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By: David Moya 
The fight, which was appropriately named Summer Storm last August 2001, is making its way back with a vengeance. Paulie Ayala -vs- Clarence "Bones" Adams will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino this coming Saturday, the 23rd. This time around, the fight is properly billed "Night of the Big Rematches." I don't think Paulie Ayala knew what he was in for when stepped into the ring with Clarence "Bones" Adams last August, but you can believe that he does now. The fight, which took place in the latter portion of the 2001 year didn't receive as much credit as it should have and that was partially do to the way it ended. Adams thought he clearly won the fight, and many people had it that way on their scorecards. Punchstat numbers proved to be to Adams' credit, and many members of the media, including myself, had it going Adams' way. However, don't take that into any opinion you may conceive about the war, because it could have clearly gone either way. The crew of judges for the last bout were highly qualified professionals who you have to trust with the conclusion of the fight. Dave Moretti scored the bout 113-114 (Ayala), Duane Ford scored the bout 114-113 (Adams), while Jerry Roth scored the bout 112-115 (Ayala). The first two scores seemed more accurate, but as you can see, it turned out to be a very controversial split decision.
Ayala (33-1, 12 KOs), 31, has been fighting for over 9 years, and has been in the ring with heavy hitters, including his epic battle with Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia of New Mexico. Ayala arrived into Las Vegas yesterday, hoping to finish his training camp at promoter Top Rank's local gym. Ayala will be training daily from 12 noon to 2 p.m., and is welcoming the media to all of his training sessions. On the flipside, Adams, 27, has been fighting for over 11 years professional, since he was 15 years old. Adams will arrive today, and is set to begin finishing up his training camp at Top Rank gym on an opposite schedule of Ayala. Adams' training schedule will run from 6 to 8 pm, and will be open partially to the media. Adams knows what is like to be in the ring with hard opposition, due to the fact that he has fought 4 world champions, including Ayala. Don't let Adams' 41-4-3 (19) record fool you. Adams and Ayala do share a common opponent, and it was a battle that both of them overcame. Both fighters fought Ivan Alvarez, and both of them beat him substantially over 12 rounds. Dumbfounded over his defeat on the scorecards, Adams said, "I landed cleaner shots, I was the aggressor." Ayala confirmed his victory, saying, "I know I did enough to win. My plan was to get him out of his counter-punching and I did it." The decision could have easily been given to either fighter, but the last straw may have been given to Ayala due to the fact that he had Adams nearly down during the 2nd round of the fight. Although Adams never went down, all three judges scored the round 10-8 in favor of Ayala. That was possibly the most distinctive part of the fight, aside from the cut that Adams suffered over his right eye. As you can see, these fighters are not only fighting for pride, but one of them is fighting for revenge. It will be up to Adams to make the fight exciting, but knowing Ayala, you won't want to get up from your seat. They stood toe-to-toe the first time, so you can believe that if it non-stop action the first time around, you can bet on a thriller this forthcoming time. Also featured on the fight card, Rafael Marquez, (26-3, 24 KOs) of Mexico City, will take on Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, (40-2, 27 KOs) of Washington, D.C., for the vacant USBA Bantamweight title. These two boxers also fought to a controversial ending in their first bout on October 6th, 2001, in Corpus Christi, TX. Johnson had his hands raised in victory after 12 rounds. He left the arena convinced he had been awarded the victory. Two hours later, Texas ringside officials informed him there was a computer glitch, and the scorecards were not added properly on a laptop computer. Marquez was then declared the winner, setting up this exciting revenge fight for Johnson. The fight card, which will be promoted by Bob Arum's Top Rank Inc., is set for the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Saturday, February 23rd. The first bell is set for 7:00 p.m. local time in Las Vegas. Tickets for the event are priced at $200, $100, $50, & $25. Tickets are available at the Mandalay Bay Box Office, and all TicketMaster locations. To order tickets by phone, call (702) 632-7580, or toll free (877) 632-7400. HBO Boxing After Dark will televise the "Night of the Big Rematches." By: David Moya Email:Dave@DiamondGloves.com • Privacy Policy • Copyright • Contact • Webmaster • Advertise • ©2001 Diamond Gloves Boxing. All Rights Reserved www.DiamondGloves.com™ |
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