Here comes the first in a series of obligatory year-end articles.  A few thoughts on these pound-for-pound rankings: (1) even though I might think a guy has the potential to be very good, he still has to earn his way up the list (2) there might be someone missing from my list, please leave a comment if you think I’ve missed the boat, and  (3) I respect every man on this list, so there’s no dishonor in being ranked lower than someone else.

1. Jason Litzau (26-2 with 21 kayos) – No one else could have ended up in this slot this year.  Litzau went 3-0 in 2009 and made himself a factor in both the 130-pound and 135-pound weight classes.  Something big is guaranteed to happen for Jason Litzau in 2010 – either a marquee appearance on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights or a title shot on premium cable.
2. Andy Kolle (19-2 with 14 kayos) – Kolle could only have had a better 2009 if he had fought more.  Kolle won both of his fights this year, and one of them was for the Minnesota championship in the state’s most prestigious and accomplished division (middleweight).  The news out of Duluth is that Kolle and Chuck Horton are searching high and low for a suitable opponent for a soon fight.
3. Wilton Hilario (12-0-1 with 9 kayos) - Here’s a guy whose career was stalled due to injury for a year between 2007 and 2008, who has come back to make a major statement on the local scene in 2009.  Hilario’s record in 2009 was 3-0 with the first two wins coming by TKO.  The first win was merely work, but the second was a nice career boost at the expense of Allen Litzau.  The third and most important win was against 18-3 veteran Leon Bobo, in which Hilario showed that he can also do it the ugly way.
4. Matt Vanda (42-9 with 22 kayos) - Skelator began his year with a February loss to John Duddy in which he was thoroughly dominated until the tenth and final round, when he landed big and had Duddy hurt, but couldn’t seal the deal.  Vanda won his last three fights of 2009, thought the first - the decision win against Pudwill –  seems to have been controversial in some quarters.  The win against Teddy Muller made an important statement – Vanda showed that he could outpunch a legitimate super middleweight.  Vanda’s defeat of Phil Williams was his highlight of the year.  With his herky-jerky dancing, taunting, and trash-talking during the fight, Vanda showed the kind of energy and bravado that were once his trademark, but which have gone largely missing in the last couple of years.
5. Phil Williams (11-2 with 10 kayos) - This was an up-and-down year for the barber from north Minneapolis.  Down: his unanimous decision win against mediocre Isaiah Henderson wasn’t a knockout.  Up: A TKO of former contender Antwun Echols resulted in an enthusiastic endorsement from Echols, and Williams’ stock was rising fast.  Down again: the loss to Vanda was puzzling because Williams is a much bigger puncher and a much more imposing figure, but it was Vanda who took the initiative and stuck it to Williams for the first six rounds.  Williams had his moments in the last few rounds, but a few big bombs aren’t enough against a tough and determined foe like Vanda.  Williams says he’s learned that lesson.
6. Caleb Truax (14-0 with 9 kayos) - The gregarious young man from Osseo with a college degree and a million-dollar smile did nothing but rise in 2009.  Truax won five out of five this year, with three wins coming by KO or TKO.  More importantly, Truax began to step up to tougher opponents this year; his last three fights came against men with records of 11-2, 25-6, and 12-2.  Why is Truax not ranked higher?  Because his last two opponents really stretched him.  But keep an eye on this one: a fight with Andy Kolle seems almost inevitable.
7. Joey Abell (25-4 with 24 kayos) - Maybe you raised your eyebrows when you saw Abell ranked in this slot, but his career record of 25-4 with 24 kayos is only half of the story.  If you weren’t at Target Center on December 4th you didn’t see that Abell was one combination away from taking a knockout win in his state championship match with Raphael Butler.  That fight ended, unfortunately, with Abell getting his knockout but not the win; the knockout came on a punch after the bell.  It makes you wonder what could happen for this big heavyweight if he could just have one good night where nothing goes wrong.
8. Dave Peterson (12-0 with 7 kayos) - Sometimes he looks like a great talent, sometimes he doesn’t.  Dave Peterson returned from a long layoff to go 3-0 in 2009, but his results were something of a mixed bag.  His win against Joshua Rodriguez was expected and his narrow victory against Cory Rodriguez looked like a big one at the time, but his TKO win against Silas Ortley should raise some questions.  Peterson was bigger and stronger, but he didn’t look tremendously fit and he got hit much more frequently than a 12-0 prospect should.  Maybe it was an unfavorable matchup, or maybe he had some bad milk before the fight.  I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
