The Cyber Boxing Zone Journal

Volume 2, number 4 (October 1995)


TABLE OF CONTENTS


EDITORIAL
ROBINSON SLICED & DICED BY HAMED
GONZALES vs. MEDINA, ROUND BY ROUND
GORDOOM'S SPIT BUCKET
GETTING BETTER SEATS AT A FIGHT
GERALD MCCLELLAN BENEFIT
THE GOLDEN BOY AND THE GOLDBRICK
23 YEARS AGO
BUDDY MCGIRT vs. ANDREW COUNCIL
THE DUKE & THE BRIT
SEPTEMBER RATINGS
REQUIEM FOR a HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP
END QUOTE

EDITORIAL

by Michael C. DeLisa

This issue is our largest yet -- and I think the best, thanks to the many contributors. I encourage all who read this to e-mail their comments to the authors with a copy to me so that I can provide the type of coverage that best fits the needs of our readers. If you have downloaded the newsletter or received it by e-mail, please be reminded that a web version is at http://users.aol.com/delisa1066/private/boxing.htm.

Finally, I want to both apologize for and correct a statement I made last month in reference to Irish Bobby Cassidy, the former light-heavyweight contender. Cassidy has not had any alcohol since 1974, a year prior to the fight I wrote about. Cassidy currently directs a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program at the Nassau County Jail and trains Lonnie Bradley (WBO champ) and Godfrey Nyakana (WBC #5) at Gleason's Gym. He was an excellent and entertaining fighter who continues to provide a valuable contribution both to the sport of boxing and, more importantly, to the participants in his program.

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ROBINSON SLICED & DICED By HAMED

by gareth@steely.demon.co.uk (Gareth Trotter)

In Cardiff Arms Park, Prince Naseem Hamed finally silenced any British critics he may have had left (and hopefully some American ones too) with a stunning display to dethrone WBO featherweight king Steve Robinson by TKO in 1 min 48 seconds of the 8th round.

The crowd was very partisan and devoted to the champion, with seemingly only a handful of loyal Naz supporters making the trek down to Cardiff Arms Park. The crowd though were silent by the end as they found little to cheer about. Their champion was outclassed, outsped, outboxed and out punched by the young Sheffield star.

After a delayed start, due to some fans blocking the gangways near the ring, both fighters made the now trademark entrance with maximum histrionics, Hamed coming through a burning curtain and Robinson's entrance flanked by a firework dragon which breathed flames across the doorway.

Once the fight began, a pattern was set up that proved to be the dominant one throughout the fight. Rounds 1-4 all saw Hamed using his elusive style to stay on the move yet plant his feet when necessary to rip in hard body shots and a lot of dangerous looking right uppercuts. Robinson seemed bewildered by this display and any attack he tried to present was countered or easily eluded. In addition to this, as well as Hamed talking constantly to him, Robinson's belief that he would be stronger than Hamed (due to Hamed's increase in weight) didn't seem to be paying off as Hamed controlled the infighting and appeared to be able to manhandle Robinson easily, evidence to this fact was that he managed to throw him to the floor in the first.

The action in the fifth was preceding as in previous rounds, when suddenly Hamed ripped through a blazing four punch combination culminating in a right uppercut that put Robinson down for an 8 count, he lasted till the end of the round but was very shaky and may have started to think then that his world title was slowly slipping away.

Rounds 6 & 7 were again very good for Hamed as Robinson began to tire severely, punches were coming through more cleanly and hitting harder, but Robinson was showing his champion's heart as he gritted it out and referee Ismail Fernandez did well to give Robinson all the chances he could as champion to retain his title.

Round 8 was the end for Robinson, and it came with one punch. Hamed landed a beautiful left hook to the chin 1'48'' into the round and as Robinson stepped back his legs gave way and he collapsed in Hamed's corner, referee Fernandez stopped the fight there and it seemed well timed because it was obvious that Robinson had nothing left and he needed to take no more punishment.

Hamed showed his good side (which I already know he has) by making sure the first thing he did was to console Robinson and tell him what a great champion he was and that he had put up a great fight. Coupled with this, he was a little subdued in his interview when referring to Robinson and it was obvious he had a lot of respect for the now former champion.

I've been a big fan of Hamed for a long time and I really think that he has the ability and the determination to become a legend, I'm a Brit but I believe I'm not going over the top when I talk about this guy. If any of you American r.s.ber's get a chance to see this fight you'll see what is getting us all so excited.


GONZALES vs. MEDINA, ROUND BY ROUND

by emgboxer@aol.com
Alejandro Gonzales vs. Manuel Medina
12 WBC Featherweight title  Sacramento, Cal
23 September 1995

Tale of the tape
Gonzales 37-2-0  (26 KO);  21 yrs old; 126 lbs;  5'9";   67" reach.
Medina    50-6-0  (23 KO);  24 yrs old; 126 lbs;  5'9";   69" reach.

Round 1 -- Head butt by the Champion Gonzales cuts Medina's right eye early. Medina more aggressive early with frequent left jabs. Good left by Gonzales. Gonzales looks poised, confident, and relaxed. Medina looking worse for wear at end of round. (Round to Gonzales.)

Round 2 -- Medina trying to use slight reach to advantage but gets tagged by Gonzales. Medina moving, changing stance, and throwing many punches. Gonzales, good body hook. Medina setting the pace with a good round, but using a lot of energy doing so.

Round 3 -- Medina's cut is reopened by Gonzales. Medina trying to stay outside. Gonzales bleeding at nose from cumulative jabs. Medina out boxing Gonzales who seems to be waiting for the action to come inside. Round ends with Medina moving cautiously after taking good punch from Gonzales with 6 seconds on clock. Round to Medina.

