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Heavyweight contenders Derrick Jefferson and Maurice Harris face off on HBO Boxing After Dark
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00:00and we hope we'll get a unified heavyweight champion of the world now let's turn our attention
00:04to the live boxing matches coming up here on this edition of boxing after dark starting with
00:09derrick jefferson an unbeaten record of 21 wins no losses one draw against the best nine loss
00:14fighter to be found anywhere in the sport maurice harris larry before we get to it your chance to
00:19comment on the federal indictments against the international boxing federation how bad for
00:24boxing is this it's so bad that maybe it will be good or if we weren't crying maybe would be
00:31we'd be
00:32laughing it's bad because it headlines the corruption in the game that is driving away fans and sponsors
00:41it's good because maybe it will clear out of the game some of the worst corruptors in it what we're
00:50looking for tonight is some good young men some men to become champ who want to show that they want
00:58to
00:58be champions that's what i'm going to focus on for tonight yes men who want to get there without
01:04buying rankings or another in any other way greasing their way up to the top but rather doing it by
01:09fighting and here come a couple of opportunities troy in derrick jefferson with a big right hand punch
01:13and maurice harris despite his nine losses with a lot of talent what kind of fight can we expect to
01:19see
01:19well you should see a lot of fireworks tonight mainly because both guys have a big right hand
01:24that's been their bread and butter however maurice harris is on an uprise and he'll have to be dealt
01:29with because like you say he's probably the best nine loss fighter in the boxing game right now
01:34so maurice harris is a guy that is full of confidence he feels home he feels loved derrick jefferson on
01:41the
01:41other hand is a guy who's never lost so he has to be taught how to lose there's a lot
01:46of questions to
01:47be answered in a fight like this tonight and that's why i can't wait to see what happens yeah
01:51this should be good both fighters are already in the ring larry so let's uh move out to the ring
01:55now
01:56and get a closer look at six foot six inch derrick jefferson there he is
02:03derrick jefferson was a basketball player in a small college when his career was ended
02:10by a bullet that happened over a dispute on 25 cent piece of candy that shattered his legs so
02:20at the age of 24 he became an amateur fighter won a national title and beat michael grant
02:25and turned pro as late as 27 quite a contrast to the young man across the ring who turned pro
02:34at 17 and paid a heavy price for it with a lot of early losses here's a closer look at
02:39maurice harris
02:40well he was actually 16 excuse me yeah and he turned pro and it only had a few amateur fights
02:46he needed to make some money in the last 10 fights he's only lost once and that was a highly
02:52disputed
02:53decision to larry holmes he has sparred both with roy jones and many rounds with lennox lewis
03:00in fact more than a hundred rounds sparring with lewis before taking this fight on five days notice
03:08and logically enough harris says hey if i can stand in with lewis why would i worry about derrick
03:13jefferson tale of the tape for the battle between jefferson and harris and just as harris gives up a
03:19lot of size and weight to lewis so too will he be giving it up here an eight-year age
03:23advantage for
03:24harris the height difference one inch jefferson listed here as six five he says he's six six reach
03:30equal at 80 inches and the 35 pound weight advantage for derrick jefferson rules of the
03:35bout with our unofficial ringside scorer harold letterman jim this is important tonight's fights
03:40will be scored using a new scoring system called the 10 point majority scoring system and jim real
03:46quick as i see it the way the fighter score hasn't changed but the way the three scores are totaled
03:51has
03:51been greatly upgraded in this new system you know we take a consensus of the three scores we evaluate a
03:56majority of the judges scores we come up with one score so it's it's a lot a lot fairer and
04:03it should
04:03be a big improvement back all right jim all right thank you harold let's go up the ring announcer mark
04:08barrow for the official introduction good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the convention
04:14center on the boardwalk in atlantic city new jersey for an evening of all-star professional boxing on
04:21hbo's boxing after dark under the promotion of cedric kushner promotions in association with top rank
04:31incorporated fight night and valley's park place in atlantic city as well as budweiser the undisputed
04:41undefeated king of beers this buds for you your matchmaker is ron scott stevens tonight's bouts are
04:49under the auspices of the new jersey state athletic control board the commissioner in attendance larry