9. Mohammed Kayongo (15-2 with 11 kayos) - Kayongo, aka the African Assassin, had only one fight this year, but it was an important one for his nearly comatose prizefighting career (Kayongo had fought only twice in the preceding three years).  Kayongo was favorably matched with an inexperienced 2-1-1 brawler, improbably for an alphabet title.  Kayongo was the faster and harder-hitting man in that fight, and his reward was a 3rd-round TKO win and the WBF Intercontinental welterweight title.  What a way to get your name back in the mix!
10. Cory Rodriguez (4-0 with 3 kayos) - Here’s another fighter who had only one fight this year, but it was the close loss to Peterson.  Rodriguez is a guy who could be in a lot better place if he fought more frequently.  Promoters like to cast him as a money-grubbing prima donna, but this writer likes C-Rod personally and hopes that his 2010 is much better than his 2009.
11. Antwan Robertson (5-1-1 with 3 kayos) - Robertson and his rival, Brad Patraw, could almost be tied in this spot.  After all, they split two fights in 2009.  But there are two reasons why Robertson is ranked above Patraw: first, he knocked Patraw down twice in his win, while Patraw never managed a knockdown of Robertson in his win.  Secondly, Robertson’s win against Patraw was the rematch.  A third bout between the two seems like a sure thing in 2010, but sure things don’t come to pass nearly as often as we expect.
12. Brad Patraw (6-1 with 4 kayos) - In contrast to his absolute confidence before and during his March win against Robertson, Patraw seemed confused and unsure of himself in the October loss.  Hopefully Patraw returns to form in the new year.  His next bout is penciled in for January.
13. Willshaun Boxley (5-3 with 3 kayos) - The difference between Boxley and the two men ranked just above him?  Boxley has been taking the toughest out-of-town fights he can get and losing.  One big win on the road would see Boxley leap over not only Robertson and Patraw, but a bunch of other names on this list as well.
14. Gary Eyer (7-0-1 with 5 kayos) - Eyer is one of those guys who are just fun and exciting to watch.  After his big slugging match with Levi Cortes at Target Center in December, Eyer isn’t a well-kept secret anymore.  The lightweight from Duluth might be much more desirable to promoters now, but the retirement of Jungle Boy Walters could instead result in his being more carefully matched.
15. Raphael Butler (35-8 with 28 kayos) - It seems obvious that Butler was in serious danger of a legal knockout before Joey Abell flattened him after the bell in their December title match.  The no-contest spared Butler the loss on his record, but at what price?  The NC result was the result of a brutal after-the-bell knockout that resulted in some short-term memory loss.  That’s serious stuff.
16. Scott Ball (10-6 with 8 kayos) - Ball returned to the prizefighting ring after a twenty-two month layoff with an impressive first-round stoppage against journeyman Mike Davis.  Tall, slim, and young, Ball has a reputation as a good technical boxer with decent power.
17. Cerresso Fort (9-0 with 8 kayos) - Hopefully Mr. Fort can continue to step up in terms of quality of opponent while duplicating his 5-0 record in 2009.  On the other hand, fans of Minnesota boxing would not like to see Fort fight the same way against Phil Williams or Caleb Truax that he did against Lamar Harris; a display of wild and undisciplined slugging not befitting an undefeated prospect.  Fort got the win in that one, but that kind of performance won’t do the job against Minnesota’s better middleweights.
18. Javontae Starks (2-0 with 2 kayos) - Starks is only 2-0, but they were two great knockout wins.  This youngster is the kind of prospect that the state of Minnesota doesn’t produce very often.  The tall and slender Starks is unnaturally strong and fast.  Watch for improvement in his fundamentals – that will be a sign of how hard this ambitious and optimistic young man is working in the gym.
19. Jeremy McLaurin (6-0 with 4 kayos) - He has yet to lose, he recently signed a promotional deal with MSC, and he is a strong and accurate puncher.  It’s unclear what McLaurin’s ceiling is, but it seems clear that he hasn’t reached it yet.
20. Levi Cortes (3-1 with 2 kayos) - I’ll admit to not knowing anything about Cortes prior to his fight with Gary Eyer in December.  Now I’m a fan.  Cortes has a wicked right hand and looks very strong.  Other than that, I can’t tell you much.  He doesn’t seem to have much of a plan in the ring and he tired rapidly against Eyer, but that could have been the result of Eyer’s tremendous counters rather than any cardio deficiency on Cortes’s part.

