``xBy Katherine Dunn

Nov. 10, 2001
Emerald Queen Casino
Tacoma, Wa
Promoter: Brian Halquist
Matchmaker: Bob Oleson
Inspector: Tom Sporar
Referees: Paul Fields, Ron Rall
Judges: Alan Krebs, Joe Macaluso, Tom McDonough
Physician: Dr. Charles Weispfenning

The Washington Department of Licensing adopted, for
this club show, the unified rules of the Association
of Boxing Commissions.

In a scheduled10 round main event, Trevor Brown,
156 1/2 lbs, of Orlando, FLA improved to 11-2-0, 9
KOs, with a first round stoppage of Jeremy Morrison,
160 1/2 lbs, now 14-5-0, 9 KOs, of St George, Utah.
Morrison didn’t land a single punch and was knocked
down twice. Referee Paul Field called it off at 2:35
of the 1st round. A TKO win for Brown.

Over 6 rounds, Louis Sargeant, 166 1/2 lbs, of
Richmond, B.C. moved up to 4-5-1,1 KO, with a
unanimous decision win over Kip Triplett, 169 3/4 lbs,
now 10-10-3, 2KOs, of Creswell, OR.

In a bout listed for 6 rounds, Robert Linton, 162 1/2
lbs, now 7-1-0,4 Kos, of University Place, WA TKO’d
Dexter Williams, 162 1/2 lbs, now 7-15-3, 3 KOs, of
Las Vegas. Williams was out-classed from the get go
and ref Paul Field stopped the fight at 1:28 of the
4th round.

In a trio of four round bouts:

Michael Sams, 180 1/4 lbs, now 4-0-1, of Colfax, WA
suffered a deep cut near the eye resulting from an
accidental head butt during his match with James
Partch, 176 1/4 lbs, now 0-5-1, of Boring, OR. The
ringside physician recommended that the bout be
stopped at 1:41 of the 2nd round. The match was
declared a technical draw.


Eric Aiken, 122 3/4 lbs, now 2-1, 1 KO, of
Forestville, Maryland won a unanimous decision over
Angelo Torres, 122 1/2 lbs, now 3-4-1, 2 KOs, of
Lakewood, WA.


Chubby 18-year-old Chauncy Welliver, 257 1/2 lbs, now
6-0,2 KOs, of Spokane, WA gave boxing lessons to buff
, 31 year-old former San Francisco Forty-Niner, John
Clark, 261 1/2 lbs, now 1-1, of Ft Worth, TX. Welliver
won a lop-sided unanimous decision.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xEmerald Queen Smoker Results``x1005841280,45399,``x``x ``xBy Adam Pollack

After Hasim Rahman knocked out Lennox Lewis in the 5th round, HBO
commentators compared it to Clay-Liston, Ali-Foreman, Tyson-Douglas, and
Baer-Braddock. Which one of these upsets really was the biggest?

5. Muhammad Ali KO8 George Foreman 1974

Not really that huge when you consider that Ali was a former dominant
heavyweight champion who had beaten most every top contender, and was coming
off 12 round decisions over Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in rematches.
However, he had lost to both Frazier and Norton and Foreman had knocked each
of them out in 2 rounds, and Ali had shown signs of aging against Norton.

However, Foreman was a Sonny Liston type fighter and Ali had proven he could
beat that type of boxer. Also, Foreman knocked boxers out quickly and like
Liston, wasn't used to going rounds. Ali had never been stopped and had
taken Frazier's best over 15 rounds. The men Foreman knocked out weren't
defensive specialists that Ali had proven to be.

Foreman last went 10 rounds in 1971, three years previously. Since then,
the only time he went past 2 rounds was the 4th round KO of Luis Pires in
1971. Foreman had three years of not going past 2 rounds. Since winning
the title in January 1973 with a 2 round KO over Frazier, Foreman had only
gone 1 round with Joe Roman and 2 with Norton. This was not a man used to
going more than a couple of rounds.

Conversely, Ali had taken the best Frazier had to offer over 27 rounds, and
had gone a great number of rounds since then with top contenders such as
Ellis, Mathis, Chuvalo, Quarry, Patterson, Foster, Bugner, Norton, and
Frazier.

4. Cassius Clay TKO7 Sonny Liston 1964

Liston last went 10 rounds in 1960, with Eddie Machen, four years before
meeting Clay. Since then, he only had a KO3 Howard King and KO1 Albert
Westphal in 1961, a KO1 Floyd Patterson in 1962, and another KO1 of
Patterson in 1963. Liston had been inactive, and had fought a paltry number
of rounds and fights in the last three years.
None of Liston's opponents had the footwork and headmovement of a Cassius
Clay. Patterson was essentially a large light heavyweight with little
footwork and had been dropped in almost every championship fight he had
during his reign. However, Liston was a huge man with devastating power.

Clay was an undefeated gold medalist who had beaten some top contenders such
as Alonzo Johnson, Alex Miteff, Sonny Banks, Archie Moore, Billy Daniels,
Doug Jones, and Henry Cooper. Still, Clay had been dropped by Banks and
Cooper, men who didn't hit as hard as Liston, and had struggled with Doug
Jones. Clay hadn't demonstrated a huge punch and seemed too weak to
withstand Liston's brand of power. However, he had lightning hand speed,
excellent footwork, and managed to defeat every opponent put in front of him
to that point.

3. Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis 2001

Lewis had established himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion with
his defeat(s) of Evander Holyfield. He also had recent wins over linear
champion Shannon Briggs, Michael Grant, Francois Botha, and David Tua.
Lewis had demonstrated some chin weakness in being knocked out by Oliver
McCall in 1994, and had been hurt in bouts with Briggs and Holyfield,
amongst others. However, Lewis did take it well over 10 rounds from an in
shape Ray Mercer and dominated hard punching David Tua over 12 rounds.

However, Lewis was 35 years old at the time, a large 253 pounds, was
fighting Rahman at altitude, and rumors had it that Lewis hadn't been
training seriously.

Rahman was 28 and had spent a month in South Africa to prepare. Rahman was
a top ten fighter, having a W10 Ross Puritty (who has wins over Joe Hipp and
Vladimir Klitschko, and a D10 with Tommy Morrison), an impressive W10 over
former WBC champion Trevor Berbick, W12 Obed Sullivan, and W12 Jesse
Ferguson (who had a win over Mercer).

However, Rahman had recently been knocked out by David Tua and Oleg Maskaev,
so many believed Rahman couldn't take it. However, Tua was a huge puncher
(KOs over Maskaev, Izon, and Ruiz), and Rahman had won every round against
Tua until being tagged in the 9th round. Rahman was also winning the
Maskaev bout until being knocked out in the 8th. Maskaev had wins over Alex
Stewart and Derrick Jefferson, and was leading on points until being knocked
out by Tua late. Rahman had proved he could compete with top fighters and
had only been stopped late in those bouts. Against Corrie Sanders, he
showed heart by coming off the canvas to knock Sanders out. Sanders had a
W12 Puritty and KO2 Al Cole.

2. James 'Buster' Douglas KO10 Mike Tyson 1990

Tyson was the power punching dominant machine of the late 80's, knocking out
almost every top contender. He knocked out Tony Tubbs in 2 and Michael
Spinks in 1 round in 1988, Frank Bruno in 5 in 1989, and Carl Williams in 1
in 1989. However, when you look at it, like Liston, he had fought twice per
year in the past two years and didn't go too many rounds.

Well publicized was his break with trainer Kevin Rooney, excess weight (260
pounds) between fights, turmoil with wife Robin Givens, and his admittedly
poor training habits. In fact, Tyson was knocked down in training just
before the fight by sparring partner Greg Page. Regardless, because Tyson
was an undefeated killer puncher facing a man who had sketchy results over
his career, almost no one gave Douglas a chance.

James Douglas had been knocked out in 2 rounds in 1981 by David Bey, had an
8 round draw with Steffan Tangstad in 1982, was knocked out in 9 by Mike
White in 1983, and lost a 10 round decision to Jesse Ferguson in 1985. Bey
had lost to Holmes (who Tyson knocked out), Tangstad had lost to Spinks (who
Tyson knocked out), and Ferguson was stopped by Tyson in 6 rounds in 1986.

However, in 1986, Douglas won a 10 round decision over former WBA champion
Greg Page (the man who decked Tyson in sparring). In 1987, he was knocked
out in 10 rounds by Tony Tucker in a fight for the vacant IBF title (Spinks
refused to face Tucker and was stripped). Tyson then won a 12 round
decision over Tucker, but struggled with him.

Douglas was leading on points in the Tucker fight and was boxing well until
it appeared he ran out of gas. Subsequently, Douglas knocked out Mike
Williams in 7 rounds, won a 10 round decision over former WBC champ Trevor
Berbick (like Rahman)(whom Tyson stopped in 2 rounds), and won a 10 round
decision over Oliver McCall. Like Tyson, McCall was an aggressive fighter
with a hard punch. Douglas demonstrated good boxing skill, speed, footwork,
and conditioning in that fight with McCall.

1. James Braddock W15 Max Baer 1935

In all of the above fights, at least you can say that the underdog was a top
contender who had defeated some top guys. However, James Braddock's career
had been spent losing to a host of top contenders and noncontenders. He had
lost a 15 round decision to Tommy Loughran for the light heavyweight
championship. Amongst others, Braddock lost to Maxie Rosenbloom, Ernie
Schaaf, Charley Retzlaff and future light heavyweight champion John Henry
Lewis in 1932. He even lost to Al Ettore via a DQ4 in 1933.

However, in 1934, Braddock avenged his loss to John Henry Lewis with a 10
round decision win. In 1935, he defeated Art Lasky via 15 round decision.
Lewis was a little known light heavy at the time and Lasky had not
established himself as a top heavyweight contender. Apparently, those two
wins set up the title shot against Baer, but neither win was really
sufficient to make Braddock an even arguable legitimate contender for the
title, given his lack of wins over any top heavyweights, and his numerous
losses.

On the other hand, Max Baer had brutally knocked out former champion Max
Schmeling in 10 rounds, and had won the title by knocking out Primo Carnera,
dropping him 11 times in 11 rounds. Baer's recent performances indicated he
would easily handle the undeserving Braddock. The only thing that indicated
Baer might lose is that he was known for poor training habits, and early in
his career had inconsistent results against top contenders. ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xLewis vs.Rahman and Upsets``x1005841953,86170,``x``x ``x by Sin City Richey

1916:
Jack Dillon ND 10 Mike Gibbons, St. Paul, MN.

1926:
Tod Morgan W 15 Carl Duane, NYC. Retains World Super Featherweight Title.

1943:
Beau Jack W 15 Bob Montgomery, NYC. Regains New York World Lightweight Title.

1960:
Tommy Gibbons, 69, dies.

1962:
Troy Dorsey born.

1967:
Jose Bonilla born.

1977:
Pipino Cuevas KO 11 Angel Espada, San Juan. Retains WBA Welterweight Title.

Samuel Serrano KO 10 Tao Ho Kim, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Retains WBA Super Featherweight Title.

Jorge Lujan KO 10 Alfonso Zamora, Los Angeles. Wins WBA Bantamweight Title. Upset of the year candidate.

Guty Espadas KO 8 Alex Santana, Los Angeles. Retains WBA Flyweight Title.

1993:
Charles Murray KO 5 Courtney Hooper, Atlantic City. Retains IBF Super Lightweight Title.

Zack Padilla KO 7 Efrem Calamati, Arezzo, Italy.

1994:
Vuyani Bungu W 12 Felix Camacho, Hammanskraal, SA. Retains IBF Super Bantamweight Title.

1999:
Mark (Too Sharp) Johnson No-Contest 4 Raul Juarez, Washington, D.C. Retains IBF Super Flyweight Title.``xcyberbox``xmike@cyberboxingzone.com``xThis Day in Boxing -- November 19``x1006143258,86526,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

The coach is back in training. Burly, serious
Lee Jenkins flashes his famous grin and says he’s
getting up early for road work these days. He’ll be 55
years-old by January 22, when he takes his place as
one of the many relay runners carrying the 2002
Olympic torch in its ritual journey around the nation.
The distance he’ll run with the torch is short, a
single lap of the average track, but Jenkins means to
do it right. He says he’ll take along "a couple of
vans full of young people to cheer me on." Those who
know him say that’s typical, and he’s lucky that his
beautiful wife Molly is a frequent and patient
shepherd for his endless field trips.

During his 28 years of work for the Portland
Parks and Recreation Department in Portland, Oregon,
Jenkins has seldom gone any where without a crew of
kids trailing around after him. He has supervised and
taught thousands of kids everything from basketball to
ping pong, over the years. But among boxing people,
his commitment to the ring sport has always been
clear. Jenkins has been an important coach for
hundreds of Portland’s amateur boxers, including many
who eventually became professionals. Among those who
count him as one of their first and best teachers is
current IBF Jr. lightweight champion, Stephen "2
Pound" Forbes of Portland.

Jenkins served in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam, and
later graduated from Portland State University.
Starting his coaching career as a "recreation
coordinator" at Peninsula Park Community Center in
Portland, Jenkins worked in several of the city
community centers and a community school. While
overseeing the boxing programs and fielding
competitive boxing teams, Jenkins himself boxed as an
amateur until well into his 40’s..

"My last bout was at the 1988 Seattle Golden
Gloves," he recalls. The change in amateur rules about
age sidelined him from that point on, but didn’t
diminish his interest.
Jenkins served the Oregon Association of US Amateur
Boxing Inc for years as an officer and as Junior
Olympic Chair.

In 1987, when the Oregon State Boxing and
Wrestling Commission was created by the legislature,
Jenkins was one of five volunteers appointed by the
governor to serve as unpaid commissioners. After a
decade on the State Commission, Jenkins stepped down
and became an officer in a fledgling non-profit
organization called the Oregon Boxing Council. The
avowed aim of the OBC is to design an insurance and
pension plan for professional boxers.

Jenkins has been the Recreation Supervisor for
Portland’s busy University Park Community Center since
1994.


The 11,500 runners who will carry the Olympic
torch through 46 states in the U.S.A. were chosen by
the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and corporate sponsors
including Coca Cola and others, from more than 210,000
nominations. The committee says it looked for torch
bearers whose lives served as inspirations to others.
Precisely that has been Lee Jenkins job for nearly 30
years. He will be one of 54 runners chosen to carry
the torch through the Columbia River Region. He and
several other runners were introduced to the media at
an Oct. 11 ceremony in downtown Portland. After a 65
day journey around the U.S., the torch is scheduled to
arrive in Salt Lake City on February 8, 2002 to open
the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBoxing Coach to Carry Olympic Torch``x1006181464,18494,``x``x ``xMarooned in the Islander Ballroom, Observations from the Mandalay Bay Leading up to, During, and Following Rahman-Lewis II
By Josh Gross

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 17 -- Thanks to the good people at CyberBoxingZone.com, as well as my MaxFighting.com editor and CBZ contributor Tom Gerbasi, I was given the opportunity to play boxing writer at the Hasim Rahman-Lennox Lewis rematch Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay. It marked my first departure from the familiar trappings of a relatively new sport, mixed martial arts -- maybe you know it as Ultimate Fighting -- to the history-rich sport of boxing we all know and love. Anyhow, this was really my first chance to cover professional boxing, and I couldn’t think of a better way to indoctrinate myself than a heavyweight championship fight in Vegas. Could you?

Following a longer than remembered drive from San Diego Thursday night, I picked up my credential first thing Friday morning. Soon, I found myself meandering through the bowels of the hotel in search of the media center.

Once inside the a Islander Ballroom, which served as home for the post-fight press conference and 600-plus credentialed journalists covering Don King’s latest circus, I began to feel the part. There was little going on because the start of the undercard was a few hours away, so I decided to cruise through the hotel and soak up the atmosphere surrounding a heavyweight championship fight.

Sadly though, I didn’t sense much energy from the throngs putting mortgage payments on the roll of the dice, and save a few gents sporting British flags/capes, the Lewis’ contingent seemed less rowdy than anticipated. Not that I was hoping for some thuggery mind you, but the Brits can be passionate about their fighters and I was hoping to witness it firsthand.

Eventually, I figured I’d best head back to the media center for the early-afternoon start to the nine-bout card. Then, in a moment I had secretly been waiting for, I heard the booming, boisterous voice of the one and only Don King. I think he was yelling something about Puerto Rico and ‘Tito’ Trinidad, but that could have been leftover ramblings from September’s middleweight unification hype ringing in my head.

King truly was a sight to see. He sported a sequined red, white and blue denim jacket, and, of course, his hair gave the impression of a man that had just stuck his tongue in a light socket -- only in America. To top his festive ensemble off, he waved a scaled-down version of Old Glory to passers-by as he made his way to the mostly-empty media center. I’ve seen King on television thousands of times but, without sounding ridiculous, he seemed, well, cartoon-like in person.

If there was ever a person that loved the limelight it’s King, and, not surprisingly the dynamic promoter attracted the camera’s eye as he delivered several more pre-fight interviews. Soon (in all honesty much faster than I thought would have been possible) the novelty wore off, and it was time to watch some boxing.

I’m used to fight cards in which every bout is closely watched by both fans and media-types. I quickly learned boxing is not the same way, as it became clear just how main-event-driven boxing actually is. The media center felt like a ghost town when Venezuelan Yober Ortega landed a sweeping right hand to the jaw of Jose “Cheo” Rojas 36-seconds into the fourth round of the first fight of the night. With the KO, Ortega, now 32-3-1 (22), picked up the vacant WBA super bantamweight championship.

No one seemed to care.

A little more than half an hour later I was part of a small group that saw Wayne Braithwaite KO Louis “The Lion” Azille 2:09 of round three. Braithwaite, who moved his record to 17-0, is now in line for a mandatory shot at the WBC cruiserweight title.

Again, it seemed like no one cared.

Two fights, two KO’s…little more than two people in the room. Two more matches followed -- decision victories for Jose Quintana over Terrell Hargrove, and Rhoshii “Mongoose” Wells over Kenny Ellis -- and something interesting happened.

Like a pack of jackals to a dead carcass, the writers came out in droves once the crafts service people laid out a delectable spread of hotdogs, nacho cheese sauce, chips and chili -- and you wonder why there aren’t more size 30 waists amongst the best and brightest of today’s boxing writers.

Now, before I get ostracized from ever covering a major boxing event again, I have to say that I met some really great people -- most of which weren’t slobs. Seriously though, I want to thank everyone that took time out to speak with the kid wearing glasses, sitting next to his silver laptop for six hours.

As time for the start of the pay-per-view drew close, the energy in the room picked up. Yet, despite being on most of the 10 or so televisions and projection screens set up throughout the press area, Oliver McCall’s battle with Henry Akinwande did little to sway attention from the piping-hot nacho cheese sauce.

Down big on the three judges’ cards heading into the final round, McCall needed to finish the fight if he was going to win. With time running out he scored a huge right straight that dropped Akinwande to the canvas, and, for the first time all evening, the volume level of the media center quaked. Officially, McCall won at the 2:13 mark of round ten, and, fittingly, he cried. But it was joys of tears, not insanity so I didn’t feel bad for cracking a smile.

Finally, six o’clock rolled around and the images I had been watching on TV the past three hours were now available to the tens of thousands pay-per-view patrons sitting at home. I was waiting for a spike in action, people running in and out of the press area and all sorts of over controlled mayhem -- instead I got ‘The Coal Miner’s Daughter.’ Actually, that’s unfair of me. Christy Martin, 44-2-2 (31), thoroughly out boxed opponent Lisa Holewyne en route to a unanimous decision victory and the so-called women’s pound-for-pound championship.

With only two fights left until the main event, the media room was basically clean of any journalists. There were some poor shmucks like me that were stuck in back, but, really, what did I have to complain about? I just like to whine. Go ahead ask Gerbasi if you don’t believe me. Anyhow, at the very least I was saving 50 bucks so I was a happy camper.

Back to the action: last seen amputating Felix Trinidad’s gloves from his skull, William Joppy faced Howard Eastman for the WBA middleweight crown. Yes, that’s right, middleweight title. Months earlier, Joppy had been act one for Trinidad in Don King’s middleweight unification tournament. In the end Bernard Hopkins walked away with all three belts, and the 160-pound start was dubbed as “super champion” by the WBA. Evidently, once you’re “super” the WBA says you can’t keep the belt that made you “super”, so the vacant title was on the line again. Kinda like a retarded form of kryptonite if you ask me.

Joppy controlled the early rounds, as the D.C. native seemed to enjoy the fact that he could get hit without fear of losing his head. For his part, Eastman never backed down, as his straight-ahead style proved effective in the mid-to-late rounds. In the 12th and final round, Eastman made Joppy take a knee in the last 10 seconds; however, it was too little too late for the Brit. Judges Bill Graham and Robert Watson scored it 115-112 and 114-112 respectively, and judge Chuck Giampa had it at an even 113-113. The majority decision earned Joppy his third WBA middleweight championship, and upped his record to 33-2-1 (24) while Eastman suffered his first defeat in 33-career bouts.

Excitement in the media center was steadily picking up. Between fights, the live television broadcast showed Rahman outside Lewis’ dressing room demanding firsthand inspection of his tape job. He was denied, and the momentary comic relief got a chuckle from those in the room. Only one more fight to go before the rematch, and my adrenaline was starting to flow.

We’d have to wait a bit as Friday “The 13th” Ahunanya faced Sergei Liakhovich for the NABA heavyweight title. Liakhovich used his strength and mean streak in the ring to control and pound on Ahunanya for the majority of the 12-round contest. When it was all said and done, Liakhovich’s hand was raised thanks to a unanimous decision and Friday “The 13th” looked about as scary as Tuesday the 20th.

Finally! It was time for the big money, smack-talking, hype-driven heavyweight title rematch everyone had been waiting for. I moved from the desk that my computer sat on, to a seat in front of the giant projection screen to the left of the dais. After all, a larger-than-life fight deserved a larger-than-life view. Lewis looked ready, and determined as he made his way to the ring. Rahman looked distracted, and he seemed more concerned with the status of his belt than anything else.

The fight was entertaining, albeit one-sided. With each passing second, the South African version of Lennox Lewis that came in sluggish and unmotivated vanished from the collective memories of everyone in the Mandalay Bay Events Center as he executed a beautifully effective and simple game plan to perfection.

Rahman could do little but appear awkward, as Lewis double-upped on stiff jabs, which aided the Brit in reducing “The Rock” into the one-hit wonder he sadly turned out to be. I say ‘sadly’ because I enjoy watching and listening to Rahman. He’s intelligent, funny and most importantly he worked his ass off to avoid possible Buster Douglas comparisons.

Unfortunately for him, the real Lennox Lewis came to fight and it was going to take more than one solid right hand to the chin to finish him. Gaining confidence in each of the first three rounds, Lewis finished Rahman with a huge left hook-right cross combination that instantly floored the short-lived champ. Officially, the fight ended 1:29 of round four, but at the post-fight press conference Lewis, and trainer Emmanuel Steward, made it sound like the fight was over before it started. Lewis did dominate, and the win firmly placed him back on the track he was before the derailment in Johannesburg last April.

I’m not quite sure how to end this. The experience was great, and I’m better for it. I was surprised by the lack of energy in both the building and press room leading up to the main event, however, during the post-fight press conference most of the “old-school” boxing writers, that can be so jaded at times, seemed to have a little kick in their step. Call me corny, but I tried to envision myself in the same spot 30 years from now and it seemed plausible. Regardless, it was a damn cool evening if you ask me.
``xcyberbox``xmike@cyberboxingzone.com``xLewis KO4 Rahman Ringside Report``x1006186926,38495,``x``x ``x16 nov 2001 - Recife, Pernambuco.

Luciano Torres KO1 Reginaldo Andrade - lightheavy

Ronaldo Pereira KO1 Edmílson dos Santos - heavy

Kélson Pinto KO1 Ulisses Pereira - jr middle

Mike Miranda TKO3 Eduardo Rocca (Argentina) - jr. middle``xcyberbox``xmike@cyberboxingzone.com``xResults From Brazil``x1006204421,93979,``x``x ``xBoxer John Ruiz Named Individual Athlete of the Year
World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion Wins Again

BOSTON—World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz was named Boston’s Individual Athlete of the Year for 2001 for the second consecutive year.

Ruiz, the first Latino heavyweight champion of the world, was unable to attend the Boston Sport Awards ceremony last night at historic Faneuil Hall because he is currently at his Las Vegas training camp preparing for his first world heavyweight title defense against Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield. Ruiz vs. Holyfield III will take place Dec. 15 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

Ruiz’s brothers, Robert and Eddie, accepted the BSA award on his behalf. Ruiz vs. Holyfield III marks the first time a New England native—Ruiz was born and raised in Massachusetts—will defend his world heavyweight title in New England.
``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Ruiz Receives Prestigious Award``x1006300647,66580,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa
Photo: Ruthie DiTucci


NEW YORK, Nov. 24 — After James Butler sucker-punched Richard Grant last night at the Roseland Ballroom, I was sure I had my lead -- "I went to a boxing match last night and a hockey game broke out."

And then I saw the blood.

Grant had won a unanimous decision over the power-punching Butler. After the decision was announced, Butler approached as if to shake hands, then punched an unprepared Grant, who slumped to the canvas spouting thick gouts of blood.

It was perhaps one of the stupidest pre-meditated crimes ever committed as not only was the assaault being televised, but the Roseland Ballroom was packed with policemen who attended the bouts, a benefit for the Twin Towers Fund.

The NYS Athletic Commission, the house security, and the paramedics on site, all worked calmly and professionally. Grant was taken to a local hospitl while Butler was taken away by detectives from Midtown North. The ESPN tape of the event was handed over to police, and Butler's purse was withheld pending a hearing.

Both Cedric Kushner and Lou DiBella immediately confirmed that they would never use Butler again, even assuming he would retain his license.

New York City police Sgt. James Foley said Butler was in police custody and charged with second-degree assault.

Grant was treated for a cut tongue at St. Vincent's Hospital.

On the undercard:

Brian Adams TKO 5 Richard Kiley: Kiley's eye closed; Adams injures right hand
Brian Viloria W 4 Mike Thomas
Clarence Vinson W 6 Jhovanny Collado
Paul "the Dead End Kid" Malignaggi W 4 Cornell Jackson
Regilio Tuur L 8 Orlando Salido
Jeffrey Resto TKO 3 Anthony Simpkins
Jermain Talylor TKO 4 Undra White``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xButler -- From Prospect to Pariah``x1006643131,19629,``x``x ``xBy Chauncy "Babyface" Welliver

Pasco, WA, Nov. 24 -- I fought John Williams at the Track Arena in a scheduled 4 rounder. I easily won every round, but had to settle for a draw. Williams, now 2-1-1(2 ko), was warned many times for holding , head-butting, and elbowing while I lost two points for "showboating." This was his judges but it's good to still be undefeated somewhat, as I am now 6-0-1. I asked for a rematch as I tore all the ligaments in my left thumb. Williams said I've already beaten him twice now (I beat him in his pro debut). At least he knows who the real winner was.

``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x"Babyface" Welliver Claims Robbery in Draw``x1006726776,37726,``x``x ``xThe following release answers some questions from Friday night's unfortunate outcome following Richard Grant's triumph over James Butler. Promoter Jimmy Burchfield and Grant try to make sense over Butler's unspeakable actions.

JIMMY BURCHFIELD - President, Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.

What is your affiliation with Richard Grant what drew you to him?

JB: I am his promoter and I have been since 1998. We had an open spot on one of our cards and my matchmaker Ted Panagiotis suggest we use Richard. Ted had been in conversation with his trainer Owen Campbell and had heard good things about Richard despite his 5-5 record. I thought I would give him a shot and he performed excellent in beating a very game Derrick Whitley - who himself has went on to really score some big wins. We brought him back to take on former NABF champ Scott Pemberton. Grant wobbled Scott pretty bad in the 3rd round, but Pemberton is a HUGE puncher and he rallied back in the 4th to stop Richard. But, even in defeat he showed great charisma and the fans really took to him. We brought him back again to fight Paschal Collins, who was 13-0. Collins was the brother of Steve Collins and trained by Goody Petronelli. Well, on just 48 hours notice Grant really gave Collins a beating an won easy. After that we have been together since. His only stumbling blocks with CES have come when he did not train against Apolinar Hernandez and Will Taylor. Even than, many thought he had beaten Taylor. Say what you want about his record, since he joined CES he is 9-3, 1 KO and has beaten the than WBO #15 Vitali Kopytko, former contender Kevin Pompey easily and now James Butler. Those are pretty solid credentials if you ask me. On top of it all though, Richard is a likeable guy. He has a huge smile that lights up the room whereever he goes. He has a great personality.

What did you think of what happened Friday night and what was going through your head?

JB: At first I did not know what to think. We worked so hard for this. We put together a world class corner with former world champion Mark Breland, Al Gavin and his long time cornerman Owen Campbell. Everything seemed to click for Richard and I was so happy for him. Whenever Butler hit him I did not know what to do. I have been all over the world for boxing and I have never seen anything like that. So brutal. My first thoughts once I collected myself was if Richard was OK. CES and Grant have been through alot together and more than anything I feel as though the CES team are like family. When he went down I felt as if a family member or close friend had just been assaulted. It was not until he looked up at me from the cavas - somehow putting on a smile and said "Jimmy, I'm OK" did I feel somewhat relieved. A career ended injury could have come from that, but the main thing was that he was OK and alert.

What happens now?

JB: Now we wait for the NYSAC to care of what they have to do. I feel he should be dealt the harshed punishment ever dealt a boxer. This was not like anything else. You see other fouls and other acts of unsportsmanlie conduct but I cannot think of any this brutal and this premeditated. Than I want the law to deal with him in the harshest manner. People need to know right off the bat that boxing and the law will not stand for this kind of nonsense. Boxing is supposed to be a sport. Once that is through we will sit with Richard and map out the next chapter in his career. We would love a world title shot or a shot at Thomas Tate or Charles Brewer for one of the regional belts.

RICHARD GRANT

How did you get 8 losses - and what adjustments have you made?

RG: This is the 1st fight that I trained 100% for. My promoter Jimmy Burchfield drove to New York to give me a pep talk and make sure that I was training. Than, he turned my fiancee against me. Man, she made sure I was up at 5 AM every morning for my road work and she took me to the gym everyday. If I slacked - she would beat my ass and I'm serious!

You were so confident in pre-fight interviews, why?

RG: I knew that James Butler could not beat me. The first time we fought I fought his fight. Toe to toe and I still won. This time I came in with a solid game plan to use my jab and box and it worked perfect. I knew if I could beat him at his game before that I surely could beat him at my game. Plus, I had alot of confidence in my corner. Jimmy helped me put together a real world class corner. With Mark Breland, Al Gavin and Owen - things looked great from the start!

Many have asked why you limited your arsenal somewhat to the left hand?

RG: Why fix something that ain't broke? I was winning easy using my jab and my left hook - why change that? By throwing more right hands I would be just doing what HE wanted. The whole fight he was waiting for me to throw the right so he could counter - I would have to be stupid to give him that opportunity. That would be me making the fight easier for him and harder for me. That's not smart boxing.

How do you feel about how he reacted to the loss?

RG: I could see where he would me mad. He just got beat by Sven Ottke - what better way to get back in the title picture than to avenge the only other loss on his record. But, being mad does not account for the cheap shot. I mean, I have been to the top and the bottom of boxing. I have lost 8 times and I have even been stopped. The thought of doing anything but kick myself in the ass and congratulate the winner has never crossed my mind.

Knowing that he may be mad - did you expect a harsh reaction?

RG: My corner told me not to go over to him, but in my heart I felt I could. He fought a tough fight and I wanted to tell him that and to tell him to keep his head up. I know what its like to lose and it ain't fun. Besides, who the hell would have thought he would have done something like that - I mean it was a charity event with hundreds of policemen! Did he think that no one would see??

Was there any doubt in your mind that you had won the decision?

RG: None at all - I mean the guy barely touched me. You know, I heard that some of the crowd got some free drinks - I want to know how that one judge (later informed to Richard that it was Tom Kazmarek) got in on the free drinks! I have watched the fight over and over and I cannot figure out how he could have given Butler four rounds!

What do you think will happen now?

RG: You will have to talk to my promoter Jimmy Burchfield. But, I can say this. I trust the NYSAC will do the right thing and give Butler the harshest fine and suspension ever given a fighter. They should take his whole purse and give it all to the World Trade Center. What Butler did was barbaric! People say bad things about Mike Tyson, Andrew Golota and now Zab Judah - they all did their thing WITH GLOVES ON! And, none of their victims had to be rushed to the hospital like I did. Also, I think he should be charged with assault with a deadly weapon. If a pro fighter hits someone on the streets with no gloves that is the charge, so why would this not work here? The fight was over and he hit me with no gloves! I think he should be locked up to teach a lesson. Show the world that this is the wrong thing. Show the kids that want to get into boxing and all other sports that this is not the way to handle losing.

As for your boxing career, what is next?

RG: Well first I got to heal. I have a ton of stitches in my mouth and I need dental work because alot of my teeth got messed up. Once I am ready to go I want the big fights. Forget the record, everyone saw what I have to offer. I have talent and I am willing to show that against the best. Sven Ottke would be nice for the belt. As for an appetizer - what about Thomas Tate. He robbed my CES stablemate Fernando Zuniga and I would love to have the chance at avenging that loss. You listening Thomas?? Let's do it!"

Anything else you would like to say?

RG: Thank you New York for your support. I only took the Butler fight because it was a charity show and I hope we were able to raise some money for the WTC. Also, I would like to thank the NYPD and the NYFD members on hand at the fight. When I was on the canvas bleeding, thinking my career could be over, it was the chants from the crowd of "Lock him up" that helped me. It showed that they supported me and that they all felt I had won. That made me feel good. Also, my promoter Jimmy Burchfield and my man Teddy P. (Ted Panagiotis) - they have stuck by me no matter what and I respect them both for that and I consider them to be my close friends in and out of boxing. My girl for kicking my ass into shape. The promoters of Friday's fight (DiBella Entertainment) and mostly ESPN for putting me on TV again. And the NYSAC because they handled things well in the ring and I know they will handle them well outside. Peace and love all. Thanks.



``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Richard Grant, Promoter Speak``x1006780892,77589,``x``x ``x


Muhammad Ali: The Greatest Collection (1999)




• Contains three of Ali's greatest fights: I Shook Up the World: Clay vs. Liston (1964), Rumble in the Jungle: Ali vs. Foreman (1974) & Thrilla in Manila: Ali vs. Frazier III (1975)

• Featurette: Muhammad Ali: Boxing's Best

• Bonus CD-ROM Disc Containing: The Ali Influence, a look at Ali's impact on the great fighters of today, including Oscar de la Hoya, Prince Naseen Hamed, Roy Jones and Lennox Lewis; A fight-by-fight look at the professional record of Muhammad Ali; Timeline of Ali's life and career; Essay on why Ali is the greatest heavyweight champion of them all; Miscellaneous facts, stats and trivia; Listing of the 10 most significant fights of Ali's career; Web Access

``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xCBZ DVD Pick of the Week``x1006793356,28312,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

Pasco, WA, Nov. 24, 2001 -- The Saturday, November 24, club show at the TRAC Arena in Pasco, Washington started an hour late, according to matchmaker Bob Oleson. The problem was a miscommunication that meant the ambulance, which is required to be parked outside every boxing show, was late in arriving. Other than that, the 570 or so ticket holders saw a fast 8 bouts with several early stoppages.

The promotion was a cooperative arrangement between Oregon Trail Promotions of Portland, Oregon, Canadian-American-Mexican Boxing, an organization founded by matchmaker Bob Oleson of Beaverton, OR. and Jim Lopez of nearby Othello, WA.

The Jr Welterweight main event was scheduled for 10 rounds but ended in the 9th when tough Jesus Santiago, (now 5-0) originally from Mexico and now fighting out of Bob Jarvis’ Hillman City Gym in Seattle TKO’d Othello Washington’s Alfonso "Scooter" Meza (now
9-11).

In 4 round bouts on the under card:

At junior lightweight, Angelo Torres (now 3-3) of Seattle won a unanimous decision over Cesar Garcia Lopez (2-4) of Woodburn, OR

Junior middleweight Reggie Davis (now 2-1) of Portland, OR stopped Dwayne Anderson (1-2) of Canada by TKO in the first round. Body shots did the trick.

Women lightweights, Laramie Hinostroza (now 4-1) of Kansas won a unanimous decision over Lynn Yang of Seattle who is now 0-1.

Heavyweight Chauncy Welliver of Spokane,WA drew with Jonathan Williams of Seattle (now 2-1-1).

Lightweights, with Rafael Ortiz of Salem, OR, won his pro debut bt TKO in the 2nd round over Gabriel Flores of Othello, WA who is now 0-1.

Welterweights, Manuel Reyes (Now 2--0) of Othello, WA stopped Frank Bybee (now 1-1) of Spokane, WA. by KO in the second round.

Light heavyweights, Josue Cielos of Seattle, won his pro debut with a first round KO over Scott Sales (now 1-3) of Eugene, OR .

Referees: Mike Fisher, Barry Druxman

``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xFast Go Results From Pasco, WA``x1006795099,24357,``x``x ``xNovember 27, 2001

Simi Valley, CA - The New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame inducted boxing
celebrities, Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos, Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus, Michael Spinks, Mustafa Hamsho, Curtis Harris, Ernest “Red” Barron, Tony Thornton, Sylvester Cuyler, Phil Saxton, Jimmy Young and Bobby Cassidy, on Thursday, November 8th, 2001 at the elegant Venetian in Gardner, New Jersey. Inducted posthumously were Sal Belloise and Robert Kimbrough. They named Steven Ham as the “New Jersey Amateur Boxer of the Year,” and presented The Paul Cavaliere Memorial Award to IBF World Featherweight Champion Frankie “The Shark” Toledo. They named Pete Nozza as their 2001 “Man of the Year.”
The highlight of the evening was the humble and touching act of
generosity by internationally recognized trainer, Lou Duva. Just before the induction ceremony and unknown to the audience, Duva had presented Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus with his championship ring, which Johnny had lost during his period of addiction which ended five years ago. Both Alex Ramos and Johnny Bumphus were deeply touched by Duva’s actions.

There is a lot of history between the fighters and Lou Duva. Ramos was Shelly Finkel’s first professional fighter, signing with Top Rank in 1980, and was subsequently moved from Top Rank to Main Events in 1982. Johnny Bumphus and Alex Ramos were two of NBC’s “Tomorrow’s Champions,” and Bumphus was also moved over to Main Events. Bumphus and Rocky Lockridge would become Lou Duva’s first two world champions. Rocky Lockridge—inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000--was also present at the 2001 induction.

Shortly after Lou Duva’s quiet presentation of the Championship ring to Bumphus, Alex Ramos was introduced and approached the podium for his acceptance speech. Stunned by Duva’s action, Ramos, choked with
emotion, had a hard time speaking. He explained to the audience his
pride in being a part of the boxing family which included Lou Duva,
Donna Duva, Tommy Brooks, Johnny Bumphus and Rocky Lockridge, and said
to Duva, who was seated directly in front of the podium, “especially Lou Duva and he knows why.” Ramos talked about the mistakes he has made in his life—specifically the years he spent “in the darkness” of alcoholism and drug addiction. He told the audience that “My past is like my ass. It’s behind me and it’s gonna stay there!” He talked about the Retired Boxers Foundation he started to help his brothers who remain “in the darkness.” He talked about his mission to help fighters who have trouble making the transition from their glorious days in the ring, to a dignified retirement. He said it was “the fight of my life. I feel more like a champion now, than when I was fighting!” Mustafa Hamsho embraced Ramos as he returned to his seat next to Johnny Bumphus.

There is clearly a bond between fighters that the audience was
privileged to witness that night. Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus was introduced by his old friend and trainer, Lou Duva. Duva was very humble and wanted the audience to hear from the champion, Johnny, so he kept his comments very brief. As Johnny approached the podium and began to speak, the audience listened intently as Bumphus began the story of the outpouring of emotion that surrounded Ramos’s speech and would color Johnny’s. “I know that the ring Lou Duva gave me is not the one that I lost during my addiction. I am sober now and have been for five years. I know that Lou Duva took that ring off his own finger and I know that it is not my ring, but Lou’s. I know because my ring was inscribed, “Johnny Bumphus” and this ring has my name and Rocky Lockridge. We were Lou Duva’s first two world champions. I am deeply touched by what he did. Not only did he
give me his championship ring, he also helped me when I needed it the
most. He gave me a job training fighters and helped me stay sober. I cannot thank Lou Duva enough.”

“I don’t think the audience totally grasped the significance of what
happened when Lou Duva gave Johnny his championship ring,” said Jacquie Richardson, Executive Director of the Retired Boxers Foundation. “Alex (Ramos) and I are used to getting letters and calls from fighters who have lost everything and are fighting for their way back to a normal life. Many of them were forced to sell their belts for money so they could buy food, and for some, to buy drugs or alcohol. When the fighters recover from their addictions, they don’t even mention their losses because of a sense of shame that they feel. What Lou Duva did tonight was incredibly generous and respectful of where Johnny has been and where he is today and I have a new respect for Lou,” continued Richardson.
Ramos and Richardson tell stories about fans who have bought
prizefighters personal trophies, belts, Golden Gloves, Olympic Medals,
etc., and write to the Retired Boxers Foundation asking the RBF to
contact the fighters so that they can “write a little something about
how they won the belt/trophy, etc.” They say they want the fighter’s
personal story and signature so that it becomes a part of the
trophy/belt and increases the value to memorabilia collectors.
“I would love to see the fans and collectors return the belts and
trophies they have collected or bought. Most of these were stolen or
sold when the fighters were down and out and no one knows what these
items mean to the fighters. Ramos knows what he’s talking about. His 1984 USBA Championship Belt was returned to him in 1999, and one pair of his four New York Golden Gloves was returned to him this summer during a visit to New York. “You don’t know the value of these things until you are older, looking back at what was and what could have been,” said Ramos.

If anyone wants to, they can send any found items to the Retired Boxers Foundation and we will make a point of presenting them to the fighters they were awarded to in the first place. This is a part of “restoring the dignity” of our fighters in need,” said Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos, founder and president of the Retired Boxers Foundation. They can be mailed or shipped directly to the Retired Boxers Foundation at:

“Fighters Helping Fighters”
RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION
3359 Bryan Avenue
Simi Valley, CA 93063

If you know the whereabouts of any fighter’s belt or trophy, including
their Golden Gloves, please call Alex Ramos at the Retired Boxers
Foundation, (805) 583-5890. If you would like to make a donation so
that the RBF can help the fighters, your donation is tax deductible and should be mailed to the above address. For more information about the Retired Boxers Foundation, please visit their website at
www.retiredboxers.org. The Retired Boxers Foundation, is an IRS
501(c)3 nonprofit corporation started by 1984 USBA Middleweight
Champion, Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos in 1995 to help fighters in
need. Ramos is leading a campaign called “Fighters Helping Fighters” to inspire other fighters to help. Ramos started the Retired Boxers
Foundation because of what happens to professional boxers once their
careers are over. Because boxing is the only sport that does not
provide adequate pensions to fighters once they retire, too many of them suffer in the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement.

For more information on the Retired Boxers Foundation, “Fighters Helping Fighters” program, call Alex Ramos at (805) 583-5890 or visit their website at www.retiredboxers.org. The Fighters Helping Fighters
campaign has assisted over 100 retired professional boxers and their
families, including arranging surgery, tax consultation to clear up
problems with the IRS, legal services, rehabilitation services, Dignity Bags for homeless fighters and fighters in convalescent homes as well as financial assistance for the families.

``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release: Hall of Famers Honored ``x1006867449,71500,``x``x ``xBy Phrank Da Slugger

  • November 2001 Rankings, now with with records.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xNew World Rankings``x1006999172,51618,``x``x ``x


    Notes of a Cornerman
    by Tom Smario





    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xCBZ Book Pick of the Week``x1007074895,68932,``x``x ``xPress Release
    Acelino Freitas vs Joel Casamayor Fight Jan. 12

    Promoters Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, Inc., and Mat Tinley/America Presents Boxing, LLC, in association with Sunset Station Hotel and Casino, Budweiser, and Cabo Wabo, will present a sensational world championship fight card on Saturday, January 12, 2002, at the Cox Pavilion at UNLV, which is adjacent to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be televised on "Showtime Championship Boxing" at 10:00 PM ET/PT.


    MAIN EVENT - 12 ROUNDS, JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS, WBO, WBA TITLES

    WBO Champion WBA Champion

    ACELINO FREITAS VS JOEL CASAMAYOR

    30-0, 29 KOs, Salvador, Brazil 26-0, 16 KOs, Miami Lakes, Florida

    World Boxing Organization jr. lightweight champion Acelino Freitas, 30-0, with 29 KOs, of Salvador, Brazil, will face World Boxing Association champion Joel Casamayor, 26-0, with 16 KOs, of Miami Lakes, Florida, in a highly-anticipated world title unification fight, scheduled for twelve rounds.

    Freitas is one of boxing's most exciting performers, and one of the top young fighters to come from South America in many years. He is extremely offensive-minded, aggressive, and has great speed and punching power - his style in the ring has been compared to that of a "young Roberto Duran." When this fight was set, Acelino said simply, "That will be another victory."

    A left-hander with exceptional skills and speed, Casamayor has been successful at the world championship level not only as a professional, but as an amateur as well. As a member of the Cuban national team, he was the 1989 World Amateur champion and a 1992 Olympic gold medalist. "I'm at the top of my game," Joel said. "I'm in tremendous shape. Frietas is a good fighter, but a little slower than me."

    ACELINO "Popo" FREITAS (30-0, 29 KOs)...
    Age: 26 (9-21-75)
    Residence, birthplace: Salvador, Brazil
    Record: 30-0, 29 KOs
    Height: 5'7", reach: 67 ½"
    Promoter: Arthur Pelullo/Banner Promotions
    Self managed, trainer: Oscar Suarez

    World championship fights: 7-0, with 7 KOs
    WBO jr. lightweight (130 pounds) world champion, six successful defenses...
    WBO "Fighter of the Year" for 2000
    Former NABO jr. lightweight champion, one successful defense...
    Former Brazilian lightweight champion, one successful defense...


    Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor (26-0, 16 KOs)...

    Age: 30 (7-12-71)

    Residence: Miami Lakes, Florida
    Birthplace: Guantanamo, Cuba
    Record: 26-0, 16 KOs
    Height: 5'5", reach: 71"
    Promoter: Mat Tinley/America Presents Boxing
    Manager: Luis DeCubas, trainer: Joe Goosen

    World championship fights: 7-0, with 4 KOs
    WBA super featherweight (130 pounds) world champion, four successful defenses
    Former WBA interim super featherweight world champion, one successful defense
    1992 Olympic gold medalist, 119 pounds...
    1989 World Amateur champion, 119 pounds
    Supporting bouts will be announced.

    Ticket prices: $30, $55, $105. Available at Thomas & Mack Ticket Office and all Tickets.com outlets, charge by phone at 1-888-464-2468, or purchase online at www.tickets.com.



    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xFrietas-Casamayor set for Jan 12``x1007136597,95663,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena
    December 1, 2001

    RANDOLPH, MA – The fans from Haverhill, a suburb 30 minutes north of Boston had traveled that far to see one fight of promoter Doug Pendarvis’ 8-bout card at the beautiful ballroom at Lombardo’s. In the process, they had waited a long time to see their favorite son, Jeff Frazza step into the ring and pick up his 11th win. The fight was scheduled last night but didn’t happen until after midnight due to a late start and the fact that 6 of the previous seven bouts went the distance. But what the devoted fans of Haverhill got out of their night’s entertainment was something rather unexpected. After laboring through 8 rounds, Jeff Frazza, 138, appeared to have eked out a victory in his encounter with journeyman Andre Baker of Lumberton, NC, but to his dismay, and to the 1,000 or so in attendance, the decision was awarded to Baker via split verdict (78-75 Frazza & 77-75 twice for Baker). For what it’s worth, the CBZ had Frazza winning 77-76, but won’t complain with the judges this time.

    Entering the bout with a record of 4-14-1 with 2 KO’s, Baker had lost all 8 of his fights this year. The combined record of his opponents however was an impressive 77-4-2, with only two of those opponents owning defeats. This time, you could tell that the 27-year old Baker had concerned Frazza’s following, but not to the point where a Frazza win was in doubt. After all, you have to beat the daylights out of the hometown kid to pull out an upset, but maybe the judges of the Massachusetts State Boxing Commission decided to pay attention this time. Controversy aside, Frazza who lost for the second time in 12 fights will have to go back to the drawing board if he wants to become a legit prizefighter. He was building towards that loss by plodding after his opponents with his earmuffs on (as Teddy Atlas likes to say) and not working to get inside. Baker, using effective movement took advantage of Frazza’s flaw by throwing quick shots and moving out of harm’s way. Only Baker’s lack of activity made the scoring of the fight somewhat controversial. It was Baker who landed all of the effective looking punches last night but not with much consistency.

    The main event might not have happened had it not have been for promoter Richard Cappiello’s heroics. During the 5th round of a boring 8-round fight between WBO #1 jr. lightweight contender Daniel “The Prophet” Attah, of Kalaba, Nigeria and Ever Beleno of Colombia, the center of the ring caved in. Cappiello crawled underneath the ring to fix whatever had snapped and the fight commenced shortly after. The CBZ was underneath to see it happen. Unfortunately, once the fight resumed, the extra breather didn’t inspire the two reluctant jr. lightweights to fight any harder. Attah won a majority decision (80-74, 77-75, 76-76) over Beleno, a two time world title challenger. In the process, Attah, a southpaw did little to make Acelino Freitas quiver over his next mandatory defense should he defeat Joel Casamayor next year or decide to keep his title. Beleno, a loser of now 7 of his last 8 bouts was the aggressor throughout the fight but didn’t press enough to impress the judges. Attah is now 20-0-1 with 8 KO’s, while Beleno drops to 38-9 with 35 KO’s.

    There might have been a very good reason why Chelsea’s Andy Rivera broke his thumb in pulling out of his bout with Philadelphia’s Willie Gibbs last night. Rivera may have seen a film of one of Gibbs’ fights before or he could very well have just met the 25-year old Gibbs in person. That’s the impression I had when I saw this can’t-miss prospect, a cousin of World Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins. Gibbs didn’t even have to throw a punch before I knew that Gibbs was a dangerous dude. As soon as he removed his medieval garb, similar to what cousin Bernie wears, you knew that poor Angelo Smith, his opponent last night or anyone else for that matter was about to be battered into unconsciousness. It’s not that Gibbs is a mean looking guy or anything, in fact he looked more like a model if anything else, it was the confidence and focus you could see deep in his eyes. He knew it was over before it started. As fate would have it, Gibbs, 161, scored his third 1st round knockout (at 2:51) in as many tries flooring Smith three times in the process.

    So why have you might not have heard of Gibbs yet? It’s because the former captain of the U.S. amateur team lost a disputed verdict to the highly touted Jeff Lacy, the 2000 U.S. Olympian who himself is regarded as a fearsome prospect. According to his post-fight statements, Gibbs has just signed a promotional deal with the Brockton-based promoter, Cappiello, a nephew of Rocky Marciano.

    “I was looking to add another fighter to my stable and asked Aaron Torres about any good fighters from Philadelphia that he knew of,” said Cappiello following Gibbs’ win. “Torres mentioned Willie as being a sensational fighter. I have huge plans for him next year. We’re going to be moving him around but he’ll be fighting a lot in Massachusetts where he’ll also be living. I’m telling you right now, Gibbs is going to be a world champion some time soon.”

    Gibbs also shares Cappiello’s sentiments. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do,” said Gibbs. “Whoever they want me to fight, I’ll fight. I am going to do whatever it takes to get me to the top.”

    “If you ask Bernard, he’ll tell you. Bernard has already anointed Willie as the next middleweight champion,” said Gibbs’ co-trainer Aaron Ford. “We knew he was going to be a good fighter. He’s a student of the game and puts 110% of his time in boxing,” added Charles Ramey, another trainer of Gibbs. Unless Gibbs has the same difficulty as Lacy in finding willing opposition for him to destroy, expect a quick rise to the top. But if those who are willing catch a glimpse of Gibbs, it might be a good idea for them to break a thumb or two.

    In other bouts, Aaron Torres, a jr. lightweight prospect out of Brockton via Philadelphia and Puerto Rico won a 4-round shutout over Mobile, Alabama’s Richard Dinkins. Torres had knocked out Dinkins earlier this year and had also defeated Baker in his last fight but had his hands full this time in Dinkins who was determined to remain erect (sorry, I had to say it) despite getting tagged with some decent shots. Torres is now 7-1 with 4 KO’s while Dinkins is now 10-20-2. Pudgy Eddie “The Fightin’ Irish” Bishop a jr. middleweight of Stoughton, Ma also remained unbeaten with a 4-round shutout over the a safe Kevin Cater of Winston-Salem, NC. Bishop is now 6-0, with 3 KO’s while Carter falls to 6-22 with one KO. Massachusetts Featherweight Champion, Elio Rodriguez of Fitchburg defeated Canadian Bob Rishea over six rounds by three scores of 60-53. Rodriguez is now 8-3 with 2 KO’s while Rishea is 2-17-2.

    Another local favorite, Willie “Bad News” Barnes, a hefty fellow, lost a four round decision to the towering Yakoubou Moutakilou (a.k.a. “Prince Majestic”) of da Bronx. Majestic (easier to say and type), who went the distance for the first time is 3-0. Barnes who had not fought since 1987 is now 2-6-1. Also making his long awaited return to the ring was Peru’s Luis Villalta who drew with 39-year old Freddie Cruz of Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic. Surprisingly, Cruz appeared to be having his way with the rusty Villalta until an accidental clash of heads caused a gaping cut over Villalta’s left eye. Since the fight had been stopped before the fourth round, the fight was automatically declared a technical draw (according to Mass State Commissioner, Nick Manzello) although the ring announcer announced it as a “no-contest”. Villalta who was fighting for the first time since 1998 is now 25-1-1 with 21 KO’s while Cruz is 52-31-10 with 17 KO’s.

    Promoter – Doug Pendarvis
    Non-televised

    Trivia Question (for blondes only): How many knockout wins does Prince Majestic have?

