Cyber Boxing Zone -- News

MONDAY MORNING EDITION: PEDRO FERNANDEZ

CAN'T DEFEND GAME

It seems that it is all too often than I am forced to defend the world of anarchy that is professional boxing. You see, not even Johnny Cochran could look a jury of 12 sane people in the eye and say, "Ladies and gentlemen, the decision you saw rendered in Madison Square Garden was a fair and just one."

WHO'S DA' LAME DAME

Jean Williams is the lady who scored the fight 115-113, for Holyfield. She is from New Jersey, where she has gotten work under the Athletic Commission headed by Larry Hazard.

MORE FODDER FOR GRAND PANEL

Currently, there is a Grand Jury in Newark, NJ investigating Bob Lee Sr., the IBF President. (More on that later) One of the areas also being looked into is the selection of judges for major fights.

CORRUPT OR NEAR SIGHTED?

Ms. Williams had the ineptitude to score the fifth round for Holyfield. It was in this same three minute session of battle in which he landed but a few punches, and that Holyfield was on the receiving end of some thunderous shots from the uncrowned champ.

STANLEY ALMOST ON TARGET

Stanley Christodoulou, the South African jurist tabbed the contest 116-113, for Lennox Lewis, in a fight that was quite easy to score considering the punches being thrown, and landed. The punch count guys had Lennox landing 348 out of 613 punches. Holyfield on the other hand, landed 130 out of 385.

BRIT TABBED FIGHT EVEN

Going into this event, I had lots of respect for Larry O'Connell, the judge who scored the rout 115-115, (5-5-2 in rounds) which resulted in the split decision draw. The real travesty would have occurred had Lewis allowed Holyfield to win that final frame. For if holy had banked it, O'Connell would have given the fight to Evander by a point

GIVE THE NEW "KING" HIS DUE

I think what may get lost in all of this post fight hysteria of the scoring is that Lennox Lewis went into another man's home country, and flat out kicked his ass. Most everybody that I've talked to felt that the score of 117-111, or 9-3 in rounds for Lewis was about right.

UK SHOULD BE PROUD

Although they were robbed of their glory, both Lewis and the UK boxing fans have a lot to be proud of. For the first time in history, a Brit is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. It's just too bad those two myopic judges, (one a countryman) robbed the people of the UK of their deserved place in history.

WHO HAD MOST TO GAIN?

With the draw, and Holyfield holding onto the WBA and IBF belts, who gains the most? I'm sure you won't be surprised when I tell you its promoter Don King. Had Holyfield lost, the world heavyweight title would have been in the hands of Lewis, his promoter Panos Eliades, and Home Box Office.

HE WHO CONTROLS

It's long been said that, "He who controls the heavyweight champion, controls boxing." And had King lost his grip on the two belts, you might have seen the beginning of the end of Don King.

NO TYSON, CHAVEZ!

Without Holyfield and the WBA and the IBF trinkets, King is left with one true star, and he can't speak English so that limits his revenue making, I'm talking about Tito Trinidad.

SCENARIO OF CHAVEZ-WHITAKER LOOMS

The draw between Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker in 1993 caused quite a bit of hoopla in the media. But what the fan and most of the press didn't see was that at the time, DK's back was truly against a wall. JC Chavez was his only stud, as Mike Tyson was making license plates in Indiana.

If matched against the right opponent, Chavez could do great Pay Per View numbers for the Don and Showtime Entertainment Television. Whitaker on the other hand, well he was with the Duva clan and HBO. So had Julio lost, King would have been left with only his good (sic) name.

DRAW SAVED JULIO AND? DK?

The disputed draw enabled King to walk away from the Alamodome as he came, only a few million dollars richer. Last night's draw enables Don King to roost for yet another promotion involving Holyfield and his tainted belts.

CHICKEN SOUP THEORY

But, you can't make chicken soup out of chicken spit. And if King doesn't have the top draws in boxing, having the "other" champions he uses for his superfight undercards becomes a financial liability. Trinidad will be just that beginning in June when King has to start paying him the topside of a recently signed near $30 million deal.

LILES PRIME EXAMPLE

When King had Tyson in the fold, he could afford to give almost obscure guys like WBA 168 lb. guy Frankie Liles $350K, when in reality he and his WBA trinket are worth about 33% of that. Ask promoter Bob Arum who was so interested in Liles that he offered him $50 K when Frankie was looking to ditch the Don last year.

HOLY'S WEIRD WEEK

All week long, Holyfield was fixed in a religious rant. At the 90 minute meeting with the TVKO TV crew the day before the fight, Holyfield was almost speaking in tongue's. He sounded like a lunatic, a religious zealot who ranted God had told him he would knock out Lewis in the third round!

COULD IT BE?

Is there a possibility that Jesus is a liar here? Does Holyfield suffers from dementia and is hearing voices? Or is this another instance where an athlete has taken God too far in his physical and mental preparation for a fight?

NUMBER THREE FITS

Angel Manfredy stood in the ring waiting for God to hit Floyd Mayweather in their December meeting. And Holyfield, so in love with himself since the first Mike Tyson fight, was so blind to reality (as were many writers) that he boasted he could blow Lennox out of the water in that third round. Between rounds, he said he would go for it, and did.

The former champ just never got it. Not in that third round, not really in any of the rounds. Holyfield never hurt Lewis, while Lennox on the other hand made put some bang on Holyfield and had him going on more than one occasion.

LET'S SEE IF EVANDER IS HOLY?

