The Greatest Prize in Sports

[kenyan_cheena]

BOXING
MONTHLY

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 10 - OCTOBER 2006

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

4 October: Saitama, Japan
Yoko Gushiken (9-0-1(7)) UD6 James McKenzie (5-1(4))
(IBL flyweight division)

Japanese pocket-rocket Gushiken had experienced a disrupted preparation for his third IBL bout but that didn't stop him from scoring a dominant win over the durable Englishman McKenzie. Gushiken controlled every round save for the 3rd and dropped McKenzie with a flurry of punches one minute from the final bell. He landed exactly three times as many punches as McKenzie (189-63) and averaged over 100 punches thrown per round. It's been obvious throughout the first ten fights of the 21 year-old Olympic bronze medallist's pro career that he's a special talent and it will be fascinating to watch him move up the rankings of the IBL's flyweight class.

7 October: Los Angeles, California, USA
Fred Boatwright (5-0-1(1)) UD6 Eddie Bodell (5-2(3))
(middleweight division)

In a more convincing performance than in his last outing back in August, Boatwright recorded a comfortable unanimous decision victory over Oakland's Eddie Bodell. Although still quite cautious he appeared more willing to press the action and be the aggressor than at any time in his career prior to this fight. This change in his attitude can only be a good thing for his future prospects and was apprently the result of a heated argument with his brother. Hopefully he'll maintain the same mindset in his next bout, because Boatwright already possesses a fantastic defense and if he can compliment that with a potent offense he'll be one to keep an eye on.

7 October: New York, New York, USA
Frank Galvano (5-0(4)) TKO2 Mickey Larson (4-2(2))
(middleweight division)

After displaying an uncharacteristically patient attitude in his last outing "Frankie" Galvano returned to what he does best this month in a two-round decimation of the overmatched Jersey City native Mickey Larson. Galvano cut his man under the right eye in round one and sent him to the canvas early in the 2nd. The bout was stopped midway through the frame with Larson trapped in a corner having absorbed a dozen unanswered shots, the referee saving him from harm just as he started slumping down the ropes. Galvano has been a sought-after commodity with the IBL and Chicago promoter Tyrone Hillier both trying to snare his signature. However, it was reported towards the end of the month that the 22 year-old has signed a contract with New Jersey-based promoter and future IBO president Robert Tattaglia.

10 October: Laredo, Texas, USA
Carmelo Aleman (5-0-1(4)) UD6 Vic Foley (23-6-2(17))
(IBL bantamweight division)

Aleman bounced back after his elimination from the IBL's Americas Championship tournament to take a unanimous decision win over Canada's Vic Foley (59-55 on all three cards). Aleman really has been thrown into the deep end during his time in the league but he remains undefeated despite going up against three opponents with a total of 55 wins between them. Foley was a willing opponent but Aleman simply pounded him into submission with a relentless assault that saw him sweep the first four rounds on all three cards. He landed 189 of 535 punches (35.3%), Foley 125 of 283 (44.2%). In particular Aleman's left hook and right cross were damaging weapons, Foley eating a bunch of them throughout the contest. Based on what he's shown at the start of his career it would seem only a matter of time until Aleman is wearing the Americas title belt around his waist.

10 October: Laredo, Texas, USA
Paulie Ayala (15-0-1(11)) MD6 Manuel Armenteros (11-3-1(7))
(IBL bantamweight division)

In a competitive fight Fort Worth native Paulie Ayala turned back the challenge of Cuba's Manuel Armenteros to take a majority decision verdict on the undercard of the IBL's Americas tournament semi-finals. Armenteros worked his backside off, throwing an average of 105 punches per round compared to Ayala's 38. The problem was that the Cuban barely landed any of them. He connected at a shocking rate of 17.3%, Ayala outlanding him 144-109 and finding the mark with two of every three punches he threw. Ayala has never really been lauded for his defensive ability but against Armenteros it was outstanding. The Athens Olympian is happy with the progress he's making in the IBL, saying that he is looking forward to 2007 as being the year when he makes his mark on the professional ranks.

14 October: Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Eddie Perkins (34-2(24)) TKO8 Michael Pattinson (26-2-2(17))
(junior-welterweight division, WBA title fight)

Back in action for the first time since holding onto his title by the skin of his teeth in April against Marvyn Rollins, Perkins' camp decided on a safer option for his next defense in the shape of Louisville's Michael Pattinson. The bout was held in Perkins' hometown of Clarksdale. With barely a significant win on his resume Pattinson had somehow made his way into the WBA's top ten and Perkins was far too experienced for him to handle. Pattinson's right eye was both cut and badly swollen by the end of the 7th and after Perkins targeted it with a series of power shots early in the 8th the referee had seen enough and ended the fight. With four alphabet champions in the division there have been calls for a tournament to crown a true junior-welterweight king but at the moment IBF titlist Bruno Arcari is the only one who likes the idea.

