14 March 2009

WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val Henning

Valerie and Devon meet in Devon's office at the WEBA Towers in San Jose, California to swap notes about last week's WEBA fights.      

Devon: It was an extra busy week in the WEBA, Val, twenty fights on the card!  What stood out as highlights for you?

Val:  So many nail-biter close fights that ended in split decisions or draws! Lots of close rivalries but the junior middleweights were on a completely different page as they kept the WEBA judges totally out of the picture in their tournament and decided both of their by KO's. But the biggest highlight for me was the WEBA lightweight title fight where challenger Rikku Hui finally got her revenge on Keiko Suzuki who'd taken that title away from her in 2007. The two trainers at Strongarm's House of Pain now have all three of their boxers  holding titles at the same time!    

Devon: Rikku's been the dark horse boxer at that gym and in the lightweight group for a long time, living in the shadows of world champions Cyan Locklear and Jordan Strongarm in Carolina and of Carla Ramirez and Keiko Suzuki in the ring. But Rikku's been fearless about taking on the top fighters and she usually starts her fights fast, throwing everything she has in the early rounds to make for exciting action. Japanese champion Keiko Suzuki tried some intimidation of her own at the start of this battle, fighting rough in the opening round and losing a point for holding and hitting just before the bell. Both these boxers have short fuses and the action was rough again in the second and third rounds but Rikku gave as good as she got then upped the level in the fourth, sending Keiko back to her corner wobbly. The middle of the fight was even as they traded at close quarters and both looked battle weary at times. Rikku caught Keiko with several hard shots in the tenth before dropping her for a four count with a one-two combination.  At this point Rikku appeared to be in better condition going into the closing rounds as Keiko was bleeding from her mouth and looked ragged while Rikku looked confident and even appeared to be enjoying herself. Keiko's a long-time champion so I figured she might still make a comeback in this fight, but it wasn't to be and Rikku Hui kept control of the action to the final bell. to get the decision and the title

Val: Yeah this time it seemed to be Keiko who ran out of gas in the late rounds, while Rikku had paced herself well to the end for a convincing win. Rikku's record isn't great at 26-42-4, but that's deceptive as she's stepped up to fight the very best of her division for years. The Strongarm team has thrown her into the deep end against Ramirez and Suzuki and the other top lightweights over and over and she gave both of them fits several times before this win. She also has more training she could still do so this win underlines the fact that she's a growing threat in the lightweights. How about the junior title fights? .

Devon: Brazilian-born Gina "The Tigress" Silva who's fighting out of New York City made her first defense of the junior welterweight title against  Irena "Lefty" Hrbkova, the 5'8" Czech-born boxer who fights out of Toronto, Canada.  After a feeling out round it was Gina who took command in the second round after catching Irena with a great right hook to the jaw that put her on the canvas for a five count. Gina kept the heat on Irena after that and the Toronto fighter looked shaken up as she went back to her corner, drawing a visit from the ring doctor between the rounds. Irena got herself together during the break and the third round was more evenly fought. So was the start of the fourth, but then Irena nailed Gina with several hard shots to the head, backed her into the ropes and let rip with a devastating barrage that dropped the New Yorker for a five count. Gina got up wobbly and was in big trouble as Irena tried to put her away and take the title. Gina went down for a nine count late in the round and was saved by the bell as she wobbled back to her corner bleeding from her nose and cut over both eyes.  The doc went to Gina's corner this time while Irena looked on confidently but the fight continued and Gina Silva was able to get herself back together to keep things on a more even keel through the middle rounds. It turned from a toe to toe slugfest into a boxing match after that as Gina used her height and reach advantage to chip away at Irena while her own cut man worked to close the cut over her right eye.  It ended up going to the scorecards where the judges were split, but two had scored it narrowly for Gina despite the near-disaster she had survived in the fourth.

Val:  This was a close call for Gina Silva but she showed me that she can box as well as brawl, and Irena Hrbkova must know she came very close to winning this title for the fourth time.  This is a razor close weight division with five strong contenders ,,, Gina, Irena, Esther Gonzalez, Tereza Delgado and Sandra Perez all legitimate contenders for the belt. We also have a close race shaping up at junior bantamweight! .

