He Coulda Been a Champion - a Greg Page memorial uni

[BigBoyBrackey]

LAS VEGAS SUN

Shelburg Bombs Caldwell

Jeff Shelburg destroyed Leroy Caldwell at the Hacienda Hotel on Thursday, finishing the veteran trial-horse with a concussive combination late in the fifth round.

A left hook followed by an overhand right put Caldwell on the floor for the second time in the fight, where he was counted out with 11 seconds remaining in the fifth.

“It’s a great night for me,” said Shelburg, who won his third straight fight since losing a decision to then-unbeaten Marvin Stinson in October 1980. “It felt good to put things together against a guy as savvy as Caldwell.”

Though Caldwell’s record fell to .500 (25-25-5, 6 KO), he figured to provide a solid test for the 25-year-old Utah native, given the depth of his experience facing the likes of Oscar Bonavena, George Foreman and Earnie Shavers.

“That kid can hit,” Caldwell said following the fight, an ice pack applied to the left side of his face. “And I’ve been hit by the best.”

Shelburg came out in a fury, landing heavily in the early moments of round one. Caldwell’s left eye began to swell late in the first, but it was unclear whether the damage resulted from a punch or a nasty, but unintentional, collision of heads.

Caldwell rallied behind solid defense and sporadic counterpunching to earn an edge from all three judges in the second and third rounds.

Shelburg’s power took over in the fourth, shaking Caldwell with a hard right cross behind a sharp jab in the early moments. With less than a minute remaining in the round, a similar combination put Caldwell on his behind. He rose at the count of nine, but a hard shot to the top of the head had him looking ready to go. Shelburg’s intended finisher, a left hook that started from somewhere in the $10 seats, missed badly at the bell.

Instead of continuing to swing wildly in the fifth, though, Shelburg showed his maturity by waiting for an opening, then capitalizing with a right cross that staggered Caldwell moments before the decisive combination.

With the victory, Shelburg improved to 23-3 with 20 of his wins coming by way of knockout.

“This is the best I’ve ever felt,” Shelburg said. “I’m ready for some great things.”

[kenyan_cheena]

This is a great uni, B3. I'd love to see you take it all the way up to Tyson's days and find out how he might have gone with the proper people surrounding him.

[Infinity]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

This is a great uni, B3. I'd love to see you take it all the way up to Tyson's days and find out how he might have gone with the proper people surrounding him.

Agreed....Makes one wonder how he'd have done if Gus had lived longer, or had set Mike up with folks he'd feel comfortable with before passing away, and getting Mike the Psychological help that he so obviously needed all along the way. Methinks Mike would have stayed on top for a much longer time with the proper help.

[BigBoyBrackey]

THE COURIER-MAIL

Mundine Sweeps Belts With Epic Win

There were three Australian titles at stake Friday night at Brisbane’s Festival Hall. Tony Mundine earned every one of them. And then some.

Mundine, the national heavyweight champion, kept that crown with a right lead-left hook combination that dropped Steve Aczel for the full count with 20 seconds left in the eighth round of an epic brawl, the third between the two warriors.



Mundine also reclaimed the Australian light-heavyweight belt, which he won from Aczel in 1975 via a 12th-round knockout in their first meeting, but had not defended since, as well as the newly minted cruiserweight title.

“My God, I’ve been in 89 fights and the first 88 couldn’t compare to this,” said an exhausted Mundine, who was badly cut over his left eye in the seventh and rocked several times.

The first such occasion came in the first round, one of the wildest in Australian history.

Mundine, who ran his record to 77-11-1 with 61 knockouts, nearly dropped Aczel with the first punch he threw, a tremendous right uppercut that landed flush just 10 seconds after the opening bell.

As soon as he regained his equilibrium, Aczel (27-5-1) responded with a thudding left hook to the ribs, followed by another that caused the champion to wince and tuck his right elbow to his body.

They went toe-to-toe for the rest of the first, with Aczel earning the better of most exchanges.

Mundine landed almost all the meaningful punches in the second, though, battering the arm-weary Aczel with a series of unanswered headshots in the final minute.

Aczel opened strong in the third, landing a pair of hard rights to the head, but Mundine reasserted himself by going up the ladder with left hooks and capping his offensive with a jarring right uppercut.