Round 4 -- Gonzales gets Medina in corner but cant keep him there. Medina out punching Gonzales 3-1 with his tireless left jab. Some blood still coming from the Champion's nose. Medina is controlling this fight, frustrating Gonzales who keeps looking for the big punch. Round to Medina.

Round 5 -- Big right by Gonzales is blocked by Medina. More rights from Gonzales, but Medina is undaunted and continues to jab and outbox Gonzales. This is a very good match for boxing fans, Medina the jabber against Gonzales looking to go inside with a big punch, and loosing rounds while he waits. Round to Medina.

Round 6 Now the announcers notice that the round one cut on Medina was a head butt by Gonzales. Gonzales looses his mouthpiece. Big right from Gonzales gets an immediate response from Medina. Low blow from Medina. Close but still controlled by Medina.

Round 7 Big right by Gonzales is followed by several others. Medina is shaken but recovers and seems to regain composure. Medina moving more slowly, but Gonzales moving slowly too. Big right by Gonzales rocks Medina and Gonzales pursues trying to work him in the corner. Medina hangs on for 10 seconds to the end of the round but seems to have been damaged. Round to Gonzales.

Round 8 Medina jabbing again. Gonzales landing occasional heavy body punches. Medina still out punching Gonzales 2 or 3 to one. Round to Medina for out punching and for not letting Gonzales finish what he started in round 7.

Round 9 Medina still boxing, refusing to be cut off by Gonzales. Gonzales throwing a few more punches, but Medina is not there when they arrive. Gonzales tries to pin him against ropes, but Medina refuses. Medina is a punching machine, can he have a robotic arm? Will he ever get tired? Gonzales doesn't seem to believe what is happening. Round to Medina.

Round 10 Same thing going on but slower. Medina leading the action, landing many light punches, Gonzales praying for a Hail Mary. Both men landing with rights. Medina continues to frustrate Gonzales, shaking off the few punches he is taking. These Mexican men make the heavyweights look like a slow motion replay. Lots of heart on both sides. Close round for Gonzales say the announcers, I say Medina.

Round 11 Both men slowing slightly from earlier pace. Gonzales misses a big right big time and even laughs at himself. Medina continues to jab, jab, jab. Who would have believed that speed and persistence would work so well against Gonzales. I call it for Medina.

Round 12 Medina dancing around Gonzales who stands and rotates in the center of the ring disbelieving what has happened to him. The round ended with Gonzales never landing any more effective punches. Medina continued to land effective jabs but no real large punches. I think we are looking at a new champ. A lot of heart shown here and good sportsmanship on the part of both men.

Final results Split decision for Manual Medina, the new WBC featherweight champ.

Judges
Williams 115-113, Gonzales (Judge must have spent a few rounds in the john)
Filipo 116-112, Medina
Elespuru 115-113, Medina

Another great free boxing match courtesy of CBS sports. If you saw it and enjoyed it let them know by e-mail sports@cbs.com and let them know what other matches you would like to see; they really are looking for input.


GORDOOM'S SPIT BUCKET

by GorDoom All the hype about the baddest B boy on the planet crushing an over soaked Irish peat moss in 89 seconds . . . brings back to mind the original baddest Mo' Fo' to ever stride our pitiful orb . . . at least in my lifetime . . . The one. The only; Mr. Charles "Sonny" Liston. While Sonny was never quite as blatant as Mighty Mike, in his own way he more than outraged the mores of his day. From the end of WWII until Kennedy got blown away in Dallas, there was a certain dance that ethnic entertainers & athletes had to high step to. Sonny didn't. He was the baddest, rottenest, apple to ever hit the freakin' barrel. He was big, black, really bad & totally unrepenentant. As a kid I admired him even more than the reality of him scared me. I suppose that's a big part of Tyson's appeal today. Maybe it's because I'm an adult now, but Tyson seems somehow much more seedy . . . .

This past summer HBO presented a documentary on Sonny that I found strangely disconcerting. I realize that peeps like you & me (the boxing fanatics that would download this newsletter), are boxing know- it-alls . . . but we are also serious students of the squared circle. For myself, I'm not interested in the humanization of fighters . . . I really don't care about their backgrounds . . . whether they be Black, White, Irish, Italian, Polish, Jewish, Filipino, Mexican, Japanese or Klingons don't mean shinola to me . . . Boxing is the great equalizer. Once you step through the ropes, you ain't nothin' but a fighter. & that's how it should be . . . boxers are men, pure & simple & they are there solely to do battle in a contest of skill, brawn & most importantly, will. They are, with very few exceptions (Tunney, Ray Leonard, Ali & Herbie Hide are the only ones that come immediately to mind), hardscrabble, poverty stricken & way grim . . .middle class youths aren't generally driven to become fighters. In short, the bulk of all fighters backgrounds is generally the same . . . a bitch.

So while I take exception to all the soap opera bullshit of boxing documentaries like Liston's; I realize that HBO doesn't make 'em to entertain hardcore aficionado's like us. They are looking for a broader audience that will get sucked in by the sheer soap opera drama of a life such as Liston's or Tyson's. In the case of Liston's documentary, emphasizing his supposed ease with children & the devastating reality of coming home to Philadelphia as heavyweight champ & nobody giving a good god damn, somehow strikes a shallow chord; since deep down inside, I've somehow gotta believe that Sonny knew where it was really at . . . & boy howdy, by now so do we. As a boxing kind of a guy, I personally would have experienced more drama in two minutes straight of Sonny pounding people like Cleveland Williams, Zora Folley & Floyd Patterson like spikes into a canvass with murderous disdain . . . & that would have better illustrated where Sonny really came from . . . Which brings me to the other guy . . . Big George.