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xFrazza Shocked by Journeyman``x1007228051,59511,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    Consider this exercise in visualization.
    Picture Oregon’s state boxing commission as a fat
    pink guy, naked as a plumbers’ butt-crack and bent
    over, cheeks spread, primed and lubed for a
    proctological probe. Got the picture? Now imagine the
    line forming to take advantage of this posture.

    This image came to mind on Friday and Saturday,
    Nov. 16 and 17, when a two day Original Toughman
    Tournament, promoted by the ubiquitous Art Dore, took
    place in the Salem Armory just a mile or so from the
    domed capitol of Oregon. It was the first tough guy
    event in the state since the legislature created the
    state boxing and wrestling commission back in 1987.
    This is especially ironical since the legislative
    intent was to eliminate tough guy shows. I know this
    because I was one of the three people who wrote the
    first draft of the law.

    During its first decade, the Oregon Commission was
    built and steered by one of the other drafters of the
    law, Executive Director Bruce Anderson. He ran a
    hard-nosed, protect-the-fighters, damn-the-money-guys
    agency that broke ground nationally for, among other
    things, serious medical standards, and requiring
    promoters to carry increased medical insurance, full
    disclosure contracts with fighters, and complete bonds
    to cover show expenses. Anderson retired at the end of
    1998.

    Oregon is a big state with a small population—less
    than the island of Manhattan on a Sunday morning when
    all the commuters are at home in the burbs and
    burroughs. There hasn’t been a lot of pro boxing here
    over the last two decades, and now it’s relegated to
    two or three shows a year on Indian reservations. Tech
    industry has changed the bigger towns, but most of the
    state is still farming, logging, cowboy country. Prime
    turf for tough guys.

    Using the cute moniker Adoreable Promotions of
    Bay City, Michigan, Art Dore has been doing Toughman
    shows in various states for 21 years, often televised
    on the FX cable network. Art Dore is the man who
    spawned the career of Butterbean. He’s made several
    overtures to Oregon in the past, but until this year
    he was always sent packing by the Commission. The law
    hasn’t changed, but enforcement has apparently
    disappeared despite the fact that the Commission is a
    branch of the Oregon State Police and the actual
    licensing authority is the Superintendent of State
    Police.

    Jim Cassidy, the current Executive Director of the
    commission, has been in the job for around three
    years, and his record is mixed. He’s affable, anxious
    to please the promoters, a
    bend-over-backwards-show-must-go-on guy. Promoters and
    some managers love him. His first year was marked by
    various problems, including allowing three boxers who
    were on the national suspension list to appear on a
    single card. His second year started off with a bang
    when a forged negative drug test flew by him and he
    let a drug-positive fighter box.

    This year, the commission lost most of its funding
    when the pay-per-view boxing and wrestling promoters
    sued to escape from paying state taxes and won.
    Overnight, the commission went from producing surplus
    money each year, to depending on the charity of the
    already strapped budget of the Oregon State Police. My
    hunch is that money problems are behind the tough guy
    invasion.

    Cassidy has only had a couple live boxing cards to
    regulate and tax this year, but he’s been chatting
    with Tough Guy promoters since April. That’s when Art
    Dore’s outfit first started talking to him. That’s
    when the Carolina based King of the Ring tough guy
    operation was invited to send a representative to an
    Oregon Commission meeting. It’s just a hunch, but say
    the pleasant Mr. Cassidy didn’t really understand how
    flatly the tough guy promotions violate state and
    federal laws. Say, for the sake of argument, that
    Cassidy just wants more promoters coming in to put on
    more shows that he can tax to pay his salary and keep
    the phone turned on in the office. Say the tough guy
    promoters can smell a weak commission from ten states
    off.

    Now Cassidy says he "doesn’t approve of tough guy
    fights, doesn’t condone them", but "the law is too
    vague to prevent them." He couldn’t license the
    promoter for the November event, couldn’t license the
    fighters, or assign officials or make any safety
    requirements stick. He couldn’t tax them either.
    According to Cassidy, all he could do was "stay as far
    away as possible, in case something horrible happens."


    Please refer to the visualization exercise at the top.

    The toughman design is revised by promoters
    whenever necessary to get around little problems that
    might interfere with un-licensed, un-trained,
    uninsured truckers, clerks, burger flippers, book
    keepers and tractor jockeys paying for the privilege
    of whopping away at each other.

    The current Adoreable incarnation has an
    interesting twist. The basic ingredients are familiar
    to observers of the tough guy phenomenon. The
    participants pay $50 each for the right to play in one
    of two weight classes—light heavyweights, which ranges
    from 160 lbs to 184 lbs, and heavyweights, from 185
    lbs up. They wear helmets and 16 OZ gloves. The
    tournament winners get a jacket and a trophy. In some
    shows the promoter may choose one or more participants
    to advance to a regional and finally a national
    tournament, where the final winner is supposed to get
    $50,000. That didn’t happen in Oregon. In addition to
    the $50 entry fees, the promoter sells tickets to the
    live audience and rakes in television money. But
    here’s the twist.

    Because many state boxing commissions have
    banned toughman fights, Dore has created something
    called the American Boxing and Athletic Association,
    which he claims is an amateur association. Because the
    fighters don’t get paid, Dore claims they are
    amateurs. Most state commissions, including Oregon, do
    not regulate amateur events. This flabby pretext was
    enough to get Cassidy’s pants around his ankles.

    The Oregon law does exempt amateur events from state
    regulation and taxation. But it defines amateur as
    organizations "recognized by the state," and names the
    official national amateur organization, US Amateur
    Boxing, Inc. as the defining regulator of all amateur
    boxing. So, I asked Cassidy, has the state
    "recognized" Dore’s ABAA as an official amateur
    organization. No, he says.

    So, the Friday night pre-lim show had 27 bouts, with
    each of the 54 participants ponying up $50 each for
    the right to step into the ring. That $2700 more than
    covered the total of four cheezy jackets and four
    trophies given to winners during the weekend. Most of
    the labor was volunteered by the eager suckers of the
    town and, and there was still the live gate from five
    or six hundred ticket buyers each night. What a deal.

    Though the bouts were three one-minute rounds, a lot
    of the tough guys got extremely tired. This didn’t
    bode well for the winners who advanced to the second
    night where they often fight two bouts in one night,
    or if they’re unlucky enough to keep winning, three
    bouts. Some weighed in fully dressed and glugging
    water to make that 160 pound minimum weight. Others
    stripped to squeak in under 184. They fought each
    other. One guy was considerably over 50 years old. A
    local wrestling referee, skilled in not seeing
    anything wrong, served as the third man in the ring.
    One local fight guy observing said the rules seemed
    non-existent. The kid who got knocked out in the last
    fight on Friday night was carted off to the hospital
    by ambulance. Rumor has it that he suffered a
    fractured orbital bone around his eye. Is he insured
    by the promoter? Nobody seems to know.

    Jim Cassidy, the Executive Director of the Oregon
    State Police Boxing and Wrestling Commission, says he
    doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know.

    There are several things I’d like to know:

    --Why is the law that successfully excluded tough guy
    promotions for more than a decade suddenly "too vague"
    to keep them out?

    --Isn’t the state liable if "something horrible"
    happens to a guy in a tough guy fight? Couldn’t he or
    his survivors sue the Commission big time for failing
    to enforce its own laws? How would a wrongful death
    judgement fly in the Public Safety Building where the
    Superintendant of State Police has his office?

    --If the State Police didn’t approve or condone the
    event, why didn’t they file an injunction to stop it?
    Were they afraid of a costly lawsuit? Were they
    vulnerable to judgement because Cassidy had been
    actively courting the promotion for many months? Were
    they unwilling to pay the legal fees to defend from
    such a suit?

    --Why didn’t Cassidy simply say this alleged amateur
    organization is not recognized as such by the state of
    Oregon’s Commission? If Dore had demanded a hearing to
    seek recognition, the Commission would simply site the
    benchmark standards of US Amateur Boxing, Inc. Do you
    have less than six pounds weight spread between
    opponents? Are your officials trained and certified by
    a recognized organization? Do your boxers have
    amateur passbooks? Pre and post fight physicals?
    Medical insurance? Have they been trained by certified
    coaches? No? Then you’re out.

    There are a lot of questions. But if something big
    doesn’t happen to change this situation, tough guys
    have come to Oregon to stay. Adoreable is looking to
    come back soon, this time in the town of Pendleton.
    And King of the Ring promotions is looking to land in
    the town of Medford in April. There will certainly be
    would-be promoters inside the state who would like to
    cash in as well. And the naked pink guy may be turning
    blue.


    ---30---

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTough Guys Cast Oregon Commission as Ned Beatty in "Deliverance"``x1007321893,56132,``x``x ``xBy Alf Herigstad, Co-Manager, Jon "Too Sweet" Williams

    This is in response to Chauncy's claim that he was robbed in Pasco on November 25. As Jon's co-manager, I was sitting at ringside the entire fight. Here is what happened; Jon won the first two rounds handily, Chauncy was on the run 90% of the time, Chauncy also found himself on the ropes on several occasions. During those first two rounds Jon used his jab effectively, stopping Chauncy in his tracks every time it landed and forcing his retreat. Jon came out on top in every exchange, even hurting Chauncy, I know this because I could see it on Chauncy's face right before he ran away with Jon following after him.

    The third round was more even than the first two, but I still believe
    it belonged to Jon. The fourth round was rather uneventful, and I believe that is why the judges decided on a draw. Jon had the fight won, he was not tired, or hurt, if he did anything wrong it was that he kept letting Chauncy back in the fight. This speaks to Jon's relative inexperience, and is a situation easily corrected, we don't expect Jon to EVER let ANYONE back in the fight again. So, Jon got a draw because the judges thought he could have done a little more even though he had the fight won. So be it, it's a draw.

    Chauncy's claim of "easily winning every round," is simply untrue. Chauncy should get his hands on a tape of the fight and take another look. Chauncy also claimed that Jon was warned several times for holding, headbutting, and elbowing. These statements are absolutely outrageous! I was in his corner and if there were any warnings like that I would have remembered. Chauncy also claims that they took two points away from him for "showboating" . . . well, think about it Chauncy, if any points had been taken away from either fighter it would not have been a draw....would it have? Of course not! No points were taken in that fight. Chauncy also makes the statement that they were "Jon's judges," what a load of crap! Chauncy is from Spokane, Jon is from Olympia, the fight was in Pasco, Duh! If anybody was the hometown boy it was Chauncy.

    You are right about one thing Chauncy, Jon does know who the real
    winner is. I'm sure we will meet again on some pugilistic pathway in the future. So keep on your toes Chauncy, keep training and improving, because Jon definitely is.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWilliams responds to Welliver``x1007331067,21742,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    MASHANTUCKET, CT – Vinny Paz may have shown signs of his 38 years, most of which that have been spent battling, however he still had enough in the tank to win an entertaining 10 round unanimous decision over a game Levan Easley of Queens, NY last night at the Fox Theater in Foxwoods Resort Casino. The win for Paz was his 49th in his quest for 50 wins and Paz made it known who he would like his 50th to be against. And no, he’s not looking for it to be against archrival Dana Rosenblatt.

    “Jimmy Burchfield is working on setting up a title shot with Eric Lucas for his WBC belt,” said Paz who is now living in Providence. “That is my main objective and as we speak that’s the only thing I’m thinking about. Hopefully, that will be number 50 for me and that would be one hell of a way to go out. It’s a tall order but I think I can do it.”

    Last night Vinny had somewhat of a tall order in 6’ foot Levan Easley, who hadn’t fought since his war last November with New Bedford’s Scott Pemberton, one he had lost but came very close to snatching when he had Pemberton on the floor and nearly out in the first round. Easley, 171, was successful early on landing some powerful hooks to the solid cranium of Vinny Paz. But it was Paz’ titanium head and sheer will to win that made the difference throughout nearly every round. Easley claimed that he had broken his right hand as early as the third round just when it seemed that the Pazmanian Devil was heating up. It always does when Paz starts to bleed. One of those right hands caused Vinny’s nose to ooze blood, however not the way it had when Aaron Davis had bloodied his face in January.

    From thereafter, the fight turned into a movie script. Personally, I had never seen so much showmanship and taunting in my life. Paz would lean on the ropes and challenge Easley to come after him. Easley on the other hand would try to do the same thing. Anything Paz would do, Easley would attempt. Along the way, Paz’ unfortunate face collected a cut over his left eye and a cut on his hairline. The hairline cut bled profusely but it only made Paz fight with even more vigor. And when it came down to sheer fighting, Paz did more and landed some powerful hooks, few of which appeared to stagger the stubborn Easley. Paz won by scores of 99-92 (the CBZ’s score), 97-92 and 97-93.

    “It was a tough fight and I knew it would be a tough fight,” said Paz. “That’s why I was in good shape. I went 10 hard rounds, entertained a lot of fans and that’s always my objective; win first and entertain second and I think I did both tonight.”

    The loss for Easley dropped his record to a dismal 14-7-2 with 6 KO’s. But Paz knows that records don’t necessarily mean a thing especially when they meet him.

    “I don’t care what the guy’s record is. Easley can fight. Just look at Richard Grant. The guy was 13-8 when he beat Butler who was a short time ago the number one contender. Easley was in there to win. I tried to knock him out but whenever anyone fights me they come in great shape because it’s a very big fight for them.”

    If things go the way Paz would like them to, he could very well get the big one he is clamoring for and his 50th win as a pro.

    This past February, female boxing attained some credibility when two fine capable boxers, Liz Muehller and Jamie Clampitt went at it for 6 hard rounds. That contest won by Liz Muehller of New London, CT made it very clear that female boxing is not always the joke that everyone assumes it to be. Last night, the fans probably got the same impression, particularly with Muehller, 131, who won her rematch with Jaime Clampitt with more ease over a 10 round distance. Clampitt, 135, of Calgary, Alberta fought competitively with Muehller for the first four rounds but couldn’t keep the bull-like Mueller at a distance or exchange with any success on the inside. Clampitt had never gone past 6 before and it showed against with the slightly more experienced Muehller. Liz, who upped her record to 8-2 with 2 KO’s won by scores of 97-93 and 98-92 twice. Clampitt dropped to 5-2 with 2 KO’s.

    A couple of things might have been answered in Gary “Tiger” Balletto’s bout with Atlanta’s John Trigg. One: Balletto can lose to just about anyone. Two: Gary has a good chance of knocking anyone silly if he catches you. For three and a half rounds it appeared that Trigg, 138 ½, was going to pull off a minor upset until a gargantuan right hand from Balletto, 140 ½, dropped the durable Trigg like a sack of bricks. Trigg barely made it up at Charlie Dwyer’s mandatory count of 8 but couldn’t make it out for the fifth round, a round he surely would have made it through. For Balletto, now 23-0-2 with 19 KO’s, will need to learn some defense if he hopes to step up and defeat a contender, however, as he showed once again, he is one big punch away of winning any fight.

    In the most entertaining and competitive bout of the night, the consistently exciting Daniel Alicea, 134, of Brooklyn, NY via Santurce, Puerto Rico won another hard fought 8-round unanimous decision (78-74 twice and 77-75) over Bernard Harris. It was Alicea, 134, who brought the best out of both men with his non-stop punching style and at times, it appeared as though Harris, 136, of Detroit enjoyed every minute of it. Harris who has been in with his share of top opposition over the years was very good at slipping Alicea’s shots but they were too many for the young Puerto Rican. But the crowd enjoyed it more. Alicea improved to 26-4-1 with 20 KO’s while Harris dropped to a deceiving 21-15-2 with 10 KO’s

    In the first bout of the evening, Paul Malignaggi, 136, of Brooklyn, NY won a 4 round unanimous decision over Jose LaPorte, 132 ½, of Worcester, MA. Malignaggi, a former national US amateur champion brought a huge following but didn’t look too promising. Malignaggi couldn’t get past LaPorte’s gloves as most of LaPorte’s previous opponents have and was even staggered in the third round. Malignaggi did win every round based on his activity as all three judges had it 40-36 in his favor. Malignaggi is now 5-0 with 3 KO’s. LaPorte is now 2-6-2 with 1 KO.

    Promoter – Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports
    Matchmaker – Ted Panagiotis
    Non Televised
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPazmanian Devil Cooks up 49th Win``x1007829689,70088,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    Tis’ the Season to be Boxing

    With Vinny Paz defeating LeVan Easley this past Friday night at the Fox Theater in Foxwoods Resort Casino, boxing season has officially begun in New England. By the end of this week, boxing in New England will have seen three nationally televised boxing events, including its second heavyweight championship bout in over 35 years. Yes you read correctly, the rubber match between Chelsea’s John “The Quietman” Ruiz and four time heavyweight champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield is in fact a world heavyweight championship bout for the WBA title. The belt that Ruiz and Holyfield will battle for belonged to Lewis until the Brit allowed the organization to strip him for his reluctance of facing his former employee, Ruiz.

    This action has disturbed many folks within the fight game, particularly the fight fans but whether you like it or not, the WBA title has been one of the three widely recognized boxing organizations. Though they lack a considerable amount of credibility, if they possess any at all, the WBA, the WBC and the IBF share roughly the same amount of merit.

    And before you jump down my throat and gag me with this linear crap, just remember that if you’re a complete believer in the expression, “linear champion” then you’re also stating that Jack Johnson won his title over Jim Jeffries, who had been off for a number of years. You’re also saying that Mike Tyson was not the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Yeah, that’s right. You’d be saying that Tyson didn’t win acclaim as the linear heavyweight champion until crushing the frightened Michael Spinks in 91 seconds, just days before his 22nd birthday. That would make Floyd Patterson still the youngest heavyweight champ of all time.

    And if you believe that Ruiz-Holyfield III is of little interest within the boxing media, then you should know that over 275 writers all over the world requested to cover the bout, which will be shown live on HBO, a network that has also bought into the hype of Ruiz and the ongoing career of the legendary Holyfield. And why not? Name a few heavyweight fights over the past couple of years that have given us some decent night’s entertainment. Lewis-Rahman I & II were terrible matches that culminated with one-punch knockouts for both men. There was little drama or actual boxing in either bout with the exception of the build-up for the rematch. Over the years we haven’t got much of anything out of Lewis other than some knockouts and a reluctance to try and defeat someone at their own game, despite owning several physical advantages. When a boxer fights someone at his own game that usually spells E-X-C-I-T-E-M-E-N-T.

    What you should also consider is the fact that all of the 1,200 seats for Ruiz-Holyfield III available to the public were sold within 3 hours. Foxwoods gave the other 2,800 tickets away to their high rollers. There is so much local interest in this fight that Foxwoods is showing the fight on closed circuit on two huge television screens in separate rooms of course. If there are still seats remaining and you’re interested in being close to the excitement while the fight is taking place, call 1-800 PLAY BIG.

    Incidentally, the Ruiz-Holyfield III trilogy is the second heavyweight rivalry in history that has had three consecutive back-to-back title fights with the same two fighters going at it. (Yeah, I know that sounded strange but I didn’t attend the Derek Zoolander School for Kids Who Can’t Read Good.) The first time this happened was when Floyd Patterson regained the title in 1960 by reversing a knock out loss to Sweden’s Ingemar Johannsen. Patterson knocked Johnassen out a second time in the rubber match in 1961.

    Ruiz-Holyfield III could have sold out the Mohegan Sun Arena, a 10,000 seat venue just a few minutes down the road from its competitor Foxwoods. That Arena will host two back-to-back nights of quality boxing live of ESPN2. Both nights will showcase two of New England’s top performers in New Bedford’s “Sucra” Ray Oliveira (on Thursday) and Hartford’s Eric Harding (on Friday night).

    Oliveira (42-8-1 with 19 KO’s), who recently lost his NABF jr. welterweight to Ghana’s Ben “Wonder” Tackie in a thriller of a fight that saw both man throw over a combined 2,700 punches, will meet the rugged Omar Weis of Argentina in a 10-round contest. Weis (33-3-1, 16 KO’s), who is better known for his somewhat controversial points defeat to welterweight contender, Antonio Diaz last year is also coming off a loss and will look to show the boxing world that his close-call with Diaz wasn’t just a bad night for Tono. Oliveira, a veteran of over 360 rounds of fistfighting also knows what kind of situation he is in.

    “I want a make a huge statement,” Oliveira told the CBZ. “For one, there will be a lot of people in the media there who haven’t seen me fight and two, there are a lot of people who say that I shouldn’t have taken this fight. I love (Weis’) style. I keep telling everyone that Weis had the style to make Diaz look awful even though I still had Diaz winning the fight. I believe that I have a style to look great against Weis.”

    A win for Oliveira could thrust him back in the title picture or in line for a possible big money fight. But there is no question which fighter Oliveira would like to step in the ring with.

    “I want what’s best for me and that’s world championship belts. But I want Micky Ward more than anyone or anything.”

    Like Oliveira, Ward is a Massachusetts native who is slated for a relatively lucrative January 5th date on HBO with former world champion Jesse James Leija. In order for Oliveira to lure Ward or Kostya Tszyu in a fight he will have to fight his way through Weis and look impressive.

    Oliveira isn’t the only boxer who is accustomed to throwing over 1,000 punches per fight. Jr. middleweight contender, Kassim Ouma (13-1-1) of Uganda fresh off of his punch-a-thon with former WBO champion Verno Phillips will be co-featured with Pedro Ortega (29-9-1) of Mexico, a former world title challenger. “Bad” Chad Dawson, a can’t-miss prospect out of New Haven will also be featured in a 4-rounder. Remember that name!

    If you’re staying at Foxwoods Friday night and you’re not a devoted Wayne Newton fan (who is performing at the Fox Theater that night) then you may want to drive down the street to the Mohegan Sun Arena to see an interesting light heavyweight battle between two highly regarded contenders in the division. Hartford’s Eric Harding (20-1-1, 6 KO’s), best known for giving Roy Jones, Jr. one of his toughest fights to date will face the dangerous punching Khalid Jones. It is Harding’s second fight since losing to Roy Jones, a fight in which he tore his right bicep.

    Jones (16-0, 12 KO’s) is most known for knocking out Beethaven Scotland, a fight that took Scotland’s life. If Jones has recovered from the tragic death of Scotland, it will show to a degree with Harding, one of the more crafty light heavyweights in recent years. To expect Jones to defeat Harding is a tall order and too much to ask of the brave Jones. Speaking of which, I’m tired of all of the ranting about today’s top 175-pounders. To be brutally honest with you, the light heavyweight division should be considered the most competitive in boxing. Name a division, other than light heavyweight, where there are contenders facing each other. Jones will be yet another top light heavyweight that Harding has faced & Harding has only 20 wins. Harding has also defeated Montell Griffin and Antonio Tarver.

    Reggie Johnson, the former two time world champion and current USBA & NABF champion has also defeated a slew of top fighters including, Chris Johnson and Will Taylor since losing to world champion Roy Jones, Jr. Johnson is scheduled to face Tarver in January with a co-feature of hard-punching David Telesco versus Julian Letterlough. Can someone explain to me why he or she believes the light heavyweight division is boring? It might have to do with the fact that Roy Jones makes it look too easy in a division he isn’t suited. If you don’t enjoy RJ, then you can enjoy who’s below him because it’s a downright shame if you don’t.

    Anyway, to catch up on the latest light heavyweight saga, make sure to catch Harding-Jones on ESPN2 or take the ride over to the Mohegan Sun Arena. To purchase tickets for the Oliveira-Weis or the Harding-Jones events, call: 800-477-6849.

    & a happy boxing season to ya!


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xNew England Chatta - Boxing Season Hits New England``x1008076462,10063,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    In Portland, Oregon today, Dec. 10, 61-year-old Jerry Dusenberry was arrested by Portland Police on four counts of child sexual abuse committed against an 8-year-old boy. Dusenberry is being held with bail set at 1 million dollars.

    A career employee of the Bonneville Power Administration, Dusenberry has served for many years as a volunteer with many youth organizations from the Boys Scouts of America to the Portland Parks and Recreation Department. His most prominent role was as
    a volunteer official for amateur boxing programs.

    Starting out as a referee and judge, Dusenberry advanced to hold office in the national organizing body of the amateur sport, U.S. Amateru Boxing, Inc, located in Colorado Springs, CO. After serving several terms as national secretary of the organization,
    Dusenberry was elected president in October of 1993. He served two terms of two years each. During his administration he supervised the design of the computer scoring system for international competition,
    and supervised the U.S. boxing team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

    Police raided Dusenberry’s modest home in Portland today, following a complaint from the mother of the alleged child victim. At a police press conference announcing the arrest, a department spokesman said
    that two adult men had filed a complaint with police last March, alleging that Dusenberry had molested them both some 20 years ago, when they were small boys.

    Reportedly, when one of the victims discovered that another man had the same experience, the two met and decided to come forward. Unfortunately, police did nothing to investigate the allegations made by the two adults.

    Meanwhile, Dusenberry was volunteering in a city-run mentoring program and coaching basketball for the city parks department. During the last two months he is alleged to have met the child victim in the mentoring program, persuaded the child to join the basketball
    program as well, and then molested the child at Dusenberry’s home.

    Police spokesman said journals and calendars were
    found in Dusenberry’s home, in which the suspect
    documented his sexual activity with children. Police
    say the target group were 8 to 10 years old. The
    strategy, according to police statements, was to
    identify children from one-parent homes, ingratiate
    himself with the family, and gain influence over the
    child. Portland Police Spokesmen say they expect many
    more victims to come forward in the next few weeks.


    ---30---

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xEx-Prez. of U.S. Amateurs Charged With Child Molesting``x1008166253,40063,``x``x ``xBYRD MOVES TO ENFORCE FEDERAL COURT RULING GUARANTEEING IBF CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT

    Chris Byrd, the International Boxing Federation's No. 1 heavyweight contender and its mandatory title challenger, brought an action Tuesday in U.S. District Court to enforce the terms of the court's prior order, which guarantees Byrd an IBF title shot by April of 2002.

    "I've earned the top spot and proven myself to be the No. 1 and
    mandatory contender based on winning the IBF tournament," said Byrd from his home in Flint, Mich.

    Byrd beat Maurice Harris in May in New York City and then David Tua in August in Las Vegas, Nev., to win the IBF tourney and earn the shot against that organization's champion.

    "The court (U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey) has made it clear that Chris is entitled to a shot at the title, and we intend to see that he gets it," said Richard Edlin, the attorney representing Byrd.

    "Not only has the IBF failed to comply with the court order, but the (Lennox) Lewis-(Mike) Tyson negotiations are intended to result in a spring bout between those two, thus, making it impossible for the court order to be complied with," said Edlin.

    "Chris is going back to the same court that ruled in September that Chris Byrd was the mandatory challenger and guaranteed by April, 2002, to fight the winner of Lewis-(Hasim) Rahman for the IBF championship," said Edlin.

    Lewis currently is negotiating to defend the IBF and World Boxing Council titles against Tyson this spring, a time which would preclude the winner from facing Byrd during April.

    "It is truly troubling that we have to resort to the court system when Chris has done everything that was asked of him in the ring, where this matter belongs," said Cedric Kushner, co-promoter of Byrd.

    "Chris has fought his way to the mandatory spot," said Bill Kozerski, co-promoter of Byrd. "He took the risks and has earned this title shot and shouldn't be denied."

    Edlin, of the New York City law firm of Greenberg Traurig, said the District Court ruled during September that the winner of the Lewis-Rahman bout last month could make a defense prior to meeting Byrd, but with the stipulation that the title fight had to be completed no later than February,
    2002.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Byrd Awaits Guaranteed Title Shot``x1008169499,91209,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION (Ledyard, CT) – Gabe Mari (LaMarca when he was a pro himself), the longtime trainer of WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz has always conducted himself the way as his favorite prospect. The usually placid Mari, who is normally more subdued than the Chelsea champion himself didn’t hold back at the final press conference earlier yesterday at a press conference held at Foxwoods Casino Resort. Normally, all of the heated words have spewed from the mouth of the boisterous Norman “Stoney” Stone, Ruiz’ esteemed manager, who was also himself yesterday. This time however, the fireworks began with what Mari had to say.

    “Everyone keeps on saying that Holyfield is the offensive fighter,” said Mari. “We’re the offensive fighter and we’re going to knock you out Saturday night Evander! Every round tomorrow night is going to be just like the 11th until we knock him out.

    Mari, if you don’t recall is referring to the round in which Ruiz floored the former cruiserweight and four time heavyweight champion in the 11th with a ramrod right cross. When Holyfield returned to his feet he had to hold on for dear life just to finish the round. It was a round that ultimately showed who the better man was that night and made him the first heavyweight champion of Latino descent. Ruiz’ parents were originally from Puerto Rico until emigrating to Chelsea, MA, one of the largest Hispanic communities in greater Boston. Ruiz makes his first defense of that title in front of a hometown crowd (4,000) in nearby Connecticut. The 29 year old Ruiz was the least unruly about his upcoming scuffle with Holyfield.

    “Everyone keeps telling me that Holyfield is washed up,” said Ruiz. “But I know that he is the toughest guy out there. He always comes to fight and so do I, which is why I’ll always be ready for him. People wanted me to fight someone else but Evander is the best guy out there.”

    “If Holyfield is so washed up, then how come no one else is calling him out,” asked Stoney. “Johnny is the only guy who will fight him. No one wants to risk fighting him. We’ve fought him twice and now we’re fighting him for the third time and the last time because this time we’re knocking him out!”``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xQuietman’s Corner Wages War of Words with Team Holyfield``x1008351666,23744,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    UNCASVILLE, CT - Early on in his career, Ray Oliveira had a run-in with a bullet, one that nearly ended his boxing career. In a drive-by shooting, a hollow shell came an inch from nearly having his leg amputated, according to the doctors. The doctors also suspected that Oliveira would never walk again. The doctor’s prognosis was obviously derived before knowing the kind of individual Ray Oliveira is: Ray not only walked again, but also fought several times, twice in world title fights.

    In all of his fights since the gunshot wound, Oliveira had worn a brace around his knee just in case. It was wrapped around his leg in case of the worst happening. And the leg would never become a problem for him in his next 40 or so fights. But last night in his first fight since losing to a great bout with Ben “Wonder” Tackie, Oliveira needed to labor through 10 rounds with Argentina’s Omar Weis to come up short of a win. After 10 rounds with the Argentinean, whom most felt defeated Antonio Diaz last year, all three judges scored the bout a draw with three identical tallies of 95-95. The CBZ had Oliveira winning it 97-94.

    “About two weeks ago I felt something tear in my leg when I was running but no one would believe me,” said Oliveira. Rob Soucy, who writes for the Pawtucket Times in Rhode Island, mentioned that he had seen Oliveira end a sparring session in the first round over a week ago when his leg gave in. “I never had a problem with my leg until recently. I told everyone that I would wait until Saturday to see how it felt. It still hurt but I thought I could fight. I felt like pulling out (of the fight) but I don’t like to cheat the fans. “(The fans) came to see me fight Omar Weis, not Omar Weis fight a replacement.”

    “When Ray arrived for the weigh in yesterday he was 3 pounds overweight,” said Oliveira’s promoter Jimmy Burchfield. “The kid couldn’t train because of his leg. When he looked into the arena and saw James Orso running the steps to make weight himself, he went and did the same thing. By the time he got done, he was hobbling over to the scale. I’m unhappy that the judges didn’t give him the decision but I’m very proud of Ray. The kid is a warrior in every sense of the word.”

    The lack of sharpness and Oliveira’s right leg showed more so early on when Weis, 139 ½, used effective movement to get out of the way of most of Oliveira’s punches, particularly his right hand whenever he would attempt to throw it.

    “I just couldn’t sit on my right hand,” said Oliveira. “I couldn’t push off my leg and when I’d throw it, I’d fall forward from being off balance.”

    From the mid to later rounds Oliveira began to find his slippery foe with his trademark left hooks to the body as well as the jab that was landing because of the body attack. Weis (now 34-3-1 with 16 KO’s), who lucked out on his latest visit to the U.S. is now 34-3-1 with 16 KO’s. If he was looking to get a close decision, he was fighting the right guy in the right place. All but one of Oliveira’s blemishes occurred in Connecticut.

    Oliveira’s latest blemish moves his mark, now 42-8-2 with 19 KO’s and effectively took him out of the jr. welterweight sweepstakes. But as Oliveira mentioned last night, he has no intentions of making the 140-pound weight limit again.

    “I can’t make this weight anymore,” admitted Oliveira. “I’ve been fighting at 140 for most of my career. It’s just killing me. I weighed 160 pounds today trying to replenish myself. It’s obvious to me that the weight loss is just too much for me and the next time you’ll see me fight it will be at welterweight.”

    Last night’s show was the first pro boxing card held at the brand spanking new Mohegan Sun Arena. And it was put in full use with the 8 fights on the card. In a 10-round co-feature, Kassim “The Dream” Ouma, 152, West Palm Beach, FL via Uganda overwhelmed a ring-worn Pedro Ortega, 152 ¾, Tijuana, Mexico. Ouma, who had recently defeated former WBO champion Verno Phillips was in with a much easier opponent who couldn’t mount much of an offensive attack or defend against one. Ouma is now 14-1-1 with 9 KO’s while Ortega goes back to Tijuana with a record 29-9-1 with 18 KO’s.

    In other bouts, Demetrius Hopkins survived an early scare when his opponent, Ike Ezeji floored him with a right hand in the first round. Hopkins, the nephew of Bernard Hopkins got up and took it out on Ezeji Philadelphia style but found that taking him out wasn’t easy. Needless to say Hopkins got a good 6 round workout and won by scores of 58-55, 59-53 and 59-54. The win improved Hopkins to 9-0-1 with 3 KO’s. Ezeji dropped to 5-5-1 with 2 KO’s.

    In a hardcore boxing brawl, Dennis Sharp, 161 ¾, of Bayonne, NJ pounded Donald Labbe, 159 ¼, of Lewiston, ME until referee Dick Flaherty mercifully halted the bout at 1:55 of 4th round. Labbe hung in there and even landed some powerful left hooks to the body but Sharp was just too, well, sharp for Labbe. Sharp is now 8-0-1 with 3 KO’s while Labbe slipped to 2-2.

    Jose “El Gallo” Reyes, 129, Vineland, NJ won a 6 round unanimous decision over Calvin Shepard, 127, ½, of Jacksonville, NC. Reyes, who improved to 7-1 with 3 KO’s won by scores of 60-53 and 60-54 twice. Peter Manfredo, Jr., 159 ½, of Providence, RI won an easy 4 round decision over John Lennox Lewis, 160, of New York, NY. Manfredo is now 11-0 with 5 KO’s while Lewis dropped his record to 10-6-1 with 7 KO’s.

    In the first bout of the evening, New Haven prospect “Bad” Chad Dawson, 165 ¾, made quick work of James Orso, 169 ½, of McIntosh, AL. After two knockdowns referee Dan Schiavone counted the reluctant Orso out at 1:58 of the first round. The win improved Dawson’s record to 3-0 all by the knockout route and I still want to see how good he is. All of his knockouts have come in the first round. Orso slipped to 2-2.

    Tulsa, Oklahoma’s T.J. Smith, 261 ¼, crushed the 306-pound Steve Griffin with a left cross, moments into the bout. Griffin was counted out at 30 seconds of the first round while lying on the canvas.

    Promoter – Duva Boxing
    Television - ESPN
    Ring Announcer – M. Mark Beiro
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xOliveira, Weis Battle to a Draw``x1008351945,97145,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    UNCASVILLE, CT – If there’s one thing that Eric “The Magic Man” Harding knows it’s that he was put on this planet to fight. It’s a tendency that a lot of men from Philadelphia have had, however, not too many have reached the potential that the soon to be 29 year old has reached. Harding, has lived in East Hartford, CT for the better part of his career since moving from Philadelphia. But as Harding explains, leaving the streets of Philadelphia has much to do with his success in the boxing ring.

    “My trainer, (Howard) Moses wanted to bring me to Hartford because of all of the problems you can run into in the street,” said Harding. “The day before I was suppose to leave, one of my best friends Jermain Wade wanted me to go out with him on Halloween. On Halloween people usually go out with masks on and a lot of bad things go on. That night he took a bullet through the back of his head and that was it. If I never moved or went out with him that night, the same thing could have happened to me.”

    Thankfully, it didn’t. Since migrating to East Hartford, Harding has established himself as one of the finest 175-pounders in the world. In the process, Harding has compiled an impressive record of 21-1-1 with 7 KO’s. Though that isn’t a great number of pro bouts for a man that has been a professional since 1991, Harding has been in with a who’s who of the light heavyweight division, defeating the likes of Montell Griffin, Antonio Tarver and giving undisputed light heavyweight champion Roy Jones, Jr. his toughest fight as a pro. His latest fight tonight at the magnificent Mohegan Sun Arena was no exception. Harding, 173 ¼, took on tough, George (Khalid) Jones (now 16-1 with 12 KO’s), 174, of Paterson, NJ and knocked him out at 57 seconds of the 7th round with a perfectly timed left cross.

    Harding, not known for his punching power was simply too experienced for the brave Jones who took a huge step up in class. After a few competitive rounds, the Magic Man pulled a few tricks out of his hat and began landing crisp counters, shots that steadilly took Jones apart.

    “It was too soon for Jones to get in the ring with me especially with the tragic situation with Bee Scotland,” said Harding. Scotland died from injuries sustained in his fight with Jones over the summer. “Everyone kept saying that he had power. If he did I didn’t feel any of it.”

    Jones, who like Harding is a southpaw had some success and landed some clean shots however, the ones that founds its way, did not appear to effect him.

    “I am dedicated now more than ever,” said Harding. “And 365 days from now, I’ll be the world champion.”

    Though he may seem brash, you can see the sheer confidence in his eyes. It’s as if he is already a world champion. And how can you blame his faith? Harding fought several rounds with the a torn bicep in his lone title shot with Roy Jones, Jr. until the fight was stopped before the 11th round. What’s most surprising is the fact that despite his handicap, he made the bout competitive.

    “I named him the Magic Man because he had it all from day one,” said Moses. “When he turned pro in Philadelphia he had to fight a guy named Robert Thomas. After we weighed in, I found out that Thomas had over 30 fights going in. I told Eric that I wouldn’t let him fight him. He pleaded with me to let him fight until I finally gave in. He nearly beat the guy and had him out but got a draw.”

    In Thomas’ next fight he snatched the unbeaten streak of former IBF super-middleweight champion Charles Brewer who was 14-0 and beat him again two fights later.

    “(Harding) has natural talent and he really likes to fight. His grandfather (Al Hauser) fought Sugar Ray Robinson in 1942. Boxing is in his blood.”

    “I love to fight,” admits Harding. “I really love to fight. I love the physicality and figuring people out. It’s really fun.”

    And if Harding’s prophecy is correct, we’ll find out how much magic he really has.

    Robert Wiggins, of Providence, RI drove to Atlantic City on Wednesday to fight who ever a promoter put in front of him in a 6, an 8 or a 10 rounder. Yesterday, Ron Guerrero pulled out if his 10-round co-feature with Erik “Stonekold” Kirkland leaving the co-feature to be filled with a somewhat capable opponent. As a result, opportunity knocked for the 33-year old Wiggins. Wiggins received a phone call to be the replacement and drove all the way back from Atlantic City to the Mohegan Sun to pull out the biggest victory of his career, a 10th round knockout over Kirkland, a touted Duva prospect that had a 13-0 record.

    “I didn’t even know who I was going to fight down there but saw this fight as a big opportunity for me,” said Wiggins who is now 13-0-1 with 6 KO’s. “I was expecting to fight a 6-rounder which is why the fight was a little tough for me but Kirkland was tough anyway. He took a lot of good shots.

    It was evident early on that Kirkland was in for a tough fight. After a feeling-out first round, Wiggins, 216, began landing lead straight lefts and right hooks. He seemed so energized that he decided to land a punch after the bell that ended the second round, a foul that referee, Dick Flaherty penalized Wiggins for. The point deducted from Wiggins didn’t come into play though, neither did the horrendous scorecards which had Kirkland, 222, leading on two (86-84 by Arthur Mercante, Sr. and Glen Feldman) of them. Only Steve Weisfeld had the right guy winning the fight 86-84 (as the CBZ had it).

    Midway through the third round, Wiggins staggered Kirkland into the ropes with a hard left hand, which should have been ruled a knockdown. Wiggins did it again moments later and Flaherty finally ruled a knockdown. From that point on, Wiggins began to wield haymakers, some of which landed but Kirkland used the loose ropes ala rope-a-dope style to lean back and pull away from them. It seemed to be his only defensive tactic and it eventually got him doped.

    “I knew I could time him coming off the ropes,” said Wiggins. “As soon as he bounced off the ropes he stepped over to the right and I let my left hand go and it caught him.”

    The roundhouse left caught Kirkland on the kisser and sent him to the canvas for the second official knockdown of the fight. Kirkland returned to his feet at the count of three but his trainer, Dwight Yard instructed his charge to take advantage of the time. Kirkland took full use of the count and some as Flaherty counted to ten. Yard and the rest of Team Kirkland seemed furious but it was obvious that Kirkland was out of it.

    The win improved Wiggins’ record to 17-0 with 7 KO’s. Kirkland, who is now 13-1 will need plenty to work on if he is to be talked about as a prospect some day. According to Duva Promotions’ PR man, Tony Paige, Lorenzo DiClemente, the manager of Kirkland got in a shouting match with Lou Duva over the way Kirkland’s hands were wrapped. The argument caused Duva’s fibulator to go off and he was rushed to Backus Hospital in Norwich as a precautionary measure. As of this writing Duva was reported to be A-okay.

    In other bouts: Carl “Ingemar” Johanssen, 131, of Long Branch, NJ won 6 round unanimous decision over a competitive Angel Rios, 130 ½, of New York, NY. The new Ingo is now 9-0 with 4 KO’s while Rios is 9-3 with 6 KO’s. Troy Ross, 175 ½, Toronto, Canada dropped the iron chinned Dan Sheehan, 178, Salem, NH in the second round but couldn’t put on the finishing touches on the stubborn New Englander. Sheehan who had only been stopped twice was able to recover from the hard right hook that floored and landed some heavy rights in the final 4th and final round. Ross, who won by three identical scores of 40-35 improved to 5-0 with 2 KO’s while Sheehan is now 8-14 with 3 KO’s. Matt Hill, 144 ½, Baltimore, MD seemed to have a delayed reaction to a furious combination landed by Kendall “Rated R” Holt, 142, Paterson, NJ. With Hill covering up to protect himself. Having no other choice but to do the right thing, referee Joe Cusano stopped the fight at 1:49 of the second round. Holt is now 5-0 with 3 KO’s while Hill is now 4-13-1 with 3 KO’s. Former US Olympian, Dante Craig, 153 ½, of Cincinnati, OH overwhelmed Jerome McLean, 150 ¼, of Laurinburg, NC, stopping him at 2:19 of the first round. McLean weighed in yesterday at 141 and then was ordered to the buffet table to make the fight look more competitively. Naturally it didn’t help poor McLean, now 3-2 with 1 KO. Craig is now 4-1 with 3 KO’s. In the swing bout of the evening, Alexis Mejias, 227 ½, of Humacao, Puerto Rico had an easy time dispatching Everard Ramage (a killer of a name to pronounce for this Bostonian), 199, of New York, NY at 39 seconds of the second round. Mejias is now 4-0 with 2 KO’s.

    Promoter – Duva Boxing
    Television Network – ESPN2
    Ring Announcer – M. Mark Beiro
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xHarding Shows More Magic, KO's Jones in 7th``x1008394414,18838,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    MASHANTUCKET, CT – Sometimes, judging fights can be a tough task, especially for yours’ truly. Tommy Kazmarek once wrote a book about judging and if anyone bought it, they should burn the damn thing as Mike Katz mentioned from ringside. How do you score some fights much less write about doing it? Kazmarek was one of the judges who scored the third meeting between John “The Quietman” Ruiz of Las Vegas via Chelsea, MA and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield. To nearly everyone’s surprise Kazmarek came up with an even tally of 114-114. The fight itself turned out to be a draw as judges Don O’Neil had it 115-113 for the champion and Julie Lederman had it for Holyfield 116-112. The CBZ had it 115-114 for Ruiz and will accept any hate mail or criticism, for I had no clue how to score this one. The only thing I’ll agree with you on is the fact that it was one of the ugliest heavyweight championship fights seen in years. How do you a score a fight where one guy is initiating clinches and the other guy isn’t able to get off any punches? That’s at least how I saw the fight but again, what do I know? Everyone in the press section had Holyfield winning by wide margins.

    As early as the first round you could tell that this wasn’t going to be an Ali-Frazier III or even a Holyfield-Bowe III. Ruiz, 232, started by lunging in, this time not even leading with the jab and tying the frustrated Holyfield up like a prison guard. It was as if they never fought each other before even though they had previously spent 24 rounds together. Then again, maybe they knew each other too well and didn't want to engage each other the way they had in recent meetings. Once referee, Steve Smoger would separate the two, which took a long time, Holyfield would look for an opening and threw towards that opening infrequently. In fact, the chiseled 219-pound Holyfield landed only 152 punches out of 470 while Ruiz landed fewer (141 of 411). That’s what I had a hard time believing. Other than the 10th round, there didn’t seem to be much action let alone punches. Both fighters were disappointed. Holyfield was obviously the most disappointed.

    “I’m disappointed,” said the former 4-time heavyweight champion. “I feel that I won and did all I could to win the fight. I had good balance this time but he was able to duck under a lot of shots. He was really tricky and very awkward.”

    Though most would like to see Holyfield call it a career, how did Ruiz convince him of quitting the game? It was clear that Holyfield had more desire this time around. Ruiz now 37-4-1 with 27 KO’s), displayed little passion, a quality he had shown in defeating Holyfield this past March in Las Vegas. Ruiz and his trainer concede that it had much to do with Holyfeld’s resilience and the fact that the older man shattered his nose in the first round. It appeared that Ruiz’ nose was injured in the final round, the one in which it began to drip blood.

    “We have to take (Ruiz) to the hospital to look at his nose,” said Norman Stone, Ruiz manager. “We’re all done fighting Evander Holyfield, who as far as I’m concerned is the greatest heavyweight to ever walk the planet. Kirk Johnson is next!”

    Not fighting each other for the 4th consecutive time is probably the only good outcome of this fight but you can assure that Holyfield, now 37-5-2 with 25 KO’s will attempt to do what it takes in order to fulfill what he feels is his destiny: become the undisputed champion.

    “I don’t quit and I will not quit,” said Holyfield. “People don’t realize what goals and fantasies are. Goals are what you work for and fantasies are what you wish for. I’ve been working to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since I regained part of the title from Riddick Bowe. I said that I would retire as the undisputed champion and I meant it. People will find out that I am the boss and I’m here to stay until I become the undisputed champion”

    And judging by the way most folks saw his fight last night, Holyfield proved he should have been considered at least one of the bosses.

    In the co-feature of last night’s HBO televised event, IBF bantamweight champion Timmy Austin, 118, of Cincinnati, OH made his 8th defense of the title by winning a lopsided decision over Ratanachai Vorapin, 118, 40-5 with 28 KO’s Dankoonthod, Thailand. Austin seemed the more active fighter and the most difficult to hit. It was somewhat of a dull fight as you might have seen it but looked like a Morales-Barrera compared to the main event. The judges at ringside had it for Austin by scores of 115-112, 117-110, and 118-109. The “Cincinnati Kid” ran his record to 24-0-1, 21 KO’s while Vorapin is now 40-6 with 28 knockouts.

    In other bouts, “Irish” Tommy Martin, 241, of Davie, FL stopped Craig Tomlinson, 236, of Reading, PA 22-7-1 with 13 KO’s in the 9th round. Referee Frank Cappaccino counted to ten at 2:26 of the round. Nate Jones, 229, of Chicago, the US Olympic Bronze medallist scored a 4th round stoppage over Drexi Frank James, 202, of Miami, FL at 1:29 of the round. Jones is now 18-1-1 with 8 KO’s while James is now 8-2 with 4 KO’s. Danny Williams, 258, of London, England, scored a second round TKO at 2:21 over Shawn “Rockin” Robinson, 215, of Stafford, MO to up his overall mark to 23-1 with 18 KO’s.
    And in the first bout of the evening, Alberto Trinidad, won a four round majority decision (40-36, 39-37 and 38-38) over Roger Glover.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xThree No Charm for Ruiz-Holyfield III: D 12``x1008488153,88614,``x``x ``xBy Chris Bushnell

    Holyfield-Ruiz III was a lot like Jurassic Park III: predictable storyline, slower than the original, and left plenty of room for an unnecessary Part IV. In the rubber match, boxing dinosaur Evander Holyfield appeared to have narrowly defeated Ruiz after a bloody final round that saw Ruiz hanging on for dear life. But the judges showed an apathy similar to the fans' and, unable to come to a consensus, declared the bout a draw. It was the correct decision, although not because the fight was incredibly close and featured a
    number of impossible-to-score rounds. It was correct because neither Ruiz nor Holyfield did enough to win, let alone be called champion.

    The first round of the third fight looked like just about every other round in the trilogy: Holyfield looking for a knockout punch, Ruiz throwing awkward one-twos, plenty of clinching and lots of complaining to the referee. Ruiz complained that Holyfield pushed him to the canvas, Holyfield complained that Ruiz hit him low, Ruiz complained that Holyfield was shoving his forearm into his neck, Holyfield complained that Ruiz was holding instead of fighting. In between the complaints, they hugged like old friends. The pro-Ruiz crowd that filled Foxwoods Casino's new arena were eerily silent.
    This was a bout for the heavyweight title?

    Truth be told, Holyfield did manage to establish his left hook in the opening round. Several times when Ruiz came at him to bearhug, Holyfield ripped off a short hook that landed on the button. One of these early hooks shook Ruiz in the fight's opening seconds, as it would several times throughout the bout. But Holyfield seemed convinced that the hook would fold Ruiz, and so he kept the punch cocked and ready more often than he let it go. As with most fighters who are shot: he could see the openings, but he couldn't pull the trigger.

    With Holyfield waiting for the perfect opening, Ruiz was free to do as he pleased... which was little. In a few rounds, especially early in the bout, Ruiz remembered that he could pretty much tag Holyfield any time he wanted to. As such, Ruiz took turns leading with a jab, a lead right, uppercuts, hooks, you name it. Mostly Holyfield just stood there and watched the punches land. But unlike the previous fights, Ruiz rarely got on the offensive. He seemed content to jerk his torso around and stay out of Holyfield's way. Anytime the men got close, Ruiz immediately tried to clinch. Referee Steve Smoger nearly went hoarse trying to separate these men over twelve full rounds.

    Most of the rounds were slow. Much slower than those of the earlier fights. And each round was difficult to score with the lack of action, let alone the lack of clean punches. Ruiz may have stolen the tepid second round with a big uppercut just as Holyfield likely stole an uneventful fourth round with a similar single blast from underneath. So unmemorable were the other events in those rounds that one punch was all it took to swing the judges one way or
    another. And some rounds didn't even have one punch to go by, such as the dreadful seventh round. By far and away the most boring round of the 36 these two have fought, the seventh round featured not a single punch worth remembering. In a perfect world, we could score this round 9-9, because neither man did enough to deserve the 10-10 that the rules require for an even round.

    Holyfield-Ruiz III was a real snoozer until the ninth round, when Holyfield suddenly woke up. For a flash in the that stanza, Holyfield looked like the aggressive warrior from the first Riddick Bowe battle. Instead of loading up on single bombs, he threw combinations at angles, catching Ruiz with a series of crisp punches for the first time all night. Evander's late rally extended
    into the tenth, and was slowed only when Ruiz' holding and grabbing became flagrant. The round ended strong as well, with Ruiz spinning Holyfield into a corner and unleashing the first sustained combination of his own. Holyfield let his own hands go, and ended the 15-second exchange with a vicious right hand that swiveled Ruiz' head and stopped him in his tracks.

    By the time the final round came around, one thing was certain: the fight was up for grabs. With seemingly everything on the line, neither man fought with intensity. But halfway through the round, Ruiz ducked into a short Holyfield hook that busted his nose. The blood began to pour out of Ruiz' nostrils. Holyfield now swung wildly to try and finish Ruiz off. A couple of early glancing shots indicated that Ruiz was either hurt or being extremely distracted by the unending fountain of blood that washed down his face. But
    Ruiz eventually tied Holyfield up. The rally stopped, and each time
    Holyfield again tried to land, Ruiz immediately grabbed Holyfield's waist and forced Smoger to take the maximum time to break the fighters.

    With a clear victory in the final round, a smiling Holyfield was swarmed by cornermen who were certain he had won. By contrast, Ruiz looked concerned and anxious in his corner. The final tally was eventually read: 116-112 for Holyfield, 115-113 for Ruiz and 114-114 Even. When the fight was announced a draw, an ecstatic Ruiz jumped up in the air twice and screamed "Yeah! Wooooh!" We've never seen anyone so excited to get a draw.

    Now what? After this lackluster follow-up, it's difficult to imagine the public (or a cable network) being interested in Holyfield-Ruiz IV. And yet, it seems somehow fitting. Since neither of these fighters appear to be good enough to beat a Top Ten heavyweight, they might as well continue to fight each other.

    If we were John Ruiz, we'd certainly want to fight Holyfield again. It sure beats the prospect of facing WBA mandatory Kirk Johnson. Johnson's inactivity is a factor, but Ruiz himself hadn't fought since March of this year. Johnson would have to be the favorite. A more likely scenario is that Don King gets the ratings switched, or that Holyfield becomes a mandatory for yet another rematch because of the draw. For Holyfield, who would he rather face than Ruiz? Now winless in four of his last five fights, Holyfield doesn't yet have the momentum for a big money showdown with Tyson. He'd have to face another young, and certainly more talented, prospect before earning another title shot... and that seems unlikely.

    No, Holyfield and Ruiz are made for each other. Maybe they could do it once a month, each time in a different city. Or maybe they could fight three times in three days? Perhaps their next fight should stipulate that they'll fight as many rounds as it takes. No matter what they decide, you can bet the boxing public, despite the complaints, will show up to watch. After all, didn't Jurassic Park III make a killing at the box office?

    Chris Bushnell
    http://www.boxingchronicle.com``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xHolyfield Draws with Ruiz``x1008549098,2441,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    A former president of U.S. Amateur Boxing pled not guilty to multiple charges of child sex abuse last week in Portland, Oregon. Jerry Dusenberry of Portland was indicted for molesting an 8-year-old boy he met when he volunteered with a youth mentoring program in this city. According to Portland Police, the boy told his mother and the mother filed a police report. A search of the un-married Dusenberry’s modest home produced computer files, journals and calendars in which he is alleged to have documented his sexual
    contacts with boys between the ages of 8 and 10 years.