Aczel, who is three years younger, came out fresher in the fourth and dominated the round. He drew a warning for a low blow early on, but it seemed worth the reprimand as he battered a slowing Mundine with painful combinations, scoring with particular effect to the body and forcing his hands to drop.

The fifth was a virtual replay of the first, except this time Mundine came on strong in the final 30 seconds to earn the round on the scorecards of all three judges.

Things slowed in the sixth, as the fighters spent much of the round in clinches, with Mundine’s big right just above the beltline early on proving decisive.

The slowdown allowed Aczel to catch his wind, though, and he seemed invigorated by the sight of his foe’s blood in the seventh. He nearly dropped Mundine with a left-right midway through the round, then drew another referee’s warning for holding the champion’s head with his right hand while clubbing away with the left.

After winning the seventh, Aczel controlled the first two minutes of the eighth with his jab. He left one short, however, leaving himself open to the finishing salvo by Mundine.

The decisive victory caps a brilliant trilogy, even if Mundine – who defended his national heavyweight belt by stopping Aczel on a ninth-round eye cut nearly a year ago, on July 28, 1980 -- won all three fights.

Mundine said he hopes the win will propel him towards a shot at the World Boxing Association or World Boxing Council light-heavyweight belt, or a chance in the cruiserweight division, which is only recognized by the WBC. In 1979, Mundine lost a 12-round decision to Mate Parlov in an eliminator for the WBC cruiserweight belt eventually won by Marvin Camel.

“I’ve proven I’m the best in my own country,” said Mundine, whose lone shot at a world title belt was a seventh-round knockout loss to middleweight legend Carlos Monzon in 1974. “Now I want to prove myself the best in the world.”

Aczel, a native of Hungary who lives in Brisbane, said he might have weakened himself by getting down to 174 pounds to be eligible for all three national belts, but would focus on the heavier classifications in the future.



“I think I’m stronger at cruiser or heavyweight,” said Aczel, who weighed 187 for his third-round knockout of Rod Christsen in May. “But, no doubt, Mundine was stronger tonight.”

Mundine led by a 68-65 count on all three scorecards, though most ringside observers felt the scoring should have been closer -- and that Aczel possessed the more impressive sideburns.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Thanks, guys -- I've enjoyed both of your work and plan to start commenting more now that I'm getting acclimated here. Like I said up top, Page's death got me to go back to Newfield's book, which does a great job of outlining how badly King's machinations damaged a whole generation of top heavyweights as fighters and, in many cases, people in a way that extended far beyond their bank accounts.

It's a fun era, too, with a lot of great stories. Until deciding to sim the Mundine-Aczel fight -- mainly because of the unique triple-title aspect -- I didn't know anything about either guy other than that Mundine's son is a top Australian fighter. And it wound up being a great fight, with a 24-15 first round, a 19-17 sixth and a sudden knockout.

Tyson is certainly a tantalizing part of all this. While Cus's death was certainly a big factor, the sudden passing of Jimmy Jacobs may have been even more important, according to Newfield's book. Tyson felt betrayed because no one told him his manager/father figure had leukemia until after he died, making him especially susceptible to King's seduction.

But, at the moment, a teenage Tyson is still quietly working out in Catskill ...

[BigBoyBrackey]

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Boxing World Comes to Town;
Cooney-Mercado Creates Buzz

Philadelphia will be the center of the pugilistic universe this week, as some of the world’s top fighters, tens of thousands of boxing fanatics and scores of sports-starved celebrities arrive in advance of Friday night’s nationally televised heavyweight tripleheader at The Spectrum.

World Boxing Association champion Mike Weaver’s second title defense, against unbeaten James “Quick” Tillis, is ostensibly the main event of the ABC telecast. Most of the interest from the mainstream public, though, stems from the evening’s main supporting bout.

The meeting between consensus No. 1 contender Gerry Cooney (25-0, 22 knockouts) and Colombia’s Bernardo Mercado (28-3, 24 KO) – who held the World Boxing Council’s top spot for a while in 1980 – has drawn greater media attention than any non-title bout since the second meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The winner is tentatively scheduled to survivor of the Weaver-Tills match for the WBA belt sometime this fall.

With the interminable baseball strike leaving sports fans bored beyond belief, Friday’s card – which also includes a 10-rounder pitting unbeaten prospect Greg Page against massive ex-con Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings – has become the hottest ticket in the country.

