The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

The Manila Metro

FRIDAY 6 APRIL 2007

VILLAFLOR VICTORIOUS
AT THE RIZAL COLISEUM

Story by Romeo Concepcion

IBL Inter-Continental lightweight champion Ben Villaflor produced another clinical performance last night to retain his belt for the second time. In front of a healthy crowd at the Rizal Coliseum Villaflor was far too good for compatriot Rene Barrientos, dropping him twice on the way to a comfortable unanimous decision win (119-108, 116-110, 118-109). Barrientos had earned the title shot by virtue of his surprising win over the Englishman Michael Ayers on the undercard of Villaflor's first defense in February, a victory that had seen him rise to #15 in the world rankings. But last night Villaflor exposed Barrientos' limitations, gradually breaking him down during the top half of the contest before sending him to the canvas in rounds nine and eleven to put an exclamation point on a solid victory.

Villaflor connected with 384 of 1,210 punches (31.7%), Barrientos landing less than half that number (181/880 (20.6%)). Now 19-1(10), Villaflor has joined the Australian light-heavyweight Mark Somogyi as the only fighter to make two successful defenses of an IBL regional championship. Also like Somogyi it appears that only complacency can stop him from securing a shot at the world championship, both men only three victories from attaining that goal. Villaflor's next defense could possibly be against the man he defeated in the semi-finals of the I-C championship tournament, Jim Watt. The Scotsman recorded an upset KO win over Ray Adigun on Monday, in which he dropped the Nigerian four times in the 7th round before he was counted out at the 2:24 mark.

Watt and Villaflor's first meeting was an exciting affair which was considered by many as the unofficial tournament final, so a rematch would no doubt be an anticipated clash. It would be true to say that Villaflor was mostly underappreciated by Filipino fight fans before he joined the IBL but his status has steadily grown during his perfect start with the organisation, to the point where he is now featured prominently on a number of billboards in Manila and many other cities. He has also made appearances on some of the nation's most popular variety television shows such as Bongga!, Party Pilipinas and on MTV as a guest VJ.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Larry Holman Blog


Williams loses Americas title
in controversial stoppage
Saturday, April 7, 2007 | Print Entry

Trenton lightweight Ike Williams was sensationally dethroned as IBL Americas champion on Friday night in Atlantic City when his first title defense against the Canadian Nicolas Fillion was stopped late in the 3rd round. Fillion had dominated the frame and hurt Williams with a flush uppercut shortly before referee Jorge Alonso called off the contest, but the general consensus at ringside was that it was a premature stoppage. Williams actually floored Fillion with an uppercut of his own two minutes into the 1st and after an even 2nd the Canadian erupted in round three, tagging Williams throughout the stanza. Though on unsteady legs Williams couldn't believe it when Alonso indicated the fight was over.

Usually a laid back individual Williams' trainer Jimmy Floyd jumped between the ropes and argued vehemently with Alonso in a scene akin to the emotion-charged exchanges between managers and umpires on a baseball diamond. Although no physical violence took place several minutes passed by before Floyd calmed down and eventually left the ring with Williams and the rest of his team. It was the third loss suffered by a member of Floyd's stable in the space of three weeks following Mickey Walker's decimation at the hands of Koichi Wajima in a world middleweight title bout on March 17 and Joe Jeannette's slim split decision defeat to Jack Johnson seven days later. Clearly the frustration of it was too much for the trainer to handle.

Considering the fantastic effort Williams produced to wrestle the title from inaugural champion Richie Plunkett in February he didn't deserve to have it taken from him in such a way. It's true that Fillion had him in trouble, but there were a number of similar moments in the clash with Plunkett, which went the full twelve rounds. Of course, Fillion had no doubt that the stoppage was a good one as he believed that Williams was literally helpless at the moment Alonso jumped in and that one or two more flush blows could have seriously harmed him. The win was Fillion's fourth in a row since losing to Plunkett in the quarter-finals of the Americas Championship tournament. The 20 year-old native of Quebec improved to 10-1, the win just his third to come inside the distance. Williams fell to 8-2(6).

Based on this week's results the pool of opponents for Fillion's first title defense will be quite slim. One fighter that won't be on the list is Plunkett, who was knocked out in six rounds by Ghana's Samuel Mensah in Nigeria on Monday. It was Plunkett's second straight defeat following the loss to Williams in February. A win would have elevated the Bronx native into the 2nd ranking tier and either a June shot at regaining the Americas belt or a matchup with one of the big guns from the 1st tier. Instead, he'll simply be fighting to retain his place in Tier 3 against a Tier 4 opponent when he next steps into the ring.

