The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

THE LONDON TIMES

Sunday 15 April 2007

ENCORE PERFORMANCE:
LORD RALLIES PAST TURPIN AGAIN,
RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP

Story by James Simpson

In a sequel that was almost as extraordinary as the original, IBL Inter-Continental middleweight champion Ian Lord produced a remarkable mid-fight rally to stop West Midlands rival Randy Turpin in round seven of their Nottingham Arena bout last night. Turpin had dominated the opening five rounds of the fight, cutting Lord under the left eye in the 1st and then dropping him with a crunching uppercut late in the 4th. He also dealt out some fierce punishment in rounds three and five, resulting in a lead of at least four points on all three cards entering the 6th. But with about twenty seconds remaining in round six Lord unleashed a left to the body that sent Turpin to the canvas. He was in obvious pain and only just beat the count before surviving the final seconds of the frame.

Turpin was clearly perturbed as he sat on his stool during the intermission and only eighteen seconds into round seven Lord connected with a left hook to the chin that finished the job and had the challenger out cold. Referee John Coyle counted Turpin out at the 0:29 mark to end an amazing fight. In their first meeting in mid-December Lord floored Turpin four times in the final two rounds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat and claim the inaugural championship by unanimous decision. Last night's win wasn't quite as dramatic but the fact that Lord was once again able to turn the tables on Turpin is incredible. The Coventry native was fighting some ninety kilometres away from his hometown but was strongly supported by the crowd, many of whom had made the journey north for the bout.

When it was all over Lord had landed 142 of 359 punches (39.6%), Turpin 168 of 472 (35.6%). Lord improved his perfect record to 13-0(7) while Turpin fell to 13-2(10), Lord the only opponent he's been unable to overcome in his career to date. Even so, if he can get himself back into a position to challenge for the title again the IBL would most likely allow it to go ahead. He's given Lord the two biggest tests of his career to date but determination and a champion's heart have defied him on each occasion. Lord has now scored three consecutive wins over fellow Englishman, having stopped Maurice Hope in eight rounds when first defending his belt in February.

While the night ended perfectly for Lord, it didn't for hometown hero Charlie Beniston. The 18 year-old fell to his first career defeat in dramatic circumstances as he was dethroned as the IBL's featherweight I-C champion by Thailand's Withaya Paholpat. Like the co-feature this fight ended in the 7th round, Beniston knocked out at the 2:22 mark after his second trip to the canvas. Most observers had said coming in that Beniston was facing the toughest opponent of his career to date and Paholpat's fantastic performance justified that belief as he dropped Beniston with a sizzling left-right combo early in round two and ended his title reign with a jolting right cross in round seven.

Since being knocked out in round one of his tournament quarter-final against Loris Stecca the Thailander had reeled off three straight wins, last night's victory extending the streak to four and upping his mark to 11-2(4). It must be said that Beniston was right in the fight going into the 7th as he had dominated rounds three and five and in fact almost put Paholpat away in the 5th, staggering him with a terrific uppercut in the final minute. Paholpat's greatest asset is his quick hands so it was a genuine surprise that he was able to knock out Beniston. His record of only four stoppages in eleven wins illustrates the unexpectedness of it. A number of experts have been talking the new champion up as a future world title contender and after last night's win it won't surprise me if he brings that to fruition.

The punch totals show that Beniston was the aggressor as he landed 146 of 710 blows (20.6%), Paholpat 123 of 484 (25.4%). Beniston (10-1(5)) was beyond distraught afterwards. For a young man who has not been shy in voicing his future ambitions this defeat will be a devastating one, despite the fact that his career is still in its infancy. He's spoken of fighting and defeating featherweight legend Jim Driscoll but for now that should be the farthest thing from his mind. His chance at a 2008 challenge for the IBL world championship is over and instead he'll have to concentrate on firstly keeping his place in the 3rd ranking tier and then pushing further up the standings as the rest of 2007 plays itself out.

[kenyan_cheena]

Mi Diario

Sunday 15 April 2007

LIGHTWEIGHT PHENOM
MAKES PRO DEBUT

Story by Jorge Mendieta

Former #1-world ranked amateur lightweight boxer Roberto Duran made his professional debut last night in Panama City, the hard-hitting 16 year-old Los Santos native scoring a 2nd round knockout of local fighter Luis Baloy. The bout was originally scheduled to take place in February against a different opponent but was delayed due to Duran suffering a shoulder injury while training. It was so anticipated that, despite the fact that it was not the evening's main event, a crowd of almost 20,000 were in attendance at the Rod Carew Stadium. After a cautious opening round Duran put his foot down in the 2nd, dropping Baloy twice. The referee counted him out at the 1:39 mark.

In an amateur career that only lasted ten months Duran captured gold medals at both the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia in late July and the November South American Games, which were held in Buenos Aires. His handlers announced in January that his amateur career was over and he'd be making his professional debut in February. The injury delayed it but only served to heighten the feeling of expectation. Amongst those at ringside last night were IBL competitors Hilario Zapata (current flyweight Americas champion) and two-time Olympic gold medallist Joe Gans (ranked #5 at middleweight).

There are many experts who have already confidently predicted that Duran will be a world champion within two years, but the teenager himself has shrugged off such talk and said after his debut that right now he is only worried about developing his skills and gaining experience as a professional. His trainer Rolando Velez reiterated his words from earlier in the week when he said that they'll be bringing Duran along slowly, with his next outing most likely to be in three or four weeks. Velez called the idea of Duran even fighting for a world title within two years "ludicrous", pointing to the young slugger's age and maturity.