Devon: Yes, this week was a rematch between flashy British Bombshell Penny Holt and the quietly proficient Diana "Pearl" Rancier from Trinidad and Tobago. Penny is tall and lean while Diana's small and muscular, so this is a contrast in physical styles that has already produced several close fights including two draws. They both boxed cautiously early in the fight but Penny seemed quicker and more effective in the third round and she hurt Diana with several body shots as well as starting to mark up Diana's face. The middle rounds were closer although Penny still looked the more relaxed and Diana continued to take damage to her face, Diana stepped up her game at the end of the fifth and sent Penny to her corner looking shaken up for the first time in the fight and with a serious cut over her left eye.  This could have been a problem for Penny as Diana continued to work on the eye, which began to close up and the defending champ got the better of the action in the later rounds. Diana used her body attack to try to wear Penny down and it was a body blow that sent the British girl to her knees beside the ropes for a seven count in the tenth. Diana couldn't close the deal in that round, though, and it went to the scorecards, where it was another tight split decision, this time for Penny Holt.

Val: There's almost nothing to choose between these two! Every fight they've had has been a tossup and this could be a good rivalry as the trainers try to give them both the edge in future fights. It was a different story in the junior middleweight tournament where both winners were clear as the losers were counted out on the canvas! 

Devon: The bigger girls have more firepower but they can be harder to put away, too. The hitters came out on top this time. 

Val: Ireland's Hannah "Hot Stuff" Riley had started her WEBA career with a string of knockouts. She was in no mood to make a long night of it as she faced Australian newbie Mia "Lights Out" Riley, the tallest boxer in the whole WEBA at 6'1". Mia hadn't lost in the last seven fights while she built a 6-1-1 record, so this would be a stiff test for both boxers, who were fighting each other for the first time. They lost no time getting down to business with both landing solidly in the opening round and Hannah went to her corner with a small cut under her left eye. Mia controlled the pace of the second round with her reach advantage and Hannah got impatient towards the end of the session. Mia started the third round aggressively and kept Hannah on her back foot with a barrage of hooks and combinations before dropping the Irish star with a right to her nose. Hannah took a short count in the corner, got up fighting mad, and the round went on with the two scrappers going toe to toe against the ropes.  Mia had shown she was willing to stand and trade with Hannah but she looked winded as she went to her corner and wasn't able to keep the same sort of pressure on Hannah in the fourth. Instead, Hannah doubled up with her right hand and put Mia down for an eight count that left the Australian looking stunned as the action continued. Hannah pummeled Mia for the rest of the round and looked confident in her corner between the rounds. Hannah jumped all over Mia at the start of the fifth, eager to put the tall Aussie away. and Mia went to the canvas several times before she was knocked out by a right to her jaw. 

Devon: Hannah was ferocious in the fifth round and found some of the killer instinct she'd shown in her early fights, but she'll face another KO artist for the vacant title!  

Val: Yes in the other tournament bout unbeaten newbie Trish "Trasher" Rollins from Birmingham got into a war with the more experienced Jillian "Red Baroness" Russell from Joliet, Illinois. Jillian hadn't been able to slow the British fighter down much in their previous encounter but she looked like she might get the upper hand in the early rounds of this rematch. Jillian got her jab going and used that to set up hooks to the body and uppercuts that clearly hurt the British boxer,  Trish got frustrated and started to fight rougher, but Jillian was able to hold her in check for the first four rounds. In the fifth round was like a dam bursting as Trish let rip with both fists and worked on a small cut that she had opened under Jillian's right eye, turning it into an ugly gash that was streaming blood down Jillian's face. Jillian went to the canvas twice for short counts in the fifth but she survived and then tried to tie Trish up in clinches in the sixth. Trish Rollins was surprisingly ready to bend the rules as she used holding and elbowing in those clinches to counter Jillian's tie-up tactics, drawing a point deduction from an alert referee. The seventh was where the wheels came off for Jillian, though, as Trish used punishing shots to the body to set the American up for the coup de grace, which came with a right to the jaw that put Jillian away for the full count.