    Dusenberry’s bail has been set at 1 million dollars and his trial is scheduled for January 23.

    Portland police say that since the charges hit the local news media, at least ten other people have stepped forward with additional allegations against Dusenberry.

    Meanwhile, more about Dusenberry’s activities have come to light. As reported in the Friday, Dec. 14 issue of the Portland Tribune Newspaper, reporter Jim Redden wrote:

    "This is not the 61-year old Dusenberry’s first brush with the law. He was convicted of felony theft charges in Colorado on July 21, 1999.

    Dusenberry defrauded USA Boxing of more than $10,000 when he served as that organization’s volunteer president from 1992 to 1996.

    USA Boxing is the national amateur boxing organization that fields America’s Olympic boxing teams. It is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is located in El Paso County.

    Dusenberry continued to live in Portland while serving
    as president. According to El Paso County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dave Zook, he falsely claimed to have hired a secretary in Portland to handle his paperwork.

    "He filed phony reimbursement claims to compensate himself for paying for the secretary," said Zook.

    Other USA Boxing officials eventually grew suspicious of the arrangement and brought the matter to the district attorney?s office.

    "He made up all kinds of elaborate stories about why we couldn’t find her, all of which were lies," said Zook. "He even went so far as to rent a post office box to give her a phony address."

    Dusenberry eventually plead guilty to felony theft charges. He was given a three year suspended sentence on the condition that he reimburse USA Boxing in the amount of $10,778, perform 250 hours of community service and not commit any other crimes.

    Told of the Portland indictment, Zook said, "Sounds like he violated "the terms of his probation and should be sentenced on the theft charges."

    It was during Dusenberry’s Presidency of the national amateur organization that USA Boxing was discovered to have fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in grants from the U.S. Olympic Committee. In a negotiated settlement, US Amateur Boxing agreed to pay
    back a fraction of the money.

    Meanwhile, Redden reports that local police had but flubbed a chance to prevent Dusenberry’s most recent victim from being molested. Redden reports:

    "When Dusenberry volunteered to be a mentor at Portland Impact,(where Dusenberry met the boy) the organization had the Multnomah County Sheriffs do a criminal background check. The Sherriff’s Department
    found he was listed as a fugitive from Colorado, apparently a computer record of an arrest warrant issued in the fraud case. The actual theft conviction wasn't in the computer because it was a negotiated suspended sentence. But the Multnomah County Sherriff never ran down the fugitive status and never told Project Impact.

    This error was expanded when the Portland Police failed to investigate a report made by two adult men who came to the Department in March of this year to report that they had been sexually abused by
    Dusenberry some 15 years before, when they were children.


    ---30---

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xOregon Cops Blew Chances to Stop Child Molester ``x1008561821,6212,``x``x ``xRead the December WAIL! ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xRead the December WAIL! ``x1008619768,68169,``x``x ``xPAZ-LUCAS INFORMATION!

    PROVIDENCE -- There have been numerous reports in print, web and television media regarding a proposed matchup of WBC super middleweight champion and former five-time world champion and WBC #23 Vinny Paz in 2002.

    According to CES President Jimmy Burchfield, the fight has been agreed to in principle by the camps of Eric Lucas and Vinny Paz. The main hurdle before a full announcement can be made is where the fight will be held. Currently the bout is being negotiated for either Foxwoods Resort Casino, which would put the fight in their 4,000 seat Bingo Hall or the Mohegan Sun Casino, which would use their new 10,000 seat arena.

    The target date for the fight is currently March 1 and ESPN2 has shown strong interest in carrying the fight. As more information becomes available CES will release it to the media.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Lucas-Paz Could Be Set for March 1st``x1008870369,3333,``x``x ``x

    Muhammad Ali Collection
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xDVD Pick of the Week``x1008887813,85560,``x``x ``xVena has become more than just a casual fan of boxing
    By Doug Hastings




    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xCBZ Editor Vena Profiled by Burlington Sports``x1008951449,79334,``x``x ``xWard-Leija in HBO main event Jan. 5
    “Real Men, Real Fights” in San Antonio

    MIAMI, Fla. – Fresh off the announcement that his last (July 13) match against Emanuel Burton was named 2001 Fight of the Year by USA Today, junior welterweight “Irish” Micky Ward is ready to return home to Lowell (MA) after three-weeks of extensive training in Miami in preparation for what may set the standard for the 2002 Fight of the Year -- his January 5th showdown on HBO against veteran “Jessie” James Leija in San Antonio, Texas.

    Ward (37-10, 27 KOs) and Leija (42-5-2, 18 KOs), the “Texas Tornado,” will wage war in the 10-round main event, promoted as “Real Men, Real Fights,” at Freeman Colisium.

    Ward, whose fight against Burton also produced USA Today’s Round of the Year (9), has been training at Pat Burn’s gym in Miami. Burns was the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team coach. Team Ward returns home to Lowell (Mass) this weekend for the holidays before departing for Texas.

    “Micky’s received world-class training under the supervision of Pat Burns,” his manager, Sal LoNano, reported from Florida. “The style of his main sparring partner, Lamar Murphy, is just like Leija’s. With extremely good weather down here, Micky has also been able to get in a lot of running.”
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Ward-Leija Under way for Jan 5th``x1009037815,62960,``x``x ``x

    Sting Like a Bee
    By Jose Torres and Bert Sugar

    This classic boxing book has just been re-issued in an attractive, oversized paperback. Grab it!




    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBook Pick of the Week``x1009054400,82603,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    Why Ruiz Still Deserves Our Attention

    “He sucks!” muttered some ringside observers. “If he can’t knock out a 39-year old, how would he do against a top contender, let alone Lennox Lewis,” asked skeptical observers who witnessed John “The Quietman” Ruiz narrowly retain his WBA heavyweight title with a dubious draw with Evander Holyfield on December 15th. Some time ago, you may remember me mentioning in the CBZ news section that the Quietman would eventually become a world champion and earn some deserved respect. After his latest episode with Holyfield, you’re probably still wondering if I believe that adulation would be tossed his way. Well, stop wondering. I do believe Ruiz is a good fighter and one of the best heavyweights in the world.

    I guess from what you’ve read after Ruiz’ forgettable performance, the bold statement I just made could make you say to yourself, “What a homer!” Some of you believe that I’m a homer or someone who totally favors New England based fighters because I usually have nice things to say about them. You might even think that you’re writer has a “Yankees Suck” bumper sticker draped on the back of his brand new Porsche to spite any visiting New York fan on Interstate 95. Well the truth is, that bumper sticker is as authentic as the fancy car I drive. In truth, I drive a 97’ Chevy Cavalier (& think that it’s really made of paper mache) and know for a fact that the Yanks are the greatest baseball team ever to play the field.

    Like anyone in New England or particularly in the Boston area, where I’m from, I wish the Sox were on top, just as I hope that the New England fighters would surpass their expected limitations and become world champions. You don’t expect fighters like Ruiz, Micky Ward, Ray Oliveira or Vinny Paz to attain high status in the fight game. But if you look at their careers and their accomplishments, they most certainly have. Say what you will about the WBA heavyweight title, but who would have thought that Ruiz would come back from a 19-second knockout to reel off 11 straight wins and eventually win the title? Paz is a two division champion and may possibly win his thrid should he fight Eric Lucas for his title. Ward went from a journeyman who was used to pad records in the early 90’s to a top-notch contender. Oliveira is a walking punch-stat machine and is one of four active fighters to have fought over 370 rounds without ever being stopped. Getting back to my point, any sportswriter covering his or her local beat wants the athletes they’re covering to perform well. Do you think Ron Borges of the Boston Globe would have had a fun time covering the New England Patriots this year if they weren’t in contention for the AFC East division title? I’ll bet you my autographed Micky Ward 8x10 picture he wouldn’t.

    When I predicted before the first Holyfield-Ruiz fight that the man from Chelsea would become a world champion, I said it because he is an excellent and disciplined fighter. Even after his ugly showing in their third fight over a week ago, I still believe that he can not only fight, but is one of the best heavyweights in the world with or without the spurious WBA belt. Prior to losing the controversial decision to Holyfield in the August of 2000, Ruiz had been trying to erase the memory of his knockout loss to the once fierce, David Tua. As fate would have it Ruiz would have a terrible task of disproving that popular belief by fighting Evander Holyfield, who despite his advanced age can still fight. It’s as if Ruiz inherited Holyfield’s crown of disrespect when he was seeking it over a decade ago. To go back in time 10 years, it was Holyfield if you don’t recall, now regarded by most as an all-time great heavyweight champion who struggled with 42-year old versions of George Foreman and Larry Holmes in title defenses. And it was because of those performances that Holyfield had to defeat Riddick Bowe and Mike Tyson to show what kind of fighter we were watching all of these years.

    People have criticized the way in which Ruiz fought Holyfield. As a fan of the game, I certainly didn’t appreciate the way he was fighting him. In fact, it worsened my hangover. It was a horrific fight: little excitement, few punches thrown, and a lot of mauling and holding on Ruiz’ part. It wasn’t pretty in the least bit, but when has beating Holyfield looked pretty? Bowe, the first man to defeat him had himself in big trouble in all three of his meetings with the Real Deal, despite owning advantages in height (3 inches), weight (roughly 30 pounds) and arguably having the best trainer in boxing (Eddie Futch). It could be argued that a healthier Holyfield would have whipped Bowe had he not have contracted hepatitis B for their third fight. Some felt, including the HBO cast that Moorer got lucky in his first meeting with a one-armed Holyfield and let’s not even talk about Lewis. Lewis had the same advantages as Bowe (with the exception of Holyfield being nearly 4 years older than when he fought Bowe) but fought Holyfield as if he were the one who had been a cruiserweight, keeping the smaller man at bay. I’ve never seen such a big man appear so cautious against an aging man who never had a reputation as a dangerous puncher. For Ruiz’ part, the guy knew that fighting Holyfield could be an arduous and dangerous task. Most fighters don’t look the same when they fight Holyfield.

    Outside of how he looked against Holyfield and obviously Tua, Ruiz is usually the aggressive guy. Ruiz is one of the only heavyweights who throws the jab correctly. Not only is there snap and precision behind the punch, there’s oomph, made in part when he steps in with it. Any one who knows boxing particularly a trainer will always make the fighter step forward with his jab. Where Ruiz learned to fight at the Somerville Boxing Club that’s exactly what they teach. I remember watching Steve Saggese, one of their amateur heavyweights knock out two opponents in Golden Glove tournaments: each of them went out from a single heavy jab. Ruiz steps in with the jab although it didn’t happen much with Holyfield, because he realized that trying to back him up would cause problems. If you try to back Holyfield up, he’ll counter you and wear you down. Just ask Mike Tyson or anyone else who attempted to back the Real Deal up. Hasim Rahman doesn’t have a clue as to why he defeated Lewis the first time around. In one moment of a fight he was losing, he decided to back Lewis into the ropes with three or four jabs. Lewis not knowing how to combat someone while backing up got his feet tangled up against the ropes, which set up Rahman’s picture-perfect right hand. That strategy was forgotten in the rematch as Rahman thought that his pre-fight tormenting of Lewis would defeat the Brit. When you see John Ruiz fight again (probably against Kirk Johnson in April) you will see him backing his opponent up with the jab and being more aggressive. And if Ruiz doesn’t get by Johnson, then I’ll admit to you that he was an overrated fighter.

    “Irish” Micky Ward, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters has been home in Lowell for the holidays but will make his way to San Antonio for an early installment of 2002 Fight of the Year. Hey, at least we won’t have to wait all year for it. On January 5th, in case you haven’t set 15 reminders for yourself, Ward faces the ever-resilient, “Jesse” James Leija (I’ve always loved that name) in an HBO main event billed as “Real Men, Real Fights.” Ward will be holding an open work out at World’s Gym in Somerville (Mass) today (Friday) before heading deep in the heart of Texas. If you’re interested in seeing him train at World’s, go to the front desk for admission. The password is: “Hey juicehead, I’m here to trade liver shots with Micky Ward.” Okay, I’m kidding. The work out is being held for the media only, because we’re cool. But I’ll give you a million bucks if you say that.

    Speaking of Ward, ESPN2 will rebroadcast Ward’s memorable slugfest from the summer with Emanuel Burton (now Augustus) tonight. Personally, it was the best fight I’ve ever been to and one of the best I’ve ever seen. It was a real fight between real men. According to an article written by Max Kellerman, the “Duece” will review this year’s highlights, which have been quite historic to say the least. Speaking of which, look for the 2002 CBZ awards to appear in our next issue of Wail.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xNew England Chatta``x1009506717,4734,``x``x ``xThe following interview appeared on another web site and is a tribute to the late great sports journalist, Dick Schaap.

    THE FIRST FAMILY OF SPORTS JOURNALISM ON BOXING:
    Dick and Jeremy Schaap Spend a Few Minutes Talking About the Sweet Science
    with Barry Lindenman
    xbarry13@carolina.rr.com


    When it comes to sports journalism, the name Schaap is synonymous with style, class and professionalism. Both Dick and his son Jeremy, exemplify the way sports should be reported in the media. The elder Schaap’s long and distinguished career as a sports journalist has seen him venture into virtually all phases of the media: print, radio and television, not to mention his current role as theater critic for ABC’s World News Now. From 1959-1963, he worked for Newsweek magazine and in 1973, he became the editor for SPORT magazine. Schaap left SPORT magazine in 1977 and joined ABC’s World News Tonight in 1980. Currently, he is serves as the host for ESPN television’s The Sports Reporters as well as The Sporting Life for ESPN radio. Along the way, Schaap has won a total of six Emmy Awards as well as one Cable Ace Award. Schaap is also the author of over thirty books, including his latest. After helping numerous athletes such as Hank Aaron, Joe Montana and Bo Jackson pen their autobiographies, Schaap has finally turned the tables on himself. His just released autobiography, Flashing Before My Eyes, chronicles his fifty years in the business of journalism and features two of his personal favorites, Muhammad Ali and Billy Crystal on the cover.

    Following in his father’s footsteps, Jeremy Schaap has quickly made a name for himself in the world of sports journalism. Also a member of the ESPN sports staff, the younger Schaap has himself won four Emmy Awards, three for his work on the network’s Outside The Lines series, and one as a feature producer for ESPN’s SportsCenter. He has covered every major sport during his tenure at ESPN including the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball as well as professional golf, horse racing and college football and basketball.



    BL: Tell me about your introduction to boxing and who were some of the fighters that you’ve come to know.

    DS: I first really started covering boxing with the Sugar Ray Robinson fights and the Floyd Patterson fights in the late fifties. I got to know Sugar Ray but I certainly would not say we were good friends. Sugar Ray Robinson was at the top of the boxing world during the 1950’s when it seemed that he would either win or lose the championship about every three or four months. I can remember going to his office in Harlem and seeing these two wonderful huge photographs of his fights against Randy Turpin that had been enlarged. The first one had a caption on it that said, “Paradise Lost,” and the other one with a caption saying, “Paradise Regained.” Sugar Ray and talked about doing some articles together or writing a book together but dealing with Sugar Ray was a lot like fighting him. He would fake you in and then he’d drop you. I remember attending a press conference of Sugar Ray’s once at which he said that he felt like Alexander the Great because he had no more worlds to conquer. John Lardner, who was a fellow columnist of mine at Newsweek at the time quickly reminded Sugar Ray that Alexander the Great died in his 30’s. Ray didn’t exactly like that. Floyd was a friend and has been a friend for a long time. He was probably the first athlete that I met who was younger than I. He won the heavyweight championship not long after I got out of college. We became friends from the beginning in an era when you could get much closer to fighters and all athletes for that matter. The day of the third Johansson fight in Miami Beach, I spent virtually the whole day with Floyd from the morning right up until fight time. In fact I was in his dressing room with him playing Tonk, a five-card rummy game that very few white people know how to play. In the middle of the card game, about an hour before fight time, Floyd fell asleep. He was the first athlete I’d ever seen that reacted to nervousness by falling asleep. Floyd was always completely open and honest. When I see Floyd today, it reinforces my feelings about the sport of boxing. I’m a fan of boxers but not of boxing. As much as it did for Floyd, I hate to see what it’s done to Floyd. I don’t see him much anymore but I still think of him
    as a friend.

    JS: When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I became sort of a sports freak. I wasn’t a football fan. I wasn’t a hockey fan. I wasn’t a basketball fan. But I did love baseball, boxing and horse racing. I remember having a book that was an encyclopedia of world boxing champions. I can remember studying the book as a kid. Probably the athlete my father most admired was Muhammad Ali. As a kid, I got to spend some time around Ali at his training camps. In particular, I remember spending a lot of time with him before one of the Norton fights. I became an enthusiast after that.




    BL: Of all the fighters you’ve covered, who would you say was the most misunderstood by the public?

    DS: I think most fighters are misunderstood by the general public in the fact that they’re all looked upon as viscous and cruel. While certainly there are some who live up to that, Mike Tyson for example, there are so many who outside the ring who are not like that. For example, Lou Savarese has been a friend of mine almost since he got started in boxing. I love Lou. He’s just such a nice, sweet guy. Floyd Patterson is the same way. Lennox Lewis, who I only know slightly seems to be the same way. In fifty years of covering the sport, of course Muhammad Ali is by far the dominant figure.

    JS: I think Lennox Lewis. I think he’s misunderstood by most of the American boxing press corp. I think he’s treated unfairly. I don’t think he’s given any respect mostly because of his accent. This is a guy who for years Riddick Bowe ducked. Now, Mike Tyson has been ducking him. Yet when he fights guys like Holyfield, or Michael Grant or David Tua, most of the American writers write him off. They suggest that he has no heart and because he’s not a crowd pleaser, he’s not a real fighter. That upsets me because I think Lennox deserves better than he’s gotten, especially from the American media.



    BL: Although all sports have their fair share of “characters,” boxing for whatever reason, seems to have more than its fair share in terms of its participants, managers, promoters, etc. Who would you say is your favorite all time “character” in the sport of boxing?

    DS: I worked with Rocky Graziano and Rocky was certainly a character. We wrote an article together in the late fifties for SPORT magazine called, “For $50,000 I’d Fight Any One of These Bums,” referring to the current middleweights at that time, long after Rocky had retired. Rocky used to tell me that he still worked out at the Gotham Health Club with people like Paul Newman, Ben Gazarra, and Tony Franciosa. This was a time when Marlon Brando was the number one actor in the world and the Actor’s Studio was really at its peak. Rocky said that he used to go over to the Actor’s Studio and that he went there one day and saw four guys standing in a corner learning how to be actors. He said they were all trying to learn how to talk like him! I loved Rocky. He was a lot of fun. I think that boxing and horse racing are the sports that probably produce the greatest characters. Part of the reason is that in both sports, no matter where you turn, the scent of larceny is in the air. That’s a very sweet odor that lends itself to characters and funny situations.

    JS: Of the people that I’ve been around, in terms of characters, I found the promoter Don Elbaum certainly a character. I’m still not sure whether he conned me on the first boxing story I did as a reporter or not. He tried to sell us on a story about a fighter named Kenneth Kidd who was fighting what was supposed to be his last fight against Meldrick Taylor in 1996. I asked him why this was his last fight and he said that he had to donate his kidney to his brother after the fight and he wouldn’t be able to fight with one kidney. To this day, I really don’t think Kenneth Kidd ever had to give up his kidney. That taught me a lesson about boxing and about promoters and fighters. I knew Riddick Bowe in the early ‘90’s and I liked him a lot. I liked his personality and as a young guy coming out, he was so full of life that I found him very charming. Obviously, he’s had a lot of problems since then and I don’t know exactly what happened and how he got to where he is today.


    BL: Despite the pervasive violence that inflicts our country and the world for that matter, the popularity of boxing has decreased over the years. What factors do you attribute to its waning popularity of the sport?

    DS: It’s kind of ironic that the two sports with the greatest characters, boxing and horse racing, have both been on the decline. In both cases it’s for the lack of a suitable hero. Some people who love boxing might love Mike Tyson, but people outside of the sport are generally repulsed by him and therefore, repulsed by the sport. There is never going to be another Ali. Sugar Ray Leonard was as close as anyone came after Ali to being Ali, but he wasn’t Ali. You need heroes like that for a sport to surge the way basketball did with Michael Jordan. Now he’s gone and that sport is having problems.

    JS: There’s so many theories about why boxing isn’t what it was forty years ago. I think it has a lot to do with the ascendancy of other sports, in particular pro football and pro basketball. I think a lot of that really has to do with television. In the early days of television when there were only three or four networks, boxing was on constantly. One of theories is that as boxing moved on to television, people got used to seeing it on TV rather than going to the arenas and eventually the small fight clubs started to die. So you had fewer boxers and fewer people who were interested in it. I also think that the corruption and “alphabet soup” of the sanctioning bodies certainly has contributed to the confusion on the part of the public. Also the fact that you can’t see any of the big fights on free TV like you can see the Super Bowl or the World Series has certainly reduced its reach to the viewing public. Today, even huge sports fans can’t name more than two or three heavyweights. All of these factors have hurt boxing.


    BL: Many great fighters still continue to fight well into their forties and some even into their fifties. What do you think it is about boxing that makes it particularly hard for athletes to leave behind even after their skills have diminished?

    DS: Today, it’s money. There’s no question about that. Unless you endorse a grill that cooks hamburgers and steaks, where else can you make the kind of money that you can make in the ring if you’re good? Of course there are some guys who keep boxing that are terrible. In most of those cases I would think it’s because it’s the only way they know how to make a living.

    JS: I think more so than other sports, there’s no other way to approximate it. If you’re a basketball player and you quit, you can still go out and play five on five at the YMCA. If you’re a football player, you can still throw the ball around with your kid. There’s no way to approximate fighting except to fight. It is, from what I understand without ever having fought myself, quite an adrenaline rush. It appears to be more of a narcotic than other sports. So to go cold turkey must be very, very difficult.

    BL: Most people would agree that boxing wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for Don King. That being said, do you think Don King has been good or bad for boxing?

    DS: I think on balance, Don King has been bad for boxing. I think he’s done some very good things and I think he did a heck of a job of promoting Ali but I think I could have promoted Ali. He’s in it for Don King and that’s understandable because that’s why people go into business. He’s just kind of slippery about it.

    JS: I think Don has been bad for boxing too. He has one great contribution to the history of the sport and that is the fight in Zaire. That fight doesn’t happen without Don King and he deserves credit for making that fight. You have to give him credit for his intelligence and his powers of persuasion. On the other hand, if anybody has helped make the sport a farce, it also been Don King. Look at the way he has treated his fighters. It’s unconscionable making people sign blank contracts and manipulating the rankings. Certainly there was nothing pristine about the sport before Don King but he’s dragged the sport through the mud with him. I think the best thing that can happen to the sport is what Senator John McCain has suggested about a national boxing commission to handle rankings and make matches. I would trust that much more than I would trust Don King or Bob Arum.

    BL: What’s your opinion about the current popularity of women’s boxing? Do you think they should be given a legitimate chance or do you think it’s just a sideshow attraction to try and sell tickets?

    DS: I once went to a party given by Sylvester Stallone to watch a Tyson fight. It was commemorating the 20th anniversary of “Rocky.” There were several heavyweight fighters there including Muhammad who was there with his wife Lonnie. Christy Martin was fighting on the undercard and I remember turning to Lonnie Ali and asking her, “does Muhammad like that?”
    And she said, “only if they’re fighting over him!” I guess that’s sort of the way I feel about women’s boxing.

    JS: I’ve seen a few women’s fights on the undercard of some championship fights I’ve covered and I don’t really like it. I don’t think that it’s something that the American public is clamoring for. I think it is kind of a sideshow. I think the fact that many of the women fighters who are receiving attention are the daughters of Ali and Frazier and Foreman just tells you that this is not a real sport yet. Maybe it will be one day.


    BL: Boxing is increasingly becoming more and more “Hollywood” and more like professional wrestling with all the lights and laser shows during the fighter’s long, grandiose entrances into the ring. Do you think this trend is serving to help or hurt the sport?

    DS: I don’t think it has any effect upon the sport. It’s effect is on the production. To me it’s hokey. I find it very difficult to go to sporting events any more because you can’t hear yourself talk. Between rounds or between periods, I’d like to be able to talk to the person next to me. It’s awfully difficult these days with all the entertainment that’s going on at sporting events.

    JS: I was at the Roy Jones fight at Radio City Music Hall. It was one of those things where he had his rap introduction with all the lights, etc. I don’t like that. I don’t know if it helps or not. I don’t think boxing needs to give people the impression anymore than it already does that it’s somehow staged or fixed. I think boxing unlike wrestling is about what happens inside the ring. I think it should remain so and anything that distracts from that hurts it.


    BL: Because of the action, unusual characters and easy target for cliché, Hollywood often uses boxing as a backdrop for its movies. Do you have a favorite boxing movie?


    DS: There have been some good ones. “Champion” was a great movie. Of course “Raging Bull” was a terrific movie except it was too nice to Jake LaMotta. At his worst, he was worse. I just watched “Somebody Up There Likes Me” the other day. It’s not really a very good movie but it was nice to see a young Paul Newman. It’s a formula “rags-to-riches” story but it’s reasonably well done.

    JS: “The Harder They Fall” is a great movie and so is “Golden Boy” but I’d have to say “Rocky” is the best boxing movie ever made. I love that movie.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xAn Interview with the Late Dick Schaap and Son, Jeremy - By Barry Lindenman``x1009978276,40567,``x``x ``xNothing but respect at Ward-Leija press conference
    “Real Men, Real Fights” Saturday night on HBO

    SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Unlike most press conferences in boxing, today’s at Dave & Buster’s for Saturday night’s “Real Men, Real Fights,” headlined by “Irish” Micky Ward versus “Jesse” James Leija, was more like a mutual admiration society meeting. Nothing but respect was spoken by the two veteran warriors.

    “I can’t wait for Saturday night, it’s going to be a great fight,” the soft spoken Ward said. “We’re both good for boxing. I respect him a lot, but I came here to win, most definitely.”

    “Micky Ward’s a tough fighter,” Leija remarked before his hometown press. “If you had a football or basketball team, you’d want Micky Ward on that team because he never quits and always gives 110 percent. We’d make a great team together, unfortunately, we’re fighting each other. But that’s only in the ring; I like Micky, he’s a great fighter.”

    Ward-Leija is Saturday evening’s main event on HBO (10:30 p.m. eastern), live from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio. Ward (37-10, 27 KOs) and Leija (42-5-2, 18 KOs) are scheduled to fight 10 rounds.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Ward-Leija, "Real Men, Real Fights"``x1010170452,54238,``x``x ``xBATTERED DORIN LIFTS TITLE FROM BALBI
    Ward-Leija goes to cards after five

    Only five days into 2002, and we have a serious candidate for Fight of the Year. No, it isn't Leija-Ward. That bout could have been a contender had it not been stopped just as it was starting to get good. The already-nominated slugfest was the lightweight battle between Leonard Dorin and now-former WBA titlist Raul Balbi. For 12 vicious rounds, these two men put on a breathtaking display of athleticism, courage, determination, and violence. Not even a questionable decision could spoil this one.

    Only the most serious boxing fans had heard the name Raul Balbi before this fight. Despite a 53-fight career and a legitimate world title, Balbi's name has been absent from the discussion surrounding the busy 135 lb. division. His opponent, Romanian amateur star-turned undefeated pro Leonard Dorin, was even more anonymous. But no one who saw them wage war for 36 minutes will forget them.

    Despite a solid advantage in both reach and height, Balbi welcomed Dorin's first round charge with a fist-first style. Within seconds of the opening bell, both men were in close quarters, throwing short, crisp punches at the other. Dorin was the aggressor, bulling in with his broad shoulders and then turning his whole torso with each lead right hand. Balbi showed a little more variety, mixing in hooks and uppercuts with his chopping right hands. Dorin was the first to go to the body, but he didn't get the best of it. Once the downstairs punches began, Balbi expertly found that soft spot just under Dorin's ribs time and again. As the two exchanged blow for blow, it was Dorin that was moving forward, giving him the edge in an otherwise close round.

    As good as the first round was, the second was even better. Balbi-Dorin may yet be defeated for Fight of the Year, but round two is going to be a favorite for Round of the Year 360 days from now. As in the opener, both fighters wasted no time in throwing punches and landing. Balbi found that his left hook was able to snap Dorin's head more often than his other punches. Dorin's big right continued to land, and was often followed up by a flush left hook. Balbi never failed to land to the body in these lightening exchanges. His lefts loudly tagged Dorin's side before the two came together, and his left and right ripped uppercuts into Dorin's chest as he bent over before falling into a clinch.

    Nearing the midway point of this all-out brawl, a Balbi body shot momentarily stopped Dorin in his tracks. Balbi now turned the punch skyward, and tore into Dorin with a series of left uppercuts, each more spine-shattering than the previous. One of these uppercuts opened a small cut over Dorin's right eye. As the fight wore on, the cut would grow from a nick to a large gash, the largest of the many cuts Dorin would sustain in this bout.

    Despite the fact that Balbi never stopped punching, Dorin regained his composure at some point. Dorin's technique may not be pure boxing, but it's incredibly effective. Using his brute strength and unwavering determination, Dorin waded through the storm of punches until he was close enough to land his own. Once there, he squared up and shifted his weight into every punch. By the closing seconds of round two, Dorin had snapped through enough clean punches to turn the tide. Both men were pounding each other upstairs and down when the bell finally rang, sending a capacity San Antonio crowd to it's
    feet.

    Dorin's late-round rally hadn't been enough to take the 10-9 from Balbi, but it was enough to set the stage for a long night. Round three was slower than round two, but only a little. Significant in this round were the adjustments that Balbi began to make in the ring. While Dorin continued to bull forward and throw bombs, Balbi started putting together a plan to slow him down. Part one of the plan was body shots. Although Balbi had been steadily working the body from the opener (as had a diligent Dorin), his attack in
    round three increasingly focused on Dorin's sides. Balbi left hooks tore into Dorin's side at every interval. When the two were trading furiously, Balbi mixed in a hook to the side every third punch. When the action momentarily subsided in a semi-clinch, Balbi struck Dorin's ribs in three and four punch sets. Despite this attention to the body, Dorin wasn't ready to slow down yet. He kept the stanza close by landing a series of clean left hooks to close the round.

    Balbi also discovered in round three that during bursts of punches to the head, Dorin would effectively cover-up to deflect the incoming and stop punching. As the fourth began, Balbi rushed at Dorin and ripped into him with a three punch combo. Then a four punch combination. Two more three punch flurries opened up Dorin's cut and began swelling his eyes. But no sooner had the final punch landed and Balbi paused to take a breath, Dorin threw and landed a massive left hook. The punch sailed past Balbi's guard and snapped his head back violently. Balbi's knees snapped straight when the blow landed, but he was not otherwise hurt.

    Balbi continued to pepper Dorin, who in turn continued to draw gasps with the one or two big punches he would land at the end of a Balbi combination. Balbi returned to the body after a few big Dorin blows, and then once again ripped upwards with the left uppercut. One such uppercut hurt Dorin, and a second sent him back into a corner... the first and only time in the bout that Dorin actively retreated. Balbi gave chase, and tore into Dorin's body with four quick body shots, two to each side. A Balbi straight right bounced Dorin off the ropes, and for a moment the fight looked to be coming to a
    close. Dorin's original cut was now spilling blood, and another cut on his other eyelid was causing a gross swelling above the less-bloody of the two eyes. Balbi's attack subsided briefly, and after a clinch, referee Rafael Ramos called a doctor up to inspect Dorin's cuts.

    Dorin's eyes were in bad shape, but he was allowed to continue. He came out and won the fifth round. Four rounds of non-stop highlight footage had slowed the pace. Over and over, the two fighters threw simultaneous punches, one of the two would land, and then a clinch/tangle/leaning would force the ref in to call for a break. Balbi continued to bank points early in the round by making the most of these short offensive opportunities. But his quicker combos gave way to a few monster Dorin right hands. While Balbi landed more, Dorin's bigger shots were the more telling blows, as the fight
    had slipped into a pace that favored his bomb-and-clinch style.

    Balbi corrected this trend in the sixth, by flurrying more and slipping Dorin's shots. By now, Dorin's two major cuts had been opened by further uppercuts, and a family of smaller nicks dotted the swelling round both his eyes. He couldn't have been able to see much, although Balbi was rarely anywhere but in front of him. His face a mess, Dorin could do little more than summon his courage and throw in the direction of the incoming. He didn't land many of these attempt in the sixth, but in the seventh he again was able to land enough to steal the round from Balbi.

    Balbi, who was completely unmarked at this point, was fighting with complete confidence. He knew he had banked a decent lead in the early rounds, and even though Dorin was occasionally making the rounds close with his more eye-catching bombs, he seemed in control. If Balbi had any problems, it was in believing that Dorin was able to withstand the punishment his face as taking. Convinced that Dorin's face could be no more damaged, Balbi returned to the body in round eight. The attack was brutal. Balbi routinely hit Dorin in the left side with flush hooks that reverberated through the arena. A clear Balbi round.

    Despite all the ribcage shots, Dorin kept coming. In the ninth, he finally got was he was looking for: a punch that hurt the champion. It was a lead right thrown exactly as all the others had: with Dorin's full effort launched into the punch. It crunched Balbi's face and rendered him motionless until the follow-up hook could also find its target. Now it was Balbi's chance to stop punching. Another Dorin power shot stood Balbi up in place, and when he
    tried to step back, his legs wobbled under him, making his retreat look worse than it was. To prove that he was all right, Balbi grinned and waved Dorin in for more. Dorin gladly lunged in and landed another big right, but Balbi fired back with a series of body shots that showed he was far from knocked out. Balbi and Dorin engaged in more even exchanges until the bell, making this another close round, but one in which Dorin had to win because of Balbi's rubber-kneed moment.

    The tenth round saw the momentum completely shift after Dorin committed a foul. The stocky Romanian had swung his wrecking ball to the body nearly as much as Balbi in many previous rounds, and more than a few of his shots had unintentionally drifted low. Balbi had already been given a breather several times when Dorin again landed low a minute into the tenth. The referee correctly deducted a point from Dorin, and a grimacing Balbi took only a minute before resuming the fight. But two punches later, Dorin again drifted low, to the exact same spot on Balbi's pelvis. It wasn't the crotch shot
    that usually sends guys to the canvas in pain, but it was well below the belt. Balbi again turned around in pain, and the ref again called time. No point was taken, although it would have been justified.

    Balbi was angry when the fight resumed, but Dorin seemed even more pumped up. Fighting as though he had been the one hit low, a fresh Dorin now exploded on Balbi, landing a number of big punches in a frenetic flurry. To his credit, Balbi steadied himself and went back to picking off Dorin's misshapen face. Several big hooks landed squarely on Dorin's biggest cut, spreading blood everywhere. Balbi's rally was enough to win the round, giving him 10-8 with the penalty. But it was a close round, and many probably scored it 9-9 for Dorin. This two-point swing can wreck havoc with scorecards, as the eventual split decision would show.

    Dorin continued to appear pumped up in the eleventh, perhaps even too much so. Twice he shoved Balbi across the ring, both times because he looked too excited to control himself. Dorin's energy allowed him to land some big shots in the eleventh, but Balbi took the round when a big left hook staggered Dorin in place for a moment near the end of the round.

    The final round was everything it should have been. Dorin, looking as energetic as he had in any round, pushed the action and was again landing big shots as the men came together. But despite this final round effort, Balbi had enough presence of mind to keep away from a knockout situation. Balbi, who rarely used his legs to move, finally began to shuffle away from Dorin in the final minute of the round, although the fighters ceremoniously let it all hang out for a final ten seconds of fist-flying-free-for-all.

    Boxing Chronicle scored this bout die Raul Balbi 115-112, rewarding Dorin for his late effort, but recognizing that Balbi's early lead held up. One judge agreed with us. Another scored it 115-112 for Dorin. The third and decisive judge scored the bout 114-113 for Dorin, the new WBA lightweight champion. Without question it was a close bout, but the verdict was still a stinker. It seems clear that Dorin's more attractive head-snappers swayed the judges in rounds when Balbi was consistently hitting Dorin on every part of his
    body. This was a classic fight, a close fight, and Dorin's late-round efforts were impressive. But he didn't deserve to win.

    Balbi-Dorin was such a vicious, thrilling bout that Ward-Leija had nowhere to go but down. Even without the anti-climactic ending, it would have been a letdown.

    But there were some interesting developments in Ward-Leija that made it an intriguing bout while it lasted. The first surprise of the night was the fighter's weights. Jesse James Leija, who had seen his best days at 130, and who had twice been roughed up by moving up to 135 to face De la Hoya and Mosley, was now fighting at 140. Micky Ward, who has fought at 140 his entire career, was expected to be the bigger man. This was especially the case when Leija weighed in at 138.5 to Ward's 140.5. But by fight time, Ward had bulked up to a firm 147, while Leija was the bigger man at 153.

    As the fight began, Ward began throwing his rarely-used right hand, and caught an unsuspecting Leija off guard with the blow. But Leija wasted no time answering with a crisp right of his own, landing a solid one-two and then smacking Ward's side several times with a looping right. A few seconds later, Leija again pounded Ward's left side and the Irish brawler didn't appear to like it. Leija was effective using a little footwork and a slight advantage in speed to land good shots on Micky early. But less than two minutes into the bout, Leija emerged from a clinch bleeding from the right eye.

    A doctor was called to the ring, and while Leija's cut was already long and thin, it wasn't bleeding very hard. He had fought with worse. Leija attacked Ward with some urgency, and quickly landed another firm right. Ward raised out his gloves and began to gesture for Leija to bring it on when another Leija right interrupted Ward's taunt. Micky backed into a corner and Leija ripped into him with more body shots. Finally uncorking his legendary left, Ward got in a few good body shots of his own before the bell, but the first was a clear round for Leija.

    Back in his corner, Leija's bleeding was quickly stopped by cutman Al Gavin. But despite the lack of flowing blood (for now), the cut didn't look like it would last all night. Running diagonally up towards the center of Leija's head, the cut ran the length of his eye and ended above the eyebrow line.

    Ward continued to try out his improved right hand in the second, but Leija was effectively slipping the punch and countering with his own shots. While both men were landing, the action was far from furious. Both Ward and Leija have announced retirements in their careers (Leija after Mosley, Ward before the Neary fight), and the pace showed that both men had seen better days. Still, the contest was very even, with Ward's left doing damage when he got close and Leija using angles to catch the defense-free Ward. After two more
    minutes, the doctor was again called to look at Leija's face. Already, the cut was worse. Most doctors would have stopped the bout right then. But this was Leija's proclaimed last-ever fight in hometown San Antonio, he was winning, and the fight had barely began. They let it continue.

    Leija attacked Ward with urgency, and his added size came in handy. A big Leija hook rattled Ward, and when another landed Ward looked wobbly. Leija pulled his way out of several clinch attempts to land follow-up shots, but could not find the combination that might have made it an early night. As the seconds ticked out, Leija was closing the show on a near-perfect round when Ward launched a massive overhand right. The punch turned Leija's head. A split second later a left hook crashed into Jesse James' face and snapped his head straight back. It was a wicked combination, and drew a loud gasp
    from the pro-Leija crowd.

    By round three, the pace had slowed even further. Micky Ward was having problems finding his target. Often he would swing a wild left hook that would miss Leija by a mile and nearly turn Ward around. Leija boxed smart in this round, moving left or right and hitting Ward in between. Ward bought some time in the middle of the round by switching southpaw. But Leija waited, Ward eventually switched back to conventional, and then Leija resumed scoring points. Three rounds complete, three rounds to Leija.

    Ward finally got his left arm going in the fourth round, and after a few slashing hooks, Leija's cut was flowing blood. At first the blood formed a streak down the side of Leija's face. By mid-round, his face was covered. By the end of the round, Ward's blond hair was more than half-red, having been dyed while Leija bled on him in clinches. It was a close round, but one in which Leija continued to control the pace and land more often.

    With four in the bank, the chance of a no-contest was over. If the fight were stopped due to Leija's cut, the cards would choose a winner. The fight would last only one more round.

    The fifth was a big Ward round. A triple left hook stunned Leija early in the round, and while he recovered nicely, the blood was becoming a major problem. Referee Lawrence Cole seemed transfixed by the cut, which was over four inches long and widening with every Ward hook. Leija survived the round.

    When Leija returned to his corner, cutman Al Gavin said "Holy Crap!" Even he was taken by the cut. The doctor came over to inspect, as he had in between each round, and rightly called the fight off. This was not a case of Leija copping out like Camacho Jr. did. Camacho had a small cut. Leija had a major gash that was still dripping blood in the post-fight interviews.

    Ward and his corner were livid at the stoppage, although after the fight they agreed that the cut was bad. The first score read was 48-47 Ward, giving them a ray of hope. But the next two scores of 48-47 and 49-46 went to Leija, giving him a win and Ward an 11th loss. (Boxing Chronicle scored it 49-46 Leija). After the fight, both men said that it should have been called a no-contest. Maybe they're right.

    And so 2002 kicks off with a bang, a dud, and the year's first questionable decision. Yep, looks like it will be another typical year of boxing.

    .....Chris Bushnell
    http://www.boxingchronicle.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xDorin-Balbi / Leija-Ward Fight Reports by Chris Bushnell``x1010412447,4005,``x``x ``x‘Mandatory Mayhem’ Pits Two World Champions Against Their No. 1 Contenders at Miami Jai-Alai on Jan. 19

    WBO Junior Welterweight Champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley Defends Title Against Former Champion Ener Julio; Two-Time WBA Light Flyweight Champion Rosendo “The Buffalo” Alvarez Puts His Crown on he Line Against Pitchit Siriwat; Tickets Go on Sale Monday at 11 a.m. at the Miami Jai Alai Box Office

    MIAMI—A world championship boxing doubleheader will take place Jan. 19 at Miami Jai Alai when new World Boxing Organization junior welterweight champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley makes his first title defense against the former champion and current No. 1 contender Ener Julio and World Boxing Association light flyweight champion Rosendo “The Buffalo” Alvarez defends his title against former champion and No. 1 contender Pitchit Siriwat.

    Ringside tickets priced at $75 and general admission seats at $30 will go on sale Monday at 11 a.m. in the Miami Jai Alai box office located at 3500 NW 37th Ave., (305) 633-6400. Doors for the event open at 2 p.m., and the first bout will take place at 2:30 p.m. The co-featured main events will begin at 6 p.m. and will be televised in a special early evening edition of SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.

    Corley (26-1-1, 16 KOs), from Washington, D.C., won the WBO 140-pound title in a shocker in Las Vegas on June 30. He was a last-minute substitution for Julio (21-3, 16 KOs), who had been scheduled to face Felix Flores but was diagnosed with cataracts during fight week. The flashy and outspoken Corley gladly stepped in to face Flores for the vacant title.

    He sensed from the opening bell that Flores was not adjusting to his
    southpaw style and floored him with a crushing right uppercut midway through round one. Corley knocked the Puerto Rican down again before referee Jay Nady ended the punishment just before the end of the round.

    Routine eye surgery has corrected Julio’s vision—so the WBO has made him its No. 1 contender—and he will attempt to regain the title from Corley. It will not, however, be the first time the two have met. Julio believes he ended up on the wrong side of a hometown decision when he faced Corley in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 1999, for the United States Boxing Association 140-pound title.

    In the co-feature, two-time champion Alvarez (30-2-1, 19 KOs), from
    Nicaragua, avenged a disqualification loss to Beibis Mendoza on Aug. 12, 2000, with a split-decision victory in a rematch on March 3 where he also walked away with the WBA 108-pound title.

    One of the most distinctive credits on Alvarez’s resume is neither a win nor a loss. He knocked down Mexican superstar Ricardo “Finito” Lopez for the first time in his career in the second round when they fought in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 7, 1998. After an accidental clash of heads in the seventh round sent the match to the scorecards, the bout was ruled a controversial technical draw. This draw is noteworthy because it remains as the only blemish on Lopez’s record, which now stands at 50-0-1.

    Siriwat (25-1, 12 KOs), from Thailand, won the WBA 108-pound title on Dec. 3 1996, and successfully defended his title five times before being stripped of the title for failing to come to terms with then-No. 1-rated contender Alvarez.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Don King Doubleheader at Miami Jai-Alai``x1010415256,24929,``x``x ``xRICHIE MELITO AND ELVIR MURIQI TO CO-HEADLINE SHOW AT THE PARK CENTRAL NEW YORK HOTEL

    NEW YORK, Jan. 8 - On January 24th, Ring Promotions is pleased to kick off 2002 with a night of professional boxing in the heart of New York City. Featuring some of the metro area's most exciting fighters, the eight bout card will be held at the Park Central New York Hotel, located on 7th avenue (between 55th and 56th streets). Doors open at 7:00pm, and the first bout begins at 7:30pm.

    Co-headlining the card will be two New York favorites, cruiserweight Richie "The Bull" Melito and light heavyweight Elvir "The Kosovo Kid" Muriqi. Also featured will be heavyweight prospect Elfair McKnight, a four-time New York Golden Gloves champion, and Kathy Collins, one of the best pound for pound fighters in women's boxing.

    "This is a great way for Ring Promotions to kick off not only the new year, but our relationship with the Park Central New York Hotel," said Bob Duffy of Ring Promotions. "We have eight shows scheduled for this venue and we couldn't be happier about bringing big time boxing back to New York City."

    Melito, 25-1 (23 KOs), will battle a to be determined opponent in a scheduled 10 rounder. One of the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division, Melito expects to be even more devaststing at cruiserweight, where he will now campaign. 'The Bull' will look to challenge the division's elite over the next year, and hopefully bring a title home to his fans in Queens.

    "The Kosovo Kid" has gained notice as one of the fighters to watch in the light heavyweight ranks. 20-1 with 10 KOs, the 22-year-old Muriqi will fight eight rounds in his first bout since undergoing hand surgery.

    Tickets for this exciting night of boxing, priced at $35 (General Admission), $50 (Ringside), and $125 (VIP Seating), may be purchased by calling 516-313-2304, or at the following locations:

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Ring Promotions Back in NYC on Jan 24th``x1010499778,21289,``x``x ``xFormer Two Time World Champion Genaro Hernandez Join Team Reggie Johnson

    Los Angeles based Genaro Hernandez, (W.B.A.'s Superfeatherweight Champion from 1991-1994 and the W.B.C.'s Superfeatherweight Champion from 1997-1999) has been enlisted to help put the finishing touches on Reggie's preparation for his bout against Antonio Tarver on January 25, 2002.

    "I have known Genaro for many years" stated Reggie. "I've always respected him as a fighter. We trained in the same gym when I moved to California. He had heart, focus, drive and commitment. He (Genaro) reminds me of me. So when the opportunity presented itself for Genaro to join our team, it made sense. I had several choices presented to me as candidates. But I wanted somebody new. Someone with a fresh energy. That's Genaro. I believe he'll add a new dimension to our strategy and game plan. I'm glad he wanted to do this," Reggie added.

    Genaro was one of the more popular fighters of the nineties. His epic battles with the likes of Jorge Paez, Jimmy Garcia, Oscar DeLaHoya, Azumah Nelson and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., reminds us of the days gone by in boxing. A forgotten memory of why we fell in love with the sport. Why we loved (or hated) the athletes themselves. A time when the best fought the best. No wrangling, posturing, network barriers or pay-per-view households to divide up. Just good fights.

    Genaro has spent the last few years as a commentator for HBO's Spanish Network.
    "I enjoy commentating. I think I could have fun for a long time announcing the action. But I really miss the hands on experience," Genaro revealed. "Reggie is a tremendous athlete with unique talents. He is the best in the Light Heavyweight division. I'm excited to be in his corner. Anything I can do help, I will" he concluded.

    Genaro's role will be that of both corner man and real time fight strategist. Extra eyes in the corner. Someone who will use his experience in championship rounds to augment Reggie's ring generalship during the fight.

    Genaro will complete the Johnson corner of Derwin Richards (best known for his pitched battle against Julian Jackson), Chuck Bodak (the world's best known cut-man) and Bob Jordan (also co-advisor to Reggie).

    "I'm very excited about my direction," Reggie announced. "This is it! I can't wait for January 25th to unveil the all new Reggie Johnson."




    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Genaro Hernandez Joins Forces with Reggie Johnson``x1010518794,56984,``x``x ``xLEIJA CHANGING HIS TUNE
    By Jerry Colton

    SAN ANTONIO, TX - Just when you think you are about to witness something good in this cut-throat sport, things turn sour real quick. After winning a technical decision in San Antonio Texas against Lowell's Micky Ward, Jesse James Leija was the first to say, "No one should have won this fight, he (Ward) didn't beat me and I didn't beat him". These were the words of Leija in front of an HBO world wide audience. His tune quickly changed in the company of friends and fans at a local restaurant, according to the San Antonio Express News. "I clearly won the fight. He had as much of a chance to win the rounds as I did," said Leija.

    In a recent interview with Leija for RING 99, Leija spoke on the controversy surrounding the fight between himself and Hector Camacho Jr. We asked Jesse how pissed off he was after the Camacho decision and he stated, "Actually, the Camacho fight didn't upset me at all. I've always said that everything happens for a reason. As long as I win the fight, in my mind, nothing else matters. The decision is not in my hands but the fight is. I know I won the fight, but you have to except the politics in boxing….. It's something you can't change". Well Jesse has a little sole searching to do with the decision of his latest fight with Ward. We all know that Jesse has no control over the judging but he certainly has two eyes with which he can see that the cut that was ruled a head butt by referee Laurence Cole was actually a punch landed by Ward in the early going.

    Cole, who was on the right side of Ward when the left hook was thrown said, " I didn't see a punch, either," he said. "Experience tells me if it wasn't caused by a punch, it has to be a head butt. So I assumed it was a head butt. I don't have the benefit of a replay. I have to make my call." I believe that Cole made an honest call. Not the correct call, but one he "thought" was right.
    A protest has been submitted to the Texas Athletic Commission by Ward's manager, Sal Lonano but that protest may fall on deaf ears. You see referee Laurence Cole is the son of Texas Boxing Commissioner, Dickie Cole. Will the father over rule the sons inadvertent call and change the decision to a no contest or a draw? Either is of little consolation for Ward. One thing is for sure.

    In the coming days or weeks ahead we will find out two things; 1) Will the Texas Athletic Commission be fair and honest and render an appropriate ruling? And 2) Is Jesse James Leija just a good PR man or does he live by the words he speaks concerning fairness and honesty?
    Using the same philosophy as Leija regarding the outcome of a fight, Micky Ward can disregard the judges decision and come away knowing that he won by TKO in 5. If Leija is not just a lot of talk, he'll agree.

    As many others, I'd like to remember Jesse James Leija as the 2 time world champ whose epic battles with Azumah Nelson (4 times), Mosley and DeLaHoya to name a few was the warrior from Texas we always rooted for and not the guy who let his corner quit for him on his stool.

    Jerry Colton is the Managing Editor for www.Ring99.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xLeija Changing His Tune - By Jerry Colton``x1010519070,84995,``x``x ``xBoxing has no borders; no wars.
    It brings people together as Brothers and Friends
    By Jerry Colton

    In June of 1938 a boxer by the name of Joe Louis fought a German fighter by the name of Max Schmeling in a heavyweight contest that wasn't exactly your average boxing match. You see, Max Schmeling, at the time, didn't just represent another opponent to Louis or the fans. Schmeling represented Nazi Germany's most prominent symbol of "Aryan superiority." Louis was fighting for America and it was an "us against them" atmosphere. The two fighters were only symbols of each country.

    Today, we are very fortunate in this country to have sports with it's members made up of men and women from all parts of the world. These men and women play side by side and the opponent is just "another team". In boxing we are just as fortunate to have fighters right here that have made the United States their homes and yet are still able to represent their homeland by carrying it's flag and wearing its colors. We root for some of these men and women regardless of their nationality, beliefs or religion.

    Some examples are Vasilly Jirov of Kazakhstan, Joel Casamayor of Cuba, Jesus Chavez of Mexico and more. These men made America their home and we accept them as our own yet they still take great pride in representing their countries of origin. It is almost never an "us against them" attitude in boxing when a fighter is from another country no matter where it may be. The world is our arena in boxing.
    Today as wars continue throughout the world many sports continue on as usual and boxing is one of them. Even as our troops fight in the Middle East, boxing continues there on a grand scale, especially amateur boxing. Who would think, with all the turmoil in these regions that tournaments are being held with talented young fighters from India, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey just to name a few. Well, they are and it's an example of how the sport of boxing is like a brotherhood, like a universal team.

    I have the honor and privilege to know one of these young fighters. His name is Muhammad Athar Aziz Mughal or as he likes to be called Athar. Athar is from Lahore in Pakistan and is an accomplished young amateur boxer and a very dear friend. He is a tall, fierce 130 pounder who has made quite a name for himself throughout the region with close to 100 amateur fights under his belt. His shelf lined with trophies surrounded by the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals he has won in worldwide competition is a testimonial to his talents. Athar's talents in the sport of boxing is equally matched in his personality. He is a very friendly young man who is looking forward to visiting the United States and train along side his brother-boxers. His plans are to come to Lowell, Massachusetts and train at the popular West End Gym. Using Yahoo's instant messenger, I am able to speak with Athar 3 or 4 times a week to answer the many questions he has as we wait for the Embassy in Pakistan to give him the okay to travel. With the threat of war between India and Pakistan looming, Athar is concerned that his dreams of visiting the U.S. may be dashed.

    Nevertheless, we continue to make our plans and I continue to answer his questions, which are many. He has a great interest in our training methods. He tells me what he does in Pakistan and I tell him some of the routines we do here. He asks about weight training, roadwork and conditioning. Most of the routines he does in his gym we do here as well. At times our conversations sometimes drift to other subjects. One of those times was very troubling to me when he mentioned that it may not be good to come to the U.S., at this time, because of the dislike of Muslims after the events of September 11th. For a moment I sat silent at my keyboard. How do I answer this young man. I was very saddened by the statement. Now I find myself in a position to explain to my friend about the feelings of Americans in regards to Muslims. Am I qualified? To be honest, I never had any hate towards anyone in regards to the September 11th attack except to the perpetrators themselves and the group they represented. Yes, these people were Muslims but "Muslims" did not attack us, fanatics, crazy people, attacked us. But I knew his concerns were valid. I explained to him, like in any country, you have people who lump ethnic groups together and people who judge other people by what they are wearing, their accents or the color of their skin. I told him that what transpired on September 11th brought a lot of attention to Muslims and most of that attention was that people were now starting to read about the Muslim religion and understand what it was "truly" about. I assured him that most Americans are not anti Muslim, as it is believed to be in his region. I assured him that he would be welcomed here and it would be a pleasurable experience. I think what bothered me the most was that something like this has to even be explained, but unfortunately it does. It also bothered me that one has to concern himself with something like that in the persuit to better himself in his chosen sport, boxing. I guess if I were traveling to his part of the world my concerns would be many as well.