[kenyan_cheena]

As far as the thread goes I'm now at the end of the third week of April's five-week IBL schedule. But in reality I haven't simmed all of the week three cards yet so that's something I need to get done before jumping into week four. In the meantime there's going to be a pair of "outside the ropes" articles during the next couple of days to keep things moving along.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Larry Holman Blog

Careers on the line in Los Angeles
Monday, April 16, 2007 | Print Entry

On Saturday night the Staples Center hosts an International Boxing League card where the careers of three of the heavyweight division's veterans will be at a gigantic crossroads. Sydney Olympics gold medallist and former WBO champion Ray Mercer, local favourite Mike Hunter and Ohio's three-time world title challenger Michael Dokes will all be in action against a trio of opponents who present a definite contrasting image. Mercer takes on Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt, Hunter squares off with Florida's Romy Alvarez and Dokes steps in the ring against former Americas champion Cheetah Brown. Between them Mundt, Alvarez and Brown have fought a total of 37 professional bouts which is, remarkably, less than Mercer, Hunter and Dokes have each contested individually.

Mercer celebrated his 36th birthday two weeks ago, while Dokes turns 35 in August. At 30 Hunter is the youngest of the trio, but he's racked up just as much mileage during his career. By comparison Alvarez (23) and Brown (20) are still as green as the grass and Mundt is a young 27, having made the jump into pugilism only a couple of years ago. This meeting of youth and experience, of the old and the new, figures to be an intriguing evening. The senior trio are all currently placed within the IBL's 2nd ranking tier and will not only be defending that status but also looking to secure a shot at a possible move into the elite 1st tier. It really is a do or die scenario for the three veterans as defeat will see them drop into the 3rd ranking tier, a plunge of at least ten positions.

At this, the wintertime of their careers, it's a setback they'd struggle to recover from. It's the moment that many observers have been waiting for since the start of IBL competition, as the league favoured the heavyweight veterans during the initial tournaments while setting the youngsters the task of working their way to the top. It's now time for both camps to put up, or shut up. Dokes' meeting with Brown is being recognised by the IBL as an official eliminator for the Americas championship, with the victor to challenge for the belt against the winner of Saturday's main event between titleholder Sam McVey and Indiana's Mike Hanson. Dokes has spoken of how thrilled he is to be taking on the young Tampa native, who emerged from the Americas tournament as the USA's premier young heavy before losing that crown to McVey in February.

It's been a pair of good luck incidents that have seen Mundt in this matchup with Mercer and in a position to vault into the 2nd tier. Ranked at #37 following an early-February win over Alfredo Evangelista he moved up a further place with the mid-March retirement of Frankie Goddard. The situation suddenly emerged where, if he was victorious in his March 22 clash with Fres Oquendo he would progress another ranking spot to #35, the bottom of the 3rd tier. South Africa's Pierre Coetzer blew the chance to take the position for himself when his bout against Frank Childs earlier that week had ended as a draw. Mundt didn't make the same mistake, pulverising Oquendo and stopping him inside of four rounds.

The Hebron-born slugger was actually given the option by the IBL to not go ahead with the Mercer bout, as it was scheduled to take place only four weeks after his defeat of Oquendo. Mundt had thought it was some kind of joke, saying that anyone who would turn down such an opportunity wouldn't be able to look in the mirror and call themselves a fighter. For Mercer it's a chance to move back into the world championship picture. After a dreadful performance against Sergey Anyukov in his IBL debut the Jacksonville native has recorded three straight wins over Gerrie Coetzee, Tyrell Biggs and Joe Bugner. While those names don't jump off the screen Mercer's performances in the bouts were solid and it will genuinely surprise me if he falls to Mundt.

Belle Glade's Romy Alvarez had made a promising 7-0 start to his professional career before hitting a wall in October's Americas Championship tournament semi-finals, where he dropped a razor-thin split decision verdict to Mike Weaver. His next outing was against McVey in December, the bout an official Americas title eliminator. Once again, Alvarez fell by split decision. It was a fight he seemingly had in the bag entering the last couple of rounds but McVey scored a vital knockdown in the 9th to steal the verdict. The Californian went on to claim the championship from Cheetah Brown in February while Alvarez fell further into the mire when he was blown away in one round by Mike Hanson on the same card. Once again, a win in that fight would have earned Alvarez a shot at the Americas belt.

Since then Alvarez has said that his only focus is on climbing the rankings and winning the world championship. Citing what he believes to be some bad voodoo he has told the IBL to remove his name from consideration for a future shot at the Americas title. "The Iceman" is quietly confident that his run of defeats will end on Saturday night against Hunter, who is 2-1-1 under the IBL banner. It's amazing to think how close Alvarez was to defeating both Weaver and McVey. A win in either bout would have set up a meeting with his fellow Florida heavyweight Brown, but the two have so far been ships passing in the night and could very well remain so for some time to come. While a loss won't have much effect on Alvarez's ranking it will certainly put a further dent into his confidence, which is something he'll be eager to avoid.

Hillier planning 168-pound championship tournament

Chicago-based promoter Tyrone Hillier has put his heavyweight-related problems behind him, announcing at a press conference last Friday that he is in the early stages of planning an eight-man double-elimination style tournament that would, by its conclusion, crown a unified WBA/WBC super-middleweight world champion. Those two belts are currently held by Michael Barrett and Fulgencio Obelmejias respectively. Obelmejias is promoted by Hillier and since the Venezuelan's domination of Bert Lytell in January Hillier had been attempting to arrange a unification bout between Barrett and Obelmejias. He's now given up on the idea as Barrett's camp have no intention of letting the Texan's first title defense be against the top 168-pounder in the sport.

