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00:00The following is a special presentation of HBO Sports.
00:22The Network of Champions.
00:23The Network of Champions.
00:53The Network of Champions.
01:24Tonight on HBO's Boxing After Dark,
01:28you'll see Gabriel Uelas against John Brown.
01:31Both fighters on the cusp of entering the 135-pound title picture.
01:35Then you'll see rising star David Reed,
01:38the only American boxer with a gold medal from the 1996 Olympics,
01:41in his first scheduled 12-round fight.
01:44This is his 11th professional fight.
01:46The opponent, undefeated James Coker.
01:48We are back in Atlantic City,
01:50where it was a gorgeous Indian summer-style weekend on the boardwalk.
01:54Tonight, for boxers Gabriel Uelas and John Brown,
01:57it's a winner-take-all for future championship consideration.
02:01The loser plummets.
02:02And for David Reed,
02:03tonight may well be his toughest test yet as a professional.
02:06The rest of us have an easier time of it,
02:09just trying to be sure that we look good
02:11and feel really good about ourselves
02:13as we step into the arena, the hot lights,
02:15the cameras of HBO's Boxing After Dark.
02:19And hello again, everybody. I'm Jim Lapley.
02:21Welcome back to this unusual edition of HBO's Boxing After Dark.
02:25You know the telecast,
02:26so you know that Roy Jones and Larry Merchant are close by.
02:29You'll be hearing from them as the evening goes along.
02:32Later on, we'll be checking in on the career of David Reed,
02:35the only gold medalist from the 1996 American Olympic boxing team,
02:39as he may be just one fight away from his first title shot
02:42if he can get past James Coker,
02:45a 19-0 unbeaten southpaw tonight
02:48at 154 pounds.
02:50Before that, we pick up the up-and-down career of Gabriel Ruelas,
02:54who, along with his brother Rafael,
02:56has been a picture in the sport for the past 10 years.
02:59Ruelas, who once held a world title at 130 pounds,
03:02is now trying to get in position to go for one at 135 pounds.
03:06He was originally scheduled to fight Jesse James Leija tonight,
03:09a man he once decisioned for a 130-pound title.
03:12Leija came up with bruised ribs a couple weeks ago,
03:15but instead, we get John Brown as the opponent,
03:18a tough, pile-driving, straightforward fighter
03:21who's expected to give Ruelas a stiff test.
03:24Tale of the tape for Gabriel Ruelas and John Brown
03:27fighting at the limit of 135 pounds,
03:30and you can see that both weighed in a little bit under the limit.
03:33Tonight, Ruelas all the way up to 149 pounds.
03:37After having gained 16 pounds since the weigh-in,
03:40you see that Gabe is 2 years younger, 2 1⁄2 inches taller,
03:43and has a 3-inch reach advantage.
03:45Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Lederman.
03:48The Gabriel Ruelas-John Brown fight is scheduled for 10 rounds,
03:52non-title, using the rules of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
03:56There is no standing eight count, no three-knockdown rule.
03:59Only the referee can stop the fight,
04:01and you cannot be saved by the bell at any round,
04:03including the 10th and final round. Jim.
04:05All right, Harold, and with that, let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer
04:08with the official introduction.
04:10Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to Donald J. Trump's
04:13Taj Mahal Casino Resort here on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey,
04:19where tonight America presents, along with your undisputed,
04:23undefeated king of beers, Budweiser.
04:26This Bud's for you. Bring you world-class professional boxing.
04:30This first bout is presented in association with Cedric Kushner Promotions
04:34and is sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board,
04:38as well as boxing commissioner Larry Hazard, Sr.
04:43This belt is also sanctioned by, pardon me,
04:46this belt is sanctioned by the New Jersey board,
04:48and the officials at ringside are timekeeper Arthur Spell,
04:52and your three judges scoring on a 10-point must system
04:55are Al Devito, Shafiq Rashid, and Luis Rivera.
04:59And when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action,
05:03Tony Orlando.
05:06And now, ladies and gentlemen, 10 rounds of boxing.
05:09This is in the lightweight division.
05:14Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
05:16wearing black with white trim, weighing 132 1⁄4 pounds.
05:22His professional record, 18 victories,
05:25with nine knockouts to his credit and five losses.
05:28He comes to us from right here in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
05:31Ladies and gentlemen, the former U.S.V.A. lightweight champion,
05:36John, the Eastern Beast, Raul.