    All this made me sit back and think of our sport. Day in and day out we go to the gym and work with kids who are black, white, Hispanic, Dominican and Asian. We work with kids who are Irish, Italian, Portuguese and others. Some are Catholic, some Jewish, some Muslim and almost every other religion you can think of and we don't give it a second thought. Everyone sweats the same, bleeds the same and cries the same. What a great sport to be involved in when none of these differences in people mean a thing.

    We have a motto for our RING 99 organization and that is: "He who sheds his blood with me on this field of battle, shall forever be called my Brother." How true that is.

    I'm really looking forward to Athar's visit to the United States. I hope the situation in his part of the world does not prevent him from making the trip. Although I've never met Muhammad Athar Aziz Mughal in person, over the last year and a half of our chatting and emails, he is like a close friend to me and I look forward to working with him in the gym. On occasion this sometimes "sleazy" sport we call boxing brings about good things.

    Jerry Colton is the Managing Editor for www.Ring99.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBoxing Brings People Together - By Jerry Colton``x1010586609,71126,``x``x ``xBernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins vs. Carl Daniels
    Undisputed World Middleweight Champion Hopkins Will Enter Record Books for Most Successful Middleweight Title Defenses with Win Over No. 1 Contender Daniels Feb. 2 at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa.; Tickets Go on Sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

    READING, Pa.—Big-time professional boxing makes its debut at the new Sovereign Center when undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins makes a mandatory
    defense against No. 1 contender and former world champion Carl Daniels on Jan. 19.

    Tickets priced at $20, $35, $75 and $150 go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Sovereign Center box office (plus 50-cent facility charge) and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling (215) 336-2000 or purchased on the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com. The main event will be featured in a special doubleheader edition of HBO World Championship Boxing at
    9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT.

    Event promoter Don King said he went to great lengths to make sure this fight took place in Hopkins’ home state of Pennsylvania.

    “Bernard really wanted the fight to be in Pennsylvania, and he and all of his fans deserve it,” King said. “We also tried to make tickets as affordable as possible to make sure as many of his longtime supporters can be at the Sovereign Center to see their champ live.”

    Hopkins (40-2-1, 29 KOs), 37, born, raised and still living in Philadelphia, is making his first appearance since winning Don King’s Middleweight World Championship Series in the biggest fight of his career against previously undefeated Puerto Rican superstar Felix “Tito” Trinidad at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sept. 29.

    Hopkins, the longtime International Boxing Federation champion, also picked up the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association 160-pound titles in King’s tournament to become the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvelous Marvin Hagler held that distinction from 1980 to 1987. He is also considered by many experts to be the best “pound-for-pound” boxer in the world.

    A win over Daniels, the mandatory challenger, would move Hopkins ahead of legendary Argentinean middleweight Carlos Monzon for most successful world title defenses by a middleweight. He tied Monzon, the all-time leader with 14, in his win over Trinidad.

    “Monzon’s record has always been on my goals list,” Hopkins said. “If I can win with this one, then it’s Canastota time,” referring to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.

    Daniels (47-3-1, 30 KOs), 31, born, raised and still living in St. Louis, is a former WBA junior middleweight champion and is currently the IBF No. 1-ranked middleweight contender. He won the WBA 154-pound title when he defeated Julio Cesar Green in 1995 in Lyon, France.

    Since moving up to 160 pounds in 1998, Daniels has been undefeated in 10 fights. He earned the right to this middleweight world title shot by defeating Brian Barbosa in a 12-round elimination bout in his last outing in Chester, W. Va., on Dec. 29, 2000. Daniels will be making his sixth world title fight appearance.

    “I have heard Hopkins talking about Carlos Monzon’s record and Canastota,” Daniels said. “Before he gets the plaster cast for his bust at the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he better worry about Carl Daniels on February 2."

    Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission Executive Director Greg Sirb is excited to have world-class boxing in his state.

    “We did 50 fights in 2001 but because we’re not a gaming state, our opportunities for world championship boxing are limited,” Sirb said. He added, “The people that come to our matches are fight fans.”

    In domestically non-televised undercard action, another world title fight will be featured as former World Boxing Organization 140-pound champion Randall Bailey (24-1, 24 KOs), from Miami, faces Demetrious Ceballos (24-3, 15 KOs), from Colon, Panama, for the vacant WBA super lightweight title. [Full undercard information will be provided in a future release.]

    Don King Productions holds the distinction of having promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including the top four; the highest live-gate gross in history; the largest attendance for a boxing match in history; and promoting or co-promoting 15 of the top-25 live-gate grosses in Nevada history.

    Don King Productions also has promoted more than 500 world-championship fights. Nearly 100 individual boxers have earned $1 million or more in Don King Productions-promoted matches.

    The Sovereign Center is a state-of-the-art facility located in downtown Reading, Pa. The venue opened its doors in September and is the home of the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League and has hosted many other sports and entertainment events.

    SMG manages the Sovereign Center for the Berks County Convention Center Authority. For more information call (610) 898-SHOW or visit us on the Internet at www.sovereigncenter.com.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Hopkins vs. Daniels``x1010765286,41587,``x``x ``xThis year's inductees have been officially named. Visit the following links in the CBZ Encyclopedia to learn more about them.Hall of Fame Inductees -- 2002

    Ingemar Johansson
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/ingorec.htm

    Victor Galindez
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/galindez.htm

    Jose Pipino Cuevas
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/cuevas.htm

    John C. Heenan
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/heenan.htm

    Charley Mitchell
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/mitchell.htm

    Sixto Escobar
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/escobar.htm

    Benny Bass
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/bass.htm

    Harry Harris
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/harris-h.htm

    The Dixie Kid
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/dixiekid.htm



    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xVisit the the 2002 Hall of Famers``x1010767458,13127,``x``x ``xWHY IS
    LESTER BEDFORD
    DOWNRIGHT ORNERY?

    Bedford tries desperatly to defend "KEMOSABE"
    By Jerry Colton

    Whoa there partner, settle down.... we know ya' got a heap of explanin' to do, but don't go getting unhitched from yer saddle! Yep, Ol' Lester Bedford sure has got his spurs dug in down in Ol' San Antonio. The good ol' boy has written an open letter explaining, or trying to explain, why his boy, Jesse James Leija got the decision against "Irish" Micky Ward last Saturday night. The first thing that strikes me as smack-dab, gaul dang strange, is why ol' Lester has to write an open letter to the public explaining "why his guy won".

    Not only does ol' Lester think it's necessary to write an open letter to the public explaining why his guy won, he gets down-right insulting to Micky Ward in doing so. What's all the fuss about there partner? Your guy won the fight. Why do you find it necessary to go into all the details of a fight that was witnessed by millions of people on HBO? There ain't something bothering you now is there partner? Wasn't it your boy who first stated after the fight that "nobody won this fight?" There is no need to go into the details of the fight as it has been analyzed and reanalyzed 100 times by sports writers and fans.

    Everyone saw what happened yet you find that you have to, for whatever reason, justify it by an open letter detailing the accomplishments of your fighter over the years. While doing so, you also find it necessary to try to insult and scoff at the accomplishments of "Irish" Micky Ward. Your statement that the results has turned into a "Poor Micky Fest" shows your ignorance and unproffesionalism. If I remember correctly, it was "Poor James Leija" after the Camacho fight. I don't believe that Camacho's camp wrote any open letter explaining why their guy won. They waited for the decision of the commission after the protest. And, after the protest I don't remember any crying or whining from that camp. You, Mr. Bedford, have already started your whining and crying before the protest is even ruled upon. Is there something about the protest that may be legitimate that you are worried about? Do you think that some of the "good ol' boys" just may see that it was a punch that opened the eye and not a head-butt? Well partner, if I were you I wouldn't go worrying yourself about that. Dang, you got to remember who the referee was, who the commissioner is and where the fight took place. Shit..... Micky Ward ain't got a pole-cats chance in hell of winning that there protest. But you can bet your boots on this cowboy; Cameras don't lie, the fans are not stupid, you can count "your" blessings that the fight was stopped and the deserving fighter will go on to a bigger fight.

    Who's really trying to "Mask this baby with controversy, true or not, and hope like hell we all get another payday.?"
    Having said all this partner, there is just one last thing to say, "Hi-Ho Silver, Away!!!"
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xIs Lester Bedford The Lone Ranger? - By Jerry Colton``x1010775685,16883,``x``x ``xThe Pugilistic Pride of Puerto Rico
    By Barry Hanley

    Considering the dimensions of the small Caribbean Island, Puerto Rico has a pugilistic pedigree that is truly astounding. Think Torres,Camacho,Trinidad,Ortiz,Vazquez. The list goes on and on.
    Considering Puerto Rico's position as a bastion of the 'sweet science,' it was hardly surprising that an episode of Friday Night Fights would be broadcast from it's bountiful shores.

    The fights took place at the Hector Sola Bezares Arena in Caguas, a town about fifty miles from San Juan. 8 thousand fans packed into the 7 thousand capacity arena and even more were turned away at the door. With such enthusiasm and adoration it is little wonder that so many young men decide
    to lace up the gloves and forget about careers on the catwalks of Paris and
    Milan.

    The first bout of the evening featured a pair of 106 pounders. Mike Thomas from Baltimore faced local Cagueno, Ivan Calderon. Calderon represented Puerto Rico in the last Olympics. His years at the upper echelons of the amateur ranks proved to be a solid foundation from which to fashion a successful pro career. From the opening bell it became apparent that Calderon would dominate the fight. His elusive style and his confusing Southpaw stance proved to be too much for the Baltimore product. The Puerto Rican was very fond of a sneaky right hook often employed by left-handed fighters. The orthodox Thomas found it hard to adjust to a right hook thrown from such a short distance.

    In the third, Calderon hurt Thomas with 40 seconds to go in the round. A trio of hard straight right hands did the damage but Thomas held on and was saved by the bell. The fourth was the Baltimore fighters best round as he closed on Calderon and held his own at his specialty fighting on the inside. Calderon got wise to these tactics and was soon using his impressive mobility to avoid being sucked into his opponents fight plan. Exhibiting excellent ring generalship he stayed outside and picked his spots with ease. His constant head movement made it a frustrating night for the American fighter. Sure enough, the 8-rounder went to the superior boxer. Much to the partisan crowd's glee Referee Roberto Ramirez held Calderon's hand aloft after a unanimous decision. The second bout of the evening featured another product of Caguas, Miguel Cotto. The 21 year old made short work of his opponent, Joshua Smith. Smith was shellacked from the outset. In the first round 30% of Cotto's power shots found Smith's chin. The effect was cumulative and in the second the fight was stopped by Smith cornerman, Miguel Diaz. Realizing that his fighter had no way of winning he thought that, on this particular night discretion would be the better part of valor.

    Next up, Daniel Jimenez,a 129 pounder from the Dominican Republic, faced another local lad, Pascali Adorno. This four rounder was low on technical merit but rated highly on the the Richter scale for sheer 'balls to the wall' battling on both sides. Jimenez and Adorno stood toe to toe for 12 minutes in a 'swingfest' that ended in a decision for the Dominican. In a close fight it was pleasing to see that home cooking wasn't on the menu in Puerto Rico.

    The main event of the evening had the WBA flyweight champion of the world, Eric Morel , facing a former Olympian from Ghana, Alex Ali Baba. Morel has an impressive record of 30-0 with 17 KO's and goes by the nomme de guerre, 'The Little Hands of Steel.' He won the title from Thai fighter, Pishuachak. This would be no soft 'homecoming' fight for the Puerto Rican who now lives in the U.S. Baba came to fight and in the tradition of fighters from Ghana he was as tough as old shoe leather. Morel proved his champion pedigree in spite of this. From the outset Morel established himself as the classier boxer who would dictate the ebb and flow of the fight. Midway through the
    first round he landed a solid right cross. The first hard shot of the night and one that stamped his authority all over the fight. Baba was stunned but steady. Not surprising considering that he has never been down in 31 fights.

    The second round was closer but Morel proved to be the more elusive of the two and Baba's punches seldom hit their intended target. Baba did put together a nice series of hard body shots in the third. This drove Morel to the outside where he was highly effective. Morel employed a cunning combination of body shots and uppercuts in the fourth. The crowd chanted 'Poriqua' as Morel began to totally take over the fight. In the 7th, Baba put up his last gasp attempt at turning the fight in his favor. He sucked Morel inside and pummeled his body. Surprisingly, Morel took the best that Baba could give and the proceeded to beat him at this own game. This proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. When a fighter realizes that even fighting to his strengths is futile his morale swiftly shoots down the crapper.

    In the 10th and final round Morel realized that he had a wounded opponent so he attempted to close the deal with a well planned assault to Baba's head and body. Despite the battering, Baba made it to the bell but lost the unanimous decision to the latest product of the proud Puerto Rican pugilistic tradition, Eric Morel.


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMorel Baffles Baba, Wins 10-Round Decision``x1010932063,30562,``x``x ``xFREITAS SHUTS DOWN CASAMAYOR'S OFFENSE
    By Chris Bushnell

    It should have been one of the biggest fights of the year. Two undefeatedworld champions meeting in a Las Vegas ring to unify their titles. But Joel Casamayor, a national hero in Cuba even after his 1996 surprise defection, and Acelino Freitas, a celebrity in Brazil who regularly attracts 50,000 spectators to his title defenses, were barely able to fill a small arena on the UNLV campus in a fight broadcast for free by Showtime. This is what happens when both men, one a pound-for-pound list contender, the other one of the pound-for-pound hardest punchers, don't speak English.

    Luckily, the punches did this talking on this night. Particularly
    well-spoken were the power shots of Acelino Freitas, which rattled Casamayor in the early rounds and prevented the WBA champion from establishing a rhythm against his WBO counterpart. Freitas' power was backed up by an impressive 30-0/29 record, and in the opening round, he tried his best to make it 31-0/30. Pushing a heavy right hand into Casamayor's face, Freitas immediately showed that his training had corrected one of his more obvious flaws: looping punches. Casamayor, who likes to start slow, was initially
    overwhelmed... not only by Freitas' punches, but with the relentless pressure being applied by the Brazilian titlist. Freitas was cutting off the ring with surprising ease, and scoring with his right fist.

    As the opener progressed, Casamayor began rolling with some of Freitas' power shots, but he was not countering. A Freitas uppercut could not be avoided, and after eating the punch, Casamayor left himself open for a Freitas flurry to the body before a bell closed the first stanza. An easy round for Freitas. Casamayor's laser left hand was missing from the first round, and made only a brief appearance in the second. The Cuban tagged Freitas with a pair of
    crisp lefts early in the second round, but a hyper-aggressive Freitas
    answered back with a wild-swinging rebuke. Twice Casamayor made the cardinal mistake of backing straight up from such an assault, and both times Freitas right hands caught him leaning back. After the second right hand, Casamayor briefly rested on the ropes, and a surging Freitas fired a beautiful left hook to the body followed by a heavy right to the head. The head shot drove Casamayor back into a neutral corner, although he escaped before Freitas could land another clean shot. Freitas was not only landing the cleaner shots, but also establishing himself as the bigger, stronger man. When Casamayor finally offered a combination of his own, Freitas showed off a few
    defensive skills of his own, slipping all four punches with his hands at his sides.

    Casamayor had made no secret of his desire to take his time and make the proper adjustments, but he was eating too much leather in the opening rounds. Freitas, following a textbook lesson on how to neutralize a southpaw, continued to launch lead rights in the third round. Several landed immediately, followed by one that landed on Casamayor's right shoulder. Casamayor was in retreat when the punch landed, and it caught him off balance. Falling backwards, Casamayor tried to catch himself on the top rope, but fell to the canvas unhurt. Despite the awkward footwork that contributed to the downing, referee Joe Cortez had no choice but to rule it a knockdown... after all, Casamayor had clearly been knocked down by a punch.

    Freitas, surging with adrenaline, pounced on Casamayor when he beat the count, battering him with another series of lead rights. Several times, Freitas would double up on the right, and one such occasion busted Casamayor clean and opened a small cut over his left eye. Three rounds in the books, and Freitas had already banked a robust four-point lead. Casamayor began warming up in round four, finally landing his left hand with authority. But Freitas' energy, output, and power had Casamayor backing up for most of round four. With Freitas controlling the pace, it was extremely difficult for Casamayor to score points of his own. And even when he did,
    Freitas' large, loud power blasts were the more telling blows of yet another round. Casamayor was dying to establish a pace that would allow him to box, but Freitas was having none of it. Casamayor's frustration began to show through. He twice butted Freitas in a manner that looked less than unintentional, he began pushing his shoulder into Freitas' face during clinches, and thrust his forearm into Freitas' throat during one entanglement. These tactics couldn't reverse a clear 10-9 for Freitas in round four, and did little better in a slower, but still Freitas-dominated fifth.

    Freitas finally began to slow in the sixth. Casamayor pumped out his left twice, landing each time. A third left caught Freitas completely off guard and snapped his head and torso back violently. Casamayor calmly followed up with another three well-placed and well-timed lefts, and suddenly the momentum had shifted. Casamayor's retreat ended, and now it was Freitas who was circling and looking for an opening. But Casamayor's enthusiasm got the best of him. Once then men came together into a clinch, and Freitas spun out as Cortez called for a break. Still, Casamayor threw a left at the back of Freitas' head. The punch landed, although not hard. Still, Freitas' legitimate complaint got him a short break while Cortez stiffly warned Casamayor. The fight resumed, but moments later, the men clinched again, this time with Casamayor's head stuck under Freitas' armpit. Reaching under, Freitas tapped Casamayor on the chin to taunt him, and as Cortez came in to separate the men, Casamayor threw a punch at Freitas in retaliation. Cortez
    hadn't seen the tap that inspired the punch, and so he called time to deduct a point from Casamayor for hitting on the break. The penalty stifled the Casamayor rally. His 10-9 was reduced to 9-9, thus holding Freitas' early lead steady.

    Freitas continued to fatigue in round seven, a round in which the pace slowed tremendously. Despite becoming arm weary, Freitas had enough energ to move around the ring. His circling prevented Casamayor from launching any sustained attack, although he did eat the occasional straight left. Casamayor won the round, a round that Freitas almost completely took off, but it wasn't particularly impressive. Casamayor's right hook was merely a rumor, not only in this round, but all night. His vaunted jab made only occasional appearances.

    Freitas' corner begged him to hit Casamayor, and in the eighth round he reestablished himself by planting his feet in center ring and throwing his entire body into power shots as the men came together. At first, Casamayor countered these heavy blows with his own crisp punches. But as the round wore on, it was Freitas who was doing all the work. Casamayor didn't eat every shot, but he tasted more than he's used to. Freitas repeatedly landed his rights on the side of Casamayor's head, and a string of such punches near the end of round eight made Freitas throw his hands up in victory when the round finally came to an end. A sluggish and frustrated Casamayor stomped
    back to his corner, fully aware that the fight was slipping away from him.

    To Casamayor's credit, he completely turned the tide in round nine. Coming on quickly, Casamayor established his left with a few solid blows. A clash of heads opened a small cut over Freitas' right eye, and while the blood was minimal, the cut seemed to distract him. Casamayor now attacked more freely as Freitas tried again to use the ring to his advantage. As the round wore on, it was clear that Freitas was losing all his steam. Casamayor landed his first solid combination of the night in the round's final minute, and when
    Freitas appeared too tired to answer back, Casamayor began taunting and toying with him. Finally demonstrating the sharp, accurate punching that had won him his title, Casamayor bloodied Freitas' nose with a blistering left before the bell sent the men back to their corners.

    Casamayor appeared to have Freitas where he wanted him: fatigued with three rounds to go. It appeared that Casamayor need only continue to tag his opponent with well-timed lefts and eventually he would go. And for 90 seconds, Casamayor did just that. Freitas looked very tired. His punches now seemed to bounce off Casamayor, and his coordination revealed his fatigue. But for some unknown reason, Casamayor suddenly stopped punching.

    For the final 90 seconds of round ten, Casamayor's output dried up. Freitas replied by smacking Casamayor to the body. When Casamayor didn't respond, Freitas aimed downstairs again. Still no response. Freitas continued to punch to the body, and as Casamayor offered no reply, Freitas' body assault sparked a mini-rally. The round closed with Freitas hammering Casamayor's stomach with a series of shots, enough to win him the round on our card.

    The eleventh round was a bore. Without question, both men were saving up for the final frame. Casamayor won the round as a seriously weary Freitas reemerged, bringing into question whether or not he could last the final round.

    Casamayor's corner pulled no punches before the final stanza. Casamayor definitely needed a knockdown to keep things close, and his corner insisted on one. Although both men were tired, they met in center ring, both firing punches. Freitas was still looking very tired, but he continued to throw shots. What he lacked in power in the final round, he made up with in determination. He may have even won the first minute of the final round, before Casamayor put it together. Landing a series of clean lefts, Casamayor won the final round, although there was never even a hint that Freitas might
    go down. Simply put, both men were tired. As the final twenty seconds ticked off, both fighters tried to let it all hang out for one last barrage, but both men tired after a few swings, and both looked relieved when the final bell sounded.

    Boxing Chronicle scored the bout 115-111 for Freitas, although a couple of rounds could have swung to Casamayor. Still, the knockdown in round three and the point deduction for hitting on the break looked like too much for Casamayor to overcome. Indeed, these two points made up the difference as all three judges tallied 114-112... for Freitas.

    The new WBA and WBO champion was besides himself with elation. He cried and screamed and cheered all at once. Casamayor was less racious, literally running from the ring back to his dressing room within seconds of the verdict's announcement.

    With Floyd Mayweather heading up to 135 and beyond, Acelino Freitas can now be called the best 130 lb. fighter in the world. Of course, Freitas' own struggles with the 130 lb. weight class may send him up to 135 sooner rather than later. And Boxing Chronicle isn't sure they'd pick Freitas over Jesus Chavez, another volume puncher who has shown time and again that he doesn't tire late in a fight. Still, Freitas must be considered "the man" at 130 now. With his good looks, big punches, and international popularity, we should be hearing a lot more from him in the months to come.

    For his part, Joel Casamayor's legend was nearly erased in this, his defining bout. Call it an off-night, because Casamayor showed none of the skills that earned him an Olympic Gold Medal and a WBA world title. His defense was minimal, his offense limited to the left, and his own stamina in question when it mattered most, Casamayor will have to regroup mentally before returning to the ring. Casamayor also strains to make 130, and we may see him move to 135 before Freitas does. If he can regain his prior form, he'd still be a serious threat to the likes of the IBF Spadafora-Manfredy showdown. Only time will tell how he will cope with his first professional
    defeat. If his hasty departure from the ring is any indication, it might not be that easy.

    .....Chris Bushnell
    http://www.boxingchronicle.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xFreitas Shuts Down Casamayor's Offense; W12 - By Chris Bushnell``x1010936358,38465,``x``x ``xThe 2001 Year End CBZ Awards

    Fighter of the Year: Bernard Hopkins
    By JD Vena

    2001 had an abundance of many surprises. In some respects, 2001 was appropriately termed “the year of the upset,” as a result of some of the unlikely winners who triumphed during the calendar year. But in most respects, it was a defining year for a select few who attained greatness from their brilliant performances, some of which were upsets.

    “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. began the year with a surprisingly easy win over heated rival, the gigantic Diego “Chico” Corrales. In what was thought to be a pick-em fight, Mayweather dominated his taller foe and showed why he’s one of the best when it comes to big fights. Mayweather finished the year with 2 solid wins over top contemporaries (Carlos Hernandez and Jesus Chavez) of his respected weight class, one of them he had to labor with two broken mitts!

    The remarkable career of Kostya Tszyu has long gone unnoticed. The Russian “Thundah from Down Undah” made some serious rumblings this year and may have matched Mayweather in terms of accomplishments. Tszyu, the complete package when it comes to boxing, went 3-0 and unified the jr. welterweight title for the first time in over 30 years. After defeating Sharmba Mitchell for his WBA title and winning a decision over the European champion, Oktay Urkal, Tszyu starched (no matter what anyone says) IBF counterpart Zab “Supah” Judah, a potential superstar under two rounds.

    Denied a big win over Mexican rival Erik Morales in 2000’s fight of the year, Marco Antonio Barrera redeemed himself and unleashed a full-sized keg of whup-ass when he defeated brash Brit, Naseem Hamed this past April. Barrera took the clown prince to school in upsetting the dominant featherweight of our time. In his next outing, Barrera showed consistency when he stopped Enrique Sanchez in 9-one sided rounds.

    All things considered, when you look back at the aforementioned fighters and wonder why they didn’t win the win acclaim as fighter of the year, it was because of Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. Although he may have recently tarnished his old-school image by ruining his relationship with Lou DiBella, Hopkins showed why he is one of the more polished fighters in the world.

    Like Tszyu, Hopkins unified a division that had not been for a number of years. Like Mayweather had against Corrales, Hopkins dominated a highly regarded fighting machine in Felix “Tito” Trinidad (last year’s winner of this award) before stopping him inside the distance this past September. Like Barrera’s win over the Prince, Hopkins’ win over Trinidad was a significant upset to many. In one night of fist-fighting Hopkins, who had lurked in the shadows of more popular fighters like de la Hoya, Mosley, Trinidad and Roy Jones suddenly became a high roller in the sport. Earlier on this year, that would not have been considered the fate of the Philadelphian even though he had been a reigning middleweight champion since 1995.

    In March, Hopkins snatched the WBC title by mauling Keith Holmes over 12 rounds but wasn’t entirely impressive in doing so. He required dirty tactics to frustrate the taller southpaw Holmes and didn’t make any new fans from the showing. That is why many sided with the Puerto Rican powerpuncher, who mopped the floor with 2-time champion, William Joppy in May. Most felt that Trinidad would go on to meet Roy Jones in another lucrative big-fight showdown, immediately after he got through with the then 36-year old. But as some felt, including Jones, the last man to defeat Hopkins, the Executioner executed the perfect fight plan, a strategy that foiled Trinidad’s future endeavors and nearly everyone’s expectations. Hopkins’ win over Trinidad tied the great Carlos Monzon in record title defenses with 14 and is now talked about as one of the greatest middleweights of all time. And if he never has another year like the last one, folks will always remember that 2001 belonged to Bernard Hopkins.

    Runner Up: Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

    Fight of the Year: Micky Ward W10 Emanuel Augustus
    By JD Vena

    A battered fighter sat in a metal chair stooped over with his face caked into a damp towel. “I feel like I’m hung ovah,” moaned the fighter. Those close to him scurry around the 8’ x 10’ room searching for ice as if it were the most valuable resource on the planet. To Micky Ward it was the only commodity that could cool him down. For after what he had been through about an hour beforehand Ward became hotter than ever (literally and figuratively) after swapping some 2,100 punches with Emanuel Augustus for 10 solid rounds.

    The strength of Ward was completely sapped from his body, which had spent 40 minutes trying to wear down Augustus, a wily foe who simply would not wilt under the extreme pressure. In fact, at certain moments of their fight it was Augustus who was doing the bang-up job to the proud journeyman-turned-contender. Their heroic effort was nearly too much to endure, but in the end, Ward had put forth enough to overcome Augustus’ challenge and whatever doubts that may have passed his mind.

    “I’ve fought a lot of tough guys,” said Ward. “But no one has been tougher than him.”

    Ironically, the scene described in Ward’s compact dressing room did not resemble the curtained dwellings where Augustus had been before and after the fight. Shortly after waging the fight of his life, Augustus changed, packed his bags and left the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, as if he had just finished a workout. Where did he summon the might to get up and go? Had he substituted any of the remaining energy he had left for his fight with Ward, maybe things could have been different, but that would be far too difficult to imagine. Ward and Augustus put their bodies through a human version of an Indianapolis 500. What a workout: What a fight!

    Runner-Up: Julio Gonzalez W12 Julian Letterlough

    Knockout of the Year: Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis
    By JD Vena

    Knockout (nok’ out’) n 1. The act of knocking out or the state of being knocked out. 2. Slang. Something that is exceptionally attractive. – Webster’s Dictionary

    When you envision the perfect knockout, particularly a classic one, you think of the one-punch knockouts, the one’s that can leave you speechless with your mouth agape. You think about the knockouts that lead a crowd into a chorus of “Ohhhh!” You think about Sugar Ray Robinson knocking out Gene Fullmer in ’55, Mike McCallum’s knockout over Donald Curry in ’87, Vencent Pettway’s knockout of Simon Brown in ’95 or more recently, Anthony Mundine’s knockout over Timo Masua (if you happened to have seen it). A knockout is what separates boxing from other sports just as a fighter can be momentarily separated from his senses from absorbing one or more blows. At any given moment, a boxing match can end before its scheduled distance and in South Africa, the end came shockingly for Lennox Lewis who was stretched out on his back by a powerful right hand thrown by Hasim Rahman

    For all intents and purposes, Hasim Rahman’s knockout over Lennox Lewis was truly something to behold. The right hand not only separated Lewis from his senses, it separated him from his title of world heavyweight champion, albeit the separation seemed as long as it took for Lewis to be counted out. Lewis repaid Rahman later in the year with a devastating one-punch kayo. The difference between the two knockouts had to do with the startling fashion in which Rahman knocked Lewis flat. Lewis’ knockout of Rahman might have been just as devastating but it was for the most part expected. Rahman turned Lewis into the one of the horizontal British heavyweights that had been previously knocked stiff. The punch had a numbing effect on those that witnessed the spectacle and if you’re a fan of the one-punch knockout then this one was certainly exceptionally attractive.

    Runner-Up: Lennox Lewis KO4 Hasim Rahman

    Comeback of the Year: Manuel Medina
    By JD Vena

    Marco Antonio Barrera, one of the more popular and recent stars to emerge from Mexico, seems to have been around for a while. Well before Barrera took the Prince to school, Barrera was thought have seen his best days years ago, a time when he was beating up the likes of Kennedy McKinney and Jesse Benavides. Going into his match-up with Hamed, Barrera was thought to have been a name that the Hamed could add to his resume. As fate would have it, Barrera turned back the clock this year with a complete 12-round shellacking of the Naseem Hamed. What does Marco Antonio Barrera have to do with Manuel Medina you ask? Not only did Medina add his name to the lists of great featherweights and Mexican boxers, he reminded us that you should never write him off. In November, Manuel “Mantecas” Medina won a version of the featherweight title for the 4th time when he stopped Frankie Toledo in 6 rounds.

    The 31-year old Medina just won’t go away even when you forget all about him. You may have thought that his career was winding down when he was stopped by Hamed in ’96. You may have thought that Medina was finished as a top echelon fighter in ’97 when Derrick “Smoke” Gainer burned him over 8 painful rounds. Less than a year from that defeat, Medina is somehow wearing the IBF title. You thought he was finished when he lost the title the following year to Paul Ingle. You may have even forgot that he was still fighting but the ever-resilient Medina reminded us once more that he belongs in the same category of great featherweights and Mexican fighters. You don’t think so? Consider that his latest recapture is second most recorded for a single weight class. Only Sugar Ray Robinson had more recaptures with five. Consider that the first time Medina won a world title was over a decade ago when he lifted the title from Troy Dorsey (August 12, 1991). Also consider that no other featherweight has remained among the divisions’ elite as long as Medina. If you end up forgetting that Medina is still hanging around the sport (let’s hope it’s not too much longer), then at the very least you not forget to realize that Medina has been a great fighter.

    Runner-up: Oliver McCall

    Round of the Year: Round 10 of Micky Ward-Emanuel Augustus
    By Chris Strait

    While watching Emmanuel Burton (Augustus) and Mickey Ward pound away at
    each other in the final seconds of the 10th and final round, I was immediately struck by the significance of what I was watching. It is hard enough to keep up that relentless punching pace in the first round against a non-descript, light-hitting opponent, much less against a quality fighter/decent puncher, much less in the final round, much less after nine rounds of the exact same level of action!

    If you are still not convinced of this tremendous achievement, then remember that Augustus was down the round before, from a left hook to the body from ward. I have been hit with crippling body punches, ladies and gentlemen. You don't even want to jump rope after that, much less keep fighting at an even higher pace. And don't forget that Mickey Ward's left hook to the body is one of the most devastating punches in the game right now. Speaking of devastating punches... how about the chins on both of these guys?!

    This fight was right there with Letterlough-Gonzalez for fight of the year in 2001. Julio Gonzalez and Julian Letterlough were correctly awarded title shots for their anticipation (although those shots were against fighters far more talented than they were). Sadly the same justice was not done for Ward and Augustus ... at least, not yet. If Ward should beat another top contender (even though as it stands, he has a technical decision loss to Leija), there will be no one more deserving... and a fighter like Augustus should never be more than one impressive victory away from a title shot.

    Runner-Up: Round 2 of Ezra Sellers-Carl Thompson

    Upset of the Year: Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis
    By JD Vena

    You’d think that the negotiations for this years’ heavyweight superfight between Lewis and Tyson would have been going fairly quick. After all, their fight was all but made before Hasim Rahman delayed their dealings with a rocket of a right hand. Years ago, I can remember HBO analyst Larry Merchant poignantly describing boxing as “the theater of the unexpected.” Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something out of the ordinary happens. You’d think that in a sport about two people fighting each other with gloves on for money, boxing couldn’t have too many surprises. From a paraglider flying into a boxing ring during a nationally televised heavyweight championship fight to Tyson both ears of Evander Holyfield, boxing is full of surprises, sometimes good ones. Going into Lewis’ optional defense against Rahman, you may have thought that “Fan Man” would have a better shot gliding across the Atlantic Ocean to crash into the ring that Hasim “The Rock” Rahman stretched Lennox Lewis in than the latter happening. Either way, this year’s unlikely upset was certainly something that reminded us of a Holyfield or a Douglas beating Tyson.

    Like Tyson before him, Lewis appeared to have been establishing his legacy in the sport. In the previous two years, Lewis had won two fights over the great but well-traveled Holyfield, destroyed contenders Michael Grant and Francois Botha and whipped David Tua over the 12 round distance. With the lack of competition, Lewis needed to remain consistent in order to attain the greatness that others got a taste of this year. Lewis was expected to be just as dominant against Rahman, a man who had been knocked clear out of the ring a year and a half ago. But Rahman wouldn’t have his turn until he knocked Lewis cold first.

    What Rahman did with his right hand not only changed the course of the negotiations of Lewis-Tyson; it halted Lewis’ march toward greatness. And though Tyson may be a decided underdog should he and Lewis finally meet for a big payday, you should expect the unexpected.

    Runner-up: Marco Antonio Barrera W12 Naseem Hamed
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xThe 2001 CBZ Year End Awards``x1010969497,15281,``x``x ``xAn appeal to remember South Wales boxing hero Johnny Owen has been
    launched. Twenty-one years after his death, a £40,000 appeal, backed by the South Wales Echo newspaper with the slogan 'Fight for Johnny', is underway to erect a statue in Johnny's honor in his hometown of Merthyr Tydfil.

    Johnny died in 1980 following his world title bid against Mexican Lupe Pintor at Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium. In the biggest challenge of his career, he was knocked down in the 12th round and went into a six week coma from which he never regained consciousness. Thousands turned out in tribute at his funeral in Merthyr Tydfil.

    Joe Calzaghe has donated a pair of autographed boxing gloves for auction. Robbie Regan - 2 time World Champion - has given the appeal his full support.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Local Welshmen Support the Great Johnny Owen ``x1011015909,19074,``x``x ``xWard-Oliveira: Great Idea, Great Fight

    Besides the official protest filed by Sal LoNano, the manager of Lowell’s “Irish” Micky Ward, many in the boxing media have supported LoNano’s views of Ward’s controversial technical decision loss to former world champion, “Jesse” James Leija nearly two weeks ago. It’s not that anyone felt that Ward should have received a technical decision. In the five rounds that had been fought, Ward may have won one of those rounds. It’s the fact that Lawrence Cole, the third man controlling the bout ruled that the cut over Leija’s right eye was the result of a head butt that even he did not see. Since most believed that the cut was caused by a punch and that Leija could not continue on the behest of the ringside physician, Ward should have been awarded a TKO victory. HBO commentators Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley were unequivocal as to how they called the action and made it clear that the cut did not appear to be the result of a clash of heads. In a segment on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, boxing analyst Teddy Atlas also voiced his dispute over the fight’s dissatisfying result. In light of this public outcry by the fans and media, LoNano’s protest to the commission could overturn the decision.

    The recent success of Micky Ward, besides the full use of his surgically repaired fists has had to do with the influence of the worldwide media particularly heard on Friday Night Fights, the only televised weekly boxing magazine. And why not? If you’re a true old-school boxing fan, what’s there not to love about Ward? While you’re thinking about that, ask yourself what’s not to love about “Sucra” Ray Oliveira.

    In ESPN’s final show of 2001, they announced their annual year-end awards, something they have done for the past two seasons. Ward (2-0 on ESPN in 2001) was named the network’s Fighter of the Year by their crew by virtue of his impressive knockout over Steve Quinonez and his unforgettable slugfest with Emanuel Augustus in New Hampshire. Though wins over obscure opposition such as Augustus and Quinonez don’t appear too impressive on paper, Bob Papa, ESPN’s Blow-by-Blow announcer said it best when he thought Ward should be bestowed the honor as more of a “lifetime achievement” for what he has brought to boxing on ESPN. Though he won’t get an argument from this scribe about his selection, JD Superstar believes that Papa and everyone else on the Duece blew it when they did not include Oliveira as their winner or even a selection for the 2000 awards. Of the six fighters that were to be selected two years ago, Oliveira wasn’t even a consideration.

    Oliveira, a fighter who has faithfully appeared on ESPN boxing shows since 1992 was the only fighter in 2000 who fought three times against world rated boxers on Friday Night Fights and won each encounter. In February of that year, Oliveira upset unbeaten “Vicious” Vivian Harris in an exciting fight. Oliveira then knocked out Isaac Cruz, a replacement for Freddie Pendleton and finished the year by outpointing “Cool” Vince Phillips in a fight that saw both combatants throw a combined 2,989 punches, the second most thrown in history (to Padilla-Oliveira’s 3,020 punches in ’93). After a year that should have awarded him adulation from the media, particularly from ESPN, Oliveira wasn’t even a footnote.

    This leads me to my outcry for Ray Oliveira: let’s start to support him and give him his just dues. HBO tagged Ward-Leija as “Real Men, Real Fight.” They used Leija because they thought of him as this die-hard fighter who deserved better than what he received in his fights with Hector Camacho, Jr. and Juan Lazcano. But ask yourself, what would be more exciting than to see Oliveira’s punch volume, his reputation for never being stopped in over 370 rounds of professional boxing and his good sportsmanship matched with what Ward brings into the ring? It's difficult to imagine how great the fight between the two would be considering the fact that it's also a battle for home supremacy. Ward-Leija was a good match-up but not quite the whole package of what a Ward-Oliveira fight delivers.

    The 34-year old Oliveira has seen his share of adversity and ate it up when it stared him in the face. In ’94 Oliveira broke his nose four days prior to facing Charles “The Natural” Murray. Instead of postponing or pulling out from the injury, Oliveira took the fight and a unanimous decision over Murray in his own backyard. In his fight with Phillips, Jimmy Burchfield, Oliveira’s promoter urged his charge to pull out of the fight because of an injured shoulder, again Oliveira showed what he was made of. In his last fight, Oliveira re-injured his right leg (a limb that had been shot years ago) two weeks before facing Omar Weis. The injury also kept Oliveira away from the gym, but when it came to fight time, Oliveira managed to get his weight down and stepped through the ropes to do what he knows nothing else. Those are attributes that you can't expect from a athlete, but Oliveira has done it through and through. Quitting or backing down has never been a consideration for Oliveira, but unfortunately, not many have taken notice.

    If any of you noticed in between one of the rounds of the Dorin-Balbi fight, HBO captioned the names of boxing’s “Top Action Fighters.” Oliveira’s name appeared as one of the 16 fighters and though they spelled his name incorrectly, maybe they are now cognizant of what Oliveira brings to the sport of the boxing. If they want to start a trend of pitting real fighters together to make real fights, then Oliveira should be at the top of their list.

    Iceman Comments

    A few months back I touched on Hartford’s “Ice” John Scully and his desire to get bitter Bostonian rival Joey DeGrandis into the ring with him. Scully has been talking to a number of people and he is a little more optimistic over the possibility of settling their 14-year feud. According to Scully, the former world title challenger, “spoke to Otis Grant who had talked to Bobby Hitz (DeGrandis’ new promoter) in Las Vegas. They said they are interested in fighting me.”

    “Joey tells people that he wants to fight me, but in my heart I know he’s scared to face me,” said Scully. “I just hope it happens. I was talking to a guy from Boston who said that knows Degrandis. Anyway, he said that DeGrandis has been telling people from Boston that he doesn’t want to fight me because I had too many losses. Yet, in one of his last fights he fought a kid who I believe was 0-10! The guy also told me that it is just Joey and his way
    of getting out of the fight with me. A few years ago I remembered that Al Valenti was told by Joey that he will ‘fight anyone.’ At the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, the night Daniel Zaragoza fought Wayne McCullough, Valenti offered Joey the fight with me. The article a few days later quoted Valenti as saying “Joey said he would fight anybody. I guess anybody doesn’ include John Scully.” According to Scully, DeGrandis may return to New England soon for a fight or two and if he does, Scully will be there to pick a fight with him.

    Upcoming Boxing Events

    Cappiello Promotions returns Friday night at the Roxy in downtown Boston where Brockton’s Tim Flamos (14-2-1, 6 KO’s) defends his New England and Massachusetts cruiserweight titles against Hector “The Pit Bull” Sanjurjo. Sanjurjo (12-5-5, 7 KO’s), better known for his TKO victory over Scott Pemberton and his disqualification loss to former title challenger Derrick Harmon, has won 4 straight going into this interesting match-up. Yeah, I know that’s the same night as Ben Tackie vs. Teddy Reid and Reggie Johnson vs. Antonio Tarver but that’s what VCR’s are for.

    In the co-feature, Everett’s Richie “The Mountain” LaMontange (23-4-1, 19 KO’s), New England’s best cruiserweight meets the durable Danny Sheehan of Brockton in what will be one hell of a fight. The puncher versus the chin. I say no more. In other matches, hot prospects, William “The Gladiator” Gibbs (3-0) a cousin of Bernard Hopkins, Aaron “2-guns” Torres (7-1, 4 KO’s) and “Cocky” Kevin Watts appear in separate 4-rounders. Doors will at 5:30 (which means there’s plenty of time to booze it up) with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 PM. For ticket information call (508) 587-5554 or (508) 587-3370.

    On February 1st, New England’s finest featherweight, Edwin Santana (27-4-5, 6 KO’s) returns to the ring for the first time since losing to former WBA junior lightweight Joel Casamayor in a 12-rounder. The 11-year veteran Santana will be fighting in his hometown of Lawrence at Central Catholic High School against Isidro Tejedor (15-5, 7 KO’s) of Miami in a 10-rounder. The bout headlines an exciting 6-bout card promoted by Doug Pendarvis. The card includes: hot prospect Gil Reyes (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Lawrence, Adam Harris (4-0, 4 KO’s) of Worcester, Jason Lehoullier (1-0) of Portsmith, Mike Culbert (24-4-1) of Brockton and Yacoubou Moutakilou (aka Prince Majestic) in separate feature attractions. Doors open at 7:00 and the first bout begins at 8:00 PM. For ticket information call (978) 687-1701 or (617) 825-3283.

    The Golden Glove tournaments have begun all over New England. To read up on the action in Lowell, check out:

    http://www.ring99.com/

    Jerry Colton, the editor for the New England based site will be covering each fight throughout the course of this, the 56th annual tournament. Each show will be run on Tuesday nights at the Lowell Auditorium and the doors open at 7:00 with the first fight going off at 7:30. For ticket information call (978)454-2299.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xNew England Chatta - By JD Vena``x1011237546,39343,``x``x ``xThe CBZ would like to extend its condolences to the family and friends of the late Carl "Bobo" Olson, a former middleweight champion of the world who died earlier today in a Honolulu hospital.

    To learn more about the impressive career of Bobo Olson, visit the links below in the CBZ's encyclopedia.

    Pro Record
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/olson-b.htm

    Cyberbio by Matt Tegen
    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/olson-bb.htm

    Rest in Peace Champ!
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xCarl "Bobo" Olson Dead at 73``x1011323692,30691,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    The Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington hosted
    it’s latest pro fight card on January 12, with Chris
    Byrd’s littler brother featured and losing in the ten
    round main event. Trevor Brown, 155 and 3/4 lbs, of
    Orlando, Florida moved up to 12-2 with his split
    decision win over Patrick Byrd,153 1/2 lbs, of
    Flint,Michigan. Byrd, who has now lost 6 consecutive
    fights, dropped to 14-9. The bout was close on most
    score cards but so dull that most of the thousand-plus
    members of the audience drifted off toward home before
    the final bell. Judge Glen Hamada called 94-96 for
    Byrd. Judge Alan Krebs saw it as 96-94 for Brown.
    Judge Morris McCullum was apparently watching some
    other fight in some other dimension, scoring 99-91 for
    Brown.

    In a six round heavyweight match labeled as a
    semi-main, Jonathan Williams, 201 1/2 lbs, of Olympia,
    Wa won a unaimous decision over Chubby Chauncy
    Welliver, 260 1/4 lbs, of Spokane, Wa. This was a
    rubber match for the pair, with Welliver winning the
    first encounter, a draw in the second match, and now a
    win for Williams. Welliver falls to 6-1-1. Williams
    improves to 3-1-1. Scores were 59-56, 58-56, and
    59-55.

    In other bouts on this card:
    In a six round Jr. middleweight bout, the judges
    didn’t care much for Jeffrey Horan’s run and shoot
    style and gave a lop-sided unanimous decision to
    slugger Chris Huntwork. Horan, of Seattle, weighed 152
    1/4 lbs, and moved down to 5-4. Huntwork fights out of
    Portland, OR and weighed 151 lbs, improving to 6-12-1.

    Undefeated Ronald Simms of Converse, District of
    Columbia, stayed that way with a majority decision
    over Mark Woolnaugh, 172 1/2 lbs, of Qualicum Beach,
    British Columbia. Simms weighed 172 1/2 lbs, and his
    record now stands at 6-0. Woolnaugh goes to 6-2-1. The
    scores were 58-56, 57-57, and 58-57.

    Victor Bramson, 164 1/2 lbs, of Willamina, OR, now
    2-0-1, fought to a four round draw with Louis
    Sargeant, 169 1/4 lbs, of Richmond, B.C., now 4-5-2.
    The judges cards read 39-37, 38-38, and 37-39.

    Josue Cielos, 174 3/4 lbs, of Seattle improved to 2-0
    with a unanimous four round decision over wind-milling
    Neil Stephens, 173 1/2 lbs, of Kent, WA. Scores were
    40-35, 39-35, 39-35.

    The grandson of the late Fred Enslow, a local lawyer
    and longtime volunteer for amateur boxing, remained
    undefeated as he won his 4th pro match. Michael Sams,
    179 1/2 lbs, of Tacoma, WA wona unanimous decision
    over Scott Lansdon, 183 1/4 lbs, now 4-10, of Baker
    City, OR. Despite lansdon’s crude efforts he managed
    to smack Sams’ head pretty often. Sams had been a
    pre-law college student before dropping out to pursue
    pro boxing. The judges called it 39-37,39-37, and
    40-36 for Sams.

    Promoter: Brian Halquist productions
    Matchmaker: Bob Oleson
    Inspector: Tom Sporar
    Ringside Physician: Peter Marsh, M.D.
    Referees: Jeff Macaluso, Robert Howard
    Judges: Alan Krebs, Glen Hamada, Morris McCullum
    Time keeper: Curtis Leach
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xChubby Chauncey and Chris Byrd's Brother lose``x1011360464,85098,``x``x ``xSometimes, when you have something really difficult to say, something that genuinely hurts to admit, it's better to get it out in one shot, like ripping off a band-aid quickly and suddenly. So here goes. For the next few sentences, I'm going to defend Mike Tyson.

    Tyson shouldn't have scrimmaged with Lenox Lewis at their press conference on Tuesday, but that shouldn't mean the end of his boxing career. There are plenty of reasons that Nevada, or any other state, could legitimately refuse to license Tyson to fight, but yesterday's melee shouldn't be one of them. If nothing else happens between now and April, the Lewis-Tyson fight should go on as scheduled.

    That hurt, but it was the right thing to do.

    It's not that I particularly admire Tyson as a person. I don't. He's obviously unstable, and has a history of abusing the weak and defenseless, from young girls in hotel rooms to old men on the side of the road. He's basically a coward, despite all the bravado, cursing and crotch-grabbing to which he treated reporters at the end of yesterday's "press conference."

    Nor do I admire Tyson as a fighter, at least not anymore. The phenom who lit up the boxing world by practically decapitating his opponents in the early 80s was just a poor man's Joe Frazier to begin with, and belongs to the past in any event. This century's Tyson, the one who had a bit of trouble taking out Brian Nielsen, of all people, hasn't truly impressed since our current president's father was in office.

    I'm not particularly looking forward to the fight, either. In the first place, I made a decision after Tyson's rape conviction that he'd never get money directly out of my pocket, ever again, for anything. I don't begrudge him the right to work if people choose to let him, but I don't have to pay for it, and I won't. Maybe I'll catch the replay on Showtime or HBO if the fight's any good, but I won't contribute to the bottom line.

    And in fact, I think the fight will stink. There's at least a fifty percent chance, given Tyson's involvement, that it will end in some fresh form of controversy/disqualification (maybe Tyson will bring a gun into the ring hidden in his cup). Even if it doesn't, Lewis is excruciatingly boring when he could possibly be threatened. Against Tyson you'd expect Lewis to stick and move all night, with Tyson completely lacking the skills to get inside even if he had the confidence to try. A poor man's Lewis-Tua, which makes me sleepy just to think about it.

    But even with all these reasons not to care, something in me still cries out for fairness. The dust-up in Manhattan was idiotic on all sides, including on the part of the promoters who apparently didn't see fit to provide any security for the event. But I saw the tape of the press conference, and while Tyson certainly initiated things by rushing over to Lewis' side, the first physical contact came from Lewis' bodyguard, and the first punch between the fighters themselves was thrown by Lewis.

    This is the second time Lewis has been involved in a fracas before a major fight, and the second time he bears at least some responsibility for starting or continuing it. I don't hear anyone clamoring to take his license away. Nor do I recall any action being taken against Riddick Bowe after he took a cheap shot at Larry Donald before their fight. Or against either Ali or Frazier when they scuffled in front of Howard Cosell before their third bout. If Tyson is fit to fight after a rape conviction, two prison sentences, and biting someone's ear off in the ring, this is small potatoes.

    In the press this morning, there were the usual platitudes about how bad the Lewis-Tyson spectacle was "for boxing," and about how "sad" Tyson had become. Bull. No one's genuinely sad when Tyson is involved in a spectacle, because the only reason to watch him anymore is for the vicarious thrill of being around someone who might implode or explode at any moment. And the truth is that this sort of occurrence is practically the only way boxing has been able to get any coverage in the mainstream press, even with all the genuinely great fights that have taken place over the last few years. Maybe one more person will watch Barrerra-Morales II (another pair that engaged in some pre-fight scuffling, by the way) as a result of being amused at the Lewis-Tyson debacle. If so, this event will have been, at worst, neutral for boxing.

    It kills me to say it, but let the show go on. At worst, it'll just be another chance for Tyson to part some fools with their $49.95. Anyone who buys his fights these days deserves to lose it.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x"Let the Show Go On . . . *Sigh*" by Chuck Bogle``x1011808287,49599,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    Cumana, Venezuela


    The Venezuelan Press has named hard-working and generally overlooked Yorber Ortega as fighter of the year. Ortega is prepping for a February title defense in Thailand. He syas he wants a couple of non-title fights mixed in with his defenses as he is nearing the end of his career and wants to earn as much as possible over the next year or two. He is willing to fight often to achieve that goal.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xYorber Ortega -- Venezuelan Fighter of the year``x1011903484,92926,``x``x ``xFIGHT RESULTS - RING PROMOTIONS - NYC - JANUARY 24, 2002

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:
    Elvir Muriqi W DQ 5 (1:10) Erin Fitchett
    Fitchett's corner threw in towel

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:
    Brian Barbosa TKO 2 (2:53) Tyler Hughes

    JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
    Yuri Foreman TKO 1(2:50) Israel Felix

    JR FEATHERWEIGHTS:
    Billy Maysonet DRAW 4 Jose Espinal
    Scores were: 39-37 Espinal, 39-37 Maysonet, 38-38

    JR. WELTERWEIGHTS:
    Julio Aquino TKO 2 (1:48) Kevin Carey

    JR. WELTERWEIGHTS:
    Roberto Astacio W 4 (U) Richard Dean
    Scores were 40-36 twice, 39-37``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMuriqi and Barbosa win in NYC``x1011985716,87775,``x``x ``xTHE RAMADA RUMBLE
    By Dan Hanley

    The Ramada Inn
    Rosemont, Illinois

    On Friday, January 25th, with the ESPN cameras humming, Bobby Hitz
    Promotions, in conjunction with Banner Promotions, treated Chicago to an
    explosive marathon card. Aptly named, the Ramada Rumble, the card, with
    virtually no media publicity to fall back on, still drew a SRO crowd of true
    fight fans, who were repaid in kind with a night of controlled mayhem.

    In the co-main event, Ben Tackie, 139 1/2, Los Angeles, California, locked
    horns with Teddy Reid, 140, Baltimore, Maryland. At stake was Tackie's NABF
    title and Reid's USBA belt. However, there was a presumption hanging over the
    arena this night in the form of a looming title opportunity against world
    champ Kostya Tszyu. And these two 140 pounders want their name on that
    contract in a bad way.