McCallum back in action in May, at middleweight

The camp of former world junior-middleweight champion Mike McCallum confirmed earlier this week that the Jamaican superstar will step back into the ring on May 26 in Kingston against compatriot Devon Edwards. The bout will be fought at 160 pounds, making it McCallum's first bout outside of the division he made his own. "The Bodysnatcher" last fought in December, when he took a unanimous decision verdict against former WBC welterweight champion Jose Napoles in a non-title bout. McCallum (37-0-2(27)) had hinted in January that his next fight would be at middleweight and in Edwards he'll have an opponent who is quick but not especially powerful.

It's not clear what path 30 year-old McCallum is going to take beyond the Edwards fight. He had been hoping for a showdown with former world middleweight champion Bert Lytell, but the one-sided defeat that the Californian suffered at the hands of Fulgencio Obelmejias scuttled those plans. It appears that Obelmejias himself is the biggest name out there for McCallum right now, but whether he's ready to move from 154 to 168 so quickly is something his team will have to consider. Something that he's made clear on more than one occasion is that he has no interest in fighting for any of the alphabet titles. So as was the case in the Napoles bout, any big matchup he takes part in would be happening without the involvement of the sanctioning organisations.

[kenyan_cheena]

Just a note...

Nicolas Fillion was created as a fictional community fighter but the board member who added him in the sign-up thread "duff88" has never posted here in the uni thread and has not logged onto the board since March 2009.

Therefore, I will not be regarding Fillion as a fictional community fighter from this point on. He'll only be written about due to his current status as Americas champion and, beyond that, if his career is a successful one.

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

SUNDAY, 8 APRIL, 2007

BETTINA RETAINS BELT
WITH REMARKABLE RALLY

Story by James Reynolds

Last night Beacon native Melio Bettina produced one of the most outstanding comebacks seen in years to hold onto his IBL Americas light-heavyweight championship. After being sent to the canvas twice before the end of round three and looking on the verge of defeat Bettina rallied superbly to secure a majority decision victory against Kansas slugger Scot Long at the St. Nichoals Arena (114-112, 113-113, 114-112). It was a rematch of their July championship tournament quarter-final, Bettina once again emerging victorious. In that first meeting he'd won convincingly but last night he was closer to tasting defeat than he's been since joining the league.

Bettina joined fellow 175-pounder Mark Somogyi and the Filipino lightweight Ben Villaflor as the only fighters to have made two successful defenses of their IBL regional titles. Bettina had been dominant in his last victory over Don Bucceroni in February, knocking out the Philadelphian in round ten and flooring him three times during the bout. Long earned his title challenge with a strong win over Korea's In-Chul Baek and appeared to be well on his way to gaining revenge on Bettina as their clash entered round four. Long came out aggressively in round one, tagging the champion with a hard left hook early before keeping him on the backfoot for the rest of the round with a steady stream of jabs and combinations. Bettina found the mark with a flush right cross late but it wasn't enough to cancel out Long's efforts.

Twenty-five seconds into round two Bettina found himself on his backside following a head-snapping uppercut. He was up at three and Long connected with a follow-up left hook and then had the better of a brief exchange. But he did little to press home his advantage through the final two minutes of the stanza. After a quiet opening to the 3rd Long had his man staring up at him again, a left hook sending Bettina stumbling to the canvas at the midpoint. Again, he made it to his feet quickly and while Long controlled the remainder of the round he failed to finish the champion off. It would come back to haunt him as the bout progressed. Bettina gained a foothold in the contest when he just had the better of an exciting 4th, his good early work countering some punishing Long punches in the frame's bottom half.

Rounds five and six were close affairs but it appeared that Long was slightly busier and more effective in both of them, putting Bettina in a seemingly hopeless situation as the 7th round commenced. But it was at that point when the determined 19 year-old commenced his stiring fightback. Taking rounds seven and eight convincingly Bettina suddenly looked to have a chance, Long's workrate dropping in sync with the swelling that was developing under his left eye. With the exception of a hard right cross from Bettina near the two-minute mark round nine was unremarkable, but the champion's superior aggression was more than enough to maintain his rally. Long's trainer tried to fire him up during the intermission, sensing that this perfect opportunity to claim the title was slowly slipping away.

