- 3 months ago
Vernon Forrest faces Raul Frank for the vacant IBF Welterweight Title on HBO Boxing After Dark
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00:00Exhilarating. Hard-hitting. Unbeatable.
00:04HBO Sports.
00:10And now, the HBO Sports presentation, HBO Boxing After Dark.
00:30The following is a special presentation of HBO Sports, the network of champions.
01:00HBO Sports.
01:30The following is a special presentation of HBO Boxing After Dark.
02:00The following is a special presentation of the junior middleweight title against number one contender Ross Thompson.
02:04Summertime in Las Vegas.
02:05It normally means sweltering hot temperatures, though this week interrupted a couple times by rain.
02:10Tonight, boxing fans file into the Mandalay Bay, expecting it to be just as hot here in the ring as it has been outside.
02:18Will there be unexpected heat generated in the junior middleweight division?
02:23Who will be crowned the new welterweight titleist?
02:25Stay tuned for another Boxing After Dark doubleheader.
02:29And hello again, everybody. I'm Jim Lampley.
02:31We welcome you to this edition of Boxing After Dark.
02:33And quite frankly, the main event fight between Fernando Vargas and Ross Thompson had looked until a couple of days ago
02:39like another one of those perfunctory mandatory title defenses for a superstar champion going past an anonymous fighter on his way to a big event.
02:49Vargas looking down the road toward a possible mega fight matchup pay-per-view with Felix Trinidad later this year.
02:56But a couple of days ago, Thompson threw new spice into this event when, at a pre-fight news conference,
03:02he stepped onto the dais and attacked Vargas, throwing either a punch or a slap at him
03:07that brought blood to the mouth of Vargas and Vargas' manager, promoter Gary Shaw.
03:14Main events can say all they want to say about the bomb.
03:17Obviously, you guys saw one left hook, and that's my left hook hitting his face and him hitting the ground.
03:23So we know that we're definitely going to take care of business.
03:28As always, Emanuel Stewart, there were questions about who had actually hit whom and conflicting reports.
03:33We haven't seen this in a few years since Riddick Bowe nailed Larry Donald with a right hand at a news conference here several years ago.
03:39But it has happened before. What effect might it have on the fight?
03:43It definitely has stimulated both of the fighters.
03:45I think you're going to see a much more invigorated Vargas, whereas before he didn't really get excited about Thompson.
03:51But now that that has happened, he's stimulated, he's taken a personal challenge.
03:56I think it's taken his attention a little bit off of the future fight with Trinidad, possibly.
04:00And in the case of Thompson, he definitely feels that he can beat Vargas.
04:05And, you know, both guys haven't come from the street, so to say, from the backgrounds.
04:08I think it's going to be a very exciting fight.
04:11All right.
04:11And thank you, Ross Thompson, from all of us involved in the promotion,
04:14for adding a little extra flavor.
04:16And HBO Boxing Analyst, Larry Merchant, here to talk more about Vargas, who is an emotional young man.
04:23And is he flusterable enough, so to speak, that this could throw a monkey wrench into his plans for a big win tonight?
04:32It's not likely, Jim.
04:34But this fight should come with a warning label.
04:36When three precocious Olympians won titles just a couple of years after turning pro,
04:44we noted the dangers and distractions that could get in their way because they were so young.
04:51And this is what has happened since then.
04:53Vargas, who was out of shape, almost lost a fight,
04:56and he still has yet to resolve a felonious assault charge in his hometown.
05:00Mayweather has had a bad acrimonious split up with his father, who was his trainer,
05:06slowing down his promising career and costing him millions.
05:10Reid has lost his title and been involved in a domestic abuse incident.
05:17So, Jim, the warning label should read, beware.
05:22Youth sometimes can't handle being young, being a young champion.
05:28Yeah, well, and maybe we can issue that warning directly to the members of the 2000 United States Olympic team
05:33who are here in attendance to watch the fight tonight.
05:36And the notion that youth might have been wasted on the young could be good news for late bloomer Vernon Forrest,
05:42who headlines the first of the two bouts you'll be seeing this evening.
05:45Forrest, a 1992 American Olympian, has waited a long time for his moment in the sun tonight.