As hard is it is nowadays to think of hamburger George as a bad ass Mo' Fo'; in his day, he was as bad (in the cool sense), as one human entity could possibly be. When George was first king, times were way different. Back in the early 70's, we were talkin' Nixon, SLA, The War, SuperFly, no fuckin' gas, Exiles On Main Street, Henry The K, M*A*S*H & how come the 60's seemed so long ago...& in the midst of this age of joy & redemption came George, the Black AntiChrist from the 5th Ward in Houston Texas...To this day, one of the many American Zones, that compassion has never visited . . . So anyhow, Big George's story needs no repeating. . . but there is one more thang I gotta fling in the ol' spit bucket . . . Foreman's transformation from pariah to media darling is nothing short of miraculous . . . especially the warm & fuzzy part with our ingrown hyper cynical American born & bred nastiness. Even if you don't like George, it's hard to get really pissed off at him, because logic & bad vibes just bounce off him like lead off of teflon . . . .

Which brings me, in a very circuitous way, to the feeling that big George has always gotten an unfairly bad rap as a boxing announcer. Yes, he can be less than articulate at times; but he is also surprisingly insightful when least expected; especially when prodded by Jim Lampley. From the beginning I felt that BG was thrown to the airwave wolves like a shorn & gutted lamb in the dead of winter. I have reviewed tapes from the start of BG's HBO career & I perceive a definite hostility from the urbane Messrs. Lampley & Merchant. Perhaps they were insulted by BG's multi-million dollar entrance onto the announcing stage. Perhaps they felt that a completely untrained guy like BG shouldn't grace the same lofty podium as their suave selves . . . I don't know but it seems to me, that they could have been a hell of a lot more helpful to BG when he was starting to get his feet wet in precarious pool that announcers paddle around in . . . Instead I felt (especially Lampley), that they went out of their way to show BG up. A guy like BG doesn't stand a chance against finely honed predators like those two. No matter what you think of Lampley or Merchant, you have to grant that they are very skillful at what they do . . . giving a cogent, insightful account of what is unfolding before us.

Lately (basically sing BG won the title), I have noticed a reluctant, grudging, modicum of respect for the champ. After all he is the Heavyweight Champion Of The World & no matter what, they've got to give him that . . . besides, George isn't all that bad, when you compare him to other fight game personality's who have become announcers. None of them (with the exception of Bobby Czyz), Leonard, McGuigan, Norton, Hagler, Mancini etc. have ever been, by any stretch of the imagination, great communicators. I think the boxing press & all the insiders have really raked BG over the coals . . . okay, he's not Gil Clancy, but who the hell ever said he was supposed to be?


GETTING BETTER SEATS AT A FIGHT

by johncoby@blkbox.com (John R. Cobarruvias)

[Editor's note: For those of you who avoid going to fights because of the outrageous ticket prices, here's a guide to getting better seats . . . I think.]

I suggest getting the $25 seats and moving down to the expensive seats. I doubt the $250/$150 seats will be taken. Be creative when weaseling, uh, moving your way down. I use a number of techniques such as:

1) I know what I am doing, don't question me: Act like you know what you are doing. Walk past the ticket taker. Wear appropriate clothing. 2 inch thick gold chains around your neck will help. If this doesn't work, call them a bitch.

2) I left my ticket with my wife/husband: If they do dare to ask for a ticket, tell them, "My wife has them". Point out someone in the crowd. Wave. Yell out to them "Adrienne!" "Adrienne!" Keep doing this until the attendant gets annoyed and lets you in. If they don't call them a home wrecking bitch.

3) MY TICKET?!?!?!?!: Try this one. When asked for it, look in a place that would protect your tickets, like you were saving it as a memorabilia item. Then start looking frantically around on the floor, waving your arms in the air after you have handed over your beer, hot smoky, and butter flavored popcorn to the attendant; while saying over and over, MY TICKET! MY TICKET! WHERE IS MY TICKET!. Once you have made a fool out of yourself, and the attendant is annoyed and embarrassed, then say "Maybe my wife has it. Hold my beer while I go get it". The attendant will then probably let you go after getting a good laugh. CAUTION: After going to an empty seat, check to see the attendant didn't cop a drink or bite off your hot dog. If they did, call them a hungry bitch.

4) You must be kidding: Put your camera around your neck, Hold a bucket of popcorn under your arm, 2 beers and a couple of dogs wedged in between your hands and walk like you are trying to keep the beer from spilling on you. Sweat a little. Look annoyed. When asked for a ticket, just say "You've got to be kidding". If this fails, go to 3, then 2 above then call them a annoying bitch.

5) The honest approach: Find an attendant who seems pretty nice. Strike a conversation with him/her. Then ask, "I have a seat in the XXX area. If the more expensive seats are not sold/taken would the management allow me and my 10 year old son to move just before the main event?" Bat your eyes, head down, looking up to the person. Give them a sense of authority. Hope for the best. If this fails, call them a nontrusting bitch and try 1-4 above.

6) These tickets SUCK!: Go to an attendant. Tell them that the people who sold the tickets said they were good seats and they in reality SUCK! Tell them you didn't even bring your binos! Tell them you are more than willing to pay the extra money to upgrade to better seats. If they don't let you in, call them a tightass bitch and then try 1-5 above.

7) Bribe them: Tell the attendant you want to take a few pictures from the better seats. And offer to give him/her $10 to hold until you get back as a gesture of good faith. Give them $10. Come back at the end of the fight. Ask for your money. (HEY I DID THIS FOR WITHERSPOON vs. PAGE!)

Enjoy!


GERALD MCCLELLAN BENEFIT

On October 21, 1995 there will be a benefit held in honor of Gerald McClellan to be held at the Stevenson Hotel in Freeport, Illinois. The proceeds of the benefit are to be applied for the continued and future care of Gerald.