The action heated up in the 10th, Bettina's roll continuing through the first minute before Long answered back strongly only to have the crowd favourite end the frame on a high, a crunching uppercut almost dropping the challenger moments before the bell. When Bettina dominated round eleven it was clear that the tide had completely turned. A look at the scorecards reveals that Bettina moved into the lead for the first time in the fight at that point. Both sides knew the final stanza would be vital and after Long jumped out early Bettina wore him down through its middle section, a series of jabs and punishing body shots doing the damage. Long made it a close thing with a spirited effort in the closing moments but all three judges scored the round in Bettina's favour.

Even if Long had been able to take the final round it would not have been enough for him to claim the title, as the bout would have been scored a draw. He'd needed at least a knockdown, and that never looked like happening. When the verdict was announced Bettina's team celebrated jubilantly, the champion shouting and pumping his fist in the air as the crowd applauded, giving him an extended standing ovation. Wearing a nasty mouse under his left eye Long appeared no less than devastated as he made his way back to the dressing rooms soon after. He'd said all the right words in acknowledging Bettina's fighting spirit but it was absolutely clear that he knew he'd blown it, big time. He's now 10-2-2(4), Bettina being the only man to have defeated him.

The champion improved to 11-1(5), his extraordinary run of wins in the IBL stretching to six. Making it all the more amazing is that he was seeded at #10 in the tournament and was understandably not given any chance of emerging as the inaugural titleholder. On the other hand, 2nd-seeded Long was a big favourite. Bettina defeated him with shocking ease in his own hometown of Topeka and in front of a hostile audience. He's now overcome him once again and it's a result that will give him a huge confidence boost, just as surely as sending Long to the depths of despair. After trailing by a large margin early in the fight Bettina had outlanded Long 323-270 by the end of it.

There was a huge amount of interest in the opening bout of the evening with Detroit heavyweight Brutus Brody making his International Boxing League debut against Cleveland's Eric James, who he had stopped in three rounds last September. The IBL approached James shortly after signing Brody last month, keen to give him a worthy opponent in his first outing. Before their original meeting James was also a promising heavy on the rise and since being bombed out by Brody he has recorded two knockout wins to improve his record to 13-2(9). He jumped at the chance to step in the ring against the "7 Mile Monster" once again. As it turned out the league were wise to seek out James as he gave Brody the biggest test of his career to date, almost lasting the full distance in the scheduled six-rounder.

Brody controlled the opening three rounds of the fight but was not his usual explosive self. He dropped James with a wild right hand late in the 3rd but surprisingly the Ohio native had the better of rounds four and five. James was much busier, keeping Brody on an uncharacteristic backfoot. Keen to maintain his perfect stoppage record Brody came out swinging for the fences in the 6th and after hurting James early with a couple of clubbing body shots he staggered him with a right cross and floored him with a left hook shortly after the round passed its midpoint. Up at eight James tried to tie Brody up and stay out of trouble, simply trying to survive. He succeeded briefly but when a brutal three-punch salvo had him reeling against the ropes the referee jumped in and ended it at the 2:15 mark.

Improving his record to 13-0(13) Brody said afterwards that he had been feeling nervous in the minutes before the fight, just as he had in the very first bout of his career. He said that he was worried about "messin' up" in his IBL debut and the embarassment that a loss would have brought down upon him. The 28 year-old won't have to wait very long until he's back in action, with the IBL's heavyweight schedule showing that he'll step into the ring again during the week ending May 6 against an opponent from the 6th ranking tier. No doubt, there's going to be a lot of heavyweights looking over their shoulders during the months to come as Brody makes his way up the league's rankings.

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

MONDAY 9 APRIL 2007

It's On: Haynes agrees to
May matchup with Lampkin

Story by Michael Broughton

Although the International Boxing League has yet to make an official announcement world heavyweight champion Terone Haynes confirmed on Sunday evening that he would be stepping in the ring on Saturday the 26th of May against junior-heavyweight titlist Jeff Lampkin, most likely in Las Vegas. Haynes' words have surprised boxing fans and set off a stream of conversation on sports radio shows and internet chat sites, as it was only six days earlier when Lampkin himself had revealed that he'd "relish the opportunity" to take on the Miami native. At the time Lampkin had raised the possibility of such a fight as a consequence of Haynes' frustration over the fact that, following his two-round demolition of Peter Jackson on March 24, he would have to wait almost six months for his next fight under the rules of the IBL.

