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Noonit three points clear to win Thai-Ger Line title
by Mike Franklin
Noonit Tawapee returned an impressive forty-four
Stableford points to win the 4th Anniversary Thai-Ger Line Tournament at
Khao Kheow.
Playing the A & B Championship courses on a mainly
overcast day, the wind played its usual part on this challenging Pete Dye
course. Ninety-six players took part including ten lady golfers. Sunissa
from Thai-Ger Line claimed the runner-up spot with forty points, with
Amphiew Rimgnam scoring forty-one to win the Ladies division.
 Noonit
Tawapee (left) returned an impressive forty-four Stableford points to win
the 4th Anniversary Thai-Ger Line Tournament at Khao Kheow, hosted by Fabian
Arp (right).
The men played off the yellow tees in three divisions. In
Division III David Johnson with just 31 points was runner-up, and Bryn Jones
the clear flight winner with forty points.
Richard Diet won Division II with forty points, and John
King with thirty-eight points beat Helmut Dicknoter on count back for second
place.
In Division I, Gary Blackburn with thirty-four points and
Klaus Schackt thirty-three points were runners-up, Peter Eliason winning the
flight with thirty-seven points.
Magnus Johansson won the low gross trophy with an 82,
just beating Gary Blackburn’s 82 by one shot on count back.
Guenther
Beckermann, Volkmar Winzenborg, Anton Wagner and Rudi Bossard ready to tee
off for a fun day of golf.
The technical holes turned out to be more technical than
usual due to a mis-interpretation of Fabian’s explicit instructions by the
starter. Confusion reigned for the early players but a good assortment of
technical prizes were claimed. On A.3 near pins were claimed by Richard
Spielvogel and Adam Petersen in Divisions I & II and Im Woodruffe did
not surprise anybody by being nearest the pin for the ladies. On A.5 Bob
Lindborg and Christoph Balzi claimed for the men and Toy Ryser for the
ladies. B.3 near pins went to Ossi Viljainen, Gerd Schultze and Martin
Hanfelt - no lady made it on that one.
However on B.8, the Pete Dye Signature Hole, John Hanley,
Paul Philips and B. Jones were closest for the men, but Amphiew for the
ladies had the shot of the day just missing a hole-in one.
The long putt on A.9 was sunk by Len Jones and the long
drives (with confused marker pins) were made by Moe Deverdenne Division I,
Alex Allen Division II, no claim Division III, and two awards for the ladies
to Saranja Riley and Ning Fletcher.
The technical prizes were 4-liter cans of beer and
bottles of wine, beer being the preferred prize by the lady winners.
Beautiful
Khao Kheow Country Club provided stunning vistas for the 4th Anniversary
Thai-Ger Line Tournament.
A pretty lengthy party ensued at the Thai Garden Resort,
Moon River Pub, and the extensive and excellent international buffet being
slightly marred by the early evening torrential rain. Mike Franklin emceed
the proceedings and Fabian presented the prizes. A special welcome was
extended to Fabian’s German and other friends from Bangkok who do not
normally play in the local tournaments. The players did not get a shirt this
time, but did have free beer and wine all evening and it was soon obvious
that it does not take long to drink the value of a shirt away.
The lucky draw was lucky for many who had not featured on
the winner’s list, with prizes including vouchers for golf services at
Fabian’s Thai-Ger Line shop in Soi Chaiyapoom.
It was a good day and a very Arp’t 4th Anniversary Celebration!
Shakey Pete’s takes over first place from Winchester Club
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
Captain La guided her Shakey Pete’s team to a
four-point sweep of Nice & Sleazy to take sole possession of first
place after week 17 of the PSC Friday Bowling league. La had a 203 game
and 530 series and Tukata rolled her best series of the year with a 534
pin count and a 681 with handicap.
Best
games of the day were bowled by Kran 204 & 206, La 204, Gert 210,
Jim 213 and Lenz 203.
VFW Post 9876 moved into second place after taking
all four points from Cafe Kronborg. Captain Jim had a 213 second game
and helped to overcome good bowling by Cafe Kronborg’s Captain Kran
who had games of 206, 204 and 161 for a 571 series.
Winchester Club slid into third place after splitting
their series with Three Sisters. Mai was best for the Winchester Club
with a 501 series and Three Sisters was led by Lenz who rolled a 203
game, 540 series and Gert knocked down 210 pins in the first game.
House of the Golden Coin, bowling without their Captain Mio, managed
to split their match with Cafe Ole and neither team managed to change
positions in the league. Nual had a 505 series for the House of the
Golden Coin.