Hillier said that any tournament would involve Obelmejias and Barrett as it's #1 and #2 seeds. Lytell is also promoted by Hillier and he would be a participant in the event. The Fresno native has said that his eventual goal is a return bout with Obelmejias and that's something he'll be able to attain during the tournament. Hillier also named former title challengers Ray Landis and Jamal Hammonds as possible entrants but scoffed when former middleweight champion James Toney was mentioned. The one name on the media's lips was, unsurprisingly, Mike McCallum. The former 154-pound world champion recently announced that he'll step back in the ring in May as a middleweight. Hillier would only say what everyone already knows, that the Jamaican has no interest in dealing with the sanctioning organisations.

On the surface Hillier appears to be on a winner. He lost his heavyweight meal ticket Brutus Brody to the IBL but in Obelmejias and Lytell still has two of the best fighters in the world. One would think that an eventual rematch between the two with both the WBA and WBC belts on the line would do huge business. One thing he'll have to make sure of is that the other participants are of a high quality in order to make it a competitive tournament. Needless to say, if he was to somehow snare McCallum it would be a huge achievement, one that would make even the IBL envious.

[Ian Lord]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

THE LONDON TIMES

Sunday 15 April 2007

ENCORE PERFORMANCE:
LORD RALLIES PAST TURPIN AGAIN,
RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP

Story by James Simpson

In a sequel that was almost as extraordinary as the original, IBL Inter-Continental middleweight champion Ian Lord produced a remarkable mid-fight rally to stop West Midlands rival Randy Turpin in round seven of their Nottingham Arena bout last night. Turpin had dominated the opening five rounds of the fight, cutting Lord under the left eye in the 1st and then dropping him with a crunching uppercut late in the 4th. He also dealt out some fierce punishment in rounds three and five, resulting in a lead of at least four points on all three cards entering the 6th. But with about twenty seconds remaining in round six Lord unleashed a left to the body that sent Turpin to the canvas. He was in obvious pain and only just beat the count before surviving the final seconds of the frame.

Turpin was clearly perturbed as he sat on his stool during the intermission and only eighteen seconds into round seven Lord connected with a left hook to the chin that finished the job and had the challenger out cold. Referee John Coyle counted Turpin out at the 0:29 mark to end an amazing fight. In their first meeting in mid-December Lord floored Turpin four times in the final two rounds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat and claim the inaugural championship by unanimous decision. Last night's win wasn't quite as dramatic but the fact that Lord was once again able to turn the tables on Turpin is incredible. The Coventry native was fighting some ninety kilometres away from his hometown but was strongly supported by the crowd, many of whom had made the journey north for the bout.

When it was all over Lord had landed 142 of 359 punches (39.6%), Turpin 168 of 472 (35.6%). Lord improved his perfect record to 13-0(7) while Turpin fell to 13-2(10), Lord the only opponent he's been unable to overcome in his career to date. Even so, if he can get himself back into a position to challenge for the title again the IBL would most likely allow it to go ahead. He's given Lord the two biggest tests of his career to date but determination and a champion's heart have defied him on each occasion. Lord has now scored three consecutive wins over fellow Englishman, having stopped Maurice Hope in eight rounds when first defending his belt in February.

While the night ended perfectly for Lord, it didn't for hometown hero Charlie Beniston. The 18 year-old fell to his first career defeat in dramatic circumstances as he was dethroned as the IBL's featherweight I-C champion by Thailand's Withaya Paholpat. Like the co-feature this fight ended in the 7th round, Beniston knocked out at the 2:22 mark after his second trip to the canvas. Most observers had said coming in that Beniston was facing the toughest opponent of his career to date and Paholpat's fantastic performance justified that belief as he dropped Beniston with a sizzling left-right combo early in round two and ended his title reign with a jolting right cross in round seven.

Since being knocked out in round one of his tournament quarter-final against Loris Stecca the Thailander had reeled off three straight wins, last night's victory extending the streak to four and upping his mark to 11-2(4). It must be said that Beniston was right in the fight going into the 7th as he had dominated rounds three and five and in fact almost put Paholpat away in the 5th, staggering him with a terrific uppercut in the final minute. Paholpat's greatest asset is his quick hands so it was a genuine surprise that he was able to knock out Beniston. His record of only four stoppages in eleven wins illustrates the unexpectedness of it. A number of experts have been talking the new champion up as a future world title contender and after last night's win it won't surprise me if he brings that to fruition.

The punch totals show that Beniston was the aggressor as he landed 146 of 710 blows (20.6%), Paholpat 123 of 484 (25.4%). Beniston (10-1(5)) was beyond distraught afterwards. For a young man who has not been shy in voicing his future ambitions this defeat will be a devastating one, despite the fact that his career is still in its infancy. He's spoken of fighting and defeating featherweight legend Jim Driscoll but for now that should be the farthest thing from his mind. His chance at a 2008 challenge for the IBL world championship is over and instead he'll have to concentrate on firstly keeping his place in the 3rd ranking tier and then pushing further up the standings as the rest of 2007 plays itself out.

Another victory over Turpin! I'm on a roll.

Excellent write-up as always KC.

[Marciano6]

wow haven't been on in awhile but got my comp fixed and I must say things are getting very interesting.

And now a word from Brutus Brody:

I think I fought a good fight ya know? I was nervous as hell and that usually ain't me. There was a lot of people and I wanted to impress. People always be askin' me why didn't I come to the IBL to start my career. I'm gone keep it 100 though, I saw those dollar signs and that was all I needed. I wasn't born with a silver or even a spoon in my mouth so I took what I could get man. My eyes are open now and Jimmy helped me with all that ish. Now i'm here in the IBL where the big boys are and it ain't gone be easy but mark these words.....I will be the world champion ya dig?.