04:55hazard senior all bouts are scored under a 10 point majority scoring system the standing eight count and
05:03three knockdown rules are not repeat not in effect ring officials assigned by the new jersey state athletic
05:09control board your ringside positions are dr dominic coletta dr jordan garrison dr louis sabatini
05:17and dr blair bergen your timekeeper this evening is the honest art spell and counting for the knockdowns
05:27at the bell the alternate referee eddie cotton this is your first contest of the evening it is scheduled for
05:3510 rounds heavyweights your judges at ringside are from plainfield new jersey eugene grant from
05:45langhorne pennsylvania alan rubenstein and from carney new jersey paul venti your referee for this event
05:55from margate new jersey the sensational steve smoger introducing now the principals first in the red
06:06corner to my left wearing the red trunks with the blue and white trim he weighs in at 211 pounds
06:14his professional record reads 16 victories nine defeats two draws and nine wins coming by way of knockout
06:24his professional record he hails from newark new jersey introducing maurice maurice maurice maurice
06:32maurice maurice maurice harris harris harris his opponent in the blue corner wearing the black trunks gold
06:42accessories he weighs in at 246 pounds with a professional record that reads 21 victories no defeats one draw
06:53and 17 wins coming by way of knockout he hails from Detroit Michigan introducing
07:05Derrick Jefferson Jefferson 10 rounds heavyweight
07:12get the way and I want you to obey my commands at all times protect yourself at
07:17all times and respect the bell touch him up touch him up thank you thanks mark
07:21Harris started his career 11 years earlier than Jefferson Jefferson is the
07:29bigger stronger man which is more important I think experience would be the
07:36most important factor here tonight
07:43meaning that you think that Maurice Harris's dossier of experience not just
07:49in the ring but in sparring with fighters like Roy Jones and Lennox Lewis is
07:52gonna stand him in good stead here well it does stand him in good stead actually
07:55puts him in a better position because he's seen the best of the best in action
07:59right in front of him but you can't put the heart in a guy and you can't put the
08:03courage and you can't put the wheel to go 10 rounds or 12 rounds in a guy quick left
08:07hook by Harris three good shots by Harris Jefferson responds by jumping right in
08:14that's supposed to be his greatest attribute he he's a real athlete he's real
08:20eager has a good attitude we'll see how good his chin is one of those shots did
08:25hurt him and he's walking too forward and he's walking forward too straight up right
08:29now to come at Maurice and Maurice continues to hit him just be right here
08:32one of them is gonna hurt sooner later two real wise old heads in the corners that for
08:36these fighters Derrick Jefferson has been working for the past couple of years with
08:41Bill Miller who used to train James Tony trained a cruiserweight titleist named
08:46Lindell Holmes a guy who isn't as big name as some of the other trainers in the
08:50sport but does a great job likewise Tommy Parks and Maurice Harris's corner is
08:55somebody who really knows the ins and outs of the sport and now Jefferson who got
08:59clocked early by Harris's left hook it's coming back with some big shots of his own
09:03good body shots on the inside he's doing very good body work and Linda Holmes
09:08coincidentally Jim was a super middleweight champion super middleweight excuse me 68
09:14pounder a superb 168 what did I say I called him a cruiserweight yeah this is very
09:22good for big men give and take go both of them going for it both of them throwing balls so
09:31what about the
09:32giant weight difference here I mean Jefferson 35 pounds heavier than Maurice Harris if
09:39they trade shots it has to be to Harris's disadvantage Roy no boxing is different
09:44when it comes to these guys because Maurice is a big puncher for his weight what's
09:49gonna make a difference is when they're inside pushing and grinding that's where the
09:53weight would make a difference that'll weaken Maurice a little bit more than it
09:56would Jefferson because Jefferson's the bigger man
09:59now it is scheduled for ten rounds
10:05Jefferson says that the biggest confidence builder for him was to win a tough split decision
10:10over the course of ten rounds with Obed Sullivan that was bigger to him than his second round knockout of
10:17Burt Cooper
10:21Harris of course recently stepped up in class with an easy ten round decision over Jeremy Williams another fight which
10:27he took on relatively short notice
10:29that time he had ten days to get ready this time only five every time Harris has hit
10:34Jefferson Jefferson has jumped right back in his face
10:49he's
10:50he's
10:50I'm
10:52every change you get
10:54every change you get
10:55every change you get
10:55you go
10:55sit back and do that
10:58every change you get
10:59you get
10:59to the body, okay? Work his body. He's just trying to relax and go 10. Drop his left hand.