Missed the cut:

Michael Faulk – keep winning in 2010 and you’ll make next year’s list, Mike.

Yevgeniy Shishporenok (Boris the Russian Giant) – One good win away from taking the 20th spot, Shishporenok has compiled a pretty good record against pretty bad opposition.

Antonio Johnson – Just one fight in 2009, no wins since 2007…I want to include Johnson on this list but it’s hard to justify it.  One win against anyone  in 2009 would have done the job.

Allen Litzau – not a bad fighter, but no big wins in several years.  I’m hoping to see Allen fight and win several times in 2010.

Have you ever listened to a choir made up of all soloists?

A choir of well-integrated voices can sound great even if none of the members are fabulous singers, because their cooperation conceals their individul flaws.  You don’t notice an individual performer’s vocal wobble, flatness, or pause for breath, because the vocalists on either side of him make up for his or her lapse.  A well-conducted choir makes the most of these advantages, even planning ahead for them.

A choir of soloists, by contrast, doesn’t sound as good as it ought to.  Each member may sound okay on their own, but put them all together and you get dischord – each is trying to be heard above the others, and each ends up yelling or squawking or quacking when they should be crooning.

The fact is that there are very few great soloists out there, who are truly worthy of performing alone.

I think there’s something that our local promoters and fighters can learn from a choir director.  There are relatively few headline-worthy fighters, and few promoters with the financial wherewithal to put on high-value shows on a consistent basis.  To make good matchups, opponents often have to be brought in from out of town or out of state at considerable cost.  Boxers who are being built up get a reputation for being overly protected, because they haven’t fought all the other available local fighters in their weight class.

Instead of all trying to do their own thing, put on their own shows, and only match their fighters in guaranteed wins, it would be good for the fans to see some harmony between Upper Midwest promotions.  The good news is that a number of local promoters nd managers have shown a willingness to work together this year.  The results were mixed, but the effort was there.

The Fistic Mystic says:  Yes, I know I’m being a pollyanna, but someone’s got to play the fool.

The USA Boxing team has one remaining participant in the World Cup of Petroleum Countries in Russia.

Louie Byrd, a flyweight from Denver, defeated Alexander Ryshkin of Moldova by a score of 8-2 to advance to the finals against Jeremy Veccu of France.

Seven of the other eight American fighters were eliminated in the first two rounds, including light heavyweight Robert Brant of White Bear Lake boxing club, who lost in the first round to Latvian Nikolaj Grishunun (6-1).

Learn more about this tournament as it happens at the USA Boxing news site.

Fernando Guerrero (now 17-0 with 14 kayos) defeats Jessie Nicklow (now 19-2-2 with 7 kayos) by TKO in round 4 of 10 scheduled.

Shawn Porter (now 12-0 with 10 kayos) defeats Jamar Patterson (now 8-1 with 4 kayos) by TKO in round 4 of 8 scheduled.