14 October: Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Pernell Whitaker (15-0(10)) UD10 Raul Martinez (23-4-1(16))
(lightweight division)

Fighting on the undercard of Perkins' title defense Olympic gold medallist Whitaker was in fantastic form against the tough but slow Mexican Raul Martinez. It was the first ten-rounder of Whitaker's career and he had no trouble lasting the distance to take a 98-92,99-92, 98-92 verdict. He peppered Martinez throughout with his lighting-fast fists, landing almost 300 punches and bringing some nasty swelling to the Mexican's right eye. It was reported before the end of the month that Whitaker's promoter has secured him a shot at the vacant NABF lightweight title, the bout likely to take place in mid-December. There's little doubt that Whitaker will walk away with the belt, even though his opponent is yet to be confirmed.

18 October: London, England
Jimmy Fulton (22-1-1(18)) MD6 Tsuyoshi Hamada (4-0-1(2))
(IBL welterweight division)

In his first outing under the IBL banner hometown favourite Fulton found a lot more resistance than he expected from Japan's Tsuyoshi Hamada. The opening four rounds were very competitive and Hamada actually led on one card heading into the 5th with the other two judges having it even. Fulton was able to finish the bout with a convincing final two frames, which was enough to secure the win, his 23rd. Fulton suffered his first career defeat in a challenge for Bruno Arcari's IBF junior-welterweight strap back in June. Despite that the IBL signed the 22 year-old to a three-year contract a couple of weeks later, Fulton making the move to the welterweight division. He said after the win over Hamada that it feels like he's "starting over" with his career and is excited about his future in the IBL.

20 October: New York, New York, USA
Felix Trinidad (7-0(6)) TKO4 Hector Lopez (5-2-1(3))
(junior-welterweight division)

Fighting in the opening prelim on ESPN's Friday Night Fights Puerto Rican talent Felix Trinidad produced a polished, patient display in dispatching Mexico's Hector Lopez. Trinidad floored his opponent once in the 2nd and then twice in round four, the referee waving off the contest immediately after the second knockdown. Always in command, Trinidad was matched against Lopez simply to look good and that's exactly what happened. Since making his professional debut in February the former amateur standout has reeled off eight wins with little difficulty. No doubt his team (headed by his father Felix Sr.) will keep him on this path for some time yet before putting him in with tougher competition.

21 October: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Brutus Brody (8-0(8)) KO2 Stevie Williams (12-2-1(8))
(heavyweight division)

Having obliterated promising Cleveland native Eric James last month in Detroit, Brutus Brody travelled south to take on Atlanta's Stevie Williams in his own backyard and destroyed him within five minutes of the opening bell. After catching Williams with some sledgehammer shots in the 1st Brody turned out his lights with a piledriving right hand thirty seconds into round two. The punch landed flush on Williams' chin and dropped him like a sniper's bullet, silencing the crowd at the Georgia International Convention Center. In his nine professional bouts to date Brody is yet to be taken into round four and has only seen the 3rd round on one occasion. It's pleasantly surprising to see his promoter Tyrone Hillier putting him in against a pair of prospects in his last two outings, although it might be enough to encourage others to steer clear of him.

21 October: San Francisco, California, USA
John Fehner (2-0(2)) KO3 James Harrington (5-3-1(2))
(heavyweight division)

2006 has been the year of the promising American heavyweight and it appears that the name John Fehner can be added to that list. The 19 year-old San Francisco-born southpaw made his pro debut in early September and in the space of seven weeks has recorded three knockout wins, all coming from a left hook that has got Californian boxing observers excited. The punch brought the crowd to their feet as one when he planted it flush on Harrington's chin a minute into the 3rd frame of their clash. The Seattle native didn't move for the duration of the count and was out cold for some five minutes after the bout ended. Of mixed European and Native American heritage Fehner has already earned himself a small but dedicated fanclub in San Francisco outside the circle of his family and friends. All three of his bouts have been held in the Bay Area and it's likely that he'll continue to fight there during the coming momths.

28 October: Cardiff, Wales
Jim Driscoll (35-1-2(27)) KO8 Matthew Davidson (31-3-1(22))
(featherweight division, WBA/WBC title fight)

Outstanding Welshman Jim Driscoll defended both his WBA and WBC belts against an opponent who he had defeated in something of a controversial bout back in 2004. England's Matthew Davidson had reeled off seven straight victories since then and was expected to give Driscoll one of his toughest fights in some time. It didn't work out that way as the champion showed why he's regarded as one of the top five best pound-for-pounders in the world. He broke Davidson down over the course of the first seven rounds and then finished him off with a merciless assault in the 8th. A quartet of penetrating jabs had the Englishman backpedalling before a flush left hook put him on his backside. He failed to beat the count, the fight over at the 1:43 mark. It was said back in June that current WBA junior-featherweight champion Sergio Palma was considering moving up to featherweight and challenging Driscoll. That's a matchup that has "2007 Fight of the Year" written all over it.