05:52He finally fights for a piece of the welterweight championship picture
05:55against relative unknown Raoul Frank.
05:59Frank, originally from Guyana, now living in Brooklyn.
06:02As you saw on the graphic, only four fights in the last 23 months.
06:07He arrives here as a number one ranked contender for a welterweight championship.
06:12In one independent ranking, Larry Merchant,
06:15he is seen as the 98th best junior middleweight in the world.
06:19Some mysteries of the mandatories, which really aren't such mysteries when you go into it.
06:28But Frank is an accomplished prizefighter in the sense that he knows how to fight.
06:36He's trained by the estimable Bobby Jackson out of Brooklyn,
06:40who has gotten some headlines in the last year or so for his adroit handling of heavyweight Oleg Moskaya,
06:48who's come more or less out of nowhere to emerge among the top five heavyweights in the world.
06:53And even though Raoul Frank is seen by one odds maker as a 15-to-1 underdog against Vernon Forrest,
06:59Bobby Jackson promises us he's a lot better than that.
07:03Well, he must be pretty tough because I'm told he runs in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn at 4.30 in the morning,
07:10which is fight time in that part of town.
07:12Let's take a closer look at Raoul Frank, Larry.
07:16Raoul Frank's father, who trained him early on, is a fisherman in Guyana
07:21who hunts sharks for their fins and their flesh.
07:25His brother was a fighter, KO'd by Bernard Hopkins, the middleweight title,
07:30in about 30 seconds of the first round.
07:33But he hasn't fought in 15 months, an unintended consequence of the mandatory challenge,
07:39because once fighters get there, they go into the deep freeze.
07:45The opponent and the man who is heavily favored to win a vacant part of the welterweight title picture tonight,
07:52Vernon Forrest made the 1992 Olympic team when he upset Shane Mosley in the box-offs to make the team.
07:59And since then, he's been languishing, waiting for his opportunity to emerge as a big star in the sport.
08:06Unbeaten record, no big headlines so far.
08:09He calls himself an enigma.
08:14Never heard a fighter call himself that before.
08:17Mainly because it has taken him so long to get here, unlike so many other Olympians.
08:26And he has been more or less shut out of big-time publicity in the welterweight division
08:32by the large number of talented fighters who've been there in recent years,
08:37including Brunel Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and now Shane Mosley.
08:42Forrest says, give me another crack at Mosley.
08:44I'll prove I'm as good as anybody.
08:49Here's a closer look at unbeaten Vernon Forrest.
08:52Another aspect of that victory over Mosley as an amateur, he believes,
08:58is that as Mosley gained popularity as a professional,
09:03other fighters seeing that victory on his record as an amateur
09:07were refusing to fight him as a pro.
09:11He's also been caught in a family feud involving the Duvas in main events.
09:16They've split up.
09:18Lou Duva used to be his trainer.
09:19He no longer is.
09:20He remains with main events.
09:23And he says that having sparred many rounds with the great Pernell Whitaker
09:27has steeled him for his late run in the welterweight division.
09:33As you watch this telecast, you can log on to www.hbo.com.com
09:38where you can score every round of tonight's fight and join a live chat
09:41and listen to the trainer audio from last weekend's wild title fight
09:44between Prince Nassim Ahmed and Augie Sanchez.
09:47Our newest feature, live streaming audio of the trainers,
09:50captured all the excitement and drama from that night.
09:52Log on and hear it for yourself.
09:54Hail of the tape now quickly for Vernon Forrest against Raul Frank.
09:59Once again, they're fighting at 147 pounds.
10:01Frank giving away two years at 31.
10:04Forrest a tall welterweight at six feet.
10:06Frank's tall also.
10:07Just a half-inch reach advantage for Vernon,
10:09who normally has bigger advantages in the height and reach category.
10:12Tonight, Forrest weighs 151, and Frank, normally fighting at 154, weighs 157.
10:19Rules at a bout, whether unofficial ringside scorer Harold Letterman.
10:22The Vernon Forrest role, Frank fight is scheduled for 12 rounds
10:26using the unified rules of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
10:29There is no standing eight count, no three-knockdown rule.
