Al Bernstein On Boxing: Right Place At The Right Time

By Al Bernstein October 30th, 2009 All Boxing Articles

Sometimes in life you end up viewing something extraordinary—something you might have missed. That happened for me and all the fans that filled up the Mardi Gras Ballroom at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas this past Friday. We saw a fight of the year candidate. We were in the right place at the right time.

The match between former cruiserweight champion Arthur Williams and Victor Barragan was expected to be an entertaining and competitive fight.

The 44 year old Williams had been somewhat inactive in the last two years and wanted to show that he still had the skills to fight at a high level. The 28 year old Barragan came in with a decent 10-4 record and he needed a win over a cruiserweight of note to move up the ladder. Both men were successful, even though one lost.

Crown Boxing matchmaker Frank Luca provided a classic match of styles. Williams was the taller fighter who used his length and reach to land from the outside—working in a dash of lateral movement. Barragan is a classic attacker, using jabs to work his way inside for a volley of body shots, and finally a left hook or two to the head.

This style dynamic and both fighter’s desire to win created something more than just an entertaining match-up—it was a wildly exciting and well fought match—one of the best I’ve seen this year.

The early rounds were fought at a very quick pace with Williams landing big shots from the outside and then Barragan working his way inside to blast the body and head. Both men used a wide array of punches that included uppercuts, hooks, jabs and even overhand rights. The pace was brutal and seemed to favor the younger man, but Williams gave as much as he took.

The pace and Barragan’s body shots had their effect on the 44 year old Williams. By the 7th King Arthur had slowed a bit. In that round the Oxnard, California resident came up with some big hooks and straight right hands to stop Williams in his tracks and force the fight to be stopped. More...

Boxing Perspective: History Of The Cruiserweight Division - The 1990’s

By Gianluca Rio Di Caro February 18th, 2009 All Boxing Articles

Jeff Lampkin - IBF
22nd March 1990 - 27th July 1991

Jeff Lampkin won the IBF cruiserweight title when he stopped Glenn McCrory with a heavy left to the body in the third round when they met at the Leisure Centre in Gateshead on the 22nd March 1990.

Lampkin defended his title four months later at the Hilton Hotel in Saint Petersburg, Florida against South African Siza Makathini. The fight lasted eight rounds before Makathini was sent to the canvas by Lampkin’s now infamous left hook to the body and was unable to continue.

The IBF stripped Lampkin of the title in 1991. During my research the most stated reason for Lampkin being stripped of the title was his participation in an IBF bout in South Africa and that prompted the WBA and WBC to also withhold recognition of his title due to sporting sanctions against the country. However in all my research the only date I can find that he fought in South Africa was two years later, in 1993, against England’s Herbie Hide for the WBC heavyweight title. I can only surmise that the actual reason Lampkin was stripped of the title was that he fought a South African, not fought in South Africa as reports stated.

Magne Havnaa - WBO
17th May 1990 - 1st May 1992

After winning the WBO belt on the 17th May 1990 from Boone Pultz after a fifth round stoppage at the Nordjysk Messecenter in Aars, Denmark, Havnaa defended the title twice. The first, on the 8th December 1990 at the Aalborg Hallen in Aalborg, Denmark, he convincingly beat Argentine national champion Daniel Eduardo Neto to retain his crown.

Just two months later he beat Florida’s own NABF champion Tyrone Booze by a very close split decision.

Havnaa vacated the WBO title in 1992. More...

Goosen-Tutor Boxing: Quezada vs. Williams August 21 At Tachi Palace

By Boxing Press July 30th, 2008 All Press Releases

WBC Cabofe Heavyweight Champion, Manuel "El Toro" Quezada, 23-4 (15), will square off against Arthur Williams, 44-15 (30), in a ten round bout scheduled for August 21, 2008 at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, CA.

Quezada, riding a 12 fight winning streak, is eager to get back in the ring and climb up the heavyweight rankings. "This fight is one more step toward my goal of becoming a world champion." said Quezada. More...

Boxing Results: Cherry Drops the “Bomb” on Johnston

By Daxx Kahn May 22nd, 2008 All Boxing Results

Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina, was the host for ESPN’s “Wednesday Night Fights” weekly card and on top of the bill lightweight action ensued as Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry 24-5-2 (12) faced off against former lightweight champion Stevie “Lil but Bad” Johnston 42-6-1 (18) for the WBC USNBC Lightweight Title.

Cherry stepping into the ring for the first time in 2008 after having a shaky 2007 where he went 2-1 with one of those losses being to current IBF 140 lbs titlist Paul Malignaggi, was hoping to redeem himself a bit in front of a national television audience and show he is still a threat in the division. While his opponent former WBC Lightweight Champion Stevie Johnston who also entered this bout with a 2-1 record over his last three bouts had a similar plan in mind by wanting to prove he should not be written off at 35 years old as a fighter who still carries a threat to the current title holders, making this bout an important win for either man.

When the bout began it was apparent from almost the start whose night this was going to be. Johnston who built his career being an excellent boxer and counter puncher was put on the defensive from the opening bell. The younger Cherry pressured Stevie throughout the night giving him little chance to mount any offense of his own. In rounds three and nine Edner sent Johnston to the canvas for eight counts. While Johnston rose up off the floor both times to continue it was to no avail because in the tenth round Cherry let loose a right hand that sent the former champion packing for the night. It is the second time in seven months Johnston has been stopped.

On the undercard Johnnie Edwards 14-2-1 (8) faced another former champion Freddie Norwood 42-3-1 (23) in a rematch of their September 2007 bout where Norwood was disqualified for low blows. This bout Norwood fared no better as he was put on the canvas in the third and then stopped cold in the seventh. This will be the second loss in a row for the former WBA Featherweight Champion.

Also on the undercard former cruiserweight title holder Arthur Williams 44-15-1 scored a six round unanimous decision over Clarence Moore 5-3-1.