The Big Fellows

[BigBoyBrackey]

Chuck Wepner (2) vs. Bert Cooper (16)

The Bayonne Bleeder faces Smokin' Bert. Who ya got?

[BigBoyBrackey]

Semifinal losers Crawford Grimsley and Pat Valentino square off in a preliminary to the Cooper-Wepner showdown ...

Crawford Grimsley TKO8 Pat Valentino: Grimsley gets off the floor twice to stop Valentino in the wildest fight of the qualifier to date.

A big right in the late going gives The Terminator an otherwise even first round. Valentino gets the better of a toe-to-toe second in which Grimsley is warned twice by referee Joe Cortez, first for a low blow and then for holding and hitting. After a slow third, Valentino unloads with a left hook that puts Grimsley down for a three-count nad nearly finishes him with a series of rights to the head just before the bell.

Valentino batters Grimsley around the ring through the fifth and sixth, but can't come up with the finisher. A minute into the seventh, Crawford lands a wild overhand right that puts Valentino flat on his back, barely to make it to his feet at the count of eight. He pins Valentino in a neutral corner and hammers away, but gets nailed with a counter left hook after whiffing with an overhand right. The Terminator stumbles into a short right cross and falls on his face, bouncing to his feet at the count of three. Grimsley is on unsteady legs, but makes it to the bell.

Half a minute into round eight, Grimsley connects with a cross-hook-uppercut combo that leaves a nasty cut inside Valentino's left eyebrow. He retreats, blinking and pawing at the cut, and takes a ripping left hook under the rib cage. Grimsley jumps in with a left-right to the head and Valentino goes down again, this time making it up at the count of seven.

Crawford lands a hard right to the head, then a quick flurry to the body, setting the dazed Valentino up for a left hook that spins his head sharply to the side. He stays upright, but Cortez has seen enough, jumping in at the 2:41 mark of the eighth.

Grimsley, who wraps up the 116th seed with the stoppage, trailed 64-68 (twice) and 65-68 at the conclusion, whipping the crowd at Omaha Civic Auditorium into a frenzy leading up to The Tournament of Challenger Qualifier Final.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Fans have barely returned to their seats when Bert Cooper brings them out again with a furious assault at the opening bell, driving Chuck Wepner across the ring with a barrage of left hooks.

Cooper begins working in the right, as well, leaving Wepner unable to land so much as a thumb or elbow as referee Mark Nelson considers ending things before the first round concludes. But Wepner lands hooks to the head and body just before the bell, showing his first signs of life.

Wepner takes advantage of an arm-weary Cooper in the second, frequently clinching and working in enough single shots to steal the round.

Cooper resumes his attack in the third, burying several left hooks to the body that make Wepner gasp and sending him wobbling with a right cross, followed by two hooks to the head, with about 10 seconds remaining.

Wepner slows things down again in the fourth, throwing punches with his free hand during several clinches and finally drawing a warning for holding and hittting in the late going. But those illegal shots are more than Cooper can manage.

A right uppercut puts The Bayonne Bleeder on his heels less than a minute into the fifth, and Cooper hammers away with hooks to the body and head. One lands flush on Wepner's chin, leaving him upright but senseless as the bell sounds.

A huge left hook and a right to the body have Wepner ready to go midway through the sixth and a rejuvenated Cooper resumes smoking, firing away with both hands. A wild right misses badly and Wepner capitalizes with a left hook that sends Cooper staggering toward his corner, then to his knees for the fight's first knockdown. He makes it up as Nelson's count reaches three just before the bell sounds.

Rather than coming unglued, though, Cooper gathers himself during the break and comes out behind a flurry of head shots in the seventh. A hook to the body forces wepner to take a step back and one thrown from near the floor collides with his jaw, pinning him in a neutral corner.

This time, Cooper refuses to let Wepner escape, slamming both hands to the head and body. Another long-distance hook snaps Wepner's head straight back and robs whatever strength is left in his legs. Wepner lands a jab, but it does little to deter Cooper, who stands The Bayonne Bleeder up with a right uppercut, then chops him down with another sweeping left hook to the jaw.

An exhausted Wepner tries to get to his feet, but never comes close, with Nelson counting him out at 2:49 of the seventh round.

Cooper's fifth straight win, the fourth by knockout, earns him The Tournament of Challengers' qualifier title and sets up the long-awaited 128-man extravaganza.