10:32Only the referee can stop the fight,
10:34and you cannot be saved by the bell in any round,
10:36including the 12th and final round.
10:39Jim.
10:39All right, let's go up to Microbuffer for the official introductions.
10:44Ladies and gentlemen, good evening,
10:46and welcome to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino of Las Vegas,
10:51where tonight, main events and Miller Lite present
10:55Boxing After Dark on HBO.
10:58Sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
11:00for this first bout, the three judges assigned at ringside
11:03will be Rick Bays, Bill Graham, and Patricia Jarman Manning,
11:08and when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action,
11:12Kenny Bayliss.
11:13And now, ladies and gentlemen, 12 rounds of boxing
11:16for the vacant IBF Welderweight Championship of the World.
11:22Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
11:29wearing blue, trimmed with black, and weighing in at 147 pounds.
11:34His professional record, 31 bouts, 31 victories, including 26 knockouts.
11:41He comes to us from Augusta, Georgia.
11:44Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the IBF number two-ranked Welderweight in the world,
11:50the undefeated, Vernon the Viper Forex.
11:59And his opponent across the ring, fighting out of the blue corner,
12:03wearing white, trimmed with red, and weighing in at 146 and one-half pounds.
12:08His professional record, 23 victories, including 12 knockouts.
12:13He has three losses and one draw.
12:15He comes to us from Brooklyn, New York.
12:17Ladies and gentlemen, here is the number one-ranked Welderweight in the world,
12:23Raul Frank!
12:32All right, ring center.
12:37Okay, fellas, we went over the rules in the dressing room.
12:40I want to caution to bear my commands at all times,
12:43and keep the fight clean at all times.
12:45Good luck to both of you. Touch the glass.
12:46They're fighting for the title vacated by Felix Trinidad
12:54when he moved up to the junior middleweight division.
13:02Vernon Forrest trying to prove not that it's better late than never,
13:05but that sometimes it's better late than early.
13:09Vernon Forrest trained for this fight by Ronnie Shields,
13:14who's been with him for a long time,
13:15and Al Mitchell, whom you may remember as an outstanding amateur coach
13:19who trained David Reed to his prominence as a professional.
13:23Reed, incidentally, had double surgery on both eyelids day before yesterday
13:28as they continue to try to aid that droopy eyelid problem for Reed.
13:32And while Reed recovers, Mitchell trained Vernon Forrest in the gym for this fight
13:36while Ronnie Shields was spending his time with David Tua.
13:43Now, what does Vernon want to do to take advantage of his height and his range, Emmanuel?
13:47Well, I think he needs to stay busy with his jab and try to keep the fight at a distance.
13:51One thing that he does have over Raul is the fact that he's faster.
13:55The speed is going to be a big track, I think, going down the stretch.
13:59Raul does everything very well, but just a little bit slower than Vernon.
14:03And Vernon keeps busy with his jab and studies the way that Raul picks his jab,
14:07being here to be able to take advantage of that and to work off of his left jab.
14:12In his last big assignment here in Las Vegas on a doubleheader with Shane Mosley last year,
14:18Forrest went ten tough rounds with Vince Phillips,
14:22pounded Phillips from pillow to post, but couldn't put him away
14:25and slipped in the estimation of some experts who said,
14:28well, he's not explosive enough to be with the top level of the welterweights.
14:32Well, when you're a fighter like Vernon is, he's a good, solid fighter,
14:35just good enough where the good fighters don't want to fight him,
14:38but not exciting enough in any area where the fans and the media demand that he fights a big fight.
14:44It's very frustrating, but he's going to have to look impressive in this fight.
14:48He's fighting a fighter that no one knows too much about,
14:50and just to merely win the fight like he did with Vince Phillips would not be enough.
14:56So Forrest bangs the left hook to the body and comes back upstairs.
15:00And Kenny Bayless says, Vernon, I think that left hook to the body was lower than I'd like to see it.
15:05Well, one thing that I do like about Vernon, he's very busy.
15:07He's dictating the fight.
15:09Raul is reacting to his actions for the most part.
15:11And if you know much about the sport, you can see the speed that we're in.
15:23It's easy to see that Raul Frank is just a half step behind Vernon Forrest.