Evander Holyfield was considered the All-American Christian kid by the fans and the media until I broke the story a year ago that he had "women" other than his wife pregnant!

QUESTIONS GALORE

Now, here he has been the benefactor of some of the most absurd scoring in boxing history. Will he give the WBA and IBF belts to Lewis? Or instead fight Lennox in a rematch mandated Sunday by the IBF, WBC, AND WBA? Or will he just bide his time and fight Mike Tyson?

MORE IMPORTANTLY

Is Evander Holyfield enough of a man to get on the phone and call Lennox after watching the fight and say, "Man, you won."

TOOK ALI AND RAY MANY YEARS

It would be 18 years before Muhammad Ali would admit that ken Norton had beaten him in their third fight at Yankee Stadium. At a dinner in Sacramento, CA Norton walked over to Ali's table where I was present. That's when Ali stunned him and said, "You beat me." In the mid 1990's, Sugar Ray Leonard conceded defeat to Thomas Hearns in their second meeting, which like Lewis-Holyfield, was ruled a draw.

WILL HOLYMAN BE HONEST AND COP TO LOSS?

How long will it take "Evander The Hypocrite" to do the same? The manner in the way Holyfield handles this will have a great impact on how he is looked at by historians.

BOXING SENATOR AT MSG

The Senator from Arizona, John McCain has been the author of Federal boxing legislation. His latest piece of work is the Muhammad Ali Boxing Act, which if it becomes law, will drastically change the business of boxing.

ATTORNRY GENERALS MEETING A FORTNIGHT AGO

Just a few weeks ago, the New York Attorney General held a meeting and invited the various State Attorney Generals, with the subject being the lack of regulation in boxing. Look for the New York AG's office to launch a massive investigation into the selection (and actions) of an unknown judge in Jeanie Williams.

JERSEY PROBE CONT.

The Newark, NJ Grand Jury that has been looking into the IBF and it's President Bob Lee Sr., has offered immunity to promoter Butch Lewis I have been told. And that Lewis' singing will bring down Lee, who the 'G" thinks will in turn roll over on the Big Tuna. Yes, they want Don King.

KUSHNER DENIES BEING TARGET

Promoter Cedric Kushner told a friend that the Jersey probe assured him that he was not a target. IF this is true, was it before somebody with "the inside' turned crooner? And if old Ced truly believes that, why did he hire a PR firm of late to work on his image? It's not cause he's running for
office.

LEE SHOULD MAKE DEAL

Bob Lee should make a deal with the hope that he can stay out of jail. Because the deeper this goes, the less valuable Lee becomes as a possible witness. If he doesn't squawk, Lee won't be testifying against anybody, he may instead be joining them at the Defendant's table.

NOT IN "GREAT" HEALTH

Lee is 64, and takes Nitroglycerin for his heart. If a "hard" trial doesn't kick his ass, jail at his age certainly would.

FREE FIGHT

TCI Cable handles the wired TV services for South San Francisco, CA. On Saturday night, something went haywire and everybody who had not already paid for it, got to watch the fight for free! That continued until mid Sunday morning as all of the Pay Per View channels were picture perfect and of course, FREE! (I was sleeping!)

REID EYE SURGERY TODAY

WBA junior middleweight champ David Reid will undergo surgery on his left eye lid today, and then be released this afternoon. The 1996 Gold Medalist who won his title a fortnight ago will get his belt April 2, at a big shindig at the Ritz Carlton in Philly.

DAVID IN MARCH 30, FLASH

Reid, now 12-0, will be featured both here at fighters.com and in the March 30, edition of Flash Magazine. (If you would like a FREE copy sent to you by first class mail send your address via e mail to boxup@aol.com and title it "Pedro's Flash."

That's it! And FLASH will be at your doorstep before you know it.

LONG COUNT TO BE LOOKED AT

On the March 6, Lou Savarese fought Lance Whitaker in the curtain raiser for the aforementioned Reid and Boudouani bout.

In the sixth round, Whitaker almost nailed Lou to the canvas. Upon his visit to the deck, Savarese got some help while he was in a somewhat horizontal mode. And it came from all places, the referee Steve Smoger.

CONTENTION IS

That Smoker "coached" Lou while he was on the deck. When the toll tolled around four, Smoger told him what sounds like, "Take your time." And that when the count was nearing the meltdown stage, Steve then told Lou, "OK, now get up."

AS THE QUESTION?

Should a ref be coaching a guy? NO!

LOU VS. GIANT

Lou Savarese has indicated he would fight unbeaten heavyweight title apparent Michael Grant in mid spring, according to my sources at Time Warner (HBO).

BIG MAN BREAKS FINGER ON RING CAMERA

A massive man known as Wolfgramm, is a 300 lber. , who grabbed a Medal in the 1996 Olympic Games. A couple of weeks ago, Wolfgramm threw a right hand, and broke it on the FOX TV camera filming the event underwent surgery on the damaged mano. The 17-1, 1996 Olympic Silver Medalist will appear this Saturday on Ring Talk.

TONEY RETURNS!

Former world middleweight and super middleweight champion James "Lights Out" Toney, returned to the ring on the March 7, card on FOX from Phoenix, with a KO of a trialhorse named Terry Porter in a heavyweight bout. Off 16 months, Toney, now 56-4-2, (36 KO's) will descend to 175 lbs. with the hope of Roy Jones and he going again. Porter, is now 11-4-2 (7 KOs).

Pedro Fernandez

The writer is a syndicated talk show host with the Talk America Radio Network(s) and has his own site at www.fighters.com Mr. Fernandez can be reached at flash@inow.com