[BigBoyBrackey]

FINAL FIGHT-IN

Finally got around to seeding the 128-man field, which was complicated by Albert Sosnowski getting stopped by Vitali Klitschko in 10 rounds shortly after I originally compiled the list of men who had fought for some version of the heavyweight title, and failed.
I was initially planning to match Sosnowski with Tim Tomashek in a fight-in match, but the participants in the 32-man qualifier who qualified for the larger tournament had already earned their spots, in one way or another. Plus, I like Tomashek, for some reason.

Instead, the Selection Committee decreed that Sosnowski would face Crawford Grimsley, who was the lowest-seeded fighter who had not gone through the Qualifying Tournament.

Besides going 12 rounds with a largely indifferent George Foreman, Grimsley is best remembered for providing perhaps the greatest moment in the history of the USA Network's Tuesday Night Fights series.

Albert Sosnowski KO8 Crawford Grimsley: After several wild middle rounds that saw both fighters badly hurt, Sosnowski put an exhausted Grimsley away with a right uppercut at the 1:50 mark of round eight. Grimsley, who was the lowest-seeded failed contender admitted to the tournament without being forced into the qualifying tournament, landed a bevy of heavy shots, particularly in rounds three through six, but was unable to seriously hurt Sosnowski. The Pole led 69-64 (twice) and 68-65 on the scorecards.

With the win, Sosnowski enters as the No. 116 seed, earning him a first-round match with 13th-seeded Tommy Gibbons.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Tom Sharkey (1) vs. Tim Tim Tomashek (128)
George Chuvalo (2) vs. Audley Harrison (127)
Gerry Cooney (3) vs. Fireman Jim Flynn (126)
Jerry Quarry (4) vs. Johnny Paychek (125)
Oscar Bonavena (5) vs. Richard Dunn (124)
Earnie Shavers (6) vs. Steffen Tangstad (123)
Young Stribling (7) vs. Tony Musto (122)
Billy Conn (8) vs. Billy Squires (121)
Jimmy Young (9) vs. Ed Mahone (120)
David Tua (10) vs. Willi Fischer (119)
Archie Moore (11) vs. Dominick McCaffrey (118)
Roland LaStarza (12) vs. Pat Valentino (117)
Tommy Gibbons (13) vs. Crawford Grimsley (116)
Tommy Farr (14) vs. Chuck Wepner (115)
Tony Galento (15) vs. Bert Cooper (114)
Joey Maxim (16) vs. Okhello Peter (113)
Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (17) vs. Charles Shufford (112)
Cleveland Williams (18) vs. Jeremy Williams (111)
Ron Lyle (19) vs. Pete Rademacher (110)
Paulino Uzcudun (20) vs. Scott Welch (109)
Zora Folley (21) vs. Ron Stander (108)
Renaldo Snipes (22) vs. Lucien Rodriguez (107)
Eddie Machen (23) vs. Derrick Jefferson (106)
Georges Carpentier (24) vs. Phil Jackson (105)
Tommy Loughran (25) vs. David Bey (104)
Doug Jones (26) vs. Tom McNeeley (103)
Stanley Ketchel (27) vs. Freddie Beshore (102)
Zeljko Mavrovic (28) vs. Red Burman (101)
Bob Pastor (29) vs. Brian London (100)
Arturo Godoy (30) vs. Al McCoy (99)]
Abe Simon (31) vs. Tony Ross (98)
Joe Bugner (32) vs. Gus Ruhlin (97)
Kirk Johnson (33) vs. Jorge Luis Gonzalez (96)
Axel Schulz (34) vs. Nick Barone (95)
Buster Mathis (35) vs. Dave Zyglewicz (94)
Vaughn Bean (36) vs. Roy Harris (93)
Henry Cooper (37) vs. Obed Sullivan (92)
Bill Brennan (38) vs. Owen Beck (91)
Carl Williams (39) vs. Lorenzo Zanon (90)
Buddy Baer (40) vs. Joe Hipp (89)
Andrew Golota (41) vs. Ray Austin (88)
Karl Mildenburger (42) vs. Gus Dorazio (87)
Chris Arreola (43) vs. Johnny DuPlooy (86)
John Henry Lewis (44) vs. Danny Williams (85)
Tami Mauriello (45) vs. DaVarryl Williamson (84)
Tommy Jackson (46) vs. Ossie Ocasio (83)
Calvin Brock (47) vs. Manuel Ramos (82)
Monte Barrett (48) vs. Luan Krasniqi (81)
Michael Grant (49) vs. Scott LeDoux (80)
Eddie Chambers (50) vs. Al Kaufman (79)
Alexander Zolkin (51) vs. Jack Root (78)
Leroy Jones (52) vs. Kevin Johnson (77)
Luis Angel Firpo (53) vs. Jesse Ferguson (76)
Battling Jim Johnson (54) vs. Tyrell Biggs (75)
Tom Heeney (55) vs. Alfredo Evangelista (74)
Tony Thompson (56) vs. James Tillis (73)
Frank Moran (57) vs. Nathan Mann (72)
Harry Thomas (58) vs. Carl Davis Drumond (71)
Bill Lang (59) vs. Kali Meehan (70)
Don Cockell (60) vs. Matt Skelton (69)
Jameel McCline (61) vs. Marvis Frazier (68)
Lou Nova (62) vs. Scott Frank (67)
Bob Foster (63) vs. Fres Oquendo (66)
Lou Savarese (64) vs. Juan Carlos Gomez (65)