05:44And his opponent across the ring, fighting out of the blue corner,
05:47wearing red, trimmed with white letters, and weighing 133 pounds.
05:52His professional record, 48 bouts, 45 victories,
05:56with 24 knockouts and only four losses.
06:00He comes to us from Sylmar, California,
06:03presenting the former WBC super featherweight champion of the world,
06:08Gabriel Relas.
06:17Okay, gentlemen, you've received my instructions.
06:20Let's have a good, clean bout. Listen to my commands. Touch gloves.
06:24John Brown, Jim, spent most of his youth in a series of foster homes.
06:30Gabriel Relas, when he came north from Mexico at the age of 11,
06:34had never worn a pair of shoes.
06:37That's what fighters are made of.
06:39That's what this fight is made of, and it will be a fight.
06:43Two very tough fighters who are expected to engage each other
06:46at close quarters for much of the bout.
06:48That, of course, was the voice of HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant,
06:51who joined at ringside by two-time world champion Roy Jones Jr.
06:55Walk the head. Come on, let him go.
06:57Come on, watch out. Watch out.
07:05John Brown lost a decision to Angel Manfredi in Madison Square Garden
07:10just a month and two days ago.
07:14He stepped in to take this spot vacated by Leija.
07:18Says that he had remained in training following the Manfredi fight,
07:21so this is right in his natural rhythm.
07:25How tough to come back one month following a fight like the one he had
07:28against Angel in Madison Square Garden, Roy?
07:30Well, it's kind of tough sometimes, especially if you're going to win,
07:33but he had a loss, so he's looking to come back and get revenge for that loss.
07:36So he probably went right back to the gym
07:38because a loss should have made him upset and made him hungry again.
07:43Man, that's a five-time world champion, Roy Jones.
07:45Five times. Excuse me, Roy.
07:47I was thinking of the weight classes, but, you know, I should have said three there
07:50because it's 160, 168, 175.
07:54Falling well short of giving you sufficient credit, but that's okay.
07:57The rest of the world knows.
08:00And already we've got the toe-to-toe action with heavy contact on both sides.
08:05Neither of these guys like to back up.
08:08I don't think they have reverse. They like the 747.
08:11The only way they're going to back up is to get something to push them back.
08:14And if you look at Brown's relatively small upper body
08:16and wonder how he can take punches so well, just check out the legs.
08:19This guy has a strong base.
08:22Watch your head, Doc.
08:28The way Ramos is fighting Brown,
08:31he obviously believes that he's stronger than him
08:34and that he will wear him down and get to him as the fight goes on.
08:43Well, it's the trainer Joe Goosen telling us,
08:46hey, I'd love to fantasize that Gabe is going to stick the jab, move,
08:50and do all the kinds of things that might give him
08:53a big tactical advantage in the fight,
08:55but I know the way Gabe likes to fight against somebody who'll come at him.
08:58He's going to get shoulder-to-shoulder with him
09:00and give him all the action he can take,
09:02and that's what's going to happen here.
09:04And that's just the way Gabe is.
09:06Gabe's been that way since the first day,
09:08and he'll be that way when he finishes.
09:11No point in trying to change the personality of the fighter.
09:16Well, let's go into the body.
09:18This great inside punching technique
09:21loves to pop his opponent with short, straight right and left hands
09:24inside at close quarters.
09:33Well, we mentioned that this is another visit
09:35to the up-and-down career of Gabriel Willis.
09:38Once regarded as a great prospect, he's held a world title,
09:42but Larry Merchant, he's had his bad moments, too.
09:45He's one of those fighters of whom it can be said
09:48that if he didn't have any bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all.
09:52Eight years ago, when he was considered a brilliant prospect,
09:56this exchange with Lem Franklin resulted in a broken elbow.
10:02He has five bolts in that elbow right now,
10:05and then, of course, after he won the title,
10:07this fight against Jimmy Garcia,
10:10after which, you may remember, Jimmy Garcia died,
10:14and coming in to finish,
10:17Arturo Gatti walks into that left hook,
10:21and knockdown.
10:29Yeah, in the preceding round, Gabe had had Gatti going,
10:32and he hurt Gatti in that round
10:34before taking the left hook that settled the fight.
10:37Right now, Willis' right arm
10:41is 3 inches shorter than his left
10:44as a result of that operation on his elbow.
10:47He cannot straighten it out.