[Crimson]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

7 October: Los Angeles, California, USA
Fred Boatwright (5-0-1(1)) UD6 Eddie Bodell (5-2(3))
(middleweight division)

In a more convincing performance than in his last outing back in August, Boatwright recorded a comfortable unanimous decision victory over Oakland's Eddie Bodell. Although still quite cautious he appeared more willing to press the action and be the aggressor than at any time in his career prior to this fight. This change in his attitude can only be a good thing for his future prospects and was apprently the result of a heated argument with his brother. Hopefully he'll maintain the same mindset in his next bout, because Boatwright already possesses a fantastic defense and if he can compliment that with a potent offense he'll be one to keep an eye on.

"I want that East Coast bum Frank Galvernier, or Gulvana, or.....whatever it is! I'm the best middle weight prospect there is! I'll school that boy!!!!"
- Fred Boatwright after his latest win.

Fred "Boogie" Boatwright in action!

[kenyan_cheena]

Hv strtd on WBR Octbr. Mgt tk a dy r 2oo.

[kenyan_cheena]

WORLD BOXING REVIEW

v. 52 / e. 10

OCTOBER 2006

(following are selected entries from the magazine's "Notes & Quotes" section)

***

Wednesday 04/10/06

"People been askin' me why I'm turnin' pro. They're sayin' "You could be an Olympic champ", "You could win a gold medal". That'd be real nice, I guess, but at this point in my life, with my family situation, it ain't even close to bein' a priority. My mother's sick and it's gonna take money to make her better. Simple as that. Could say the decision been taken out o' my hands, but I ain't complainin'."

Ohio-based amateur heavyweight Earnie Shavers speaks about his decision to turn his back on a likely spot on the Beijing Olympics team and join the professional ranks. The 22 year-old's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September and Shavers intends to use his professional winnings to fund her treatment.

***

Friday 06/10/06

"When I woke up Wednesday mornin' it was like, for a second, thought it had all been a bad dream. Thought I'd only dreamnt that Cheetah Brown had beaten me. But then it all came crashin' down an' I jus' spent the day lyin' around or starin' out the window like some kind o' zombie. See, I never even con'emplated losin' that fight. Defeat didn't even enter my mind and when I stepped in the ring I felt invincible. I fully expected to kick his ass and then go on and claim the title in December. But life does these kind o' things to ya, man. Life hits hard and this loss has given me a big wake up call. I'm gonna have to get stronger, more disciplined, tighter. This Alvarez cat's gonna be just as hungry as me when he step in that ring and I'll jus' have to be harder than him to prevail."

Oxnard heavyweight Sam McVey discusses the deep disappointment he felt after falling to his first professional defeat at the hands of Florida's Cheetah Brown on October 3. McVey was favoured to claim the IBL's Americas Championship title but dropped a unanimous decision to Brown in the tournament semi-finals. He'll next take on another talented Florida fighter in Romy Alvarez, the bout to be an eliminator for a shot at the Americas title.

***

Sunday 08/10/06

"I don't care about the circumstances that have brought them together, okay? All that matters is that they're talking about a merger and that can only be a good thing for the sport. One less sanctioning organisation is something we could have only wished or prayed for a couple years ago but now it's close to being a reality. And the truth is, in large part we have the IBL to thank for it. They've really pushed these alphabet boys around, given them a taste of reality. They took Haynes, Mugabi and the other fellas away from the WBO and that put them in one helluva mess. I really, really hope nothing comes up to put the kybosh on this 'cause boxing really needs it to happen."

HBO's Greg Jackson expresses his enthusiasm over the announcement from the previous day that the IBF and WBO had entered into merger talks.

***

Monday 09/10/06

"Gotta say it ain't turn out how I was expectin', y'all. Ain't even close. Felt conf'dent goin' in dat I could get ev'ry one o' these brothers into a final, man. But it's just T 'n' he was th' only one I be hundred percent sure of to start wit'. You know, I could say we was unlucky, that we had some thangs go 'gainst us. That might be true but brothers ain't goin' forward pressin' blame on others, see? So in the en' it all be on me, y'all. It all fall on my shoulders. I's the one dat gotta step up and do better. Have t' look at the way I did things, how I prepar'd these brothers f' war. It ain't work out so we gotta change some thangs. Ain't gonna be satisfied 'less every one of these brothers is holding one title or the other by the end o' '07."