Confirmed boxer-attendees include Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Joe Frazier, Oscar de la Hoya, Roberto Duran, Terry Norris, among others. Ticket prices are $500 and the limited to only 160 people. For further information regarding the benefit please call Stephen Donovan at (612) 336-3482. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check to the Gerald McClellan Benefit, First Bank North, Box 120, Freeport, Illinois, 61032.


THE GOLDEN BOY AND THE GOLDBRICK

by Dscribe@ix.netcom.com (David Gionfriddo ) Well, on September 10th at Caesar's Palace, Genaro Hernandez put the "cheese" in ma-cheese-mo, and gave the sport a blacker eye than Oscar De La Hoya could have ever given him by quitting (no other word for it) in his lightweight title bout against Oscar De La Hoya. Hernandez was supposed to be the big test for the younger titlist, but, after an uncertain first round, De La Hoya found his range and walked through Genaro with body shots, uppercuts, and an effective jab.

Say what you will about walking around in another man's shoes, but I was appalled by Hernandez' less-than-heroic effort. He got hit with a few good shots, and was in very serious trouble in Round 4 (before ODLH backed off and let him off the hook), but was nevertheless clear-headed and on solid legs at the end of Round 6, and continually smiled at ODLH throughout the bout, signaling the damage inflicted was less than terminal. This was a Leonard-Duran II style finish, one opponent quitting simply out of befuddlement, frustration, and inconvenience, far below the type of performance we had a right to expect from a man of GH's record and reputation. "I know fans will turn their backs on me," Hernandez said after the bout, and who can blame them? Fans have a right to expect more from a champion than this kind of easy out. Shameful. Hernandez asked for Richard Steele to give him the rest of the night off because his "face was all busted up." Well, he's got his muy bonita face, but I'm not sure it's ever going to appear on anybody's marquee again anytime soon.

He may not have won the war, but I have heard through my sources that he has recently bested Francesco Damiani for the first annual Marcia Brady "My Nose! My Nose!" Trophy for the most brittle beak on cable TV.

Maybe Hernandez and Bob Packwood can form a comedy team, "The Quitters," and take it on the road. The only difference is that, according to his female aides, Packwood is a little better than Genaro at taking a licking.

This should not detract from the quality of ODLH's performance. He survived a tactically-troubling initial stanza, narrowed the gap, timed Hernandez' punches and overwhelmed his physically-slighter foe with hard body punches, left hooks and uppercuts. He will continue to prove a formidable opponent for world class fighters, even those who might see fit to stick around for a complete bout. Congrats to Oscar.

On the undercard, Erik Morales was impressive in overpowering a game, but physically overmatched and fragile Alberto Martinez: Kevin Kelley and Bones Adams created a toxic mess with a timid, inactive majority draw, a posedown in which neither man was able to find a way to definitively lose; and Butterbean Esch, in yet another atrocity against the ravaged corpse of boxing, won a decision over some .500 Okie club fighter named Sutton. (MESSAGE TO ALL BOXING PROMOTERS: THIS BLUBBERBEAN STUFF IS NOT FUNNY AND BOXING FANS ARE NOT GOING TO STAND FOR IT ANYMORE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.) To be perfectly honest, I didn't even watch James "Let's Eat,"...er, I mean "Lights Out," Toney in his sparring session. I'm just so sickened by the sight of this guy eating his way out of every weight division he comes near that I can't even watch him. Maybe he has a Blubberbean in his future. [OK, I lied. I'm watching the fight as I write this, but it's so farcical and moronic and ugly, I'm embarrassed to admit it. If Toney comes with ten miles of Roy Jones in the shape he's currently in, he'll get clocked all the way back to Ann Arbor. As for Mateen, the last time anybody pulled out this many rabbits in Las Vegas, it was David Copperfield. What can you say? A complete waste of time. Criminal, to tell the truth.]

Line of the night, by Jim Lampley: "This [Toney-Mateen] may be a grunge fight, but it certainly ain't nirvana..."

Overall, an extremely foolish, poorly-orchestrated and insubstantial night of "boxing". Fans, . . . will we ever learn to hang onto our money?


23 YEARS AGO

by wildcat@ncar.ucar.edu (Wes Wildcat)

This is what was happening in September of 1972. A new Lightweight champ was crowned at MSG, as Roberto Duran stopped Ken Buchanan in the 13th round. Buchanan saw what kind of night it was going to be as he went down from the very first punch that Duran threw. It was a very fast paced fight as the aggressive Duran chased Buchanan all over the ring, but because Buchanan was such a slick fighter he caused Duran to miss a lot and counter with his own jabs. The fight was marred by a possible foul that ended the fight. At the end of the 13th round the combatants kept fighting and Buchanan went down from an apparent low blow. The referee Johnny LoBianco was pulling Duran off away so he couldn't see, and none of the judges at ringside could tell if a low blow was struck. At the end of the fight the scorecards were heavily in favor of the new champ. Buchanan had not won more than three rounds on any card.

Jerry Quarry signed to fight Muhammad Ali and MSG wanted the fight. But Quarry wanted his younger brother Mike as part of the package to fight Bob Foster for the light heavy title, and told the Garden either sign us or we will go somewhere else. The Garden said bye bye. On to Las Vegas where they signed both, and Mike while most likely tell his brother to mind his own business, Foster destroyed Mike Quarry in the 4th round with a devastating left hook, the punch was so quick that Quarry later said, "I didn't see it, I didn't feel it and don't remember going down."

In the main event in Vegas, Ali stopped Quarry seconds into the 7th round. The well- conditioned Ali was just too much for Quarry. Quarry later said that after watching his brother lose he didn't have nothing when he entered the ring, his loss took the fight out of him. Ali billed these fights as The Soul Brothers vs. the Quarry Brothers.