10:49Took two separate surgeries to properly place the screws
10:52that stabilize the elbow,
10:54and it's changed him somewhat as a fighter,
10:57made him even more of an infighter
10:59because he can't extend the long right-hand punches.
11:12John Brown has five losses in his career,
11:14but they are all to top big-time fighters.
11:18Frequently in those fighters' hometowns.
11:21The kind of guy you hate to see coming.
11:24Yep, more likely gonna be there all night,
11:26and he's gonna fight you with everything he has.
11:30There's the right-hand inside, which is Brown's main weapon.
11:33It did some damage against Manfredi,
11:35and he has landed it several times
11:37in the early going here against Gatti.
11:39I don't know how they can avoid knocking heads
11:42and drawing blood before this is over, Roy.
11:44I don't think they care about knocking heads and drawing blood.
11:47That's what they like.
11:49Watch out.
11:55John Brown, born right here in Atlantic City.
11:58Watch your head, John.
12:00Became one of those children
12:02of the child welfare system in New Jersey,
12:04raised in 12 different foster homes.
12:08And sometimes in his adult life, he's lived homeless,
12:12and he lands a big right and a left against Gabriel Ellis
12:16and has Ellis going in the middle of the second.
12:19Gabriel was hurt bad by those punches.
12:22He wobbled.
12:25Come on, punch out. Punch out. Let's go.
12:30Let him go.
12:32This is, you know,
12:34Let him go.
12:36This is John Brown's game,
12:39and he's doing better at it than Gabriel Ellis is.
12:43Oh, it's a hard left-hand shot.
12:45You can see the impact of Brown's punches inside,
12:47and as I told you, he's got great technique
12:50for throwing those short, damaging blows inside.
12:56Straight right hand.
12:58You got to stop John Brown
13:00from throwing the straight right hand somehow.
13:02He can't stop him because he's so short,
13:05and that's the best place for him to be.
13:07He has to be there to land punches.
13:09Gabe, on the other hand, could go outside
13:11and land punches and get out of his distance,
13:13but Gabe doesn't like to fight like that.
13:15That's where that stubbornness comes into play,
13:17and it hurts you sometimes to be stubborn.
13:20You see Gabe motioning Brown.
13:22Come on back in.
13:24And it's hard to imagine what Ellis gains
13:26from pinning his back against the ropes
13:28and standing inside a phone booth with John Brown.
13:31I'm hoping that his experience will take over
13:33and that he'll catch John with something big,
13:35and because he's been there so many times,
13:37he's hoping that he can, you know,
13:39be the better fighter throughout the duration.
13:43I tell you, man, you got to watch that overhand, right?
13:45You got to keep your hands up.
13:47You got to try boxing a little bit.
13:49Can you get me out of that answer right now?
13:51You can't sit on the ropes.
13:53You know, you got to be a little bit smarter than that, Gabe.
13:55All right, you got to keep your punches short
13:57and your head down.
13:59All right, you got to box a little bit.
14:01You got to use the middle of the ring.
14:03John, I need you to set...
14:05I need you to set your shots up, okay?
14:08Don't be impatient.
14:10Don't be impatient. The shots are there.
14:12He's here for the takings. All right?
14:14I need you to take a hit.
14:15Early in the round, Brown shook Ellis up.
14:18A couple of hard punches right there.
14:21The right and the left that drove Ellis back wobbled him.
14:25Sometimes you can be too tough for your own good.
14:28Ellis was too tough for his own good in that round.
14:34And you may have seen the copy box numbers
14:36showing that Brown has thrown more and landed more
14:39at close range in the first two rounds.
14:41And you heard Joe Goosen stating the obvious to Gabe.
14:44You can't fight him like this.
14:45When Ellis comes right back out,
14:47engages the man in center ring,
14:49gets hurt with the right hand.
14:51That's just how his elbow is broken.
14:53His right elbow is broken.
14:55Just as Brown had him pinned right there.
15:01Brown had to be careful not to punch himself out here
15:04because he's got the less experience.
15:06I don't think he's big enough
15:07to keep trading punches with Gabe,
15:09but he's getting confident.
15:12There were a couple times against Manfredi
15:14when Brown would mount long, sustained assaults,
15:17and then he needed time to recover afterwards.
15:26Watch your head, John.
15:30Come on, let go.
15:35Come on, work. Work at it. Work at it.