[BigBoyBrackey]

This is why it's a bad idea to let a thread -- particularly a somewhat overly involved one -- linger for seven months. The above Sosnowski-Grimsley bout basically ignored the results of the qualifying tournament, which set the field of 128 before Albert came along.

Grimsley 'fought his way in' by reaching the semifinals before getting whacked in four rounds by eventual tourney winner Bert Cooper, then stopping Pat Valentino in eight to take third place and the No. 116 seed (you see what I mean by 'overly involved?).

So, Sosnowski will face the legendary Okhello Peter, the nominal No. 113 seed, in an effort to qualify for the 128-man Tournament of Challengers field. Again.

Which will be followed, hopefully with many fewer delays, by the Tournament of Titlists and the Tournament of Champions ...

[BigBoyBrackey]

With a fight-in match he highly resented well in hand, Okello Peter could have run, or wrestled, to preserve a decisive win over Albert Sosnowski, as well as his No. 115 seed in the Tournament of Challengers.

Instead, to the dismay of trainer Yoel Judah, the Ugandan went toe-to-toe with Albert Sosnowski.

Bad idea.

Sosnowski -- a late addition to the field due to his 10th-round KO loss to Vitali Klitschko -- hurt Peter a minute into the 10th and final round with a crushing left hook, followed with a flush overhand right. Peter tried to clinch, but Sosnowski, who had been down in the third and fourth and trailed 87-82 on all three scorecards, repelled the attempt with a two-handed assault. A right uppercut and a hook at the beltline left Peter sagging into the ropes, leading referee Lezed Jankowwiak to intervene just four seconds before the final bell.

Though Jankowiak's move allowed his fellow Pole to pull out an unlikely win, leading to a rather predictable post-fight tirade from Judah, there was little doubt he made the right call. Peter slumped into a sitting position near his own corner after Sosnowski was pulled off, where he remained for several minutes before being helped from the ring.

With the victory, Sosnowski enters the final 128-man field in the No. 113 slot and will face No. 16 Joey Maxim in the opening round.