Carlos Monzon retained his middleweight title over Jean-Claude Bouttier in the 13th. Monzon batted Bouttier from the beginning and knocked him down in the 6th for the only knock down in the fight. When the bell rang for the beginning of the 13th round, Bouttier just sat on his stool.

Jose Napoles retained his welter title by knock out over Adolph Pruitt in 2 rounds. The NY boxing commission refused to honor this fight as a title fight because they wanted Napoles to fight Billy Backus, however since Napoles was stripped, Pruitt was the number one contender to win the title. Napoles showed them how much they knew about boxing, he hit Pruitt with everything he threw and never went to the body once, it was strictly a head hunter fight.

Meanwhile back in the states, NY other top contender, Billy Backus was on the losing end of a fight with Hedgemon Lewis, Lewis is now a one-state champion.

This how the rating looked in September of 1972.


FLYWEIGHT                                          BANTAMWEIGHT
Champ: Erbito Salavarria, Philippines   Champ: Rafael Herrera, Mexico
Masao Ohba, Japan                                 Rodolfo Martinez, Mexico
Betulio Gonzales, Venezuela                    Ruben Olivares, Mexico
Servillo de Oliviera, Brazil                        Enrique Pinder, Panama
Venice Borkosor, Thailand                      Chuchu Castillo, Mexico


FEATHERWEIGHT                                JR. LIGHTWEIGHT
Champ: Clemente Sanchez, Mexico         Ben Villaflor, Philippines
Ricardo Arrendondo, Mexico                   Sammy Goss, Trenton
Ernesto Marcel, Panama                            Jose Luis Lopez, Mexico
Eder Jofre, Brazil                                      Alfredo Marcano, Venezuela
Kuniaki Shibata, Japan                               Frankie Otero, Miami


LIGHTWEIGHT                                       JR. WELTERWEIGHT
Champ: Roberto Duran, Panama                Champ; Alfonso Frazier, Panama
Ken Buchanan, Scotland                            Bruno Arcari, Italy
Mando Ramos, Los Angeles                       Eddie Perkins, Chicago
Pedro Carrasco, Spain                                  Rodolfo Gonzales, Long Beach
Antonio Puddu, Italy                                    Nocolino Loche, Argentina

WELTERWEIGHT                            MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champ: Jose Napoles, Mexico            Champ: Carlos Monzon, Argentina
Hedgemon Lewis, Detroit                   Emile Griffith, New York
Roger Menetrey, France                      Miguel de Oliviera, Brazil
Billy Backus, NY                               Jean-Claude Bouttier, France
Adolph Pruitt, St. Louis                      Koichi Wajima, Japan


LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT             HEAVYWEIGHT
Champ: Bob Foster, D.C.              Champ: Joe  Frazier, Philadelphia
Chris Finnegan, England            Muhammad Ali, NJ
Andy Kendall, Portland                George Foreman, Hayward
Pat O'Connor, Minn                        Floyd Patterson, NY
Pierre Fourie, S. Africa                  Jerry Quarry, Los Angeles


BUDDY MCGIRT vs. ANDREW COUNCIL

by emgboxer@aol.com (Emgboxer)
Atlantic City, Ballys. Sept. 30 1995,
Presented by CBS Sports Show
10 Round Middleweights

Tale of the Tape
McGirt  67  4  1  (46 KO) 31 yrs 5'6"  155 lb  70" reach
Council  22  3  3  (14KO) 28 yrs  5'9"  156.6 lb  73" reach
Referee:  Frank Cappucino

Round 1 Both fighters off to a slow start, little movement, feeling each other out. Moving, stopping, a few tentative but ineffective punches on both their parts. Some holding by Council gets warning from ref. Nothing much on either side. Round could go either way; I give it to the round card girl.

Round 2 Council trying a few jabs with his left. McGirt counters but to no effect. Council seems to want to move inside and just cover his face, not using his reach advantage. Council succeeds in pushing McGirt into ropes and lands a few effective punches. Oops a punch to the groin by Council, unnoticed by ref. Round to Council for meager but persistent effort.

Round 3 Both fighters awake now, Council jabs being countered by McGirt. McGirt acting cute but Council pays no attention. Council is at least trying, McGirt clowning and posing. After Medina/Gonzalez last week, this is fast becoming slow. Time is money guys, do something. Round to Council for landing a few jabs.

Round 4 Both fighters spending a lot of time snuggling in the ring. Potential for a head butt is very real. Not much happening, so I spend a little time counting Council's abdominals, lets see, four on each side. McGirt doesn't seem to be countable, due to slightly poorer conditioning and it shows in his lack of speed and heavier breathing; maybe that's why he is clowning rather than fighting. Round again to Council.

Round 5 Council hurts MCGirt. He should press but he takes his time. Another good left by Council. McGirt looking a little tired as Council brings the fight to him. Also looks to be breathing thru the mouth. I score the round solidly for Council.

Round 6 Good left by Council. Council is very good at warding off the few blows from McGirt, keeping his gloves high and well positioned. Good blow to McGirt's head. McGirt finally throwing a few punches but nothing getting effectively thru the defense of Council; at least he is finally trying. Round nearly even, probably for McGirt, but he looks very tired.

Round 7 Both boxers breathing hard now, a lot of dancing around but few punches. Bang! McGirt is downed by a big left at the very end of the round following a hard right. McGirt barely makes it up at the nine count after the end of the round, his mouthpiece on the floor beside him having fallen out earlier and been carried around by McGirt in his glove. Council is so excited he doesn't even sit down in his corner. He smells money. Clearly his round.

Round 8 McGirt continues but like the leaning tower of Pisa (or is that pizza). He is hanging on, but just barely. Council should be finishing him now but he isn't, just taking his time. A good right wobbles him again, but he hangs in. Council works inside but is not doing further damage. I can't believe he didn't finish the job early on, but he has won probably anyway as he takes yet another round on punches.

