the bout Tattaglia said that there's no reason to push Galvano into a situation that could disrupt the progress he's made.

10 February: Copenhagen, Denmark
Mikkel Kristensen (4-0(4)) TKO3 Michael Lane (3-3(1))
(super-middleweight division)

Denmark's destructive 168-pounder Mikkel Kristensen continued his impressive career start with a three-round decimation of England's Michael Lane. It was actually the first time in his five pro bouts to date that's he'd been taken beyond round two but he made sure he didn't go too far beyond, as the bout was over at the 0:49 mark of the 3rd. Not shy to voice his ambitions, Kristensen has said that he'd like to be in a position to challenge for a title by mid-2008 and that if current world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias is still ruling the division by then, it's all the better.

14 February: Paris, France
Randy Turpin (12-1(9)) KO6 Laurent Boudouani (17-2-1(11))
(IBL middleweight division)

Having benefitted rankings-wise from the defection of James Toney to the IBO England's Randy Turpin made the most of his good fortune as he recorded a stunning 6th round knockout of local favourite Laurent Boudouani in the main event of a card at the Cirque d'hiver in Paris. 23rd-ranked Turpin was coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ian Lord in one of the best IBL bouts seen to date, the final of the middleweight Inter-Continental Championship tournament. His victory over Boudouani has set up what will be a keenly-anticipated rematch with Lord, as he's actually the only fighter from Tier 2 or 3 eligible to challenge for the title. Boudouani gave as good as he received from Turpin in an exciting opening round but it didn't take long for his resistance to crumble and a punishing left-right salvo a minute into round six floored him for a full count. Turpin landed exactly twice as many punches as Boudouani, 172-86. The Frenchman was the 8th seed in the world championship tournament and was knocked out by the Australian Les Darcy at the end of round eight in their quarter-final. Since then he had scored back-to-back wins over Juan Rivero and Leo Starosch. The loss to Turpin saw him fall six places down the rankings, from #12 to #18.

14 February: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Withaya Paholpat (9-2(3)) TUD4 Carmelo Negron (13-2-1(9))
(IBL featherweight division)

Talented Thailander Withaya Paholpat fought outside of Europe and Asia for the first time in his professional career, opening the card at the Guadalajara Arena Coliseo in Mexico against Puerto Rico's Carmelo Negron. He was well on the way to a dominant win when the bout was stopped a minute into round five after an accidental head clash opened up a wicked looking gash on Negron's right eyelid. Each judge had Paholpat leading 40-36 through four rounds and so he was declared the winner by technical unanimous decision. The IBL is yet to come to a decision but it's likely that the promising 21 year-old will be granted the next challenge to Charlie Beniston's Inter-Continental title. Paholpat has now won three consecutive bouts, having previously beaten Ghana's Joe Tetteh in September and the Australian Johnny Famechon in December.

14 February: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Juan Meza (29-2-2(23)) TKO4 Shaun Smith (11-4(7))
(IBL featherweight division)

In an action-packed rematch of their September world ranking bout former IBF junior-featherweight champion Juan Meza stopped the rugged South African Shaun Smith late in round four to retain his #12 world ranking and move one step closer to a berth in the top ranking tier. It was Meza's third consecutive victory since being sensationally eliminated from the IBL's world championship tournament as its #1 seed by LA's Solly Smith in June. The IBL featherweight division is already stacked with Mexican talent at the top of its rankings. Meza's eventual presence amongst them will only make his nation's chances of continual domination even stronger.

15 February: Munich, Bayern, Germany
Michael Schneider (30-3-2(22)) TKO10 Rafael Ortega (13-5(8))
(IBL featherweight division)

For the second fight in a row hard-hitting German featherweight Michael Schneider recorded five knockdowns. He punished Jamaica's Robert Brown on Christmas Eve and was just as brutal against the overmatched Panama native Rafael Ortega. The 22nd-ranked Ortega was dropped midway through the 1st, twice in the 4th, once in the 9th and for a final time in the 10th. However, it wasn't the knockdowns that led to the stoppage, which came at the 1:46 mark of the final round. It was the obscene wounds around his right eye. There was swelling and cuts both underneath the eye and above the eyebrow. After exiting the world championship tournament following a quarter-final defeat to Keith Harrison, Schneider has now reeled off three convincing wins in a row. Whether he can make the jump into the top ranking tier remains to be seen.