The bout, held at Palazzo Dello Sport before a sell-out crowd that featured former middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo, the ever-luscious Sophia Loren and indicted Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at ringside, was a rematch of a split draw. In their first meeting, Sosnowski got off the floor in the fifth to drop Peter in the eighth, sparking a late rally that led to cards reading 95-93, 93-95 and 94-94.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Tom Sharkey (1) vs. Tim Tim Tomashek (128)
George Chuvalo (2) vs. Audley Harrison (127)
Gerry Cooney (3) vs. Fireman Jim Flynn (126)
Jerry Quarry (4) vs. Johnny Paychek (125)
Oscar Bonavena (5) vs. Richard Dunn (124)
Earnie Shavers (6) vs. Steffen Tangstad (123)
Young Stribling (7) vs. Tony Musto (122)
Billy Conn (8) vs. Billy Squires (121)
Jimmy Young (9) vs. Ed Mahone (120)
David Tua (10) vs. Willi Fischer (119)
Archie Moore (11) vs. Dominick McCaffrey (118)
Roland LaStarza (12) vs. Pat Valentino (117)
Tommy Gibbons (13) vs. Crawford Grimsley (116)
Tommy Farr (14) vs. Chuck Wepner (115)
Tony Galento (15) vs. Bert Cooper (114)
Joey Maxim (16) vs. Albert Sosnowski (113)
Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (17) vs. Charles Shufford (112)
Cleveland Williams (18) vs. Jeremy Williams (111)
Ron Lyle (19) vs. Pete Rademacher (110)
Paulino Uzcudun (20) vs. Scott Welch (109)
Zora Folley (21) vs. Ron Stander (108)
Renaldo Snipes (22) vs. Lucien Rodriguez (107)
Eddie Machen (23) vs. Derrick Jefferson (106)
Georges Carpentier (24) vs. Phil Jackson (105)
Tommy Loughran (25) vs. David Bey (104)
Doug Jones (26) vs. Tom McNeeley (103)
Stanley Ketchel (27) vs. Freddie Beshore (102)
Zeljko Mavrovic (28) vs. Red Burman (101)
Bob Pastor (29) vs. Brian London (100)
Arturo Godoy (30) vs. Al McCoy (99)]
Abe Simon (31) vs. Tony Ross (98)
Joe Bugner (32) vs. Gus Ruhlin (97)
Kirk Johnson (33) vs. Jorge Luis Gonzalez (96)
Axel Schulz (34) vs. Nick Barone (95)
Buster Mathis (35) vs. Dave Zyglewicz (94)
Vaughn Bean (36) vs. Roy Harris (93)
Henry Cooper (37) vs. Obed Sullivan (92)
Bill Brennan (38) vs. Owen Beck (91)
Carl Williams (39) vs. Lorenzo Zanon (90)
Buddy Baer (40) vs. Joe Hipp (89)
Andrew Golota (41) vs. Ray Austin (88)
Karl Mildenburger (42) vs. Gus Dorazio (87)
Chris Arreola (43) vs. Johnny DuPlooy (86)
John Henry Lewis (44) vs. Danny Williams (85)
Tami Mauriello (45) vs. DaVarryl Williamson (84)
Tommy Jackson (46) vs. Ossie Ocasio (83)
Calvin Brock (47) vs. Manuel Ramos (82)
Monte Barrett (48) vs. Luan Krasniqi (81)
Michael Grant (49) vs. Scott LeDoux (80)
Eddie Chambers (50) vs. Al Kaufman (79)
Alexander Zolkin (51) vs. Jack Root (78)
Leroy Jones (52) vs. Kevin Johnson (77)
Luis Angel Firpo (53) vs. Jesse Ferguson (76)
Battling Jim Johnson (54) vs. Tyrell Biggs (75)
Tom Heeney (55) vs. Alfredo Evangelista (74)
Tony Thompson (56) vs. James Tillis (73)
Frank Moran (57) vs. Nathan Mann (72)
Harry Thomas (58) vs. Carl Davis Drumond (71)
Bill Lang (59) vs. Kali Meehan (70)
Don Cockell (60) vs. Matt Skelton (69)
Jameel McCline (61) vs. Marvis Frazier (68)
Lou Nova (62) vs. Scott Frank (67)
Bob Foster (63) vs. Fres Oquendo (66)
Lou Savarese (64) vs. Juan Carlos Gomez (65)

[BigBoyBrackey]

Klitschko-Haye inspired me to get this going, since most of the competitors in the Tournament of Challengers at least tried to win.

The entire 64-bout first round will be hosted by the Silver Slipper casino in Las Vegas.



FIRST ROUND, first night
Lou Savarese (64) vs. Juan Carlos Gomez (65)
Tony Thompson (56) vs. James Tillis (73)
Monte Barrett (48) vs. Luan Krasniqi (81)
Buddy Baer (40) vs. Joe Hipp (89)
Joe Bugner (32) vs. Gus Ruhlin (97)
Georges Carpentier (24) vs. Phil Jackson (105)
Joey Maxim (16) vs. Albert Sosnowski (113)
Billy Conn (8) vs. Billy Squires (121)

[Infinity]

Glad to see you back at it....

[BigBoyBrackey]