    In as explosive a first round as one could imagine, Reid, 19-4-1 (13), met an
    unusually cold and passive Tackie at mid-ring and proceeded to rake him along
    the ropes for the first two minutes of the round. Perhaps seeing an early
    night in the cards for him, Reid, complacent in the way he was tagging his
    opponent, walked into a booming right hand which left him dazed and
    clutching, while Tackie, 23-2 (14), now took his turn at teeing off on his
    opponent. Another right hand by Tackie late in the round had Reid, who
    welcomed the bell, all but out.

    Round two, amazingly, saw Reid jump back into the fray and sweep the round on
    greater punch volume. But round three left mouths in the Ramada auditorium
    agape as Tackie looked to end matters early, hurting Reid with a right
    uppercut, only to inspire Reid to cut loose with everything in his arsenal.
    Tackie again hurt Reid with a right hand at the bell, while the crowd treated
    the combatants to a standing ovation.

    Round four saw a concerned referee in Pete Podgorski looking on intently as
    Tackie continued hunting down Reid, whose tank was drying up under the
    extreme pace. Unbelievably however, Reid started the fifth firing salvo after
    salvo at his Ghanaian born tormentor before finally running around with no
    sympathy from the power punching Tackie. Podgorski, with the urging of the
    vocal crowd raised Tackie's hand at 2:35 of the fifth, and left us catching
    our breath over this early candidate for fight of the year.

    The co-main event, split between ESPN and ESPN2, had a tough act to follow,
    but gave it a world class go. And the duke-out between Reggie Johnson, 172
    1/2, Houston, Texas, who defended his USBA and NABF titles, and top-ranked
    Antonio Tarver, 174, Orlando, Florida, did not disappoint the crowd.

    Ina battle of duel southpaws, Tarver adhered to a solid game plan of stick
    and move, while Johnson, aware of his height and reach deficit, took the play
    to Tarver's ribs. And after an even first round, Tarver proceeded to sweep
    rounds two through six with sharp combinations while Johnson continued his
    very discreet bodywork.

    In round seven, a prolonged attack by the former middleweight and light
    heavyweight champ on Tarver's head and body shaded the round for Johnson. And
    even when Tarver was able to let loose, Johnson rolled with every punch. At
    this point, one could not help but think, although behind on points, Johnson
    was in complete control. So cool was he under pressure, it appeared as if
    every punch he shipped was part of his long term plan. Indeed, Johnson
    continued his increased pace into the eighth while trying to finish Tarver in
    the ninth, dumping him with a counter left hook for an eight count. But,
    Tarver was not out yet and the two traded bombs until the bell, with Tarver,
    18-1 (16), the fresher.

    Appearing to have shot his bolt, Johnson, 42-6-1 (24), now lolled his way
    through the final three rounds as Tarver, at times, rocked Johnson in the
    corners. With nothing left but heart, Johnson looked for one big shot to turn
    the fight around, finding only Tarver's jab instead.

    The scorecards of the bout were...unusual. Judges Crystal Wright and Bill
    Lerch scored for Tarver 115-112 and 114-113 respectively, while judge Mike
    Glienna had a curious 115-112 for Johnson. The unofficial CBZ card read,
    116-112 for the new USBA/NABF champ.

    In other bouts, Germaine Sanders, 147 1/2, Chicago, Illinois, demonstrated
    why he's called 'Silky Smooth' as he cut, decked and stopped the brave
    Wilfredo Ruiz, 151, Monteria, Columbia. Sanders, upping his record to 20-1
    (15), punched from every angle on the teak-tough South American, who dropped
    to 29-6 (21). The time was called by ring announcer Mark Beiro as :01 of the
    sixth round. It is now time for Sanders' braintrust to get even braver with
    his next opponent.

    In a scheduled super middleweight six rounder, Chicago favorite, Oscar Bravo,
    168, improved to 15-1 (12), with an impressive display of power over the
    vastly more experienced Juan Carlos Viloria, 173, Cordoba, Columbia. The dead
    game Viloria had no answer to Bravo's attacks or counters and was stopped at
    1:24 of the fourth round, while dropping his slate to 24-16-2 (15).

    The six round cruiserweight show opener between Felix Cora, 186, Galveston,
    Texas and Chris Thomas, 188, Chicago, Lillinois, saw Cora a step ahead of
    Thomas in every department, even kidney-punching, which cost him a point in
    the fourth. However, the Texas southpaw, as spry in the sixth as he was in
    the first, impressed while upping his log to 7-0 (5) and winning a unanimous
    decsion over Thomas, who dropped to 10-3 (9).

    In scheduled four rounders, face-first clubfighter, Tony DeGrandis, 175,
    Chicago, Illinois, pounded out a unanimous decision in a crowd pleasing
    contest over Minneapolis native Kwan Abdul Manasseh, 179.

    Ed Gutierrez, 194, Oaklawn, Illinois, poleaxed the massive Roosevelt Reece,
    230, Kokomo, Indiana, at 1:51 of the first round.

    Carvin Mafatau, 237, Muncie, Indiana, ragdolled Quentin Osgood, 216,
    Minneapolis, Minnesota, all over the ring for a 1:16 intervention in the first

    And finally, in a woeful contest, Chicago's Fernando Hernandez, 154, cuffed
    his way to a unanimous decision over the equally negative John Valentin, 154,
    Miami, Florida. The only blight on an otherwise brilliant night of boxing.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTackie kayos Reid``x1012238069,73041,``x``x ``xFORREST PUTS THE HURT ON MOSLEY
    Stunning upset overshadows Gatti comeback

    In an upset every bit as shocking as Bernard Hopkins' knockout of previously
    unbeaten Felix Trinidad, Vernon Forrest stunned the boxing world by toppling
    the other claimant to top pound-for-pound honors, Sugar Shane Mosley. For
    twelve one-sided rounds, Forrest put a systematic beating on the previously
    undefeated two-division champion, knocking Mosley down twice, and nearly
    finishing the job on a half dozen other occasions. Mosley's advantages in
    speed, movement, and versatility were nullified by Forrest's power in the
    early rounds, and the new champion's uncanny ability to tie Mosley up in the
    late rounds. Forrest's perfect gameplan may not have been enough to install
    him as the new pound-for-pound champ, but it was more than enough to take
    Mosley's title by a wide unanimous decision.

    Maybe it's wrong to call this win an upset. After all, Vernon Forrest
    brought into the ring a sterling 33-0/26 record, an unfairly stripped IBF
    welterweight championship belt, and bragging rights over Mosley, who he had
    defeated ten years prior during the '92 Olympic trials. Still, in the days
    leading up to this showdown, it was nearly impossible to find anyone who
    would pick Forrest over Mosley. Mosley's spectacular rise to the top of the
    boxing world had eclipsed Forrest's lackluster Evander Holyfield-managed
    stint as a pro, and on paper his skills overwhelmed the standard
    jab-right-hook attack of Forrest.

    In fact, the first round played out just as many thought the entire fight
    would. In that round, Mosley fired big power shots that landed first and did
    the damage. Mosley glanced a giant overhand right off Forrest's head early
    in the opener. Forrest waited until the one-minute mark to register an
    answer, a perfect one-two that tagged Mosley on the chin and earned a nod of
    respect from the welterweight champion. But Mosley's much heralded speed
    flashed again, as a blistering three punch combo caught Forrest off guard,
    and sent him back a few steps on his heels. Forrest wasn't hurt, but he
    could do little more than cover up as Mosley launched several more blinding
    combinations at him to close the round.

    If Mosley has a weakness as a welterweight, it's been his reliance on power.
    The ease in which he dropped Shannan Taylor with a single overhand right
    seemed to convince Mosley that he was too strong for the division. In his
    last bout, Mosley wasted three rounds against Adrian Stone doing little more
    than looking for an opening. Once he found the opening, he leveled Stone for
    a 10-plus count. Leading into this fight, both Mosley and his trainer/father
    Jack could do little more than insist that Forrest wasn't ready for Mosley's
    power. When the second round began, Mosley fought not in the fluid,
    combination style that had brought him victory in his best fights, but fought
    as though he were looking for the one punch that would show Vernon Forrest
    how good he was.

    Unfortunately for Mosley, Forrest was also loading up with big punches. Both
    men threw simultaneous right hands early in the second round, both missing by
    a mile. What did hit, however, were the two men's heads... hard. Both guys
    backed away from the butt holding their heads. Mosley was cut on the
    hairline, and blood traced his face for the first time. After a brief
    time-out, the fight resumed. Forrest now launched a heavy one-two, and his
    right hand chopped into Mosley's face as he backed up with his hands down.
    The punch rattled Mosley, who wobbled a few steps back towards the ropes.
    Forrest now let his hands go. Mosley leaned back on the ropes, blocked a
    right and a left hook, and then ate the punch that would change his career.
    It was a big right uppercut, and it sailed between Mosley's gloves and
    snapped his head straight back. Mosley's legs straightened beneath him, and
    only the ropes kept him standing. Eyes rolled back in his head, a limp
    Mosley rested on the ropes for a half-second before a roundhouse Forrest
    right tagged him on the cheek and sent him to the canvas in a heap.

    A dazed and confused Mosley pulled himself up by nine, but his eyes looked
    foggy as referee Steve Smoger asked him if he was able to continue. Mosley
    responded enough to convince Smoger to continue the bout, and a still wobbly
    Mosley staggered towards a swinging Forrest, trying desperately to hang on.
    There was two minutes left in the round.

    Mosley's legs were like rubber, and his arms were little better. His
    attempts to hug Forrest resulted in Mosley flopping this way, then that,
    occasionally catching a breathtaking Forrest power punch in between. Mosley
    eventually caught enough of Forrest's arms to force a break, but Smoger's
    separation nearly downed a weak Mosley, so gone were his legs. Forrest
    smacked Mosley with a big right, and then another. Mosley fell backwards
    across the ring, crashing into the ropes and then eating more Forrest shots
    as the challenger gave chase. This pace continued for most of the rest of
    the round. Mosley never seemed to regain his legs, twice almost falling to
    the canvas without even being touched. At one point, Mosley backed away from
    another clinch, but while stepping back his own legs gave out, sending him
    reeling into the ropes. Forrest followed up right a right hand to the chin
    that sent Mosley falling forward into him. Forrest wasn't sure whether he
    should punch or clinch back as Mosley fell forward, tried to hug him, and
    ended up face down on the canvas. Smoger ruled the fall a knockdown, a
    delayed reaction from the right hand. It was a proper call.

    Mosley beat this count as well, looking no better for wear and tear. But
    somehow, he made it out of the round. When the bell finally rang, a dazed
    Mosley staggered back to the wrong corner. His survival in this round says
    volumes about his courage and determination. Not many fighters would have
    heard the final bell.

    Mosley didn't look much better after the one-minute rest period. He began
    round three shuffling left and then right, trying his best to stay away from
    Forrest. But the footwork was not the gliding dancesteps of the graceful
    pound-for-pound boss, but the unstable baby steps of a hurt fighter. Forrest
    took his time giving chase, missing a big right hand and eating a fairly
    solid right to the body from Mosley. Forrest uncorked a picture perfect hook
    into Mosley's face a few times, and again Mosley was forced to try and make a
    clinch. Once broken, he returned to his attempts to circle away. But with
    Mosley's mobility hampered by bad legs, Forrest was repeatedly able to trap
    Mosley on the ropes. There, Mosley had no answer. Forrest would step back
    to his perfect range, and bounce a series of shots off a defensive Mosley.
    Mosley occasionally would try and fire back, but Forrest was too far away.
    Mostly, however, Shane was forced to stay covered up and absorb power shots.
    It wasn't pretty.

    To his credit, Mosley's legs began to come back to life in the final minute
    of round three. Forrest, sensing this, began winding up his punches more,
    and Mosley (for the only time all night) was able to make Forrest miss badly
    with wild swings. These big misses were exactly the openings that Mosley had
    hoped for, but in his current condition he wasn't even able to throw a return
    punch, let alone land one.

    Mosley had desperately needed to make it through round three, and he had. He
    looked somewhat better to begin round four, but instantly fell back into the
    pattern of looking for the haymaker that would turn things around. Mosley
    cracked Forrest with a big overhand right in the round's opening seconds,
    then fired a few fierce blows to Forrest's ribs. But no sooner had Mosley
    displayed signs of life, Forrest returned to the uppercut and stopped Mosley
    in his tracks. The first one halted Mosley in place, and a follow-up
    uppercut shook Mosley's legs again. A clean, flush, loud right hand
    followed, and Mosley was back on the ropes hanging on for dear life. Mosley
    was now clearly a desperate fighter, and he began swinging for the fences on
    those few occasions when he could get his arms moving. A quick Mosley hook
    backed Forrest off the ropes, but once in center ring, Mosley again took the
    worst of it. Shane launched a big right hand, which landed to the oohs of
    the crowd, only to be answered with a bigger, harder right. Twice more
    before round five closed, Mosley hurled his body into a solid clean punch,
    only to have Forrest answer with one or two harder blows. After the third
    time this happened, Forrest didn't stop with a quid pro quo shot, and he
    landed a series of big right hands on Mosley to close the round.

    Forrest was winning the fight easily, and seemed to hurt Mosley nearly every
    time he landed flush. But Mosley started the fifth round looking his
    freshest since the knockdowns. Jerking his upper body around, Mosley was
    clearly trying to establish a boxing rhythm. Forrest began backing up under
    Mosley's renewed energy. Mosley now applied constant pressure to Forrest,
    following him around the ring without giving him a second to breath.
    Unfortunately, Forrest was pumping out his jab continuously as he moved back,
    and Mosley was never able to get his feet set before launching his shots.

    After backing away from Mosley for half a round, Forrest took a moment to
    score some points, again landing the uppercut, backing Mosley to the ropes,
    and landing some heavy shots before moving back to center ring. Despite
    taking heavy beating, Mosley was not completely done yet. Mosley showed what
    his game plan might have looked like in the closing thirty seconds of round
    five, stepping around Forrest after he missed, and launching shots while
    Forrest was bent over. Mosley spun and countered Forrest several times to
    close the fifth, but couldn't land clean. In all, another round for Forrest.

    With the fight half-over, Forrest had banked a sizable points lead. Even
    though still loading up with singular bombs, Mosley was showing signs of
    making adjustments in the sixth round. And so, Forrest unveiled the second
    part of his plan: holding. Again and again, Mosley would fire first from the
    distance, leaping in with reaching punches. Forrest was able to see these
    shots coming and cover up... and then tie Mosley up. Over and over, Mosley
    would launch, Forrest would tangle, and it would take Smoger a good five
    seconds for force a break. A few times Mosley's shots landed. Instead of
    holding, Forrest fired back. Near the end of the round, Mosley landed a huge
    right to the top of Forrest's head, the best punch of the round. It might
    have been enough to swing the round to Mosley, given Forrest's holding... but
    Vernon answered Mosley's right with two of his own, including a fierce shot
    that swiveled Mosley's head and appeared to rock him again just before the
    bell ended the round.

    The desperation was growing with Mosley, now on stable legs but unable to
    solve the Forrest puzzle. Mosley's upper body movements began getting more
    frenetic. He spun his gloves, rocked his torso from side to side, and jutted
    out his chin in a series of feints. But every time Mosley would get close,
    Forrest tangled him up in his web. Again and again, Mosley tried to rip his
    arms from Forrest's clutches and continue throwing, but he could not. This
    time stalling technique didn't bode well for Forrest, who now gave the
    impression that Mosley was regaining momentum. In fact, round seven was
    shaping up to be a Mosley round, based solely on Forrest's holding... and
    then Forrest nailed Mosley with a massive right. The punch rocked Mosley
    like so many others had this night, and when the bell sounded a moment later,
    there was no choice but to give Forrest a 10-9.

    Forrest's holding continued into the eighth round. Mosley stung Forrest with
    a sharp left hook early in the round, which only encouraged Forrest to hold
    some more. In fact, Forrest did nothing but hold in this round, while Mosley
    spent an enormous amount of energy repeatedly trying to free himself from the
    clinches. Mosley ended the round by nailing Forrest with a big right, the
    only other punch of significance in this forgettable round. Forrest, intent
    on answering every Mosley punch, fired back with a right of his own. It
    tagged Mosley on the chin a good two seconds after the bell rang to end the
    round. Mosley had finally banked a "rally round," despite Forrest's
    post-round power shot.

    It was Mosley who was now making the fight, with Forrest appearing to sit on
    his substantial lead. But while Mosley launched and Forrest slipped and
    grabbed, Mosley still wasn't able to gain control. Over and over, Mosley's
    bombs missed. There was a definite feeling that if Mosley would swing his
    punches in four and five punch flurries, a coasting Forrest could be in
    trouble. But for whatever reason, Mosley could not land his shots. And when
    he did, Forrest scored in return. Mosley landed a single big right at the
    midway point of round nine, only to have Forrest answer with a one-two-three
    that was heavier and cleaner. Each time that Forrest landed, Mosley needed a
    few seconds to recoup, and while Forrest's blows were infrequent, he scored
    enough to win the round and halt any hopes Mosley may have had for sweeping
    the final rounds.

    Forrest wised up in the tenth. Despite clearly winning the fight to this
    point, Forrest was putting himself at risk of a funny decision by wasting a
    few rounds doing more clutching than punching. He changed his tactics in the
    tenth, and Mosley paid the price. Coming in behind a jab, Forrest was
    repeatedly able to back Mosley straight back. Each time, Mosley would end up
    on the ropes, where he was most vulnerable. Forrest pinned Mosley to one
    side of the ring at the halfway point, and landed two flush rights to
    Mosley's face. Mosley was again wobbling on the ropes, looking ready to go.
    Forrest landed an uppercut, another right, and then a hook to Mosley's side
    that made the champion crinkle his face in extreme pain. Replays showed the
    body shot went low, but Smoger didn't notice, especially not after Forrest
    stood Mosley up with an uppercut a fraction of a second after the belt shot.
    Mosley was now ready to go. He leaned forward, trying to clutch, and lost
    his mouthpiece. A bizarre New York rule requires an immediate replacement,
    so despite no lull in the action, Smoger called time and sent Mosley to his
    corner to get the gumshield washed out. Of course, the process took too
    long, giving Mosley 20 seconds to recover. He barely could. He hung his
    arms over the top rope and hung his head down as he waited for the
    mouthpiece. Once he got it, Forrest went back to work. It was a huge
    Forrest round, and when the bell ended it, a swollen and distant looking
    Mosley gazed at Forrest and dragged himself back to his corner.

    Forrest was now unstoppable. The more desperate Mosley became, the more he
    loaded up with knockout attempts. Forrest was able to avoid almost all of
    these swings, tying up Mosley time and again, forcing him to waste even more
    energy trying to get free. Forrest mixed in a series of casual one-twos,
    hurting Mosley again and again with each heavy right hand. But Forrest was
    tiring, and Mosley was beginning to land more haymakers than he should have.
    But it was all too little, too late.

    Mosley's corner stopped short of asking for the knockout before the final
    round, although Mosley seemed to understand where he stood. Forrest, perhaps
    exhausted, perhaps distracted his imminent victory, looked extremely tired in
    the final round. As Mosley tried in vain to land a power shot, Forrest
    easily tangled him up in clinch after boring clinch. Mosley earned the final
    round in his column, as he was the only one fighting, but it was hardly
    enough to win him the bout.

    And so Vernon Forrest made it look easy: beating Mosley up early, clutching
    to sit on his lead in the middle rounds, putting more hurt on Mosley in the
    tenth, and then holding again to end the fight. Boxing Chronicle gave Mosley
    only the 1st, 8th, and final round... 117-109 Forrest. The official tallies
    were similar, giving Forrest a wide victory by scores of 115-110, 117-108 and
    118-108.

    Still undefeated, Forrest (34-0/26) picks up the WBC belt (he should also be
    the IBF champion, but for that sanctioning body's idiotic decision to strip
    Forrest for facing Mosley), but not the pound-for-pound title. Forrest
    fought a brilliant gameplan, using his height and jab to full advantage,
    hurting Mosley when the champ made basic mistakes of dropping his hands and
    backing straight up, and then neutralizing Mosley's flurries with a
    frustrating series of clutches, hugs, and armlocks. It may have been a
    perfect plan, but it certainly doesn't put Forrest on top of the
    pound-for-pound list.

    What it does do for Forrest, however, is earn him a much-deserved spot atop
    the welterweight division, pound-for-pound or not. Forrest's career has been
    conducted largely in obscurity. Remember, this guy was on the same Olympic
    team as De la Hoya, and is only just now getting recognition. This win will
    earn Forrest at least one big payday, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

    As for Mosley (now 38-1/35), his next move is unknown. After the fight, he
    was extremely gracious in defeat. But he took a serious beating and may not
    want an immediate rematch. And while Mosley made no excuses, we find it
    interesting that Mosley swore to us that he would never again try and make
    the 147 lb. weight limit when we interviewed him back in October
    (http://www.boxingchronicle.com/articles/mosleyinterview.html). Was he
    drained at 147, or was he in such great shape that he was convinced his power
    would rescue him? Without question, this was Mosley's most lackluster ring
    performance since he won the IBF lightweight title from Philip Holiday in his
    1997 HBO debut. Most of the credit for Mosley's inability to perform must go
    to Vernon Forrest... but there is no question that Mosley is capable of more
    than he showed this night. He will come back, but will he ever be able to
    defeat Vernon Forrest?

    On the undercard, Arturo Gatti returned to the ring in his first fight since
    losing to Oscar De la Hoya nearly a year prior. Paired with free-swinging
    Terronn Millett, Gatti needed to do what he had promised for so long: box in
    stead of brawl. Luckily for Gatti, Millett was incredibly easy to hit. The
    first one-two Gatti threw landed completely flush, as did any and all right
    hands Gatti launched during this short bout.

    Millett, who was able to swell Gatti's tender skin by landing only single
    digits in the opening round, simply couldn't get out of the way of Gatti's
    bombs. A conservative Gatti became more bold in round two, mixing in his
    dreaded hook with his never-missing right. He hurt Millett in this round by
    going downstairs and then up, but didn't drop him until round three, after an
    accumulation of blows sent Millett down face first. Millett beat the count
    only to get up and take an even more heinous series of flush shots. The bell
    to end round three saved him from further punishment, but Gatti continued
    hammering in the fourth, putting an already weakened Millett down for the
    second time in the bout. Referee Jimmy Santa, apparently oblivious to the
    one sided drubbing taking place in front of him, allowed Millett to continue
    yet again, and after another half dozen flush, head-snapping Gatti power
    shots sent Millett to his back, the fight was finally called off.

    Gatti (now 35-5/28) declared this fight as his comeback, and while Millett
    isn't as tough at Kostya Tszyu, he was a legitimate opponent at 140. Gatti,
    looking fit and claiming to have ended his between-fight partying, may have
    found a good weight class for his ever-changing frame. While Gatti has a
    long way to go before he can again call himself a boxer, he showed decent
    patience against Millett, and fired almost all of his combinations from
    behind a substantial jab. What's more, Gatti didn't cut in this fight, a
    fact that completely stunned Gatti cutman Joe Souza. Gatti's next likely foe
    will be the winner of a Ward-Leija rematch. If Gatti can stay in shape, and
    continue to work on his jab, we might just pick him to win it.

    .....Chris Bushnell
    http://www.boxingchronicle.com

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xForrest Upsets Mosley in 12``x1012238261,93205,``x``x ``xResults from Jan. 25, 2002 pro boxing card “Friday Night Fights at the Roxy”

    At The Roxy, Boston

    TIMMY FLAMOS WDEC10 HECTOR SANJURJO
    Flamos Retains New England & Massachusetts
    Cruiserweight Titles
    Timmy “The Hammer” Flamos, 191, won a 10-round split decision against Hector “The Pitbull” Sanjurjo, 192, to retain his New England and Massachusetts cruiserweight titles. The much-anticipated match was action packed, although difficult fight to score because neither fighter was seriously hurt at any point. Flamos (15-2-1, 7 KOs) was able to fight his fight: inside and rough. The 34-year-old from Brockton showed considerable improvement in style, using a surprising jab to his advantage and showing better balance. Sanjurjo (13-6-5, 7 KOs), of Taunton, was dangerous when he had some distance to fire his lead left. Flamos won on two judges' cards, 96-94 and 97-93, Sanjurjo won the other, 97-93.

    RICH LA MONTAGNE WDEC6 DANNY SHEEHAN
    In the co-feature, cruiserweight Richie “The Mountain” LaMontagne, 191, made the most of his first fight in Boston in nearly two years by winning a unanimous six-round decision from always-tough Danny Sheehan, 193, and gaining a wife. LaMontagne (24-4-1, 19 KOs), of Everett, and Sheehan (193), of Lawrence, stood toe-to-toe most of the fight and had the standing room only crowd cheering from the opening bell to the final seconds. After the bout, LaMontagne took the microphone, dropped to one knee, and proposed marriage to his girl friend, Ann Marie LaFauci. The judges had LaMontagne winning 58-56, 58-56 and 59-54.

    AARON TORRES WDEC6 CALVIN SHEPPARD
    Lightweight prospect Aaron “2-Guns” Torres (8-1, 4 KOs), the Philadelphia native fighting out of Brockton, put on a stylish boxing exhibition, pitching a shutout against veteran Calvin Sheppard, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. All three judges had Torres winning 60-54.

    WILLIAM GIBBS TKO2 PEDRO GONZALEZ
    Undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins’ cousin, “Sir” William “The Gladiator” Gibbs, 160, showed why he is considered a future world champion, scoring a TKO against Pedro Gonzalez, 160.5, when the latter failed to answer the bell for the third round. Gibbs (4-0, 4 KOs), the Philadelphia native fighting out of Brockton, rocked Sanchez, of Sarasota, Florida, with a wide array of combinations to the head and body.

    KEVIN WATTS WDEC4 ROBBY SANCHEZ
    “Cocky” Kevin Watts, 138.5, dominated Robby Sanchez, 138.5, in their four-round junior middleweight bout. Watts (15-1, 6 KOs), of South Boston, out-boxed his Miami opponent from start to finish in workmanlike fashion. Watts won on the cards 59-54, 59-54 and 58-56.

    TOMMY ATTARDO WDEC4 JAMES MC CRAY
    Coming off a loss to former U.S. Olympic star Jeff Lacy, junior middleweight Tommy Attardo, 155, won all four rounds against James “Rocky” McCray. Attardo (9-6-12, 1 K0), of South Boston, and McCray, 160, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, exchanged haymakers on several occasions in this crowd-pleasing fight.
    Attardo was the winner on all three judges’ cards by identical scores of 40-46.



    CRUISERWEIGHTS – Tim Flamos, Brockton, MA WDEC10 Hector Sanjurjo, New Bedford, MA Flamos retained New England and Massachusetts cruiserweight titles; Rich LaMontagne, Everett, MA WDEC6, Danny Sheehan, Lawerence, MA.

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS – Willie Gibbs, Philadelphia, PA/Brockton, MA TKO2 Pedro Gonzalez, Sarasota, FL.

    JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS – Tommy Attardo, South Boston, MA WDEC4 James McCray, Atlantic City, NJ.

    JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS – Kevin Watts, South Boston, MA WDEC4 Robby Sanchez, Miami, FL

    LIGHTWEIGHTS – Aaron Torres, Philadelphia, PA/Brockton, MA WDEC6 Calvin Sheppard, Winston-Salem, NC,

    Special thanks to Bob Triiger of Full Court Press & Cappiello Promotions for providing the results.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xFriday Night Results in Boston``x1012264775,48928,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    WBA 122-lb Champion Yorber Ortega has to change his travel plans. His title defense in Thailand against Yoddamrong Sithyodithon has been moved up 5 days, to Wednesday, February 20.

    The Venezuelan Ortega, who won the title this past Nov 17 in Las Vegas, continues his intense, twice-daily work-out sessions in Maracay under the careful eye of "Professor" Eleazar Castillo, one of the best (if overlooked) trainers in the game.

    Castillo reports that he and his fighter will travel to Thailand February 13.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWBA 122 Title bout moved to Feb 20``x1012327824,50602,``x``x ``xSantana headlines “The Showdown” Friday night
    Pro boxing at Central Catholic HS in Lawrence

    LAWRENCE, Mass. – Lawrence featherweight Edwin “Lightning” Santana, hoping to position himself for another world title bout, will fight before his hometown fans for the first time in more than five years when pro boxing returns to Lawrence this Friday night (February 1) at Central Catholic High School.

    Santana, the 31-year-old former New England featherweight and junior
    lightweight champion, now sporting a 27-4-5 (6 KOs) pro record, headlines Friday evening’s “The Showdown” card, promoted by Pendarvis Boxing Promotions, in association with Foxwoods Resort Casino, First Choice Limousine Service, Frugal McDoogal and AD Medical Service.

    “Fighting in front of my fans in Lawrence will give me added motivation,” Santana said about fighting at Central Catholic High School. “I’m pleased to know my family and friends will be watching the fight. They’ll give me a big boost. Everybody likes fighting at home; we get psyched up for it. The last time I fought here (WDEC10, May 17, 1996) was the toughest fight of my career, at that time, because (Rafael) Meran was the Dominican junior lightweight champion. I’m in good shape and really looking forward to fighting again in Lawrence.”

    Over the course of his 11-year career, Santana, 31, has fought for three world titles without success due to a variety of reasons. He lost all three in 12-round decisions. Against Kevin Kelley for the WBU featherweight title, Edwin admitted he wasn’t mentally ready for the fight and he suffered a broken nose in the fourth round. Television commentator and undisputed light heavyweight champion, Roy Jones, said Santana had “the heart of a lion” for fighting the last eight rounds (12-round loss by decision) with a broken nose. In his next fight against Orlando Canizales for the IBA featherweight championship, Edwin took the fight on only two-and-one-half weeks and he wasn’t physically prepared. Despite a large blister on his foot that developed by the eighth round, the result of wearing new boxing shoes, he went the distance and lost a split decision. In his last fight (May 5, 2001) against WBA super featherweight Joel Casamayor, Edwin admitted that Casamayor was too big for him, as well as a great fighter.

    “People don’t want to hear excuses and I don’t like making them,” Edwin added, “but there were reasons some of my losses. I just want one more title shot.”

    “Edwin’s never caught a break,” Santana’s manager/trainer Mel Peabody
    remarked. “He ends up losing a split decision against Canizales in a fight he should and could have won. He has trouble breathing because of bronchitis against Bones Adams – who went on to become the IBF super bantamweight champion – and fights ends up a draw. And Edwin’s beating Ben Tackie for nine rounds, but he gets caught in the last round (KO punch). Tackie’s now the IBF mandatory No. 1 junior welterweight contender. All we want is one more title shot and Friday night’s fight is the first step towards one. He’s in with a tough opponent, too.”

    Santana is matched against featherweight Isidro Tejedor (15-5, 7 KOs), of Miami, in the 8-round main event.

    Two other Lawrence fighters are on the card, junior middleweight prospect, Gil “Sugar” Reyes (3-0, 2 KOs) versus veteran Kevin Carter, of North Carolina, and always-tough cruiserweight Danny Sheehan against Chris Franks, of Manchester, NH.

    In the co-feature, Lowell featherweight Jose Ayala (5-2) is matched against Canadian veteran Bobby “Too Sweet” Rishea, in a six rounder. Also scheduled to be on “The Showdown” in four-round bouts are Worcester heavyweight sensation Adam Harris (4-0, 4 KOs) against Rodney Ross, of Philadelphia; light middleweight Jason “The Hammer” LeHoullier (1-0), of Portsmouth (NH), squares off against Thomas Coleman (0-1), of Philadelphia; All matches and boxers are subject to change.

    Santana, Reyes, Ayala and LeHoullier are all former New England Golden Gloves champions as amateurs.

    Ticket prices are $50.00 Gold VIP, $35.00 ringside and $20.00 general. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the first bout is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale in Lawrence at Micky’s Sports, 268 S. Broadway, 978.687.1701; Subway, 361 Essex, 978.686.0640. For more information call Pendarvis Boxing Promotions at 617-825-3283.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Edwin Santana Returns! ``x1012344207,10816,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    1978 Arrested for purse snatching as a 12-year-old in Brooklyn and sent to Tryon School for Boys.

    1979 A boxing instructor at a New York State correction facility for boys brings Tyson to the attention of Cus D'Amato, who had guided Floyd Patterson to the heavyweight title.

    1982 Expelled from Catskill High School for a series of transgressions.

    1984 D'Amato becomes Tyson's legal guardian.

    March 6, 1985 In his professional debut, Tyson defeats Hector Mercedes in one round.

    Nov. 4, 1985 D'Amato dies of pneumonia.

    Feb. 20, 1986 Tyson sexually propositions a sales clerk in an Albany, N.Y., shopping mall and becomes violent and abusive when she rebuffs him. Later the same night, he is ejected from a movie theater following a similar incident.

    Nov. 22, 1986 Tyson knocks out Trevor Berbick in the second round, winning the WBC heavyweight title to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20.

    March 3, 1987 Tyson defeats James "Bonecrusher" Smith at Las Vegas to win the WBA heavyweight title.

    May 30, 1987 Tyson knocks out Pinklon Thomas in the sixth round at Las Vegas to retain his WBA-WBC heavyweight titles.

    June 21, 1987 A parking lot attendant alleges Tyson tried to kiss a female employee and struck the male attendant. He is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and assault with a deadly weapon, and pays $105,000 to settle the case out of court.

    Aug. 1, 1987 Tyson decisions Tony Tucker to retain the WBA-WBC heavyweight titles and win the IBF heavyweight title.

    Oct. 16, 1987 Tyson knocks out Tyrell Biggs in the seventh round in Atlantic City to retain the world heavyweight title.

    Jan. 22, 1988 Tyson knocks out Larry Holmes in the fourth round to retain the world heavyweight title.

    Feb. 9, 1988 Actress Robin Givens and Tyson marry in a civil ceremony at New York.

    March 20, 1988 Tyson knocks out Tony Tubbs to retain the world heavyweight title.

    March 25, 1988 Jim Jacobs, Tyson's co-manager, is buried in Los Angeles. Givens and her mother, Ruth Roper, demand access to Tyson's money for a down payment on the $4.5 million home in Bernardsville, N.J.

    May, 1988 Tyson dents his $183,000 Bentley convertible in a fender-bender in New York City and gives the slightly damaged car to two policemen, who later are suspended when their superiors found out.

    June 17, 1988 Givens and her family go public with tales of beatings by Tyson.

    June 27, 1988 Tyson sues manager Bill Cayton to break their contract, then knocks out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds to retain the world heavyweight title.

    July 11, 1988 Tyson hires Donald Trump as an adviser.

    July 27, 1988 Tyson settles the Cayton suit out of court, reducing Cayton's managerial share from one-third to 20 percent of purses.

    Aug. 23, 1988 Tyson breaks a bone in his right hand in a 4 a.m. street brawl with professional fighter Mitch Green in Harlem.

    Sept. 4, 1988 Tyson is knocked unconscious after driving his BMW into a tree. Three days later, the New York Daily News reports the accident was a "suicide attempt" caused by a "chemical imbalance" that made him violent and irrational.

    Sept. 12, 1988 Tyson sends tennis player Lori McNeil, an alleged victim of his violence, 1,000 roses to wish her luck in the U.S. Open.

    Sept. 21, 1988 Tyson threatens a TV reporter outside his Bernardsville, N.J. home and throws a Walkman at the camera crew.

    Sept. 30, 1988 Givens says in a nationally televised interview that Tyson is a manic-depressive and that she is afraid of him. Tyson sits meekly next to her.

    Oct. 2, 1988 Police go to Tyson's Bernardsville, N.J., home after he hurls furniture out the window and forces Givens and her mother to flee the house.

    Oct. 7, 1988 Givens files for divorce.

    Oct. 14, 1988 Tyson countersues Givens for divorce and annulment.

    Oct. 26, 1988 Trump bills Tyson $2 million for services rendered in his role as adviser. Tyson signs partners with promoter Don King.

    Nov. 16, 1988 Givens sues Tyson for $125 million, charging libel because of a New York Post story in which Tyson calls her and her mother, "the slime of the slime."

    Nov. 23, 1988 Tyson again sues Cayton.

    Nov. 30, 1988 Tyson is sued for $92,000 by a Manhattan furrier for a Russian sable coat the furrier claims Tyson and Givens bought as a birthday gift for Givens' mother.

    Dec. 12, 1988 Sandra Miller of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her, propositioning her and insulting her at a nightclub. A jury later finds Tyson guilty of battery, fining him only $100.

    Dec. 15, 1988 Lori Davis of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her buttocks while she was dancing at the same nightclub on the same night as the incident with Miller.

    Jan. 11, 1989 During a deposition in his lawsuit to oust Cayton as his manager, Tyson makes blatant sexual hand gestures and a sexually explicit statement to a female attorney.

    Feb. 14, 1989 Tyson and Givens are divorced in the Dominican Republic.

    Feb. 25, 1989 Tyson knocks out Frank Bruno to retain the world heavyweight title.

    March 27, 1989 Givens withdraws her $125 million libel suit against Tyson.

    April 9, 1989 Tyson is accused of striking a parking attendant three times with an open hand outside a Los Angeles nightclub after the attendant asked Tyson to move his Mercedes-Benz out of a spot reserved for the club's owner. The charges are later dropped due to lack of witness cooperation.

    April 26, 1989 Tyson gets a speeding ticket in downtown Albany, N.Y., for driving his 1989 Lamborghini 71 mph in a 30 mph zone while drag racing with a friend.

    May 5, 1989 Tyson gets another speeding ticket in downtown Albany, N.Y., for driving his Lamborghini at an unspecified speed above the 30 mph limit, again while drag racing.

    June, 1989 Tyson and Givens' divorce is finalized, and Tyson is fined $300 and sentenced to community service for speeding violations.

    July 21, 1989 Tyson knocks out Carl "The Truth" Williams to retain the world heavyweight title.

    Feb. 11, 1990 Tyson is knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas in the 10th round and loses his world heavyweight title.

    Aug. 17, 1990 Phyllis Polaner, former aid to Givens, sues Tyson for sexual assault and harassment.

    Nov. 1, 1990 A New York City civil jury finds Tyson committed battery in the Sandra Miller case, but Miller is awarded just $100 in damages because the jury decides Tyson's behavior was "not outrageous."

    March 28, 1991 Tyson admits paternity of an 8-month-old girl born to Kimberly Scarborough of New York.

    June 28, 1991 Tyson outpoints Razor Ruddock in 12 rounds.

    July 18, 1991 Tyson meets Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant, at a pageant rehearsal. They go to the boxer's hotel room in the early morning hours.

    July 22, 1991 Washington files a complaint with police alleging Tyson raped her.

    Sept. 9, 1991 A special grand jury indicts Tyson on rape and three other charges. Two days later, he is booked in Indianapolis and released on $30,000 cash bond.

    Oct. 2, 1991 Natalie Fears files a $12 million palimony and paternity lawsuit in Los Angeles.

    Oct. 18, 1991 A Nov. 8 fight between Tyson and heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is postponed because of a rib injury Tyson sustained while training.

    Jan. 7, 1992 A court-ordered blood test shows that Tyson is not the father of Natalie Fears son.

    Jan. 21, 1992 Judge denies motion to delay rape trial.

    Jan.-March 1992 Tyson is found guilty on one count of rape and two counts of deviate sexual conduct and sentenced to 10 years in prison, four suspended. Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford orders him to serve the term immediately.

    May 8, 1992 Tyson is found guilty of threatening a guard and disorderly conduct in prison, adding 15 days to his sentence.

    June 22, 1992 Washington files a civil suit seeking unspecified damages against Tyson.

    Oct. 28, 1992 Tyson's father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, dies in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tyson does not ask for a leave to attend the funeral.

    Nov. 17, 1992 Washington's attorney, Deval Patrick, says she is undergoing treatment for a sexually transmitted disease she contracted from Tyson in Indianapolis. He won't identify the disease.

    July 13, 1993 Noemi T. McKenzie, of Woburn, Mass., files a civil lawsuit in Marion Superior Court alleging Tyson committed battery against her on July 18, 1991, during a rehearsal for the Miss Black America beauty pageant.

    March 1994 Tyson fails his high school equivalency test. Had he passed the two-day test, three months would have been deducted from his sentence.

    Feb. 13, 1995 Tyson's release date is moved up from May 9 to March 25, his original release date, by the Indiana Department of Correction.

    March 13, 1995 WBO heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe pays a 45-minute visit to the Indiana Youth Center to discuss a possible $120 million fight with Tyson after his release and says the boxer is "in excellent shape."

    March 25, 1995 Tyson is released from the Indiana Youth Center near Plainfield, Ind.

    August 19, 1995 Tyson begins comeback with 89-second victory over Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas.

    Dec. 16, 1995 Tyson knocks out Buster Mathis, Jr. in third round in Philadelphia.

    March 16, 1996 Tyson knocks out Frank Bruno in third round to win the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

    April 9, 1996 Mike Tyson was accused by a 25-year-old beautician from Gary, Ind. of sexual battery in a nightclub on Chicago's South Side on April 7.

    April 26, 1996 Chicago police say the accusations of sexual battery by the beautician were baseless.

    Sept. 7, 1996 Tyson knocks out Bruce Selden in the first round to win the WBA heavyweight title.


    Nov. 9, 1996 Evander Holyfield stops Tyson in the 11th round for the WBA title.

    April 1997 Tyson marries Monica Turner in a civil ceremony at New York.

    June 28, 1997 Tyson is disqualified after the third round for biting Holyfield's ears. Tyson claims he was retaliating for a head butt inflicted by Holyfield that opened up a gash above his right eye. Referee Mills Lane says the butt was accidental.

    July 9, 1997 The Nevada State Athletic Commission, in a 5-0 voice vote, revokes Mike Tyson's boxing license and fines him $3 million for biting Holyfield in their June 28 WBA championship bout. Tyson, who also is ordered to pay legal costs, can apply for reinstatement of his license in one year.

    Oct. 16, 1997 Tyson is ordered to pay boxer Mitch Green $45,000 even though a jury ruled the former heavyweight champion was provoked into a Harlem street fight in 1988.

    Oct. 29, 1997 Tyson breaks a rib and punctures lung on his right side when his motorcycle skids off a Connecticut highway after hitting a patch of sand.

    March 5, 1998 Tyson files a $100 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York against Don King, accusing the promoter of cheating him out of tens of millions of dollars.

    March 9, 1998 Tyson files a lawsuit against former managers Rory Holloway and John Horne, claiming they betrayed him by arranging a deal that made King the former heavyweight champion's exclusive promoter.

    March 9, 1998 Sherry Cole and Chevelle Butts file a $22 million lawsuit against Tyson claiming he verbally and physically abused them March 1 at a Washington bistro them at a restaurant after his sexual advances toward one of them were spurned.

    July 16, 1998 The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstates a $4.4 million award that a jury decided boxer Tyson owes former trainer Kevin Rooney for unjustly firing him.

    July 29, 1998 Tyson appears before the New Jersey Athletic Control Board to get a boxing license to resume his career. Tyson chokes back tears as he apologizes for biting Evander Holyfield's ears. At the end of his 35-minute appearance, however, Tyson curses in front of regulators after being continually questioned about biting Holyfield.

    Aug. 13, 1998 On the eve of a meeting of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, Tyson's advisers abruptly withdraw his application for a boxing license.

    Aug. 31, 1998 Tyson is involved in a minor auto accident in Gaithersburg, Md., and has to be restrained by bodyguards from fighting the driver of the other car.

    Sept. 2, 1998 Richard Hardick files an assault charge against Tyson. Hardick says he was kicked in the groin by Tyson after his car rear-ended a Mercedes driven by Tyson's wife, Monica, on Aug. 31.

    Sept. 3, 1998 Abmielec Saucedo files a criminal assault against Tyson claiming Tyson punched him in the face as Saucedo talked with another driver following the accident of Aug. 31.

    Oct. 13, 1998 The psychiatric report of Tyson is released. According to doctors who examined him for five days, the report states Tyson is depressed and lacks self-esteem, but he is mentally fit to return to boxing. The psychiatrists believe Tyson most likely won't "snap" again as he did when he bit Holyfield.

    Oct. 19, 1998 The Nevada Athletic Commission votes 4-1 to restore Tyson's boxing license, with the lone holdout commissioner James Nave.

    Dec. 1, 1998 Tyson pleads no contest to misdemeanor assault for kicking and punching two motorists involved in the Aug. 31 auto accident in Maryland.
    Jan. 16, 1999 Tyson knocks out Francois Botha with 1 second left in the fifth round in his first fight in 19 months. It is only Tyson's seventh fight in eight years. At the end of four rounds all three judges have Botha ahead.

    Feb. 5, 1999 Tyson is sentenced to two concurrent two-year sentences for assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident last summer. Judge Stephen Johnson suspended all but one year of jail time. Tyson is also fined $5,000 and sentenced to two years' probation after his release from jail. The decision could lead to more jail time for violating parole in Indiana.

    March 5, 1999 Tyson must serve an extra 60 days in Maryland jail for violating terms of his Indiana probation for a 1992 rape conviction. The 60-day sentence will be served at the end of the one-year sentence he is serving in Montgomery County, Md., for a misdemeanor assault. His Maryland sentence could be reduced for good behavior. Tyson will pay the state of Indiana $80 per day for the cost of his incarceration on the probation violation, and Indiana will reimburse Maryland authorities.

    May 24, 1999 Tyson is released from a Maryland jail after serving 3 1/2 months for assaulting two motorists.

    Oct. 23, 1999 Tyson knocks down Orlin Norris with a punch after bell ending first round. Norris hurts knee in falling and cannot continue. Fight is ruled a no-contest. No disciplinary action is taken.

    Jan. 29, 2000 Tyson stops Julius Francis in second round at Manchester, England. His appearance is protested by women's groups and politicians, who believed he should not have been allowed in Britain because of his conviction for rape.

    June. 24, 2000 Tyson stops Lou Savarese in 38 seconds, then elbows referee to floor and tries to punch Savarese at Glasgow, Scotland.

    Aug. 23, 2000 Tyson is fined $187,500 by the British Boxing Board of Control for misconduct.

    Oct. 20, 2000 Andrew Golota quits after the second round against Tyson at Auburn Hills, Mich. Fight later is ruled a no-contest.

    Aug. 17, 2001 Prosecutors announce they will no file rape charges against Tyson stemming from an allegation by a 50-year-old woman that she was raped on July 16 at Big Bear, Calif.

    Jan. 16, 2001 Michigan suspends Tyson for three months and fines him $5,000 for refusing to submit to a urine test before the Golota fight.

    Oct. 13, 2001 Tyson stops Brian Nielsen after six rounds at Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Jan. 1, 2002 Witness say Tyson threw glass Christmas ornaments at journalists trying to interview him in Havana, Cuba.

    Jan. 18, 2002 Tyson's wife Monica sues for divorce at Rockville, Md. Tyson countersues at Las Vegas.

    Jan. 22, 2002 Las Vegas police turn over to the Clark County district attorney the results of a four-month investigation of a women's allegation that Tyson raped her and claim there is probable cause a crime occurred.

    Jan. 22, 2002 Tyson throws a punch at a Lennox Lewis bodyguard and Lewis throws a punch at Tyson at a news conference to formally announce Tyson's scheduled challenge to Lewis on April 6 at Las Vegas.

    Jan. 29, 2002 Tyson was denied a boxing license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTyson Chronology: 25 Years of Shame``x1012408390,82526,``x``x ``xBy Adam Pollack

    As many of you may be aware, Tyson was denied his application for a license renewal in Nevada by a vote of 4-1.

    As a fan, this makes me sad in that I want to see him fight. Ultimately, this ruling probably won't make a huge difference because another jurisdiction will likely grant him a license to box.

    In terms of a decision, I believe it was the right result, but I watched the hearing and believe the process was flawed. The questions at times seemed inappropriate, delving into his personal life and life outside of boxing. I believe the only factors that should be relevant to Tyson's license to box are how Tyson has conducted himself in the ring. He's applying for a boxing license, not political office.

    The emphasis and discussion regarding the press conference last week was misplaced as well. It is understood that this is how these press
    conferences go down these days. It was also part of a script that Tyson was to face off with Lewis. Regardless, Tyson did not strike Lewis or anyone else. It was a bodyguard that first made physical contact with Tyson, and it was Lewis that struck Tyson. Tyson took a swipe at the bodyguard, but it did not land and I do not believe Tyson intended to land it. We don't see the commission calling Lewis before it for having the wrestling match with Rahman and now punching Tyson and causing him to be cut.

    Also, although Tyson's commentary at the Lewis press conference towards a reporter was disgusting, I don't believe it should have been focussed upon the way it was because I believe he is entitle to engage in his free speech rights to respond to another person's antagonistic free speech towards him. Yes it was gross, but he did not move to attack the reporter, and I don't believe it has ever been written that fighters have to be likable characters.

    Also, I felt the commissioners revealed bias, made inappropriate commentary on Tyson and his life, and openly revealed their feelings towards him even before he answered their questions. At times the commissioners appeared preemptively contentious even before answers were given. This should have been a question and answer session, not the commissioners' pontificating. It appeared they already had their minds made up going into the hearing despite certain statements to the contrary. In fact, some of the commentary and back and forthing with Tyson and his representatives was so downright odd that it had me questioning the competence of some of these people to be commissioners. I found it embarassing at times. This was not due process.

    That said, Tyson's patterns in the ring as well as his answers to questions were less than satisfactory. Even before the Holyfield fight he was a dirty fighter, but his conduct has been even more strange in the past number of years. He bit Holyfield, tried to break both Holyfield and Botha's arms, hit Norris after the bell, and hit the referee and Savarese after the referee clearly stepped between them. Tyson admitted he tried to break Botha's arm but that it was in response to Botha's holding tactics. He claimed his punch against Norris was already being thrown when the bell rang and that Norris took a dive from a light punch. He claimed that the referee was in error by not grabbing him instead of Savarese and that he was in the heat of the moment at the time.

    First of all, attempting to break an opponent's arm because he has been holding is clearly a disproportionate response. The Norris punch was clearly after the bell and clearly not in motion before the bell. Tyson's excuse for the Savarese affair was sorely inadequate. Tyson knows fully well that when a referee steps between two boxers, they need to stop punching. His heat of the moment excuse is exactly what the commissioners are concerned about: Tyson cannot control himself.

    Ultimately, I cannot blame the commission for voting against licensing him because it was obvious that Tyson could not provide adequate assurances that he would not snap against Lewis. I do not believe Tyson was adequately prepared to do so. I do not know if he was unwilling to properly prepare or if those surrounding him simply were incompetent. I think it may be the latter because I don't know what the hell they were trying to do by showing him in the latest Crocodile Dundee movie. They had no real focus and neither did Tyson.

    What Tyson needed was a moving speech about how saddened he was about how he had conducted himself and that he saw this as his last chance to go down in history as a champion and not just be remembered as the ear biter, that his personal pride and respect for boxing history would not allow him to do something terrible again, that this was his last chance at redemption. Instead Tyson was short with his answers, and generally was instructed to simply listen to his attorney's rendition of facts and then affirm that the statement was true. This was hardly the convincing performance he needed, especially that the burden under the law was upon him to convince the commission that he should be granted a license.

    Ultimately, aside from Tyson's responsibility, those surrounding him made the biggest mistake allowing the press conference to occur before he was licensed, and to instruct Tyson to engage in a stare down. They blew this fight. When you know you have a ticking time bomb, you don't light a match under his ass before he's licensed by putting him in close proximity with a man towards whom he's openly expressed hostility. Huge mistake. I truly believe that if there was no press conference debacle that he would have been licensed. Enough time had passed after his last ring debacle and he conducted himself well in the last fight with Nielsen. However, the whole
    mess of a press conference simply had everyone focussing on Tyson's past conduct once again. The press conference did him in, and ironically, it was the least egregious of all of Tyson's conduct.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xThe Tyson Debacle``x1012411343,34713,``x``x ``xCan anybody tell me why the mean lady from The Weakest Link was sitting in with the Nevada Boxing Commission on January 29th? Her hair wasn't as red as it appears on network TV, but I could have sworn it was her. Sure looked to me like she was dying to get all gussied up in black vinyl and give Mike Tyson a pants-down spanking.

    Maybe what Iron Mike needs is a little Victorian discipline.

    Who knows? A couple of weeks on a short leash trailing behind Mistress Ayoub or Agwe or whatever the mean lady's name was, might be the most effective training he ever had. Maybe French kissng her high-heel sneaker every night before curling up at the foot of her bed would put him in touch with his feminine side.

    Scary thought, that.

    Frankly I don't care if I ever see Mike Tyson fight again, because he's become a bore, but the exercise in sanctimony performed by that august body, the Nevada Boxing Comission, was much more of an atrocity than Tyson's quasi-rumble with Lennox Lewis and friends before the press in New York City. There was Dr. Flip Homansky, ring doctor to the stars, doing his Sensitive Nineties Guy impression and evoking memories of Nancy Reagan by saying with a look of pale regret writ large upon his face, "It was just time that someone said. No."

    Gosh, Flip.

    That statement's right up there its simple-minded perspective with, "Can't we all just get along?" (I think Wink Martindale with a fake goatee should play you in the movie.)

    Then there was Bailey, the new guy on the commision, with his brow-furrowed ultra-sincerity and that I-really-want-to-understand-you-Mike spiel--the man's apparently watched way too many Richard Dreyfuss flicks.

    Tyson himself, appearing old and tired (make that very old and very tired), overweight and sad, promised solemnly to be a good boy and never do it again. "It" being anything that the Weakest Link lady might disapprove of, which--judging by her clenched demeanor--probably included the thinking of impure thoughts.

    And his droning gray eminence of laywer doing that logically-evasive-yet-somehow-forthcoming lawyer thing we've all come to loathe and love courtesy of LA LAw, Law And Order, The Practice, and the Clinton administration...that was sweet, huh? Even his suit looked like it had died of boredom.

    It was, in sum, a lounge act from hell, far less entertaining than the usual lame dance number featuring bare-chested gay guys armed with teensy whips chasing around half-naked hookers pretending to be ponies to some marshmallow disco tune, while a seventy-year-old Jewish comedian wearing a sombrero tells sixty-year-old fart jokes.

    But no doubt it played in Peoria.

    And this, the applause emananting subsequently from the heartland, helps to convince me that the commission's vote to deny Mike Tyson a boxing license in the state of Nevade--more pertinently, in the suddenly family-oriented enchanted kingdom of Las Vegas--was in essence a marketing decision.