Among the celebrities who have reportedly secured ringside seats – Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Lynda Carter, Billy Dee Williams, Telly Savalas, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd of “Blues Brothers” and Saturday Night Live fame, Rick James, Billy Joel, Larry Hagman, Harrison Ford and Bo Derek.

The influx led local promoter Russell Peltz to put together another card scheduled for Thursday night at Martin Luther King Arena, featuring unbeaten local heavyweight prospect Tim Witherspoon, who is 10-0 with seven knockouts, in a 10-round main event against little-known Jerry Williams (4-3, 2).

Much of the sudden boxing frenzy stems from Cooney’s pigmentation, boxing experts say.

“He’s not just a great white hope, he’s the greatest and whitest hope since Marciano,” said Larry Merchant, former columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. “And Friday, we might just find out if he can actually fight.”

Cooney’s reputation as a left-hooking destroyer was cemented by his 54-second wipeout of Ken Norton at Madison Square Garden in May. But not everyone was convinced by the performance.

“Norton was more washed-up than a dead whale,” Merchant said. “We still don’t know what will happen if someone stands up to Cooney, or, God forbid, actually hits him. He hasn’t shown any sort of right hand, his jab has been like an amateur’s. Maybe he’s good enough to live up to all the hype. We’ll certainly have a better idea by the end of Friday night.”

Some find the insistence of Dennis Rappaport, Cooney’s manager, on referring to the Huntington, Long Island native as “The People’s Champion” particularly galling.

“It is bad enough that Mike Weaver runs around calling himself ‘the heavyweight champion of the world’ when anyone who can see, hear or read knows that the real champion is one Larry Holmes,” said Howard Cosell, who will provide color commentary on Friday’s telecast, working himself into high dudgeon and apparently unconcerned about hurting his own ratings. “Now we have Mr. Cooney’s manager proclaiming his fighter as the ‘real champion’ when he has never beaten anyone who won a world title belt in the ring. Ridiculous.”

Asked about Cosell’s critique, Rappaport cited the win over Norton, who held the WBC belt for a few months in 1978. But that was only because that organization had stripped Spinks of the title for agreeing to a rematch with Ali, rather than facing Norton.

The powerful, if limited, Mercado is expected to provide a much better test for Cooney than did Norton. Mercado lost his top ranking when he disintegrated in the ninth round against Leon Spinks last fall. He returned last month with a first-round stoppage of Gilberto Acuna in Miami Beach.

“If Cooney’s for real, he should take out Mercado,” Merchant said. “If not, Mercado’s the perfect guy to expose him. He stood up to Earnie Shavers and nobody hits harder than Earnie. Either way, it should be a fun fight. And a short one.”

[BigBoyBrackey]

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER


Title Fight Gets Second Billing,
But Weaver, Tillis Don't Mind

While Gerry Cooney’s scheduled 10-round meeting with Bernardo Mercado might be the primary attraction for Friday’s nationally televised fight card from The Spectrum, the official main event features a heavyweight titlist who might still be getting better.




Mike Weaver’s valiant, though losing, effort against Larry Holmes in 1979 earned him a shot at then-WBA boss John Tate in March 1980. Tate thoroughly out-boxed the muscular Weaver for more than 14 rounds and two minutes, but one of the most devastating single left hooks in heavyweight history gave Weaver – he of the nine career losses – the WBA crown.

Last October, Weaver traveled to South Africa and outlasted Gerrie Coetzee on the challenger’s home turf, scoring a 13th-round TKO at Sun City. After a rematch with Holmes fell through, Weaver (23-9, 16 KO) agreed to defend against Cooney even before Gerry’s near-decapitation of Norton, but the WBA ordered him to face James "Quick" Tillis first.

“I don’t care who is across the ring from me,” Weaver said. “They keep setting up, I keep knocking them down. Tillis, Cooney, Holmes, it don’t matter.”





Tillis, though unbeaten, has done little to warrant such consideration. His record – 20-0, with 16 knockouts – is impressive enough, until you consider the competition. The most significant wins on his ledger to date have come against journeyman Walter Santemore, who was 16-8 going in, South African Mike Koranicki (22-6-2) and Tom Fisher (28-5). Domingo D’Elia was an impressive-sounding 28-1-2 before facing Tillis last November, but had never fought outside his native Argentina before getting stopped in four in Chicago.

