Cyber Boxing Zone -- Newswire

The Cyber Boxing Zone Newswire -- APRIL 12:2001

Friday the 13th at the Dog Track
By Katherine Dunn

Friday, April 13, 2001
The Multnomah Greyhound Park
Portland, Oregon.
Promoter: Oregon Trail Promotions
Matchmaker: Bob Oleson
Judges: Greg Baker, Jim Howard, Paul Weitzel
Referees: Jim Eriksen, Darrell Penn Lewis, Mike Fisher
Ringside Physicians: Dr. James Ferguson, M.D., Dr Louis Rios, M.D.

This was not big time boxing. This was mom-and-pop style, pancake-breakfast-at-the-grange boxing. No great skills on display. No brilliant contests. But some hopeful beginners, some still hoping, some whose hopes are long gone, and at least one guy still doing it just for the hell of it.

The big low room under the grandstands at the Multnomah Greyhound Park was a pleasant, sociable situation for the couple-three hundred assembled ticket holders. A lot of visiting, and tale swapping goes on. Toddlers clamber over the folding chairs. The Stetsoned ring announcer insists that every baseball cap be removed in honor of the Star Spangled Banner sung from mid-ring by a 9 year-old girl with a rich alto and a bluesy lilt. Babies are passed around for relay cuddling by gauntlets of boxers, truckers, and grizzled old fight guys. Skinny kids in pigtails wander the crowd saying "Puh-leeze buy a t-shirt." The nachos and soft pretzels generate as much enthusiasm as the ring-card girls. Greg Haugen works a corner before coming out to watch the show. Ray Lampkin, Thad Spencer, and a score of other ex-pros are propping up the back wall or gossiping with pals. The crowd is knowledgeable enough, and they know where they are and what they can expect. They intend to enjoy it.

Originally scheduled for March 30, this show was postponed when bouts fell out at the last minute. Resuming matchmaking chores, Bob Oleson aimed at seven bouts. Whether it was the curse of the Friday the 13th date or mere happenstance, the list quickly dwindled to six, then five bouts. The featured character in all the ads and posters was six-time Oregon Golden Glove champ, and winner of the 2000 Western Olympic Trials, Jr middleweight Reggie Davis, who was scheduled to make his pro debut. He was set to meet 0-2 guy, Gaspar Estrada, who earned his keep by cutting the golf course grass in St. George, Utah. On Thursday afternoon, Oleson learned that Estrada had been picked up the night before by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and deported to Mexico. A frenzied flurry of phone calls around the nation failed to turn up an opponent for Davis. The pinch was that this was the third scheduled bout in a row that had been cancelled for Davis. And the card was down to four bouts. In order to meet the state requirement of 26 rounds of scheduled boxing for a show, the promoters turned their 8 rounder into a 10, and one of the 4-rounders into a 6. The show went on.

Results of the four-bout card promoted by Oregon Trails Promotions were as follows:

In the 8 round main event, 32 year-old Larry Banks, 172 lbs, of Las Vegas, NV went to 4-9, in a unanimous decision win over 35 year-old Kip Triplett, 172 1/4 lbs, now 8-7-3, 1 KO of Eugene, OR. Banks looked better than his record coming in, and clearly had more speed and versatility than Triplett, who chose to turtle up and endure for several rounds. Banks could have stayed outside and lathered away, but he chose to step in and go nose to nose, which lead to clubbing and clinching. By the end of the fourth Tripletts' sheer ability to stay vertical after the body shots was eliciting respect from the audience but remarkably, things improved as the bout went on. In the 6th Triplett stepped back and threw a few punches. In the 7th he came out jabbing and didn't cover up again until half way through the round when Banks was popping nasty upper cuts as well as body work . In the 8th Triplett threw three straight punches, driving the crowd to the edge of delight. And the final round was a fight with Triplett landing one resounding punch that had Banks struggling to rally. Banks deserved his decision, but Triplett made him earn it at the end.

In a scheduled six round bout, tall blond Jeremy Morrison, 23 years, 172 lbs, of St George, Utah improved to 11-4, 9 KO's with a knockout at 1:19 of the first round over 31 year-old James "Rock" Brock, a 172 lb southpaw from Inglewood, CA, whose record devolved to 5-8-1, 3 KO's. Brock looked more compact and skilfull than the wide-punching Morrison, but got caught by a left hand that was visible from Nebraska. Brock fell straight and stiff. Out cold. After several minutes he seemed to recover in the ring but, at the order of the ringside physician, he was transported by ambulance to a hospital for a CAT scan to make sure he was not seriously injured. The promoters reported the following day that Brock was fine and his CAT scan was OK.

A six round women's bout featured 20 year-old Laramie Hinostroza, 126 lbs, of Kansas City, MO but fighting out of Portland, OR. Hinostroza went to 2-0 with a unanimous decision over 24 year-old Christina Avitia, 126 lbs, of Tucson, AZ who was making her pro debut. Hinostroza had fair composure and basic skills, but every move is slow, as though she's wading through a nightmare swamp. Avitia was quick and energetic but out-gunned in the power department.

A four round cruiserweight bout had 24 year-old Michael Sams, 185 lbs, of Colfax, WA moving to 3-0 with a decision win over 28 year-old Neil Stephens, 183 lbs, of Seattle. Stephens is now 0-1. Stephens was the more polished boxer, but the raw power of the green Sams won the day.

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