And now a word from Frankie Galvano:

First of all i'd like to send my respects to Mr. T's family it's such a shame when such an influential and powerful man dies in such a violent and horrible way. He didn't deserve that and believe me we will find out who did it. This sport owes a lot to that man even if you press p****** and media junkies wanna believe it or not. I don't know when i'll be fighting next s*** has to be worked out. I'm 10-0 now and i'm gonna do what i gotta do and be who I gotta be undastand?

[Romdawg88]

Damn, another nice rally for Lord. You have to feel bad for Turpin to lose two fights late after dominating the first half. I badly need to beat Mike Hunter and beat the man big after these last three fights. Can't afford to lose the fight even if it won't badly affect my ranking. I know it won't happen but sign me up for Mike McCallum in that tourny. That thing would be amazing to follow if it had McCallum, Lytell, and Obelmejias in it. The lightweights of the world better enjoy there time in the sun now because when Duran hits the world stage it's over for them.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Ian Lord

Another victory over Turpin! I'm on a roll.

Excellent write-up as always KC.

It was another extraordinary win for Mr. Lord. I have a good feeling about his chances of earning a world title shot.

Originally Posted by Marciano6

wow haven't been on in awhile but got my comp fixed and I must say things are getting very interesting.

And now a word from Brutus Brody:

I think I fought a good fight ya know? I was nervous as hell and that usually ain't me. There was a lot of people and I wanted to impress. People always be askin' me why didn't I come to the IBL to start my career. I'm gone keep it 100 though, I saw those dollar signs and that was all I needed. I wasn't born with a silver or even a spoon in my mouth so I took what I could get man. My eyes are open now and Jimmy helped me with all that ish. Now i'm here in the IBL where the big boys are and it ain't gone be easy but mark these words.....I will be the world champion ya dig?.

And now a word from Frankie Galvano:

First of all i'd like to send my respects to Mr. T's family it's such a shame when such an influential and powerful man dies in such a violent and horrible way. He didn't deserve that and believe me we will find out who did it. This sport owes a lot to that man even if you press p****** and media junkies wanna believe it or not. I don't know when i'll be fighting next s*** has to be worked out. I'm 10-0 now and i'm gonna do what i gotta do and be who I gotta be undastand?

Great to see you back on the board, M6! I was actually starting to worry something had happened to ya. Next post is going to relate to Tattaglia, so Frankie might just have more reason to be pissed...

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, another nice rally for Lord. You have to feel bad for Turpin to lose two fights late after dominating the first half. I badly need to beat Mike Hunter and beat the man big after these last three fights. Can't afford to lose the fight even if it won't badly affect my ranking. I know it won't happen but sign me up for Mike McCallum in that tourny. That thing would be amazing to follow if it had McCallum, Lytell, and Obelmejias in it. The lightweights of the world better enjoy there time in the sun now because when Duran hits the world stage it's over for them.

I agree with everything you have said.

Some interesting times ahead in TGPiS, without a doubt.

[kenyan_cheena]

TheSweetScience.com

WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL 2007

IBO's future in doubt
following Tattaglia's death

Story by Lenny Blaylock

Only one week has passed since the shocking murders of IBO president Robert Tattaglia and former IBF president Michael Jacobs. Just seven short days. However, in that brief period of time the reputation of New Jersey-based Tattaglia has been torn to shreds following sordid revelations about his private life and information that suggests his relationship with organised crime in the garden state may have been a lot more involved than the public had been led to believe. Explosive claims by Jacobs' lawyer James Goldstein have pointed to Tattaglia funding his investment in the IBO almost entirely through various illegal vices, including prostitution and the drug trade. Jacobs had spoken to Goldstein twice during the week prior to his death in the New Jersey State Prison and the lawyer has revealed that, in exchange for protection and a terminated sentence, his client would have been prepared to testify in court against Tattaglia and his associates.

Jacobs had only informed Goldstein of his intentions two days before the murder and police are now certain that it's the one and only motive for the crime. Investigators have been unable to make a connection between the inmate who committed the homicide, Jamal Rodney - already a convicted killer - and the organised crime figures they believe Tattaglia may have been in business with. It indicates that Rodney was assigned the task of killing Jacobs by someone else "connected" within the facility. And so while the motive for Jacobs' murder is clear, the one for Tattaglia's is a little more muddy. One would have thought that, from the viewpoint of those who engineered it, "getting rid of" Jacobs would solve their problem, leaving them to continue going about their business without having to take care of Tattaglia, also.

52 year-old Tattaglia was laid to rest in the Rosedale Cemetery in Orange on Saturday. Understandably it's been a harrowing experience for the family he has left behind, in particular his wife Lucinda, who has had to endure the news that her husband had been engaged in at least a half-dozen affairs with high-class escorts in New Jersey, Las Vegas, New York and Philadelphia during the last couple of years. Of most importance to the sport of boxing has been the news that Chicago media baron Michael Masterton is considering withdrawing his support for the IBO in the wake of Tattaglia's death. Having said nothing in the first couple of days following the murders Masterton's office released a statement on Monday which said, in a nutshell, that he would be reviewing his involvement with the IBO once the official investigation into both Tattaglia's murder and business dealings has concluded.

Authorities have said there's a possibility that the assets of Tattaglia's estate may be frozen once the investigation is over. If this occurs, coupled with Masterton removing his stake, it would certainly spell the end of the International Boxing Organisation. A number of its contracted fighters have expressed their shock and dismay over the issue, with recently crowned lightweight world champion Francisco Ortiz making headlines when he said that if he'd known he was "fighting for a gangster" he would have never signed on with the IBO. A long-time rival of Tattaglia's in the promotional side of boxing, Chicago's Tyrone Hillier also caused a stir last Friday during a press conference to announce plans for a super-middleweight world championship tournament. When asked what his feelings were about Tattaglia's death, rather than express his sympathies to the man's family or his own sadness over the issue, he simply said:

"Well, you know what they say. You swim with sharks long enough, you gonna get bitten!"