Lanard Lane (now 10-0 with 7 kayos) defeats Said El Harrak (now 8-1 with 3 kayos) by TKO in round 2 of 8 scheduled.

Cerresso Fort (now 9-0 with 8 kayos) defeats Mike Davis (now 4-7 with 4 kayos) by KO in round 2 of 6 scheduled

Javontae Starks (now 2-0 with 2 kayos) defeats Andrew Kato (now 0-1) by TKO in round 1 of 4 scheduled

Jeremy McLaurin (now 6-0 with 4 kayos) defeats Johnny Hayes (now 3-1 with 1 kayo) by decisin after 4 rounds

Derek Winston (now 2-0 with no kayos) defeats Taide Torres (now 0-2) by decision after 4 rounds

Gary Russell Jr (now 5-0 with 2 kayos) defeats Rodrigo Romero (now 1-2) by TKO in round 3 of 4 scheduled

Kelvin Price (now 5-0 with 4 kayos) defeats Julius Long (now 15-12 with 13 kayos) by TKO in round 2 of 6 scheduled

Robert Brant

The USA Boxing national team posted a 1-2 record on the first day of competition in the World Cup of Petroleum Countries tournament in Khanty-Mansisysk, Russia.

Middleweight Terrell Gausha took a 10-8 win from Murat Karalbayevon of Kazakhstan, while welterweight Errol Spence and heavyweight Jordan Shimmell both lost.

Robert Brant of Oakdale, filling the light heavyweight slot for Team USA, will make his debut against Nikolaj Grishunin of Latvia on Friday December 18th, the second day of competition.

Visit the USA Boxing website’s news page for daily updates from Russia.

What to watch for:  Jessie Nicklow tries to get his groove back after tallying a loss and a draw in his last two fights – to do it he’s got to beat hot prospect Fernando Guerrero.  For Guerrero’s part, a win against Nicklow would be the biggest of his career so far.  Philadelphia fighter Lanard Lane meets up with soft-tossing Morroccan Said El Harrak.  Jamar Patterson, who bailed on a match with Mohammed Kayongo back in July, gets another Minnesota chance against slugging Ohioan Shawn Porter.  Cerresso Fort has a date with another tough brawler – this time it’s Mike Davis of Minot, North Dakota.  Davis, a former welterweight, hasn’t been seen in the ring since his brutal KO of Jesse Barbot at Shooting Star Casino in October.  Javontae Starks, the next big thing in Minnesota boxing, looks to build himself up some more against tough Mike Culbert of Wisconsin.  Derek Winston gets a second chance to make a good first impression against winless Taide Torres of Milwaukee.  Winston’s pro debut was much anticipated, but he was unable to put away David Laque in his pro debut, thanks in part to an injured right hand.  Jeremy McLaurin faces undefeated Texan Darryl Hayes in his first match since signing a promotional deal with Midwest Sports Council.

• Fernando Guerrero (16-0 with 13 kayos) -vs- Jessie Nicklow (19-1-2 with 7 kayos), middleweights, scheduled for 10 rounds
• Said El Harrak (8-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Lanard Lane (9-0 with 6 kayos), welterweights, scheduled for 8 rounds
• Shawn Porter (11-0 with 9 kayos) -vs- Jamar Patterson (8-0 with 4 kayos), light middleweights, scheduled for 8 rounds
• Cerresso Fort (8-0 with 7 kayos) -vs- Michael Davis (4-6 with 4 kayos), middleweights, scheduled for 6 rounds
• Javontae Starks (1-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- Mike Culbert (1-0 with 1 kayo), light middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds
• Derek Winston (1-0 with no kayos) -vs- Taide Torres (0-1), featherweights, scheduled for 4 rounds
• Jeremy McLaurin (5-0 with 4 kayos) -vs- Darryl Hayes (3-0 with 1 kayo), lightweights, scheduled for 4 rounds
• Brad Patraw (6-1 with 4 kayos) -vs- TBA, bantamweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

It’s a known fact: bloggers are empty-headed know-it-alls.  It’s the empty-headedness that gives us such liberty to say anything.

