Robinson: Modern Times

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Robinson Defends Schedule




Trainer George Gainford says he has tried to placate the young Robinson after he heard comments made by promoter Bob Arum.

It seemed he wasn't very successful in his attempts as Robinson went straight into it:

"What business is it of his? Bob Arum doesn't have fans like I have fans. Bob Arum didn't fight as an am all across the New York state with support from local fans.

Now I'm a champion who says I got to only fight 'big' fights?" What about my fans?

Gainford reminds Robinson he's in the gym to train not talk, which momentarily gets the fighter to bounce on his toes and loosen up.

"I'm gonna fight in every state before my career is through... not everyone watches boxing on TV, but if I fight in their town, or one nearby, maybe they'll come and watch me."

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Ray Robinson vs. Leavander Johnson - Round-by-round




Round 1

Robinson tears across the ring at the bell, he ignores the jab and sits down on his punches.
Johnson retreats under the barrage and tries to pick his moments. It doesn't work.
The constant blows force the challenger to stand and trade. His left eye balloons shut but he hears the bell to end the round.
Robinson 10-9


Round 2

Johnson drops to his knees as a right from Robinson connects.
He gets up but his body language tells the story - Robinson pounces and staggers him several times from heavy blows.
On more than one occasion referee Toby Gibson looked like stopping it, but didn't.
A left hook finishes off a stinging combination to put Johnson down and out.
Robinson 10-9

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Still Champion Sugar Ray Robinson




"The winner by knockout victory, the pride of Harlem and still IBF Lightweight champion of the world Sugar Ray Robinson."

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In the Ring with the Fight Doctor




Excellent performance Ray. Really incredible.

"Yes I'm very pleased. It was a good fight."

Was the plan to be so aggressive?

"That's right doc. I wanted to show that all fighters, regardless of level deserve respect."

Respect?

"Leavander Johnson is a great fighter. Otilio Villarreal is a great fighter. Lee Cargle is a great fighter. They are all my brothers and deserve respect."

Okay Ray. So you won the title in December, you defended it tonight two months later. When do you think you'll next be on Showtime?

"I'd like to be back for the spring."

Who would you like Ray?

"Gonzalez or Nazarov."

[CONN CHRIS]

I assume ranking ar edue soon. Did the Dec fight tick Gamache up much?

[bob_bask]

The Ring Ratings

For Period Ended February 25, 1994


LIGHTWEIGHTS
Weight limit: 135 pounds

1. RAY ROBINSON
Harlem, NY 23-0 (IBF Champ)
2. MIGUEL ANGEL GONZALEZ
Mexico 30-0 (WBC Champ)
3. ORZUBEK NAZAROV
Japan 19-0 (WBA Champ)
3. DINGAAN THOBELA
South Africa 29-1-1
4. FREDDIE PENDLETON
Miami, FL 35-18-4
5. SHARMBA MITCHELL
Takoma Pork, MD 30-0
6. DINGAAN THOBELA
South Africa 29-2-1
7. JOEY GAMACHE
Lewiston, ME 34-1
8. JEAN-BAPTISTE MENDY
France 45-4-2
9. MIGUEL JULIO
Colombia 24-2-1
10. LEAVANDER JOHNSON
Atlantic City, NJ 20-1-1


JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS
Weight Limit: 130 pounds

1. AZUMAH NELSON
Ghana 37-3-1
2. GENARO HERNANDEZ
Los Angeles, CA 30-0-1 (WBA Champ)
3. JOHN-JOHN MOLINA
Puerto Rico 34-3 (IBF Champ)
4. CALVIN GROVE
Coatesville, PA 45-5
5. GABE RUELAS
Adeta, CA 37-2
6. OSCAR DE LA HOYA
Montebello, CA 11-0
7. JIMMI BREDAHL
Denmark 17-0
8. VICTOR HUGO PAZ
Argentina 39-1-1
9. REGILIO TUUR
Whitestone, NY 33-3-1
10. MARCOS GUEVARA
Venezuela 21-2

[bob_bask]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

I assume ranking ar edue soon. Did the Dec fight tick Gamache up much?

Hadn't realised I'd not posted any since September - four months.