While some have criticised his insensitivity, it must be said that he appears to have hit the nail right on the head.

[kenyan_cheena]

Coming up in TGPiS...

* 19 April: Zapata-Gonzales Americas FLY championship bout
* 20 April: Fuentes-Ebihara Inter-Continental FLY championship bout (Pancho Villa in co-feature)
* 21 April: Schmeling-de la Cruz Inter-Continental HW championship bout
* 22 April: Staples Center card, featuring McVey-Hanson for the Americas HW championship, plus Dokes-Brown, Hunter-Alvarez, Mercer-Mundt and LHW Steve Finley

[kenyan_cheena]

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday 19 April 2007

GONZALES STOPS ZAPATA,
WINS AMERICAS BELT

Story by Miguel Trelles

In a clash of two of the flyweight division's most exciting young fighters Humberto Gonzales claimed the IBL's Americas Championship last night with a dominant 10th round knockout of hometown hero Hilario Zapata in Panama City. Having won the title against Omar Narvaez in the December championship tournament final Zapata was defending it for the second time, retaining the belt in February with a victory over Isidro Perez. Gonzales secured his title shot with a win over South Africa's Zolani Tete, also during February. Zapata brought an undefeated record into the evening and was expected to keep it in tact against Gonzales, who had ended 2006 by suffering back-to-back 5th round KO defeats to both of the men Zapata had beaten in his previous title bouts.

However, once the contest entered round five the final outcome never seemed to be in doubt. The opening four stanzas had been close, tense affairs but when Gonzales floored the defending champion with a right cross two minutes into the 5th the fight turned in his favour. He pummeled a tiring Zapata in round six before dropping him for a second time with a left hook late in the 7th. After an uneventful round eight Gonzales went back to work, landing a succession of punishing blows in the 9th. The best amongst them was a crushing uppercut about a minute from the bell. The crowd had been a noisy presence in the contest all night long but even their resistance came to an end as Zapata trudged back to his corner wearing a defeated countenance.

Gonzales maintained control through the top half of round ten, cutting his man in half with a hard left to the ribs before staggering him with a winging right. As the frame entered its final minute a paralyzing blow to the midsection sent Zapata to the canvas for a third and final time, referee Guillermo Perez Pineda counting him out at the 2:12 mark, Gonzales the winner and new Americas champion. There had been rumours leading into the fight that Zapata had experienced a disrupted, lacklustre preparation. He was in attendance at ringside at the Rod Carew Stadium only four days earlier for the professional debut of Roberto Duran and according to some observers had been slightly more than "indulgent" with his consumption of alcohol.

Zapata (17-1-1(9)) made no excuses, though, conceeding that he'd been simply outfought by Gonzales (13-2-1(10)) and congratulating the 23 year-old on his fantastic performance. Gonzales held leads of seven, five and seven points entering round ten and landed 263 of 877 punches (30.0%). Zapata connected with 149 of 382 blows (39.0%), those numbers indicating the extent of the Ciudad Neza native's superior aggression and workrate. Gonzales expressed his relief at not only winning the title but simply being able to fight for it after he'd missed out on the opportunity with his losses to Narvaez and Perez. He's looking forward to a long and successful title reign, one that he hopes will earn him a shot at the world championship some time during 2008.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Manila Metro

FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2007

FAIRYTALE RUN ENDS FOR FUENTES

Story by Romeo Concepcion

The amazing streak of victories that Filipino flyweight boxer Piolo Fuentes recorded to unexpectedly claim the International Boxing League's inaugural Inter-Continental championship was one of the "feel good" stories to come out of the organisation's first year of life. Defying the odds just to make the tournament final Fuentes had to go 23 rounds with the much more experienced Swiss slugger Fritz Chervet to win the title. After a stirring fightback brought about a drawn verdict in their first meeting in Switzerland, Fuentes came back home to the Philippines and once again overcame an ordinary start before knocking out Chervet one minute into the 11th round. As I wrote here in this very newspaper following that February triumph, it was "an outcome that would be considered unlikely if written as fiction".

Unfortunately, all fairytales must eventually come to an end. And so it was last night at the Rizal Coliseum, where Fuentes suffered his first professional defeat and lost his championship to Japan's Hiroyuki Ebihara. As he has done throughout his short career to date Fuentes gave his all but was simply outclassed by Ebihara, who floored him three times on the way to a unanimous decision win (115-110, 116-109, 115-110). It was an action-packed, enthralling contest in which neither man took a backward step. Ebihara had earned his title shot with a victory over another Filipino, Erbito Salavarria, on the same February 22 evening that Fuentes had won the championship. In a crazy coincidence Ebihara and Salavarria had needed a rematch to decide who would receive the title challenge, as their original eliminator had also been a draw.

The signs were bad for Fuentes early when Ebihara sent him to one knee with a thudding blow to the ribs two minutes into the opening round. But the defending champion answered back brilliantly, punishing Ebihara in the 2nd and almost dropping him with a flush right to the forehead in the final minute. Fuentes had the better of rounds three and four also, completing a promising stretch which saw him sweep those three rounds on two scorecards. But Ebihara's retort was superior as he planted the 20 year-old Quezon City native on his backside with a jolting right cross thirty seconds from the end of the 5th. Little had happened in the frame but Fuentes appeared to be winning it so the knockdown was a real turning point.