“They all said Ali didn’t fight anybody before he beat Sonny Liston,” Tillis said. “The world will know my name come Saturday morning.”

Though all involved deny it, it’s hard not to believe that the WBA’s eagerness for a Weaver-Tillis fight was orchestrated by promoter Bob Arum, who was at the time still vying for Cooney’s first title bid.

Shortly after Weaver and Tillis signed, talks with Holmes and Arum rival Don King for an autumn showdown fell apart. Arum reportedly then convinced Cooney and Rappaport that facing an opponent who is at least perceived to be dangerous while Weaver boosts his name recognition with what should be an easy defense will result in an easy big payday now and a mammoth one in the fall. And, should Cooney win both, a bonanza awaits in a unification match with Holmes.

But first, he’ll have to deal with Mercado and whoever wins “the other fight” on Friday.

[BigBoyBrackey]

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Page Trying To Make
Name For Himself

He hasn’t won a fight in nearly three years, and his last ring appearance made longtime fans turn away in sadness, but Muhammad Ali’s shadow lingers over Friday’s heavyweight showcase at The Spectrum.

The opening fight of the prime-time ABC telecast -- headlined by World Boxing Association champion Mike Weaver’s defense against James Tillis and top contender Gerry Cooney’s showdown against Bernardo Mercado -- matches Ali's fellow Louisville native, Greg Page, who ran his record to 16-0 with 15 knockouts with a sixth-round stoppage of tough European contender Alfredo Evangelista last month, against the fearsome – in more ways than one -- Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings of Chicago.




Ali has spent much of the last week telling anyone who will listen that he wants a shot at Weaver, to whom he incessantly refers as “The Beaver,” despite his frighteningly lifeless performance last October in a 10-round dismantling at the hands of Larry Holmes.

And much of the attention surrounding Page stems from the parallels with the three-time champion, which the 22-year-old seemed to invite during the spring when he hired legendary trainer Angelo Dundee.

Both mentor and protégé publicly downplay comparisons with “The Greatest.”

“Talk to me in about 10 years,” Dundee said. “I’ll let you know if they belong in the same conversation.”

Dundee, who trained Ali throughout his 20-year pro career and refused to allow him to leave his corner for the 11th round against Holmes, declined to comment on Ali’s comeback talk.

“I’ve got a guy who is going to fight on Friday,” Dundee said. “I can’t spent time thinking about whether somebody else might be some day.”

Page has had Dundee’s undivided attention for the past month, ever since the trainer’s other primary pupil, Sugar Ray Leonard, stopped Ayub Kalule for the WBA title on June 25. The often-moody fighter seems to be settling into a comfortable routine after his promoter, Butch Lewis, rebuffed a hostile takeover attempt by Don King following the death of the fighter’s father in May.

“I don’t have to worry about my money, or my back, any more,” said Page, whose weight fluctuated between 225 and 245 in his first two years as a pro, but is expected to come in at the low end of that spread on Friday. “I can focus on my next opponent and on getting myself in the best shape possible.”

That hasn’t been a concern for Cummings, who spent the better part of 12 years building an intimidating physique while serving a prison sentence for his part in a 1967 murder.

“I did the time, but not the crime,” said Cummings, who has trimmed down from about 275 heavily muscled pounds while in prison to a more flexible 230. “The whole story will come out someday – like when I’m champion.”

Cummings said he learned from the only loss of his 15-fight career, a 10-round decision defeat to Renaldo Snipes in March.

“I tried to box with him too much,” said Cummings, who has earned 12 of his 14 wins by knockout. “My job is to cause pain, and that’s what I’ll do to Page on Friday.”

--In an untelevised bout, unbeaten heavyweight prospect Ali Haakim (12-0, 6 KO) faces Bobby Jordan (5-7, 2) in a 10-round bout. Haakim fights out of Detroit's Kronk Gym, where he trains under Emanuel Steward, best known for guiding power-punching Tommy Hearns to the WBA welterweight title.

[BigBoyBrackey]

SAGINAW NEWS

Shavers Flattens Williams

At least you can’t accuse Terrel Williams of taking a dive.

No boxer intent on going into the tank would have gone to the trouble of absorbing the hellacious shots dealt by Earnie Shavers at the Saginaw Civic Center on Friday, where Williams lasted two minutes and 40 seconds in his first documented professional fight.