At the Silver Slipper, Las Vegas
Juan Carlos Gomez (65) W10 Lou Savarese (64): Savarese’s jab-and-grab tactics have him a point up after five dull rounds, but Gomez, who was stopped in nine by Vitali Klitschko, finds his range in the sixth. Nearly closing Lou’s right eye with straight lefts, Gomez drops him twice in the ninth. Savarese (L12 George Foreman) survives the 10-7 round, but loses a 97-91 (twice), 98-90 decision.
Tony Thompson (56) W10 James Tillis (73): Tillis takes an early lead by mauling and occasionally landing, but Thompson (KOby11 Wladimir Klitschko) takes control with just enough left jabs and right crosses to sweep rounds four through eight. Tillis (L15 Mike Weaver) ands a few big shots in the eighth and ninth, but Thompson takes the 97-93 (twice), 98-90 nod.
Monte Barrett (48) KO8 Luan Krasniqi (81): Barrett (L12 Hasim Rahman, KOby11 Nikolay Valuev) leads by two points on all three judges’ cards when he times a Krasniqi rush perfectly with a right uppercut, putting the German (KOby9 Lamon Brewster) down for the full count at 1:01 of the eighth.
Joe Hipp (89) vs. Buddy Baer (40): The fourth is an early round-of-the-tournament entrant, as Baer gets the better of an exchange of artillery before a left cross by Hipp (KOby10 Bruce Seldon) puts the 6-foot-8 Buddy down for a seven-count. Baer’s ninth-round left hook flattens Hipp for a three-count, but Max’s brother (LbyDQ7, KOby1 Joe Louis) can’t follow up. Hipp guts out the split (95-93, 95-94, 93-95) verdict.
Joe Bugner (32) W10 Gus Ruhlin (97): Bugner (L15 Muhammad Ali) works the left effectively, landing twice as many jabs, and flooring Ruhlin (TKOby5 James Jeffries) with left hooks in the third and seventh and pulverizing the right side of Gus’s rib cage throughout. Bugner prevails 97-91 (twice) and 98-91.
Phil Jackson (105) KO5 Georges Carpentier (24): Jackson (KOby8 Lennox Lewis) stuns The Orchid Man, quite possibly the lamest nickname in the history of the sport. Carpentier (KOby4 Jack Dempsey) outboxes Jackson early and rocks him with a left-right to the head early in the fifth, but when he rushes in to follow up, runs straight into a left hook and crashes to the canvas. Carpentier gets up, but gets swarmed and takes serious punishment for much of the round before getting dropped again and counted out just after the bell.
Albert Sosnowski (116) W10 Joey Maxim (13): Despite landing more punches at more than double the accuracy rate and opening a nasty cut over Sosnowski’s right eye that flowed through most of the last four rounds, Maxim (L15 Ezzard Charles) comes out on the short end of a split-decision.
Sosnowski (KOby10 Vitali Klitschko) is busier, but the decision in the night’s biggest upset draws boos and thrown beers from the sell-out crowd at the Silver Slipper.
Billy Conn (8) W10 Bill Squires (121): Conn (KOby13, KOby8 Joe Louis) outslugs Squires in a wild first round, then reverts to form and coolly boxes his way to a clear-cut decision.
Squires (KOby1, KOby8, KOby13 Tommy Burns) gets outpunched by a nearly 3-1 ratio, suffers a swollen right eye, but hurts Conn with a left hook late in the seventh, only to wind up on the ropes absorbing a blazing combination before the round ends. Burns wins by scores of a reasonable 99-93 and weirdly close cards of 96-94 and 97-93.

[BigBoyBrackey]

On a related note, has there ever been a less-deserving heavyweight challenger, at least in the last two of his three fights with Burns? Squires got dropped three times, the last for the count, in the first round of a scheduled 45-rounder in 1907. Less than a year later -- after getting stopped by Twin Sullivan and Fireman Jim Flynn -- Squires got a rematch, lasting eight rounds this time. So Burns gave Boshter Bill another shot, this time keeping the Australian around into the 13th.

In case there's any confusion about the legitimacy of the first-round KO, Thomas Alva Edison recorded it for posterity's sake. The result can be seen here: Heavyweight Boxing : Thomas Alva Edison : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

[BigBoyBrackey]

FIRST ROUND, second night
Bob Foster (63) vs. Fres Oquendo (66)
Tom Heeney (55) vs. Alfredo Evangelista (74)
Calvin Brock (47) vs. Manuel Ramos (82)
Carl Williams (39) vs. Lorenzo Zanon (90)
Abe Simon (31) vs. Tony Ross (98)
Eddie Machen (23) vs. Derrick Jefferson (106)
Tony Galento (15) vs. Bert Cooper (114)
Young Stribling (7) vs. Tony Musto (122)

[BigBoyBrackey]

At the Silver Slipper, Las Vegas

Bob Foster (63) KO10 Fres Oquendo (66): Down by a point on two cards heading into the final round, Foster (KOby2 Joe Frazier) pulls it out with a pair of hooks, the first under the ribs and the second to the temple. Oquendo (L12 Chris Byrd, TKOby11 John Ruiz, who got up from a second-round knockdown and scored one of his own in the fifth. Two judges somehow have Oquendo up 85-84 on two cards through nine, despite Foster’s dominance in rounds six through eight.