Haynes was interviewed by Brian Kenny last night on ESPN's SportsCenter, the same program and the same anchor Lampkin had spoken on and to last Monday. Over the course of the fifteen-minute sitdown Haynes recalled how he had been genuinely surprised by Lampkin's words and spent much of Tuesday pondering them. He called Lampkin and spoke to him directly on Wednesday, expressing his admiration for the Ohio slugger's courage and "balls". Before their conversation was over Haynes had given Lampkin his word that the fight would happen, the two men even going as far as discussing the possibility of connecting a charity aspect to it where they would donate their prize money to a worthy cause.

On Thursday Haynes contacted the IBL's Las Vegas offices and made it known that he and Lampkin had reached a verbal agreement to fight each other, and that it was now up to the league to "make it happen". Before the Lampkin situation came about Haynes had already received and accepted a simple "No" from league president James Molk in response to his request where he'd said that Texas-born Olympic gold medallist Jack Johnson should be given a shot at the world championship in June. Having put his disappointment to one side Lampkin's words had been akin to an answered prayer, although Haynes said last night that he's all too aware that some people are going to disagree with the fight going ahead.

"Abs'lutely," Haynes said, nodding. "Folks is gonna say it be a heavyweight verse a cruiser, and that be the truth. But you know, y'all, I watched all o' Jeff's IBL fights and some of his others from years back. The brother's a warrior, y'all, plain an' simp'. He fearless, an' he ain't gonna back down no matter what. I really respec' that, more than anythang. Might not las' long, but it gonna be en'ertainin' while it does."

Under the IBL's rules the stoush would be regarded as a non-title bout to be contested over twelve rounds. Of course, as Haynes intimated, the chances of it lasting the full distance are zero. In the article I wrote last week after Lampkin had made his intentions known I said that it would be a colossal mismatch, and even though I still believe it will be I have to admit the intrigue factor is going to be huge. Haynes has said he wants to do all he can to lift the status and popularity of boxing but I'm not sure that fighting Jeff Lampkin is the right way to go about that. If it does go ahead the IBL will come in for some criticism, simply over the fact that they aren't prepared to let Haynes defend his belt against Jack Johnson but have no problem with him beating up on a blown-up cruiserweight.

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

TUESDAY, 10 APRIL, 2007

BOXING WORLD ROCKED
BY DOUBLE MURDER

[PWillisTheMan]

If you were waiting for someone to whine about the suspense. I'll step up to the plate. Hopefully, I am not dead.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

Hopefully, I am not dead.

Well, you never know. It's likely that Mr Lyons made some enemies in his former profession...

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

TUESDAY, 10 APRIL, 2007

BOXING WORLD ROCKED
BY DOUBLE MURDER

Story by Larry Worthington

The world of boxing will have awoken this morning in a state of shock and disbelief following the Monday murders of former International Boxing Federation president Michael Jacobs and current International Boxing Organisation president and New Jersey-based promoter Robert Tattaglia. Former friends and business associates, the two men died within an hour of each other at different locations but in incidents that one would surely think are linked. According to law enforcement officials Jacobs was stabbed to death in a laundromat of Trenton's New Jersey State Prison, his body discovered at approximately 1.15pm. Jacobs was found lying in a pool of his own blood, possibly only a minute or so after the attack, having suffered a number of stab wounds to his stomach and chest.

The circumstances of Tattaglia's murder are much more suspicious, the 52 year-old's body found in a suite of the Ocean Tower at Caesars Atlantic City just before 2pm. Authorities have not disclosed the details of the homicide, aside from acknowledging that Mr. Tattaglia died from a gunshot wound to the head. He had been a guest at the hotel since Friday evening and investigators spent most of Monday afternoon and evening questioning hotel staff, guests and associates of the businessman. They have also viewed hotel security camera footage and will have already traced Tattaglia's recent movements. It was only seventeen days ago, on March 24, when Tattaglia had previously been in Atlantic City for his organisation's world lightweight championship bout between Joe Brown and Francisco Ortiz at the Boardwalk Hall.

It goes without saying that the passing of Jacobs and Tattaglia will bring great sorrow to their families and friends. Divorced ten years ago, Jacobs is survived by two daughters while Tattaglia had been married to his second wife Lucinda for fifteen years and leaves behind four children ranging in ages from twelve to twenty-nine. The two men's friendship started as a result of their involvement in boxing. Jacobs became president of the IBF in 1999 and within a couple of years Tattaglia and his New Jersey-based Boardwalk Promotions company was dealing almost exclusively with the federation, Tattaglia's fighters receiving favourable treatment by the organisation in regards to world rankings and title shots.

