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News Updates - Heavyweight Prelim - Round 9
Bowe shocks the World as Preliminaries Near the End
CINCINNATI, OH - In a shocking
upset, Riddick Bowe (9-0, 7 KO) dominated Muhammed
Ali (7-1-1, 4 KO) over 15
rounds. Ali got off to a good start over the opening 3 rounds, but in the
4th, Bowe hurt Ali with a crushing uppercut that changed the tone of the fight.
After a solid 5th and 6th rounds, Bowe scored a knockdown in Round 7, and
followed it up with a second knockdown in the 11th. In the 14th round, a
weary Ali was battered from one end of the ring to the other, narrowly avoiding
a TKO stoppage. By the end of the fight, the scorecards were a mere
formality, as Bowe scored an easy decision
In other marquee matchups, undefeated Joe Louis (9-0, 7 KO) stopped Sonny Liston (8-1, 5 KO) in the 5th round, and George Foreman (8-0-1, 6 KO) out slugged Jack Dempsey (8-1, 8 KO) in a classic brawl that featured 4 knockdowns and numerous heavy punches. After Foreman dominated the early rounds, Dempsey came back strong and seemed close to finishing an exhausted Foreman in the 8th. But in the 9th round, Foreman floored Dempsey with a perfect left hook, and finished him in round 10.
But the most important fights of the night pitted the six men contending for the final spot in the Championship Tournament. In the first match, #21 ranked Mike Tyson (4-5, 2 KO) destroyed #16 Ingemar Johansen (3-6, 1 KO) in the first round, with a devastating combination to close the show early. In the second fight, #17 ranked Michael Moorer (3-4-2, 1 KO) once again showed up in terrible physical condition, but still had enough to get past Michael Spinks (3-5-1, 2 KO). In the final of three crucial bouts, Jersey Joe Walcott survived a slow start to rally late and pull out a unanimous decision victory over Max Baer.
With Round 9 in the books, Moorer, Walcott, Tyson, and Buster Douglas, who scored a shocking victory over Rocky Marciano by disqualification, remain in the hunt for a tournament birth. Joe Frazier, while still ranked #15, could still possibly miss the tournament if he suffers another loss. After the 10th and final preliminary round, the full tournament bracket will be revealed.
For complete results, check the "fight results" section.
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