    Since the tragedy of last September 11, our country self-image has been transformed from a brawling, confusing menage a 300 million into a red, white, and blue poster for noble enterprise and enduring freedom, with pre-pretzel George W. playing the fife, head wrapped in a bloody bandage, and ol' Enron-loving Dick Cheney waving a tattered battle flag, leading a parade of soldiers, paperboys, waitresses, factory workers, farmers, et al, black and brown and white together, all with shining countenances and all fervently committed to spreading the gospel of the American Dream to the ends of the earth. Even junkies and armed robbers, poltroons and deviants of every stamp, are now given to sporting flag pins and pasting anti-Osama stickers on their bumpers. But while the war on terrorism is a commitment worthy of our passion, the fallout from the war effort is strictly commercial. Patriotism is once again box office. Morality sells. Simple values are in vogue. No matter what your belief as to how deep a hold these values and passions have on the American public, it's plain that profit-taking and exploitation are, as always, also in vogue. Thus it is my fervent and deeply held belief that the Nevada Boxing Commission, after receiving counsel from various and sundry millionaires with vested interests in the outcome of their deliberations, recognized that the quick hit of 200 hundred million that would be generated by Tyson vs. Lewis was small potatoes by contrast to the long-term gains that might be accrued by consolidating Las Vegas' image as oasis of family fun, and that this, not any semblance of a moral consideration, informed their decision. And it was apparent from watching the commision in action that this decision had been made long before their ludicrous dog-and-pony show.

    Perhaps they acted with some reluctance. 200 million in hand is a great temptation. But they did so realizing that they could not afford to swim against the tide of generic media-sponsored virtue that is washing shore-to-shore, and were therefore forced to have faith that this tide will continue to run long enough for their judgment to show a profit. Given the public's short attention span, it's unlikely that their faith will be rewarded.

    Though the four members of the commision who voted against the issuance of a license to Tyson have assured us that their decision was based not upon the dust-up with Lewis in New York, but upon their concerns over Tyson's pattern of behavior during the past year, this is patently false. Nary a whisper of said concern was heard prior to the press conference. Everyone knew a license would be issued. But after the press conference, once the media had freshly demonized Tyson, portraying him as a creature of darkness, yet another insane adherent of Islam, the members of the commision were on the tube night and day, expressing their angst over the vast moral dilemma with which they had been confronted.

    And now, out there in the hinterlands, solid middle-of-the-road citizens are saying to themselves, Y'know, now they kicked that no good expletive deleted outa the place, maybe it's time I took granny and the kids to Las Vegas for some good ol' All-American Keno and craps.

    At least such is the commission's hope.

    There is no doubt that to a great degree Mike Tyson brought all this down on himself, that he enabled the commission's hypocrisy by his continued malfeasance. Surely he and his advisors understood the tenor of the times; surely they understood that Tyson's image was such that even the slightest misstep would create a media furore and cause him to be cast in the worst possible light. If, as has been suggested, the display of testerone by Tsyon, Lewis, his bodyguards, hairdresser, dogwalker and best friend Pete at the press conference was a staged event, Tyson's advisors should have kept its dire potentials in mind and never have bought into it, knowing the volatility of the circumstance. I have no personal knowledge of Tyson, and as stated, I don't care if I ever see him fight again, because his schtik has become tiresome and he's no longer much of a fighter. (Then neither do I care if I ever see Lennox Lewis or any other of the current crop of heavyweights fight again, for more-or-less the same reasons.) Whether he is man or man-beast is beyond my capacity to determine--I am not so prescient or well-grounded in the study of psychology as are, it would seem, those journalists who assess the measure of his soul on a daily basis. Obviously Tyson has problems, but many athletes have had disturbing histories and, rightly or wrongly, have been granted leniency under the law and the absolution of the media. But Tyson has never warranted this tender treatment. He is the Bad Man From The Streets, and as such, plays into the stereotypes that fund a reflexive judgment on the part of the fools who command the bully pulpits along press row.

    It's quite possible that Tyson is a terminal asshole who is dangerous to himself and others, but that fact, if true, should not occlude the ultimately more salient fact that those who sit in judgment upon him, be they members of the Nevada Boxing Commission or gentlemen of the press or ravers on call-in shows, are for the most part motivated to damn him not because he is who he is, but because they are who they are. Whether they are purely cynical in their stance or are giving voice to a morality they glean from television and have learned to parrot, or be they the so-called opinion-makers who preach only what they believe their audience can accept, only what they want to hear, Tyson has become for them all a kind of pornography. They can't wait for him to fuel their arousal, to provoke an incident that will allow them to vent their crypto-sexual outrage. He is the target of a national focus that longs for him to perpetrate a final tragic act, a murder or a self-immolation of some sort, and being at the center of this million-eyed stare, perhaps he will be prompted to satifsfy that longing. For it is clear that whatever the extent of his personal darkness, the nature of his culpability, the quality of his rage and duplicity, he is tormented by this focus, challenged and even goaded by it. Perhaps one day soon he will provide us with the profound yet fleeting gratification of seeing his celebrity displayed post-mortem in all its bloody and broken hubris on the cover of a dozen tabloids. The demon whom we have exorted and exalted, whom we have licensed to play out his creaturely life before our eyes, now brought low not by his actions alone, but also by the radiation of our distaste for this charmed and charmless icon that we have partially created out of our need for demons, for figures that have the power to eat our sin, to absorb our own darkness and shape it into a form that we feel comfortable in condemning.

    What the Nevada Boxing Commission did on January 29th is, in the end, irrelevant. The fight will or will not take place. Tyson will likely die horribly or diminish into a pitiable state. September 11th will fade into history and be remembered on national occasions with speeches and shows of grief, both actual and contrived. And scarcely anyone will be left to wonder why the mean lady from The Weakest Link sat in on the licensing hearing. But the commission's actions are valuable in one regard. Irrelevant and fundamentally meaningless though they are, their very insignificance, the smallness of their scope, succeeded in sharpening the general focus to such a degree, it had the effect of a flash bulb going off, allowing us to take a snapshot of the culture that mostly illuminates not the state of Mike Tyson's soul, but the state of the national consciousness, spots and all. In the image of the tired, declined athlete, the aging bad-boy monster surrounded by his bland mouthpieces and wishing for his Zoloft; in the serial blah blah blah of the commissioners; in the prurient glee of the media; in the shabbiness of the entire business; anyone who wanted to look closely enough could see the operations of the forces that employ us to their ends, the reactive nature of our morality, the deprived condition of our spirits, the randomness of our days. For that alone, even in its hypocrisy and sanctimony, the commission and that bright light city whose imperatives they serve should be congratulated. The sport of boxing can hold its head high--it has joined the great parade and now can proudly go ompah, oompah, oompah with all the rest of the Uncle-Sam-come-latelys. And the image cultivated by the resort, the idea promoted that it is home to larger than life figures in their decline remains intact. Gone are Elvis and Frank, but hey, Iron Mike lives on in the desert.

    For a while, anyway.

    Viva Las Vegas.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBright Light City Gonna Knock Me Out - By Lucius Shepard``x1012490786,17278,``x``x ``xAn undisputed boxing weekend
    Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins defend world titles on Saturday

    by Kris Van de Velde,
    WORLD CUP OF BOXING
    http://www.worldcupofboxing.com/



    The first weekend of February 2002 is certain to go down into the history
    books. Two undisputed world championships on one and the same night has
    become an unicum in today's boxing world. After the great upset victory of
    Vernon Forrest against Shane Mosley last week, boxing has a second golden
    opportunity to promote itself towards the general public and force the
    shameless Tyson Tales to the background.

    Light heavyweight champion and WCOB #1 Roy Jones Jr. is defending his world
    crown against Australian Glenn Kelly (#8, v800 - all values unofficial
    until Feb. 5, when the new rankings will be published) at the American
    Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
    Many experts claim it's just another piece of cake for the easy-going
    Jones, who has reportedly been pressurized to face either Hopkins,
    Jirov or Michalczewski later on this year. Jones will not play basketball
    before he enters the arena on Saturday, but he has been rapping and
    promoting his first single even in the course of this week! With Mosley's
    shattering defeat fresh in everyone's memory, people wonder whether Jones
    is not pushing his luck a bit too far. After all, Kelly is undefeated in 28
    fights and knows he has nothing to lose.
    If he turns out victorious, Roy Jones will get 800 points behind his name.
    A fair number, but not enough to threaten current World Cup leader Antonio
    Tarver, who earned 1400 points by outpointing #4 Reggie Johnson last week.

    The second undisputed title fight will be held in Reading, Pennsylvania,
    and sees
    middleweight king Bernard Hopkins (#1 ,v2000) defend against fellow
    American Carl Daniels (#8, v800).
    At 37, Hopkins suddenly became one of boxing superstars last
    September by crushing Felix Trinidad in twelve rounds. But how much is left
    in Hopkins' tank after the biggest fight of his life? Has he managed to
    prepare himself physically and psychologically for this mandatory but less
    significant defence? Carl Daniels is a former
    champion at super-welter and has been living up to this fight for several
    months. Perhaps no major attraction, but certainly no push-over neither.
    The middleweight division has been largely inactive in January, which
    implies that the winner of Hopkins-Daniels will automatically take the lead
    in the WCOB rankings.

    On the undercard in Miami, Ronald Winky Wright (#3, v1600) puts his WBO
    title at stake against Jason Papillon (#28, v306). Technician Wright is
    likely to push Fernando Vargas down to third in the WCOB total ranking.

    Supporting the main event in Reading is #12 super lightweight Randall
    Bailey (v480), who meets #56 Demetrious Ceballos (v55). Bailey can swap
    places with Micky Ward if he wins.

    Former Olympic champion Vassily Jirov (#2, v1800) defends his IBF
    cruiserweight title in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday against tough
    Argentinean veteran Jorge Castro (#11, v490).
    The unbeaten Kazakh is a clear favourite but should not take chances
    against Castro, who is best known for his stunning knock-out victory over
    John David Jackson at middleweight. Jirov, a tremendous body puncher, will
    become the new number one at cruiserweight if he beats Castro.

    A top bantamweight contest takes place in Panama City on Friday. Local hero
    and WBO champion Mauricio Martinez (#7, v900) faces Puerto-Rican Omar
    Adorno (#32, v276) and may move up to rank 6 if successful.

    Over in Telde, Spain, European super featherweight champion Boris Sinitsin
    (#10, v600) meets Spaniard Pedro Miranda (#32, v276) in an interesting
    rematch. Sinitsin won their first encounter a few months ago, but the fight
    was hard and close. The winner will firmly establish himself in the
    division's top ten. ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWeekend Preview``x1012586316,75077,``x``x ``xHere is a little preiview from our next iussue of WAIL!


    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/wail_feb02-mcd.htm``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xReview of Sting Like a Bee``x1012605739,78017,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    LAWRENCE, MA – Don’t let me hear you say that New England is the haven for biased hometown judging, unless of course the bias is against the hometown fighter. Over the past few years, close decisions have been going the other way and there is certainly nothing wrong with that when an unwelcome visitor deserves the nod. It’s when the hometown kid appears to have won the fight only to hear otherwise. That was the case a few months ago when Haverhill prospect Jeff Frazza lost a close, split decision to Andre Baker of North Carolina on a Doug Pendarvis promoted card. Though Frazza wasn’t impressive, his work rate seemed to have won his fight with a journeyman who entered the ring with a 3-14 record. Last night at the gymnasium of Central Catholic High School in Lawrence it happened again. Edwin “Lightning” Sanatana, 127, of Lawrence via Santo Domingo, D.R., who hadn’t fought since losing a lopsided decision last year to then champion Joel Casamayor, appeared to have outfoxed Colombia’s Isidro Tejedor, 129, for 8 rounds only to lose a split decision. The verdict shocked everyone in attendance (of approximately 800) who were silent after the scorecards (79-73, 77-75 and 75-77) were read in Tejedor’s favor. The CBZ had it 76-74 for Santana.

    Reportedly, Santana had been battling the flu but even in his lackluster showing, it appeared that his in-and-out strategy and higher punch volume (no CompuBox wasn’t there, it just appeared that he was throwing more) had been piling up points. For his part Tejedor, the stronger puncher of the two had moments on the inside but those flashes didn’t happen often or appear impressive. What’s more surprising is that as of 9:00 last night, Tejedor wasn’t even in the building. Pendarvis feared and everyone else feared a no show and the anxious crowd had to wait an hour for the main eventors to step into the ring. Whether it was bad directions (I had a bitch of time finding this place) or lack of motivation, Tejedor improved to 15-6-4 with 8 KO’s on a night he should have lost. If Santana (now 27-5-5 with 7 KO’s) wants a rematch, he might be better served fighting Tejedor in his own backward.

    In other bouts:

    Jr. middleweights: Jason Lehoulier, 151, Nottingham, NH TKO1 (1:48) Thomas Coleman, 152 ½, Philadelphia, PA. Gil “Sugar” Reyes, 151, Lawrence, MA TKO4 (1:38) Kevin Carter, 146, Lumberton, NC.

    Featherweights: Jose Ayala, Lowell, MA TKO5 (1:02) Bobby Rishea, Bradford, Ontario.

    Heavyweights: Adam Harris, 197 ½, Worcester, MA TKO1 (2:37) Rhonek Ross, 182 ½, Philadelphia, PA.

    Promoter: Doug Pendarvis
    Referees: John Zablocki and Mike Ryan
    Judges: Leo Gerstel, Robert Kaprielian and Kenneth Volovick (a.k.a. “The Three Blind Mice)

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xJudges Spoil Homecoming for Santana``x1012658177,39747,``x``x ``xCanadian Welterweight Champion and Olympian Hercules Kyvelos (21-0 11KOs) carried his unbeaten record to a 21st victory, scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over New Jersey-based Johnny Molnar (19-2-1 10KOs) this evening in the Super Welterweight Main Event on Showtime’s ShoBox at Bally’s Resort Casino in Atlantic City.

    The judges scored the fight 95-94, 96-93 and 99-91. Kyvelos clearly
    dominated the fight from the opening bell. Fighting Molnar’s fight, Kyvelos outfought his opponent on Molnar’s home turf.

    Kyvelos demonstrated to American fans his lightening speed, superior
    combination skills and his status as world title contender.

    Kyvelos is ranked 5th in both the WBC and IBF and 10th in the WBO. Kyvelos returns to Montréal on Sunday. This is Kyvelos’ fifth victory on U.S. television. Showtime’s ShoBox features the new generation of professional boxing’s hottest prospects.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xKyvelos Beats Molnar to stay undefeated``x1012698529,18235,``x``x ``xBy Chris Bushnell

    We've all been here before: Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones defend their titles against weak opposition in hopes of generating interest in a rematch of their 1993 showdown. Two years ago, the victims were Syd Vanderpol and Richard Hall. After that showcase, the Jones-Hopkins finale never took place... and after Hopkins and Jones beat up the hapless Carl Daniels and Glen Kelly in a double-header in 2002, the showdown doesn't look any closer to happening than
    it did in 2000.

    The roadblock to Jones-Hopkins II is money. But here, neither Jones nor Hopkins is concerned with how much they'll earn for the fight... both are concerned with how much the other guy is getting. Hopkins feels that his thrilling victory over Felix Trinidad entitles him to a majority of the cash, while Jones insists that he's the one who deserves the bigger percentage. During a heated exchange between the two undisputed champions between their title defenses, Hopkins was wise enough to suggest that both men could split the mountain of gold, 50-50. It was a suggestion that Jones scoffed at. The fact of the matter is that both of these guys needs this fight: their current
    weight divisions are practically void of talent.

    Roy Jones, who has fed on a steady diet of no-hopers, faced his weakest competition since the Hall fight in Australian Glen Kelly. Although undefeated down under, Kelly's lack of skill was apparent from the bout's opening moments. With his hands covering his face from the opening bell, Kelly approached Jones in the first as though he were scared for his life. Staring at Jones in wide-eyed amazement, Kelly seemed too frightened to return fire when Jones began pounding him. Despite advantages in fight-time weight, reach, and height, Kelly's slow hands and comical lack of balance made him an easy target for the lightening quick Jones. It didn't matter what punch Roy wanted to throw: lead rights, lead hooks, lead body shots...
    they all landed flush.

    Despite repeated verbal lashings between rounds by trainer Jeff Fenech, Kelly just couldn't get his own fists moving. Moving his hands left him open for Jones' speedy counters, so Kelly was mainly content to stand still, except when flinching away from Jones' feints. But even with his hands over his face, Kelly was vulnerable to Jones' accurate punching. Big Jones rights staggered Kelly twice in the second. A dazzling Jones left hook/uppercut dropped Kelly to all-fours in the third. The fourth and fifth rounds saw a timid Kelly wobble with nearly every Jones blow. And Jones dumped Kelly to the canvas again in the sixth with a vicious left hook to the body. Get the picture?

    Kelly was the perfect opponent for Roy Jones to show off his tremendous skills, and never was that more clear than in the seventh round. After toying with Kelly for half the round, Jones backed to the ropes and put both of his gloves behind his back. Kelly threw three jabs at the defenseless Jones. The light-heavyweight champion slipped all three with ease, then uncorked a right from behind his back. The punch was a blur even in slo-mo replay, and it bounced off the top of Kelly's head, sending him to the canvas in a heap. He would not beat the 10-count. Save that one for the highlight reel.

    After the sensational knockout, Jones (46-1/37) put on his championship belts, which not only include those of the WBC, WBA and IBF, but also straps from the IBO, WBF, IBA, and two belts from the NBA (no, not the basketball league). In a post-fight interview, Jones ranted against Hopkins, claimed for the umpteenth time that he was finally ready for Dariusz Michaelczewski, and gave shout-outs to the cel-phone wielding homies that make up his crew. At some point during his half-serious tirade, even Jones had the audacity to insult Hopkins' choice of opposition on the undercard.

    Not that Carl Daniels was worthy of much praise. Somehow Daniels was deemed to be Hopkins' mandated challenger... despite having not fought since December of 2000. It showed. The awkward southpaw stuck a few decent straight lefts into Hopkins' face in the opening round before settling into a more comfortable groove of absorbing near-constant punishment. Hopkins took his time breaking Daniels down, landing a much-harder lead cross of his own, a series of hooks to the chin, and a barrage of body punches that punctuated Hopkins' effort in every round. Those body shots had the flabby Daniels visibly wincing by round six, but the game challenger kept trying to make a fight until the end of the tenth. By then, having dropped every round
    to Hopkins, Daniels' corner wisely decided that enough was enough. He would not leave his stool for round eleven.

    While Roy Jones clearly needs Hopkins because his division is void of serious opposition, Hopkins isn't in a much better position. With the dispatching of Felix Trinidad, the middleweight division is looking almost as empty as the light-heavyweight class. While there are a lot of big names one division south, few of those fighters will be venturing to 160 in the near future. Once negotiations with Jones stall out, Hopkins (now 41-2-1/30) will likely move DOWN to 154 to get his share of the big money. Despite making his pro debut at 177 lbs., Hopkins has had no problem weighing-in below the middleweight limit for his last several defenses. A few more pounds to 154
    shouldn't hurt him too badly.

    Lost in the back-and-forth between Jones and Hopkins, and the attention paid to the lack of talent in this night's opposition, was the fact that Hopkins broke Carlos Monzon's outstanding record of 14 successful middleweight title defenses. While few people will remember #15 against Daniels, the win is a major milestone for Hopkins, and a world record that will likely stand for years, if not decades. And let's not forget... the streak continues. Unless Hopkins moves up to face Jones or down to face the talent pool at junior
    middle, the record will only grow.

    The bottom line: will Hopkins and Jones ever fight? Probably... but not soon.

    .....Chris Bushnell
    http://www.boxingchronicle.com

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xJones-Hopkins II: Don't hold your breath ``x1012717068,87653,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    You always hear about these people, the one’s who have nothing better to do than to send viruses through the Internet, or get themselves off on the latest sex with animals web sight. It’s discouraging to know that there are people out there besides the Taliban who have nothing better to do than to waste their lives away. Were they picked on a little too much in grade school? Did they pay any attention of what was going on in the classroom? Were they allowed to participate in the neighborhood activities? Did they ever get a date to the junior or senior prom?

    Sometimes I thank God for being blessed with who I am. After all, I’m as funny as Jim Carrey, as handsome as Brad Pitt, I'm hung like Mr. Ed and date Halle Berry. All kidding aside, I’m glad that I was blessed with a moderately functional brain that knows what’s right from wrong. When viewing last night’s doubleheader on HBO, I was hit with a startling statistic, one that really woke me up in the wee hours of the night. On the HBO telecast, fans were asked to submit their vote as to who they felt would win in a rematch between Roy Jones, Jr. and Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. In a shocker, 22% of the voters felt that Hopkins would win. Maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, maybe they accidentally voted for Hopkins. Or maybe they thought it was possible that Roy Jones could get a better screw job than the one he received in Seoul, South Korea in the 1988 Olympic Games? Maybe they weren’t aware that Jones is the bigger fighter and easily defeated Hopkins with one hand years ago. Unfortunately, I tend to besiege myself with sheer optimism. The most likely scenario is that these weirdos smoke crack. What the hell is wrong with you people?

    It’s not like Roy Jones defeated Michael Spinks or even Mathew Saad Muhammad last night. He whipped a plodding, strong, light heavyweight in Australia’s Glen Kelly in seven utterly one-sided rounds. It wasn’t even the impressive manner in which he disposed of Kelly: fighting in “chicken mode” with his hands literally behind his back before delivering a crunching right hand to the ear. It’s the fact that he has never, since we’ve seen him on television or in person come close to really losing. Sure there was the rediculous DQ loss to Montell Griffin in ’97 and the time he was floored by Lou Del Valle the following year, only to win every other round. You could also throw in Roy’s fight with Eric Harding, arguably the second best light heavyweight in the world who gave Roy fits when the champion was spending the majority of his time promoting their match. Outside of 10 rounds of his entire career, Jones has never shown a sign of not being the best fist fighter on the planet. Jones consistently makes everything that happens in a boxing ring look easy, almost as easy as clicking your mouse on the name that said “Roy Jones, Jr.”

    So what are these people watching when they see the likes of Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins perform in the ring? What do they not notice? Do they not notice the huge disparity in skill or speed between the two? Do they notice that aside from Trinidad, a predictable fighting machine, that Hopkins is actually hit by the punches that are thrown at him where as Roy Jones does not get hit? Is it really because Jones’ opponents are not nearly as talented as the ones who face the Moselys, the de la Hoya’s, the Trinidads or the Hopkins? Or is it that Roy Jones is just that damn good? I think it has to do with the latter.

    For over five years now Jones has dominated the light heavyweight division, a division that nearly everyone looks at distortedly because of the unsupported notion that the division sucks. People mistakenly point that Jones does not fight in a talented weight class. This is what really chaps my ass. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with today’s light heavyweights? Besides the fact that they all fight each other unlike every other weight class, what isn’t reasonably impressive about the way Reggie Johnson, Eric Harding, Montell Griffin, Antonio Tarver, Julio Gonzalez or Dariusz Michalzewski fight? What about today’s crop of 175-pounders makes you believe that they are not a talented bunch? Is it the fact that their hands aren’t as fast as “Sugar” Shane Mosley? Is it the fact that they all don’t posses the ability to slip or roll with punches the way Floyd Mayweather does?

    There has never been an era in boxing when the light heavyweights possessed the skills that a world class lightweight would have. Even Billy Conn managed to absorb a few punches from his contemporaries, as did Ezzard Charles. The fact of the matter is, given their size, light heavyweights weren’t made to move around like Speedy Gonzalez or even Virgil Hill for that matter. Virgil Hill, if you don’t recall was the dominant light heavyweight of the 90’s heralded for his tremendous speed and excellent foot movement for a man his size. The along came Roy Jones. Since the days of Georges Carpentier, light heavyweights have been fighters who were typically too big for middleweights and too small for heavyweights. In today’s bunch you have a strong class of fighters dominated by the most gifted and hardest working boxer in the world, who fans won’t appreciate until he hangs ‘em up or until they quit smoking crack. That’s when they’ll realize after years of insanity, that it’s time to move out of their parent’s garage.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xScientific Research Reveals 22% of Fight Fans Smoke Crack``x1012718317,15803,``x``x ``x


    The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle
    By Robert Anasi

    Published by North Point Press; February 2002; $24.00US/$38.95CAN; 0-86547-599-7

    Read an excerpt from this new book


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBook Excerpt: "The Gloves"``x1012946196,72892,``x``x ``xBy Joe Koizumi

    TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC #16 ranked 115-pounder Takuya Kiya (19-4-1, 14 KOs), 116.25, sent Thai #9 Saengcharoen Mahasaph Condo (3-5-1, 1 KO), 116, twice before he finally sank the overmatched opponent at 2:01 of the 8th round in Tokyo.

    Kiya, previously ranked in the top ten by the WBA and the WBC, had dropped due to his upset defeat by the current WBC super-fly champ Masamori Tokuyama, raised his stock by acquiring the national title, but forfeited it to Shingo Sasaki by a hard-fought decision last year. Kiya, a good boxer-puncher, is gunning for any title again through his fluctuating career.

    Undercard:
    Upcoming Shunsuke Ito (10-1-1, 7 KOs), 139, continued his KO streak by halting Thailander Chalaamdam Sistyatraditrakam, 139, at 2:50 of the 6th round in a scheduled 8.

    Promoter: Kaneko Promotions.

    (2-13-02)
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWBC # 16 Kiya sinks Saengchareon ``x1013637539,9475,``x``x ``xNew York, Feb. 14-Boxing trainer Teddy Atlas knows a thing or two about heavyweights, having trained both Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer, two former heavyweight champions. Now, Atlas has heavyweight Michael Grant in an Elizabeth, New Jersey gym every day as Grant hits the comeback trail after successive losses to Lennox Lewis and Jameel McCline.

    And Atlas, who doubles as ESPN/2's Friday Night Fights expert analyst, likes Grant's progress. "He's been turning the corner in the past couple of weeks," says Atlas. "He's training well. It's been difficult but he's gaining confidence. He's sparring and in the gym every day. His commitment and attitude is what you want it to be. There's something to build on to get back where we want to be."

    Grant has a non-televised fight slated for March 9, and Atlas envisions several more similar endeavors before heading back up to the big time. "Our plan is to keep him busy," says Atlas. "We'll have four or five fights off television, and then access where we are. We getting ready for March 9, then looking at April and May, a fight every month. Four fights and we'll see where we are."``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTeddy Atlas to keep Michael Grant busy on comeback``x1013711566,54112,``x``x ``xBOSTON -- Pendarvis Boxing Promotions and M & M Sports – in association with Budweiser, Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Holiday Inn in Randolph, Wellcare Management and Frugal McDoogal - presents "The Final Decision," a professional boxing card celebrating Black History Month Friday night, February 22 at The Roxy nightclub in Boston. The bouts will be videotaped and shown in MSG network.

    Headlining the nine-fight card will be lightweight Levander Johnson (30-3-1) against TBA in the 10-round main event. Johnson, of Atlantic City (NJ), has a victory against former WBA light welterweight champ Sharmba Mitchell and a pair of world lightweight championship losses to Orzubrk Nazasrov (WBA) and Miquel Angel Gonzalez (WBC). Sierra, of Columbia, has been in against former IBF junior welterweight champ Terronn Millett, as well as world-class contender Diosbelys Hurtado.

    Luis “El Puma” Villalta (26-1-1, 22 KOs), of Peru, and Freddy Cruz
    (52-31-10, 17 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, meet in a rematch from their November 30th fight that ended in a technical draw due to a cut suffered in the first round. The lightweights will battle in the eight-round co-feature.

    Brockton light heavyweight Mike Culbert (24-4-1, 6 KOs), after nearly a two-year layoff, returns to action against James McCray, of Atlantic City (NJ). Also on the undercard, Philadelphia-based middleweight “Sir” William “The Gladiator” Gibbs (3-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of Brockton, is matched against Harold Tucker, of Philadelphia. WIBF America’s flyweight champion, Wendy “Queen of Thunder” Sprowl (5-1, 2 KOs), of Hull, has a non-title tune-up against Terry Moss (0-0), of Miami (FL). Heavyweights Paul Voravko,
    of Atlantic City, and Sasha Blasi, of Long Island, will be both making their pro debuts in a four-round match-up.

    Also slated to be on the card are Worcester’s unbeaten Adam Harris (5-0, 5 KOs) New York heavyweight Prince Majestic (2-0, 2 KOs), and Everett cruiserweight Richie “The Mountain” LaMontagne (24-4-1, 19 KOs).

    All matches and boxers are subject to change.

    Ticket prices are $60.00 Gold ringside, $40.00 ringside and $25.00 general Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the first bout is scheduled for 7 p.m. To order tickets or for more information call Pendarvis Boxing Promotions at 617-825-3283.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Levander Johnson Headlines Black History Month Card in Boston``x1013784948,6566,``x``x ``xROCK or Just a PEBBLE?

    Mr. Rahman, you were quick to point out in your letter to Evander Holyfield, that he did not want to fight you.

    Well now it's my turn. After receiving no reply to the open letter sent to you by my manager, Kevin Barry, I now feel compelled to know "Why Won't You Fight Me?"

    Has it got anything to do with the fact that you have been KNOCKED OUT 3 TIMES, and that I have a pretty good punch? You know that anyway! Remember December 20, 1998 in Miami?

    I DO!

    Most fighters pray for the opportunity to avenge a loss.

    Apparently, most fighters, except Hasim Rahman.

    These are the challenges in life that show the true character of the man. I am waiting for you to show your character.

    As previously offered I am giving you the opportunity "TO FACE YOUR FEAR!"

    DON'T RUN from it. I'M NOT GOING AWAY. Let's give the fans what they really want to see, and MAY THE BEST CHIN WIN!



    - David Tua







    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xOpen Letter from Tua to Rahman``x1013788154,11090,``x``x ``xTacoma Bid for Tyson Fight Triggers Hoorah,
    plus Club Show Plans
    By Katherine Dunn

    The angry letters to the editor of the Tacoma
    News Tribune have a familiar tune that begins, "As a
    woman, wife and mother,…" and include phrases like
    "outraged", "enough is enough," and "What message
    would we be giving to our children…?’ The topic, of
    course, is Mike Tyson.

    It seems Tacoma promoter Brian Halquist has been
    actively lobbying Tyson business-guy Shelly Finkel in
    a bid to bring the Lewis-Tyson bout to the Tacoma
    Dome. The DECENT people of the area are naturally
    upset. The fight fans are keeping their ears peeled.

    A BIG fight is not as silly a notion as it might
    seem for this smallish, rusty port on Puget Sound.
    Tacoma has always been a good fight town. It’s the
    homeground of Greg Haugen, Leo Randolph, Rocky
    Lockridge, Johnny Bumphus, and Sugar Ray Seales, among
    many others. Tacoma amateurs are among the busiest and
    best trained in the nation. The long time coach of the
    oldest amateur boxing program in the city is Tom
    Mustin, the 2000 Olympic coach. The city turns out in
    force for the annual Tacoma Golden Gloves Tournament.
    And the Emerald Queen Casino, tucked into a by-water
    in the harbor, has been running sold-out professional
    club shows every month with promoter Brian Halquist at
    the helm. A running contract with the Showtime network
    even televises some of the Emerald Queen cards.

    Still, the odds against the mildewed left armpit
    of the nation getting this big show are probably slim.
    But even thinking about it gives the local wowsers the
    pleasure of all that righteous indignation. Just what
    February needs in the dank zones. A reason to get up
    and rant every morning.

    Meanwhile, Halquist and company are putting together
    their regularly scheduled club show at The Emerald
    Queen Casino for Friday, Feb. 22. Matchmaker Bob
    Oleson describes the proposed card this way:

    In a 10 round middleweight main event, Seattle’s Kenny
    Ellis (24-4-2) takes on Quandray "Candy" Robertson
    (11-3) of Salem, Oregon.

    An 8 round lightweight match features Seattle
    semi-golden kid, Martin O’Malley (17-1) vs an opponent
    yet to be announced. If O’Malley shows well here, the
    promoter plans to bring him back for a March 30 main
    event at the Emerald Queen.

    Six rounds for Junior Middleweights Chris Huntwork
    (5-12-10 of Portland, OR vs Eduardo Mendivil 97-2-3)
    of Hemet, CA.

    Portland Jr middleweight Reggie Davis (2-1) is
    pencilled in a four round bout if an opponent can be
    found.

    A heavyweight four rounder pits Jonathan Williams
    (2-1-1) of Seattle against Joe Guzman (1-0) of
    Portland.


    --30--

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTacoma Bids For Tyson Fight``x1013907392,35172,``x``x ``xMoorer Settles for 10 Round Win Over Davis; Bojado Upset!
    By JD Vena at Ringside

    UNCASVILLE, CT – Former two-time heavyweight champion Michael Moorer used to be thrashed when he walked back to his corner in between rounds. He was often accused of going through the motions, to put it lightly, by his former trainer Teddy Atlas. If ever Moorer needed a lambasting or some kind of talkin’ to it was last night or maybe it should have happened during training camp. After Moorer, 223 ½, of Monessan, PA had knocked one-time prospect Robert Davis, 234 ½, of Akron, OH to the canvas twice and had him out on his feet in the opening frame, Michael Moorer plodded his way to winning a unanimous 10-round decision (97-91, and 99-89 twice) last night on Showtime at the Mohegan Sun Arena at the Mohegan Sun.

    What had been expected by most would have been an early knockout win for the only southpaw heavyweight champion, and early on it appeared that the state he had Davis in, a fighter not known for taking a good shot but possessing a stern ticker that a knockout was eminent. But Moorer lulled the action thereafter and many of the 4,000 in attendance had left the Arena as early as the 5th round. Moorer had looked better against previous and better opposition during his latest attempt to regain the heavyweight title. In January of last year, Moorer had pummeled Terrence Lewis in the early going but Lewis knocked Davis cold in their encounter the following May. Davis was a replacement for former US Olympian Lawrence Clay-Bey who pulled out of their match for personal reasons. When asked if the change in opponent had any kind of impact on Moorer he said, “I prepared for a win. Styles make fights and he was a tough fighter tonight.”

    After the opening round, Moorer decided that it would not be in his best interest to go for the finish, but instead of pressuring Davis, he seemed content to just throwing enough punches to keep his adversary honest. Moorer also complained of severe pain in his right shoulder, which was probably why his terrific jab was underused. In the fourth round while Moorer was fighting off the ropes, his right hand got caught in the ropes while trying to unleash a wicked punch. That kind of punch usually takes its toll and could have played a roll in his sub-par performance but Moorer appeared to be sucking wind as early as the third round. The win improved Moorer’s overall mark to 43-2-1 with 34 KO’s while Davis is now 26-4 with 15 KO’s. If Moorer is to be considered the force in the division he once was years ago he could use some of the heat that was spewed on him way back when.

    In what should not have been too much of a surprise, veteran contender Juan Carlos Rubio, 143 ½, of Colima, Mexico (now 27-6-2 with 10 KO’s) upset former 2000 Olympian Francisco “Panchito” Bojado, 144 ½, (now 9-1, with 9 KO’s) over 10 action-packed rounds. Bojado a fearsome 18-year old prospect out of the Main Events stable, became discouraged after not taking his foe out early as he had been accustomed to in his previous 9 pro fights. Bojado won all of his fights within the first 3 rounds and it was evident after those stanzas that Rubio was going to be a serious test for the young charge. Rubio, who had been in with likes of Teddy Reid and Enrique Sanchez controlled the tempo for te remainder of the fight.

    “That was our plan all along,” Rubio told the CBZ through an interpreter. “We knew that we should take our time and that he wasn’t going to come into this fight in the best of shape. I’ve been training for over two and a half months for this fight and with the experience that I had, there was nothing he could do to discourage me.”

    When Rubio made it through the first few rounds, you could see the fatigue in the young Bojado. He was in uncharted waters having never fought over 3 consecutive rounds in his life. When there were breaks in the action, Bojado would remove his mouth piece at times to get a breather. But besides the lack of conditioning, Bojado couldn’t find the necessary answers or the defense to keep his busier foe off him. There were times when Rubio was literally pounding Bojado but Panchito hung tough. He didn’t dog it in the fight but appeared that he, like Moorer had blown it in the gym.

    “He was looking to load up with every shot,” said Bojado’s trainer Roger Bloodworth. “I think it was obvious that Rubio knew this and he took advantage of it. I feel really bad for Jeff (Lacy) who didn’t get any credit for his win tonight over a guy with a lot of fights.”

    Jeff Lacy, 167 ½, of St. Petersburg, FL, another promising Olympian out of the Main Events stable was paired with one-time contender Glenn “The Promise” Thomas, 169 ½ of Louisville, KY and easily passed his scheduled 10-round test. Shortly into the first round of this one, Lacy, nicknamed “Left Hook” needed only a straight right hand to the midsection to make the 39-year old surrender on his knees. After absorbing what appeared to be a an average right hand to the lower right abdomen, which didn’t look too solid, Thomas took a knee and the entire ten-count from referee Dick Flaherty at the :55 second mark. Lacy is now 8-0 with all of which have ended within the distance. Thomas is now 29-8.

    Lacy has had the same degree of difficulty of strong opposition as has “Bad” Chad Dawson of New Haven, CT. Like Lacy, it appears that there aren’t too many opponents who can withstand the power of the 19-year old Dawson, also a super-middleweight and a fan favorite in Connecticut. In an off-television match, Dawson, 164 ½, annihilated Atlanta’s Jerald Lowe at 2:56 of the first round. Dawson had Lowe on the canvas from a strong combination and then beat him up on the ropes while Lowe was defenseless. Dawson is now 4-0 all by KO while Lowe who had only been stopped one other time (to Lacy) is now 3-4.

    Lucia Rijker, 133 ¼, of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the best in women’s boxing wailed on Carla Witherspoon, 132 ½, of Philadelphia, PA until referee Michael Ortega halted the bout at :29 of the 3rd round. Witherspoon, a relative of Tim Witherspoon looked more like a relative of Bambi as she froze like a deer in headlights whenever Rijker was on the attack. Rijker, now 15-0 with 14 KO’s had not fought in two in a half years is looking to get in the ring with Christy Martin by the end of the year.

    In other bouts:
    Justo Sencion, 141 ½, Washington Heights, NY KO8 (2:28) Omar Vasquez, 139 ½, Mexico City, Mexico. Sencion: 19-1, 10 KO’s
    Vasquez: 7-14-4, 5 KO’s

    Dan Judah, 174 ½, of Brooklyn, NY W8 (80-72 twice, 79-73) Robert Davis, 172 ½, Tallahassee, FL.
    Judah: 14-0-1, 7 KO’s
    Davis: 5-11-3

    Promoter – Main Events and Fighnight, Inc.
    Network – Showtime
    Ring Announcer – Jimmy Lennon, Jr.


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMoorer W10 Davis; Ringside Reports by the CBZ``x1013968049,9752,``x``x ``xBy Francis Walker

    Paulie Ayala is prepared to go to war with Bones Adams again. The bout is scheduled to take place on Sat., Feb. 23, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and will be televised live on HBO. The last time Ayala and Adams fought at the Mandalay Bay Events center was on Aug. 4, 2001. Both men staged one of the most exciting fights in the year 2001. Ayala-Adams I was a highly exciting, action packed contest. After 12 rounds of action, Ayala was awarded a razor-thin, unanimous decision that stirred controversy.

    There were no knockdowns, however, in the second round Ayala staggered Adams in the with a right hand. All three judges at ringside scored the bout 10-8 for Ayala, instead if 10-9. The extra point awarded to Ayala made a whole world of a difference, as two of the three judges scored the fight 114-113 and 115-112 for Ayala, and the other had it 114-113 for Adams. If the second round was scored 10-9 as some thought it should have, the bout would have been ruled a majority draw.

    This is not the first time Ayala was awarded a decision that raised eyebrows.

    Ayala, a former WBA bantamweight champion, was the first to hand Johnny Tapia his first professional loss. In what was billed as the "Fight of the Year" in June 26, 1999 in Las Vegas, Ayala was ahead on the judges' scorecards 116-113, 116-113, and 115-114 at the end of the contest. Many ringside observers felt that the scores should have been closer and that Tapia had won.

    Ayala again drew controversy once again, as he defeated Tapia in a non-title rematch in Oct. 7, 2000 again in Las Vegas. Ayala-Tapia II was just as exciting as the first, but again many felt that Ayala should have lost the rematch. Ayala won by scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.

    Ayala is pretty hard to beat and Adams, a former WBA super-bantamweight champion, finds himself in a tough decision. Adams, who vacated the W BA title for the opportunity to fight Ayala last year, has a similar fighting style to Ayala's. Adams, like Ayala, does not rely on a lot of power. Adams throws a lot of punches in combinations and is very fast with his hands. The difference is Adams has a better defense, while Ayala is more aggressive.

    If Ayala-Adams II is just as exciting as the first, then Ayala would probably win another decision considering Ayala's controversial decisions has occurred in Las Vegas.


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xAyala vs. Adams II on Feb 23``x1013969490,66020,``x``x ``xMoorer out-boxes Davis, Lacy KO's Thomas,
    & Bojado Stunned In Upset
    By Francis Walker

    Michael Moorer is back and looking good following his three-year absence
    from boxing. Moorer (43-2-1, 34 KOs), dropped Robert Davis (26-4, 15 KOs)
    twice in the first round en route to winning a unanimous 10-round decision
    at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT on Sat., Feb. 16. On the
    undercard, super middleweight contender, Jeff Lacy (8-0, 8 KOs) remains
    undefeated as he scored a questionable 55-second KO of Glen Thomas (29-8, 16
    KOs) and hard-hitting lightweight prospect Francisco Bojado (9-1, 9 KOs) lost
    for the first time in his career in a stunning upset, losing a unanimous
    decision to Juan Carlos Rubio (27-6-1, 10 KOs). All three bouts were
    televised live on Showtime.

    Michael Moorer reached the top of the boxing world when he became the first
    southpaw light heavyweight contender to win the world heavyweight
    championship by defeating Evander Holyfield on April 22, 1994. However,
    Moorer's rise to fame came crashing down after only his first defense seven
    months later, as he lost the heavyweight championship at the peak of his fame
    to a 45-year-old, George Foreman.

    Moorer won the heavyweight title for a second time on June 22, 1996 when he
    out-pointed top contender, Axel Schultz in his native Dortmund, Germany to
    win the IBF heavyweight title. Moorer reclaimed the credibility he once had
    after stopping Frans Botha (KO 12) and Vaughan Bean (W 12). However, in an
    attempt to unify the IBF title Moorer was KO'd in the eighth round of his
    rematch with Holyfield, then the WBA heavyweight king.

    Drinking, partying, and chasing women led to Moorer's exile from boxing.
    Moorer had lost his desire and passion to train hard and compete like the
    contender he once was. Last Spring, Moorer decided to rededicate himself to
    boxing and at age 34, is younger than Holyfield, Tyson, and Lewis who all has
    done a tremendous job at keeping themselves at the top of the division the
    last 10 years in the public eye, but are tall on thin legs.

    Moorer was once known for his southpaw right jabs and hand speed. He was a
    fast heavyweight, considering he use to fight at 175. Against Davis, Moorer
    did not refer to his right jabs and did not appear to be as fast as he once
    was. However, Moorer still managed to out hustle Davis, who was dropped twice
    in the first round by Moorer's two-punch flurries. For the remainder of the
    contest, Davis found himself fighting in tight clinches and could not hit
    Moorer cleanly.

    Moorer will have another opportunity to reclaim what was twice lost, but like
    very fighter in the fight game Moorer has to prove himself. Davis, a tall,
    strong and sturdy 6' 3," heavyweight contender was a tough test. However,
    Moorer is going to have to challenger the many bigger and harder tests the
    heavyweight class offer.

    Aside from Holyfield, Lewis, and Tyson the only fighters who pose a real
    serious threat in the division are Wladimir Klitschko and Jameel McCline
    because, they are both over 6' 5," and weigh more than 245-pounds of muscle.
    Johnny Ruiz, the WBA heavyweight champ, had three grueling fights with
    Holyfield and could very well lost the title to the slick-boxing undefeated,
    but still unproven WBA No. 1-ranked contender, Kirk Johnson.

    David Tua is a strong knockout puncher and is a very exciting fighter.
    However, Tua mainly relies on his lethal left hook, which was not enough to
    dethrone Lewis of the heavyweight title, or match skills with Chris Byrd. Tua
    can be easily out-boxed.

    Bojado shocking loses first: Francisco Bojado was said to have been boxing's
    next big superstar. As a former member of the 2000 Mexican Olympic boxing
    team, Bojado compiled an impressive amateur record of 168-15 with 85 KOs as
    an amateur. Having knocked out his first nine opponents since his
    professional debut on Jan. 13, 2001. Bojado was outclassed and out-boxed, as
    he lost to an opponent who was not even a ranked contender, much less a
    threat.

    Juan Carlos Rubio constantly pressured Bojado from the opening bell. Rubio
    often launched three-four punch combinations and managed to stalk Bojado
    backward throughout the bout. Bojado kept his hands below his chest and ran
    low on gas after the third round. Bojado even allowed Rubio to score a
    knockdown in the eighth round, as Bojado's glove touched the canvas while
    Rubio's relentlessness proved to be overwhelming for Bojado.

    Rubio won by scores of 96-94 twice and 98-92.

    Jeff Lacy, the IBF's No. 14-ranked contender, won another (too easy) contest.
    Just under a minute into the first round, Lacy landed a left jab to the right
    ribcage of Glen Thomas, which led to a delayed knockdown and the stop to the
    contest. There was speculation that Thomas took a dive. It sounds fishy, as
    Lacy is being moved through the ranks too fast against weak opposition.

    What happened to Bojado, as confident against unproven foes, and could happen
    to Lacy.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMoorer wins, Bojado loses``x1013977799,62553,``x``x ``xJohn ‘The Quietman’ Ruiz Wins Latino Fighter of the Year Award at World Boxing Association Convention in Caracas, Venezuela
    Longtime Manager Norman ‘Stoney’ Stone Captures Manager of the Year Nod

    BOSTON—The first Latino world heavyweight champion, John “The Quietman” Ruiz, was named Latino Fighter of the Year for 2001 by the World Boxing Association at their annual convention in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday.

    “It’s a great honor because there are so many great Latino fighters in the world,” Ruiz (37-4-1, 27 KOs) said after winning the award. “For me to be named Latino Fighter of the Year by the WBA is unbelievable. I want to thank the WBA for not overlooking me.”

    Ruiz captured the WBA title with a unanimous 12-round decision over the legendary Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield on March 3, 2001, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Ruiz retained his crown on Dec. 15 after Ruiz vs. Holyfield III ended in a draw at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

    Ruiz’s longtime manager, Norman “Stoney” Stone also picked up the WBA award for Manager of the Year for 2001.

    “I don’t get Manager of the Year without John Ruiz,” Stone said. “Fighters make managers, but this is the greatest honor.”

    Stone mortgaged his home on three separate occasions to fund Ruiz’s dream of becoming world heavyweight champion. He has served as the Chelsea fighter’s manager since 1989 when Ruiz was a 175-pound amateur.

    Ruiz, promoted by Don King, is currently in San Juan to accept the award for Puerto Rican Fighter of the Year from The Puerto Rico Boxing Commission. Stone will join Ruiz at the formal ceremony where the award will be presented on Thursday.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release: Ruiz Named Latino Fighter of the Year by WBA``x1014063419,87880,``x``x ``xLIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDER JUAN GOLO GOMEZ-TRINIDAD TO HEADLINE
    RING PROMOTIONS' MARCH 7 SHOW IN NYC

    Hot prospects Elfair McKnight and Yuri Foreman Also to Appear on Card at the Park Central New York Hotel

    NEW YORK, Feb. 19 - After playing to a packed house in January, Ring Promotions returns to the Park Central New York Hotel in midtown Manhattan on March 7 with another action-packed night of professional boxing, headlined by lightweight contender Juan Golo Gomez-Trinidad.


    Gomez-Trinidad, a cousin of boxing superstar Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, will fight an eight rounder against a to be named opponent. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native is currently ranked number one by the NABA, number nine by the IBF, and owns a 20-2 record with 13 KOs. He is also a former NABO champion who only lost his title when it was stripped from him due to inactivity stemming from a broken hand.

    "We had a great night in January at the Park Central Hotel, and we're proud to present another card of real fights for real fight fans," said Ring Promotions' Bob Duffy.

    Appearing on March 7 will be heavyweight prospect Elfair McKnight (2-0), who has four NY Golden Gloves titles and four Empire State Games titles to his credit. At 5'10, some have questioned whether McKnight can compete with the giants of the division. "The Wyandanch Warrior" has no such doubts. "All my titles that I won as an amateur, I won in the open division at super heavyweight," said McKnight. "It benefits me because I'll be quicker, but it doesn't really matter because I've always fought bigger guys."

    Exciting junior middleweight Yuri Foreman will also be in action after an impressive pro debut. Foreman, a native of Israel now living in Brooklyn, scored a first round stoppage of Israel Felix on January 24, and will look to continue his winning ways in March.

    In addition, a four round female bout pitting Norma Galloway against Meagan McBain will be a featured attraction on the eight bout card.

    Tickets for this exciting night of boxing, priced at $35 and $50, may be purchased by calling 516-313-2304, or at the following locations:

    The Park Central New York Hotel
    870 7th Avenue
    New York, NY
    212-247-8000

    The Waterfront Crab House
    2-03 Borden Avenue
    Long Island City, NY
    718-729-4862

    For more information on the Park Central New York Hotel, Please visit www.parkcentralny.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTrinidad Cuz to Headline Show in NYC``x1014139254,60366,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena at Ringside

    LOWELL, MA – Another sell-out crowd filled the historic Lowell Auditorium last night to witness New England’s winners of the four regional New England tournaments (held in Lowell, MA, Holyoke, MA, Vermont and Fall River, MA) compete for area supremacy. Most in attendence were there to drink some brews and behold the occasional savage brawls that elicit excitement year after year. Usually the contests held in the Auditorium aren’t appreciated unless the competitors are giving it their 100%. What the fans got last night's fights was a little excitement and some masterful performances by some promising young men, particularly two Providence standouts, Josh Beeman and Matthew Godfrey, both of whom won easily in their final matches.

    The 20 year old, Beeman, a 139-pounder from Providence scored the night’s only knockout with a picture perfect combination, a right hand followed by a left uppercut which left Wilfredo Vasquez of the Fall River region on the mat dazed and confused. Beeman, who entered the ring with an impressive 92-12 record was declared the winner at the :38 mark when referee Mike Ryan called a halt to the bout midway through his unnecessary 10-count. The win not only won Beeman his first New England Golden Gloves title, but the tournament's outstanding boxer award. The reason why you may have never heard of him before was because the man who had defeated him the last two years in the finals was the late Luis Ayala of Lowell who was gunned down in the street by a couple of cowardly carjackers last year.

    “God rest his soul,” said Beeman of his former conqueror. “He was a fighter who helped get me to where I am today. My goal right now is to make the Olympic team”

    Beeman’s stablemate, Matthew Godfrey, also 20 years old is another fighter who aspires to make the Olympic team in 2004. And if he looked as sharp and as composed as he did in dismantling a brave Paul Cyr of Gorum, New Hampshire last night, he has a very good chance. Godfrey, a southpaw won the 201-pound class with skills and composure that you rarely see from most professional heavyweights. And his craft was in full display as he did everything he wanted to do against Cyr but knock him out. The knockout nearly came in the third round when Godfrey landed a powerful right hook that spun Cyr around in a circle. Ryan initiated a mandatory 8-count, which for the most part finished up the round. The win for Godrey was his third Golden Gloves Title, first at heavyweight. Godfrey lost to Jerson Ravelo (a 2000 Olympian) as a 165-pounder in the 2000 U.S. Nationals. Be on the look-out.

    In other Final Results:
    Gregory Cutler of Hartford, CT, protégé of former world title challenger won a 4 round decision and the 112 pound title by outworking Jonathon Vasquez of the Fall River, MA region. Cutler will be attending the University of Michigan on a 4-year boxing scholarship. Miguel Cruz of Lawrence, MA, who is trained by Mel Peabody and spars with world fetaherweight contender, Edwin Santana won the 119-pound title by decisioning Jose Ortiz over 4 rounds. Felix Cruz of the Holyoke, MA region smothered Emmanuel Montano of the Vermont region by bullrushing Montano with short crisp shots. Tha lanky, taller Montano just couldn’t get off any shots and lost a clearcut decision, one that awarded Cruz the 125-pound title. Simeon Donwell of Beverly, MA defeated Jeff Tavano of the Fall River region to claim the 132-pound title. Raul Baez won the 147-pound title by defeating friend (and you could really notice) Richie Torres. Michael Andrade won the 156-pound division title in an exciting match with Henrique Palau and 17-year old Jaidon Codrington won the 165-pount class when he stopped Eddie de la Cruz at 1:37 of the third round. The bout was stopped more of because of de la Cruz’s tactics of holding & hitting. Stephen Richards of Bridgeport, CT who was being cheered on by former 2-time welterweight champion “Magic Man” Marlon Starling (who received a nice ovation) when he defeated the 10th ranked amateur light-heavyweight in the country, Moses Motavo of Revere via Uganda. Motavo, who is trained by Gene McCarty of the Somerville Boxing Club, the same gym that molded WBA champ Johnny Ruiz went after Richards early on as if Richards had stolen something from him but Richards settled into a comfortable counterpunching mode which won over the judges and the light heavyweight title. Nate James of Malden, MA, however took home the 201+ title for the SBC when he defeated pudgy policeman, Shawn Gannon over 4-rounds.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xThe 56th Annual New England Golden Glove Finals ``x1014270147,65019,``x``x ``x
    New WBA 122 lbs champion World Cup leader for two days?

    by Kris Van de Velde

    Thailander Yoddamrong Sithyodthong (#35, v255) won a unanimous 12-round
    decision over WBA 122 lbs title holder Yober Ortega (#7, v900) in Korat,
    Thailand, on Thursday. The scores were 117-112/116-112 and 118-111. Many
    rounds were in fact difficult to see a winner, but Sithyodthong landed the
    cleanest punches against the ever-coming forward Venezuelan and caused
    another upset in this divison this month. A few weeks ago, WBC champion
    Willie Jorrin was also surprisingly held to a draw against Osamu Sato.
    Sithodthong's victory puts him in the provisional lead of the World Cup
    Rankings, 100 points ahead of Sato. Unfortunately for the Thai, Paulie Ayala
    and Clarence Adams meet each other as well this weekend, the winner of that
    bout grabbing at least 1200 WCup points. Nevertheless, the competition at
    122 lbs is fierce.