11:06Keep dropping it up. Keep that hand up. That's how you hit him with the right hand. That's right.
11:12Keep that hand up. Keep back in the middle. The whole night. Do not rush in with that left to
11:19the body.
11:22Harris, a good long leaping left hand that should not land on an experienced fighter, Roy.
11:30Well, experience is what Harris has over Jefferson, but Jefferson is showing good hard work,
11:36which can make up for experience sometimes.
11:44Jefferson's career, coming off of football and basketball and taking up boxing relatively late,
11:51mirrors that of Michael Grant, far more celebrated, much better known at this point.
11:57And Jefferson had a win over Grant, along with a win over Lawrence Playbay, back in the amateurs.
12:03Jefferson. There again, it seems as though his hard work is what made up for his lack of experience.
12:11He has determination. By CompuBox numbers in round number one, Jefferson landed 13 of 68 and Harris 13 of 34.
12:19So an equal number landed, but Jefferson threw twice as many punches.
12:33That's a sign of Marius Harris being economical because he has experience and Jefferson using the hard work to make
12:40up for it.
12:48A very small thing that Jefferson is doing is going to Marius Harris' body.
12:52Harris should go to Jefferson's body every chance he gets.
12:54Oh, sizzling left hook by Jefferson, and Harris goes down.
13:00Four, six, seven.
13:03Those body shots helping to set up the left hook and the knockdown.
13:07Harris turns and mouths something to Roy Jones, trying to indicate that he's okay.
13:12But Derek Jefferson with a big opportunity.
13:15Minute 21 still to go in round two.
13:16Does Jefferson have the experience to know how to exploit that knockdown and a dazed Harris?
13:27Maybe he does, but the thing is, is for Jefferson not to punch himself out.
13:32Because punching himself out is the biggest danger that he's at right now.
13:36But he's smart.
13:37He's looking for the body very nicely.
13:38He's looking for an opportunity to go to the body and set something up.
13:42And that's a good way to finish.
13:44Uppercut landed.
13:45Harris goes down again.
13:47And he doesn't look like he's going to make it, but here he comes again.
13:51He is hurt seriously.
13:53He's badly hurt, and those body shots are making it even worse.
13:56Steve Smoker is going to let Harris have a chance to continue.
14:0030 seconds left.
14:03And John goes Jefferson.
14:06On a Harris right hand.
14:10He left himself open, trying to finish the show.
14:14And Harris showing his own grit.
14:17Gets him.
14:18That's because it's curious.
14:22What a comeback by Harris in the closing seconds of the round.
14:26It's more than experienced.
14:28I'm seeing guts, spirit.
14:30Harris almost went down and down.
14:32Yeah, he's out.
14:32He's out of here.
14:35And the round comes to a close.
14:38That's the best heavyweight round we have seen since when?
14:43Bowe and Holyfield, maybe.
14:45A long time.
14:51Well, I saw plenty of people on the far side of the ring who were waving for Steve Smoker
14:55to stop the fight after the second knockdown.
14:59He didn't do so.
15:00And it turned out to be a good call when Harris knocked Jefferson down himself.