15:37That was a good body shot by Gabe.
15:39I think that might have hurt John a little bit.
15:41Keep him up, John. Keep those punches up.
15:43Come on, punch out. Punch out.
15:45Where would you find room to box against this guy, Roy?
15:49Joe asked him, Joe Goosen asked him,
15:51maybe you could box a little bit.
15:53How do you make room to box?
15:55Gabe could push him off the back,
15:56and use his feet to box a little bit,
15:58but Gabe doesn't want to do that.
15:59Right now, that was a jab right there
16:01before John got close, and he'd have room,
16:03but Gabe doesn't want to do that.
16:04Gabe wants to fight.
16:05He wants to do this.
16:06Gabe is game. Gabe loves to fight.
16:10That's what caused him to fight in the Gotti fight
16:12because he's so game and he loves to fight.
16:14Yeah, he gave Gotti the opportunity to come back on him.
16:16That's right.
16:17He never should have gotten that close to Gotti.
16:19Off the head. Off the head.
16:22Off the head. Off the head.
16:24Come on, punch out.
16:29Had the same experience against Azuma Nelson.
16:32Great. Step back. Step back.
16:33If he moves and boxes more,
16:35maybe he has a better chance in that fight.
16:37Well, if he moves and boxes more,
16:39he's not Gabe Roy.
16:41That's not who he is.
16:51Come on.
16:56Great. Come on. Come on. Come on.
16:58John, watch that shoulder, man.
17:00Watch that shoulder. Let's go.
17:04Uppercut lands for Willis.
17:06Brown comes back with a solid right hand.
17:11Come on. Walk out. Walk out. Come on, guys.
17:13Let him go. Let him go.
17:21Let him go. Let him go.
17:26And Freddie complains that John Brown
17:28held his arms all night,
17:30and you can see Brown's tendency
17:32to reach out and pin the opponent's arms
17:34at some times when he's inside.
17:36Well, he's a shorter fighter.
17:37He has to do this, Jim.
17:38That's his advantage here.
17:40Come on.
17:50Closer look at John Brown now.
17:53There you see who he is.
17:5512 foster homers
17:57from the age of 11 to 17 or so.
18:01Just five weeks ago, he lost that
18:03very rugged fight
18:05with Angel Manfredi.
18:07You can control him whatever way you want,
18:09but don't jam yourself.
18:11I need you to take a half a step back
18:13to throw your shot.
18:15Okay?
18:17All right? You keep moving him backwards,
18:19but you need to give yourself room.
18:23You got to be a lot busier, man.
18:24This is the fourth round, Greg, coming up?
18:26This is the fourth round. It's only a ten-rounder now.
18:28Okay? We got to win some of these rounds.
18:30We got to win some of these rounds.
18:33I don't know yet.
18:35The gloves are wet on me.
18:38Okay.
18:40Goosen making the point to Tony Orlando.
18:44John Brown comes out firing grenades.
18:49Wellis' corner.
18:51Being categorical with their fighter
18:53about the status of the fight.
18:55Joe Goosen suggesting to Gabe
18:56that he hasn't won any rounds.
18:58Harold Lederman agrees.
19:03Come on. Let him go.
19:07Come on. Walk out. Come on.
19:08Come on. Come on. Step back. Step back.
19:10Come on. Punch out.
19:27Gabe is very smart, though, Jim.
19:29Anytime John Brown expends a lot of energy,
19:31Gabe comes right back in and immediately attacks the body.
19:34That's when you see that experience come into play.
19:44Well, it's awfully tough when you get yourself
19:46into a scorecard hole
19:48against a guy who's never been knocked down or out.
19:51I mean, unless Wellis gets a lot busier, Roy,
19:54he's banking on a late-round knockout to win this fight.
19:57And how are you going to get a late-round knockout
19:59against a guy with Brown's past experience?
20:01I don't know, but I guess Gabe probably believes
20:03that there's a first time for everything.
20:05Come on. I'm not going to tell you again. Let's go.
20:09Watch your head, John. Watch your head.
20:11Especially against a fighter who is eating roaches,
20:20caterpillars, land crabs,
20:25to show that he can survive anything.
20:30Oh, low blow.
20:32With a martial arts instructor here in Atlantic City
20:35named Mal Perkins, John Brown says that he has frequently
20:38gone into the swamplands around here,
20:41lived for extended periods of time,
20:43and lived only off the food that he could find in those areas
20:46to demonstrate to himself that it's possible to do it.
