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News Updates - Heavyweight Tournament 1st Round
Only Eight Remain after First Round Tournament Action
CINCINNATI, OH - Following is a recap of each of the fights in the first round of the Heavyweight Championship Tournament:
#1 Joe Louis vs. #16 Mike Tyson - Louis dominated the early rounds, controlling the action with a powerful jab. In the 5th, Tyson came storming back, landing a devastating combination in the middle of the round to drop Louis. Louis survived the round, however, and went right back to work in the 6th round. By the 7th, Tyson was clearly beginning to tire. Sensing a vulnerable opponent, Louis turned it on in the 7th, hurting Tyson badly. In the 8th, Louis closed the show, flooring Tyson early and finishing him with a barrage of punches late in the round. WINNER - Joe Louis by 8th round TKO.
#8 Max Schmeling vs. #9 Lennox Lewis - Schmeling came out firing in the first round, hurting Lewis early and forcing him to cover up. In the 2nd, Schmeling again hurt Lewis with a right cross late in the round. Lewis recovered in the third, controlling the round with his long reach. Lewis continued to control the fight for most of the 4th round, until Schmeling landed a leaping hook at the 33 second mark. The punch sent Lewis reeling to the canvas, where referee Steve Smoger gave him the ten count. Schmeling sets up a classic for round 2 - Louis vs. Schmeling! WINNER - Max Schmeling by 4th round KO.
#5 Jack Dempsey vs. #12 Jim Jefferies - Dempsey came out aggressive, dominating the first round. Jefferies tried to answer in kind in the second, but a big right hand from Dempsey dropped him late in the round. By the end of the second, Jefferies left eye was beginning to swell badly. Dempsey continued to batter Jeff with right hands, until referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the action in the 4th due to swelling. WINNER - Jack Dempsey by 4th round TKO.
#4 Larry Holmes vs. #13 Jack Johnson - The favored Holmes had a near perfect round, controlling the action with his power jab. In the second, Johnson was more aggressive, getting inside Holmes reach and busting him up with hard shots to the body. One minute into the third round, Johnson landed a perfect uppercut that Holmes never saw. Larry was out before he even hit the canvas. WINNER - Jack Johnson by 3rd round KO.
#3 Riddick Bowe vs. #14 Gene Tunney - After an uneventful first 2 rounds, Riddick Bowe landed a wicked body shot early in the third round to floor Tunney. Tunney responded with a sound technical 4th round, and then stunned Bowe with a power jab, sending Bowe to the canvas late in the 5th. The knockdown, however, seemed to wake Bowe up, as he came back strong in round 6 thru 8, dominating Tunney with great body work. After some back and forth action in rounds 9 and 10, an exhausted Tunney was barely able to answer the bell in round 11. After a flurry of punches floored him early in the round, Tunney simply ran out of gas as Bowe pummeled him against the ropes. Finally, referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the bout at the 0:02 mark of round 11. Bowe avenges his only loss of the preliminary rounds. WINNER - Riddick Bowe by eleventh round TKO.
#6 Muhammed Ali vs. #11 Evander Holyfield - After an uneventful first round, Ali lands a beautiful uppercut in the opening minute of round 2 to knock down Holyfield. Holyfield survives the round, and then comes back with a beautiful flurry to put Ali on his back in round 3. The fourth round is an absolute classic - both men standing and trading, with no one getting an advantage. Early in the 5th, a combination from Ali put Holyfield on his back for the 2nd time. Ali got very, very conservative in the next few rounds, as the action dried up. In the 9th, Evander landed a perfect, short jab on the inside that floored Ali for the second time. Ali remained in a heavily defensive posture for the remainder of the fight, and the final six rounds were difficult to score. In the end, judge Tommy Kaczmarek scored the bout even (143-143), but judges Harold Lederman and Chuck Giampa both favored Ali's defensive work to Holyfield's aggression (143-141, 142-140). WINNER - Muhammed Ali by Majority Decision.
#7 Sonny Liston vs. #10 Rocky Marciano - This fight was 15 rounds of boring dancing, as both fighters stayed on their toes, flicking light jabs. Just kidding. Liston came out on the warpath, punishing MArciano with right hands behind his power jab. In the third, Marciano came back with a vicious body attack, slowing Liston and getting back in the fight. In the 4th, a huge overhand right sent Liston reeing into the ropes, and Rocky attacked like a shark that smells blood. With 1:07 left in the 4th, Steve Smoger leaped between the fighters to save Liston from additional punishment. WINNER - Rocky Marciano by 4th round TKO.
#2 George Foreman vs. #15 Joe Frazier - After a productive first round, Frazier walked into a massive right hand early in the second, and the rout was on. Frazier survived round 2, but was blitzed again in the third, going down from a left hook and eventually being stopped at 1:35. WINNER - George Foreman by 3rd round TKO.
For complete results, check the "fight results" section.
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