15:06Steve Smoker is a very smart, experienced referee.
15:09These guys did some damage in that round.
15:11Well, now we're going to see who's in great condition, who has recuperative power.
15:19Here's the first knockdown of Harris as he comes up with a huge left hand.
15:29Harris learned how to fight in the school of hard knocks, losing all seven of his fights,
15:36losing seven of his eight fights before he's 20 years old.
15:39And he has shown that he has learned from the school of hard knocks.
15:46The way Harris got caught is he relaxed after he pushed.
15:51Harris using the uppercut there to help set up a right hand that lands.
15:56Jefferson grabbing and holding.
16:04Pull out, pull out.
16:05Pull out.
16:16Jefferson is just a force in the ring.
16:20Right.
16:21He may not have all the skills in the world, but he just wants it.
16:26I'll tell you what one advantage of his is right now.
16:29When they come together, then you see Maurice's head is dead still.
16:32Jefferson continuously moves his head left to right.
16:34Therefore, it's harder for Maurice Harris to land against Jefferson
16:38than for Jefferson to land against Moe.
16:42Good left hook to the body by Harris in that sequence.
16:45Jefferson committing to every punch upstairs.
16:50Trying to make everyone the finishing blow.
16:53Good left hook to the body again by Harris.
17:00You hit me and I'll hit you.
17:02It would appear that Tommy Parks urged Harris between rounds
17:06to try to get to Jefferson's body and sap some of his power.
17:09Right-hand shot lands for Harris.
17:12Jefferson keeps on coming.
17:14And Jefferson has a huge mug of heart.
17:19This is what we're looking for in the new heavyweight crowd.
17:24Guys who are hungry to win.
17:26Oh, that hurt his body very bad.
17:29But he comes right back again.
17:31Harris has landed three sizzling left hooks to the body in this round,
17:34and every one of them has been a telling blow.
17:37You have to be careful with that shot, though.
17:39So that's what enabled him to get hit with his left hook
17:41because his head is straight up when he's throwing that fighting shot sometimes.
17:44Harris hiding the right behind his shoulder
17:46and then trying to explode in the face of Jefferson.
17:49Jefferson, who had the reputation as a right-hand punter coming in,
17:53has shown you that his left is just as dangerous.
17:56If not more dangerous.
18:20That uppercut landed so flushed, you wonder how Mo stayed up.
18:24Time! Time!
18:26Give me a wash. Give me a quick wash.
18:28Boy, I sure thought you got it.
18:29Well, I think Harris is getting a break here.
18:31I don't know if he spit that mouthpiece out to give himself time.
18:36No, he got that mouthpiece knocked out.
18:38But he is getting a real break here.
18:41Tremendous break.
18:41In the closing seconds of round number three,
18:44with Harris wobbling and in trouble,
18:47he gets a chance to wait for a clean mouthpiece.
18:50And who knows how critical a role that played
18:53in helping Harris to survive the round.
19:00All right, all right, all right, all right, all right.
19:02Look at him, I'm cooking.
19:03Oh, we saw that man come on top.
19:06How's the lid?
19:07Listen.
19:07Now, please.
19:08Watch your foot, watch your foot.
19:09That's the way to work, my boy.
19:11Listen, Marvy, inside.
19:14Ice pack.
19:15Ice pack.
19:16Spun.
19:17Marvy, freestyle, okay?
19:18Ice pack on his back.
19:20Freeze him a little bit.
19:21Drink this.
19:22Please, I'm here to drink, man.
19:24You can take this fight over to put some punches together.
19:27Okay.
19:27Not one at a time.
19:29Put some punches, all right?
19:30We just found him.
19:31Yeah.
19:32We need to see combinations.
19:34When you get him hurt, no small short shots.
19:36They'll stop him.
19:37You got him hurt, man.
19:39Boy, you're taking his heart.
19:41This is in round two as Jefferson was coming in
19:44to try to finish Harris and walked into a punch.