Pensacola-based trainer Roy Jones gives a critical appraisal of his efforts in training his "Florida Alliance" stable during the IBL's various tournaments and outlines his ambitions for 2007.

***

Wednesday 11/10/06

"It's an often-used phrase but one I really believe in: there are a lot more important things in life than sports. I make my living from boxing but that's not a reason to let it consume my life. The Lord has blessed me with these abilities and as a consequence, I've become a celebrity through my achievements. That status makes me a person of influence. It's not just a privilege, it's also a responsibility that I take very seriously and something I'm absolutely aware of. So it's incumbent upon me to use the position I'm in to help those less fortunate than I am, to make positive changes in the community. None of it would be possible without the Lord. He is working through me and in my day-to-day life there is nothing more important than that."

Canada's two-time Olympic gold medallist and IBL-signed junior-heavyweight Sam Langford speaks to a local journalist at the opening of a homeless shelter in Metro Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to contributing some of his own funds Langford lobbied local government and businesses in order to make its construction a reality.

***

Thursday 12/10/06

"There ain't no way I didn't win that fight, man. I put the guy on his ass in the 7th, outlanded him and I was the aggressor. I've watched it all the way through a couple times already and I can't see where those two judges got that verdict from. I really can't. It's put me in a position now where I'm gonna have to win three or four big fights just to get a title shot and that just ain't right. But ain't nothing gonna change, so I jus' have to suck it up, take it like a man and move on. I'll always know in my heart that I should've got the W and I think Lennox knows it, too. But, you know, good luck to him. Far as I can see Jackson's gonna give him one helluva fight. The brother's looked fantastic through the tourney and he's come a long way since I beat him in Athens. Lennox's gonna have to go all out to earn that title shot. But I'll have to be even better to get past Anyukov. Gotta say it excites me and scares the hell out of me all at once when I think I'll be tradin' blows with him come December. It's gonna be the biggest challenge of my life, man, and I'll have t' be more dedicated to my trainin' than ever before to have a chance to beat him."

Californian heavyweight Jack Johnson disputes the verdict in his October 8 clash against Lennox Lewis, which was scored as a draw despite Johnson appearing to have a slight edge. As a result Lewis moved on to the final of the IBL's Challenger's tournament while Johnson next steps in the ring against Russia's former WBA champion Sergey Anyukov.

***

Friday 20/10/06

"I've always had a lot of admiration for Mike but after the stance he's taken on this it's only grown. More of the top fighters need to stand up and let these alphabet clowns know that they ain't gonna put up with their nonsense anymore. He could have caved in but he didn't. He stood his ground and told Napoles' people that the fight wasn't gonna happen if they tried to put a title on the line. He stuck to his guns and as a result we've got ourselves another superfight, and only a couple months away! McCallum ain't gettin' any younger but the guy still has a few years left in him. This is the type o' thing I can see him doin' for a while to come, just settin' up mega-fights with these other stars. We don't know what's in store but I can easily see him movin' up to middleweight, maybe even higher and goin' after guys like Lytell. That would be something to see. I also have to give props to Napoles 'cause he's takin' a huge risk here. He's ruled the welterweight division but now he's movin' up and the first guy he takes on is McCallum? A huge risk for him but if it comes off he'll be an even bigger superstar than he already is."

Speaking on ESPN's Friday Night Fight's former world champion boxer Leroy Grant gives his seal of approval to the announced December showdown between Jamaica's Mike McCallum and Miami's Jose Napoles. The clash will be fought at the junior-middleweight limit and promises to be one of the biggest of the year. However, it will be a non-title fight as McCallum no longer wishes to deal with boxing's various sanctioning organisations.

***

Tuesday 24/10/06

"We don't want to put unnecessary pressure on the kid so we're going to bring him along slow. I've gotta say, I haven't met many people during my time in this sport with his drive, confidence and determination. You meet him the first few times and he seems shy and reserved but there's a lion's heart beating in his chest. We're just in the moulding process right now, you know? What we're doing is refining the skills he already has, building on those and working out a gameplan for him. Abram is excited but at the same time he knows he has a long way to go. For a fifteen year-old kid he really has his head together. We'll be entering him in next month's Jersey City junior amateur tournament and I guess we'll get an idea of where he's at then."

North Bergen trainer Jimmy Floyd discusses the development of his student Abram Sin, the talented Hoboken youth who was the topic of a story by Michael Bartell in the October 16 issue of the boxing magazine AMERICAN | PUGILIST. Within a couple of days of the article's publication a number of different media outlets had visited the gym to get a look at the 15 year-old in action. As a result he has become something of a local celebrity but is apparently handling the situation quite well. As Floyd said, Sin will be participating in November's Jersey City junior amateur championships. Sin weighs 155 pounds, which makes him a middleweight.