20:49Thus, as Larry says, the diet of cockroaches and land crabs,
20:53which he claims to have subsisted on for periods of time.
20:58Brown's suggestion, hey,
21:00if I can live eating cockroaches and land crabs,
21:02I'm too tough for these guys.
21:06I don't know about too tough,
21:07but he's in with a real tough customer here.
21:09Yep.
21:15And as round four has progressed,
21:18Brown has looked a little arm-weary,
21:20not able to deliver those sharp, snapping punches
21:23that we saw earlier in the fight.
21:25And Nuelas, as Roy Jones pointed out,
21:28continues to focus when he gets his chances on Brown's body.
21:34Left uppercut landed for Brown and snapped Nuelas' head back,
21:38and just as I said John Brown was punched out,
21:41he came back with a furious assault.
21:43You understand? You understand?
21:45You understand. Okay, let's go.
21:49So, a little horror show at the end of round four,
21:51and we remind you that on Halloween night,
21:53we've got Prince Nassim Hamed
21:55taking on Wayne McCullough of Ireland.
21:58Hamed from England, McCullough from Ireland.
22:00Great card, junior featherweight champion
22:02Vianney Bungu of South Africa
22:04taking on Danny Romero the same night.
22:06Romero coming up to 122 pounds.
22:12John.
22:15John, John, look at me.
22:18John, John.
22:19John, John.
22:24John Brown finishing the round in style,
22:27something to give the officials to remember,
22:31perhaps the edge in that round.
22:37In round four, Nuelas had his best round yet
22:40by CompuBox numbers, landing 28 of 65 punches,
22:44but Brown was 36 of 73,
22:46and now Brown begins round five with a vicious assault.
22:50And he landed some thunderous punches
22:52on Gabriel Nuelas' head.
22:54Great. No punches. Let him go. Let him go.
22:56Nuelas' brother Raphael,
22:58who took a fearsome beating
23:00about six weeks ago from Kastazou,
23:04seems for the moment to be in retirement,
23:07and if Gabriel Nuelas were to take a beating
23:09from John Brown here tonight,
23:11it is difficult to imagine what other opportunities
23:14might be so attractive as to keep him in the sport.
23:17Raphael is now taking classes at UCLA,
23:21high school graduate.
23:24Gabe looking forward to a career
23:26not as a trainer in boxing, but as a manager,
23:29and if this fight keeps going this way,
23:32he'll be managing fighters sooner than he expected.
23:35Yeah, because John Brown is getting confident here,
23:37and if Gabe doesn't do something to stop the confidence,
23:40he's gonna have a long night.
23:43Oh, yeah. He turned around.
23:47Come on. Step back, John. Come on. Let him go.
23:54Gabe would not have faced this kind of physical warfare
23:58against Jesse James Laha.
24:00That would have been a different kind of fight.
24:02Yeah, a much different fight.
24:04I think Jesse James is more of a boxer.
24:06Okay.
24:08Boxer and left hooker.
24:12Come on. Two punches. Come on. Let's go.
24:14Brown is an inside warrior.
24:16He depends on the straight right hand.
24:18Reles, you can see, firing to the body
24:20to try to take some of the start out of Brown's punches.
24:28I think a lot of people underestimate John Brown.
24:32Well, that's what he thinks.
24:34He thinks everybody underestimates him.
24:36I don't think Gabe expected him
24:38to be this tough of a competitor,
24:40especially inside, because this is Gabe's fight normally.
24:43All right, break. Let him go. Let him go.
24:45Let him go. Step back. Step back.
24:47Low on Brown's shoulder.
24:49Must come from Reles' face.
24:51He's cut inside his mouth, Jim.
24:53Is that it?
24:55Another brutal right hand.
24:57Step back. Step back. Step back. Step back.
24:59Another brutal right hand.
25:01Step back. Step back. Step back. Step back.
25:04He's just had his way with Gabe.
25:06This is very uncharacteristic for Gabe Reles.
25:09Step back. Step back, John.
25:11Well, he's taken an awful lot of punishment.
25:17Reles is all the way through the ropes.
25:20Come on, guys. Let's...
25:22And Reles is hurt. Reles is hurt bad.
25:26Reles is trying to demonstrate to Tony Orlando
25:28that Brown is tackling him and pulling him through the ropes.
25:31Yeah, Reles is kind of...