Devon: This tough repeat loss for Jillian Russell sets up a showdown between Hannah Riley and Trish Rollins for the junior title!  This will be a big one between two hard hitters, Dublin vs Birmingham, KO artist vs KO artist, and this time for ten rounds after they already battled to a draw over six. We'll see whether Riley can deal Rollins her first loss, or whether Rollins can repeat Maria Lozada's feat of going straight to the junior middleweight title without losing any fights on the way.  Any other highlights from the undercard, Val?

Val: There were so many close fights this time it's hard to pick out just a couple but one I'd go with was the non-title showdown between Sunny Wong and Raquel Rivera.  These two are no strangers as they fought in the same weight class before the bantamweight division got going, and Raquel took the world featherweight title by knocking Sunny out in September 2007. Now Sunny's the WEBA bantamweight champion while Raquel's the world featherweight champion, and this rematch was an exciting rerun of their old rivalry. They went right at each other from the opening bell with Sunny keeping the heat on Raquel in the early going and then knocking her down for an eight count on the canvas late in the sixth round. Raquel's corner must have told her it was now or never after that round as the world champ found her hustle in the seventh. She tagged Sunny for a quick knockdown early in the session and put her down for a nine count that the smaller girl barely survived later that same round. .Sunny was cut above and her below her left eye but she boxed well in the eighth to stop the fight from getting further out of hand. It went to the scorecards with both still on their feet, and the judges had called a narrow win for Sunny by a majority decision, with one calling it a draw. It could easily have gone either way.

Devon: It was a classic battle which confirmed that these two are still on a par despite the size difference, which favors Raquel Rivera. That was a good fight between two veterans, but did anything stand out for you in the newbies?

Val: It's always a big deal for a new boxer to get her first win so I'll go with Sara "Sweetie" Cameron's first win as my last highlight  The blonde featherweight from Arkansas went up against bantamweight Lisa "Lightning" Jackson from BJ Fulton's gym in Kentucky and again showed she's ready to practice some sweet science in the ring. Sarah showed good form as she snapped  her jab and used her ring movement to control the opening rounds against the Kentucky girl who was forced to pick her game up in the later rounds despite a cut under her right eye and some bleeding from her mouth. Lisa mounted a rally in the fourth and fifth rounds but she got trapped against the ropes towards the end of the fifth and Sara took control of the fight again.  The sixth round was a good one for Sara as she finished strong and put Lisa on the canvas twice with well-timed shots to the head. This was a clear points win for Sara Cameron, who's brought a nicely organized style to the ring that was more than enough to hand a struggling Lisa Jackson another loss.. 

Devon:  Yeah, BJ Fulton's smaller girl is obviously having problems, though she's kept some fights close she's only 1-10-1 in her first dozen fights, and its hard to make progress in the WEBA if you don't rack up some training money. Sara Cameron evened her record at 1-1 with this win and looks like one we'll keep watching at featherweight.

Val:  It was a good week for the WEBA with lots of close contests and I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the new rivalries work out. hon!

Devon:  Yeah, we've got plenty of good matchups in all the weight classes now, so things are looking good, Val!. 

       

"She was tougher than I expected",
says Jane McGowan

Jane McGowan and Hellcat Heather Corrigan are sitting side by side with Heather's father Mike at the press conference after Jane's draw with Anjelika Andreeva. .

Reporter: How do you feel now about your draw with the Russian, Jane?

Jane:  She was tougher than I expected!  She took my best punches and kept going so I learned a lot. 

Reporter: You looked wobbly in the first round. Were you hurt?. 

Jane: Yes, she hit me with several good shots right away and got me out of my zone because it took me too long to clear my head. Heather was in my corner and she was great, she told me to forget that round and stay calm, that I should fight my fight and I would be ok. After I knocked her down in the third round I think I won several more rounds after that so I felt good about how the fight was going but she fought much harder at the end.  It was my first eight round fight and I was pooped!  So yes I was hurt several times at the start and at the end of that fight and she was a tough opponent.

Reporter: You'd set a goal to knock her out, so were you disappointed with Jane's performance, Heather?   

Heather: No!  I knew this would be a hard fight for Jane and she showed spunk after she got hit so hard by the Russian. I am proud of how she fought, fellas.

Reporter: Carmen Santos knocked this Russian out, but Jane only managed a draw. Does that change your plans for Jane at all, Mike? 