Tattaglia's reputed links with organised crime led to the stink of corruption surrounding the IBF for much of Jacobs' time in charge of it, but it was the man himself who engineered his own spectacular fall from his position atop the mountain. Last September Jacobs was found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison on charges relating to death threats made against Mexican featherweight Gilberto Vasquez in February and March of 2006. There had been a deal of speculation pointing to Tattaglia being involved but in court it was determined that Jacobs had acted entirely on his own. The incident severed their friendship, Jacobs appearing to believe that Tattaglia was going to "reach out" to his underworld friends to help him beat the charges.

Soon after the IBF announced plans to enter into a merger with the similarly-struggling World Boxing Organisation. The new entity would be known as the International Boxing Organisation and it came into being on January 1 with Tattaglia as its first president. Up until his death Tattaglia had been doing an admirable job in the position, securing the organisation's financial future when he entered into an investment deal with media mogul Michael Masterton in December. At the time Tattaglia had said the deal would secure "the future of the IBO above and beyond my own personal, financial involvement with the organisation." It's believed that Tattaglia was funneling substantial funds into the IBO from his own business interests, though whether this continues following his passing remains to be seen.

Tattaglia's death represents a huge blow to boxing in its quest to once again become a major international sport. Regardless of the mistakes he may have made in the past the man was truly passionate about the sweet science and along with International Boxing League president James Molk was unanimously regarded as one of its most important individuals going forward into the future. Tattaglia had spoken with Molk in Manhattan on March 26 in a meeting that led to speculation of a possible IBL-IBO merger, although at the time neither revealed the contents of their conversation. Now, just two weeks later the excitement boxing fans were feeling then has been replaced by sadness and despair.

There had been no word from the IBO yesterday as to who will succeed Tattaglia although one would think it's going to be either one of his deputies, former WBO president Juan Rodriguez or the man who briefly headed the IBF after Jacobs' incarceration, Larry Myers. It's probably the last thing on the minds of those who worked with and for the man during his all-too-brief time in charge of the sanctioning body. What will be of most importance over the course of the coming days is that the authorities mount a thorough investigation and find the perpetrators of this most heinous crime.

[Mad Bomber]

Great story. Terrible news.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Mad Bomber

Great story. Terrible news.

Thanks, Greg. Being entirely honest, I'm not even sure yet myself how the situation will pan out. But that makes it more intriguing, doesn't it?

[kenyan_cheena]

Coming up in TGPiS...

* Review of 11 April New York City IBL card featuring Mark Elwood and Elmer Ray

* Review of 12 April Los Angeles IBL card featuring Americas featherweight championship bout between Ruben Castillo and Raul Cruz, plus Jake Morrison in the co-feature

* Review of 13 April Toronto IBL card featuring Americas middleweight championship bout between Greg Gorecky and Frank Battaglia, with Eric Bengtson also in action

* Review of 14 April Nottingham IBL card featuring the Inter-Continental featherweight and middleweight championship bouts, with Charlie Beniston and Ian Lord defending their belts

* An update on the investigation into the Tattaglia and Jacobs murders

I haven't had a chance to sim any of those fight cards yet but should be able to get a couple done tomorrow morning Sydney time. So you can expect each card to appear one day apart during the next week.

I hope everyone is still enjoying the story I'm telling. Bit hard to tell as, a few threads aside, ItR has been pretty quiet lately. I'll still keep on chugging along, though.

k_c

[kenyan_cheena]

THE FREMONT TRIBUNE

THURSDAY 12 APRIL 2007

Elwood stretches
winning streak to three

Story by Richard Lee

Fremont junior-heavyweight boxer Mark Elwood ended 2006 in disasterous fashion, losing three consecutive bouts to tumble down the ladder of public perception. It was a terrible period for the 23 year-old, one that he has now firmly put behind him after recording his third win in as many 2007 outings last night in the Bronx, New York. Fighting on a card at the Paradise Theater Elwood floored the undefeated Nigerian Bash Ali three times on the way to a comfortable unanimous decision win (78-72, 79-71, 78-72). The victory improved Elwood's record to 14-3(10) and ensured that he'll be fighting for a spot in the IBL's 3rd world ranking tier when he next steps back in the ring against the Englishman Terry Dunstan at the end of May.