***

Wednesday 25/10/06

"It's something I wasn't expecting them to propose but once they showed how much confidence they have in me it didn't take a lot of consideration to say yes to it. I've loved this sport my entire life but I knew pretty early on that I was never gonna make it as a fighter. After I came to terms with that I still wanted to be involved in it in some way. I started off managin' guys and eventually worked my way up to the promotions side of the business. It's been an incredible time and has brought my family security and happiness. But this ... this is something beyond anything I could've dreamed of. To be the president of an organisation that'll be involved in running the sport is really the ultimate. I was right behind the merger but I just expected to keep on goin' along promotin' fights and the thought of doin' that exclusively for the IBO excited me. To know that my input will be so much more than that is incredible and I'm really grateful to both Juan and Larry for the trust they've given me."

New Jersey promoter Robert Tattaglia expresses his happiness over the decision to install him as the first president of the International Boxing Organisation, which will come into being on the first day of 2007 as a merger between the IBF and WBO.

***

Thursday 26/10/06

"It's gotta be obvious to any boxing fan that this is gonna be an ugly mismatch and I'm disappointed in the IBL because of it. The way I look at the whole situation is simple: they shouldn't have signed the guy. They approached him back in April and he turned them down without a second thought. Fighting Bert Lytell was all he cared about. So we fast forward to July: he losses the fight, gets screwed by his promoter and then all of a sudden the IBL looks pretty good to him. But because he snubbed 'em the first time, now he has to start at the bottom. Do you really think this is what boxing fans want to see, Jim? Freddie Steele beating up a bunch of inexperienced opponents who have no chance in hell against him? I can't believe that James Molk and his crew are going to allow this to happen. And to make it worse, it'll probably take him at least another year to get within sight of a world title shot. Who knows if the guy is gonna be washed up or not by then? Both of them would have been better off if he had just stayed with the alphabet boys. Hell, he could of signed with Tattaglia and won back the IBF belt, seeing as Lytell gave it right back to them after he won it. Now the guy is gonna be irrelevant for the next year, maybe even longer. From this point on the IBL really just have to forget about signing any more established guys 'cause it'll turn out as ugly as this every time. They are the future of the sport so they should just be looking to sign the prospects and the amateurs who are ready to make the jump."

Showtime's Hugh Ballard voices his unhappiness with the IBL over their signing of former IBF middleweight champion Freddie Steele. The Tacoma native will have to work his way up the organisation's rankings from the bottom, which means he'll be stepping in the ring against a string of opponents who are less experienced and far less talented than he is. The first of these bouts took place on October 27, with Steele dominating and then knocking out England's Herol Graham early in round five in front of an appreciative crowd at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.

***

Friday 27/10/06

"I really believe that it'll be fantastic for boxing. Personally, the prospect of fighting under the banner of the IBO for the rest of my career brings me a lot of excitement. This has been a pretty incredible year for me because I started it being fiercely loyal to the WBC and, back in January, I never could have considered that would change. But you know, things changed that were out of my control and sadly that relationship with them ended. But since then we've struck up a great situation with the IBF and next month's event is going to be really incredible. We'll see the final IBF and WBO title fights ever in the lightweight division but also, the winners are gonna be the guys who contest the first IBO lightweight title fight. There's a whole lot at stake and it's added some extra spice to what was already going to be a great night. It's made me even more determined to get this win over Joe because I don't want to miss out on being part of history for the IBO next year."

Speaking on a Mexican sports radio show lightweight boxer Patricio Marquez shows his enthusiasm over the announcement of the merger between the IBF and WBO and the interesting consequences it has brought about for his career in particular.

***

[kenyan_cheena]

Almost finished an article for the October issue of EuroBox.

In addition, I still have to run the third week of world ranking fight cards, which features the heavyweights and bantamweights. Once I get them done I'll be able to do the write-ups featuring Lyons, Vincent and Krug.

Those will start off the action for November, which I'm hoping to get through pretty quickly so we can get on to December and the start of the IBL tournament finals!!!

[kenyan_cheena]

EuroBox

Published out of London, England
by LondonSports Productions

ISSUE 2 - OCTOBER 2006

LEWIS & SCHMELING LEAD
CHARGE OF EURO HEAVIES

Story by Alex Macklin

It's been said on more than a few occasions during 2006 that the heavyweight division is entering into what will possibly be the most exciting period in its entire storied history. Much of the credit for this must be given to the International Boxing League, the organisation that was introduced to the world back in January and managed to pull off the astonishing achievement of signing most of the division's major talents to exclusive contracts. These include former alphabet soup champions Ken Norton, Sergey Anyukov and Terone Haynes, established contenders Andrew Golota and Ike Ibeabuchi and a bunch of up-and-coming pugilists like Jack Johnson, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis and Peter Jackson. With all of them competing under the IBL's banner boxing fans can look forward to a future full of outstanding matchups, with 2007 set to be absolutely fantastic.

