January 15, 2000

Multnomah Greyhound Park
Portland, Oregon
Promoter: Oregon Trails Promotions
Matchmaker: Bob Oleson.
Referees: James Arnett Churn, Darrell Penn, Bill Thornberg
Judges: Greg Baker, Joe Bonaventura, Bob Flemming, Paul Weitzel
Ringside Physicians: Dr. James Ferguson, Dr. Pat Shipsey

Swapping One Ring for Another

The role of divorce in professional boxing is seldom acknowledged but the two local protagonists in the evening's co-main events are poignant examples of the phenomenon. Many a struggling boxer is swept off his feet and out of the spartan ring life by the charms of some angel who can't bear to see him hurt, or at least wants him to keep a regular job and spend all his free time with her. Even years later, if the matrimonial sheets split, the former pug often finds himself yearning for that peaceful haven where he felt most busy and productive, healthy and appreciated-- the boxing gym. If home cooking has wrecked his figure he may amble back into the fistic sweat lodge with some notion of "getting back in shape" for the demanding rigors of the dating game. Once there the he gets twitchy at the sound of the bell and tells himself he can still do it, will do it better this time, since he is older and wiser. Thus is many a comeback born.

Divorcee #1...Triumphant Return

The amiable, and enviably tanned, John Egge ( pronounced Egg-ee) of Portland has thinner wisps on his blonde noggin than the last time he appeared in the ring, some five or maybe eight years ago. But he can still sell tickets by the bushel. Egge is 39 years old and an electrician for one of the nation's largest printing companies. He is working off his recent divorce by boxing under the guidance of former toughguy, boxer, and martial artist, Mark Emory.

Egge's experience as a tough guy fighter in the wildly successful Toughest Guy Around events hosted by Bob Oleson at the Tigard Armory during the 1980's is not represented in his official pro record, which is now 4-1. The TG bouts never counted with the official record keepers. But his old armory fans remember him. A few hundred of his friends and workmates enlivened the jammed-to-the-rafters crowd in the room under the glass grandstands at the Multnomah Greyhound Park on Saturday night. Clearly, if Egge stays in the game, the promoter can sell out a reasonable sized house for every show.

Egge weighed a cuddly 196 lbs when making his re-debut in a six round cruiserweight main event against 189 lb Robert Ryan (now 0-2) of Spokane,Washington. The 27 year-old Ryan is a long-jawed, rangey ex-marine sporting a stylish Van Dyke beard and mustache and a limited amateur career of 4-4 . He's been training at the Spokane Karate Center with Rick Welliver Jr, while working security at a local nightclub.

The pair engaged in a modest pushing, slapping and grappling contest. They were evenly matched with no great skills or energy on either side. The ardent Egge-ans were distraught in the first when Ryan knocked their hero's mouthpiece out and Egge appeared discombobulated. But Egge seemed to get his bearings in the second, realizing that the marine was more beard than malice, and proceeded to dominate the shoves and cuffs for the rest of the bout. The enthused Egge-ans were appalled by every twitch from the marine and exulted in every shrug from Egge. The final bell was greeted by a standing ovation and everybody but the marine had a lovely time. The judges called it 60-52, 59-56, 60-56, all for John Egge.

Divorcee #2....Bad Birthday

In the 8 round middleweight co-main event, Scott Lansdon of Baker City, OR celebrated his 29th birthday along with the third bout in his post-divorce come-back. Lansdon, who suffered four straight losses in his original career had been out of the ring for seven years when he climbed back in 1999. Regarding those losses, three of which were KO-bys, Lansdon says "At the time I was married to the wrong person for boxing." Lansdon taught himself to fight in the family barn and still trains himself at a local exercise spa in Baker City. The 5'8" Lansdon allows as how years of 8-hour days "throwing lumber" in a local mill have increased his punching power considerably without eliminating what he labels his "jelly belly." He weighed-in at 164 lbs for his 8 rounder against southpaw Brock Stodden of Bremerton, WA.

As recently as last year the newly bearded Stodden was a bit of a prospect but was knocked out recently and seems to be off his game. The pair came out as they would continue--Stodden slow and Lansdon wild. Stodden was hurt early in the second but rallied, while Lansdon hit the deck in a slip. Stodden put some combinations together in the third and dropped Lansdon hard. The divorcee got up quick and renewed his wind-milling, which produced a massive low blow that dropped Stodden to his knees. Several minutes off for Stodden to recover gave Lansdon a chance to breathe but he was still tired when the action began again.

Stodden kept landing slow, methodical combinations as the exhausted Lansdon soaked up punishment and gasped for breath. Lansdon went down and through the ropes in the fifth. He made it back into the ring in time but his cornerman was standing on the ring apron ready to throw a towel, and ref Bill Thornberg stopped the fight. A TKO win for Brock Stodden at 1:32 of the 5th round. Lansdon's record falls to 2-5 with four of those losses by knockout.