Ebihara maintained control right through until round ten, despite some spirited resistance from Fuentes in a remarkable 7th and into the early stages of round eight. A left hook dropped the champ for a third time twenty seconds into the 10th, Ebihara almost finishing the job with another damaging right cross late in the stanza. By this time Fuentes was wearing some nasty swelling under both eyes, though it was more severe under the right. Despite that he actually finished the fight stronger, taking the 11th convincingly before the final round was a closer thing. Fuentes' late work only served to reduce the deficit. He'd given Ebihara too big a lead to be able to reel him in.

The large crowd applauded both men at the bout's conclusion, appreciative of the fantastic efforts they'd given. Ebihara landed 341 of 1,188 punches (28.7%), Fuentes 302 of 1,158 (26.1%). The vanquished champion was overwhelmed by his defeat, the conclusion of what has been an amazing ten months for him. He briefly broke down, tears streaming down his face. Fuentes has nothing to be ashamed of and in defeat simply showed once again that he'll be a force in the flyweight division going forward into the future. He fell to 9-1-2(6) while Ebihara improved his mark to 18-4-2(12) with the victory. If the situation arises where a rematch is possible the IBL would be crazy not to arrange it.

In the evening's co-feature Athens gold medallist Pancho Villa secured a shot at a place in the 1st ranking tier with a comfortable unanimous decision win over Mexico's Isidro Perez (96-93, 98-91, 96-94). It was Villa's third win in a row since losing his opening two IBL bouts and upped his record to 18-2(15). Perez challenged Hilario Zapata for the Americas title in his last outing in February and as was the case in that fight he never really looked like winning. 16th-ranked Villa landed more than twice as many punches as Perez (382-163) and was simply too quick, polished and classy for him to handle. Perez fell to 19-6-1(13) and will stay within the 3rd ranking tier as a consequence of the loss. On the other hand, Villa is only looking up and he could very well be entrenched in the flyweight top ten by the end of '07.

[kenyan_cheena]

Havelstadt-Brandenburg

SATURDAY 21 APRIL 2007

SCHMELING TESTED IN
LATEST TITLE DEFENSE

Story by Philipp Westermann

Last night Brandenburg heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling retained his IBL Inter-Continental championship for a second time with a unanimous decision victory over Filipino pocket rocket Juan de la Cruz (114-111, 115-111, 114-111). Schmeling was given not just the biggest test of his time with the league, but also the biggest of his career to date as de la Cruz proved to be a tough and determined opponent. It was only a pair of knockdowns late in the 4th and then another thirty seconds from the final bell that kept Schmeling's perfect record in tact. Those moments aside it was a very even contest, with two judges awarding de la Cruz six of the twelve rounds and the other giving him five. de la Cruz was the aggressor throughout and could have very well emerged as a surprise winner if he'd been able to stay on his feet.

Schmeling was remarkably accurate with his punches, landing 283 of 401 (70.6%) while de la Cruz connected with 277 of 747 (37.1%). The Filipino slugger's workrate and pressing style had Schmeling often covering up for extended periods or firing off punches while backpedalling. It was strange to see him being imposed upon by an opponent after the ease with which he had won the opening seventeen bouts of his career. No one has dominated Schmeling like de la Cruz did in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, where he found the target with a succession of flush power shots that brought a perturbed expression to the champion's face. But Schmeling showed with his devastating response late in round four why he is regarded by many as a future world champion. Thirty seconds before the first knockdown de la Cruz had connected with a hard right cross, having earlier stunned Schmeling with an uppercut and a left hook.

But a crunching uppercut from the champion abruptly dropped de la Cruz on his backside. He was up at three but twenty seconds later a rip to the body had him crouching in pain, down on one knee. He made it back to his feet moments before the bell sounded. Schmeling maintained the momentum through round five, cutting de la Cruz to the side of his right eye. The challenger had the better of a less eventful 6th before Schmeling dominated round seven, setting the tone early when he landed a pair of punishing combinations. However, de la Cruz had already illustrated what a dangerous opponent he is and when he took both the 8th and 9th in convincing fashion it was clear that Schmeling would have to finish the fight strongly to keep his belt. Rounds ten and eleven were quite close, a visibly tiring de la Cruz finding it more difficult to push forward. In hindsight a sustained effort throught that period might have won him the fight.

Early in the 12th the referee stopped the action, concerned about de la Cruz's cut. The ringside doctor inspected it and allowed the action to continue, Schmeling in control of the round and then putting the perfect exclamation point on his efforts by flooring de la Cruz for a third time only twenty seconds before the final bell. It was a huge right cross that did the damage, de la Cruz struggling to his feet at four. Schmeling appeared just as spent as his adversary and didn't seem too interested in trying to finish the job as the final seconds ticked away. Schmeling (now 18-0(13)) praised his 23 year-old Manila-born opponent afterwards, calling it the "most challenging fight" of his life and saying that de la Cruz (8-2(7)) certainly has the talent to go far in the heavyweight division. Like his compatriot, the flyweight Piolo Fuentes had done on Thursday night, de la Cruz showed in defeat to a more experienced fighter that his time is not far away.

[Romdawg88]

Tough loss for De La Cruz, always sucks to lose a fight just because you couldn't stay on your feet.

Wow, talk about slamming the breaks on the Tattaglia maybe isn't that bad of a guy train. Looks like the IBO is going to end up dead in the water which leads to an interesting situation for the IBL. That seems to be the most likely place for the IBO fighters to end up but what are they going to do with all the elite IBO fighters. Doesn't seem to make alot of sense to have all of them start from the bottom and work their way up, even though Feddie Steele had to, but then just throwing them into the top of the rankings seems kind of unfair to all the IBL guys. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out KC, you got great stuff going like usually.