19:48Well, it was more of a slip than a punch,
19:51more of a push than anything that directly knocked down.
19:55That was in the third round.
19:56No, I think that left hook was a good punch coming in
19:58that knocked Jefferson down.
20:01But Jefferson landed a beautiful uppercut
20:03in that last round.
20:05Which sent the mouthpiece flying into row seven.
20:09Fourth round begins.
20:18From the early action in this one,
20:20you suspect that the Harold Letterman scorecard
20:23and the official scorecards will be academic.
20:26Hard to see how this is going to go the distance,
20:27the way they're flailing away in there.
20:30Well, I tell you what,
20:31because Jefferson has such good punching power,
20:33that weight is beginning to be a factor, too.
20:37He should be able to take Maurice's punch
20:39a little bit better than Maurice can take his.
20:45Harris came into the fight
20:46totally dismissing Jefferson.
20:50He said that he has nothing
20:52that he hadn't seen before,
20:54didn't respect him,
20:55couldn't find anything good to say about him.
20:59I think he might have...
21:00one of the first times in the sport
21:02that the guy with nine losses
21:03thought that the unbeaten guy
21:05was unworthy of facing him in the ring.
21:08But that's the kind of guy Harris is.
21:10Well, that's why you never underestimate anybody, though.
21:14Little fatigue showing here.
21:20Jefferson trying to pound that uppercut again.
21:23Harris sticks a left hook in Jefferson's face.
21:26Jefferson keeps coming for the moment,
21:27then backs up.
21:28He seems like he's hurt.
21:30That was very strange.
21:33His instinct when he's hurt
21:35is to move forward,
21:37which is what you look in any fight.
21:39Mouthpiece going again.
21:43I think that's Harris' mouthpiece again.
21:45It is.
21:46Yeah, because Jefferson's wearing a black one, isn't he?
21:48Yep.
21:55Right there is when Maurice gets caught.
21:56He gets caught.
21:57Throwing that left hook,
21:58his head is straight up,
21:59and Jefferson knows how to time it.
22:00This is the proper moment for Smoker
22:02to get the mouthpiece back into Harris' mouth.
22:05Oh, you've got to bite down, baby.
22:07You've got to bite down.
22:08I know.
22:08You've got a better piece, Lauren.
22:11Put her in there.
22:14Okay, baby, come on.
22:16Time, baby.
22:19Now, round four resumes after the second episode of Harris getting a break to restore his mouthpiece.
22:27And this time, if anybody benefited, it might have been Jefferson.
22:41Jefferson throws good punches on the inside.
22:43He has a beautiful uppercut that's very powerful.
22:45Oh, good body shot.
22:47Oh, good body shot.
22:49Jefferson was so excited about the opportunity to fight on HBO.
22:54He said he'd be walking through a wall if necessary to win this fight because he wants to fight on
22:59HBO from now on.
23:01He's put a lot into it in the first four rounds, but Maurice Harris has survived it.
23:12So will this evolve into a boxing match that favors Harris' quicker hands,
23:17or will it remain the kind of slugfest that Jefferson wants it to be?
23:20Good round.
23:21Good round.
23:22Get your legs out.
23:23That's a good round.
23:25Breathe deep.
23:26Breathe deep for me.
23:27Breathe deep.
23:28Now, you're hitting him with the hook all day.
23:30You're hitting him with it all day.
23:32He's trying to counter you with nothing but right hand.
23:34Straight, right, or right uppercut.
23:36You're doing right by just freezing him a little bit, go in, and then you let him, you rough him
23:41up in there.
23:42You continue to rough him up in there.
23:44You can't let him in your clenching, okay?
23:46You step onto the side and bang him to the body.
23:50With that good left hook you've got.
23:51Tell me, can you bite down a little harder?
23:53Rinse him again.
23:54Rinse him again.
23:55Bite down a little harder.
23:56Bite down a little harder.
23:58No, he's all right.
23:59Bite down a little harder on the mouthpiece, okay?