Alfredo Evangelista (74) W10 Tom Heeney (55): Evangelista floors Heeney (TKOby11 Gene Tunney) with a left hook 20 seconds before the final bell, allowing the Argentinian to score the upset. While Evangelista (L15 Muhammad Ali, KOby7 Larry Holmes) led by two points on one card entering the final three minutes, the other two were even. Heeney had been fairly dominant for the first 2:40 of the 10^th, and likely would have won the round clearly.

Calvin Brock (47) W10 Manuel Ramos (82): Brock (TKOby7 Wladimir Klitschko) jabs his way to a deceptively close decision by scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 97-94. After falling well behind, Ramos (TKOby2 Joe Frazier) steals a few slow later rounds, but Brock closes strong in the 10^th.

Carl Williams (39) W10 Lorenzo Zanon (90): Williams (KOby1 Mike Tyson) shows up out-of-shape and disinterested, but still has enough to get by the power-free Italian on a split decision. Zanon (KOby7 Larry Holmes) lands a smattering of jabs and clinches whenever the fighters get in close, but loses only 96-95 on two cards, while prevailing by the same margin on the third. Williams takes the last round off, allowing the former European champion to take the frame with a series of ineffectual chopping rights.

Abe Simon (31) KO5 Tony Ross (98): The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Simon (KOby13, KOby6 Joe Louis) uses his size and jab to bust up the much smaller Ross in the first few rounds, then drops him with a straight right midway through the fourth. Ross (L6-newspaper decision-Jack Johnson) survives that round, but not the next, as several left hooks to the body set him up for the final right, and he’s counted out moments after the bell for the fifth.

Derrick Jefferson (106) TKO6 Eddie Machen (23): Jefferson (TKOby2 Wladimir Klitschko) swarms the heavily favored Machen from the opening bell, gaining the edge in a wild first round, as well as a badly swollen right eye. Machen (L15 Ernie Terrell) outboxes D-Train for several rounds, but goes down after eating a wicked left hook late in the fifth, and rises on unsteady legs. Jefferson puts him away in the sixth with an all-out two-handed attack, finally forcing referee Genaro Rodriguez to jump in after another knockdown and several subsequent head-swiveling hooks.


Intermission


The crowd at the Silver Slipper heads for the bar to freshen up before the evening’s final two bouts: Young Stribling vs. Tony Musto and, in perhaps the most highly anticipated match of the Tournament of Challengers’ opening round, Tony “Two-Ton” Galento going belly-to-belly with “Busty” Bert Cooper.


I saw Cooper, one of my favorite TV fighters, in person once, against Joe Mesi. Bert was 35, buckled Mesi’s knees with a left hook to the head, then got beaten up and stopped in the seventh. He had even less success when trying to work his magic on a female undercard fighter, who looked like she might punch him at the weigh-in.


Cooper won five straight, four by knockout, to win the qualifying tourney and the No. 114 seed that comes with.


I’d love to see Bert keep it going, but am thinking Galento in a wild five.

[BigBoyBrackey]

At the Silver Slipper, Las Vegas


Tony Galento (15) KO1 Bert Cooper (114): Galento (TKOby4 Joe Louis) ends Cooper’s winning streak in spectacular fashion, stretching him for the full count at 2:36 of the first. Cooper (TKOby7 Evander Holyfield, TKOby5 Michael Moorer) did some smoking before going down, stunning Galento with a nasty left hook/uppercut moments after the bell, then again with the same punch just before absorbing a hard right to the beltline, which set up Two-Ton’s final, incapacitating left hook to the jaw.


Young Stribling (7) W10 Tony Musto (122): Stribling shows a remarkable amount of respect for the 5-foot-7 Musto, considering The Rock Island Tank’s lack of power. Despite his tremendous nickname, Musto (TKOby9 Joe Louis) can do little damage legally, with his best shots coming by way of a second-round head butt and a fourth-round rabbit punch, which costs him a point deduction. Stribling, who receives four of the seven admonishments issued by referee Joe Cortez but is not penalized on the scorecards, lands enough effective combinations – as well as a right cross that floors Musto in the eighth – to prevail 99-89 (twice) and 100-88.