Round 9 McGirt cannot win at this point without a KO. Council continues a controlled fight knowing he has it won if he is careful rather than trying for the big punch. Boom, boom! McGirt is down again, dropped by a series of effective rights and left hooks rather a single big punch, dropping him onto the ropes, not to rise again. It is just icing on the cake he bought in the preceding rounds. McGirt's corner enters the ring prior to

the full count. Winner by KO in the ninth round -- Andrew Council

McGirt announced his retirement after the fight.


THE DUKE & THE BRIT

by GorDoom

In looking at this match up we see two fighters who have made a career out of underachieving. Both Tommy & Lennox have climbed the mountain only to fall back (down actually), before reaching the peak they aspire to. I have always found both of these fighters to be real enigmas; especially Tommy. Both of them, are almost complete packages as fighters, both have great power & decent boxing skills (especially Tommy) & yet both of them continually come up short. I don't know if it's a lack of focus, bad training habits, or what...but I see two fighters that should be dominating their opponents with their skills, size & power; instead it's usually one disappointing effort after another. These two guys are at a real crossroads in their careers: The winner goes on to very lucrative matches . . . the loser is delegated to GorDoom's Spit Bucket, unless, like the Holyfield-Mercer war, both of them suddenly become pit bulls & cover themselves in gory glory. This however, is an unlikely scenario, since both the Duke & Lewis have shown a propensity to be more like mutts than pit bulls . . . .

All that being said, it's nice to have two top contenders actually squaring off against each other . . though this fight should have taken place 2 years ago . . . while I commend both of them for actually fighting each other . . . it was sheer stupidity & hubris that nixed their much more lucrative aforementioned match up from '93. In fact, Lewis has literally cost himself millions of dollars due to his procrastination. The money he would have made fighting both Riddick Bowe & Morrison, at the right time, would have been enough to wipe out Britains national debt.

Sadly, the best thang to come out of this fight is the commentary by Roy Jones Jr. I'd like to add Roy to that distinguished list that only includes Bobby Czyz, as one of boxing's best broadcasters . . .

I thought the bout to be a rather dreary affair . . . Tommy should have worked his way inside, busted up Lewis & clocked him . . . Instead he stayed outside & got carved up by a guy who by no stretch of the imagination is a butcher. Tommy fought a stupid fight against a generally ineffective fighter & paid the price . . . Imagine Lewis against Tyson, in the Spit Bucket's view, we are talkin' an inside demolition . . . Bowe, who is big enough, would pick him apart & then come inside & bust him up . . . So what we are left with is the Spit Bucket's pet theory on heavyweights. I really think that heavyweights like Lewis (& Bowe), are too big...think about it...name me one heavyweight over 6"3 that was a truly effective fighter . . . Champ wise, we're talkin', Carnera, Bowe & Lewis . . . a real hall of fame gallery of champions . . . Unlike Basketball, or maybe Football , I think boxers over 6'3 lose a certain fluidity & coordination . . . Something about being that LARGE makes you lose the looseness to flow with the punches that a boxer needs . . . Hey! I could be wrong, but I don't think so . . . But back to the fight, there wasn't one . . . we watched two dogs, & one of them barked louder.


SEPTEMBER RATINGS

by ryan@valhalla.intercon.com (Phrank Da Slugger)

[Editor's note: These are Phrank's ratings as of September 23rd]

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Champion: TITLE VACANT

1. Riddick Bowe
2. Michael Moorer 
3. Evander Holyfield
4. Frank Bruno (WBC)
5. Axel Schulz
6. George Foreman 
7. Oliver McCall
8. Lennox Lewis
9. Tommy Morrison
10. Bruce Seldon (WBA)
So here's how the logic works: Bruno defeated McCall (who falls to #7) but neither man looked that great. So Bruno files in behind the top 3 (all non-titlists, it should be noted) and McCall plummets for his non-effort...The ascendance (make that re-ascendance) of Bruno forced me to choose who to drop, and it came down to Ray Mercer or Bruce Seldon. The choice was Mercer because since his strong showing against Holyfield, he's been inactive and shows no signs of appearing again, while Seldon fought just last month. Activity pays off...a couple great fights coming up, none of them involving the titlists, however -- Morrison and Lewis meet in what should be a barnburner next week, and in November Bowe and Holyfield fight for the Championship. Should be fun.

CRUSIERWEIGHTS

Champion: Nate Miller (WBA)
1. Adolfo Washington
2. Alfred Cole (IBF)
3. Orlin Norris
4. Anaclet Wamba (WBC)
5. Sergei Kobazev
6. Ralf Rocchigiani
7. Marcelo Dominguez
8. Patrice Aoussi
9. Karl Thompson
10. Thorsten May
I'm impressed by the activity and performances vs. good competition of Marcelo Dominguez. He fought again this month and moves up a notch...Rocchigiani also moves up one, and Aoussi drops two. Reassessment time...Rocchigiani is the only one who has a fight scheduled in September. He fights the competent Mark Randazzo...Thomas Hearns returned to the ring after these ratings were compiled and showed shadows of the all-time form that will probably take him to his 6th world title in this poor division. Damn, this division needs some new blood. I guess for now, though, they'll have to do with some old blood.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Champion: TITLE VACANT