Now consider these possibilities:

Jason Litzau -vs- Tyrone Harris – Litzau’s prospects are actually a little tough to sort out.  Harris is a nice match on paper, though – he has a good record and his worldwide standing is pretty close to Litzau’s.  But Harris is a couple inches shorter than Litzau and has less power, he’s been kayoed twice in his five losses, and he’s almost local (Michigan).  Litzau needs a good step-up fight, and this could be it.  Fly in the ointment: Harris is already penciled in against South Korea’s Ji Hoon Kim for February 12th.  Hopefully the promoter has Litzau’s number handy in case Kim falls out.

Andy Kolle -vs- Ronald Hearns – Two years ago I wanted Kolle to fight Gee Cullmer of Philadelphia, and that would still be a nice one to pad his record, but Cullmer hasn’t progressed as Kolle has.  Then I was agitating for a Kolle match with Harry Joe Yorgey, but Yorgey was demolished by Alfredo Angulo in early November, and there’s speculation out of Philly that the 32-year old Yorgey may choose to retire.  This leaves Hearns.  Hearns is 23-1 but doesn’t have nearly the resume that Kolle does, and didn’t look good in a loss to Yorgey earlier this year.  Bonuses #1 and #2: Hearns is an orthodox fighter and has a suspect chin.

Phil Williams -vs- Matt Vanda II – This one has already generated some talk, so why not?  Williams has told everyone who would listen that he could have gone another ten rounds in the first fight, and that if he had it to do over he would have unloaded on Vanda in the early rounds instead of waiting till late.  Vanda isn’t known for backing down from a challenge, but he may feel that there’s little reason to do it again.  Just the same, fight fans would like to see it, and that’s usually reason enough!

Willshaun Boxley -vs- Allen Litzau – Two confident fighters who must be disappointed with their recent results and who have already established the beginnings of a rivalry.  It’s ready-made!  This one seriously must be on some promoter’s to-do list, and I think  know whose!

Gary Eyer -vs- Jeremy McLaurin – Eyer (7-0-1 with 5 kayos) put himself on the statewide map by winning his thrilling battle with Levi Cortes on December 4th.  At the same time, he showed that he can get down to lightweight territory, weighing in at 133.5 for the Cortes fight.  McLaurin (5-0 with 4 kayos) just cut his ties with Seconds Out Promotions and seems to be looking for challenging fights to move him up the ladder.  This fight has the potential to be a real crowd-pleaser, and the two fighters’ undefeated records would look nice on a fight card.  Alternate plan: McLaurin -vs- Levi Cortes.

Javontae Starks -vs- Patrick Cape – The conventional wisdom says that this isn’t as much a matchup as it is a measuring stick.  Starks was understudy to Demetrius Andrade on the USA Boxing team.  Andrade made his professional debut against Cape a little over a year ago, winning by TKO in round 2.  It would be interesting to see how Starks performs against Cape, wouldn’t it?

The Fistic Mystic says: Before we ride off into the sunset, let’s review my proposals from last time (March 31, 2008) and see what actually transpired:

Anthony Bonsante -vs- John Duddy II - didn’t happen, and never will, because Bonsante is retired, and hopefully that’s a permanent state of affairs.  Duddy is less of a prize than he was back then anyway, since Billy Lyell deflowered him.  (Billy Lyell!)

Boxley -vs- Wilton Hilario – boy, this one is a long way off now.  Boxley is still a tough and talented fighter, but he’s lost three in a row.  Hilario is back on track and riding high, following his UD win against then 18-3 Leon Bobo in November.

Raphael Butler -vs- Eddie Chambers - this one happened, and frankly it wasn’t pretty.   Chambers, not a heavy-handed slugger by any stretch, TKO’d Butler in the sixth.  Chambers has gone on to win four subsequent bouts and is scheduled to face the younger Klitschko (Wlad) on my birthday (March 20th) in Germany.  Butler, by contrast, has gone 3-3 with a no-decision since, though he is on the record saying that two of the losses (a split decision and a majority decision to Homero Fonseca of Houston, in Houston) were gamey.