Shavers, who came in with a record of 61-10-1, with 59 of those wins coming via the short route, blasted Williams across the ring with a trademark overhand right moments after the opening bell.

Williams, who weighed in at a chubby 228 pounds, did his best to flee, but Shavers quickly cornered him and delivered a left hook that dropped the hapless opponent to the floor.

After rising, falling and rising again at the count of three, Williams resumed his panicky retreat and actually made Shavers miss with a wild right.

So Shavers switched gears and launched a right uppercut that made Williams momentarily appear like a defeated Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em robot, his head dropping to his chest before he crashed again.

This time, the referee could have counted to 50, ending Williams’ first, and hopefully last, professional bout.

For Shavers, the evening did little more than add a 60th knockout to his record and reinforce his reputation as perhaps the most monstrous puncher in the sport. Whether that means much if his tank-town pilgrimage leads to another meaningful fight – of which he has lost three straight, all via stoppage, dating back to his 11th-round TKO at the fists of Larry Holmes in November 1979 – is another matter.

---On the undercard, 6-foot-10, 305-pound Mike “The Giant” White rebounded from a six-round decision loss to Chuck Gardner last month in Detroit by flattening Tom Hartledge with a clubbing right hand in the first round. White improved to 7-1 with five knockouts.

Another young heavyweight, David Jaco, stayed unbeaten with a six-round win over Vernon Bridges. It was the first of Jaco’s fights to go the distance.


(Note: The White and Jaco fights were real-life results.)

[BigBoyBrackey]

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS


Witherspoon Wallops Williams

Unbeaten heavyweight Tim Witherspoon wowed a sell-out crowd at Martin Luther King Arena on Thursday, leveling overmatched Jerry Williams with less than a minute remaining in the third round.



Opening a weekend unprecedented in the recent history of heavyweight boxing, at least in Philadelphia, Witherspoon softened Williams with a dizzying array of head shots in the first two rounds, keyed by a consistent, head-snapping jab.

After clearly taking the first two rounds while retaining his defensive composure, Witherspoon opened up in the third. Midway through the frame, he drove Williams into the ropes with a snapping left-right, then dropped a jack-hammer right on the chin.

Williams hit the canvas face-first with an audible thud and never came close to beating referee Tony Orlando's 10-count, which concluded at 2:20 of the third.

With the win, Witherspoon improved to 11-0, with eight of the victories coming by way of knockout. Conclusive as his victory was, he still showed room for improvement. His footwork was rather plodding and he allowed himself to get caught in a few toe-to-toe exchanges, though Williams (4-4, 2 KOs) lacked the power to capitalize on the openings.

"I'm through with these chumps," an exuberant Witherspoon said. "I want some of what's going on tomorrow."

He referred, of course, to Friday's nationally televised mega-card, headlined by Mike Weaver's defense of the World Boxing Association title against James "Quick" Tillis and top contender Gerry Cooney facing Bernardo Mercado in what amounts to a title eliminator in the main supporting bout. Unbeaten Greg Page's test against muscular ex-con Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings opens the televised portion of the evening at The Spectrum.

As Witherspoon and his entourage celebrated in the ring after the fight, they were joined by vertically coiffed promoter Don King, who has largely been frozen out of the weekend's festivities by the deft maneuvering of arch-rival Bob Arum, as well as upstart Butch Lewis' successful protection of his own interests concerning Page.

King was seen cozying up to Witherspoon's manager, Mark Stewart at ringside before and during the fight.

In the co-feature, a pair of Philly welterweights reprised their crowd-pleasing dust-up of last month, with Roger Stafford again besting Kevin Howard via 10-round decision. On June 4 in Atlantic City, Stafford prevailed on a majority decision. This time, the nod was unanimous.

[BigBoyBrackey]

The ABC telecast is only a tripleheader, but you, the faithful Inside the Ropes reader, receive the bonus of the Haakim-Jordan off-TV 10-rounder, before Page-Cummings (10 rounds), Cooney-Mercado (10) and Weaver-Tillis (15) ...

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 1

Unbeaten Ali Haakim (12-0, 6 KO) starts cautiously, moving side to side and flicking out his jab to little effect. Shopworn-before-his-time Bobby Jordan tries to bull inside with little effect for the first 90 seconds, then lands a right uppercut for the bout's first significant blow, following up with a short left hook.