1. Henry Maske (IBF)
2. Fabrice Tiozzo WBC)
3. James Toney
4. Graciano Rocchigiani
5. Virgil Hill (WBA)
6. Merqui Sosa 
7. Montell Griffin
8. Mike McCallum
9. Darius Michelczewski
10. Prince Charles Williams
Only two guys here fought -- Hill and Toney. Hill defended his worthless title for the umpteenth time. I won't bother you with who the opponent was -- it really doesn't matter. Hill defends against No Hope Opponent #12, No Hope Opponent #13, No Hope Opponent #14, etc, etc, ad nauseam. Toney was in against a bad imitation of Fritzie Zivic. I must confess complete surprise that tough guy Toney never retaliated against Ernest "Rabbit Punch" Mateen. He dropped Mateen twice before Mills Lane threw "M-16" out. Good riddance...Now Toney and Hill should quit wasting their time and meet in the ring. But I wonder if anything less than Fort Knox would get Hill to defend against Toney -- "Lights Out" would kill him. Toney would also beat Tiozzo. Now, Toney-Maske would be interesting...Speaking of the #1 fighter here, I'm wondering if the winner of Maske-Rocchigiani II is the new Champion here -- I think so...Anyone heard from Griffin lately? Because of inactivity, he begins to drop next month. What a waste.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Champion: Roy Jones (IBF)

1. Nigel Benn (WBC)
2. Steve Collins
3. Frank Liles (WBA)
4. Chris Eubank 
5. Bryant Brannon
6. Henry Wharton
7. Tony Thornton 
8. Frederic Seillier
9. Steve Little
10. Michael Nunn
Jones further depleted these ranks this weekend when he defeated Thornton. God, this division needs some new blood...Benn cements the #1 position here w/another KO defense of his title. He says he wants Jones -- does Jones want him?...Collins repeated his win over Eubank. Man, what the hell happened to Chris? He was tentative and showed little fire. I think we can pronounce the pre-Watson Eubank officially dead...Graciano Rocchigiani exits as he will stay at 175...Nunn ascends to replace Rocchigiani. There was no one else to elevate in these very thin ranks. I couldn't even get rid of the seemingly-retired Little nor the chronically-inactive Seillier. They will both remain on the watch list until I can replace them...This division is dying for a shot in the arm.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Champion: TITLE VACANT

1. Jorge Castro (WBA)
2. Quincy Taylor (WBC)
3. Bernard Hopkins (IBF)
4. John David Jackson
5. Reggie Johnson
6. Segundo Mercado
7. Lonnie Bradley
8. Chris Pyatt
9. Aaron Davis
10. Joe Lipsey
Castro and Johnson will finally get together in October. Should be good...This division looks really good at the top -- we have here three very strong title claimants, and any one of them vs. another would make for a good scrap...Davis a strong entry at #9 in his Middleweight debut. He and Simon Brown showed they are anything but over the hill as they engaged in an exciting fight that had as much skill on display as any in recent memory...Davis displaces the still-unproven Dana Rosenblatt...Pyatt also active this month...Mercado, inactive since losing last April (unless you count kayoing your girlfriend -- what a punk), begins to drop next month.
JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Champion: TITLE VACANT

1. Terry Norris (WBC)
2.  Paul Vaden (IBF)
3. Julio Cesar Vasquez
4. Vincent Pettway 
5. Gianfranco Rosi
6. Verno Phillips
7. Simon Brown
8. Carl Daniels (WBA)
9. Buddy McGirt
10. Bronco McKart
Norris made the 1st defense of his 3rd reign against a very overmatched David Gonzales. No fouls, some knockdowns, a dominant performance -- that's two-in-a-row now for Norris. Hopefully he can keep it up...Brown put in a very strong showing against Aaron Davis (although at Middleweight), so he moves above McGirt and Daniels. McGirt retired after his loss to Council, so Buddy will exit next month. What happened to Daniels-Vasquez? I hear it may be rescheduled for November-- and rumor has it that on the same card we may see Norris-Vaden. Wow -- not just a unification, not just a natural as both are from San Diego and promoted by Don King, but we'd have a new Champion.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Champion: Pernell Whitaker (WBC)

1. Felix Trinidad (IBF)
2. Ike Quartey (WBA)
3. Oba Carr
4. Vince Phillips
5. Derrell Coley
6. Eamonn Loughran
7. Luis Ramon Campas
8. Shibata Flores
9. Anthony Stephens
10. Hector Camacho
Quartey defended his title against a nobody again -- is he another WBA waste-of-a-titlist? Thankfully, no -- he is scheduled to defend next against Carr. No sense wasting time waiting for a Whitaker fight that probably will never materialize...Campas-Quartey would be a scorcher...Stephens the only other active fighter here this month...Whitaker and Trinidad have defenses scheduled for Nov, but they're gimme fights. Ho-hum...I really do miss Jesse James here.

JR. WELTERWEIGHTS
Champion: Julio Cesar Chavez (WBC)

1. Frankie Randall (WBA)
2. Kostya Tszyu (IBF)
3. Jake Rodriguez
4. Juan Coggi
5. Fred Pendleton
6. David Kamau
7. Charles Murray
8. Sammy Fuentes
9. Stevie Johnston
10. Reggie Green
Besides being incredibly inaccurate, Kamau was very impressive overall and performed like a world class fighter against Chavez. He moves up and I'd give him a good shot at either of the 2 titlists here...Someone tell Tszyu the road to fame and fortune may never end when you defend your title at a rate less than that of Whitaker...a fortune, pissed away -- Randall entered an alcohol clinic this month instead of defending his title. What a waste. Considering his problems and his piss poor performance in June against an unknown, Chavez should get him in the ring now...Rodriguez scored a solid KO of Homer Gibbons, though it was at Welter. He's scheduled to challenge Whitaker, perhaps in Nov...You've heard me mention Khalid Rahilou here a couple times (he's the European Champion and has been scoring some impressive wins over the last year). He kayoed solid contender Soren Sondergaard this month, and if Green loses to Murray in October, expect to see Rahilou as the replacement...Rafael Ruelas makes his Jr.Welter debut in October on CBS. It'll be interesting to see not only how he looks, but also if he predictably blames the loss to De La Hoya on having to lose weight.
LIGHTWEIGHTS