[Marciano6]

Ya I didn't have access to a computer for awhile butttttt now i'm back to enjoy this fantastic journey again.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Tough loss for De La Cruz, always sucks to lose a fight just because you couldn't stay on your feet.

Wow, talk about slamming the breaks on the Tattaglia maybe isn't that bad of a guy train. Looks like the IBO is going to end up dead in the water which leads to an interesting situation for the IBL. That seems to be the most likely place for the IBO fighters to end up but what are they going to do with all the elite IBO fighters. Doesn't seem to make alot of sense to have all of them start from the bottom and work their way up, even though Feddie Steele had to, but then just throwing them into the top of the rankings seems kind of unfair to all the IBL guys. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out KC, you got great stuff going like usually.

Originally Posted by Marciano6

Ya I didn't have access to a computer for awhile butttttt now i'm back to enjoy this fantastic journey again.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Gonna try to get the review of the big Staples Center card posted tomorrow.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: April 22, 2007 10.15 AM ET

McVey obliterates Hanson,
retains championship

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

On a night when some of the heavyweight division's future superstars took a big step forward it was the one who is regarded as the best of their group who provided the ultimate highlight. Fighting in the main event of an IBL card at the Staples Center on Saturday night Oxnard's Sam McVey retained his Americas championship with a clinical decimation of Indiana's Mike Hanson. Following on from his 11th round TKO of Cheetah Brown in February where he claimed the title, McVey floored Hanson twice on the way to a comprehensive 6th round stoppage. Most observers had expected it to be an intriguing matchup but it turned out to be a mismatch, the not-especially-mobile Hanson being overwhelmed by McVey's speed and aggression throughout the contest.

Hanson stepped into the ring full of confidence after his sensational 1st round KO of Romy Alvarez on the same card on which McVey had defeated Brown, but by the end of round two it was clear that he wouldn't be able to produce the same effort against the defending champion and hometown favourite. With the exception of round four, the only time when Hanson appeared to have a chance was during the opening minute of the 1st when he rocked McVey with a left-right salvo. But by the time the round was over the momentum was entirely with McVey as he found the mark with a pair of flush right crosses and a four-punch combo that snapped the challenger's head back and put him on his heels. Round two was even more emphatic, McVey landing a succession of shots and seemingly using his bigger, slower opponent as a punching bag.

Little was happening in the 3rd until McVey unleashed a left hook midway through which dropped Hanson for the first time in his career. He was up at four but, surprisingly, McVey didn't go for the jugular, simply keeping Hanson at a distance for the remainder of the frame. For most of the 4th Hanson held his own and looked to be finally getting into the fight, especially when he had McVey reeling after a left hook about a minute from the bell. But during those last sixty seconds McVey stole the round with a flurry of activity, the pick of his work being a left-right salvo that sent a spray of sweat from Hanson's shaven pate. When the champion dominated the 5th the end appeared near. If Hanson proved one thing in the fight it's that he has an outstanding chin. He absorbed some absolute haymakers in round five and kept on coming at McVey, futile as his efforts were.

A sizzling right cross put Hanson on his backside thirty seconds into the 6th. He was up at three, wearing a resigned smile as he moved in to take more punishment. This time McVey was ruthless in his execution. He nearly chopped Hanson in half with two seperate left hooks to the body, also landing a left hook and a pair of penetrating jabs to the head. When he had Hanson trapped in a corner and unloaded a good half-dozen flush, unanswered blows referee Mark Nelson had seen enough and jumped in to end it, McVey the winner by TKO at 1:48 of round six. His support team flooded the ring to celebrate with him, amongst them fellow Californian heavyweights Ken Norton and Jack Johnson. Amazingly, McVey outlanded Hanson by a ratio of almost 5:1. He connected with 228 of 504 punches (45.2%), Hanson 46 of 104 (44.2%).

McVey is now 12-1(8) while Hanson fell to 10-2(8), his only other loss coming against the man who inflicted McVey's sole defeat, former champion Cheetah Brown. Hanson accepted the outcome with good humour, saying that McVey was "too awesome" for him to handle and joking that he was amazed he lasted as long as he did. McVey was gracious in victory, praising Hanson's punching power and revealing that it was the fear of catching one of those "killer bombs that took out Alvarez" which led to him being so active and aggressive. The win has set up what will be an eagerly anticipated rubber match between McVey and Brown after the Tampa native made mince meat of former world title challenger Michael Dokes in the evening's co-feature. The bout was an official eliminator for the Americas championship, Brown scoring a 4th round TKO to earn a chance to regain his crown.

The Brown-Dokes bout was the third of three heavyweight clashes on the evening matching seasoned veterans against up-and-coming youngsters. The final scorecard was a comprehensive 3-0 whitewash for the junior sluggers. Florida Alliance member Romy Alvarez kicked things off with a unanimous decision win over hometown hero Mike Hunter before Connecticut-born German Scott Mundt achieved the same against Ray Mercer, although in much tougher fashion. There had been a lot of support for Dokes coming into the evening, much like when he took on Ken Norton in the world championship tournament last June. But the Ohio native's age and ring mileage really showed against Brown, the youngster inflicting a terrible beating before dropping him late in the 4th. Dokes was up at six but when Brown landed a huge straight right moments later the referee waived the contest over, five sconds before the bell.

One would think that the loss has ended the already slim chance Dokes had of climbing into the upper reaches of the heavyweight rankings, but whether he's ready to hang up the gloves is another thing entirely. He wore a smile from ear to ear afterwards, congratulating Brown and saying what an honor it was to step in the ring with one of the sport's "young aces". Dokes called Brown (11-1(9)) a "future world champion" and added that he wanted to keep on fighting, despite the severity of his defeat. His record is now 35-9-2(24), the loss his third in five IBL bouts. McVey and Brown first clashed in the October semis of the Americas tournament, Brown taking a unanimous decision verdict and going on to claim the title with a 3rd round stoppage of Mike Weaver. On the same night McVey earned a rematch with his split decision win over Alvarez and then made the most of it in that February meeting.