15:27Yes, and he's really putting up on his left hook,
15:29but when he misses the left hook, he loses his balance.
15:32As long as Vernon blocks his punch, he can kind of maintain his balance,
15:35but if Vernon makes him miss completely, you'll see him spin around.
15:39There's a red spot above the left eye of Raul Frank
15:42as it appears that already a Forrest right hand has brought a trickle of blood.
15:46One of the mistakes I think that Brennan's making in his last fight,
16:09he was criticized by his trainer, Ronnie Shields,
16:12for fighting, leaning in too close and not utilizing his height.
16:14All right, look, just relax.
16:18Just relax.
16:19Don't worry about nothing, all right?
16:22What you're forgetting about a few things,
16:24you're throwing a jab on the outs,
16:26you're ditching with the jab a little bit, okay?
16:28And that's why you're messing with the right hand.
16:30If you don't touch him with this, you ain't going to hit him with this one, okay?
16:32Step up a little more.
16:33Yeah, another thing is, give me the water.
16:35I got it, give me the water.
16:37Don't suppress it, just leave it there.
16:40Raul, a little bit more jabs, okay?
16:42Come on.
16:44Close round.
16:47Okay, but nice round.
16:48I want you to move your feet more.
16:49Don't stand in front of him, okay?
16:53And double, double jab.
16:54Don't you have one?
16:56Don't think I'm going wrong.
16:58You're not throwing punches, okay?
17:00All right, let's go.
17:01In his last fight on the undercard of Felix Trinidad versus Hugo Bineda in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 29 of last year,
17:09Raul Frank was head-butted and suffered cuts above and below his left eye.
17:14The spot where they were treating him between rounds is identical to the spot.
17:19In fact, it's along the scar from last year's cut.
17:22Great.
17:22Here's a set of wrestling that Raul is not throwing any right hands.
17:42Mostly what he's favoring is a left hook.
17:44He tries to kind of like fall in with his jab where he can get in range close enough to throw a left hook.
17:49But very seldom does he throw his right hand.
17:55Work out, work out.
17:56Let him go.
17:57Let him go.
17:57Could that be a product to bring rust in annual?
18:08I think basically, you know, he doesn't have the good fluid footwork that a lot of the kids from the amateur program that we have here in America have.
18:16What would be a big advantage of Vernon if he would just take a half a step back whenever Raul comes in and then punches?
18:21Because every time that he comes in, he kind of, we say, fumbles and falls in when he punches.
18:27Vernon is going to have a lot of work if they keep falling into each other and holding like this.
18:31And that's really, I would say, that the person that's getting the disadvantage is basically Vernon.
18:37He's a much taller fighter and he should be utilizing his height much better than he's in.
18:43Frank holding on to Forrest every time he gets close.
18:46You saw Forrest land an extended right hand.
18:49There's another left hook to the body that backs Frank off.
18:52Forrest.
18:53But if Frank would come in and Vernon would just take that half a step back, he would not have much of a problem.
18:59In fact, it's getting to be almost a contest of left hooks for the most part.
19:03Forrest launching a right hand across the top and Frank makes a taunting comment to Forrest.
19:09But I think the key punch in the fight to me would be that Vernon would just work his jab, work his jab, and try to land a good straight right hand.
19:18Frank seems to be very vulnerable for a straight right hand, which, surprisingly, Vernon hasn't thrown enough of.
19:23Come on guys, work, come on, let's see, work out of here.
19:26Work out of here.
19:26Frank seems to be very vulnerable.
19:28Let's go.
19:29Uppercut from Forrest.
19:49Frank with a left hook to the body and then kind of sets himself and cringes as Forrest misses with the right.
19:54Two good body punches from Vernon Forrest there.
20:03Now Frank comes back to the body with the right and the left.
20:06That's the right hand.
20:07That's the best round, okay?
20:16Now that's the best round.
20:17Now listen to me.
20:18Keep going behind that jab like that.
20:20Drop us on his own.
20:21On his mouth.
20:21Okay.
20:22Look.
20:22Keep going behind the jab like that.
20:24Now look.
20:25He don't like them body shots, alright?