    WORLD CUP OF BOXING
    http://www.worldcupofboxing.com/
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xOrtega loses 122-lb WBA Title``x1014411098,58663,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    Boston, MA – Former lightweight contender, Levander Johnson won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Jesus Zaratin last night at the Roxy, a night club in Boston as part of a 5-bout card promoted by Doug Pendarvis in honor of Black History Month. Johnson, 136 ½, of Atlantic City was the aggressor throughout the 10 tedious rounds, which saw Zaratin, 138 of Mexico City move in circles. The power-punching Johnson, who had defeated former world champion Sharba Mitchell (’94) and lost in two subsequent title challenges to then champions, Miguel Angel Gonzalez (‘94) and Orzubek Nazarov (’97) had difficulty in finding his fleet-footed rival until the very last round, one in which he caught Zaratin with a clean right hand. The shot floored the Mexican until he managed to his feet at referee Dick Flaherty’s count of 5, the moment when the bell rang to end a bout. Johnson, who improved to 31-3-1 with 25 knockouts won by scores of 98-90, 99-90 and 99-89 and is looking to reenter the title picture he exited (for two years) after his loss to Nazarov. Zaratin is now 21-5-4 with 14 stops.

    The WWF, which comes to Boston on Tuesday could have taken a few pointers from what took place at ringside prior to the Johnson-Zaratin main event. Ring announcer Larry Rosoff allowed Roy “The House of” Payne, a boxer based in Worcester to voice some of his frustrations in finding willing opposition in the Boston area. Payne, a 13-11-4 (with 6 knockouts) cruiserweight, who has fought the likes of Ramon Garbey and Arthur Saribekian has been eking to thurst himself into the New England Boxing scene for a number of years. Payne took it upon himself to call out the names, Timmy Flamos of Brockton, the NE cruiserweight champion and the better known Richie LaMontange of Everett as future opponents. The crowd seemed to appreciate Payne’s bravado but LaMontange’s promoter, Rich Cappiello appeared to be embarrassed by Payne’s bold challenge. After Payne handed the microphone back to Rosoff, Cappiello grabbed it as if it were Vince McMahon stealing it from Stone Cold Steve Austin (yeah, so I watch the WWF). Instead of accepting Payne’s challenge, Cappiello offered Payne a fight with Hector Sanjurjo of Taunton, who defeated Payne by decision in 1997. In the commotion, Payne’s co-manager, Mike Nosky, a knowledgeable scribe from Secondsout.com consented with Capp’s offer as long as a win for Payne would guarantee him a fight with LaMontange. Cappiello tried to play the crowd by matching Payne with Sanjurjo, but they simply didn’t buy it. Nosky had clearly stifled Cappiello’s rebuttal with his counter challenge. Cappiello could be heard saying “Hey, I’ll have to talk to Richie (LaMontange) about it,” while Nosky would reply, “What do you mean you have to talk to Richie? You’re challenging my guy with Sanjurjo and you haven’t even talked to him yet. Just give me a guarantee for Payne to fight LaMontange if Roy beats Hector and we’ll take it!” Cappiello backed it down with a, “Hey folks, I guess he won’t fight Hector,” line. It’s too bad LaMontange wasn’t there to defend his own dignity, because Cappiello didn’t do a good job protecting it. Stay tuned…

    In the co-feature, Louis Villata avenged a 3-round technical draw when the worst referee in boxing, Jordan Picot counted to ten over Freddie Cruz. Villalta, 126, of Lima, Peru, appeared well on his way to beating Cruz but Picot, who had not been doing his job throughout the fight suddenly ended the night early at 1:22 of the 7th round with a surprising knockout. Villalta floored Cruz with a right hand in the 1st and 2nd rounds but the inept Picot didn’t see the punches and ruled the knockdowns as slips. You could have been seated at the Fleet Center down the street to notice that they were actually knockdowns. As the 7th round came to a close, Villalta shoved Cruz into the ropes and as he was falling and Picot tried to get in the action, Villatla landed a fight hand to thhe back of the ear. Picot didn’t hesitate to count this time. Hopefully, Nick Manzello, the state’s commissioner will finally ask Picot, who may have had a clue at one time or another to step down from the tasks that he clearly isn’t capable of handling. Villalta is now 26-1-1 with 21 knockouts, while Cruz who drew with Villalta in November when an accidental cut ended their first fight, fell to 53-31-10 with 17 KO’s.

    “Sir” William “The Galdiator” Gibbs, a middlweight from Philadelphia and cousin of Bernard “The Executioner" Hopkins went the distance for the 1st time in 5 bouts with a unanimous decision (40-36 x3) over Michael Corleone of Brooklyn, NY. Corleone was called in as a replacement only yesterday for Keith Sonley of New Brunswick, Canada, who wasn’t allowed into the U.S. because of a criminal background check by our trusty customs department. Apparently, Pendarvis made an offer to Corleone that he couldn’t refuse but defeating Gibbs would have been too much a task. Corleone fought his heart out and lasted the four round limit.

    In other bouts, Mike Culbert, the former Massachusetts middleweight and super-middleweight champion won an ugly four round decision over James “Rocky” McCray of New Jersey. Culbert of Brockton, MA, who had not fought since defeating Jimmy Cappiello (no relation to the aforementioned promoter) in 2000 improved to 25-4-1 with 5 KO’s. McCray, who pulled out a draw in the CBZ’s eyes fell to 7-26-1 with 4 KO’s. Wendy Sprowl, a 105-pound mother of two of Hull, MA won a 4-round decision over Terry Moss of Miami, FL.

    Promoter – Doug Pendarvis
    Ring Announcer – Larry Rosoff
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xJohnson Decisions Zaratin; Payne Calls Out LaMontange``x1014444822,85931,``x``x ``xHome of the Buckeyes plays host to Friday Night Fisticuffs
    By Barry Hanley

    This week's installment of Friday Night Fights took place at the Schotenstein Center within the confines of Ohio State University, home of the buckeyes. Instead of a game of hoops the fans were treated to a triple header of boxing action.

    First off, a pair of 170 pound light-heavyweights tore it up. Local product, Anthony Hanshaw from Mansfield, Ohio (13-0 with 10 KO's) faced Dana Rucker (13-3-0 with 10 KO's) a former kung fu enthusiast who came late to the fight game. Hanshaw came into the ring with much pomp and circumstance. Ten members of his high school band led him to the apron.

    The fight opened with a solid first round of high powered body assaults by the crowd favorite. Hanshaw came to the fight with a glossy and extensive amateur record of 300 plus fights capitulated by a position as an Olympic alternate in Sydney. In the second Rucker got knocked by glancing left hook that caught him on the hop. Hanshaw continued to dominate in the 3rd as his body barrages intensified. In the 4th Rucker managed to halt the onslaught temporarily with a ramrod left jab that stunned Hanshaw. Hanshaw regrouped though and landed a stunning blow of his own before the bell that ended the round. The 5th round featured a lot of holding as the fighters began to tire. The round ended badly for Hanshaw as Rucker landed a nice left hook a split second before the bell rang. Rounds 6 through 10 were close rounds fought in the trenches. Hanshaw barely dominated throughout but finished strongly as the partisan crowd buoyed him ! to dig deep for a final spirited assault. He shellacked Rucker until the final bell and was caught by a right hand as it rang to end the bout. A unanimous decision granted Hanshaw the win much to the crowds delight.

    Next up, there was a four round welterweight fight featuring Mark Scott (2-1-1) and local boy "Raging" Craig Webber ( 10-0-0). Webber attacked his hapless opponent from the opening bell and despite lacking the 'woo factor' in his punches, he overwhelmed Scott with sheer volume. Webber knocked Scott in the second after a barrage of body, body, head combos that took the fight out of the latter. Scott went into flight mode for the rest of the fight as his nads began to shrink. "Raging" Scott Webber did his best Jake La Motta and won the bout on sheer aggression. He knocked Scott down twice in the third and forced him to take a knee at 2:14 in the fourth. The Ref called the fight off at aforementioned time.

    The main event of the evening turned out to be a strange fight illustrating the importance of mental stability and focus in all fighters. Personal tragedy can often effect a fighters performance. No evidence of this was more convincing than Buster Douglas's demolition of the previously invincible Mike Tyson. Tyson had just gone through personal losses. Oddly enough, Douglas was on hand for tonight's proceedings. The man who slayed the Dragon all those years ago in Tokyo looked like a bloated and lamentable shadow of his former self.

    Tonight's big fight in Ohio featured a pair of junior welterweights. Vivian Harris, a 23 year old prospect fighting out of Brooklyn but originally from Ghana (19-1-2, 15 KO's) faced the third local lad of the evening, Michael Clark, 28 years old with a record of 26-1 with 13 wins coming by way of knockout. The first started badly for the severely outmatched Clark. Harris felled him with a cobra like combo that was about the swiftest this hack has ever witnessed. A left hook punctuated be a beautiful right cross sent Clark deckside. Clark made it to the bell but got hammered again in the second. The rangy and well chiseled African connected with another sweet straight right that was too much for Clarks whiskers to withstand.
    In the 3rd, Harris continued to stalk his shorter and less talented opponent. The crowd were ominously silent as they felt their man's impending doom at the hands of the speedy African.

    Amazingly, Harris failed to close the deal early. Clark began to show flashes of the skills he picked up in the Kronk gym in Detroit. It isn't surprising that the best 'steward' of a fighter, the aptly named Manny, would get the best out of even a limited charge. Clark was clawing his way back into the fight as Harris, who had looked so deadly earlier on, began to lose all his venom. Apparently,a close friend of his had just passed away. It showed in his eyes. He looked sad and disinterested as he lost the focus a fighter needs to dispatch a pesky opponent. Clark continued to hang on until the final bell and lost a unanimous decision.

    Harris lost his focus and will need to heal his bruised psyche before he steps up the caliber of the opposition he faces.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xHaris Sleepwalks to Win on ESPN``x1014498375,87046,``x``x ``xCHOI STOPS YAMAGUCHI IN THE 10TH TO KEEP WBC 108-POUND TITLE

    By Joe Koizumi

    CHIBA, JAPAN-Korean Yosam Choi (24-1, 13 KOs), 108, kept his WBC 108-pound belt as he responded to hot but light rallies of Japanese Shingo Yamaguchi (11-3-1, 5 KOs), 106, with solid and effective counters with precision, dropped him with a vicious overhand right in the 9th and finally halted him at 2:18 of the 10th at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Chiba.

    Scored after the 9th: Victor Cervantes (Mexico) and Herbert Minn (US) both 89-81, and Brad Vocale (Australia) 88-82, all for the 29-year-old champ. It was a more furious give-and-take fight than the tallies indicated.

    Yamaguchi, having won last 11 bouts straight, made a very good start with plenty of jabs and positive combinations in the opening session. Choi, making his third defense, found his range and began to take the initiative in the second.

    The Japanese kept moving well and positively threw light but fast punches, which were averted by Choi’s tight defense. The Korean was in command with strong countering overhand rights, and occasionally shook up the game but less experienced opponent in the second through fifth sessions.

    Yamaguchi sustained a gash caused by Choi’s right shots in the 6th, when he showed good combinations-if not so accurate and effective-by pinning the champ to the ropes despite the champ’s retaliation.

    Choi turned loose in the 7th and followed up more furiously to make him a bloody mess and stagger him with a wicked right cross and looping left hook in the 8th.

    Choi exploded his favorite overhand right to the neck of Yamaguchi, dropping him flat on the deck for a while. The Japanese promptly pulled himself up and gamely resumed fighting with the rubbery legs only to be saved by the bell.

    Yamaguchi, in the 9th, desperately attempted to force him to the ropes with a fusillade of punches, but Choi beautifully countered with precision, almost toppling him in the center of the ring. The referee Bruce McTavish, a Philippines-based New Zealander, wisely declared a well-time stoppage to save him from further punishment.

    The winner Choi will be obliged to meet the WBC interim champ Jorge Arce, Mexico, within 90 days.

    Undercard:
    The WBC #29 ranked OPBF heavyweight champ Peter Okhello (10-2, 9 KOs), 245.75, overwhelmed gallant but slower Auckland Aumatagui (3-2, 1 KO), 252.5, with his aggression, floored him in the third with a right cross and finally halted him at 1:30 of the 6th canto in a non-title 8.

    The 6’4” Japan-based Ugandan utilized his longer and strong left hand, and often bounced him off the head. The 6th saw Peter bang him out with a lifting left uppercut followed by a vicious overhand right to prompt the ref to halt the proceedings.

    Upcoming Keisuke Ayukawa (12-4-1, 9 KOs), 118, sent Thailander Daochai Sor Sor Gogym, 117, crashing to the deck twice and disposed of him at 0:13 of the second round.

    Promoter: ex-WBA 108-pound champ Katsuo Tokashiki’s Tokashiki Promotions.

    Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the main event and the Okhello-Aumatagui bout).

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xChoi Keeps WBC 108-lb Title with Kayo``x1014506396,56944,``x``x ``xLike most rematches, the second bout between Paulie Ayala and Bones Adams couldn't live up to the original. The toe-to-toe action that placed the first contest in contention for 2001 Fight of the Year may have been missing, but it was replaced by a masterful boxing display on the part of Paulie Ayala. Having eked out razor thin victories in his previous four bouts, Ayala silenced his critics with a performance deserving of the one-sided scorecards that were read in his favor.

    After only the first round, there was little indication that the rematch would lack the fireworks of the first fight. Both Ayala and Adams opted to start fast, hurling wicked punches at each other for most of the three-minute time limit. Ayala went first, dipping his knees and launching the first body shots of the evening. Adams wasted no time answering over the top with his long right hand, and the fight was on. At center ring, Adams used the distance to hurl his long arms at his opponent, landing some clean crosses and a series of flush hooks to Ayala's body. But unlike the first bout, in which he often stood and traded with Ayala, Adams now tried to land his punches and then move out of the way. This boxing-over-brawling style change might have worked against the typical opponent, but Ayala's persistence would not be denied.

    As Adams circled left, then right, it was Ayala that was pressing the fight, following Adams closely while throwing punches. It didn't take long for Adams to make the same mistake he had in the first fight: backing straight away from his opponent. By mid-round, Adams had backed straight into the ropes, where Ayala's shorter punches were in perfect range. A quick jab-left-hook from the southpaw stance turned Adams' head in three different directions, and got an early rise out of the largely pro-Ayala crowd. Adams, remembering the trouble he got into during the second round of the first fight, quickly returned the action to center ring. There, the two traded a variety of punches from a variety of angles, with both men landing clean. Adams continued to land to Ayala's side and Ayala's own body work was supplemented with right hooks, left crosses, and a textbook double-jab. Based on output, aggression and clean punching, the first stanza was an easy one to score for Paulie Ayala.

    Bones Adams continued his attempts to box in the second round, but his average footwork soon lead him into the ropes again, and Ayala was on top of him throwing punches in bunches. Pinned against the ropes, Adams' power shots were smothered. Desperate for some room to breath, Adams began loading up with his right hand. After working his way off the ropes, Adams finally landed a huge right cross to the center of Ayala's face. But no sooner could the crowd gasp at the crushing blow, Ayala answered with an equally well-timed left cross. Adams regrouped quickly, and returned his attention to his opponent's midsection, but Ayala was on a roll. By doubling up with his jab, and then occasionally hooking off the stick, Ayala raised a small welt under Adams' left eye in round two. Continuing the assault, Ayala landed yet more clean combinations to Adams' head. Soon, Adams' lateral movement began looking like partial retreat, as did an attempt to turn southpaw in the round's closing seconds. The change in stance didn't deter Ayala, who promptly landed a heavy straight left just before the bell. Another round for Ayala.

    Ayala's biggest strength, as displayed in his two action-packed bouts with Johnny Tapia, is a consistent workrate. As the third round began, Adams was continuing an attempt to pick his spots, fight in spurts, and land then move… and it played into Ayala's style perfectly. Occasionally, when Bones would load up with a power shot, or dig to the body, Ayala was right there in front of him punching. And when Bones sought to move away, Ayala was right there in front of him punching. What does this add up to? If you answered "a one-sided round," then score yourself a point. Although Adams occasionally landed his right, and continued to target the body when he could, he was quite simply being taken to school by Paulie's perpetual punching. By the end of the round, both of Adams' eyes began showing signs of swelling, and Ayala was having no problem making it look like he was doing all of the work.

    The frustration began to build in Adams in the fourth, but he couldn't channel the energy into punches. If anything, Adams began looking for the One Big Punch almost exclusively. As he moved left, then right, Adams would only occasionally stop to throw. His home run swings were easy to see coming, and Ayala looked superb slipping, catching punches on the arms, and blocking shots with his gloves before answering with crisp, clean punches to the chin. What's more, a bulked up Ayala was suddenly looking like the bigger puncher, stunning Adams with his accuracy and swiveling Adams' head with easy-to-see punches to the point of the chin. After four rounds, Ayala was up, four to zip.

    Adams simply could not establish a rhythm, and had to settle for landing the occasional big punch on Ayala. In the fifth round, Adams landed some of his best punches, but Ayala always answered with several return shots in combination. What's more, Adams stifled his potential rally by opening and closing the round near the ropes, the one place that he looked most vulnerable. With his back to the wall, Adams' upper body movement consisted of little more than rocking his torso back and forth. With Ayala correctly letting his own hands go during these sequences, it wasn't long before Adams' untukced chin began tasting leather. During the middle minute of round five, Adams was able to bring the fight to center ring. But every time he scored, Ayala had an answer. Adams was being outhustled, plain and simple.

    The first half of round six continued at a similar pace. Near the mid-way point, one of Adams' big right crosses finally found the bullseye, slamming into Ayala's nose and stopping the two-division champion in his tracks. But Adams was not prepared to follow-up his success, and after 20 seconds of waiting for another opening to land power, Ayala had shaken out the cobwebs and was returning fire. Two huge left uppercuts from Ayala regained the momentum for Paulie, and the punches drove Adams into the ropes where he was most vulnerable. Later in the same round, after Adams had managed to move the exchanges back to center ring, Ayala tagged him on the temple with a looping right hook. This punch also sent Adams retreating to the ropes, where Ayala was able to walk right up to him and begin launching heavy punches. As the 10-second warning clapped, Adams (still on the ropes) countered an Ayala hook with a punishing straight right that landed full-force in the center of Ayala's face. One-half second later, Ayala cranked off a straight left, which hit Adams equally hard on the nose. The punch snapped Adams' head straight back and allowed Ayala to close out the final seconds with a three-punch flurry. As the bell sounded to end the round, an excited Ayala lifted his hands in the air and returned to his corner claiming victory. In a way, he was right. The Boxing Chronicle scorecard listed each of the first six rounds in Ayala's favor, as did the cards of the three official judges.

    Bones Adams was in a terrible rut. Unable to get his hands moving, and now trailing badly on the cards, he needed to either win round seven or else pack it in. He opted for the former. Still throwing one punch at a time, Adams was still getting the worst of it. Then, an Adams left hook grazed Ayala's face. Ayala quickly shook his head that he wasn't hurt, and in that moment Adams threw yet another bombs-away right hand. The punch only clipped Ayala on top of the head, but it sent an off-balance Ayala crashing into the ropes. Unaware that Ayala had been sent reeling more by a slip than by the punch, the crowd erupted with a cheer. This reaction seemed to surge Adams' adrenaline, and for the first time a lively looking Adams began putting his own punches into combination form.

    Adams, sensing that Ayala was hurt, uncorked three successive one-twos, each landing flush on Ayala and sparking a serious Adams rally. Adams looked like the fighter from the first bout, and Ayala backed up a few steps with each landed combo. But just as the rally was on, Ayala timed a perfect counter left that stopped Adams in his tracks. It was now Ayala's turn to rally, and he controlled the next 30 seconds with the steady, accurate pace that had banked him the first six rounds. The round was winding to a close, and it appeared as though Adams was about to give away the one round he might have won. Luckily for him, he stopped his retreat, planted his feet, and landed his best combination of the entire night: a lead right hand followed by a right uppercut and a left hook. All three punches not only landed clean, but also landed from the distance at which Adams is most effective. The combo also came just before the round ended, ensuring that Adams would finally bank one frame in his favor.

    Bones couldn't afford to lose another round, and he rushed at Ayala in round eight and landed another heavy right cross to Ayala's chin in the first ten seconds. The punch made Ayala jump back a step, and then back away from Adams. It was the only time Ayala wasn't moving forward all night… but Adams couldn't capitalize. For reasons that only he can understand, Adams stopped throwing his punches in bunches and returned to the single-punch strategy that had allowed Ayala to take a commanding lead. Ayala was able to recover after 30 seconds, and soon regained control with a right hook and a series of flush body shots. Adams, desperate to maintain control, loaded up with a series of wild swings, all of which missed by a mile. Ayala twice nailed Adams with his own one-two after these misses, and Adams was once again in jeopardy of letting the round slip away. But in the final 10 seconds, Adams nailed Ayala twice with huge left hooks. Both shots landed flush and seemed to again stun Ayala. The punches saved the round for Adams.

    Hurt by Adams in the previous round, and perhaps tiring from his nearly-constant output, Ayala looked slower in round nine. Now it was Adams who was landing first, again beginning the round with a stream of jab-crosses. But Adams also seemed to be admiring his own work. His big blows, when they landed hard, gave him a few seconds of respite from Ayala's pressure. But these pauses weren't filled with follow-up punches, but rather lapses of inactivity on the part of Adams. Ayala was noticeably slower in this round, and when Adams ended the round with another pair of heavy right hands, he had found himself the winner of a third consecutive round.

    This was do-or-die time for Adams. He needed to keep up the pace, continue to land big punches, and hope to sweep the final three rounds to keep it close. But Paulie Ayala had other plans. He stormed out of his corner in round ten and showed a renewed vigor, attacking Adams with both hands. Adams continued to find a target for his right hand during the first half of this round, but Ayala was answering every single blow with two, three, and four punch combinations. Three times, Adams landed a perfect right cross only to stand still and wait for Ayala to counter with a three-punch combo. Each time, after Ayala registered his superior response, Adams dropped his hands, stood up straight, and made a face to indicate his utter frustration with his mistake. Simply put, Ayala was giving the judges no choice but to score for him. It didn't matter if Adams was hurting Ayala with the individual right hands because Ayala was able to land two or three solid shots to Adams' face after each one.

    Adams fell back into his early-round rut in round eleven, just at a time when he should have been displaying the desperation and determination of a fighter who knows he is behind. Instead, Adams was simply the catcher for all of Ayala's fastballs, which included a steady diet of clean two-punch combinations and a stinging right hook at round's end that may have hurt Adams. But Ayala was not only throwing more often, he was landing. His accuracy in round eleven was the best of the night; it seemed almost every punch he threw landed square on Adams' unprotected head.

    Adams' frantic corner let their man know that he needed to win by kayo in the final round. Bones began the last round quickly, but Ayala was more than willing to trade. At the one-minute mark, Ayala landed two lead left hands to the center of Adams' face. That was it. Adams seemed to fold up his tent at this point. He stopped throwing with intensity, and seemed to resign himself to seeing the scorecards. Ayala, despite an obvious lead, was not content to coast, and he tagged Adams with several heavy right hooks to the head and lefts to the body before the two ended the round with the requisite 10-second mutual flurry. When the bell rang, both men knew the outcome. Ayala thrust his arms in the air and screamed in joy. Adams raised his arms half-heartedly, surely knowing that the scores wouldn't be pretty.

    And they weren't. Two judges saw it 118-110, while a third scored 117-111, all for Ayala. Boxing Chronicle scored the bout 117-111 for Ayala, as well.

    And so Paulie Ayala re-established the sterling reputation that had been slightly tarnished in the wake of several controversial decisions. Unlike the first bout with Adams, Ayala looked like a solid junior featherweight, as opposed to a blown-up bantam. What's more, he once again proved that his dedication to training, aggressive style, and clean accurate punches could lead him to victory. It was a complete performance.

    Next up for Ayala might be the winner of Barrera-Hamed. It's difficult to imagine Ayala moving up in weight again, especially to take on two serious power punchers like Barrera and Morales. Still, given his determination and output levels, Ayala could make the fight interesting. We'll just have to wait and see.

    Ayala's boxing clinic came only minutes after one of boxing's best ended his long career on the canvas. Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, who for years was considered one of the sport's pound-for-pound best, faced off against Rafael Marquez in a rematch of their sizzling 2001 war. Unlike their first battle, however, this fight was no brawl.

    Too Sharp, unable to bring his once-devastating power with him to the 118 lb. Division, opted to box against the crafty Marquez instead of go to war. Big mistake. The former 112 and 115 lb. champion tried to jab and move against the bigger Marquez… it was a hopeless plan. The shorter Johnson spent most of the fight thrusting out a jab that stopped at least a foot away from Marquez' face, if not his gloves. Marquez was also wary to exchange in the early rounds. The result was four rounds devoid of action and marred by constant boos from the crowd. Who would have guessed?

    Johnson occasionally landed a right hook in the opening rounds, but that was about it. Johnson appeared confused by Marquez, who was well-prepared and throwing punches from a variety of angles. Johnson began circling counter-clockwise in round two, a big mistake for a lefty facing a righty, and soon began catching Marquez' swift right counter.

    When Marquez threw his own jab, which he did infrequently in the opening few rounds, he was able to touch Johnson with ease. After finding his range, Marquez slowly began mixing in hooks, crosses, and devastating uppercuts each time Johnson got in close enough. Too Sharp was Too Slow this night, and when his boxing skills could do little more than touch air, he appeared confused and without a backup plan. It was just such confusion that engulfed Johnson in the seventh round, when he simply stood there as Marquez launched a straight right at his face.

    The punch landed on the button and sent Johnson down onto his back, the first time he had been downed in his pro career. Johnson remained on his back as he watched the referee count to seven. He then popped up, albeit on wobbly legs. Marquez only had 15 seconds remaining in which to flurry on Johnson, but he landed several more heavy shots before the bell.

    Johnson came out in the eighth looking lost. When he tried to box, he jabbed into the air, and when he tried to attack he was beaten back. A calm and collected Marquez opened with a series of body shots and right hands. As his corner screamed "Ante, Arriba" (Spanish for "Down, Up") the fighter followed the instruction to a tee. Marquez ripped off two wicked body shots and followed with a flush right to the head. Dipping downstairs again, Marquez uncorked a left hook that missed Johnson's side, but caught him in the center of the belly. The punch buckled Johnson's legs, and the follow-up right to the head knocked him to the seat of his pants. As Johnson sat on his tail and again watched the ref count, he looked finished. He nodded his head as if to say, "yeah, you got me," and then slowly raised himself at the count of eight. Marquez rushed at Johnson, missed with a jab and then landed two fierce uppercuts, one from each hand. The second one dropped Johnson for a third time, this time stiff as a board on his back. Referee Tony Weeks didn't even attempt a count, waving off the fight immediately.

    And so comes the likely end to the otherwise-brilliant career of Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson. He was an awesome force at 112 lbs. during the late 1990s. The big fight for him was always one division above against then 115 lb. champ Johnny Tapia. But the fight was never made, and Johnson was forced to display his awesome boxing and power punching skills against no-name competition. Perhaps his best moment came in a mandatory title defense against Arthur Johnson. It was supposed to be a solid test for Too Sharp, but he knocked Arthur out in the first round. After that fight, Too Sharp seemed on a collision course with 118 lb. champ Tim Austin, but a parole violation sent him to prison and resulted in a 19-month layoff. Too Sharp had looked pretty good in two comeback fights before dropping the decision to Marquez last year. A win in the rematch might have revived his comeback, but now it is all over. Johnson looked old, slow, and at times shot. A successful businessman outside of the ring (Johnson owns several hair salons), Too Sharp will likely now retire. He never got the recognition or paydays that were heaped upon many of his contemporaries. He was one of boxing's best-kept secrets. It's too bad that his legacy never grew to match his talent. He will be missed.

    Which is not to take anything away from his conqueror, Rafael Marquez. The brother of featherweight contender Juan Manuel Marquez is now guaranteed a shot at Austin. Austin, also a southpaw, is not old, not shot, and packs a much more serious wallop than Too Sharp did at 118. Austin will be a heavy favorite when the fight is made, but don't count Marquez out. He has plenty of experience, loads of talent, and has shown that he can make adjustments mid-bout. It could be a great fight.

    .....Chris Bushnell
    (Please send comments to us at: comments@boxingchronicle.com)

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xAyala W 12 Adams; Johnson Kayoed``x1014576944,41967,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    Emerald Queen Casino
    Tacoma, WA
    Friday, February 22, 02

    Promoter: Brian Halquist
    Matchmaker: Bob Oleson

    A sold out to over-flowing crowd packed the arena
    at the Emerald Queen on Friday night, maybe attracted
    by the recent spate of news coverage about promoter
    Brian Halquist’s effort to bring the Lewis-Tyson
    heavyweight match to Tacoma.

    One proposed bout, featuring Seattle star Martin
    O’Malley, did not take place because no opponent was
    found for O’Malley. Matchmaker Bob Oleson says they
    hope to feature O’Malley on the next scheduled Emerald
    Queen show on March 30.

    In the 10 round main event, Seattle’s Kenny Ellis, 160
    lbs, (now 25-4-2) stopped Quandray "Candy" Robertson,
    158 lbs, (now 11-4-0) by TKO in the 8th round.

    Eduardo Mendivil, 149 3/4 lbs, (now 8-2-3) of Hemet,
    CA won a close decision over Chris Huntwork, 152 1/2
    lbs, (now 6-13-1) of Portland, OR in 6 rounds.

    Portland’s Reggie Davis, 158 1/2 lbs, (3-1) stopped
    Victor Branson (now 2-2-1) of Willamina, OR by TKO in
    the 3rd round.

    In a heavyweight four rounder, Joe Gusman, 196 1/2
    lbs, (now 2-0) of Olympia, WA but fighting out of
    Portland, OR KO’d Jonathan Williams, 205 1/2 lbs, (now
    2-2-1) of Seattle in the first round.

    Neil Stephens, 175 3/4 lbs (now 2-3) of Kent, WA won a
    four round decision over James Partch, 169 1/2 lbs,
    (now 0-6) of Eagle Creek, OR.

    Greg Piper, 125 1/4 lbs,(now 3-0) of Portland, OR
    stopped Alejandro Navarete Perez, 121 1/2 lbs, (now
    0-1) of Tualatin, OR in the third round of a scheduled
    four.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xEmerald Queen Club Show Results``x1014582346,51189,``x``x ``xMashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation – Whether you have ever believed in Vinny Paz’ comeback at the age of 39 or his abilities as an overall fighter, you cannot deny his fighting spirit. It’s an entity that has guided him through the blood and guts, a broken neck, rigorous hours in the gym, memorable slugfests and most importantly, it's won him two world titles. This Friday night Vinny Paz will step through the ropes at Foxwoods Casino for what he’s promising to be his last time – so long as he wins his third world title and 50th fight. Paz will challenge WBC super-middleweight champion Eric Lucas of Montreal, who makes his second defense of the crown since winning it in July of last year. Though he set his goal to retire at 50 wins, many felt he would hang em up when he was thoroughly beaten by Aaron Davis just over a year ago. Since the defeat however, Paz has reeled off three straight wins setting up his first challenge of a legitimate world (albeit alphabet) title since losing in a bid for one of Roy Jones' belts in 1995.

    "I know this kid is tough," said Paz, 49-9, 30 KO's, "I am in the best shape of my life and I am prepared to go to war to take home this WBC title. I want to bring it to show my parents and than I want to give it to Jimmy Burchfield, my promoter and my friend - he is the best promoter in the world."

    Paz is certain his days are numbered and that he is a decided underdog against the Canadian. But he assures that he will bring what is necessary to leave boxing the way he envisions.

    “I use to say to my friends, ‘I’m going to keep fighting until I reach 50 wins’ just to bust balls,” Paz told the CBZ in a recent interview. “We considered 50 wins a mountain, but I’m ready to climb it.”

    Lucas (34-3-3 with 14 KO’s) doesn’t like Paz’ chances in their showdown which will also be televised by ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. He like so many have bought into the fact that Paz isn’t the same man that had been dubbed the Pazmanian Devil, a relentless beast who loved to bleed and loved to bang. Lucas has since developed a similar role inside the ring and has been unyielding in his two most recent title fights, beginning when he won the title in sensational fashion avenging a defeat to England’s Glen Catley. In his first defense this past November, Lucas destroyed an overmatched Dingaan Thobela, the first boxer to win world titles in the lightweight and super-middleweight divisions. Should Paz upset Lucas, he would be the second.

    "I respect Vinny Paz as a champion and a fighter. I know he is a warrior," said Lucas in a teleconference call last week. "Having Vinny Paz on my resume will greatly help my career and I thank Vinny for the opportunity to beat him in front of his hometown fans."

    Don Majeski, Lucas’ US representative was equally if not more optimistic of Lucas’ chances. "I guarantee that Vinny Paz will win 50 fights - that 50th win just won't come on March 1 because Eric Lucas will knock Paz out in one round,” boasted Majeski, who added even more fuel to a fire that still burns in the old Pazmanian Devil.

    “The Lucas people made my job 10 times easier,” said Paz’ longtime trainer Kevin Rooney. “Vinny now has more motivation than I could ever give him after hearing that crazy first round knockout prediction.”

    Burchfield, Paz’s promoter and longtime friend challenged Majeski a $10,000 wager. The loser will have to donate the winnings to a charity of the winner’s choice. But outside of the publicity, two interesting stories could unfold in the outcome. If Paz wins it’s a terrific end to what would have to be considered a Hall of Fame career. Pazwould have the opportunity to exit boxing and join both Evander Holyfield and Virgil Hill as the only fighters to win world titles in three separate decades. If Lucas wins as most feel he will, it will allow him more paydays, like the nice sum he’s expected to receive Friday night until he decides when it’s time for him to exit boxing the way he hopes.

    “I will die winning this belt," said Paz. "I will sacrifice my body and do whatever I have to do inside the ring to take this belt home to Rhode Island. This is my belt and there is no way I am losing this fight.”

    Your writer believes that Paz and his fighting spirit are right.

    Plenty of tickets are still available and with a main event of this magnitude on “Vinny’s turf” and an exciting undercard to boot, this show is a must see for New England boxing fans. The Lucas-Paz championship bout headlines a first-time ever seven bout card at Foxwoods. Mashantucket rules stipulate that only six bouts take place at their casino. Even Don King wasn’t able to pull of his marathon card at Foxwoods when he was there promoting Ruiz-Holyfield III.

    “There were some tickets set aside at the beginning to ensure that there would be some available near the end,” said promoter Jimmy Burchfield. “Now is the time to get your tickets. We held back some great seats so any ticket you buy, will be a good one.”

    “The matches will all have tremendous excitement,” said matchmaker Ted Panagiotis. “We have fights on the undercard that could be main event fights on other shows.”

    In the co-feature, two undefeated lightweights will battle. Providence’s exciting prospect Gary “Tiger” Balletto will be risking his 23-0-2, 20 KO’s record against 21-0, 14 KO’s Mike DiBenedetto of Chicago, IL. The bout, where somebody’s “0” will go, is scheduled for 10 rounds. Balletto is void of any defense but he has proven throughout his career that he is dangerous whenever he fights. He was life and death with the usually durable James Trigg of Atlanta until a booming right hand ended there contest in five rounds. Both fighters should prove to be their toughest tests thus far.

    Also on the undercard will be a tremendous matchup featuring former world title challenger Joe Gatti, brother of the famed former world champion Arturo Gatti, taking on former IBA champion Tim Shocks. Gatti, of Montreal, Canada, brings a professional record of 29-7, 21 KO’s into the fight against the 21-11, 14 KO’s Shocks, of Seattle, WA but now fighting for Providence’s Classic Entertainment & Sports. Hot prospect Peter Manfredo, Jr. of Pawtucket debuts in a new weight class as he drops down to the junior middleweight division to face off against tough veteran Tommy Attardo. Manfredo, Jr. will be risking his 11-0, 5 KO’s record against his toughest opponent to date in South Boston’s Attardo, who brings a 9-6-1, 1 KO record into the ring.

    Also on the undercard will be the Boston Herald and Flash/Pro Boxing Update “Prospect of the Year” Chad Dawson. The undefeated Dawson, 4-0, 4 KO’s, will be making hid debut in the super middleweight division. The New Haven, CT native will be taking on his toughest challenge when he squares off against Canadian Martin Desjardins (2-1-1, 2 KO’s). Rounding out the card will be two exciting four rounders featuring former US National Amateur champion Paul Malignaggi (6-0, 3 KO’s) vs. Ryan Maraldo (10-7-1, 3 KO’s) and five-time former Puerto Rican national amateur champion Angel Torres (4-1, 2 KO’s) vs. power-punching Pasqual Rouse (9-7-2, 7 KO’s).
    To order tickets, priced at $150, $250 & $350, to Friday’s exciting card, call Foxwoods Resort Casino at 800-PLAYBIG or call Classic Entertainment & Sports at 401-724-2253.

    Select Items of Releases Sent by CES were used in this article

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPaz Guns for Lucas' Title and 50th Win - By JD Vena``x1014865805,7414,``x``x ``xFebruary 26, 2002

    OSAKA, JAPAN-There happened great many claims on yesterday’s Japanese 118-pound title bout in Osaka, Japan, as Ryuichi Minoriyama looked to have led on points over the defending champ Nobuaki Naka after 10 rounds.

    It seems that the officials might be influenced by preoccupations that (1) the unbeaten WBC #14 and OPBF #1 ranked Naka had been a prohibitive favorite with Minoriyama having lost in his last two bouts, and (2) Minoriyama had very barely passed the weigh-in by shedding two pounds in two additional hours.

    The official tallies were 97-97, 96-96 and 96-95 for Minoriyama, but it was only the 10th and final session that Naka was in clear command, while Minoriyama controlled the fight and gained more points than the champ.

    Shinnosuke Minoriyama, the challenger’s father-manager-trainer, entered the champ’s dressing room where Naka was surrounded by press people afterward, and angrily said, “Which on earth should be the winner? We demand a rematch!”

    Naka and his manager Sanshiro Kojima may respond to his verbal attack and will give his son another shot in Amagasaki City, the champ’s home turf, on May 26. It will be a grudge fight
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xJapanese Title Verdict Disputed``x1014917594,53400,``x``x ``xTEDDY ATLAS TO RECEIVE SAM TAUB AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN BROADCAST JOURNALISM FROM BOXING WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

    New York, Feb. 27-ESPN/2's Friday Night Fights expert analyst Teddy Atlas
    will receive the Sam Taub Award for "broadcast excellence" from the Boxing
    Writers Association of America at its annual awards dinner in Manhattan this
    spring.

    Atlas, who is teamed with blow-by-blow man Bob Papa, also handles ringside
    commentary for ESPN's new monthly "Boxing Specials" series, and worked NBC
    Sports' coverage of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games from Sydney.

    "Working with Teddy is like having a chip of paint fall from the past on
    every broadcast," says Papa. "He's such a boxing historian and brings his
    knowledge of the game and its history to the telecasts. He grew up in the
    game, and worked under the legendary Cus D'Amato, so he has a unique
    perspective."
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xAtlas Wins BWA Award for Excellence in Broadcasting``x1014926241,89878,``x``x ``xAndrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis To Defend His WBA Welterweight Title Against Ricardo ‘El Matador’ Mayorga
    Unfinished Business Will Be Addressed at Sovereign Center on March 30; IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion Felix Machado Will Defend His Title Against Mandatory and Undefeated No. 3-Ranked Contender Martin “El Gallo” Castillo;
    Bouts Will Be Featured on Showtime Championship Boxing

    READING, Pa.—Undefeated World Boxing Association welterweight champion Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis will defend his title against mandatory No. 1 contender Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga at the Sovereign Center on March 30. The bout is being promoted by Don King Productions.

    Tickets priced at $20, $35, and $50, with a limited number of Reading Golden Circle seats available at $150, are on sale now in the Sovereign Center box office (plus 50-cent facility charge) and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling (215) 336-2000 or purchased on the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com. The world title fights will be featured on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.

    Lewis (21-0-1-1 NC, 19 KOs), from Guyana now fighting out of Brooklyn, N.Y., won his title by defeating James Page with a seventh-round technical knockout in Las Vegas on February 2001. This will be his third world title defense.

    “I've been training and working extra hard for months,” Lewis said. “This is a tough defense, but I am in top shape and I plan to go all-out and keep my world title. But this is going to be a wild one, believe me.”

    Mayorga (22-3-1-1 NC, 20 KOs), from Managua, Nicaragua, earned his first world title shot against Lewis on July 28 in Los Angeles. The two had barely begun to fight when an accidental head-butt at the start of round two caused a cut on Lewis’s left eyelid that led to an immediate stoppage with the bout being ruled a no contest.

    Lewis promised Mayorga a rematch after recuperation from his injury and has made good on that promise.

    (More…)

    Lewis vs. Mayorga II Release – Page 2

    “I said I would knock out Lewis in three rounds before our last fight, but it didn’t get that far,” said the brash Mayorga. “I was in hostile territory at the last fight. I’m glad my promoter, Don King, won the purse bid this time. I promise to fulfill my original prediction—three rounds.”

    Another world title fight with international flare takes place when International Boxing Federation junior bantamweight champion Felix Machado (21-3-1, 11 KOs), from Bolivar, Venezuela, puts his title on the line against mandatory and undefeated No. 3-rated leading contender Martin “El Gallo” Castillo (21-0, 13 KOs), from Mexico City, Mexico.

    Other notable fighters that are scheduled to fight in domestically non-televised undercard action include former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion and current top contender Oliver McCall (38-7, 28 KOs) from Chicago. McCall hasn’t lost a fight since 1997 and is currently riding a 12-fight winning streak. In his last outing, he catapulted himself back into the top 10 in the world rankings by stunning former world heavyweight champion Henry Akinwande with 10th-round knockout with less than a minute to go in the fight on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas.

    Undefeated Puerto Rican light heavyweight Danny Santiago (21-0, 14 KOs), formerly from the Bronx now fighting out of Ocala, Fla., is scheduled to appear as is undefeated Las Vegas super welterweight sensation Roshii “The Mongoose” Wells, (15-0-1, 8 KOs).

    Another former world champion, super middleweight Frankie Liles (32-2, 20 KOs), from Los Angeles, will be matched with a light heavyweight opponent, and two fighters from Felix Trinidad Sr.’s Puerto Rican boxing stable will appear in separate four-round matches: Alberto DeJesus Trinidad (3-0), a lightweight from Rio Piedras that was a crowd-pleaser while winning his fight in Reading on the undercard of Hopkins vs. Daniels and Mario Santiago (3-0, 3 KOs), a super bantamweight from Ponce.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x"Six Heads" Lewis to Defend Against Mayorga``x1014991704,98584,``x``x ``xLucas set to take centre stage
    Baby Jake Matlala says farewell at World Cup bonanza in Carnival City

    by Kris Van de Velde

    A quiet boxing weekend lies ahead of us with the WBC super middleweight championship between defending title holder Eric Lucas (#3 ,v1600 - all values unofficial until March 5, when the new WCOB rankings will be published) and 39-year-old challenger Vinny Paz (#19, v410). The bout takes place at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT. The champion should be considered the best bet. Paz lost his two latest big fights against Aaron Davis and Dana
    Rosenblatt and it remains to be seen how much he has left to offer at the highest level.

    Lucas was outclassed by Roy Jones Jr. in 1996, but recovered well from that defeat. He suffered another set-back against Glenn Catley at the end of 1999, but took revenge last July and grabbed the WBC title in the process. In his only defence so far he stopped South African Dingaan Thobela in eight.

    Lucas-Paz is also a fight for the World Cup lead at 168 lbs. The winner will take at least 410 points, which is significantly more than Mehdi Sahnoune's total of 283 points. In addition, Lucas can upstage rival title holders Joe Calzaghe and Sven Ottke in the Total Ranking. Ottke only fights a low-ranked opponent in two weeks, Calzaghe stays out of the ring until late April.

    Over at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, Tony Oakey (#50, v160) squares off against Andrei Kaersten (#74, v55) in a battle between unbeaten light heavyweights. The WBU belt is at stake. Lightweight coming-man Steve Murray (#71, v67) faces a potentially difficult task against Russian Victor Baranov (#52 , v150 at 140 lbs). But it's a lot more rewarding than meeting five-pointers ...

    An excellent card in Carnival City, South Africa, features local legend Baby Jake Matlala (#9, v700) in his allegedly ultimate fight. The extremely popular light flyweight wishes to bow out in style as he is set to face well-ranked Juan Herrera (#26, v322 at 105 lbs) for the WBU title. A win would put 40-year-old Matlala in second place in the World Cup behind Yosam Choi.

    The co-feature consists of four IBO or WBU title bouts with lots of WCup poins to be gained or left. Cruiserweight Sebastian Rothmann wants to get himself closer to the top 10 by beating Briton Garry Delaney, who possesses 166 value points linked to his 49th place in the Total Ranking. More importantly, Rothmann can enter the World
    Cup race in fifth position.

    The outcome of the super lightweight clash between Argentinean Pablo
    Sarmiento (#25, v330) and Stephan Carr (#39, v227) is also one to look out for. The winner will establish himself in the high-quality WCup top 10 and move up to about fifteenth in the Total Ranking.
    Next up is undefeated bantamweight Silence Mabuza (#52, v150), who is
    gambling by accepting to fight #34 Jose Sanjuanelo (v262). Success means a place in the WCup top 5.

    Finally, super featherweight Philippe Ndou (#18, v420) is the only one to face an unranked opponent, namely Russian Nikolai Emereev.

    WORLD CUP OF BOXING
    http://www.worldcupofboxing.com/



    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWeekend Preview ``x1015004622,21178,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    A Federal jury has awarded former heavyweight title claimant Tim Witherspoon $1.3 million in a breach of contract and fraud case against his former promoter.

    The jury found that in 1995, Dennis Rappaport, of Dennis Rappaport Productions, misrepresented the fact that his license to promote had been revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission. The suspension prevented Mr. Rappaport from arranging fights for Witherspoon, who was making a comeback at the time.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xTim Witherspoon Wins $1.3 Million``x1015014891,46336,``x``x ``xMASSHNTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION (Ledyard, CT) – Going into the 12th and final round of their exciting fight for the WBC super-middleweight title, Eric Lucas must have been wondering why his older, smaller challenger had remained upright throughout the beating he was absorbing. But when it was over and he had retained his title for the second time, he knew it had everything to do with Vinny Paz and his fighting heart. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure that out. Lucas, 167, of Montreal, Canada had his way with the Pazmanian Devil most of the bout by controlling the distance with his longer punches, particularly with his sharp jab. It was enough to win a convincing decision over Paz as the champion’s performance was rewarded by scores of 116-110, 117-112,119-110. The CBZ had it 116-112 for Lucas.

    Lucas’ obligatory defense didn’t appear to be an enjoyable one for the 30-year old, but it was an especially painfull one for Paz. But despite the usual wounds that Paz had sustained throughout his storied career and in last night’s fight, be it cut or swollen eyes, bloody or broken nose, nothing could discourage Paz from making it tough for Lucas. Paz suffered his first cut in the second round, one that appeared gruesome enough to end the bout early, but Paz made the fight go on until the final bell sounded. If you’ve ever known Paz, you’d understand that that is the point when his fights begin and it was another tough one for Paz.

    Paz really came alive in the fifth round when he backed Lucas into the ropes by bulling and punching and gave better than he received while Lucas was on the ropes. His moments came again at the end of the 8th round but Lucas kept up with the pace and landed his own power shots. But his best round was the 12th, when Vinny, a bloody mess forgot about the distance that Lucas had controlled and fired at Lucas as if it were his last round. It may have been as Vinny muttered, “I don’t know,” when asked what is next.

    After the bout Lucas stated that he, “expected Paz to be more offensive but he fought a tough fight.” Lucas, now 35-4-3, with 13 KO’s to will now build on this win as Paz, who we may not see fight again walked out of the ring at 49-10 with 30 KO’s. Whether he does or not, Lucas will know why Paz still believes in himself.

    In the 10-round co-feature, Mike Di Benedetto, 136, of Chicago, IL, got to keep the “o” at the end of his last name but not the one in his loss column. His opponent, Gary “Tiger” Balletto, 135, of Providence, RI salvaged a win that almost appeared unlikely until Balletto hurt Di Benedetto with a series of pulverizing shots late in the fight. Besides both fighters being undefeated they shared many similarities:both are of proud Italian descent and both have little if any defense. Throughout the fight the two took turns in swapping swapping punches and rounds but it was Di Benedetto who was in command after six (though all three judges had the fight even at 57-57 a piece). Late in the 7th round, Balletto staggered DiBenedetto with a hard right hand but couldn’t put the finishing touches on, which are usually pretty wild to say the least until Dick Flaherty saw fit to stop the fight at 2:37 of the 9th round. The win for Balletto was a typical win for him. In his last fight, he was life and death with John Trigg until Balletto turned matters around with a right hand. Balletto is now 24-0-2 with 21 KO’s while DiBenedetto is now 21-1-2 with 14 KO’s.

    In a 4-round bout, Peter Manfredo, Jr., 156 ½, of Providence, RI won a hard-fought decision over tough Tommy Attardo, 155, of South Boston, MA. Manfredo, who socred aflash knockdown in the first round with a left hook, took Attardo apart on the inside but the Bostonian held tough as he normally does and fought back every time Manfredo stopped punching. At times, the bout even looked competitive. Even in the fourth round when Santa appeared ready to call a halt of the action, Attardo fought back with as much as he had – everything. But it was Manfredo who won by three scores of 40-35. Manfredo is now 12-0 and 5 KO’s and should never appear in another 4-rounder for the rest of his career. Attardo is now 9-7-1 with 1 KO.

    Joe Gatti, 167 of Montreal, Canada, the older bro of Arturo showed some thunder in stopping Tim Shocks, 166, of Seattle, WA at :45 of the 4th round. Gatti sporting the now custom, GoldenPalace.com logo on his back used a heavy jab to consistently move Shocks backwards while mixing in some heavy body shots. Shocks, who had gone the distance with Paz in October of last year was stunned by a Gatti right hand that buckled Shocks’ knees. Shocks lay on the ropes and took a pounding until referee Jim Santa, gave Shocks an early Christmas present by stopping it when he did. Gatti is now 30-7 with 22 KO’s while Shocks slipped to 21-12-1 with 14 KO’s.

    In the first bout of the evening, Angel Torres, 124 ½, of Manchester, CT let one slide when he appeared to hurt Pasqual Rouse, 126, of Yonkers, NY in the 4th and final round but held back and lost a 4-round majority decision (40-36, 39-37 and 38-38). Torres landed a crisp right hand to begin the final round that shook and cut Pasqual and then looked as though he floored Pasqual however Dick Flaherty ruled it a slip. It wouldn’t have mattered (or shouldn’t have) in the scoring as Pasqual improved to 10-1-2, 7 KO’s while Torres is now 4-2 with 2 KOS.

    In the swing bout, “Bad” Chad Dawson, 167, of New Haven, CT arguably the best young prospect of New England defeated Martin Desjardins, 168, of Montreal, Quebec by three scores of 40-35. Dawson is now 5-0 with 4 KO’s while DeJardins is now 2-2-1 with 2 KO’s.

    Mentioned a previous story, the $10,000 wager between Paz' promoter Jimmy Burchfield and Lucas' US representative Don Majeski of whether Lucas would score a 1st round KO last night doubled to $20,000 by fight time. But when it was over and Majeski visited Burchfield's suite for a bubbly and to pay up, Burchfield grabbed the check, held it over his head and tore it to shreads in good fun, which was what their wager was all about.

    Promoter – Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports
    Matchmaker – Ted Panagiotis
    Network – ESPN2
    Attendence – 2,200
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xLucas has a Devil of a Time Defeating Paz - By JD Vena``x1015045837,45511,``x``x ``xINGLEWOOD, CA - On Thursday night, WBO #5 ranked junior lightweight contender Calvin Davis, of Philadelphia, improved to 22-1 (8 KO's), with a unanimous 8 round decision win over rugged Mexican journeyman Justo Almazan (now 5-22) at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California. Davis showed some impressive skills, but typically started rounds quickly, then faded into a pattern of occasional bursts. Almazan got his share of shots in as well, but the pace was clearly set by the more skilled Davis. However, I don't think WBO/WBA champ Acelino Freitas has anything to worry about.

    In the co-feature, WBO #2 ranked super middleweight Miguel Jimenez, of Puerto Rico, 20-1 (10 KO's) also took a sloppy unanimous 8 round decision over another journeyman with an unimpressive record, Vincent Moses (4-23). The judges scorecards all read 80-72. Like the main event, the opponent was durable, but not very threatening. And also like the main event, the top ranked fighter showed little ability to test a champion like Joe Calzaghe.

    Typically WBO champs tend to be softer than that of the WBC, WBA, and IBF, but in these two divisions (168lbs, and 130lbs), the true champs of each division hold the WBO belt. Not to say Jimenez and Davis don't both possess skills, but they are no threat to the current titleists.

    In other action, heavyweight Damien "Bolo" Wills won his pro debut with a second round TKO win over late replacement Richard Rasalichi (sp?), in front of several crowd supporters. There was little technique from either man, but more controlled action from Wills, and Rasalichi simply ran out of gas after 2 rounds, and the bout was stopped in the corner. It was the only stoppage of the night.

    Heavyweight southpaw Steve "The Gentle Giant" Vukosa, of North Hollywood by way of Quincy, Mass. was a bit too gentle in winning a unanimous six round decision over Frank Edmunson of North Carolina. Edmunson's nickname was the "Ring Doctor", but it might as well have been the "Rule Breaker", because he was warmed for everything from low blows, to holding and hitting, to rabbit punching. Both men looked soft in the middle, and seemed content to swing with their dominant hands and neglect the jab. Vukosa moves to 6-0 (3 KO's), and Edmunson drops to 9-16-1 (4 KO's).