[BigBoyBrackey]

First round, third night

Lou Nova (62) vs. Scott Frank (67)
Battling Jim Johnson (54) vs. Tyrell Biggs (75)
Tommy Jackson (46) vs. Ossie Ocasio (83)
Bill Brennan (38) vs. Owen Beck (91)
Arturo Godoy (30) vs. Al McCoy (99)
Renaldo Snipes (22) vs. Lucien Rodriguez (107)
Tommy Farr (14) vs. Chuck Wepner (115)
Earnie Shavers (6) vs. Steffen Tangstad (123)

[BigBoyBrackey]

At the Silver Slipper, Las Vegas
Lou Nova (62) W10 Scott Frank (67): Nova (TKOby6 Joe Louis) pounds away on the inside early in the fight, then takes target practice on Frank’s stationary skull through the second half, scoring three knockdowns in the final two rounds to run away with a 99-87 (twice), 98-88 decision. Frank (TKOby5 Larry Holmes) haw Nova wobbling after a pair of overhand rights in the third, but could – and probably should – have been stopped in the fourth, fifth (10-8 on all three cards, despite the lack of a knockdown), ninth, or 10^th, but referee Arthur Mercante allows the slaughter to last until the final bell.
Battling Jim Johnson (54) KO9 Tyrell Biggs (75): It takes a few rounds for Johnson (D10 Jack Johnson) to work his way past Biggs’ jab, but steady work to the body and head breaks down T[COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)][FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,'lucida grande',arial,helvetica,sans-serif]entative[/FONT][/COLOR] Tyrell’s defenses. Thoroughly in control and up by six, four and four points, Johnson closes things out with consecutive left hooks to the head that leave Biggs (TKOby7 Mike Tyson) face down and unconscious at the 1:30 mark.
Tommy Jackson (46) W10 Ossie Ocasio (83): A pairing of awkward, light-hitting heavies yields several close, hard-to-score rounds early on, along with a series of fouls by Ocasio (TKOby7 Larry Holmes) culminated by referee Steve Smoger docking him a point for a second-round head butt. Aggression and superior work rate by Jackson (TKOby10 Floyd Patterson) wear down Ocasio, who crashes in the eighth and twice more in the 10^th, as much from exhaustion as Jackson’s slap attack.
Owen Beck (91) KO8 Bill Brennan (38): Trailing by two points on all three cards after six rounds, Beck (TKOby3 Nikolay Valuev) turns the fight with a foul late in the seventh. A left hook that lands while Beck holds his target in place with his right arm draws a warning from referee Samuel Viruet – the second such admonition for “What the Heck” -- but also raises a nasty welt under Brennan’s right eye. The injury visibly bothers Brennan (KOby12 Jack Dempsey), and a rejuvenated Beck sends him crashing with a left-right to the head midway through the eighth. A woozy Brennan makes it to his feet, but takes a tremendous beating until crashing again from a right cross to the jaw and being counted out as the bell ring to end the eighth.
Arturo Godoy (30) KO1 Al McCoy (99): With the opening bell still echoing through the arena at the Silver Slipper, McCoy (TKOby6 Joe Louis) pushed out a lazy left jab. While it was still on the way in the general direction of his fellow Bum-of-the-Month Clubber’s chin, Godoy (L15, DQby7 Joe Louis) launched an overhand right that landed flush. McCoy landed heavily, face-first, and managed to barely roll to his side before being counted out just 36 seconds into the opening frame.
Renaldo Snipes (22) W10 Lucien Rodriguez (107): Snipes (TKOby11 Larry Holmes) builds a solid lead with aggression and superior firepower, then drops the Frenchman with a right in the ninth, then twice more in the 10^th, to coast to a 96-92, 97-90, 98-89 win. Rodriguez (L12 Larry Holmes) survives by retreating for much of the night, going toe-to-toe with some success in the eighth, then clinching and running between trips to the floor over the final six minutes.
Intermission
After Taste of Honey provides a rather funky musical interlude, the crowd settles in anticipating a bloodbath between Tommy Farr and Chuck Wepner, followed by a potential decapitation of Stefan Tangstad by Earnie Shavers.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Chuck Wepner (115) TKO3 Tommy Farr (14): Wepner (TKOby15 Muhammad Ali) pulls off the stunner of the tournament to date, by way of a hideous gash over The Tonypandy Terror’s right eye cause by either Wepner’s left hook, or – as Farr’s corner insists – the left elbow that followed immediately behind. Farr (L15 Joe Louis) gets the better of a wide-open first, but the decisive wound opens midway through the second. Farr’s corner manages to slow the bleeding, which accelerates after Wepner paws at it during a clinch early in the third. With blood pouring into the Welshman’s eye and mouth, referee Paul Field – who controversially rules the gash resulted from a clean punch – is left with little choice but to stop the fight after conferring with the ringside physician.