20:27But you give him this one.
20:29Give us two of them, okay?
20:30Not just one.
20:31Now look.
20:33You throw him right here.
20:33You hear what I just told you?
20:40Don't rub it hard, Pop.
20:41Just the hole was there.
20:43Easy.
20:44Alright.
20:45Spit there.
20:46Just spit on that bucket.
20:48So far, Forrest has been throwing the harder, meaner, intentioned fights.
20:54There you see a counterpunch from Frank by sticking out his tongue.
20:59He's going to have to start using his fists soon.
21:02And later in the round, a hard body shot.
21:06That left hook dug in to...
21:08Let's get the water.
21:09Beilis, watch your heads.
21:10Watch your heads, guys.
21:11There we go.
21:12Kenny Beilis asking the fighters to try to watch their heads.
21:16Rick.
21:17Hold on.
21:17I always think, how can I watch my head?
21:19I'm fighting in front of it.
21:20And you heard Ronnie Shields asking Forrest to do what Manuel Stewart has suggested.
21:31Simply work more behind the jab.
21:34Look out of there.
21:34Come on.
21:34The jab is the key to this fight.
21:36When you take the jab away, the fight is almost a toss-up.
21:39A little counter left hook landed for Forrest inside.
21:43Ronnie Shields also telling Vernon Frank doesn't like it to the body.
21:46Not many fighters do.
21:48Keep him up.
21:48Hold on.
21:49Keep him up.
21:50Up.
21:50Keep him up.
21:51Well, I will say this about Frank.
21:52He's a very determined fighter.
21:54I can see that it's going to be a very tough fight.
21:55Unless he gets knocked out clean.
21:58Injured, it's going to be a rough fight for Vernon.
22:00Even though he's much superior in every area.
22:02Step back clean, fellas.
22:03He's still fighting.
22:04The fighter's very determined.
22:05I'm, to some degree, maybe slightly surprised.
22:07You can see why Bobby Jackson said of him,
22:10Hey, this guy never puts in a bad fight.
22:14And the first time that you ease up a slip a little bit with a fight like this,
22:18you can lose.
22:20Vernon Forrest overshooting there with what could have been a dangerous right hand.
22:25One punch at a time, by and large, for both guys,
22:38except for those occasions when Forrest has worked combinations to the body.
22:42Neither puncher has landed an effective combination to the head.
22:50And there's a bad headbutt.
22:52It's time.
22:52It's time.
22:54Oh, bad headbutt.
22:56Forrest in pain and Frank, as you can see, down on the canvas.
22:59Vernon.
22:59And a bad cut.
23:02Lots of blood.
23:03It's conceivable.
23:04We could have an accidental butt.
23:07TD, technical draw possible.
23:08Less than four down.
23:10Harold Letterman, what's the rule?
23:11If it's got to go four rounds,
23:14if it doesn't go four, and we're in the third round now,
23:17I believe the IBF calls it a no contest.
23:19But in essence, it's a technical draw, so nobody wins.
23:23So their terminology would be no contest.
23:24No contest, yeah.
23:25Same thing, in effect.
23:26Well, having seen the first two and a half rounds,
23:30I'm not sure anybody wants to see this again,
23:32which would have to happen.
23:34And Kenny Bayless is waving it off.
23:38On advice from the doctor.
23:39That's why I told you, you know what?
23:41No contest.
23:42Mark Ratner assuring us over the ropes.
23:44No contest.
23:45And that is, just as Harold Letterman told you would be the case.
23:51That's all right.
23:51We fight again on all cards.
23:54Oh, no, I said, baby, come here.
23:55I just told you that.
23:56I said, what?
23:56That's what I got up.
23:57I said, why?
23:58Forrest was lucky to escape a cut there.
24:00And Frank broke open like the proverbial coconut.
24:07Yeah, I'm trying to get it.
24:09Come on.
24:10And the blood started to spur.
24:12Well, that leaves a flat feeling even flatter.
24:21Yeah.
24:22And yet another delay in Vernon Forrest's attempted march to stardom
24:27because he gets no championship belt here
24:31and now must continue to watch the deck shuffle in the welterweight division
24:36and wait for his opportunity.