Final results in - Pattaya Marathon raises a million baht
The Pattaya International Marathon 2002 this year set a
record by not only attracting more competitors but also collecting an
astonishing 1 million baht from registration.
The committee, headed by Pol. Col. Siroj Piansakul,
chairman of the competition board, said they hope to raise even more at next
year’s event.
 Pattaya
International Marathon 2002 set a record by collecting an astonishing 1
million baht from registration. However, Wattana Janttanawaranont, deputy
mayor of Pattaya City admitted that there is still room for improvement.
However, Wattana Janttanawaranont, deputy mayor of
Pattaya City admitted that there are still a few areas where they could
strive for improvement. He said he received numerous complaints from race
participants about the lack of pleasant scenery along the racing trail.
The runners and those who turned out to watch the annual
event said there was a lot of junk and rotting garbage left on the city
streets that not only emitted a terrible stench but spoiled the beauty of
the city.
Another disappointment many expressed referred to the
delay of the trophy and prize presentations, which forced the guests and
prize givers to leave the scene early in order to attend other pressing
duties.
Wattana said next year these problems will be more effectively addressed
and the route for the Marathon 2003 will be better prepared. He said that
next year’s prize giving ceremony will precisely organized so that the
event will be enjoyable for all.
Mio’s team stretches their lead
Cafe Kronborg Monday Bowling League
After not reporting for the last two weeks, here are
the results from all the matches:
Mio’s team remains on top and has stretched their
lead after two wins and one loss, first losing to Bill’s team 1-3,
with strong bowling from Somrak who rolled a 212 game en route to a 528
series. Then came a 3-1 win against Kran’s team, this with Kran
bowling a 204 string and 549 series, Pin a 214 string and Porn a 514
series for Kran’s team.
This week Mio’s team again won 3-1 against Tue’s
team, with Mio rolling a 208 string and 546 series, and Otto’s 207 and
534, doing the damage.
(From
left) Kran, Otto, Somrak, Mio, Ooy and Suraphan all rolled 200 games.
Tue’s team remains in second place after one win
and two losses, first 1-3 against La’s team, then 4-0 against Bill’s
team. This week Tue lost 1-3 to Mio’s strong side as mentioned above.
Kran’s team has climbed into third place after two
wins and one loss; first beating Bill’s team 4-0, with Kran bowling
203 and 236, with a total of 628. Then came their 1-3 loss against
Mio’s team and this week’s 3-1 win over La’s side. Kran was again
in top form, bowling a 213 string and 600 series.
In the remaining matches, Jeed’s team has lost
ground after two losses, first 0-4 to Kran’s team, then 1-3 to La’s.
This week they came back with a good 3-1 win against a strong bowling
Bill’s side. Ooy rolled a 211 and Suraphan a 245 for Bill’s team.
Good to see good scoring, keep it up.
Volvo Women’s Open 2002 coming in November
The 14th Volvo Women’s Open, the only sanctioned Sanex
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament played in Thailand will be
held November 2-10 at the Dusit Resort Pattaya, which has hosted the event
for 13 consecutive years.
Each year, the tournament attracts a large number of
participants due to its excellent reputation and popularity with players on
the WTA Tour. More than 60 top-ranked female tennis players from over 20
countries will join the event, including Thailand No.1, Tamarine Tanasugarn,
who will also hold a Volvo Tennis Clinic to impart tennis skills and share
winning tips with children who would like to train with Thailand’s best
woman player.
Eddie has a night to remember after a day to remember
P.S.C. Golf from the Cafe Kronborg
Monday August 26
Rayong Green Valley Country Club (Stroke)
The pristine Green Valley layout was host for a stroke
play competition in two flights: A flight 0 to 19 and B flight 20 and over.
Papa
Ray presents the Kronborg Monthly Mug to winner Eddie Kristienson.
The course was as usual in superb condition but the
oppressive heat drained the strength of the competitors and the scores
reflected this. Aussie Jeff Wylie took the A flight with a net 78, his mate
Gene Rooney was second with a net 79 and Ebrahim was third with a net 80.
The oldest competitor in the field Arthur Bailey, Mr
Steady, took the B flight with the best score of the day, a net 72.
Norton-Hurley Whiter, the famous caddy from Sunningdale who has caddied for
such as Sam Snead, Garry Player, Sam Torrence, Darren Clark, etc, came
second with a net 76 and ‘tournament director’ Dave Richardson came
third with a net 78 beating Aussie ‘gentleman’ Barry Kerr on count back.