The Under Card:

A Family Affair

--4 rounds, middleweights. Tough 35 year-old Dominic Rivera (0-2, 165 lbs) of Portland has his petite and energetic wife in his corner. His opponent was a debut kid. The 23 year-old Gonzo Dominguez (158 lbs) of Hood River, OR is trained by his portly father who is also his main sparring partner. Gonzo's amateur experience ended when he was around ten years old, according to Dominguez, Sr. The shorter Rivera is usually in good shape but looked soggy for this one. Dominguez has a soft, childish surface but is considerably taller. Dominguez tried to jab and move. Rivera lunged and reached. Neither could box a lick, but they were inept in stylistically contrasting ways. The lunger won. 39-37, 39-37, 40-37, all for Rivera, who scored his first pro win.

Man vs Boy

--4 rounds, jr featherweights-- The man is 28 year-old, 5'3" tall, 118 lb Angelo "Rooster" Torres of Tacoma. Torres had one good KO victory on his pro record and an extensive amateur career mostly in his native New York. Having moved to Tacoma a year or so ago, Torres had his last nine amateur fights under the tutelage of coach Tom Mustin at the Al Davies Boys & Girls Club. Mustin is the head coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. Torres was so ripped that his cheekbones would cut your throat. The boy was soft-eyed Cesar Garcia-Lopez of Woodburn, OR. (123 lbs, 1-1 as a pro), a 24 year-old with limited amateur background who is handled by his father-in-law, Wally Jorgenson.

It was all over too quick for those who wanted to see more of Torres' polished work. The slick, fast Torres dropped the far too game Garcia-Lopez twice. The second time, the youngster just sat still, leaning against the ropes with his head turned oddly and his right arm twisted behind him, asleep. The knockout came at 2:48 of the first round.

Mutt & Jeff

Mike Lucero is 5'3" and normally fights at 135 but this bout was made at welterweight and he weighed in at a solid 147. Lucero is 24, a hard working family man who can only make it to the gym a couple of days a week. He recently started training with Arnold and James Manning and is managed by the redoubtable maestro Mike "Motormouth" Morton of Portland. Lucero's record was 3-4-1 going in.

His opponent was 5'11", 25 year old Rob Mansfield, fighting out of Vern Miller's Twin Tigers Gym in Bremerton, WA. Mansfield was making his pro debut and had a few amateur bouts some ten years ago. He weighed 146 and was sporting a red mouse under his left eye before the bout.

Lucero's manager was a little worried when he found out Mansfield was eight inches taller, but it didn't matter after all. Mansfield came out throwing a lot of hissing, pittapat shots at the opening bell. Lucero ducked around and covered enough to learn that they felt like "Martial Arts" punches. Then he marched forward and beat Mansfield up. A little body work and then a few right hands lobbed at Mansfield's far-off face. That was the recipe. By the third round Mansfield was laying and swaying drunkenly in the ropes. The ref stopped it at 2:11 of the third. TKO win for Lucero.

The Fight of the Night

-- 6 rounds, welterweights,--Undefeated Tony Martinez of Woodburn is a shy, chipper 21 year-old who works in a Sherwood box factory when he isn't training in Wally Jorgenson's Salem gym. Martinez is stepped in to this bout weighing 148 lbs, with 4-0, 2 KO's and only one of those earlier bouts was easy.

The lean, serious Robert "The Preacher" Howard, of Kansas City, Missori had visited Portland back on Nov.14, 99 for a show promoted by Oregon Trails at the Rose Garden. Howard was stung hard when Virgil "Virge The Scourge" Bohnenkamp of Portland caught him with a massive right to the chin as he was coming out of a quick clinch. Howard fell sideways, stiff as a tree, then climbed up and staggered away, only half conscious. A KO win for Bohnenkamp at :16 of the first round. Bohnenkamp himself was KO'd in 2 down in California a few weeks later.

The 27 year-old Howard weighed 147 for this bout. He trains himself. He was the 1999 Missouri State Golden Glove champ and his first visit to Oregon ended so fast we didn't get a good look at his tucked in, southpaw style. He's a smooth mover with a snap in each arm and he decked Martinez within seconds of the opening bell.

Martinez jumped up and struggled to survive the first round in the face of a hail of pressure from The Preacher. Martinez has good basics but he never looks slick or sophisticated. He shocked the house by charging out for the second round with a massive body attack that dropped The Preacher twice and had him staggering for the ropes. Martinez was all offense and the preacher barely survived a ride on the ropes in the third. His mouthpiece went flying but he managed a late rally as Martinez' arms must have been burning from throwing so many punches. The fourth had the preacher struggling to find his way back into the fight but never getting any real momentum. On the ropes Howard repeatedly got his glove caught in the top strand as he tried to counter. His mouthpiece flew again and for the second time referee Darrell Penn simply tossed the mouthpiece over to his corner without stopping the action to replace it. Halfway through the fifth, the body attack had so destroyed Howard's defense that Martinez' final hooks and straight rights to put him to sleep with his arms snagged in the ropes like a dropped puppet tangled in the strings. A KO win for Tony Martinez at 1:28 of the fifth round.