By Paul Strauss: Celebration of the one hundred year anniversary of the James J. Jeffries vs Jack Johnson epic great white hope battle is about to get under way in Reno, NV. But, tonight was all Jesse Brinkley’s. He predicted what was going to happen in response to a pre-fight guarantee made by Curtis Stevens. Stevens foolishly predicted a quick knockout. Specifically, he stated he would stop Brinkley within fifty seconds of the first round!
Unfazed by Stevens attempted bravado, Brinkley thought such a statement was foolish to make. He explained, “Now I know what he plans”. He correctly figured that all he had to do was weather the early storm and come on later in the fight stop Stevens.
Curtis Stevens didn’t exactly storm out of his corner in the first, but he did apply a good amount of pressure and managed to land a couple of good left hooks. Those two punches alone were probably enough for him to win the round. The hooks shook up Brinkley and started the beginnings of a welt under his right eye. It didn’t seem to bother Brinkley though, and he came roaring back with his own assault. He managed to keep his jab in Stevens’ face, and follow it with an occasional right hand. Stevens would jump in with his big left hook, but most of the time Brinkley was able to get under it and counter with his right. When in close, Brinkley would keep his right high and block the left hook. It was a good round for the busier Brinkley..
In the second round, Brinkley continued to throw a lot of jabs. The jabs weren’t hard, but they were disruptive. Stevens wasn’t jabbing much at all. In fact he was waiting too much to get his attack started, and seemed to bounce a bit trying to get into his rhythm. It wasn’t working and the knockout artist was already backing up on occasion. Brinkley landed a couple of pretty good right hands in round two.
In round three it looked like Stevens was ready to step things up, but Brinkley immediately responded, and landed a good left to the body and then doubled it up to the head. Brinkley’s two punches dampened Stevens’ enthusiasm. As a result, he settled back into more of a waiting game.’
In between the fourth and fifth rounds, Stevens’ corner told him to pick things up. They also told him to go to the body, but he continued to play peek-a-boo too much and allow Brinkley to control the action. The fifth round ended with a furious exchange after the bell. Both fighters were throwing hard shots, which caused Brinkley’s trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. to jump into the ring and rush across to push Stevens back. As a result, the ringside boxing commission officials told Manfredo, Sr. that he would no longer be allowed to work the corner. They instructed him to take a seat about ten feet back from his fighter’s corner. At this point in the fight, Teddy Atlas’ unofficial scorecard had Brinkley in front at 49-46.
In the sixth round, Brinkley scored a knockdown. The damage was started with his counter right hand, followed by another right hand. Stevens was staggered and retreated to the ropes. Brinkley continued to catch him with right hands. He was breaking him down, which resulted in a knockdown. It was near the end of the round, so Stevens didn’t have long to go before the much needed break.
In the seventh, Brinkley continued to control the action, but Stevens was obviously still very dangerous. To make matters worse, it seemed that Brinkley was letting his right hand start to drop, and Stevens was still throwing hard left hooks. He managed to catch Brinkley, but Brinkley quickly regained control. His multiple jabs and combinations befuddled Stevens and kept him on the defensive. The eighth round was very close, and both fighters appeared hurt at times.
In the ninth round, Stevens again stepped things up. He landed a good right hand, and Brinkley continued to keep his right hand too low. However, Stevens was got too excited and was swinging wildly with his left hook. Brinkley was able to pick up on the punches and avoid them. He would then counter with a steady flow of punches, and ended the round by landing his own good left hook.
In the tenth, Stevens was still trying to land a big shot. He was still throwing hard punches, but he was missing and Brinkley responded quickly and ferociously with his own flurry. Once again he was the busier of the two.
In the eleventh, Brinkley really opened up again and managed to get another knockdown when he drove Stevens back into the ropes. Referee Vic Drakulich administered an eight count because he felt the ropes held Stevens upright. The 12th and final round saw both fighters giving it all they had. Stevens just didn’t have as much left, and Brinkley wasn’t about to let this one get away from him. Instead of playing it safe, he once again took control of the action, and had Stevens in big trouble as the final bell sounded. The judges scored the fight as follows: Burt A. Clements 117-109; Dave Moretti 118-108; and Herb Santos 119-107. It’s back to the drawing board for the hard punching Stevens, and for 33 yr old from Yerington, Nevada it’s a possible IBF title fight with Lucien Bute.
Back in the studio, Brian Kenny and Bernardo Osuna let fans know the Mosley vs. Mayweather, Jr. fight is pretty much a done deal. All of the particulars have been agreed to and all that is left is signature to be written. Apparently the random blood and urine testing issue was not an issue at all, because Mosley quickly agreed to it. Osuna feels Mosley is still a great fighter and will make Floyd, Jr. fight. It’s strange how things sometimes work out. First there’s disappointment with the failure to make the big fight. But now, due to some unusual circumstances, fans can look forward to two potentially great fights. The first one comes in March, and the second follows in May. Oh happy days!