Of the European heavyweights Anyukov is obviously the top dog but it's the two young Athens Olympians, England's Lennox Lewis and the German Max Schmeling who most observers regard as being the continent's best chance for future world championship glory. Lewis was born in West Ham, London in 1981. When he was twelve his family moved to Ontario, Canada. Taking up boxing in his mid-teens Lewis went on to win a world amateur championship and represented Canada in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and then again at Athens in '04, where he claimed the super-heavyweight gold medal. Shortly after his Athens success Lewis announced that he was both turning professional and returning to his native England, a decision that angered some in Canada as they felt he was abandoning the nation that had helped him become one of the best young heavyweights in the world.

Lewis claimed he'd always considered himself British, but many in his homeland held doubts over his integrity. It didn't take long for him to win them over as he produced a fantastic start to his pro career, winning his first fourteen bouts through until February before signing a contract with the IBL. Lewis was selected to take part in their Challenger's tournament, the winner of which will be rewarded with a shot at the league's newly crowned world champion in their first title defense. After convincingly defeating New Zealand's Sam Leuluai in his opening bout Lewis squeezed past Joe Jeannette in the quarter-finals before booking a berth in the final when his semi-final against fellow Athens gold medallist Jack Johnson was judged a draw in something of a controversial decision. Lewis' higher tournament seeding saw him progress to the final. He takes on another Olympian in Australia's Peter Jackson on December 31, the tournament final scheduled to be held in Jackson's home town of Sydney.

Germany's Max Schmeling has not received the same exposure or recognition as some of the division's other young hotshots but that's something that doesn't concern him. The 24 year-old has been content to develop his skills and talents in comparative anonymity, having gone the same route as Lewis in joining the professional ranks after the Athens games where he won a bronze medal. He went undefeated through his first twelve pro bouts before signing with the IBL in April. He was installed as the #3 seed in the Inter-Continental Championship tournament and after impressive victories over Trevor Berbick, Herbie Hide and Sione Tialata is now just one win away from claiming the title. He'll take on Francesco Damiani in the championship bout after the 13th-seeded Italian made an unexpected run through the tournament. Schmeling will go into the fight as a warm favourite and in the opinion of many could become the first of the IBL's regional champions to earn a world title shot by successfully defending his own belt five times.

There had been a lot of talk earlier in the year regarding a perceived rivalry between Schmeling and his compatriot heavyweight Scott Mundt, the American-born slugger who was also an Inter-Continental tournament entrant. Mundt missed out on a golden opportunity to thrust himself in front of Schmeling when he crashed to his first career defeat in his opening tournament bout, the New Zealander Neemia Sivivatu flooring him four times on the way to a unanimous decision win. Mundt has been victorious in two outings since then and Schmeling has said he's looking forward to the day when the two trade blows in the ring, hopefully with the I-C belt on the line. It's a clash that could very well eventuate during 2007.

No matter what the immediate future holds in their respective tournament finals Lewis and Schmeling have already made it clear that they'll be ranked amongst the top contenders for the heavyweight championship for many years to come. Following their progress and development will be one of this writer's greatest pleasures during that time, without a doubt.

[Infinity]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

21 October: San Francisco, California, USA
John Fehner (2-0(2)) KO3 James Harrington (5-3-1(2))
(heavyweight division)

2006 has been the year of the promising American heavyweight and it appears that the name John Fehner can be added to that list. The 19 year-old San Francisco-born southpaw made his pro debut in early September and in the space of seven weeks has recorded three knockout wins, all coming from a left hook that has got Californian boxing observers excited. The punch brought the crowd to their feet as one when he planted it flush on Harrington's chin a minute into the 3rd frame of their clash. The Seattle native didn't move for the duration of the count and was out cold for some five minutes after the bout ended. Of mixed European and Native American heritage Fehner has already earned himself a small but dedicated fanclub in San Francisco outside the circle of his family and friends. All three of his bouts have been held in the Bay Area and it's likely that he'll continue to fight there during the coming months.

Let me tell you folks, growing up in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco as a rare white kid was a rough way to go, but with good coaching from the PAL I was able to stay out of trouble. Now the future looks bright!

John "Infinity" Fehner

[Romdawg88]

Fingers crossed that Peter Jackson smashes Lennox, never could stand Lewis for some reason.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Fingers crossed that Peter Jackson smashes Lennox, never could stand Lewis for some reason.

Kind of hoping for that, too, mostly so the Fenech-Jackson-Darcy world championship storyline stays alive.

[Beno999]

Nothing wrong with Lennox!