After the fighters trade punches, Jordan flurries and gets at least one punch in, then makes Haakim miss again with the jab before the prospect finally gets one through.

Round 2

Haakim lands a one-two in the opening moments. After that, his jab keeps missing, but the follow-up rights start connecting consistently to both the head and belly.

Jordan does little beyond a pair of ineffectual body shots shortly before the bell.

Round 3

Much to the delight of trainer Emanuel Steward, Haakim's jab starts landing, including a nice double to the head and body, keeping Jordan from doing much beyond the occasional clinch for most of the round.

Unofficial scoring: 14-13 on Pennsylvania's five-point system.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 4

It looks like more of the same, with Haakim pumping the jab in the early going. But a feint by Jordan forces Haakim to double-clutch and Jordan seizes the opportunity with a hard left hook. Though stunned, Haakim responds with a hard right, then the two fall together and crack heads. The unintentional collision causes swelling under Jordan's left eye.

After a clinch, Haakim unloads a sharp jab-cross-hook combo that forces Jordan backward, but he responds with a flush right cross that halts the Detroit fighter's charge.

Round 5

Jordan continues his attack at the bell, drilling Haakim with a hybrid left hook-uppercut that rattles the youngster. A left uppercut from Jordan, or possibly his thumb, causes Haakim's eye to swell and he spends the final minute of the round trapped on the ropes, eating punches. At the bell, he returns to his corner breathing heavily, the swelling seeming to grow by the second.

Suddenly, Haakim's perfect record looks very much in jeopardy.

Our expert at ringside has Jordan up 23-22 after five.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 6

Facing easily the toughest test of his young career, Haakim refuses to fold. Following Emanuel Steward's tip that Jordan is dropping his right, Haakim starts unloading left hooks, driving Jordan into a neutral corner.

Midway through the round, Haakim puts Jordan in a headlock with his right arm and slams home a few hard hooks to the stationary target, drawing a warning from referee Tony Perez.

After the warning, Haakim parries several shots, then drills Jordan with a combination.

Round 7

The round is even most of the way, with Haakim's hooks and Jordan's crosses evening each other out, while the eye swelling experienced by both fighters threatens to become a significant factor. Another hook/uppercut by Jordan looks to be enough to take the round.

Unofficial scoring: 32-31, Jordan

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 8

Haakim comes out more aggressively than he has all night, bobbing and weaving his way inside, scoring with left jabs and hooks as well as increasingly targeting Jordan's swelling left eye.

Haakim continues as the aggressor until Jordan lands an enormous left uppercut, which the former may not have seen clearly due to increased swelling under his right eye. Haakim plunges backward, hitting the canvas near the ropes.

Showing his inexperience, Haakim tries to bounce up at two, but falls back to the floor, managing to rise as referee Tony Perez's count reaches four.

Jordan doesn't have enought time to follow up before the bell. Haakim staggers back to his corner, where Steward is trying to come up with a way to save his young heavyweight's unbeaten record, and possibly his career.

Round 9

Still looking woozy, Haakim comes out clinching. After freeing himself, Jordan lands a weaker uppercut, then a right cross. Haakim answers with a double left hook that sends sweat spraying over press row, then a hard right to the body. Jordan connects with his own right to ribs in the late going to make the round a toss-up.

Unofficial scoring by rinside expert Javier Aguirre Flores: 42-40, Jordan

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 10

Steward tells Haakim he needs a knockout in the final round, and his pupil at Detroit's Kronk Gym comes out eager to comply.

Haakim takes advantage of Jordan's badly swollen left eye, connecting with several straight rights down the pipe. Jordan seems intent on hugging his way to the final bell, but Haakim fights his way out of a clinch with a flurry to the ribs.

A vicious hook doubles Jordan over. They trade shots inside, with another Jordan uppercut taking the exchange. But the round clearly belongs to Haakim, who reinforces that notion with a left-right shortly before the bell that staggers Jordan, but fails to drop him.

Ringside expert Javier Aguirre Flores calls it 46-45 for Jordan, with the eighth-round knockdown making the difference. Will the officials agree, or will Haakim's strong finish be enough to keep him unbeaten?

[BigBoyBrackey]

As the crowd's ovation for an unexpectedly exciting preliminary dies down, Michael Buffer steps to the microphone and announces the decision:

"And the judges scores are:
46-43,

46-44 and

46-43, all in favor of the winner,

BOBBY JORDAN!