25:33Not seeming to be as aggressive as he normally is,
25:35and I think everything is hurting him now,
25:37because over the period of time,
25:39all these big punches take their toll.
25:41What'd I tell you? Step back there.
25:43Come on. Step back there.
25:45And suddenly, Gabrieles looks like a fighter
25:47who has taken too many shots.
25:49He can't get his balance now.
25:51Let me see that lip.
25:53Gabriel, look.
25:55You're not even trying to box him at all.
25:57At least catch him with the left hook
25:59in the head and body coming in.
26:01You're dipping to your right.
26:03You're not doing anything on your left side.
26:05You're playing his game and not winning it.
26:07If you're gonna win that game that he's playing right there,
26:09you've got to throw three times as many punches,
26:11and you're not doing it.
26:13I guess you win this fight.
26:15It's a 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
26:17You got five rounds here. You got to do it now.
26:19This is where you got to take over from this half of the fight.
26:21Here's how John Brown came into the ring tonight,
26:23perhaps thinking this was October 31st,
26:25not October 24th,
26:27but he does call himself the Beast.
26:33Round 5 by CompuBox.
26:35Numbers, a wipeout.
26:37Ruelas, 5 of 33.
26:39Brown, 26 of 43.
26:41Joe Goossen, again, giving honest advice
26:43to his fighter, and you wonder
26:45at what point Goossen might begin to think
26:47that the better part of valor
26:49is to stop the fight on behalf of his fighter.
26:51Harold, how do you have it through 5?
26:53Jim, I've got it 5 to nothing,
26:5550 to 45, John Brown.
26:57I mean, there's no question that the clean shots
26:59are being landed by John Brown, those right hands,
27:01and I really believe that's what the judges are seeing.
27:03There's the left hook.
27:05But John Brown is definitely dominating
27:07with those hard right hands,
27:09but Jim, watch what Gabe Ruelas is doing right there.
27:11Those are kidney shots.
27:13They're behind the back.
27:15Really, Tony Orlando's got to put a stop to that
27:17because it could be very dangerous.
27:19Gabe keeps pounding John Brown in the kidneys.
27:21It's totally illegal.
27:23I have it 4 rounds to 1.
27:25Break!
27:27Step back. Step back, please.
27:29You gave Ruelas the 4th?
27:31I believe I did, yes.
27:41Well, you heard Joe Goossen ask the fighter
27:43to give him a left hook.
27:45When Brown is coming in.
27:47The problem is that John is way ahead of Gabe Ruelas.
27:49Gabe is reacting off of what John Brown is doing,
27:51so he's second in the fight.
27:53As long as John Brown stays out in front of him,
27:55he's going to beat him
27:57because he's quicker than Gabe.
27:59See, right there, when Gabe gets on first,
28:01he can land punches,
28:03but he's usually not getting on first.
28:05See there?
28:07Come on, two hands.
28:09Both of you, two hands.
28:11Does Gabe look to you
28:13to be in slow motion, Roy?
28:15Well, this is Gabe's normal fight.
28:17He's always slow like this.
28:19He's not a speed type fighter.
28:21He's a later fighter.
28:23He's one of those guys who's mediocre,
28:25but he's mediocre throughout the whole
28:27duration of the fight.
28:29So he doesn't really look in slow motion to me,
28:31but he's very flat tonight.
28:33But this could come from
28:35underestimation of an opponent.
28:37Well, he added 16 pounds
28:39since yesterday's weigh-in,
28:41which indicates to me
28:43that he had to take a lot of weight off
28:45to make weight.
28:4716 pounds in water
28:49and food in just
28:5130 hours.
28:57And another assault by Brown.
28:59Andrew Ellis almost down.
29:01And now he is.
29:07First knockdown of the fight.
29:11Took a lot of accumulated punishment
29:13to produce it.
29:15And now Ellis is gonna
29:17face a finishing attempt
29:19by John Brown.
29:21And Brown goes to the fight to set it up.
29:23If he doesn't punch back,
29:25the fight will be stopped.
29:31Tony Orlando, as you can see,
29:33focusing attention on Ellis,
29:35trying to judge his ability
29:37to continue in the fight.
29:41Over there.
29:47Well, Gabe,
29:49I'll tell you what, Gabe.
29:51You better let it all hang out this round.
29:53He's gonna come after you hard, man.