[kenyan_cheena]

THE BALTIMORE COURIER

Thursday, 2 November, 2006

Lyons suffers shock KO loss
in first IBL outing

Story by Mark Rosenthal

Baltimore heavyweight boxer Mark Lyons fell to the first defeat of his career last night when he was knocked out early in the 6th and final round of his International Boxing League world ranking bout at the Baltimore Coliseum. In a huge upset Lyons appeared to be cruising towards a unanimous decision win before his unfancied Californian opponent Floyd Johnson caught him with a left-right salvo twenty seconds into the frame. The right caught Lyons flush on the chin and staggered him. Johnson followed up with a left hook and another right hand that dropped Lyons to the absolute shock of the coliseum crowd. Lyons hit his head hard on the canvas and didn't move for a few seconds before pushing himself onto his side and then onto one knee. He shook his head and was glaring blankly at referee Vic Drakulich when the count reached ten, Johnson an unlikely KO winner at the 0:40 mark.

Based on the opening five rounds the final outcome seemed inexplicable. After looking uncharacteristically cautious through the first two frames Lyons took control in the 3rd, before dominating round four and then flooring Johnson with a thunderous right cross early in the 5th. Despite landing a succession of follow-up power punches Lyons was unable to finish the San Francisco-based Johnson off. That failure came back to haunt him big time early in the 6th. Lyons held a four-point lead on all three scorecards going into the final round and may have gotten a little careless in the moments before Johnson struck. Lyons brought a perfect 7-0(7) record into the evening and had taken out all seven of those opponents inside of four rounds. It was expected that he'd add Johnson to that list but it was, surprisingly, not to be.

Lyons had spoken of being nervous in the lead-up to his IBL debut. Those nerves seemed to affect his efforts in the early rounds but by the time round six rolled around he was in complete control. He'll have to quickly put aside the disappointment of his first professional loss as he's scheduled to be back in action on November 29. In the evening's co-feature Virginia native Ron E. Vincent scored a dominant unanimous decision win over the Italian Luigi Musina (60-52, 59-53, 60-52). Vincent sent Musina to the canvas twice, the first coming from a left-right combo early in the 4th and the second courtesy of a right cross late in the 5th. The Suffolk preacher improved his record to 7-0(3), outlanding Musina 210-64 in a commanding performance. Other winners on the night included Connecticut's Lawrence Clay-Bay and Kentucky's Marvin Hart, who dominated the Argentinian Alejandro Lavorante on the way to a unanimous decision win.

[PWillisTheMan]

Ugh, the only thing that can ease this pain is going to watch my Ravens hammer the Chiefs.

[kenyan_cheena]

Needless to say, I was very sad to have to be the bearer of such bad news.

The only positive is that your guy will be back in action in four weeks with a chance to redeem himself. Hopefully that loss will be his only one for a long time to come.

[Marciano6]

Brutus Brody - "I ain't gonna bash on the man for losing his fight cuz it happens. Next time though he should focus more on himself instead of me and then maybe he won't get himself knocked out."

Brutus Brody speaking on Mark Lyons

Frank Galvano - "Mama Mia this guy mentioned my name outta his mouth? I outta go down to where he lives and smack him around a little. No wonder why they call him Boogie....he hits and runs like a little girl. I'm a made man Freddie boy....I get respect wherever I go just like I was Gotti himself....God rest his soul. Who are you? I got connections in your hometown who have never even heard of this bum hahaha *cough cough* Now if you'll excuse me I have to look at myself in the mirror."

[kenyan_cheena]

The Star-Ledger

SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2006

Krug cruises to victory

Story by Michael Rossetto

Newark's Jimmy Krug produced a near faultless effort to take a unanimous decision verdict over Italy's Johnny Vacca in an International Boxing League bantamweight world ranking fight at Mexico's Estadio Saltillo last night. After a non-eventful opening round the 20 year-old put the outcome beyond doubt by controlling rounds two through five behind a damaging jab and some eye-catching defense. The punches were coming thick and fast with both men employing an aggressive disposition. But Krug was much too skillful and classy for Vacca to handle and the final scorecards of 58-57, 59-55 and 58-56 did not really give a fair indication of his dominance. Krug outlanded Vacca 173-48 and connected at an accuracy rate of 31.2% compared to Vacca's woeful 12.1%.

Krug enjoyed an impressive amateur career but it turned sour during the selection trials for the Athens Olympics, where he bowed out in the quarter-finals after what has since been recognised as a poor judging performance. At the time Krug implied that his elimination had been deliberate in order to assist the man who eventually won the spot on the team, Paulie Ayala. It's an opinion he still holds to this day and following the trials he didn't step back into a boxing ring until making his professional debut this past February. He recorded victories in his first five bouts before signing a contract with the IBL in July, after which he started training under Jimmy Floyd at the 61st Street gym in North Bergen. Floyd's stable of fighters includes the heavyweight Joe Jeannette and middleweight Mickey Walker, who'll be taking on Paterson's Rubin Carter in an IBL world title eliminator next month.