    In the opener, South Central's Marsha Valley ran her record to 10-5-4 (4 KO's) by winning a unanimous six rounder over previously undefeated Shirvelle Williams (now 4-1, 1 KO). Valley stung Williams with several shots, but couldn't follow up effectively. Williams only moments of offensive success came in the last two rounds, after Valley's hair was knocked loose from it's pins, causing her to have difficulty seeing the punches.

    The card started late, featured an MC repeatedly asking us between rounds to applaud for Can't Lewz productions and Richard Steele (the promoters), and didn't feature a single knockdown.... but other than that, it was a great night of boxing. I'm sorry, I think I'm just still a little spoiled by that last Burbank show... 5 fights, 5 brutal knockouts. Where is that when you need it?

    But you have to like any fight card that takes place in a small tent on a huge property, and features celebrity sightings as varied as Marlon Wayans, Mickey Rourke, and Barry Williams (Greg Brady on "The Brady Bunch"). Now that is an L.A. fight crowd!
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xDavis Defeats Almazan by Chris Strait``x1015090695,31949,``x``x ``xSUGAR RAY LEONARD BOXING SIGNS BUFFALO’S UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT SENSATION “BABY JOE” MESI

    Sugar Ray Leonard and SRL President Bjorn Rebney Announce Signing in Buffalo, NY, Site of SRL Boxing’s Next ESPN2 Event On April 5 Featuring “Baby Joe” Mesi

    Los Angeles, CA - After much speculation, Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing (www.srlboxing.com) has signed Buffalo, New York’s undefeated heavyweight “Baby Joe” Mesi (www.babyjoemesi.com) to an exclusive promotional agreement. “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Baby Joe,” said Leonard, “Joe’s tremendous talent and power inside the ropes is equaled by his strength of personality and humanity outside the ropes. We believe that he is one of the top young heavyweights in the world. This young man can have a tremendous positive impact on our sport.” “Baby Joe” will be the Main Event on April 5th’s Buffalo Blast, promoted by SRL Boxing and broadcast by ESPN2 from the Alumni Arena in the University at Buffalo.

    “Baby Joe” Mesi is currently the No. 1 ranked contender in the North American Boxing Association and No. 6 in the North American Boxing Federation. Mesi is 21-0 with 19 knockouts since turning pro in 1997. Mesi says about the signing, “We want to be with one of the game’s top promoters and one who will work side-by-side with Team Mesi in our quest to become heavyweight champion of the world. After reviewing countless proposals, there was no company stronger overall than Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing. In addition to “Sugar” Ray being trustworthy and well respected, we have much in common – he has traveled the road I’m on and we both want to work in our communities and to use our celebrity to help others.”

    Mesi is a huge supporter of the National Kidney Foundation and Leonard is International Chairperson of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. “Baby Joe” was given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch through Buffalo. In 1996, Joe was the first alternate on the United States Olympic Team in the Super-Heavyweight Division.

    Team Mesi manager Jack Mesi said, “In all of our negotiations, it was important to Joe and me that the promoter we selected would bring great boxing cards back to Buffalo.”

    Leonard’s goal for SRL Boxing has been to provide the most exciting, well-matched fights in the sport and to change the focus of the sport to make the fighters and the fans the sport’s primary beneficiaries. Since its kick-off in 2001, SRL Boxing’s monthly ESPN2 Events have sold out venues across the country and have generated many of the highest television ratings on the network.

    Mesi joins an impressive group of fighters at SRL Boxing. Diobelys Hurtado 33-2-1 (25 KO’s) is the IBA Junior Welterweight World Champion. Bjorn Rebney, President and CEO of SRL Boxing, says of Hurtado, “He is one of the most exciting and dangerous junior welterweights in the world today.”

    Also newly signed is the undefeated IBF Cruiserweight World Champion, Vassiliy Jirov of Phoenix. Rebney says, “Vassiliy Jirov is the finest Cruiserweight anywhere. Without question, Jirov is the best body puncher in boxing.” Jirov was a gold medal winner in the ’96 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

    SRL Boxing has also signed exclusive long-term promotional agreements with Paul Williams 14-0 (12 KO’s), the heavily recruited undefeated Junior Middleweight from South Carolina, as well as with undefeated Daniel “Super Sweet” Mitchell 4-0 (2 KO’s), a top prospect trained by Miguel Diaz.

    Bjorn Rebney proudly said, “This is only the beginning. Ray has tremendous respect for the fighters and a tireless work ethic, as only another fighter can. It is evident not only in the caliber of fights we are promoting, but also by the complete open book policy Ray has implemented to protect fighters so that they get the money they’re due.” Leonard adds, “We are particularly pleased that these men are not just great fighters, they also uphold the human values that serve as the foundation for our company and all of it ventures.”



    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Sugar Ray Signs Joe Mesi``x1015097291,14868,``x``x ``xThe new WAIL! is on-line --

    http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/wail_02_2002.htm



    TABLE OF CONTENTS -- March 2002

    Editorial
    By GorDoom

    The 2001 Year-End CBZ Awards
    Compiled by JD Vena

    Land of Hope and Glory
    By David Payne

    Boxing on "The Simpsons"
    By Kristian Nordestgaard

    George Foreman Grilled
    By Lee Michaels

    Eddie Perkins Interview
    By Dan Hanley

    "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien -- "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick"
    By Tracy Callis

    Would Conn Really Have Beaten Louis?
    by Don Colgan

    Forever Noble
    By Tom Donelson

    Ghouls and Rules in Boxing
    By Adam Pollack

    Friday Night Fights
    By Steve Coughlin

    Book Reviews & Excerpts:
    Sting Like a Bee: The Muhammad Ali Story

    The Gloves [Excerpt] [Review]
    By Robert Anasi

    Dick Tiger: The Life and Times of a Boxing Immortal (Pt. 3)
    by Adeyinka Makinde

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMarch WAIL! On-line``x1015186640,36575,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    The big Couer d’Alene Casino is high up in the skinny
    part of Idaho, near Flathead Lake. It’s just a skip
    down from the Canadian border and a holler East of
    Spokane and it’s not the first place you think of when
    boxing is the topic. But matchmaker/promoter Moe Smith
    says he’s been putting on fight cards for around fifty
    years and his last five years have been spent staging
    regular pro shows at the Couer d’Alene, including
    several in the Heavyweight Explosion" series of cedric
    Kushner. It’s not surprising then, that Moe and his
    colleagues came up with the notion of creating the
    Northwest Boxing Hall of Fame.
    Dave Matheson, the CEO of the casino says, "we
    are excited to have some of the most legendary movers
    and shakers of the boxing world here at the Casino.
    We’ve worked hard to establish ourselves as a big
    player in the boxing world today. We feel it is time
    to honor and pay tribute to some of the greats in the
    Northwest."

    The debut of what is panned as an annual event took
    place on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 with the ceremony
    inducting the first class of the Northwest Boxing Hall
    of Fame. Among the special guests were Journlist Bert
    Sugar and ex-fighters Bob Foster, Livingstone Bramble,
    and Gene Fullmer.

    The Class of 2002 NW Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
    included:
    Referees and commission members: Jerry Armstrong and
    Jim Reilly of Idaho and Jimmy Rondeau of Washington.
    Matchmakers: Benny Georgino of the Lucky Eagle Casino
    in Rochester, WA. and Bob Oleson of Beaverton, Oregon
    who works on shows all over four states and more.
    Managers George Chemeres of Seattle and Mike
    "Motormouth" Morton of Portland, Oregon.

    The Boxers inducted included(in random order)
    Greg Haugen, Leo Randolph, Andy Kendall, Boone
    Kirkman, Ray Lampkin, Sugar Ray Seales, Pete
    Rademacher, Mickey Hewitt, Marvin Camel, Larry Buck,
    John L. Sullivan, Joe Hipp, Pat McMurtry, George Logan
    and Harlan Breshears.

    The ceremony included a buffet style supper around the
    official ring and each inductee was introduced in the
    ring and awarded an inscribed trophy. Moe Smith says
    the Casino has designated a room to house the Hall of
    Fame and each inductee will be represented by framed
    photographs and other mementos of their careers.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xNew Northwest Boxing Hall of Fame Launched``x1015249194,96358,``x``x ``xEric Lucas new super middle leader
    Baby Jake gets standing ovation after winning final fight

    by Kris Van de Velde

    Canadian Eric Lucas (#3, v1600 - all values unofficial until March 5)
    raised himself to the very top in the super middleweight divison after successfully defending his WBC title against Vinny Paz (#19, v410) on Friday. Lucas proved too quick and too busy for the veteran challenger and got a wide unanimous decision: 116-110, 117-111, 119-110. In World Cup terms, Lucas wins 410 points and becomes the new provisional leader, overtaking French coming-man Mehdi Sahnoune, who officially leads the competition after February with 283 points. In fact, Lucas scored the double, as 410 points are also sufficient to slip past Joe Calzaghe in the Total Ranking, though only just.

    Despite his new defeat at the highest level, 40-year-old Paz has indicated he is not considering retirement yet.

    South African little legend Baby Jake Matlala (#9, v700) ended his active boxing career in splendid fashion by overpowering Colombian Juan Herrera (#26, v322 at 105 lbs) in seven exciting rounds. Matlala controlled the fight throughout and knocked his useful opponent down twice with crisp combination-punching. As the referee saved Herrera from further punishment, Matlala received a standing ovation from the 5,500 attendants at ringside, including the nation's hero Nelson Mandela and actor Will "Ali" Smith. The 40-year-old Baby Jake has always been tremendously popular in his country. During his 22-year-career he won WBO belts at 108 and 112 lbs and defeated American star Michael Carbajal. Despite his age, Matlala never looked old against Herrera, and the 240 WCup points are truly well-deserved!

    On the massive but quality undercard, local cruiserweight star Sebastian Rothmann (#18, v420) hurt his right hand in the fourth, but still managed to stagger and outpoint faded Briton Gary Delaney (#49, v166) over 12 rounds. Rothmann provisionally enters the World Cup race in fifth place and firmly establishes himself in the top 15 of the Total Ranking.

    Bantamweight prospect Silence Mabuza (#52, v150) impressed with a strong stoppage win over higher-ranked Argentinean Jose Sanjuanelo (#34, v262). Quite a number of points for Mabuza, who is therefore set to move up considerably in the Total Ranking. He's currently fourth in the World Cup as well.

    Another big-earner this weekend was super lightweight Pablo Sarmiento (#25, v330). The Argentinean put in a crushing performance against Stephen Carr (#39 ,v227), who was knocked out in the second round. The list of 140 pounders with high-value wins thus continues to grow bigger. 227 points cannot be ignored, but since the competition is so fierce at this weight, it remains to be seen whether Sarmiento will actually feature in the WCup top 10 in April! A top 20 spot in the Total Ranking should be a possibility, though.

    Commonwealth super middleweight champion David Starie (#18, v420) had a very easy night as he kayoed Australian Marc Bangero (#95, v15) after barely one minute.

    Light heavyweight Tony Oakey (#50, v160) stayed unbeaten at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England, by decisioning late-sub Kostya Shvets (#86, v28) of the Ukraine over 12 rounds.


    WORLD CUP OF BOXING
    http://www.worldcupofboxing.com/
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWeekend Round-up ``x1015261131,17294,``x``x ``xBy Joe Koizumi

    WBA top ranked 115-pounder Alexander Munoz, who boasts of his perfectly unblemished mark of 21-0, 21 KOs, arrived in Tokyo in preparation for his mandatory shot at the WBA super-fly throne against Japan’s Celes Shoji Kobayashi at Budokan (Martial Arts Hall), Tokyo, on March 9.

    The hard-punching Venezuelan, whose amateur record was 163-9, 129 stoppages, will be a most dangerous challenger against Kobayashi, a durable southpaw, 24-4-3, 14 KOs. Kobayashi, 29 and 6 years his senior, dethroned Venezuelan veteran Leo Gamez by a 10th round TKO in March of the previous year, and kept it once by a hairline decision over another Venezuelan Jesus Kiki Rojas last September. Munoz is reportedly the most expected prospect in Venezuela. He scored an important triumph over ex-WBA fly champ Sornpichai Kratindaeng-Gym via 5th round TKO in December, 2000 to become a perennial top contender.

    Munoz is a preflight favorite among fight fans here, but Kobayashi depends on his incredible durability and stamina, so if it should go to a late stage of a fight, the Japanese lefty will have a good chance to outhustle the highly reputed hard-hitter.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x21-0 Munoz arrives in Japan``x1015269338,11285,``x``x ``xBy Joe Koizumi

    TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, a lefty Thailander, will put his belt on the line against unbeaten Japanese prospect Daisuke Naito, 19-0-2, 14 KOs, in Khonkaen, Thailand, on April 19.

    Pongsaklek, 43-2, 25 KOs, dethroned Filipino Malcolm Tunacao by a stunning first round TKO and kept his belt three times, beating Hayato Asai (TKO5), #1 ranked Alex Baba (Technical Decision 8), and Luis Lazarte (TKO2) to his credit.

    Naito had a crack at the Japanese national title against currently WBC #9 ranked Takefumi Sakata, an unbeaten combination puncher, and fought a grueling battle to a well-received draw in Tokyo last July. Naito is a good puncher with a good heart, so he may show a better fight than Asai and Lazarte. But the southpaw champ boasts of his very busy punching and tight defense, plus superior power. It will be a good fight of the hard-punchers.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPongsaklek to Defend Lineal World Flyweight Title``x1015353630,74962,``x``x ``xBy Chris Strait

    On Thursday, March 14, 2002 Ron Williams Promotions brings another fight night to the Burbank Hilton. If it ends up being half as entertaining as the last card I attended there, it will be well worth the price of admission.

    Last November: 5 fights, 5 knockouts, 5 brutal endings. Although that may seem hard to live up to, a few of the same fighters will be featured, so the chances are good. 4 undefeated novices will attempt to move forward in their careers, while the main event will feature the entertaining Carlos Madrigal taking on veteran Julio Coronel for the vacant NABA bantamweight title. Here is a tentative schedule:

    At the Hilton Convention Center, Burbank, CA
    Carlos Madrigal (18-3) vs. Julio Coronell (20-15)
    Jason Parillo (5-0) vs. Ruben Navarro (1-3)
    William Adamyan (5-0) vs. TBA
    Rafael Garcia (1-0) vs. Tony Sanza (2-4)
    Aaron Brink (0-1) vs. Milan Rodzak (1-1)
    Rita Valentia (1-0) vs. TBA

    FOR TICKET INFORMATION CALL: 1-661-296-9376
    Be sure to also visit RWpromotions.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMadrigal and Coronel to Headline Fight Night in Burbank``x1015422592,46156,``x``x ``xby Kris Van de Velde

    Mahmutov retains European title
    Russian flyweight veteran enters WCup race in third place

    Russian veteran Alexander Mahmutov (#5, v1200) retained his European
    flyweight title in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday with a unanimous decision
    against French challenger Mimoun Chent (#35, v255). The 36-year-old had too
    many boxing skills for the often wildly attacking Chent, and also landed
    the cleanest punches. Chent also got cut above the right eye in the seventh
    round, but was allowed to go the distance. There were no knockdowns during
    the fight. Mahmutov therefore enters the World Cup competition at 112 lbs
    in a provisional third place behind leader Eric Morel (900 pts) and Mexican
    Abel Ochoa (276 pts). He is also set to move up to fourth in the Total
    Ranking at the expense of WBO titleholder Fernando Montiel.


    WORLD CUP OF BOXING
    http://www.worldcupofboxing.com/
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWCOB: Mahmutov retains European title ``x1015429617,8766,``x``x ``x
    WAIL! PDFs

    The Barge Fight
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xDownload "The Barge Fight"``x1015439829,98560,``x``x ``xUndefeated super welterweight sensation Nick Acevedo of New York City steps up and meets his toughest opponent by far in former International Boxing Federation junior welterweight champion Vince Phillips of Las Vegas in the 10-round main event on the nationally televised card presented by Cedric Kushner Promotions Friday, March 29, at Paris Las Vegas.

    The 10-round heavyweight semi-main event features Swedish Olympian Attila "The Hun" Levin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., who's co-trained by the legendary Angelo Dundee, against hard-hitting Ron Guerrero of Corpus Christi, Texas.
    Five other bouts are on the Cedric Kushner Promotions card that is televised live by ESPN2.
    The 27-year-old Acevedo is, perhaps, the most highly regarded 154-pound prospect in boxing, and a win over the veteran Phillips, the only person to beat current 140-pound world champion Kostya Tszyu, could boost him into the top 10.
    Phillips, however, still has championship aspirations of his own, and is well aware a win over the youngster is a must if he expects to get another title shot.

    The card starts at 5 p.m. (Pacific) with doors to the Paris Theatre opening at 4:30.
    Tickets, priced at $35 for general admission and $50 for ringside reserved, are on sale at both the Paris Las Vegas and Bally's-Las Vegas box offices from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Tickets also are available by calling 702-946-4567 or 877-374-7469.

    Cedric Kushner Promotions of New York City is one of the leading promoters in boxing and promotes, among other fighters, International Boxing Federation's No. 1-ranked heavyweight, Chris Byrd.

    Also on the card is Willie Palms of Jersey City, N.J., against Sedreck Fields of Richmond, Va., in a six-round heavyweight fight; Rupert Thomas of West Palm Beach, Fla., against James Walton of Cleveland in a six-round heavyweight bout; unbeaten James Elizalde of Corpus Christi against Joseph Awinongya of West Palm Beach in a six-round cruiserweight fight; Israel Garcia of New York City against Jason Gethers in a four-round heavyweight bout; and undefeated Olanda Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colo., against Derek Berry of Pomona, Calif., in a four-round heavyweight fight.

    Acevedo made his 10-round debut in only his 11th fight, stopping John Molnar in the ninth round during August of 2000. In his next outing, three months later, Acevedo halted Marco Lizarraga in the sixth of a 12-round fight for the International Boxing Association-Continental welterweight championship.

    Acevedo's most recent bout was a decision over Kenito Drake Jan. 26 in New York City on the undercard of the Vernon Forrest-Shane Mosley World Boxing Council welterweight championship show.

    The 38-year-old Phillips has a record of 43-6-1 with 32 knockouts and is the most accomplished and experienced opponent Acevedo has faced.

    Phillips knocked out Tszyu in the 10th to win the IBF junior welterweight title May 31, 1997, in Atlantic City, N.J.
    Phillips defended successfully three times, stopping Mickey Ward in the third round and Freddie Pendleton in the 10th during 1997 and Alfonso Sanchez in the first during 1998.

    Phillips is unbeaten as a super welterweight and has won his past two fights by knockout, halting Marlon Hayes in the seventh June 23 and then Carlito Brozas in the third Nov. 3 in Las Vegas.


    The 25-year-old Levin has a record of 23-1 with 20 knockouts and has won his past nine fights by knockout, the most recent a second-round stoppage of Jim Huffman on a Cedric Kushner Promotions card Jan. 30 in Miami Beach, Fla.
    Levin, who represented Sweden at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, knows he, too, is but an impressive win or two away from cracking the top 10.

    The 28-year-old Guerrero has a record of 15-3-2 with 10 knockouts. Three of his past four wins have come by knockout, the most recent a seventh-round stoppage of Terrance Lewis on a Cedric Kushner Promotions show Aug. 25 in Laughlin, Nev.
    The 29-year-old Palms has a record of 10-1-1 with five knockouts and is coming off a win over Tali Kulihaapai on a Cedric Kushner Promotions card Jan. 18 at Paris-Las Vegas.

    Fields, also 29, has a record of 16-14-1 with 12 knockouts and is coming off a win over Jeremy Bates on that Cedric Kushner Promotions card Jan. 30 in Miami Beach. Fields has been in with several top heavyweights, including world-ranked Jameel McCline, Oleg Maskaev, Shannon Briggs and former
    WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall.

    The 32-year-old Thomas, originally from Jamaica, has a record of 10-1-1 with eight knockouts.
    The 31-year-old Walton has a record of 17-1-2 with 10 knockouts.
    The 31-year-old Elizalde has a record of 7-0 with three knockouts.
    The 27-year-old Awinongya, originally from Ghana, has a record of 9-3-3 with three knockouts and has won six straight. He's coming off a win over David Na'il on the Cedric Kushner Promotions card Jan. 30 in Miami Beach.
    The 31-year-old Garcia has a record of 11-1 with seven knockouts.
    The 26-year-old Gethers has a record of 4-3-1 with three knockouts.
    The 29-year-old Anderson has a record of 2-0 with one knockout and made his pro debut on that Cedric Kushner Promotions card Jan. 18 at Paris Las Vegas.
    The 30-year-old Berry has a record of 7-1-1 with four knockouts.

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPress Release - Nick Acevedo to Face "Cool" Vince Phillips``x1015442277,39584,``x``x ``xBy Frank Lotierzo

    TODAY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.......BAR NONE

    March 8, 1971 was the day the world stopped. It was the day the sports world would change forever. It was the day an 11 year old kid's life would never be the same.

    For this is the day that an 11 year old kid sat on the floor at 108 Ardmore Ave in Haddonfield N.J. 08033 reading the Courier Post about that night's big Fight. This pimpled face kid counted down the minutes, and kept asking his father who he thought would win tonight. This would go on to become Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday, And New Years eve for this school skippin brat. This is the Night that
    Ali and Frazier came to blows, and put on a fight for all-time
    between two of the six greatest Heavyweights who have yet lived. So don't try to contact me tonight after 11:03, I will be watching the fight beginning at the exact same time it started. I will be thinking back to 1971 and reminiscing.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMarch 8, 1971``x1015605615,47607,``x``x ``xUndefeated Paul "The Pittsburgh Kid" Spadafora (34-0, 14 KOs) goes against Angel Manfredy (39-5-1, 29 KOs) at the AJ Palumbo Center at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, March 9th. The fight will be broadcast HBO Boxing After Dark.``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xSpandafora vs. Manfredy -- Mar 9``x1015610022,53363,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    Ring Promotions put on another solid show in New York City last night. Several up-and-coming local talents were featured before a sell-out, standing-room-only crowd. Unfortunately for the touted Andre Eason exposed himself a low level club fighter with no real potential.

    The evening started off with what turned out to be the best fight of the night. Waleed McFadden, Brooklyn tough guy who has been making some noise in the gyms, made his pro debut against Robert Astacio. In the first, Waleed pressed forward, left hand down and chin out, and his dreds covering one eye sort of like a black Veronica Lake. A calm and composed Astacio covered up and looked for openings to counter. At the start of the second Astacio began to control with a sporadic jab, and well-timed counter rights. Later, in the 3d and 4th, he switched up, slamming home some good left hooks while a puzzled Waleed looked for the right. All in all, a good solid performance by Astacio. Astacio appears to lack strength, but that may increase as he continues to work.

    The crowd truly came alive with the women's fight between Norma Galloway and Meaghan McBain. (that's my way of saying that I really didn't pay to close attention to this one.) Galloway copped a close nod.

    Gut-check of the night went to Chi Chi Rosdo and Chris Medina, a rematch of their October 2001 draw. Chi Chi lived up to his nickname and eeked out a split decision.

    In the final bout, purported prospect Andre Eason clubbed and pushed his way to a TKO (i.e. quit) over Michael Melvin, a late sub for Juan Golo Gomez-Trinidad. Eason fights with his feet planted wide apart, when he tries to move forward, he leads with his face. He showed no aptitude at all for moving up to tougher fights. His trainer, Yoel Judah, was nearly as comical as his fighter; between rounds Judah would rattle off 10 and 12 punch combinations, ostensibly as an example of how Eason should approach the match. Not once, however, did Judah say something as constructive as "hold your hands up."

    Ring has cards coming up on April 3 and 25th and if you are in the New York area, this is a great way to spend the evening, as the show is well run and there is an endless supply of Kit Kat bars ant the snack counter.

    Andre Eason TKO 4 Michael Melvin (Melvin retired in corner)
    Anthony Armstead W 6 (Unanimous) Mohammed Nuhu (60-53, 60-54, 58-55)
    Ubaldo Olivencia Majority Draw 4 Miguel Quintana (39-37 Olivencia, 38-38, 2x)
    Ariel Espinal W 4 (Unanimous) Victor Barnes (39-37 twice, 38-37)
    Norma Galloway W 4 (Split) Meagan McBain (39-37, 40-36, 37-39)
    Chi Chi Rosado W 4 (Split) Chris Medina (40-36, 39-37, 38-39)
    Roberto Astacio W 4 (Unanimous) Waleed McFadden (39-37 twice, 40-36)``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xResults From NYC; Park Central NY Hotel``x1015624307,99392,``x``x ``xBy Frank J. Lotierzo

    Can we as boxing columnists please stop matching the Champions of today with past greats? It's just my opinion but a present day title-holder cannot be fairly or accurately ranked until his career is completed. No one can predict how a supposedly great champion of today, undefeated or not, is going to rank until his career has heard its last bell.

    Case in point : As recently as 21 months ago a well-respected monthly boxing publication matched Oscar De la hoya against 10 of the greatest welterweight champions ever. In the panel's opinion, the then undefeated De la hoya would have defeated all but three of their top 10, which included Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns.

    I say to them, based on what?

    After seeing former lightweight champion Shane Mosley out-box and out-punch De la hoya in only his third fight as a Welterweight, I wonder how the same panel would rank the slightly- tarnished "Golden Boy". Could they possibly have believed that on his best day he would have beaten Sugar Ray or the "Hit Man"? I question whether Oscar could have beaten the best Donald Curry or Wilfred Benitez. And it's not a given that he could beaten Carlos Palomino.

    Did you know that in 1968 "Mr Boxing," Nat Fleisher, the founder of Ring magazine, did not have Muhammad Ali ranked in his top ten heavyweights of all time? However, his top 10 did include the likes of Jim Jeffries, Max Schmeling and James Braddock. I believe it is reasonable to assume that had Fleischer lived to see Ali's entire career, he would have been capable of making a more balanced evaluation, "Mr.Boxing" questioned Ali's toughness and ability to take a punch from a proven knockout puncher. Had he been around to see Ali's three fights with Joe Frazier and his title-winning effort against the fearsome George Foreman, Fleischer would have seen that Jeffries, Schmeling and Braddock had nothing to beat Ali with. He would painfully have had to admit that all three of them would have been only too glad to pay their way into a gym just to see Ali hit the heavy bag.

    Still not convinced ? Here's the best example why we need to wait until a fighter's career has ended before evaluating his place among the all-time greats: In 1988 another high-profile boxing publication rated then-undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson the second-greatest heavyweight ever. Only the incomparable Muhammad Ali ranked above him. Incidentally, this ranking came on the heels of Tyson's 91-second knockout of 31-year- old former light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. Does knocking out an over-fed 175-pounder in the signature fight of his career afford such a lofty place in history? Not when 21months later, Tyson was seen searching the canvas for his mouthpiece while being counted out against a journeyman named Buster Douglas-the same Buster
    Douglas who had been KO'd in three of four career defeats and entered the ring against Tyson in Tokyo a 42-1 underdog. Douglas will be remembered forever for being the first fighter to expose the myth called Mike Tyson. He also provided answers to the questions that some of us had about Tyson.

    What kind of chin does he have; can he get up off the canvas to win a fight; and how will he cope with a fighter who can take his punch?

    Six years later , Evander Holyfield, coming off the two worst fights of his career (the third bout with Riddick Bowe, in which he was knocked out, and a desultory effort against Bobby Czyz) showed, in front of the largest viewing
    audience ever to witness a televised fight, undeniable proof of Tyson's shortcomings. Holyfield, who had to be medically cleared to fight by the Mayo Clinic, erased any benefit of doubt afforded Tyson after the Douglas fight by scoring a Round 11 TKO. Once again Tyson showed he could not cope with a fighter who could not be intimidated and even dare to fight back. In the rematch eight months later Tyson showed he could not take a butt-kicking like a champion. When Tyson committed the most cowardly act in boxing history by biting both of Holyfield's ears, he was telling us that he wanted out of the fight before he was knocked out by Holyfield for the second consecutive time.

    Is this the body of work of a fighter considered to be the second-best heavyweight ever by some of those who are supposed to know? They could not have been more wrong! A fighters career must be complete on order to determine when he was truly at his best. Trying to match yesterday's fighters with those of today is about as credible as the computer that said light heavyweight champion Bob Foster would knock out heavyweight champion Joe Frazier one month before they fought. Frazier went on to knock Foster out cold in the second round.

    Frank J. Lotierzo
    "Toe to Toe"
    ESPN Radio 1490
    GlovedFist@Juno.com
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xRating Fighters Past and Present : Pointless Until Career Complete``x1015626701,68501,``x``x ``xThis one is very tough to explain -- you will have to check it out yourselves --

    http://boxopera3.com/


    I dare JD Vena to go to the casting call!``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xBoxOpera 3``x1015630168,67060,``x``x ``xBy Katherine Dunn

    Stephen "2 Pound" Forbes, the IBF 130 pound champ,
    says he has pulled out of the March 22 Phoenix, AZ
    card promoted by America Presents for broadcast on
    ESPN2. Forbes was originally booked to defend his
    title against Ernesto Zepeda on that show. When Zepeda
    was sidelined by a training injury, the search for a
    substitute was on. Forbes says the opponent kept
    changing every week. "The fact is, there was no stable
    opponent. There were too many different styles to
    train for properly." After several such changes,
    Forbes decided to pull out. He says the promoter
    "Understood. I’m a champion. I’m not a preliminary
    fighter."

    Forbes says his next bout will be a mandatory defense
    against Lamont Pearson. The date has not yet been set.
    Forbes says Pearson is scheduled to fight on the March
    22. "I’ll go and watch his fight and hopefully we’ll
    sign the contract right after that."

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x"2 Pound" Bows Out For Now ``x1015685701,23001,``x``x ``xBy Joe Koizumi

    Beloved by great many Japanese fight fans, WBA #12 ranked lightweight Rick Yoshimura Roberts, 37, announced he'll hang up the gloves for good after he suffered a defeat by a unanimous 12-round verdict at the hand of Masakazu Satake in a quest for the OPBF 140-pound title underneath the WBA 115-pound title bout in Tokyo yesterday.


    Frederick Roberts, a US military computer engineer, was born in New York on February 12, 1965, and made his unsuccessful debut there on November 10, 1983, losing a 4-round decision to Michael Dominguez. Rick suffered his second setback to Thomas Otero by a 4-round decision in January 1984. He was just 0-2, and gave up fighting until he entered the US army to be transferred to Japan in 1987.


    Working in Misawa Base Camp, Rick resumed training at Hachinohe Boxing Gym and made his second debut in Japan by outscoring Shigenori Motoi over 6 rounds after a 46-month layoff in 1987. He got married with an attractive Japanese girl named Yoshimura, and began to fight as Rick Yoshimura. The lanky Alexis Arguello stylist improved a lot since, and captured the Japanese 140-pound title by stopping Yoshihiro Yamamoto in 6 rounds at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, in January 1990. Rick kept it twice but lost it to ex-Olympic gold medalist, imported Russian, Viacheslav Ianovski on points in March 1991.


    The US military order moved Rick to Tokyo from Misawa, and then he moved from Hachinohe Teiken Gym to Ishikawa Gym presided by ex-Japanese light champ Keiichi Ishikawa in 1993. Rick kept winning after he forfeited the Japanese junior welter belt as he moved down to the lightweight division.


    In September 1993, Rick seized his second Japanese national belt in the 135-pound class when he chalked up a fine second-round TKO victory over Makoto Nishizawa in Tokyo. In his first defense, however, Rick lost his diadem to an upcoming hard-hitting novice named Hiroyuki Sakamoto (who later had a world title shot four times, losing to Steve Johnston, Cesar Bazan, Gilberto Serrano and Takanori Hatakeyama) via upset 9th round TKO in December that year.


    With Sakamoto renouncing the national light belt, Rick was given another chance to regain the throne and did so by beating Hiroyuki Maeda, a currently world-rated welter campaigner, in January 1995.


    Since then, the stylish jabber registered 22 defenses of the title to his credit by defeating the likes of: Jun Nakaya (W10), Hisao Arai (KO5), ex-champ Hiroyuki Maeda (W10), Masaaki Morooka (TKO8), Hiroshi Ikehata (TKO4), Koji Takae (W10), Shinji Kamei (TKO5), Yasunobu Tsukamoto (W10), Tomoaki Sakayori (KO8), Kazu Arisawa (KO3), Yudai Okane (TKO5), ex-Olympian Satoru Higashi (W10), Yoichi Iwamoto (TKO5), Andrei Bunta (TKO7), Yasuharu Yamaguchi (TKO3), Norio Kimura (W10), Kenji Fukunaga (TKO10), Takayuki Yoshioka (W10), Tadashi Yuba (D10), Takahiro Shimada (W10), Hironari Ohshima (W10) and Takehiro Shimada again (W10).


    After his 21st defense, Rick was obliged to leave Japan as the US government transferred him to a military base in Florida. He was to forfeit his national belt upon his departure, but the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) gave Rick a special permission, considering his great contribution to the Japanese boxing world, to make his 22nd and final defense in November 2000. He scored a successful record-breaking defense by beating Shimada at the Korakuen Hall. (Ironically enough, Shimada welcomed a coronation to become the national 135-pound champ by dethroning Norio Kimura on the same card of Rick’s final showing yesterday.)


    Rick welcomed a couple of climaxes in his 18-year career. One was his exhibition with his idol Alexis Arguello at the Korakuen Hall in a promotion titled “World Challenger Scout” promoted by this reporter in 1995, while Rick was the national 135-pound champ and Arguello was in the twilight of his long career after his final and ill-fated comeback. Yours truly remember Rick was greatly excited to exchange gloves with Arguello before the audience.


    Another climax was his first and last world title shot on February 17 of the previous year, when Rick failed to win the WBA world lightweight throne as he battled to a controversial draw with Japanese defending champ Takanori Hatakeyama over 12 grueling rounds. Rick kept outboxing and outlegging to piling up more points than the champ, who, aware of being behind on points, desperately kept boring in to sweep the last five sessions. Some people said that Rick had accumulated more than 5 points before Hatakeyama’s last surge. The official tallies were: 115-112 for Rick, 116-111 for Hatakeyama and 114-114 by a Nicaraguan judge named Alexis Arguello. Without Rick’s penalty deducted for his holding in the 9th canto, he would have been the winner and new champ. Before this title bout materialized, great many Japanese fans had earnestly urged Hatakeyama to give Rick a shot at his world belt, so did he. The long anticipated card gathered a sellout crowd at the Ryogoku Sumo Arena then. It was a very good fight.


    Rick, who was still very popular among fight fans here, was booked this time against upcoming southpaw speedster Masakazu Satake in a bid for the latter’s OPBF super-light crown. It was agreed by both parties that they would fight at the 138-pound catchweight, since Rick is a legitimate lightweight and Satake a 140-pounder. Rick fought well, though beaten decisively by the fast-handed and fresher Satake on points.


    Rick, whose overall record was 38-6-2, 20 KOs, announced his retirement from boxing after this setback, and he will return to Florida to resume his military service. Rick, keep your head high. You were a great national champ we, Japanese fans, will never forget. Your 22 defenses of the national title, the very most in Japan, will shine here despite your departure and retirement.


    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xRick "Yoshimura" Roberts retires ``x1015795234,73751,``x``x ``xMUNOZ, 22-0, 22 KOs, DEMOLISHES KOBAYASHI IN 8 TO WIN WBA 115-POUND BELT

    By Joe Koizumi

    March 9, 2002, TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten Venezuelan hard-puncher Alexander Munoz (22-0, 22 KOs), 115, impressively dethroned defending champ Celes Shoji Kobayashi(right photo) (24-5-3, 14 KOs), 115, Japan, as he displayed devastating power in dropping him five times en route to a fine TKO victory at 1:31 of the 8th round at Bodokan (Martial Arts Hall) in Tokyo.

    Munoz, 23, sent the champ, 29, to the deck in the second, 6th, 7th and the fatal 8th (twice) to show his awesome power.

    Scored after the 7th: Guy Jutras (Canada) 69-62, Derek Milham (Australia) 69-62, and Jose Laurino (Uruguay) 68-62, all for the Venezuelan KO artist.

    Munoz started a furious attack in the opening canto by battering the champ even on his guard with all his power for full three minutes. Kobayashi covered himself up well and sometimes retaliated with his southpaw lefts to the breadbasket in the second, when Munoz caught him with a vicious left hook to have him kneel down for a mandatory 8 count.

    Kobayashi was in command in the third as he often connected with southpaw lefts to the face of the aggressive Venezuelan. They fought on nearly even terms in the 4th with Munoz roughly attacking and Kobayashi coming back with effective combos to the belly.

    Munoz regained his pace by shaking up the champ with a left uppercut to the chin and maintaining his aggressiveness in the 5th. In the 6th, Munoz floored him again with a right-left-right combination but Kobayashi desperately fought back to survive the crisis.

    The fatal 8th saw Munoz force him to the ropes to drop the champ by a left hook and once more by a wicked right. Referee Stanley Christodoulou declared a halt to stop the massacre. The dethroned champ stayed prone on the canvas for some minutes.

    The newly crowned champ, who looked like a young Wilfredo Gomez, celebrated his triumph and dedicated his coronation to the aficionados of his mother country. Munoz avenged the losses of his senior compatriots Leo Gamez and Jesus Kiki Rojas by Kobayashi by banging out the Japanese southpaw to the punch.

    UNDERCARD:
    OPBF SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
    WBC #12 ranked Masakazu Satake (15-2-4, 8 KOs), 138, kept his OPBF 140-pound title by posting a unanimous decision over WBA #12 ranked lightie Rick Yoshimura Roberts (38-6-2, 20 KOs), 137.5, over 12 rounds.

    Scored: referee Morita 117-115, judges Uchida and Abe 119-112 and 120-112 respectively, all for the fast-moving lefty Satake.

    They showed a very lousy fight in the first half to be severely jeered by the crowd, though Satake was slightly leading on points. But Satake, 24 and 13 years his junior, started fireworks by battering the lanky veteran with a fusillade of punches in the 8th.

    The Japanese, making his 6th defense, swept the last three rounds to confirm his victory over the still popular US military computer engineer who had registered 22 defenses of the Japanese 135-pound title before moving to Florida.

    JAPANESE FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
    Upcoming Eiichi Sugama (23-2, 19 KOs), 125, kept his national feather title as he was awarded a unanimous technical decision over Haruhiko Okuda (21-3-2, 15 KOs), 126, due to the latter’s bad bleeding at 2:58 of the 9th round.

    Scored at the stoppage: 88-84, 89-84 and 87-86, all for Sugama who controlled the proceedings by connecting with more accurate shots to the onrushing Okuda, who suffered nasty cuts on both eyebrows.

    JAPANESE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
    Rugged puncher Takehiro Shimada (11-3, 7 KOs), 135, captured the Japanese lightweight belt by eking out a hairline but unanimous decision over lefty defending champ Norio Kimura (17-5-2, 5 KOs), 135, over 10. It was a terribly lousy contest.

    Scored: Asao 97-95, Fukuchi 96-95 and Abe 96-94, all for the body puncher.

    Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.

    WBA supervisor: Renzo Bagnariol (Nicaragua).

    The WBA president Gilberto Mendoza came to Tokyo just to witness this mandatory title bout during his brief two-day visit.

    (3-9-02)

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``x"Explosivo" Munoz goes to 22-0 in Title Win at 115``x1015871776,20770,``x``x ``x
    Bert Sugar and Friends




    Wanna see more like this -- go to


    RoundCardGirlz.com/
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xPhoto of the Week``x1015964256,48517,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    Reports from Juárez Hopital in Mexico City today indicate that Luis Villanueva, better known as "Kid Azteca," has been hospitalized in with serious kidney failure, as well as agonizing complications from anemia, pneumonia, and peritonitis. The 88-year-old is on a respirator.

    The legendary boxer welterweight, born according the some records in 1915 (although the hospital reports June 21, 1913), fought from 1929 through 1961 in nearly 250 fights, holding the Mexican welterweight title for many years, and fighting some of the top fighters of the Thirties and Forties, including Cefarino Garcia, Cocoa Kid, Fritzie Zivic, and Baby Casanova.

    Azteca's doctor, Elí García Ruiz, has placed him on dialysis but his condition remains grave and his prognosis guarded. ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMexican Icon Kid Azteca Hospitalized in Grave Condition``x1016220521,25757,``x``x ``xBy Chrsi Strait

    In front of a packed house under a tent shade in the parking lot of the Burbank Hilton (something must have been wrong with the convention center this time around), Carlos Madrigal won the WBO intercontinental bantamweight belt with a hard-fought fifth-round TKO win over durable mexican veteran Oswaldo Guerrero.. "El Terror" had his local fan base behind him as he pounded his rival at will. Guerrero showed a tremendous chin, but had simply taken too much punishment throughout... and his corner called a halt at the
    end of the fifth. Madrigal moves to 19-3 (14 KO's), while Guerrero slips to 27-14 (24 KO's).

    This was an action packed fight that was non-stop punching from the start. Madrigal showed patient aggression, as many fighters would've become frustrated with such a resilient opponent. "El Terror" simply began luring Guerrero in with decent defensive moves. He also showed a good chin himself when getting tagged in between punches. While certainly living up to it's billing as a main event, this bout was just the icing on the cake. The great action had been going on all night.

    Heavyweight prospect Steve "the Gentle Giant" Vukosa, of Quincy Massachusetts, moved to 7-0 (4 KO's) with a second-round knockout of game but overmatched David Johnson, of Cleveland, now 0-3. Johnson leaped right into Vukosa at the opening bell, but Vukosa's southpaw left began bothering him soon thereafter. After being stunned by a vicious straight left to the jaw in the second, Johnson was caught with a left to the body, and went down for the count at the 2:52 mark. Vukosa had fought only two weeks before, going the 6 round distance.

    Another barn burner took place when Joshua Zurfluh of Long Beach moved to 2-1 with a four round majority decision over Ruben Navarro (now 1-4-1-1KO), of Northridge. This junior middleweight bout was close and full of action, but a knockdown in the first made the difference, as Navarro went down late in the round. Zurfluh was landing the uppercut at will, also, which I'm sure made an impression on the judges. However, the Valley crowd was not happy that the decision went against their man.

    There were a couple of mismatches on the card as well. In another heavyweight matchup, local favorite Milan Rodzak got his third win (all knockouts) against one loss by beating pitiful Shane Harris, 2-5 (2 KO's). Harris has pop in the right hand if he ever lands it... but has the punch-taking ability of a four-year-old. So naturally, after Rodzak landed a hard shot to the eye (in all fairness, it could've been a thumb), Harris quickly gave up...going down 3 times in the opening round (twice officially). On his third trip, he was counted out.

    In the middleweight opener, Rafi Garcia got his second win, by stopping a game but sloppy Vincent Rendon in the first round. Rendon was making his debut, and looks as if more time in the gym is in order. The fans booed the stoppage.. but I think the ref did a good thing in saving us from watching 3 more rounds of impotent flailing.

    I must say Ron Williams and RW promotions did it again... giving those in attendence as good a show in the parking lot as he had in the ballroom a few months back. the action was consistent. The hot dogs were good. The beautiful, business-minded Dazza was selling her calendars again... no, I still didn't buy one. And except for the occasional parking lot tree sticking up in the middle of the general admission seats, you'd have never even known we were outside. My only gripe was with the hip-hop opera after the third fight (no,
    I'm not kidding!). But overall, keep up the good work. I will definitely be back.
    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xMadrigal Pounds Geurrero ``x1016222256,72257,``x``x ``xBy Mike DeLisa

    Kid Azteca passed away in the early hours this morning at Juarez Hospital. His end by all accounts was extremely painful.

    At his side was his friend of 60 years, Carlos Moreno.

    Azteca was born Luis Villanueva Páramo on June 21, 1913 in Tepito, Mexico; he moved with his family to Nuevo laredo as a young boy. He was Mexican welterweight champion from 1932 through 1949.

    On a related note, Manuel Villanueva, a man who claims to be the son of Kid Azteca has surfaced in Colonia Guerrero. He claims he ran away as a young boy and that his father refused to ever see him again. Carlos Moreno denies that the Kid ever had any children. At the Kid's hospital bedside, an indignant Moreno called the putative son a liar: "God could not give him everything -- fame, money, victories. But not children. Let's not invent things. This guy who says he is [Azteca's} son is an imposter."

    ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xKid Azteca dead at 88``x1016299426,9280,``x``x ``xKlitschko stops Botha and hops over Lewis
    Corey Sanders and Daniel Santos new World Cup leaders

    by Kris van De Velde

    WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko is the new leader in WCOB's heavyweight Total Ranking thanks to an eight-round stoppage win over South African Francois Botha in Stuttgart, Germany, on Saturday. Referee Genaro Rodriguez halted the unequal battle after Botha had been wobbled and eventually floored by a hard straight right. The win gave the youngest of the Klitschko brothers 306 WCup points, linked to Botha's 28th place overall.

    Botha lived up to his reputation as spoiler as he bothered the taller
    Klitschko with clinching and wild offensives for most of the early rounds - just like he did against Tyson three years ago. Klitschko initially looked uninspired and rusty after a nine-month lay-off. In the fifth round, Klitschko gradually found his range with the jab and started landing some good shots.

    Botha tired and already received a warning blow in the seventh, before the 25-year-old Ukrainian finished his night's work a round later.

    As long as the other top heavyweights do not feel the need to climb into the ring, Wladimir Klitschko will at least enjoy seeing his name at the top of the Total Ranking. With 306 points added to his 1800 starting points, he is currently 106 points clear of Lennox Lewis.

    However, In the 2002 WCup competition he has to be content with a
    provisional third place behind his elder brother Vitaly and American Corey Sanders. Sanders (#22, v352) became the new leader on Sunday after he stopped Russian Oleg Maskaev (#26, v322) in the eighth round at the Gold Coast Casino in Oroville, California. The 312 lbs. Sanders was behind on points when he delivered two big left hooks that dropped Maskaev. He managed to get back on his feet, but was soon floored again. The referee halted the bout. Sanders, who was lying third in the WCup standings with 172 points after beating Terrence Lewis in January, thus gets another 322 points and now heads the competition with 494 WCup points.

    Former WBC cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez is now officially
    pursuing a career at heavyweight. He warmed up for bigger events when
    stopping unranked Ken Murphy in two rounds.

    Another German boxing star, Sven Ottke (#2, v1800), succesfully defended his IBF super middleweight title for the 13th time against unheralded Australian challenger Rick Thornberry (#80, v40) in a bout unworthy of being labelled "world championship". Ottke easily won every round on all scorecards, but beating somebody the likes of Thornberry does not provide him with too many WCup points. His compatriot and EBU champion Danilo Häussler will have liked to
    see it happening as he leads the competition with 420 points following his victory over #18 Glenn Catley last week.

    We have a new unofficial World Cup leader at super welterweight: Daniel Santos (#5, v1200 at 147 lbs). The classy southpaw showed great skills in stopping the ever-coming forward Yori Boy Campas (#6, v1000) for the WBO title in Las Vegas. Santos had a scary moment in the eighth round, but replied with a hard left in the eleventh that cut the demoralized Campas, who decided he had taken enough punishment. As a result, Santos earns Campas' 1000 WCup points and moves ahead of Angel Hernandez by 400 points.

    At welterweight, Antonio Margarito (#15, v450) stopped Antonio Diaz (#6, v1000) in the tenth round of a second WBO championship bout. Diaz started off quick, but Margarito proved the better boxer. After a few rounds Margarito connected more and more of his punches and floored his opponent with a series of uppercuts in the tenth. Diaz' corner had seen enough and threw in the towel. Margarito thus firmly establishes himself amongst the top welterweights, and assumes second place in the WCup standings, behind Vernon Forrest.

    Cruz Carbajal (#36, v248) crowned himself WBO bantamweight champion in Veracruz, Mexico. Carbajal knocked out defending title holder Mauricio Martinez (#7, v900) in the ninth round after a spirited effort. Carbajal therefore chases Wcup leader Rafael Marquez by merely 100 points. It'll be interesting to see how that race develops, especially with highly-touted Timothy Austin still inactive
    in 2002.

    More top-class bantamweight action took place in Vyborg, Denmark, on
    Friday. European champion Spend Abazi (#25, v330) kept his belt with a good points win over Russian Dimitri Kirilov (#13, v470 at 115 lbs). The fight was quite even for most of the rounds with Abazi taking a slight advantage thanks to his higher workrate. However, in the 12th round Abazi brushed aside any possible doubts as he knocked the previously unbeaten Kirilov down to take a 115-114/116-112 and 117-111 decision. In the current WCup standings Abazi's victory translates in a provisional third spot behind Marquez and Carbajal.

    On the Vyborg undercard, highly-ranked welterweight Thomas Damgaard (#7, v900) stopped unranked Wilfredo Ruiz in two rounds. It was Damgaard's second outing of the year, but both were five-pointers, keeping him well out of the spotlights in the World Cup.

    Light heavyweight Mads Larsen (#12, v480) on the other hand improves to a provisional third place in the competition by outpointing Frenchman Joe Siluvangi (#59, v115) over eight rounds. The Danish hope is now scheduled to face European champion Yawe Davis.

    Super middleweight Michael Kessler (#17, v430) added 12 points to his WCup tally by stopping #98 Arthur Allen in six.

    At York Hall in England's Bethnal Green, middleweight Ryan Rhodes (#26, v322) got stopped by Lee Blundell in three rounds, turning the previously unranked Blundell into a useful name in the current middleweight WCup standings. ``xcyberbox``xeditors@cyberboxingzone.com``xWeekend Round-up ``x1016462682,97726,``x``x ``xBy JD Vena

    Boxing Loses a Saint

    I can remember the scene at the Somerville Boxing Club as if it were yesterday. It was a typical fall day at the gym, which saw several hard working young men and boys working on their mechanics. There were some skipping rope, some wailing on heavy bags hung from the ceilings, and others looking into mirrors while they threw punches in the air. But in one of the club’s two rings, middleweight Andy Rivera would be seen firing crisp punches at the target pads worn by Ralph Palmacci. At 80 years old Palmacci does his best in keeping up with his feisty protégé who pushes himself until the bell ends three minutes of rigorous excercise. During the minute hiatus, the eyes turn to Palmacci, who removes the target pads from his tired hands and steps out of the ring and to his surprise each member of the gym looks on proudly as they applaud Palmacci as if he had just won a world title.

    It was comeback story to say the least, one that any one could be proud of. Just two months prior Palmacci had a total knee replacement. After years of fighting and walking the tall staircases everyday to teach youthful pugs how to throw punches and protect themselves, Palmacci’s worn body had started to give out on him but his heart and desire never failed him. This past Tuesday, Palmacci’s body finally gave out on him when he passed away in a hospital bed. Palmacci left behind fond memories and many admirers.

    “Everyone loved Ralphy,” said dear friend Norman Stone, the manager of Johnny Ruiz. “He feared no one and loved everyone. That’s something that everyone could agree with about the guy.”

    Through his adult life and much of his later years, Palmacci dedicated his weekday evenings and weekend afternoons overseeing the development of the youth of the Boston area. It was one of his strongest pleasures to see these kids make the most of themselves and one of them ended up with a championship belt.

    “He was so happy to see Johnny win the title,” said Stone. “That was something that he and everyone else in the gym wanted and I’m happy that he got to see it happen.”

    Ruiz and Stone recently each donated $10,000 checks in Palmacci’s name to the Somerville Boxing Club, so that saints such as late Palmacci could have a facility to train boxers. Through his elder years and deteriorated knee, nothing could keep Palmacci from carrying out his charitable duties. He made himself available day in and day out so that he could watch boxing reward some of the hardworking individuals that came to him. Palmacci got to see plenty of it throughout his well-lived life, one that you could easily applaud.

    Cappiello Mohegan Sun Bring Boxing Back to Boston in Style

    Beginning Friday night at the Roxy in downtown Boston, promoter Rich Cappiello, a second cousin of the late great Rocky Marciano and Mohegan Sun Casino will team together to bring a new television series to Fox Sports Net New England. It’s an 8-fight deal, which will be rebroadcasted on the network on Sunday afternoons to showcase some of the better talent of the region.

    “We wanted to give New England fighters more exposure so that they could build a following,” said Cappiello. “We’re hoping that with added exposure on Fox Sports Net New England, fighters will be able to advance much quicker to the next level because of marketing advantages that they never had before. Going into the ‘Mohegan Sun’s Fight Night in New England’ will be more like a night on the town. Our goal is to bring a little bit of the Las Vegas boxing experience to Boston and other parts of New England on a monthly basis.”

    The first to possibly benefit from the inaugural show will be the winner of boxer/model/actor Richie “The Mountain” La Montange 24-4-1 (19 KO’s) of Everett and Dorchester native Wilfredo “Pepe” Muniz who clash in a 10-round cruiserweight bout. It’s a crossroads match-up between two fighters who will head in certain direction. Several years ago, LaMonthange had been moving towards a world title shot until losing distance fights to Kenny Keene and current IBF titlist Vasily Jirov. LaMontange was the first to extend Jirov the 12-round distance. Muniz had also enjoyed early success going 10-0 until suffering devastating losses to New England Cruiserweight champion Timmy Flamos.

    Those who either attend the show or catch in on Fox will finally be able to see what I’m talking about when they witness “Sir” William “The Galdiator” Gibbs (5-0, 4 KO’s) take on Bahamian Kenny “The Jake” Stubbs (10-6, 7 KO’s) in a 6-round middleweight bout. Gibbs, a cousin of undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins now lives in Brockton, the home of the last undisputed champ, Marvin Hagler. Former Puerto Rican amateur star, Aaron “2-Guns” Torres will also look to take advantage of his first TV appearance when he faces the Bahamian champion Holbrook Storr (5-0, 1 KO) of Nassau. In three other scheduled bouts, Shaun Creegan (9-1) of Plainville, MA will meet Rocky McCray and Harold Rodrigues of Taunton will make his pro debut in taking on Billy “The Kid” Mofford and Christina Rondeau of Woonsocket, RI takes on Erica Sugar of Garrett Park, MD.

    Providing the TV commentary will be Stu Tayloy with Malden’s Dana Rosenblatt will handle the solor commentary with George Kimball of the Boston Herald. The doors will open at 5:30 with the first bout scheduled for 7:00. For ticket information call 508-587-5554 or 508-587-3370.

    Though the match-up guarantees excitement, I can’t say I’m too excited for the proposed Micky Ward – Arturro Gatti brawl slated for May 18th. The fight will be as exciting as any fight you can make with the possible exception of Kostya Tszyu’s first defense of the un