 Famous
caddy Norton-Hurley Whiter from Sunningdale, who has caddied for such as Sam
Snead, Garry Player, Sam Torrence, Darren Clark, etc, came second with a net
76.
Thursday August 29 Phoenix (Stroke)
The Monthly Mug
Every month the ‘hopeful’ make their pilgrimage to
Phoenix in order to go down in the annals of Kronborg history as a winner of
their most prestigious tournament, the ‘Kronborg Mug’.
Phoenix was in fine condition as 30+ golfers teed off on
the Lakes/Ocean nines in fine if very windy conditions to contest the mug.
It was noticeable that most of the tees were up, so despite the fact that
the greens were especially tricky it was expected that the mug would be won
by a low score.
 Steady
Arthur Bailey shot a net 72 to win the B flight at Green Valley.
The Mug is the only competition that is presented at the
Kronborg, and to the victor also goes the right of a free refill from all
his fellow competitors, filled with a smile by ‘Mine Host’ Bjarne and
his staff. So as the results come in those who are close watch with not only
baited breath but a raging thirst.
 Alan
Pearce
Expecting low scores I was not surprised to see a fine
net 67 by Richard Kubicki, but surely this would not hold on a day of
expected low scores! Well for a long time it did, the A flight were nearly
all in with a triple count back due, all on net 70 and the B flight was
still led by the net 67 of Richard on count back with only the last two
flights to come in.
The last but one group came in, and a superb net 64 from
Alan Pearce in what he described as probably the best round he had played
shot him into the lead; surely he couldn’t be beaten? Rumours started to
circulate that the last group were playing some good golf so I waited to
write up the results, and a good thing I did because ‘Fast Eddie’
Kristienson came in with the round of his life, as for the first time ever
he broke a hundred, gross 98,and a net 62.
 John
McHugh
Back at the Kronborg as the other shocked competitors
drowned their sorrow, Eddie had a night to remember after a day to remember.
Results: winner of the A flight in a three way count back
on net 70 John McHugh, second net 70 Wayne Koch, third net 70 Gene Rooney.
The winner of the B flight was Alan Pearce on a net 64,
most months a winning score for the Mug, second on count back with a net 67
was the long time leader Richard Kubicki and third also net 67, losing on
count back, should have been Joe St Laurent but as he couldn’t make it for
the presentation in time, John Swanson filled the spot.
Near pins: L2 Ken McCarthy, L7 John Swanson, O5 Ebrahim, and O7 Derek
Brook.
Lunacy at Laem Chabang
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Bunker
When they threw open the gates of the asylum, Mr. Loy
was first in line to escape. How else can one explain his decision to take
on the daunting 27-hole course at Laem Chabang, on the hottest day in the
humid season? Nevertheless, he managed to persuade thirty others of
similar temperament to follow him there on Tuesday, 27th August, for a
27-hole stroke play challenge.
For more than six hours the poor demented souls wilted
in the heat, toiled on the bone hard fairways and the monstrous undulating
greens, fretted in the huge expanses of sand and “tut-tutted” with
frustration as their ball found water. The first group drove off the
Mountain First at nine-fifteen and the last group crawled off the Valley
ninth after five in the afternoon.
Those remaining sane were the most successful, none
more than George Meigh in division one who broke par with a magic round of
net 107.4, beating long hitting John Hanley by two shots, with John King
firing 110.1 in third place.
In division two Saranya Chaiyanont used the ladies tees
to good advantage and her net 109.5 was too good for the “Sandman”
Gordon McKnight, and his 111.1 was a full four shots ahead of third-placed
David Johnson.
Of the 180 attempts at a “two” Ken Lill, Alex
Allan, Harry Riley and John Kendall were all successful and thus shared
the Bunker Super Sawng award.
At the other end of the field three people failed to
return their cards, whilst Beth Lill and Lamun Hanley contested for the
Bunker Banana Booby with the honour eventually going to poor Lamun for her
net 129.5.
Questions remain about the sanity of Mr. Loy and when
the results of his assessment are known bells will ring in the Bunker!
For more insanity visit http://www.thebunkerboys.com
The Quiet Australian goes low
IPGC TAGGS Golf from The Haven
Monday August 26 Century Ban Chan (Stableford)
1st: Phil Groves, 42 points
2nd: Arthur Hancock, 37
3rd: Peter Hall, 34
4th: Mo Bertrand, 33 cb9 19
5th: Pete Murray, 33 cb9 18
Phil Groves started a week to remember, when all the
hours spent on the practice range paid off, as he shot a gross 75 to amass
a fine total of 42 points over the Lake and Ocean courses at Phoenix, and
take the day’s honours by a street. With the course in great condition,
it was a surprise to see that of all the other contenders, only Arthur
Hancock could better his handicap and by so doing easily led home the rest
of the field.