29:55You didn't box him. You didn't do anything
29:57I told you to do, Gabe.
29:59But what you gotta do now is you gotta win the fight.
30:01How you gonna do that? Can you win this fight?
30:03How you gonna do it?
30:05Hey, listen.
30:07That's what this game's about.
30:09I've stopped fights before
30:11when I think he's hurt.
30:13But if he don't, yeah, that'll take him, Tony.
30:15You know, listen.
30:17Listen, Tony.
30:19This knockdown came as an accumulation
30:21of punches.
30:23No single punch seemed to do it.
30:25Ellis just needed
30:27some place to rest.
30:33Strong body attack.
30:35Quicker hands to the head.
30:37Brown is dominating
30:39a once very good fighter.
30:41Yeah, he's worn Gabe down.
30:43Now, the accumulation of punches
30:45are starting to show an effect on Gabe.
30:47The punches that were not hurting Gabe
30:49early in the fight are starting to hurt Gabe now.
30:51Painful to watch, guys.
30:53There are few people in the sport
30:55that you like more
30:57or who more deserve your affection
30:59than Gabriel Ruelas, who has been
31:01a prince of a person ever since we first met him
31:03a dozen, well, no, ten years ago.
31:07Both he and his brother.
31:09Terrific people.
31:11Still trying to show his toughness, but
31:13I don't like to see this type of toughness.
31:15He's taking advantage here.
31:37Looks like the referee is very close
31:39to stopping this fight.
31:41You can see him study
31:43Gabriel Ruelas'
31:45face.
31:49Game 33, 1, 1st to 12.
31:53You don't want to see any fighter
31:55take ten rounds of this.
31:57I hate to use this metaphor,
31:59but he looks more like Jimmy Garcia,
32:01as much like Jimmy Garcia
32:03in their fight.
32:05I'm sure we've all been thinking
32:07the same thing.
32:09It's a chilling and painful thing to say,
32:11but, yes, the punishment he's taking,
32:13not unlike the punishment he dealt out
32:15to Jimmy Garcia on May 6, 1995.
32:17It's a chilling and painful thing to say,
32:19but, yes, the punishment he's taking,
32:21not unlike the punishment he dealt out
32:23to Jimmy Garcia on May 6, 1995.
32:25You couldn't watch this fight
32:27without making that connection
32:29if you were there at ringside that night
32:31as the three of us were.
32:33Sit back, sit back, sit back.
32:35Referee's watching very close.
32:37He's not getting hit to the head
32:39a whole lot, Jeff, but he's not fighting back.
32:41That's why I think the fight should be done.
32:43He's not fighting back at all.
32:45He doesn't show any aggression.
32:47He doesn't make us think
32:49he wants to win this fight.
32:51Doctor, anything to show us
32:53that he really wants to win this fight?
32:55Let him go. Let him go.
32:57That's the most aggression he's been able to show
32:59in the seventh round.
33:01That's because he's hurting.
33:03The accumulation has warmed down,
33:05and he's just not out to win this fight tonight.
33:07All right, break. Sit back, sit back.
33:09This is his 50th professional fight.
33:11This is his 50th professional fight.
33:13Well, it's a nice round number.
33:15Well, it's a nice round number.
33:17And he's observed some punishment along the way.
33:19And he's observed some punishment along the way.
33:21But your observation earlier, Jim,
33:23But your observation earlier, Jim,
33:25that he seemed to be in slow motion
33:27seems more and more the case
33:29as the fight goes on.
33:31His hands just don't have
33:33that kind of quickness that he once did.
33:35that kind of quickness that he once did.
33:37Time. Time.
33:39Round 7 ends on a sharp left hand from Brown.
33:41Round 7 ends on a sharp left hand from Brown.
33:43Willis bending over as they're trying
33:45to find some flexibility in his legs.
33:47Sit up.
33:49All right, Gabe.
33:51You can't sit in the corner.
33:53You feel better now? You got your strength back?
33:55You landed a couple good shots here,
33:57but you've got to get busy.
33:59Tony, you see what he's doing.
34:01He's playing possible. He's trying to catch him with a good one.
34:03He's cognizant.
34:05But you know, he's playing the game right now in the corner.
34:07But you know, he's playing the game right now in the corner.
34:09He's trying to let the kid shoot out some steam.
34:11Let me have that water, please.
34:13Well...
34:15Give me a towel, Elano.
34:17All right, Gabe.