[BigBoyBrackey]

(Cue Howard's close-up)





Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a building best known as the home of Dr. J and the National Basketball Association’s Philadelphia 76ers, as well as the Broad Street Bullies of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Well, some fights will be breaking out tonight where hockey games are so often played. And not just any fights, but three bouts that will help us start to answer a simple question – who is the second-best heavyweight boxer on the planet?

For let there be no doubt, Larry Holmes -- a mere spectator tonight -- is the heavyweight champion of the world, no matter what the self-annointed boxing organizations might decree. That will not change tonight, no matter the outcomes of the three bouts that comprise our telecast: Greg Page vs. Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings, Gerry Cooney – the latest in a long, largely undistinguished line of “Great White Hopes” – against Bernardo Mercado, and, finally, Mike Weaver, who holds the belt of the World Boxing Association, defending that trinket against James “Quick” Tillis.

The real prize here tonight is two-fold: First, to celebrate the renewal of boxing the great city of Philadelphia, home to so many great fighters, including former heavyweight champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier, who is at ringside tonight. And then, to help restore excitement to boxing’s premier division, at a level largely missing since Smokin’ Joe and Muhammad Ali – another front-row spectator – were waging their epic trilogy.

Cooney is rated as the No. 1 contender by both sanctioning bodies, despite a resume light on quality opponents. Weaver gave Holmes his toughest test as champion before faltering in a 1979 title fight. Page is hailed by many as the next Ali, and Louisville’s latest heavyweight has even turned for guidance to Angelo Dundee, the trainer who mentored “The Greatest.”

As for their opponents, Tillis – an unbeaten contender, Mercado – a dangerous puncher, and Cummings – who served 12 years in prison after being convicted of murder, are here to inject their own names into the conversation.

Al Michaels and I will be back after these messages to bring you this drama and intrigue, live from The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This … is Howard Cosell.

[BigBoyBrackey]

Greg Page (16-0, 15 KO) and Floyd Cummings (14-1, 12 KO) both enter the ring looking trim and appear focused during referee Larry Rozadilla's instructions before their scheduled 10-rounder. At the first bell, the heavily muscled Cummings rushes across the ring to Page's corner, where the rising contender meets him with a sharp jab ...

Round 1

Both men start out trying to establish the jab. Both connect, but Page does so more often. He also follows up with a couple of good right crosses, while Cummings struggles to find a rhythm.

After connecting with a hard cross late in the first, Page -- who has an extensive amateur background, as well as 16 pro fights, clinches rather than following up, indicating a strategy aimed at tiring and frustrating the less experienced Cummings.

Round 2

Page continues clinching through much of the round, drawing a smattering of boos from the historically bloodthirsty Philly crowd, as well as a warning late in the round for leaning on Cummings' neck.

A solid jab and a weak left hook to the ribs are enough to win the round for Cummings, since Page throws nothing beyond a few probing jabs. Though it's clearly Jumbo's round, Dundee is pleased when Page gets back to his corner.

"Those clinches are doing more damage than punches right now," Dundee tells his pupil. "You're using his strength against him. He's already getting tired."

Unofficial scoring: Ringside expert Tom Trunzo has it 10-9, Cummings after two rounds, with the first even and the second going to Jumbo ...

[BigBoyBrackey]

Round 3

After continuing to grapple for the first half-minute, Page blocks a jab from Cummings, then throws one of his own. It misses, but the right cross that follows does not.

A pair of fairly even exchanges follow, then Page strings together a jab-cross-hook combo that rattles Cummings. After yet another clinch, Cummings lands his best punch of the fight, a hard right, but Page responds with an even better one. Page lands another cross flush to Cummings' face just before the bell.

Round 4

Page diversifies his work off a jab that lands more consistently, either hooking to the body or capitalizing on Cummings' low-hanging left hand with right crosses over the top.

Hurt by a sharp combination, followed by a right to the belly, Cummings flurries in an effort to shake things up, but only one punch of four gets through. After Cummings lands a short uppercut, Page lands another jab-cross-hook series that nearly topples Jumbo, who holds on until the bell.

Unofficial scoring: Trunzo gives Page both rounds three and four, for a 19-18 lead on Pennsyvlania's five-point must scoring system ...