The twos were shared between Jeff McLaury and Peter
Hall.
Prior to the prize giving Richard Livingston, the
resident PGA professional, welcomed new member Bill Areson, whilst
welcoming back Kerry Jonsson from Sweden, Jeff McLaury from the USA and
Zaki Nozaki from Japan, which made for a truly international field of
competitors on the day.
Wednesday August 28 Khao Kheow Stableford
1st: Pete Murray, 39 points, cb9 20
2nd: Richard Garland, 39 cb9 18
3rd: Phil Groves, 39 cb9 16
4th: Arthur Hancock, 37 cb9 20
5th: Oradee Kaesavane, 37 cb9 16
At last Pete Murray showed the kind of form that earned
him $57 when he was playing on the US PGA Tour back in the 1950’s. After
complaining that his handicap needed adjustment and being advised that
“We need to have a good look at a new player before we make any
reductions,” he picked up the ball and did his best to prove that a cut
was sorely needed.
But it needed a count back to separate him from Richard
Garland, his sparring partner from Costa Rica, and the in-form Phil Groves
with the latter firing another good round of gross 78. In the end it was
decided on the back nine with Richard and Phil who had scored a gross 36
on the front, fading through the last three holes.
Arthur Hancock and Bob Lindborg shared the twos.
Friday August 30 Phoenix (Bogey)
1st: Max Arlen, 7 up
2nd: Phil Groves, 6 up
3rd: Richard Lynn, 3 up cb9 3 up
4th: Jimmy Little, 3 up cb9 2 up
For the second time in two weeks Max Arlen shot seven
better than his handicap to just pip the second place player firing a six
under. This week it was the turn of the, by now running red hot, Phil
Groves who again recorded a gross 75 to finish the week just twelve over
in 54 holes, a feat that saw his handicap drop two shots, which is no mean
achievement as a low handicapper.
Max generously attributes his good form to his mentor
Richard, together with his new Lexus in which he whisks himself to the
course arriving fresh and raring to go, instead of choking to death on the
local baht buses.
Richard Lynn and Jimmee Little fought out the minor
placings with Richard just getting the better on the last hole to win the
count back and Jimmee knocking it out of bounds.
Surprisingly, there were no twos on the day and the pot
was carried forward to the next venue.
Back at The Haven, Richard welcomed back Dave Spendley
from England and said farewell to “Big Al” Rolnik who is returning to
the USA for a holiday.
McKnight, Brooks & Gibson best of the day in August Seniors Open
by Mike Franklin
The weather was good, the course was fair and forty-one
Stableford points proved to be the popular score at Pattaya Country Club in
the August Diana Seniors & Ladies Open.
With only one lady in the field, Banjob Franklin had no
problem in qualifying for the ladies prize. Gordon McKnight won the Seniors
on count back with 41 points against John Gibson’s 41, John only carding
17 points on the back nine against a creditable 24 points by Gordon.
Norman Brooks also scored 41 points in the Super Seniors
division with Dave Earthrowl runner-up with 38 points.
Dave also claimed the near pin on hole five, Chris John
scooped two on holes seven and twelve, and Andy Bettany was nearest on hole
sixteen.
Long putts were holed by Don Carter and Andy Anderson on
holes nine and eighteen respectively.
The September Seniors & ladies Open is on Thursday
the 26th at Pattaya Country Club. Sign-up at the Green Bottle or at the
Diana Driving Range.
Alex “The Bookie’s Son” Tregurtha is youngest winner, while Munn’s the word at Natural Park Resort
IPGC Golf From Lewiinskis - Orchid
Sunday August 25
Green Valley
Stableford
1st A Flight - George Jackson - 40 points
2nd A Flight - Klaus Schackt - 39 points
3rd A Flight - Peter Hall - 37 points
1st B Flight - John Kendall - 36 points
2nd B Flight - Oradee “An” Kaewsavane - 36 points
3rd B Flight - Colin Davis - 35 points
Near pins: No. 2 - Harry Riley; No. 9 - Alex
Tregurtha; No. 12 - Stan Fry; No. 16 - Klaus Schackt
George “One-Ball” Jackson swept A Flight and the
field at perfectly conditioned Green Valley with 40 points, edging Klaus
Schackt by one. Johnny Kendall, bidding adieu to Pattaya and his mates at
Lewiinki’s to return to Costa Rica, edged Klaus’ significant other,
An, on count back to take B Flight. The field welcomed back old friend
Steve Ross from Hua Hin for a few days, but the layoff from golf had taken
the edge off Steve’s game. 12 year-old Andrew Fry played his first
competition and the field took wary notice of the possibility that the
good chipping and putting of his dad, Stan, may have been genetically
passed on to another generation.
