26 October 2008

WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val Henning
"It was a tough night for both of us", says Heather
"The mix is proving satisfactory", says Balio
"I love being different", says Penny

WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val Henning

Devon and Val are at the WEBA Towers looking over the video of last week's WEBA fights.  

Val:  There's some sorting out going on since the training break, Devon, some moving and shaking in WEBA!  How about those title fights? 

Devon: The main event featured reigning WEBA middleweight champ Sharon Brown from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina against challenger Maria Lozada from Balio Frez's gym in Bolivia. Sharon's blown hot and cold in streaks since she joined the WEBA but she's become one of the most dangerous contenders in this division, with wins over everyone but world champ Mikee Mulroney. Maria's an exciting all-out fighter whose bouts don't often go the distance, it's usually KO or be KO'd for her! Sharon and Maria have traded wins recently so it was no surprise when they went right at each other from the opening bell. Maria worked Sharon over against the ropes in the first round after taking an elbow to her face, and started the second the same way but Sharon quickly turned the tables and had Maria in trouble against the ropes for a standing eight count later in the round. Both boxers were fighting angry and they went toe to toe for several rounds in exciting rock'em sock'em action. Maria appeared to be getting the better of it in the sixth despite taking some damage to her left eye, but that all changed in the seventh when Sharon Brown turned up the heat big time after she knocked Maria down with a swinging left to the jaw. Maria took only took a four count after getting clocked by that haymaker but Sharon began to land bombs through Maria's weakening defense and Balio's girl was soon bleeding heavily from her mouth as Sharon went for the KO. Maria was eating face fulls of leather after barely surviving two nine counts when the referee stepped in and decided she was in too bad shape to continue.

Val: .Sharon Brown showed some killer instinct in finishing this fight off quickly once she had Maria in trouble, but Maria's team may be upset that the fight was stopped so close to the end of a round and she didn't get a chance to recover and right herself in her corner. Maria had held her own earlier in the bout and I think a rematch might be called for!  Balio's other fighter had a better night, though!. 

Devon: Yeah, Tulia's a pretty girl who doesn't look like a boxer at all but Balio's taught her some of the old boxing skills that kept her in title contention throughout her own career.  She had only barely edged out Carmen Santos to win the WEBA title but then mounted a stirring defense against the always dangerous Keiko Suzuki. Her challenger this time was Rikku Hui, who's well down in the WEBA standings but has a history of testing all the top fighters with the ferocious energy she brings to the early rounds of her fights. This was a close, well-fought fight all the way, with both taking it and giving it  Tulia held off Rikku's strong start then took the leather to her in the third round for a standing eight count. Tulia kept the heat on Rikku after that but Rikku showed good boxing skills and a little feistiness in the clinches to keep the fight on an even keel. By the end of the eighth Tulia was sporting a bloody nose as Rikku was more than holding her own at times despite some tough body banging from Balio's girl.  It was close all the way to the final bell, but I thought Tulia got slightly the better of the closing rounds and deserved the one-point decision she came away with on all the scorecards.

Val:  This was quite a contrast from the middleweight title fight, no knockdowns and both boxers showing they could defend as well as go toe to toe!   Tulia's shown some strength in close fights and she's got a lot of experience now at handling herself well in boxing matches, while. Rikku's showing over and over that she's overcoming her shaky start in WEBA to become a real contender who's not afraid of taking on the top lightweights. There's just no clear pecking order in the lightweight division once you look past Carla Ramirez, hon!   So how about the finale of the junior bantamweight tourney?

Devon: We knew we'd see a first time champion in this one, as the bantamweight division is almost all fresh faces and this was their  inaugural tourney.  Penny Holt from the UK and Diana Rancier from Trinidad would both be going ten rounds for the first time in their careers after fighting each other to a draw over six rounds.  These smaller girls don't have the firepower of the middleweights and welterweights. but they can still pack a wallop as Penny showed late in the second round of this one when she caught Diana with a picture perfect right hook to the jaw that dropped Diana for a six count.  Diana got up shaking her head and Penny went for the KO but couldn't put her away. Diana survived the next round and battled back into the fight with some tough body punching that appeared to wear Penny down as the fight went on into the later rounds.  Penny had looked confident after scoring the early knockdown but by the end of the seventh I thought things were back on a more even keel with Penny looking flustered and Diana definitely back in the fight.  Both showed signs of weariness for the rest of the bout, fighting with gloves low and plenty of clinches, they'd both "hit the wall" of their stamina and were struggling with the longer format.  It went to the scorecards, where the judges had all seen a solid edge for Penny Holt, who had clearly had the best round of the right with the early knockdown.

Val:  Penny wins a junior title in just her fourth WEBA fight, and remains undefeated, but Diana Rancier showed plenty of grit in this fight and made sure that Penny earned the title belt after scoring the early knockdown!  This could be a good rivalry for the future, Devon.