Ali provided a stern challenge for Elwood, bouncing back from a poor start to control the middle rounds and make it either man's fight to win entering the 6th. But that was when Elwood put his foot down, dominating the frame and dropping Ali with a barrage of punches for the first time in the fight moments before the bell. He floored the determined African again only fifteen seconds into the 7th, a single right cross doing the damage. Ali (5-1-1(2)) made it to his feet and bravely saw out the frame, only to taste the canvas for a third time a minute into round eight. He absorbed a pair of flush right hands before the contest reached its end, showing in defeat that he's one to keep an eye on in the future. Elwood landed 202 of 673 punches (30.0%), Ali 130 of 521 (25.0%).

In the evening's main event local middleweight favourite Davey Moore secured a June shot at a place in the 1st ranking tier with a 4th round TKO of Brazil's Mariano Ronaldo. Moore controlled the opening three rounds, cutting Ronaldo on the forehead in the 2nd. He then dropped him with a left hook early in round four. Ronaldo was up at seven but within moments the referee had halted the fight to lead him to a neutral corner, where the ringside doctor declared that he could not continue due to the severity of the cut. Moore is now 16-1(13), continuing an impressive winning streak that has reached four, all of them coming via stoppage. His only blemish was in his first league bout, which he surprisingly lost to the Canadian Donato Paduano.

Earlier in the evening the good week continued for Pensacola trainer Roy Jones, Monday's impressive win by welterweight Elford Coles followed by Olympic medallist Elmer Ray recording his third straight victory with an 8th round TKO of Zambia's Chisanda Mutti. However, it was anything but convincing as Ray produced an uneven performance, which was unexpected after his outstanding showing against David Haye in March. It was a dramatic affair with both fighters suffering cuts to their right eyebrow, Ray in round one and Mutti in the 8th. The wound Mutti sustained was enough to stop the bout within moments of it occuring, the doctor calling it off and Ray declared a relieved winner.

The St. Johns County native had made a fantastic start earlier, dominating the opening two rounds before Mutti rallied strongly to make it a real contest the rest of the way. Going into the final frame the stage was set for a drawn outcome, as one judge had it all tied up while the scorecards of the other two showed one-point margins for each fighter. Ray is now 9-2-1(7) and like Elwood will be gunning for a place in the 3rd tier next month. Joining them will be the promising Polish fighter Tomasz Adamek, who scored an upset majority decision win over Reno's Kelvin Davis. After being eliminated in stage one of the Americas tournament Davis had run off five wins in a row and was expected to extend that streak to six against Adamek. Unfortunately, he chose the worst possible time to make a sleepwalking start.

Davis more or less gift-wrapped the first three rounds to Adamek and while he fought his way back that headstart was too much to overcome, Adamek taking it by scores of 77-75, 76-76 and 77-75. The Pole improved to 5-0(3) and although he's made a great start in the 200-pound division has admitted that he could very well drop down to 175, where he feels more comfortable. Now 13-4(7), the loss was costly for Davis as he'll have to win his next two bouts just to get back into the 4th tier. It's another example of how tough and cut-throat it is in the world of the International Boxing League.

[Romdawg88]

Nice to see Elwood bounce back so nicely from that rough run he had. Gives me hope that my guy can hopefully do the same in the coming months. I'm really looking forward to Haynes vs Lampkin though I have to say even as a Florida boy I have to root for Lampkin. He's probably going to get destroyed but what a great story that would be if he found a way to win.

Really interesting stuff with the double murder, some fun stuff should come out of that as the story develops. Pretty surprised, you killed off Tattaglia he seemed to be in the middle of a bit of a face turn since becoming IBO president. Losing such an important figure is going to hurt the IBO might make that IBL/IBO merger far more likely.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Nice to see Elwood bounce back so nicely from that rough run he had. Gives me hope that my guy can hopefully do the same in the coming months. I'm really looking forward to Haynes vs Lampkin though I have to say even as a Florida boy I have to root for Lampkin. He's probably going to get destroyed but what a great story that would be if he found a way to win.

Really interesting stuff with the double murder, some fun stuff should come out of that as the story develops. Pretty surprised, you killed off Tattaglia he seemed to be in the middle of a bit of a face turn since becoming IBO president. Losing such an important figure is going to hurt the IBO might make that IBL/IBO merger far more likely.

I'm really happy with the way the Vistaman has fought back, also. It's a great story and if he can win his next fight he'll jump into the 3rd ranking tier. Needless to say, it's something that I am also really, really, really hoping happens with your fighter, also.

I am intrigued by what could happen in the Haynes/Lampkin fight. It's still incredible to me that JL managed to win the inaugural 200-pound title and then retain it against Belbouli. Like you said, Haynes should destroy him but he's proven to be a courageous guy so far. If T hadn't blown away Jackson so comprehensively it wouldn't be happening, so there was a bit of luck involved there. That one result paved the way for the storyline and the fight to become possible.