24:38And here's, let's take another look.
24:40Manny, what happened?
24:41Well, basically, we have two guys that keep colliding.
24:43And what happened?
24:44They both were going in through on left hooks at the same time.
24:47I think that could have possibly been averted
24:50if Vernon Forrest had stayed in more of an upright distance and jabbed more.
24:55He was leaning in too much, I think, for the boxing ability that he has.
24:57And that's what I was afraid would have happened.
25:03Crowd responding to the video of this clash of heads.
25:08Both throwing left hooks at the same time and coming forward.
25:11If you're an ardent Raul Frank fan, you might say,
25:13why doesn't that be, why isn't that called an intentional headbutt?
25:18But the answer is, Forrest was attempting a punch, legitimately.
25:21Yes, both guys were in the process of delivering enough hooks.
25:24And the worst part about this, because of the severeness of the cut,
25:27it means it may be four months before they can fight.
25:31A cut to that degree may end up requiring possibly two or three months of risk
25:36before he could even resume training.
25:38So it's justice delayed for Vernon Forrest,
25:40who has waited and waited for his moment on the stage in the welterweight division
25:46and now must wait some more.
25:49This is so sad.
25:50Perhaps to set up another fight with Raul Frank.
25:55Now let's go to Michael Buffer for the official particulars.
25:58Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.
26:00In the ring, in the previous round,
26:02there was an unintentional and accidental clash of heads,
26:07resulting in a very severe laceration to Raul Frank.
26:10The bout cannot continue under the unified rules of the Joint Commissions.
26:16The bout is called no contest because it did not reach four complete rounds.
26:21We're very sorry.
26:22The contest, I'm sure, will be rescheduled.
26:25A round of applause, please, for Vernon Forrest and Raul Frank.
26:28Early scoring in the fight showed Raul Frank holding his own with Vernon Forrest.
26:48It was 19-19 on a couple of the cards.
26:52In both instances, judges had given Frank the first round.
26:56One of the three judges gave the first two rounds to Forrest,
26:59but nothing conclusive about the first two rounds of scoring in the fight.
27:05And so now, as you look at Raul Frank,
27:11and let's go to Larry Merchant with Vernon Forrest.
27:14Thank you, Jim.
27:16Vernon, you waited so long for this opportunity.
27:19It must be awful frustrating.
27:20Yeah, definitely.
27:22I trained extremely hard.
27:24I trained too much, extremely hard in the mountains in Colorado.
27:27I was looking forward to becoming a world champion.
27:29Unfortunately, you know, it was an accident on the head,
27:32but I'd just like to thank God for blessing me.
27:34I'd like to thank Al Mitchell, Ronnie Shields, and Charles Washington for training me.
27:37All right, describe to us what happened and why did it happen?
27:41Were you both falling into each other?
27:43Was it just a conflict of styles here?
27:46Possibly a little bit of both.
27:47I think I was going for a body shot.
27:51My corner told me to start working the body more,
27:53and I dipped in.
27:54I went for the jab, and I dipped in to throw a body shot,
27:57and we just clashed heads.
27:58But we had clashed heads a couple times before then
28:00because every time I was going in,
28:03he would duck in and kind of put his head in the way.
28:06So it was just unfortunate that happened.
28:08All right, we're going to take a look at this in a moment.
28:10It just seemed like maybe you were looking at a mirror image of yourself in him in the ring.
28:15Possibly. Possibly.
28:16He was a very skilled fighter, and he came in to fight,
28:22and I knew that it was going to be a tough fight,
28:23but I was just trying to break him down.
28:26And, you know, what can I say?
28:28Do you feel that for as long as the fight went
28:32that you were accomplishing what you set out to accomplish?
28:35Yeah, we didn't go in.
28:37We didn't train for a knockout.
28:38But we were just going to break him down systematically.
28:41We were just going to break him down each round.
28:42We were just going to take a little something out of him,
28:43take a little something out of him.
28:44Around fifth or sixth round, we were just going to knock him out.
28:47But, like I said, he's unfortunate what happened.
28:51Thanks very much, Vernon.
28:52Jim?
28:53All right, thank you very much, Larry.