The win improved Krug's record to 6-0(3). Floyd was pleased with his performance and is confident that Krug will be able to make a steady rise up the bantamweight rankings during 2007. Canada's Olympic bronze medallist George Dixon also made a victorious IBL debut last night. He defeated the determined Englishman Stan Rowan by majority decision (58-57, 59-56, 57-57) in an exciting encounter. Dixon's aggression and workrate won him the fight even though Rowan managed to find the mark with some hard, punishing punches. In the main event Mexican hometown favourite Jose Toluco Lopez was surprisingly stopped on cuts a minute from the final bell by Minnesota's Howard Mayberry. In another action-packed stoush Mayberry had cut Lopez on the forehead early in round five. Lopez then sent him to the canvas thirty seconds into the 6th, but with a minute remaining the fight was stopped due to the severity of Lopez's wound.

[kenyan_cheena]

ESPN

Boxing

Updated: November 8, 2006, 3.45 PM ET

IBO to stage series of
world title cards in early '07

By Larry Holman
ESPN.com
Archive

The birth of the International Boxing Organisation is still some eight weeks away but that hasn't stopped the man who will be its first president, Robert Tattaglia, from releasing a statement in regards to its short-term plans. Tattaglia announced yesterday that the IBO is going to make the task of crowning their inaugural world champions short and sweet, with a series of fight cards through the early months of 2007 to resolve the issue. As most boxing fans would already be aware the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation have entered into a merger where they will both be abolished on the 31st of December 2006 and replaced by the IBO effective from the 1st of January 2007.

However, there are still six world championship bouts under either the WBO or IBF banner that will be contested between now and the merger, with those fights taking on greater significance due to the fact that the winners will automatically be involved in the matchups that determine the new IBO champions. The most anticipated of those six upcoming fights is the IBF lightweight clash between Mexico's former WBA/WBC champion Patricio Marquez and New Orleans native and defending champion Joe Brown on November 25. Many observers are of the opinion that it will be the fight of the year. The evening's co-feature will be just as important, if not as high profile. Former WBA lightweight king Francisco Ortiz takes on former WBO junior-lightweight champion Benny Diaz for the vacant WBO lightweight title. The winners of both bouts will square off in March for the inaugural IBO championship.

Back in action for the first time since June, IBF flyweight titlist Teko Davids of South Africa gives compatriot John Bekker a shot at glory on November 18 in front of what is expected to be a big crowd in Johannesburg. December sees a pair of rematches for IBF straps with German heavyweight champion Marko Friedrich stepping in the ring against Russia's Igor Berezutskiy on the 2nd in a reprise of their entertaining May 27 clash while Mexican featherweight Francisco Rivas puts the title he surprisingly won against Miami's Antonio Hawkins in July on the line one week later. Filipino WBO bantamweight champ Ricardo Bedic will return from a layoff of almost ten months to defend the title in his homeland on December 23. Three of the six title bouts involve Tattaglia fighters and he'll be personally promoting each contest.

In addition to the details regarding IBO title fights Tattaglia also spoke about the new organisation's structure, reiterating that they'll be following the lead of the IBL and signing boxers to contracts where they'll only be able to fight against other IBO-contracted competitors. Tattaglia dismissed the possibility of resuming a business relationship with the WBA and WBC, saying both of those bodies had already "burnt that bridge" with the stance they took during the Michael Jacobs saga. He did not rule out pursuing some sort of partnership or agreement with the IBL but was "deeply doubtful" that James Molk's organisation would be "receptive to the idea".

"I know they've been great for the sport," Tattaglia said. "But let's not be naive here. Their goal is to eventually be the only organisation running boxing so they're not going to do anything that improves the future outlook for the rest of us. I'll admit if I was in the same position, neither would I. We just have to work as hard as possible to bring boxing back to where it should be and I believe that the IBO is really going to make a big contribution towards achieving that goal."

Larry Holman is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

[PWillisTheMan]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Needless to say, I was very sad to have to be the bearer of such bad news.

The only positive is that your guy will be back in action in four weeks with a chance to redeem himself. Hopefully that loss will be his only one for a long time to come.

That's one of the things that makes it so fun, we will bounce back.

[kenyan_cheena]

The next post I make will be the schedule for the second series of IBL world ranking cards. Probably won't have time to work on it until the weekend.

However, I've got two weeks off work coming up, starting Tuesday. Expect a number of posts during that period.

[comicfanman]

two weeks - enjoy them

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by comicfanman

two weeks - enjoy them

Thanks. Won't be going away anywhere, just chilling at home.