Tuesday August 27
Laem Chabang - A & B
Medal/Stroke
1st A Flight - Rick Sharp - 71 net
2nd A Flight - John Emmerson - 72 net
3rd A Flight - Barry Tregurtha - 73 net
1st B Flight - Alex Tregurtha - 70 net
2nd B Flight - Colin Davis - 71 net
3rd B Flight - Mark Grygeil - 74 net
Thunder was heard in the hills but conditions remained
excellent, and Rick Sharp took advantage of them to take A Flight with 71
net. But the story of the day was the B Flight victory by 16 year-old Alex
Tregurtha, son of Barry “the bookie” (who himself came third in A
Flight). Alex, who had previously shown brilliance on individual shots,
put it all together to be a surprise winner in stroke play. Given his
junior handicap of 33, most prognosticators thought if Alex did break
through it would be in the more forgiving Stableford format. Alex started
wobbly as he faced the intimidating tee shot on No. 1 on the Mountain side
(A course) and it took its toll as he ballooned to an eight. A lesser
competitor might have packed it in but Alex bore down and even threw in a
birdie on the par 3 No. 8 on the Lake Course. His best of the day net 70
made him the youngest winner in Lewiinskis-Orchid history. Congrats Alex!
Birthday boys John Emmerson and Colin Davis each came second, in A and B
Flight respectively.
Wednesday August 8
Bangpra
Stableford
1st Place A Flight - Rick Sharp - 38 points
2nd Place A Flight - Stan Fry - 37 points
1st Place B Flight - Colin Davis - 40 points
2nd Place B Flight - Jim Munns - 39 points
Rick Sharp made it two victories in A flight in two
days with 38 points, closely followed by Stan Fry’s 37. Colin Davis
cashed his third prize money check of the week. Giving greater
significance to Colin’s best of the day 40 points was the fact that he
was well wounded from the previous evening’s birthday celebration.
Bangpra, which many locals already revere as their
favorite layout, is making huge strides to improve the fairway grass, and
despite this significant work being undertaken, was in beautiful
condition. The monkeys were in fine form rifling through each buggy as the
occupants were off putting. They “kamoyed” everything of value,
including generous quantities of cookies and cigarettes.
Far and away the saddest story of the day found Steve
Donovan going unrewarded for his fine 39 points. It reflected the cruelest
of situations, that is, not winning a sitang but having one’s handicap
reduced.
Friday August 23
Natural Park
Resort - B & A
Stableford - White Tees
1st Place - Jim Munns - 47 points
2nd Place - Kevin Ward - 38 points
3rd Place - John Emmerson - 35 points
Well Munns, as in Jim Munns, is not a four letter word
but it was sure being bandied about in much the same manner, as the round
of the day (month......year), 47 points, won the day. Jim who has been
away for the game for a dozen years, and struggled lately, showed
unequivocal signs that he is well on the way to returning to his
mid-handicap form of the last millennium.
Lost in the roar of the lynch mob was a spectacular
gross 74, for 38 points, effort by Kevin Ward. Kevin put on a clinic for
his 24-year-old son, Nathan, who is his commercial fishing partner in
native Perth.
John Emmerson headed the balance of the field with his
third place 35 points. Playing with John McHugh is always an enjoyable day
but never lacks intrigue. John put a shot OB on the par five B-3, only to
eagle with his second drive for a gross par. John then got it right on the
par 5 B-8, omitting the OB shot and going straight to the point with an
eagle! Of course, our John also had to retrieve his ball from its perch in
a tree on two different occasions. Stay tuned for more exploits of the
Boston Bomber.
Reminder: Sign-ups will begin soon for “Stan’s
Annual Birthday Bash” which will be held on the 18th of October at Green
Valley. The format is Stableford.
Erle “The Pearl” Kershaw strikes again
PSC Three Sisters Golf
Erle “The Pearl” Kershaw struck again on Monday and
devastated the field, coming in with 41 points. With his handicap dropping
like a rock, Erle has kept improving his game to keep up with his drop in
handicap. Dropping from a 25 handicapper to 21 in the past couple of months,
Erle’s game has improved so much that he will soon be in the A flight.