28:55Emmanuel, if you're training a fighter like Vernon Forrest
28:57and he has to wait and wait and wait for his chance to become a star,
29:01and now he'll have to wait some more,
29:02do you worry at some point that he's going to lose his edge in the gym
29:05and begin to slip in his skill level?
29:07Definitely, especially when you consider the fact that the guy that he beat
29:11in the Olympic trials is not only a world champion today,
29:14he's a superstar, meaning Shane Mosley.
29:16It's got to be very frustrating for him.
29:18This fight right here, I could see it was going to be a very frustrating fight
29:22because both guys were tall,
29:23but they had a habit of basically getting into a left hook battle.
29:27And by throwing the hooks, it was both banging his continuing.
29:30I think in a rematch, if Vernon boxes and keeps the distance a little bit better,
29:34he'll come out a little bit better than this fight.
29:36And let's see what Raoul Frank thinks of that as we go back to Larry Merchant in the ring.
29:40All right, Jim, thank you.
29:41Raoul, describe what you felt happened and what led to that clash of heads.
29:47I was going to show, I think it was a left uppercut,
29:52while Vernon just leaned forward, you know, and pushed his head right at me.
29:57And I think it was an intentional headbutt.
30:01You thought that was intentional?
30:03He butted him in the first and the second.
30:04Why would he want to intentionally headbutt you and have the end of a fight?
30:09I mean, explain that to us.
30:11He fights with his head down.
30:12He's supposed to be the top guy, the 20-to-1 arm.
30:16I'm the 20-to-1 long shot.
30:18And I felt his strength, you know.
30:22I mean, later rounds.
30:23Excuse me, I'm doing this interview.
30:24He's doing a bad job.
30:25All right, thank you.
30:26And you're doing a great job.
30:27Yeah, I always have.
30:29Why would, if he's a 20-to-1 favorite, and you describe what you see here,
30:32why would he have to resort to this?
30:34He was just trying to throw a buddy shot.
30:36I was waiting.
30:37I was waiting for the later rounds to come on.
30:39That's what we planned.
30:40From rung four, I would completely take over this fight, you know.
30:45But I'm just disappointed, and I'm sorry.
30:48You know, I wanted to tell my fans back home in Guyana.
30:51I'm very sorry about this.
30:52You did a great job.
30:53But the next time we get back into this ring, definitely I'm taking home the title.
30:58You waited a long time for this.
31:00Very long time.
31:01I trained since February.
31:03You know, I did my training since February for this fight.
31:06And I'm so disappointed.
31:08It's unbelievable what could happen in a short space of time, you know.
31:11We're all disappointed.
31:13Disqualified.
31:13Good luck next time.
31:15All right, Jim.
31:16Frank's emotional manager is a man from Miami named Al Bonanni.
31:20Now, we've got another big fight coming up in just a little bit
31:23as Fernando Vargas gets ready to go into the ring
31:27to defend his version of the junior middleweight crown
31:30against a much lesser-known mandatory challenger named Ross Thompson.
31:35Vargas looking down the road toward a possible huge pay-per-view fight
31:39with Felix Trinidad this December.
31:41Let's look ahead to some upcoming programs here on HBO.
31:45For boxing, mark these dates on your calendar.
31:48September 2, Boxing After Dark offers a doubleheader
31:51as junior lightweight champion Diego Corrales takes on Angel Manfredi
31:54and Eric Morales continues toward a possible future date with Nassim Hamed
31:59taking on Kevin Kelly.
32:01September 9, it's a unique night of boxing.
32:04On HBO, KO Nation returns with Clifford Etienne
32:06and Bronco McCart in a rematch against Winky Wright.
32:10Later that same night on TVKO Pay-Per-View,
32:13undisputed light heavyweight champion Roy Jones travels to New Orleans
32:16to take on Eric Harding
32:17and Derek Gaynor goes up against Freddie Norwood.
32:21It's football season again.
32:22Inside the NFL premieres August 31.
32:25Join Lynn Dawson, Chris Collinsworth, Nick Bonacotti, Jerry Glanville,
32:28and Dan Marino for a preseason special
32:31that examines the new process of building a winner in the NFL.
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