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Ringside Boxing Report:
Clinton Woods - Julio Gonzalez II

By Jane Warburton October 1st, 2007 All Ringside Boxing


There was a terrific atmosphere at the FM Hallam Arena, Sheffield, England on Saturday night as Dennis Hobson and Fight Academy presented a fight night billed as “He’s Back”, featuring Sheffield’s   Man of Steel, Clinton Woods, defending his IBF Light Heavyweight title against Mexican brawler and former WBO titlist Julio Gonzalez.

As the five piece band played ”Rule Britannia” up in the tiers above the ring, Clinton Woods entered accompanied by promoter and good friend Dennis Hobson, and trainer Richard Poxon.

The crowd roared their support, happy to see Woods back in the ring after a 12 month break that was riddled with injury and postponements.

Homeboy Woods faced Gonzalez for the second time, having outpointed the Mexican last time out a year ago in his first defense of the IBF title.
Round one and Gonzalez looks under pressure from Woods as he lands some good shots, keen to impress on his return to the ring. In the second the Mexican is backed up on to the ropes and the crowd erupted. Woods seems to be dominating at the moment but he’s not gone unscathed as he gets caught with a couple of good shots.

Round three and Woods lands a great left hand to the right temple area of Gonzalez and the Mexican is clearly smarting. Midway through the round and now Woods is backed up on the ropes under a barrage of punches but Woods comes back with a shot of his own.

It had been a slightly more tentative Gonzalez that started the fight, but now he’s settled in and it’s a good scrap between these two.

Woods had been backed up on the ropes again during the fifth but got out of trouble by landing two cracking punches. “Come on Clinton, Come on Clinton….” The band plays and the crowd join in. By the end of the round there is blood around the nose of Woods.

It’s a fast-paced fight which sees the two men battle it out more evenly during the mid and later rounds, both men exchanging blow for blow. The band bursts in to the ‘Rocky’ theme tune and it seems to lift the spirit of Woods!

At the end of round eight, Woods has sustained a graze above the left brow and Gonzalez has a cut to the right brow by the end of round eleven.

As the bell sounds for the end of the twelfth, both men raise their arms in victory, Woods is lifted aloft by Dennis Hobson, confident of the win.

Woods wins by unanimous decision, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 to retain the IBF Light Heavyweight title for the fourth time.

Clinton sees his record to 41-3-1 (24) while Julio Gonzalez drops to 41-4 (25).

Many thanks to Jane Warburton and www.saddoboxing.com for this report

Original article and images available on the link below.

           http://www.saddoboxing.com/6117-clinton-woods_julio-gonzalez-ii.htm

Woods retains title after thriller

Sheffield IBF light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods has retianed his title, defeating Mexican Julio Cesar Gonzalez for the second time at the Arena in Sheffield. View the pictures and listen to our interviews...

Sheffield's world champion gave a resilient display to defeat Julio Gonzalez in a nail biting contest, coming through a long term injury scare, and silencing doubters after a year since his last defence.

The fight was frenetic from start to finish with Woods looking strong from start to finish. However the challenger, who has never been stopped in his career showed the grit and determination to stay in contention.

It wasn't until round nine, when Woods took the initiative and put Gonzalez on the back foot, and almost sent the Mexican to the floor in round 11.

Woods and Gonzalez previously met in 2005 and was out to knock the Mexican out this time around. He was unable to apply the finish, but had done enough to win the decision, with judges scoring the bout 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112.

Gonzalez was almost stopped by the doctor after picking up a wide cut on his right brow in the penultimate round, but it was decided that both boxers would see out the final round.

After the fight 35-year-old Clinton spoke with BBC Radio Sheffield's Seth Bennett:

"He's a tough guy, maybe the toughest kid I've ever boxed big respect to him and I hope one day, well not my title but he'll probably win another title.

"I did feel a bit tired in the fight, but everybody's telling me what a great fight it were. I'm glad people enjoyed it and I'm glad I got the win.

"It got a bit dodgy in some of the rounds, but I come back and in the eleventh round thought I'd got him and thought I'd stop him but he kept on fighting back.

"He had a good twelfth round but I got the decision in the end and thought I deserved the decision... I'm just looking forward to my next fight.