Gamache has moved up two places to 7th. But his January victory over Jeff Mayweather for the vacant NABF super lightweight title has him ranked with the WBC (5th) & WBA (3rd) at that weight.

IRL Gamache challenged Nazarov in December of 1994, so that is still a good possibility dependent on how Robinson moves for remainder of year.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by bob_bask

Hadn't realised I'd not posted any since September - four months.

I was trying to catch up to what you were doing, thanks - rankings always help!

[bob_bask]

Gonzalez Nelson Signed




WBC lightweight champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez and former WBC super featherweight champion Azumah Nelson have today announced they will meet on Friday 18th March at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Nelson who was not fought since losing his WBC crown to Sugar Ray Robinson in September said he felt it was time to move up to 135-pounds.

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Robinson Files Injuction




The IBF champion Sugar Ray Robinson has filed a preliminary injunction to de-sanction the March 18th contest between Gonzalez and Nelson.

Robinson has filed on the grounds that he was wrongly passed over to fight for the WBC title, a contest he says he is entitled to as mandatory challenger.

He also claims that after defeating Leavander Johnson, ranked second with the WBC, his position cannot be disputed as first in line for the championship.

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Ray Robinson KO 1 Anthony Boyle




Easton, Pennsylvania - A short but lively affair ended with a Robinson left hook keeping Boyle down at 2 minutes 57 seconds of the first round.

Boyle came out and started fast as he backed up the champion with his power punching, but once Robinson had his bearings he had Boyle hurt and before the fight crowd knew it - it was over.

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Robinson Injuction Upheld




Superior Court Judge Brian Delp has ruled that Sugar Ray Robinson's lawsuit must be settled before the Gonzalez-Nelson fight can proceed.

He refused to de-sanction the contest as a WBC title fight - the WBC contends that Gonzalez requested and was granted a voluntary defense as per their regulations.

Judge Delp dismissed this due to the lack of supporting evidence, but felt it was not within his jurisdiction to impose nor remove championship status on a contest.

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Ray Robinson KO 6 Lupe Pintor




New York, New York - That's right the Lupe Pintor, former 80's super bantamweight champion.

The 38-year-old who returned to the ring in January met Robinson, 20-years his junior at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York.

Robinson claimed afterwards it was a real honour to share the ring with Pintor, "When I found out Lupe was fighting again, I had to get him into the ring with me."

The contest itself, except for a clash of heads in the third lacked drama as Robinson respectfully stayed on the outside and his usual whirlwind attacks were absent.

In the sixth Robinson connected with a right that dropped Pintor for 9, and Robinson went for the kill - a three-punch combination putting Pintor down and truly out for the count and a long time after.

Robinson dismissed any notion of a mismatch, "Nobody else was offering and Lupe can earn more money with me than anybody else."

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De La Hoya Wins Title




Oscar De La Hoya won his first professional title with a 10th round knockout of WBO super featherweight champion Jimmi Bredahl.

Although the WBO does not have the prestige of the IBF, WBC or WBA - De La Hoya has provided himself with a stepping stone to fight for those crowns after his victory.

The bout was the first below the 130-pound weight limit for De La Hoya, who normally weighs between 135-140.

De La Hoya got $1 million for fighting Bredahl, half is expected to go towards buying himself out of the contract he had with his former managers.

[bob_bask]

Robinson Lawsuit Resolved




Sugar Ray Robinson, Don King, Miguel Angel Gonzalez and Azumah Nelson are all happy.

King's promotion will not lose a prominent card. Gonzalez and Nelson get to fight.

Under the agreement signed by all parties, Robinson is guaranteed the next title defense by the victor, be that either Gonzalez or Nelson.

To protect Robinson against future avoidance, a $2.5 million penalty has been written into the contract if the contest fails to materialise by December 31, 1994.

[Cap]

Hate to see Don King happy. Someone must've got scalped.

Cap

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Ray Robinson KO 3 Richard Thiele




Hartford, Connecticut - Robinson let loose from the off and opponent Richard Thiele was overwhelmed.

As Thiele tried to exchange with Robinson, his chin held up but his body didn't as one eye ballooned shut.

It should of been stopped in the second as Robinson did not relent, but the referee allowed the slaughter to continue until 1 minute 54 seconds into the 3rd round.