24:02Now, please.
24:03Breathe deep.
24:04One deep breath.
24:05Deep breath.
24:05Come on.
24:06I mean, she's too slick for this kid.
24:07That's all he's looking for.
24:09Just freeze him.
24:10Just freeze him and feign him.
24:15Round five begins.
24:17Harold Letterman, how do you have it through four of a scheduled 10?
24:20Jim, I tell you, I got a 3-1, 39-37, Derrick Jefferson.
24:23I get the first round to Maurice Harris.
24:25I thought he learned how to clean the shots.
24:26And certainly, he came back and he hurt Derrick Jefferson at the end of the second round.
24:30So I call it the 10-9 as opposed to 10-8.
24:33You know, I tell you, Maurice Harris is a very, very slick guy.
24:36And Derrick Jefferson is throwing those punches so hard, I think his arms are stuck in the tire,
24:40Jim.
24:41He's one of these guys with big muscles, big shoulders.
24:42And he uses a lot of energy to throw a punch.
24:46Harris landing a straight right and a left hook.
24:49I scored the second round at 10-8.
24:53One knockdown canceled another, but that still left Derrick Jefferson with a knockdown,
24:58which would have given him a 10-8 round.
25:00Yeah, I tell you what, this weight is beginning to be more and more of a problem, too.
25:04Come on.
25:06Well, I think he's not giving Harris a chance to establish the kind of nice rhythm that a
25:12boxer, puncher like him wants.
25:14Well, that's what he has to do because he's the inexperienced, most inexperienced of the
25:18two guys.
25:18So he has to make it a hard-working fight for Harris.
25:21If he lets Harris do what he wants to do, that's what's going to happen.
25:24He can't allow Harris to do that if he wants to win this fight.
25:26He has to not let Harris stay there and get offensive pieces.
25:30Oh, good right hand.
25:31Straight right hand flushed by Harris.
25:34Jefferson walked right through.
25:36A lot of that is because of the weight differential.
25:39Exactly.
25:41So as good as Maurice Harris is, Roy, I'm wondering if we'll ever see a fighter under 220 pounds win
25:49the heavyweight title again.
25:51Good left hook to the body by Harris.
25:54Jefferson, 245-pounder, gripping with the uppercut.
25:58Yeah, a fighter under 220 pounds can't win the heavyweight title again.
26:06And Harris is not out of this fight yet.
26:08Oh, no, he can win it.
26:10Step out, man.
26:11Step out.
26:12It's just going to take a lot of digging down because Jefferson is a good fighter and he's
26:17a big fighter.
26:38Harris was willing to trade with Jefferson back in round one, but after the fireworks in
26:44round two, Maurice has satisfied himself to land one punch at a time and didn't get out
26:49of the way ever since then.
26:51Well, he learned to respect Jefferson's power.
27:15Round five comes to a close.
27:18Maurice Harris got his shot to beat Jeremy Williams a few months ago when Hasim Rahman dropped
27:25out of the Williams fight or actually refused to sign the contract to fight Williams.
27:29A lot of people were startled by that.
27:31Rahman has bided his time.
27:33Tonight, he'll be fighting Oleg Moskayev.
27:36A couple of pretty good-sized heavyweights.
27:37We talked about the weight, Larry.
27:39What about the height factor in the heavyweight division?
27:42We're seeing bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier men in the heavyweight division.
27:48The Klitschko brothers from Ukraine are starting to get noticed.
27:51Mount Whitaker, who was supposed to be here tonight.
27:54Michael Grant.
27:55Derek Jefferson, 6'5".
27:58Lewis, 6'5".
27:59Gulotta.
27:59Savarese at 6'4".
28:016'4 has now become commonplace.
28:03230 to 240 is commonplace in the heavyweight division.
28:08These are big, strong, athletic fighters.
28:15Limiting the opportunities for a great light heavyweight champion to do what so many great
28:20light heavyweight champions have done in the past, move up to the heavyweight division.
