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News Updates - Heavyweight Prelim - Round 7
Best Night of Action yet as the top fighters go to War!
CINCINNATI, OH - It was a great night for boxing, but a surprising number of things were left unsettled. An unprecedented 5 draws occurred in a single fight card. While two of the draws were early stoppages after headbutts, the latter three, featuring some of the favorites in the upcoming Championship Tournament, were simply remarkable fights with no clear winner.
This card was unusual for
another reason: only 17 fights took place. Before the action
began,
Primo Carnera (1-6, 0 KO) was awarded a forfeit victory over the suspended John
L. Sullivan (0-7). Sullivan and Marvin Hart, who was stopped in the 11th
round by Shannon Briggs (1-6, 1 KO) are now the only fighters remaining without
a win. In early action, slumping Mike Tyson (2-5, 1 KO) and Michael Moorer
(2-4-1, 1 KO) were both defeated again, putting their hopes for a slot in the
Tournament in serious jeopardy. Both Moorer (now ranked #17) and Tyson
(now ranked #21) will need to rally to find their way back into the Tourney.
The big news of the night, however, was a series of brilliant, hard fought matches late in the card. Gene Tunney (5-1-1, 3 KO) and George Foreman (6-0-1, 5 KO) fought to a draw in a classic matchup of power against speed. Foreman, who was knocked down in the 12th round, rallied back in the final rounds as Tunney, who believed he had the fight won, became too conservative.
This fight was followed
immediately by what was, by all accounts, the best fight of the entire LBA so
far. Lennox Lewis (6-0-1, 5 KO) and Evander Holyfield (4-1-2, 4 KO) fought
with a frenzy rarely seen for 15 full rounds. In the 12th round both men
went toe to toe.
Holyfield was knocked down by a powerful right cross in the opening minute, only
to regain his feet and return the favor to Lewis with a left hook of his own.
Like the Foreman/Tunney battle, an immediate rematch will take place of this
fight, as the judges could not agree on a winner.
While Lewis/Holyfield may have been the fight of the night, the round of the night belonged to Larry Holmes and Sonny Liston. After suffering a knockdown in round 4, Liston went wild in the 5th and 6th rounds, flooring Holmes and hurting him badly. Early in the 7th round, Holmes' corner men leaped to the apron, preparing to save their man from further damage. Before they could react, however, Holmes landed a furious left hook and came blazing back at the suddenly shaky Liston. The round ended with both men standing toe to toe, refusing to give an inch. The ovation from the crowd lasted the entire 1 minute break.
When it was all said and done, however, Liston's early lead held up on the scorecards, as the both men tired badly down the stretch. Liston's Majority Decision victory lifted his record to 7-0 (4 KO), while Holmes fell to 6-1 (6 KO).
James Jefferies and Muhammed
Ali put on a near remake of the Foreman/Tunney clash,
with
Ali dancing in and out, scoring with jabs, while Jefferies patiently stalked his
man and landed thudding power punches. Jefferies hurt Ali several times
late in the fight, but could not score a knockdown. In the 15th round,
trailing on 2 of the scorecards, Ali dug down deep and found a burst of energy
that allowed him to win the round and force another majority draw.
After such a sizzling undercard, the main event between Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano was a bit of a letdown. Unlike his earlier bout with Jack Johnson, Marciano simply could not force the action against Louis, who consistently out boxed him. After 9 rounds of heavy jabs, Marciano's right eye swelled shut, forcing a stoppage.
Riddick Bowe (7-0, 5 KO)
scored the night's biggest upset, and vaulted himself to the #1
ranking in the process. Facing the tough Jack Johnson (5-2, 1 KO), Bowe
was frustrated throughout the first and second rounds. Suddenly, with just
seconds remaining in the second round, Bowe landed a picture perfect uppercut,
knocking Johnson out cold with a single punch. Johnson remained on the
canvas for several minutes after the fight ended. Doctors reported that
Johnson was expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the next fight
card.
For complete results, check the "fight results" section.
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