Mike: Carmen's fighting better than Jane at the moment, so we will have to be patient. Jane's giving us a lot of good things to work with in the gym and I am sure we can build her into a contender. Jane has Heather's toughness and will to win and I am very optimistic about her down the road.  .

Reporter: What's next for you, Heather?   

Heather: I had to take a break after my title fight to let my face heal but I have started sparring and working out with Jane again. I want to fight Cyan Locklear for the world title.  I know I can beat her so that will be next on my agenda and a huge fight for me.

Reporter: And after that? 

Heather:  I don't want to look too far ahead, I want to win the world title back and I'd also like to fight Amber Taltos again. I'd love to fight Amber for the world title but first I have to get it back. That's all I want to think about.

Santos destroys Fulton!

BOX LATINO - Brasilian ring heroine Carmen "Leoparda" Santos handed another beating to American Billy-Jo "BJ" Fulton in an eight round contest. The beautiful boxeadora who carries the hopes of Brasil on her pretty shoulders was knocked down to the canvas twice in the fourth round but recovered her composure and disputed the remaining rounds with deadly precision despite receiving dangerous cuts above her left eye and to her lips. Carmen saved her best effort for the last two rounds during which she beat the American like a carpet with punishing attacks before she finally dispatched her victim with a left that snapped the American's head back and a right that dropped her to all fours, unable to continue the contest. While clearly the less capable boxer, the American showed admirable sportsmanship when she raised Leoparda's glove to signify that she accepted her defeat.

Box Latino interviewed Carmen and her trainer Ralph Riveros as they relaxed in the lounge of their hotel later,

BL:  Are you satisfied with Carmen's progress in the boxing ring?

RR:   We must remember that Carmen is young and that boxeo femenino is a fresh sport in Brasil.  We do not have the experience with women in the boxing ring as other countries such as America, Mexico, or even Bolivia. Carmen surprised by winning a big championship early in her career and we had high expectations from that quick success but now we must be realistic. Carmen must fix her position among the other boxeadoras now she has lost that title and accept her humbling experiences at the fists of the American Kennedy and the Russian Petrova.

BL:  So will she now be more serious about her training in the gym with the young men and spend less time enjoying the beach and being photographed in her bikinis?

Carmen: .I cannot keep altogether from the beach as I would be too unhappy without the sunshine and the ocean to lift my spirits but the young men in my gym are now for the serious training with me, not for our mutual entertainment.  

BL:  And the young women?  Billy-Jo Fulton says she wants to do more with you than fight in the boxing ring. She says you bring out her "alpha female".

Carmen:  She is a blonde whose brains are smaller than her breasts!   Devon Ling told her she is the silly girl and I agree. If Miss Fulton thinks about other things than fighting while she is boxing in the ring with me, I shall continue to teach her the hard lessons of the nocauts!     

BL: So you are not eager for any girl-girl action even though you did hug her so warmly after your last fight?   

Carmen: I made only the friendly gesture because I had hurted her and damaged her face, I beat her to win our fight not out of personal feelings. If she will visit me in Brasil I will introduce her to some Brasilian boys, as perhaps these American girls do not know how to have the same fun as we do!

BL: The American McGowan says she watches your career closely.  Do you watch hers?

Carmen: She has the great trainer Miss Corrigan, just as Tulia Minez has the great trainer Miss Frez. I plan to watch closely the trainees of these famous women champions as they bring the experience of their mentors to face me, not just their own young skills. I have confidence in my own trainers but I see many rivals who are being prepared to fight me by strong capable women. Also Miss Hui who captured the title from the Japonesa comes from the gym with a strong blood line of champions. I am aware to be respectful of these opponents as I make my way forward. 

BL:  Finally, Miss Silva in New York has said she is proud to represent Brasil as the junior welterweight champion. Do you now see her as a rival for the loyalty of your fans? 

Carmen:  I am happy for the success of another Brasilian but she went away to train in a famous American gym so I do not think she will ever be my true rival in Brasil.  

BL: Will you fight her one day to make clear who is the Boxing Queen for Brasil?  

Carmen:  She is very tall so I would need to deny her room to punch me from the distance. It would not be a good fight for me but I think the Brasilian fans will know who is their true Boxing Queen when they see me all the time in São Paulo and Rio!