28:24It was one thing when Bob Foster and R.G. Moore were moving up to fight 210-pound fighters.
28:31It's quite another thing, Roy, for somebody like you at 175 to consider trying to fight
28:36a 245-pounder.
28:37Yeah, you're right.
28:39Especially at 5'11".
28:42Doesn't make enough sense.
28:46Happy Box numbers through the fifth round.
28:50Total of 145 punches have been landed and only a handful of them were jabs.
28:55This is a power shot exhibition.
28:58Jefferson throwing far more punches than Harris.
29:02In fact, more than 100 more through the first five rounds.
29:05So, in terms of activity, the fight has belonged to Jefferson.
29:09Harris has been slightly the more accurate punch.
29:22The pace of the fight slows as both fighters have gone to the body enough in the early going
29:29to wear the opponent down somewhat.
29:34Hard right hand to the body there by Jefferson.
29:37And Jefferson is slowly but surely trying to wear Maurice's hands down now.
29:42Maurice's arms seem heavy, and he seems like he doesn't want to work much
29:46because I think his arms are a little tired.
29:48Yeah, he's trying to slow the fight down.
29:52Right hand shot landing for Jefferson there.
29:55Harris has taken a lot of leather in this fight.
29:57I saw Maurice double up on the jab a moment ago.
30:10It could have been a big weapon for him if he got it going.
30:13He's behind it.
30:15And Jefferson ended that with his power punches early.
30:18And now Harris goes down again.
30:21It was a left hook inside on the road.
30:24You won't expect your time.
30:257, 8, 7, 8.
30:27Well, all right, baby.
30:28You made it.
30:29You made the count, baby.
30:30You made the count.
30:31You made the count.
30:32You made the count.
30:33Harris comes in with his hands down.
30:36Jefferson makes him pay with a leaping left.
30:4030 seconds left, and you wonder if Mo Bada can get out of the round.
30:45Here he comes back.
30:49Harris showing gumption with that left hook to the body.
30:52And he lands a left hook.
30:54Oh, and Harris, and now Jefferson wobbles again.
30:58And Jefferson comes out.
31:00Can you stay on his feet?
31:02Oh, that's good.
31:04Oh, oh, what a left hook shot.
31:07What is it?
31:08Oh, no count necessary.
31:10Derek, Jefferson, I love you.
31:16Oh, my gosh.
31:19Roy, what a shot.
31:20What a shot.
31:21Same thing.
31:21That left hook, Derek Jefferson kept tying on Morris' left hook because Morris' left head
31:26stays straight up in the air when he throws the left hook.
31:28And Jefferson tied that from round one.
31:30And once the fight got late and it got slow in the fight, you knew he would catch by his
31:35skin with that left hook.
31:36This was one of the sizzling knockout punches of recent years in the heavyweight division.
31:42Derek Jefferson ripping the night apart with a left hook to separate Morris Harris momentarily from his senses, and we
31:53hope only momentarily.
31:58No talking now to those around him.
32:04At least two doctors on the scene.
32:08And Jefferson trying to catch his breath from the sensational action in that fight.
32:18You know, we think that Harris is fine.
32:22He's nodding, he's answering the doctor's questions.
32:27I have to tell you, this is just one of the best heavyweight fights we have seen in this decade.
32:36Jefferson, even though he is 31 years old, has shown such fierce determination that we are going to see more
32:46of him and perhaps much more of him.
32:50Now, here's a look at the first knockdown, and you saw the left hook that started it all.
32:55Jefferson stepping in with Harris against the ropes and pounding that left hook to the face.
33:00And he knew how to close the show, Roy.
33:02He went to the body when nothing else was open, and that left hook was just good night.
33:10And just as I said, he tied Maurice's left hook.
33:12Watch Maurice's left hook come back, because he knew Maurice who stood up throwing the left hook, and there it
33:16was.
33:17And he was hurt, Jefferson.
33:18Yeah, he was hurt.