The idea of killing off Tattaglia actually came to me about two months ago, and I've literally changed my mind over whether to go ahead with it or not a dozen times since. One reason for it was the simple shock value of the unexpected. To be honest, I had hoped that after I posted just the big headline with no further detail it would bring about some discussion in the thread with posters wondering exactly "who" had died, but ItR has been pretty quiet lately and it didn't work out that way.

It's something that is really out of left field and must seem kind of crazy considering all the effort I have put into building Tattaglia up as a man who could be one of the real difference makers for boxing. But in that way I wanted to replicate shocking incidents that often happen in reality.

I won't go into any further detail now about the situation, save for saying it's going to end up being pretty juicy.

[kenyan_cheena]

LOS ANGELES DAILY MAIL

Friday, 13 April, 2007

Castillo's luck runs dry

Story by Frank Jackson

Los Angeles-based featherweight Ruben Castillo's streak of impressive but unexpected victories came to an end last night at the Staples Center when he was knocked out in the 5th round of his bout with Mexico's Raul Cruz. The loss was the first of Castillo's career, the Texas-born slugger also surrendering the IBL's Americas Championship which he was defending for the second time. Castillo had claimed the inaugural title back in December with an upset 11th round TKO of Cruz in Monterrey. Cruz had been the #1 seed in the championship tournament and so last night he earned some sweet revenge, the win even sweeter because it came in Castillo's own backyard.

It was an action-packed contest while it lasted, Castillo tasting the canvas two minutes into the 2nd and then for a final time at the forty-second mark of round five. It was a single crunching uppercut that finished the job. The defending champion took the opening frame convincingly, tagging Cruz with a series of scoring blows during its bottom half. After Cruz's success in round two the 3rd and 4th were both closer before the challenger brought an abrupt end to the evening in the 5th. Cruz landed 123 of 453 punches (27.2%), Castillo 118 of 283 (41.7%). The new champion improved to 16-3-1(8) while Castillo fell to 11-1-1(7).

Earlier on the card there were victories for middleweights Jake Morrison and Marvin Blanks, the duo positioning themselves for a possible jump into the top ranking tier come June. 14th-ranked Wisconsin native Morrison dropped the rugged Frenchman Robert Villemain twice on the way to a 7th round knockout win, upping his record to 11-2(11) with his second consecutive triumph. Villemain provided some stubborn resistance and actually had the better of round five. But he never looked close to winning, Morrison flooring him with a smashing hook two minutes into the 2nd before blitzing him with a breathtaking assault in round four and knocking him out cold with a right cross early in the 7th.

Oakland-born Blanks made a slow start against New Jersey's Ernie Vigh before assuming control in the 3rd and never looking back, going on to win by unanimous decision (98-92 on all three cards). Blanks enjoyed a big advantage in experience, the bout being his 34th but only the twelfth for Vigh. Blanks dropped him in in the 9th and outlanded the Carteret native by an almost 3:1 ratio, 379-137. Blanks had his greatest success behind a stiff jab that was constantly setting up combinations of four and five punches, the win improving his record to 28-6(19). Blanks has now recorded three wins in a row since suffering defeats in his first two league bouts.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Press
OF ATLANTIC CITY

Friday 13 April 2007

Jacobs spoke to lawyer
during week prior to murder

Story by Michael Ciferito

Former International Boxing Federation president Michael Jacobs had been visited by his lawyer James Goldstein twice within a four-day period in the week leading up to his murder by a fellow New Jersey State Prison inmate last Monday. Police in Trenton questioned Goldstein on Thursday in regards to the conversations, with the belief being that they could play a major role in determining a motive for the homicide. Speculation has already been rife, with a popular theory being that following the assault he suffered earlier in the year Jacobs was desperate to get out of Trenton and was going to "offer" some information to the authorities in exchange for a move to a less hostile environment.

Prison authorities were able to determine within twenty-four hours of the homicide that it was committed by Jamal Rodney, a native of Chicago who has been serving a life sentence for first-degree murder since 2001. Initial reports had said Jacobs sustained stab wounds to his stomach and chest but those have since been described as inaccurate, with investigators stating the injuries were restricted to a concentrated area at the left side of his stomach and accompanying ribcage. The attack took place in a prison laundromat and while being vicious and brutal it was almost certainly over in a matter of seconds, according to the investigating team.