Jason Litzau -vs- Cristobal Cruz - this one hasn’t happen, and likely never will.  Cruz is the IBF world champ at 126#, and Litzau appears to have found a home at 130#.

Matt Vanda -vs- Sebastian Demers - This is another one that happened, and went poorly for the Minnesota guy.  Few Minnesotans saw it, but it was reported to have been an entertaining battle.  Vanda lost a landslide decision (shut out on all three cards) and has gone 5-3 since, but has continued to spring surprises on boxing fans (a close loss to Julio Cesar Chavez in 2008, a close win against Tocker Pudwill in 2009, the surprising win against Phil Williams at 165# in 2009) while Demers has gone 6-1 since.

Zach Walters -vs- Hugo Pineda II - Here’s another that will never happen.  This looked like a good revenge fight a year and a half ago, but that was before Walters lost three out of four starting with Shawn Hammack in August 2008.  Walters retired following his latest loss, and it’s for the better.  It’s good for a Minnesota kid to get out while the getting is good.

Want to talk it over?  Go to the Minnesota Boxing Forum for for discussion!

Well-regarded lightweight prospect Jeremy McLaurin will announce today that he’s parting ways with Seconds Out Promotions and going forward will be managed by Andrew Studer and promoted by Midwest Sports Council (MSC).

A source tipped off the Fistic Mystic last night, and two more sources with ties to McLaurin confirmed the signing today.

McLaurin wasn’t immediately available to comment.

Seconds Out founder Tony Grygelko had this to say: “We wish him nothing but the best with his future and would love to be able to have him on our next event January 23rd at the Armory against Ismail Muwendo or Willshaun Boxley.”

McLaurin, 5-0 with 4 kayos, is expected to face 3-0 Darryl Hayes of Houston at Grand Casino Hinckley on December 18th.

UPDATE:  McLaurin released his announcement only moments ago.  See it published in full at mnboxingleague.com.

After talking to Joey Abell a couple of days ago and publishing a short article based on his comments, it seemed appropriate for me to give some virtual ink to Raphael Butler, as well

I spoke with The Silencer tonight about his feelings about the publicity that his December 4th fight with Joey Abell has brought, what he remembers (and doesn’t remember) about that night, and the possibility of a rematch.

Given a free rein to talk about whatever he wanted, Butler chose to lead with his feelings about his friend, Joey Abell.  “Well, reading some of the articles on the internet, it just doesn’t seem like Joey’s being honest about his side of the story.  And it’s also kind annoying me that he doesn’t seem to show any remorse for what happened.  I do feel like Joey heard the bell. I don’t think that Bobby Brunette heard the bell.  But Joey was trying to touch gloves when Bobby told us to fight, and I turned back to go to my corner – that’s when he hit me.”

“I do remember hearing the bell.  I do remember thinking that I was going to get a minute to clear my head.  The first knockdown was a good knockdown and I even remember thinking that maybe this was a good thing because now Joey would stand and fight instead of running.”

“The first knockdown was a legal knockdown,” Butler reinterated.  “He did knock me down fairly that time.  Then the bell rang, and there was a flash and I woke up in the locker room.  I don’t remember that I got up and walked around and that we hugged and I talked to the crowd.  The only thing I remember is waking up in the locker room and the doctor asking me a lot of questions.  Anything that happened after that bell I don’t remember.”

I asked Butler whether he was concerned about long-term damage from the trauma of the punch or the fall, and whether he had gone in for an examination after the fight.  “I don’t have any ill effects from the fight, I don’t have any headaches or anything.  I have some loss of memory, just that ten minute period. But other than that I feel perfectly fine.”