34:19Try to box him a little bit,
34:21see if you can catch him.
34:23But you know, you really have a long way to go.
34:33You've got to knock him out.
34:37If Ferreira is playing possible,
34:39If Ferreira is playing possible,
34:41he's wounded possum.
34:43Yeah, it's one thing to play possum.
34:45It's another thing when the opponent lands
34:4741 out of 66 punches, all power shots.
34:49That's what happened in the last round.
34:51Oh, there's another brutal uppercut.
34:53Quickly, Harold, how do you have it through 7?
34:55Jim, I've got to accept
34:57you need to 60 through 7 or nothing.
34:59John Brown, I mean, I think he's pitching a shutout.
35:01Personally, I would stop the fight.
35:03No question.
35:05I mean, certainly if Waleida's in a tough spot
35:07before the doctor, because Gabriel Ellis
35:09and Roy Jones said he's laying on the ropes
35:11and taking a terrible beating.
35:13Very, very close to a 10-8 round, that 7th round.
35:15I called it 10-9, but certainly could have been 10-8.
35:25A little pawing left hook by Ruelas.
35:27Reaching right, you can see that Brown
35:29still has leverage on his punches.
35:33John Brown just physically dominating
35:35the fight from the opening bell.
35:37The good thing is that John Brown
35:39is not a bigger puncher as Gabriel Ellis was in his day,
35:41so...
35:43That's enough. That's just enough.
35:45That is enough.
35:47Tony Orlando finally does the obvious,
35:51and John Brown has his victory.
35:57And for Gabriel Ellis
35:59and the people around him,
36:01much to consider from what happened here.
36:07So after years of falling just short
36:09against big-name fighters,
36:11John Brown gets the victory
36:13he was looking for
36:15over a former champion
36:17and one of the better-known fighters
36:19in his weight class.
36:21He's fought two very tough,
36:23strong fights
36:25against tough, strong opponents
36:27in the last five weeks.
36:29He's earned some shots
36:31at making some money.
36:33He thought he'd won the fight against Manfredi.
36:35He left no doubt
36:37here tonight.
36:49Gabriel Ellis,
36:51his wife Leslie,
36:53his two sons Diego and Rodrigo,
36:55ages 4 and 1.
36:57Potentially a comfortable life
36:59in Southern California.
37:01He will always remember them
37:03as his heroes.
37:09This was a wipeout.
37:11Round 2, Willis first hurt
37:13by John Brown,
37:15and this was the kind of
37:17two-fisted inside assault
37:19which Brown was able to mount
37:21and sustain throughout the fight.
37:23Round 5,
37:25Willis pulled through the ropes
37:27by Brown, shaking his head
37:29in bewilderment.
37:31And then came on a series
37:33of punches from various
37:35angles, and Joel Ellis simply
37:37couldn't stand up anymore.
37:39And then round 8,
37:41the brutal assault
37:43that ultimately convinced Tony Orlando
37:45that his judgment
37:47was better than Joe Gooson's
37:49as to what to do with the remainder of the fight.
37:51And as we were
37:53showing those highlights, Jim,
37:55promoter Dan Gooson
37:57came over to us
37:59and said about both
38:01Rella's brothers,
38:03they had great careers.
38:05And now let's go to
38:07Michael Buffer
38:09for the official particulars.
38:11Ladies and gentlemen,
38:13referee Tony Orlando
38:15has to step in.
38:17He has to step in.
38:19He has to step in.
38:21He has to step in.
38:23He has to step in.
38:25He has to step in.
38:27Tony Orlando has to step in
38:29and call a halt to the bout.
38:31The official time,
38:331 minute, 9 seconds
38:35of round number 8.
38:37The winner by knockout victory,
38:39nobody works harder and trains harder
38:41than John the Eastern
38:43Beast Brown.
38:46Hey, Johnny.
38:56And final punch stat numbers
38:58will provide further evidence
39:00of the one-sidedness of this fight.
39:02As you can see, Brown landed almost
39:04three times as many punches
39:06as Rella's. Most of them
39:08hard shots at close range.
39:10Five hundred punches thrown
39:12in less than eight complete rounds
39:14and a connect percentage of 52%,
39:16all of which conspires to bring
39:18a lot of pain to Gabriel Ellis
39:20in the fifth and probably
39:22the final loss of his
39:2450-fight professional career.
39:26So now we get ready for the main event.