Devon: Things got a little more heated in the junior lightweight tournament, huh?

Val: Yeah, both finalists will be go into their showdown coming off impressive knockout wins! The first semi pitted Brazilian hottie Carmen Santos against Heather Corrigan protege Jane McGowan. Santos had stunned the WEBA in her rookie season by taking the WEBA lightweight belt after a string of narrow wins, but she's struggled a little since coming back from the break, while Jane McGowan is a raw rookie but unbeaten in her first two outings. It didn't look good for Santos in the early going as McGowan started strong and roughed the Brazilian up in the opening round, showing some of Heather Corrigan's body banging style but also some rough tactics that drew warnings from the referee. Carmen looked a little shaken up after the first round but made a statement in the second with a body shot that dropped Jane to her knees for a nine count.  Jane was in trouble again in the third after Carmen backed her into the ropes and put her down again with a left to the head. Jane went to work on Carmen's face after this and by the end of the fifth there was blood running from Carmen's mouth.  Jane got the upper hand in the sixth and scored two spectacular knockdowns, one that sent Carmen's mouthpiece flying and another that left her looking stunned with blood pouring from her mouth at the end of the round.  Jane clearly had the upper hand at this point so I wondered if Carmen was about to suffer her fourth straight loss since the break, but the Brazilian got herself righted between the rounds and came on strong in the seventh. Carmen opened a cut under Jane's left eye, and put Jane down for a short count with a quick right to the chin.  Jane got up quickly after that knockdown, but she was quickly in trouble as Carmen went head hunting and her put her away with back-to-back knockdowns later in the round.

Devon:, A tough loss for McGowan whose inexperience may have cost her in this one, but a good confidence builder for Santos as she heads into a third showdown with her nemesis!

Val: Katelyn Kennedy may be forgiven for looking ahead as we hit the final leg of this tournament, hon, as she's undefeated against both of the opponents who stand between her and the junior title and looks a little stronger with every fight. She'd been held to a draw by Lilka Nowak in their first tussle, but then had a points win and a sixth-round KO over Marisol Kari's protege from Poland.  This time Katelyn controlled Lilka in the early rounds with her boxing skills then got into a slugfest with Lilka in the fifth round that left the Albuquerque girl with a bad cut under her right eye although she'd held her own quite well in the toe to toe action that featured some fierce infighting by both boxers. Nowak was obviously looking for a brawl as she was well behind on points, and thumbed Katelyn in her left eye early in the sixth. Katelyn responded with a barrage of precise punches that struck through Lilka's defense and knocked her to the canvas three times on the way to the eventual KO.

Devon: This was Katelyn's fifth KO win in six fights, she's got a mix of boxing skills and KO power that could make her tough to handle in the lightweight division!  So now we have a showdown between Kennedy and Santos coming for the junior title. 

Val: Katelyn's had Carmen's number so far, she outpointed the Brazilian in her debut fight and then knocked her out in their rematch at Wu's., so the Santos may have to come up with something new if she's gonna win their third encounter.  

Devon: The money will be on Kennedy for sure, but it can always a little different in the WEBA than it was at Wu's where Katelyn knocked Carmen out.  How about some highlights from the undercard, Val?
 

Val:   Stephanie Page ended a three-fight losing streak by winning a war with Tina Boppa in a very exciting see-saw fight. They're dead equal inch-for-inch and pound-for-pound, and both have an all-out approach to their fights that gets the fans stoked up!  Stephanie started well, popping Tina with crisp shots in the opening round, but Tina came out fired up in the second and decked Stephanie against the ropes for a short count. Stephanie got up fighting mad and tried to take it to Tina but got dropped again by a sweet one-two. Tina went for the KO and put Stephanie on the canvas again with a right to the jaw but Stephanie got back up at the nine count and was saved by the bell   The third round was a slugfest as Tina again tried to end it but Stephanie met fire with fire and they went toe to toe. They traded leather through the fourth and fifth with Page starting to get the upper hand against the more experienced Boppa. Stephanie came out swinging to start the sixth and halfway through it nailed Tina with a ferocious uppercut that almost ended it.  Tina took a nine count and somehow survived to the bell but she was badly shaken up. Stephanie was frustrated that she hadn't closed out the fight but after that it was all her as she knocked Tina down twice in the seventh then mounted a savage attack in the eighth.  Tina was reeling around the ring under Stephanie's merciless attack but just as it looked like Tina might survive to the bell, Stephanie ripped a right to her head that put her down for the count.  

Devon:  That was a big win for Stephanie Page, for sure, as Tina Boppa is an experienced opponent who's been in with many of the best in WEBA over the years

Val: Yeah, but she's showing signs of being past her best now, like many of the long-timers in the league.  This was Tina's fifth straight loss and her fourth straight by KO!  Might be time for the li'l Tiger to call it a a career soon!

Devon:  Any other highlights, Val?

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