Erle
came in with 41 points to win the PSC 3 Sisters weekly golf competition
bragging rights again at Siam Country Club Monday August 26. Rollie Weese
came in still holding the bag!
Playing well again was Alan Pearce with 40 points. Alan
tried to take the bragging rights but Erle kept him at bay. Close on
Alan’s heels were Joe St. Laurent and Ian Edwards. Both golfers came in
with 37 points but were not enough to be a threat.
Holding the bag again this week was Rollie Weese. Rollie must have super
glue on his hands, as he is having a hard time releasing his hold on the
bag. Rollie is trying to get rid of it so maybe by next week he can break
the trend and pass the bag on to another deserving member.
Shenanigans sets sail
for 2002 Irish Open
Shenanigans 2002 Irish Open is scheduled for Plutaluang
Navy Golf Course on Friday 4th October. Be sure to sign-up early as the
field is limited to 128 players and the usual group of visitors from
Bangkok will be participating in the tournament.
The format is Singles Stableford with three divisions,
plus ladies, and a wide variety of technical prizes on offer. Free drinks
and chef’s snacks on the course, and the renowned Carvery Buffet back at
Shenanigans before the prizegiving and Lucky Draw.
Sign-up at Shenanigans. More information at the
Shenanigans web site www. shenanigans-pattya.com
The Square Ring
by Howie Reed
Got a real fight going on next Thursday at the Takhli
Prachasan School, Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand. Fahlan Sakkreerin
(48-3-2) will defend his UBF Pan Pacific title against Mun Jong Min
(11-3-2) of North Korea. “I will stop Mun Jong Min, then make a
challenge for IBF king Ricardo Lopez to defend the world title against
me,” said Sakkreerin. “I want to fight Lopez before he retires from
the ring. I want to become the boxing legend Ricardo Lopez is.” Talk’s
cheap. “I luv you all my heart,” but first before he becomes the King
he should be the best in Thailand. That honor rests with Pichitnoi
Sitbangprachan (26-2).
That aside, Fahlan has been around the block. He held
the IBF Minimum title and defended 7 times before losing to Manny Melchor
(38-34-6). He was the WBF Champ from 1994-98 defending the title nine
times. The title, like a tourist’s baht, just disappeared.
The co-feature has Fahsung 3K Battery, not to be
confused with other 3K batteries, against Andy Pardede of Indonesia. There
you have the local news as time and space allow.
Speaking of fights, which we were, if you were waiting
with baited breath for the results of the fight between WBC international
minimum weight champion Ernesto Rubillar and Thai challenger Phalangchai
Sor Vorapin, unbait. The fight was scheduled for the Philippines last week
but was postponed until September 18th. The champ got hurt. Which
translates to, “Not enough tickets sold, give us more time.”
There is a fight coming up a week from Sunday, Pattaya
Time, that is the most anticipated of the year in North America and
probably the world. Oscar De la Hoya (34-2) finally gets in the ring with
Fernando Vargas (22-1) for the WBA & WBC Jr. Middleweight belts. Each
has his partisans and each has his detractors. There is no middle ground.
For the first time Star TV will be carrying the fight live from Mandalay
Bay at the far end of the Las Vegas Strip. Their styles, personalities and
personas are as different as day and night. Both were born and raised in
Los Angeles but there the resemblance ends. The countdown begins...
Old timers, count me in, sometimes wax eloquently about
the ability of fighters from yesteryear. In particular the middleweight
division which was a gold mine of great fighters. Pattaya has a link to
one of those in Tony Donahue, the cousin of Terry Downs (35-9-0). Now you
young zipper snappers may recognize Tony as a local swim coach but as
anyone that ever had the occasion to get on his bad side knows he can
“Hook’em Up” with the best. Cousin Terry represents an era where
being very good sometimes wasn’t good enough. He fought all comers,
anytime and anywhere. Consider he beat Sugar Ray Robinson (173-19-6), Don
Fuller (53-20-5), Paul Pender (39-60) twice, once for the title, and Joey
Giardello (100-28). He would lose the title in Boston to Pender but beat
him up so bad that the champ would retire. Downes couldn’t win in
Boston. He must have been a Republican. His last fight was for the light
heavyweight title against Willie Pastrano for the WBA title. Pastrano
would defend once more against Jose’ Torres. Lose and retire, Downes and
Donahue a pair to draw to. How about them apples?
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