Alvarez was superb in pitching a near shutout and breaking a disheartening three-fight losing streak. He always appeared to be in control against a listless Hunter (33-8-3(23)) and took the verdict by scores of 98-92, 100-90 and 99-91. He outlanded Hunter 334-118, that superb jab of his opening up a cut under his opponent's left eye late in round seven and keeping him in the grip of frustration for most of the fight. Alvarez improved to 8-3(4), the victory his first since he overcame Fres Oquendo in the quarter-finals of the Americas Championship tournament last August. That win had been followed by a couple of heartbreaking split decision defeats to Mike Weaver and McVey before the devastating KO loss to Hanson in February. When Alvarez was announced as the victor last night he closed his eyes and pointed his right hand to the heavens, nodding with relief as his fellow stablemates congratulated him.

When the IBL's tournaments commenced Alvarez was considered one of the most promising young fighters taking part in them. Understandably his trio of defeats dampened that belief but last night's victory has definitely stopped the bleeding and set up a June meeting with Russia's former WBA champion Sergey Anyukov. Mundt's victory over Mercer seemed an unlikely thing after the Jacksonville native cut him, dropped him and then almost finished him off in the opening round. A hard left opened the cut over Mundt's right eye thirty seconds in before a perfect uppercut floored him midway through the frame. Mercer's follow-up assault had the referee poised to step in as the final seconds ticked away. Luckily for Mundt he didn't, as the Hebron-born 27 year-old established control with a fantastic 2nd round retort and outfought Mercer through most of the remaining rounds to take a 96-93, 97-93, 96-93 verdict.

Mundt is now an impressive 15-2(10) and has recorded three straight wins to start '07, last losing to the Samoan Kalolo Umaga by a freakish final round TKO in December. Like Alvarez, Mundt has secured himself a 2nd tier ranking and a lucrative June clash with one of the top-ranked heavyweights. Having already bested one Olympic Champion in Mercer he'll be facing another one next in the shape of the undefeated Jack Johnson. Alvarez and Mundt will both go into those fights as heavy underdogs but they'll really have absolutely nothing to lose and if they take that attitude with them it can only strengthen their chances. As for Mercer, the defeat will be a difficult one to overcome. After losing to Anyukov in the world championship tournament he'd worked his way up to #12 in the rankings with three consecutive wins and only needed to get past Mundt to secure a shot at a spot in the top ranking tier. That dream is now over, and with it could be his career.

Earlier on last night's card Virginia light-heavyweight Steve Finley ran his winning streak to six with a unanimous decision nod over Italy's Piero Del Papa (79-73, 80-72, 78-74). It was a must-win fight for Finley as he was defending his #36 ranking and looking to secure a shot at a place in the 3rd ranking tier. The 21 year-old suffered a considerable setback when, as the #1 seed, he was defeated in the opening stage of the Americas tournament. It was his first IBL bout and since then he's had to run off that succession of wins just to get in a position to make the jump into the 3rd tier. Now 14-1(10), Finley looks set to make a run for the upper rankings of the 175-pound division through the bottom half of '07.

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

[Romdawg88]

Whats this winning thing I just did? Had forgotten what that felt like. Nice, to end up back in the winners column but man Sergey Anyukov is going to be a tough test. Hopefully, I get crappy Sergey from the Johnson/Haynes fights and not good Sergey from the Ike fight. Brown/McVey III should be good times.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

There was another important heavyweight bout on last night's undercard in which American-born German Scott Mundt looked fantastic in dismantling Puerto Rico's Fres Oquendo inside of four rounds. Mundt dominated the 1st and 2nd and, after a closer 3rd, piled on the pressure in round four. A flurry of punches late in the stanza had Oquendo face down on the canvas, where he remained for the full count. Not only did Mundt improve his record to 14-2(10), he also clinched the #35 world ranking and a big-time clash with 12th-ranked Sydney Olympics gold medallist Ray Mercer in four weeks.

Yikes, Merciless Ray is next. Sorry tthat I didn't see this earlier Dan - It's been a hectic summer!

Many thanks

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Mundt's victory over Mercer seemed an unlikely thing after the Jacksonville native cut him, dropped him and then almost finished him off in the opening round. A hard left opened the cut over Mundt's right eye thirty seconds in before a perfect uppercut floored him midway through the frame. Mercer's follow-up assault had the referee poised to step in as the final seconds ticked away. Luckily for Mundt he didn't, as the Hebron-born 27 year-old established control with a fantastic 2nd round retort and outfought Mercer through most of the remaining rounds to take a 96-93, 97-93, 96-93 verdict.

Mundt is now an impressive 15-2(10) and has recorded three straight wins to start '07, last losing to the Samoan Kalolo Umaga by a freakish final round TKO in December. Like Alvarez, Mundt has secured himself a 2nd tier ranking and a lucrative June clash with one of the top-ranked heavyweights. Having already bested one Olympic Champion in Mercer he'll be facing another one next in the shape of the undefeated Jack Johnson. Alvarez and Mundt will both go into those fights as heavy underdogs but they'll really have absolutely nothing to lose and if they take that attitude with them it can only strengthen their chances. As for Mercer, the defeat will be a difficult one to overcome. After losing to Anyukov in the world championship tournament he'd worked his way up to #12 in the rankings with three consecutive wins and only needed to get past Mundt to secure a shot at a spot in the top ranking tier. That dream is now over, and with it could be his career.

... and down goes Mercer.