While progress has been made in the Jacobs case the same cannot quite be said for the Tattaglia murder. Already grieving their loss the Tattaglia family has had to deal with the publicly exposed truth that the IBO president and New Jersey-based promoter was engaged in an extra-marital affair, as an investigation of the Caesars Atlantic City suite Tattaglia was murdered in has revealed evidence of such. It does appear that Tattaglia allowed the assailant into the suite, making it possible that they may have been known to him. Tattaglia died from a single gunshot wound to the head, most likely from a Glock 29 semi-automatic pistol. The position his body was found in indicated that he was blindsided by the shooter.

Since their deaths tributes have been pouring in for Tattaglia and, to a lesser extent, Jacobs, with International Boxing League president James Molk extending his sympathies to Tattaglia's family and saying in a prepared statement that the sport of boxing had lost one of its most "passionate and forward-thinking" individuals and that it is a blow that will be "difficult to recover from". Molk refelected on the one and only meeting he'd held with Tattaglia in Manhattan only two weeks prior to his passing, saying he'd found the man to be "amiable, intelligent, well-spoken and charming".

The IBO also released a statement signed by acting president Larry Myers in which the organisation's "deep sorrow and sadness" at the "senseless murder" of their "leader and driving force" was expressed. It also declared that they would be honoring Tattaglia's memory and the vision he had for the sanctioning body by "pressing ahead, business as usual" during the weeks and months to come. Aside from expressing his shock and sadness over the incident there's been no word from Chicago-based media mogul Michael Masterton. There are some observers who believe that with Tattaglia no longer involved he could very well pull his support for the IBO, which will be crucial to its future survival.

The investigations continue.

[kenyan_cheena]

TORONTO STAR

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2007

Gorecky keeps on rolling

Story by Geoff Neill

Scarborough middleweight boxer Greg Gorecky made a second successful defense of his International Boxing League Americas title last night, knocking out compatriot Frank Battaglia in the 7th round of their clash at the Maple Leaf Gardens. Battaglia came close to springing an upset when he dropped the champion with a flurry of blows midway through the 4th and then had him in terrible trouble for the rest of the frame. But that one round aside Gorecky was always in command and he showed that he is a class above Battaglia in what was a dominant effort. Gorecky established control in the opening three stanzas, sweeping them on each scorecard and actually coming close to putting Battaglia away in the opening round.

After the round four hiccup Gorecky went right back to work, having the better of the 5th before punishing Battaglia in round six and then putting him away with a highlight-reel left hook just over a minute into the 7th. It caught the Winnipeg native flush on the jaw and he was counted out at the 1:18 mark. The win improved Gorecky's record to 11-0(6) while Battaglia fell to 8-3(3), the loss his third in four outings. Gorecky connected with an impressive 248 of 510 punches (48.6%), Battaglia 108 of 536 (20.1%). Those numbers give a clear indication of Gorecky's offensive and defensive superiority.

It was a fight the Canadian public had been anticipating, one that could have occured in December as the tournament final and then again in February as Gorecky's first defense. In the end it didn't quite live up to the expectation of being an even tussle, Gorecky's brilliance simply too much for Battaglia to handle despite the knockdown he scored. Other winners on last night's card included Gene Armstrong, Eric Bengtson and the Jamaican Robert Brown. Armstrong took a comfortable unanimous decision verdict over Denmark's Tom Bogs to secure a shot at a place in the 160-pound division's top ranking tier, featherweight Robert Brown doing the same with a hard-earned split decision victory against Bruno Alves of Portugal.

Wisconsin welterweight Bengtson provided one of the highlights of the night when he knocked out the Nigerian Seyi Olofinjana in the opening round of their clash. Olofinjana tasted the canvas twice, once from a left hook at the two-minute mark and then after a brutal left-right salvo thirty seconds later. He was counted out at the 2:47 mark, Bengtson improving to 10-1-3(5) with his second consecutive win. He'll jump into the 4th ranking tier as a consequence and will be competing for a spot in the 3rd tier when he next steps back in the ring. As for the night's big star, Gorecky's third defense could be against the New Yorker Steve Belloise (10-1-2(5)) who defeated Ted Wright by a convincing 5th round TKO in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

[Jeff1787]

Great write-ups as we all have come to expect!! Hopefully my guy is on the comeback...Jeff

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

Great write-ups as we all have come to expect!! Hopefully my guy is on the comeback...Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. Your kind words are appreciated. That was a good win for Jakey over Villemain. Hopefully he can make the jump into the top tier.