"I'm a bit battered and bruised but I loved it, the crowd were absolutely fantastic, thanks to everybody who turned up, they did me proud tonight."

REPORT FROM BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD - CLICK HERE

'Hate' figure Harrison joins Hobson camp

By Bob Westerdale

SHEFFIELD boxing promoter Dennis Hobson today made his most controversial signing - Audley 'A Force' Harrison.

The man boxing fans love to hate will appear on Clinton Woods' IBF light-heavyweight defence at Sheffield Arena on September 29.

Harrison, the 6ft 5½ins Las- Vegas-based Londoner, had the world at his feet when he won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics.

But his third-round loss to Michael Sprott in February - on top of earlier defeats to Danny Williams and Dominick Guinn - seemed to sound the death knell to his heavyweight career. It was his third slip-up in 14 months.

But Hobson said of the 35-year-old: 'I used to think Audley was just in this for the money, but the truth is that he is full of desire to have another crack at a world title.

'He would fight for peanuts to get his career back on track.

'He reminds me of a modern-day Joe Bugner; he has an incredible physique.

'There is no question over his ability and now I think he has got his head right.'

http://www.thestar.co.uk/sportheadlines/39Hate39-figure-Harrison-joins-Hobson.3205786.jp

HOBSONS RESPONSE

Ricky Hatton’s promoter Dennis Hobson has launched a furious verbal assault on former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan.

The Clones Cyclone has repeatedly criticised Hatton over the past few months, claiming the “Hitman” only had two more fights left in him. McGuigan followed that up by saying his clash last weekend against Jose Luis Castillo attracted just a few Hollywood “A” list celebrities.

Hobson is seething over McGuigan’s comments, which he says are staggering, bearing in mind the boxing hero commentated on Hatton’s fight for Setanta television.

“I’m totally and completely bemused,” said Sheffield-based Hobson. “Barry McGuigan sounds more and more to me like an embittered ex-fighter who is simply jealous of what Ricky has achieved.

“Firstly he says Ricky Hatton is washed up and now he criticises the fact that there weren’t enough so-called ‘celebrities’ in the audience when he fought Castillo. If by that he means almost the entire England team including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Kieron Dyer then I suppose he has a point. But since when has the amount of celebrities at ringside had anything to do with boxing?

Dennis Hobson - Fight Academy

“McGuigan needs to take a long and careful look at himself because he just sounds jealous. He went over to Las Vegas and lost the first time he defended his featherweight title, whereas Ricky has gone there and won twice. It is pathetic and I know Ricky is equally stunned by it all from a person who he had a lot of respect for.

“Barry McGuigan should remember that he pestered me for free tickets for his son for weeks before the fight and now he just goes around slagging off Ricky Hatton. It is quite unbelievable. He is lucky I am not Frank Warren, otherwise he would have been sued. Frank has made a habit of that in recent years, then mysteriously dropping the case as it gets near to court. Well Barry can rest easy, we are not going down that avenue. We just think he is sad, which is a tremendous shame for someone who brought so much pleasure to boxing fans.”

Hobson has also been astonished by Warren’s comments this week in which his fellow promoter has claimed to be negotiating Hatton’s future two years after the pair split acrimoniously.

Hatton is now a free agent, but Hobson is convinced he will remain with his Fight Academy organisation.

He said: “I think we have delivered for Ricky and his brother Matthew, who was second on the bill in Las Vegas last weekend.

“Frank Warren’s gall never ceases to amaze me. He spends months telling everyone Ricky is a pale shadow of the fighter he used to be, then threatens to sue his father and manager Ray. Then he pulls out of the court case at the last minute and then, you can barely believe it, he claims to be negotiating his future. I don’t know which planet he is living on, but it isn’t the same as mine.

“I think I have done a terrific job for Ricky in getting him three headline fights in America for lucrative sums of money and my personal relationship with the ‘Hitman’ is as strong as ever. We are friends and that makes a big difference to Ricky and his father.”

Hobson added: “Ricky and I have been together for two years, during which time his career has continued to flourish and I hope we will be together until the day he hangs up his gloves. He knows I will always act for him in his best interests and hopefully his brother can start to win titles very soon under the Fight Academy organisation.”