16 February: Los Angeles, California, USA
Jake Morrison (9-2(9)) KO3 Oddone Piazza (13-4-1(7))
(IBL middleweight division)

Touted as one of boxing's next big superstars upon signing with the IBL, Jake Morrison has experienced an inconsistent start to his run with the organisation. He brought a perfect 8-0(8) record into the middleweight Challenger's tournament but was obliterated inside of two rounds by England's Athens bronze medallist Nigel Benn in their stage one clash. Morrison came back strongly in his next fight, stopping former world title challenger Marvin Blanks in the 8th (and final) round in September. But the momentum he gained from the win was cancelled out when he sustained a nasty cut on the bridge of his nose in the Bronx on Christmas Eve against local fighter Davey Moore, who won the fight by 3rd round TKO as a result. At first it was thought that the wound might prevent the Chippewa Falls native from stepping in the ring this month, but those fears proved unfounded with the tough 26 year-old recovering from it sooner than expected. Against the Italian Oddone Piazza the boxing public was treated to a devastating performance, Morrison punishing his opponent through the opening two rounds and then dropping him twice in round three. Piazza was counted out at the 2:22 mark of the frame and Morrison recorded his tenth professional victory, all of which have come inside the distance.

17 February: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sergio Milito (19-2(13)) UD12 Gustavo Ballas (28-1(20))
(junior-bantamweight division, IBO title fight)

Appearing in his first world title fight Argentina's Sergio Milito produced the performance of his career to defeat his more fancied compatriot and former WBO titleholder Gustavo Ballas by a shockingly easy unanimous decision verdict (118-109, 116-111, 117-110). Ballas had held the WBO belt for eighteen months, having last defended it in October before the merger with the IBF. So understandably he was considered a warm favourite to extend his championship reign into the ranks of the new sanctioning body. But it didn't come close to turning out that way with the younger Milito overwhelming him with enthusiasm, aggression and hard work. It may just have been a star-turning effort from the 21 year-old.

17 February: San Francisco, California, USA
John Fehner (7-0(7)) KO2 Lonnie Green (4-3-1(2))
(heavyweight division)

Fehner was approached by the IBL in late January with a contract offer. He did not immediately decide whether he would accept it or not, appearing on ESPN's Friday Night Fights on January 26 before accounting for the outclassed Seattle native Lonnie Green three weeks later in his hometown of San Francisco. The following day he contacted the league and accepted their offer, which is apparently a three-year deal that became effective from February 20. The IBL installed Fehner at #76 in their February month end rankings. The big southpaw will make his debut for the organisation during the week ending March 25.

24 February: Tokyo, Japan
Niwat Srimaka (25-2(15)) KO8 Hiromi Kawaguchi (29-3-1(21))
(junior-featherweight division, IBO title fight)

In an action-packed slugfest that saw both fighters taste the canvas twice Thailand's Niwat Srimaka captured his first world championship and became his nation's only active titleholder. The division's WBO champion before the merger, Kawaguchi had been out of action for eleven months due to a promotional contract dispute but was still allowed to contest the inaugural IBO title fight. He made a great start, flooring Srimaka late in the 1st round. But the Thailander rallied strongly in round two and then dropped Kawaguchi in the 3rd. The action and momentum swung back-and-forth through rounds four, five and six but when Srimaka was down again midway through the 7th Kawaguchi appeared to be on the verge of victory. However, Srimaka weathered the storm and put Kawaguchi to sleep with a crushing uppercut thirty seconds into round eight, the punch silencing the parochial Tokyo Dome crowd.

24 February: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Brutus Brody (11-0(11)) TKO1 Derek Amos (3-5(1))
(heavyweight division)

In one of the most diabolical mismatches in years the "7 Mile Monster" Brutus Brody pummeled Virginia's Derek Amos throughout the opening round before the referee stepped in and ended the carnage at the 2:40 mark. Surprisingly, Amos managed to stay on his feet the whole time but that didn't change the farcical nature of the bout. It was part of the undercard for the Tyrone Hillier-promoted Gutierrez-Arcari WBC junior-welterweight showdown. Brody had been slated to face DC-born journeyman Larry Swindle but he pulled out of the fight just two days beforehand claiming to have injured his shoulder. Brody would have preferred to not fight at all but Hillier insisted that he had to appear on the card and scrambled to find a replacement. He came up with the out of shape and inactive for over a year, blown-up cruiserweight Amos. The crowd at the Boardwalk Hall were booing at the fight's conclusion and both Brody and his recently hired new manager Jimmy Vickers angrily confronted Hillier at ringside before returning to the dressing rooms. It'll be interesting to see if any repercussions result from the incident.

[kenyan_cheena]

Geez, I must be truly insane to have done that!



THIRTY fights reviewed in that issue!!!

It gets worse. I actually had four other fights I was going to include on it but decided to defer them to March.

[kenyan_cheena]

I really need a little break from TGPiS after that...

[kenyan_cheena]

Order of events:

1) Post IBL February world rankings in Almanac thread
2) Post February World Boxing Review notes & quotes
3) Post February EuroBox article
4) Post IBL March schedule

Once those are done February will officially be over and we can jump into March, a month jam-packed with IBL world title fights!!!