Despite his impression that Abell hasn’t shown adequate public contrition, Butler asked me to mention that Abell had sent him a text message “to tell me that he was sorry and trying to reassure me that he didn’t hear the bell.  He also promised me that he would take a rematch to settle the score.”  I asked Butler whether he would take that fight.  “I’m definitely interested in a rematch.  Minnesota wanted us to be rivals, now they’ve got it.”

Mea Culpa

Some local boxing fans have objected to my use of the expression “meal ticket” in a conversation with Star Tribune writer Abby Simons, a conversation that ended up serving as the basis for an article that she wrote.  The objectionable term came up when I tried to explain why Dan O’Connor was irate at the ending of the Butler-Abell fight – Simons quoted me thusly: “He had just watched his friend and meal ticket get knocked out cold, and that can only happen so many times in a career.” [italics added]  Some people feel that there’s something sinister or dishonorable about the idea of a manager profiting from the work of his fighter.  It’s also been explained to me at length by several people that neither O’Connor nor Butler’s other manager, Steve Munisteri, have ever taken any money from any of Butler’s purses.  As Butler himself explained, “Neither Dan nor Steve have taken any money from my purses, and Steve is paying my way through school now.  They would actually save money if they didn’t help me out.”

While not conceding that the phrase itself should be offensive, or that there would be anything inappropriate about a conventional relationship between fighter and manager(s), I do apologize to those who are offended and I would retract that word if it were possible.  I would hate for my choice of words to call into question the honor of Dan O’Connor.  Unfortunately don’t have the power to retract that word, nor did I realize when I spoke it that it would be published.

This article began with a simple purpose: several people pointed out to me that it was Dan O’Connor who Joey Abell was protecting during the group tussle in the ring on Friday night, and not Ron Lyke.  It seemed proper to get a clarification, so I called Abell to see what he had to say.  Abell was as gracious and friendly as usual, and answered a few more questions at the same time.

Fistic Mystic:  Some people have told me that my initial report was wrong, and one of them in particular thought it was very important for me to clear this up!  Who was it that was underneath you, who you were protecting?

Joey Abell:  Yeah, that was  Dan O’Connor.  I was just trying to keep people off of him, so he wouldn’t get hurt.

FM:  Keep him from getting squished?

JA:  Yeah, that’s right.

FM:  Okay.  Now having fought Raphael once, for a round anyway, would you fight him again?

JA:  I would fight him again, any time.  Especially after that, that one round.

FM:  He did hit you with at least one good shot.  Did it bother you?  It looked like you shrugged it off…

JA:  I didn’t really even  notice it or acknowledge it.  Some people did tell me afterwards that I’d been hit pretty hard, but I don’t know.

FM:  The fight was originally called a disqualification before it was changed to a no-contest.  How did you feel about…

JA:  I felt the same way – it happened to me once before, in South Dakota, when I hit a guy who had one knee down…

FM:  I was at that fight

JA:  Yeah, and this was kind of the same thing.  It probably looked bad to half of the people who saw it.  But to the people who had my view it was legitimate.  This was the same.  Half of the people didn’t hear the bell.

FM:  Did you get paid?  Was there any talk of withholding any of your purse money?

JA:  I don’t know, I left early and I don’t exactly know.  But I know that there was some kind of issue going on there.  There was talk, but I’m not sure whether it had anything to do with the result of the fight.

FM:  I’ve heard that some people are saying you weren’t fully in the neutral corner following the knockdown.  Were you?

JA:  You know, when you knock someone down you’re pretty eager to go again.  I didn’t want to lose that advantage or that opportunity…but I got yelled at, so I took a step backwards, farther back than I would have been.  Yeah, I was in the neutral corner.

FM:  How soon would you fight again?

JA:  Today!

FM:  Do you have any plans?

JA:  Ah, no, I haven’t had my meeting yet.  We usually have a meeting after each fight to see what’s on the agenda.

The Fistic Mystic says:  I was wrong!  When Joey Abell arched his body over a gray-haired man in a satin jacket, that was Dan O’Connor, not the similarly attired Ron Lyke.