Champion: Oscar De La Hoya (IBF)

1. Miguel Angel Gonzalez (WBC)
2. Nazarov Olzubek (WBA)
3. Lamar Murphy
4. Rafael Ruelas 
5. Stevie Johnston
6. John-John Molina
7. Ivan Robinson
8. Jesse James Leija
9. Shane Mosely
10. Michael Ayers
No more need be said about De La Hoya's blowout of Genaro Hernandez, except this: DLH remains Champion, while Hernandez is nowhere near this Top 10. I fully expect that Murphy will plummet in the January ratings if he fights the Champion in December . . . Brian Mitchell, as promised, exits this month. After two impressive comeback fights, and then saying he'll campaign at 140 from now on, he's MIA . . . Mitchell is replaced by Michael Ayers . . . Speaking of Ayers, he and Robinson have fights scheduled in October. They're the only ones here . . . If you're thinking that Molina is fighting nobodies these days, you should consider they're actually no worse than the guys he was defending his IBF Jr. Lightweight title against.

JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS

Champion: Gabriel Ruelas (WBC)

1. Tracy Harris Patterson
2. Regilio Tuur
3. Arturo Gatti
4. Jesus Rodriguez
5. Genaro Hernandez
6. Eugene Speed
7. Aaron Zarate
8. Anatoly Alexandrov
9. Ed Hopson. 
10. Isagani Pumar
You may think he did the right thing, but either way, the ratings have no mercy -- when you quit, especially in the most important fight of your career, you drop. Hernandez crash lands at #5 . . . I would have dropped him another notch, but I had to drop Speed due to inactivity. Sad to see such a talented fighter wasting his career away. He continues his downward descent next month . . . a good fight this weekend is Aaron Zarate-Carlos Hernandez. Expect to see the winner here next month.

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Champion: Manuel Medina (WBC)

1. Tom Johnson (IBF)
2. Alejandro Gonzalez
3. Eloy Rojas (WBA)
4. Steve Robinson
5. Kevin Kelley
6. Miguel Arrozal
7. Youngkyun Park
8. Derrick Gainer
9. Robert Garcia
10. Jesse Benavides
An unbelievable comeback -- now, Medina-Johnson IV is THE fight in this division for more than one reason . . . Maybe now Gonzalez will challenge either titlist, but a rematch with Medina would be great . . .Can you believe that Medina is only 24? . . . Johnson defends his title this month against Wilfredo Vasquez in what should be a good show of skill and experience. However, the old adage of a good big man beats a good little man will prove true once again. Wish it was televised . . . Also, on the same day, Robinson meets the almost-legendary Naseem Hamed. We'll see if the hype's real . . . Park, idle since his loss to Rojas, is on the watch list.


REQUIEM FOR a HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP

By David Iamele

[Editor's note: Shortly before this article was received, a newspaper report noted that Peter McNeely was considering fighting Leon Spinks in Boston].

Leon Spink's victory over the shadow of Muhammad Ali is one of my very first boxing memories, even though I don't remember actually seeing the fight when it happened. I recall clipping the stories of Leon's feat out of the newspapers afterwards. After only seven professional fights, the Olympic gold medal winner had defeated "The Greatest." Wow -- what a story!

Ali was past his prime by that time and Spinks probably never fought another fight like that again. But I was just a kid, I didn't know any of that. It seemed like a miracle to me. The only headlines I saw about Leon after this (besides his subsequent loss to Ali in the rematch) dealt with his exploits outside the ring: gun possession, drug possession, all those fun little (illegal) possessions. Ah, the beginnings of childhood disillusionment.

Yet as the years went by, Leon still commanded a small, warm place in my heart. So, when I finally had the opportunity to meet and talk with Leon on a couple of occasions I was, naturally, quite pleased. I enjoyed Leon's company a few times over a couple of cold ones and his stories about his brother and him as kids cracked me up.

He is a very funny guy. I found him a little difficult to understand, at first. He has a strange slurred speech that is common to boxers, but I got so I could understand him most of the time.

Leon is a very warm, personable, giving, fun, down-to-earth guy. But there is no way in hell he should still be boxing. I was incredulous when he told me he was fighting one week from the time of our drink-filled evening. (Incredibly, he won.)

When I picture Leon in the ring now, my mind conjures up images of a carnival barker yelling, "STEP RIGHT UP!" and Anthony Quinn wearing an Indian headdress, a tear running down his cheek. My immediate thought was how could his brother, Michael let this happen? But he can not be held responsible. Surely he is not his brother's keeper.

Why? Why is Leon Spinks, former heavyweight champion of the world, (back when that phrase was really impressive) allowed to continue on? a shell of his former self, a listless, washed-out carbon copy. Clearly, he competes for the most obvious reason -- money. Leon's financial good sense must have went with his front teeth and a retirement plan for former fighters (champs or not) is nonexistent. So what does a fighter with no money do? He fights. Even when it is clear he can not. Even when it is painful for family and friends and fans to watch. Leon is not stupid, in spite of what some people might think, he knows he can't fight a lick. Yet, still he plods on paycheck to paycheck. a shame? Definitely! a Crime? It should be. Leon Spinks is in no shape to be in the ring anymore, not as a fighter. Period.

I left the bar that night, after a great time was had by all. I went over to say good bye to Leon. He was sitting by himself. He had a glazed, vacant look in his eyes. He was drooling on his self. Some people next to me where laughing about it. I didn't feel like laughing. I felt like crying.


END QUOTE

"It is only fair to add that it has not been proved that any permanent
injury to the brain results [from being knocked out in a prize-fight]. In any
case, the brain, as English society is at present constituted, can hardly be
considered a vital organ."

-- George Bernard Shaw, Note on Modern Prizefighting, 1901.
© 1996-2000 The Cyber Boxing Zone
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