Earnie Shavers (6) TKO2 Steffen Tangstad (123): Shavers (L15 Muhammad Ali, TKOby11 Larry Holmes) predictably bombs the Norwegian into semi-consciousness, with the end coming at 2:51 of the second, following a sickening series of on-target rights to various parts of the head. Tangstad (KOby4 Michael Spinks) somehow manages to stay upright throughout while enduring nasty swelling around his left eye and a nasty cut over the right, but accomplishes little else.

[BigBoyBrackey]

First round, fourth night

Jameel McCline (61) vs. Marvis Frazier (68)
Luis Angel Firpo (53) vs. Jesse Ferguson (76)
Tami Mauriello (45) vs. DaVarryl Williamson (84)
Henry Cooper (37) vs. Obed Sullivan (92)
Bob Pastor (29) vs. Brian London (100)
Zora Folley (21) vs. Ron Stander (108)
Tommy Gibbons (13) vs. Crawford Grimsley (116)
Oscar Bonavena (5) vs. Richard Dunn (124)

[BigBoyBrackey]

At the Silver Slipper, Las Vegas
Jameel McCline (61) W10 Marvis Frazier (68): McCline (TKOby10 Wladimir Klitschko, L12 Chris Byrd, TKOby3 Nikolay Valuev) builds an early lead by keeping Frazier (KOby1 Larry Holmes) at the end of his jab, but Smokin’ Joe’s son works his way inside and back into the fight as the much bigger man fades. McCline pulls it out with a knockdown in each of the last two rounds, enough for a 96-94, 97-92, 97-93 win.
Luis Firpo (53) TKO7 Jesse Ferguson (76): Ferguson (KOby2 Riddick Bowe) takes a thorough beating, but stays on his feet until, with his right eye swollen shut, referee Tony Gibson saves him from further pain at 1:56 of the seventh. Firpo (KOby2 Jack Dempsey) strafes Ferguson with both hands throughout, landing nearly three times as many punches and winning five of the six completed rounds on all three cards.
DaVarryl Williamson (84) W10 Tami Mauriello (45): Williamson’s booming right hand gives him the edge in one of the tournament’s best two-way action fights so far, including a ninth-round knockdown that caps three straight torrid rounds. Williamson (L12 Chris Byrd) also opens a cut under the left eye of Mauriello (KOby1 Joe Louis), who is penalized a point for holding and hitting in the second but rallies with power shots each time he is hurt, and earns a 96-93, 97-91 (twice) decision.
Henry Cooper (37) W10 Obed Sullivan (92): Cooper (TKOby6 Muhammad Ali) outboxes and outworks the badly out-of-shape Sullivan (TKOby9 Vitali Klitschko), landing nearly three times as many punches and five times as many jabs. Sullivan doesn’t even manage to cut the usually bloody Cooper, though all three judges see things oddly close at 97-93.
Brian London (100) W10 Bob Pastor (29): London (KOby11 Floyd Patterson, KOby3 Muhammad Ali) takes the fight to Pastor from the opening bell, landing several big shots in the first two rounds, then scores knockdowns in the sixth and seventh to build a big lead. Pastor (KOby11 Joe Louis) stages a furious rally in the final round, but London hangs on to win by scores 96-91 (twice) and 95-92.s
Zora Folley (21) W10 Ron Stander (108): In a thorough mismatch, Folley (KOby7 Muhammad Ali) outclasses Stander (TKOby5 Joe Frazier), landing nearly five times as many punches, but never goes for the kill and coasts to a 98-92, 100-90 and 100-91 decision. The scoring is notable because on official found two rounds to give Stander, who connected on a shade more than 10 percent of his punches.
Tommy Gibbons (13) W10 Crawford Grimsley (116): Like Folley, Gibbons (L15 Jack Dempsey) puts on a clinic, deftly dodging ‘The Terminator’s’ crude swings and peppering him with jabs and quick one-twos to the face and left hooks to the ribs, then tying up the larger man when things get close. Grimsley (L12 George Foreman) lands a few heavy single shots in the middle rounds, but is deservedly on the short end of 97-94, 98-93 and 99-92 (the most accurate) scores.

Oscar Bonavena (5) KO2 Richard Dunn (124): Bonavena (L15 Joe Frazier) beats the living crap out of Dunn (TKOby5 Muhammad Ali). An uppercut floors the former European and British champion midway through the first. Dunn gets up, barely, at nine, and makes it through the round despite ending it with a badly cut and swollen left eye. Ringo takes his time in the second and lands several hard body shots before a right cross to the nose ends it, with the final count tolling over Dunn after the round ends.