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Ray Robinson KO 2 Patrick Simeon




Chicago, Illinois - Robinson third contest in 14 days saw him start just with his jab and lots of movement.

Simeon only has one style so he stepped into the firing range and Robinson quickly granted him his desire. Simeon landed, but it was Robinson whose blows found the target more and had a greater impact.

The second Robinson pressed the action by not allowing Simeon to rest between his attacks and 2 minutes 13 seconds a Robinson four-punch combination put Simeon down for the count.

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Gonzalez - Nelson Draw!




"I know that I won," the 35-year-old Nelson said afterwards, "but the decision has been made and I will have to accept it."

Gonzalez who retained his title after the majority draw decision also said he believed he had won the fight, "Yes it was tougher than I thought, but I feel I did enough to keep my title."

It was the older fighter, Nelson who came out and took control of the early rounds, Gonzalez had some big rounds as neither man truly took over - but it did seem that it was Nelson who took all of the close rounds.

Judges Joe Santoro and Eugene Grant both scored it 114-114 while only judge John Wilson could pick a winner, scoring the contest 115-114 in Nelson's favour.

Promoter Don King said he would lobby the WBC for an immediate rematch at the post-fight press conference.

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Summary - March


HEAVYWEIGHTS

Herbie Hide KO 7 Michael Bentt
Oliver McCall KO 1 Dan Murphy
Larry Donald W 12 Jeremy Williams
Larry Holmes W 10 Garing Lane
Frank Bruno KO 1 Jesse Ferguson
Danell Nicholson W 10 Mark Young
Shannon Briggs KO 1 Jimmy Ellis

CRUSIERWEIGHTS

Orlin Norris W 12 Arthur Williams (Retains WBA Title)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Mike McCallum KO 5 Randall Yonker
Fabrice Tiozzo KO 7 Eddy Smulders

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

James Toney KO 4 Tim Littles (Retains IBF Title)
Steve Little W 12 Michael Nunn (Wins WBA Title)
Nigel Benn W 12 Henry Wharton (Retains WBC Title)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Gerald McClellan KO 1 Gilbert Baptist (Retains WBC Title)
Roy Jones KO 6 Danny Garcia (Non-Title Bout)
Julian Jackson W 10 Eduardo Ayala
Bernard Hopkins KO 3 Melvin Wynn
Reggie Johnson KO 1 Ramon Felix

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Julio Cesar Vasquez KO 2 Armand Picar (Retains WBA Title)
Gianfranco Rosi Tech. Draw 6 Vincent Pettway (Retains IBF Title)
Terry Norris KO 4 Armando Campas
Javier Castillejo KO 3 Santo Colombo

WELTERWEIGHTS

Yori Boy Campas KO 2 Jorge Vaca
Roger Mayweather KO 3 Cirilo Nino
Roger Mayweather W 10 Rod Sequenan
Greg Haugen KO 6 Ray Garcia

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS

Juan Coggi KO 3 Eder Gonzalez (Retains WBA Title)
Zack Padilla KO 4 Dwayne Swift
Rodney Moore KO 7 Pat Briceno

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Nazarov Olzubek W 12 Dingaan Thobela (Retains WBA Title)
Miguel Angel Gonzalez Draw Azumah Nelson (Retains WBC Title)
Ray Robinson KO 3 Richard Thiele
Ray Robinson KO 2 Patrick Simeon
Fabian Tejeda KO 5 Juan Carlos Cortez

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS

Oscar De La Hoya KO 10 Jimmi Bredahl

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Eloy Rojas KO 5 Seiji Asakawa (Retains WBA Title)
Steve Robinson KO 12 Paul Hodkinson

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS

Wilfredo Vasquez KO 1 Yuichi Kasai (Retains WBA Title)

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Orlando Canizales KO 4 Gerardo Martinez (Retains IBF Title)
Wayne McCullough KO 3 Mark Hargreaves
Paulie Ayala W 8 Javier Diaz
Tim Austin KO 2 Antonio Garris

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS

Marco Antonio Barrera KO 3 Justo Zuniga

STRAWWEIGHTS

Ratanapol Sow Voraphin W 12 Ronnie Magramo (Retains IBF Title)