33:19He was hurt.
33:20Good night, Maurice.
33:23Jefferson is a power puncher.
33:26And that left hook is a weapon.
33:29A big weapon.
33:33Now, remember, the guy who just got knocked out by Derek Jefferson came into this fight off 100 rounds of
33:42sparring with Lennox Lewis.
33:44The fourth time that he has spent a training camp with Lewis.
33:48Maurice Harris is Lewis's number one sparring partner.
33:51And Harris was, if anything, overconfident coming into the fight, figuring,
33:55if I can stand in against Lennox, why would I worry about Derek Jefferson?
33:59Now he knows.
34:01Never underestimate an opponent.
34:05The applause is for Maurice Harris getting up.
34:10Dr. Dominic Coletta finally satisfied that Harris was good enough to make it.
34:17And now let's go to ring it out to Mark Barrow for the official particulars on the knockout.
34:22Ladies and gentlemen, the time, two minutes, 52 seconds of the sixth round.
34:29The winner by a knockout and still undefeated, Derek Jefferson.
34:38Jefferson.
34:42Everybody in Detroit, watch this fight.
34:44I can't get your name by the law, y'all.
34:46Keep.
34:47Down there, right front, Jordan.
34:49Take off.
34:56Ladies and gentlemen, how about a nice hand for a really talented effort?
35:01Final punch stat numbers from CompuBox.
35:05Total punches, 98 out of 302 for Jefferson.
35:08Almost all of them power shots.
35:10Harris, likewise, throwing mostly power shots and landing 79 out of 167.
35:17The big difference in the bout, the outlandish punching power, at least what was displayed here tonight was outlandish, of
35:25Derek Jefferson, who time after time stood toe-to-toe with Maurice Harris in the middle of the ring, matched
35:32his power against that of Harris, and made it work.
35:35And, Larry, that was something to watch.
35:37Yeah, and we will see more of Derek Jefferson.
35:40You know, we've been talking about the young heavyweights out there, the heavyweights who are hungry, who want to make
35:48something of their lives, who want something they don't have, instead of like some of the more recognizable heavyweights who
35:57are defending something they already have.
36:00Yeah, knowing the politics of the division, you just hope that wasn't the kind of performance that will delay Jefferson's
36:06ascent to the top instead of accelerating it.
36:09Well, he showed enough vulnerabilities that there will be people out there who will be willing to take their chances.
36:14All right, we'll have a look back at this fight again at the end of the evening, and, Roy Jones,
36:21let's just take a moment to reflect on what Derek Jefferson did.
36:25Larry talked about the weaknesses that he showed.
36:27How much work does he have to do to get ready to fight even better fighters than Maurice Harris?
36:32Well, he doesn't have much further to go.
36:34He's really looking good.
36:35He showed a lot of patience tonight.
36:37He had Maurice a few times, but he didn't go punch himself out.
36:40He showed a lot of power, which is what you like to see in a heavyweight, and he showed a
36:44great amount of determination.
36:46You love the determination factor.
36:48And he showed one of the best left hooks to have been seen in the heavyweight division since a leaping
36:53Floyd Patterson knocked out Ingemar Johansson in their second fight nearly 40 years ago.
36:58Well, next up, Hasim Rahman and Oleg Moskyev, two good fighters with a tough act to follow.
37:06Which athlete will get the best of that one?
37:09Right now, let's look ahead to some other sports programs coming up on HBO.
37:12Two weeks from tonight, tune in to HBO for more heavyweight boxing.
37:17Up and coming Michael Grant, hoping to become the next contender for the heavyweight throne, takes on always controversial Andrew
37:23Gulotta in a scheduled 12-round bout.
37:26December 4, Boxing After Dark returns with junior middleweight champ Fernando Vargas.
37:30He'll be back in the ring for the first time since his July battering of Raul Marquez.
37:35That's December 4, Vargas against Ronald Winky Wright.
37:39And tune in November 16 for another edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
37:44Among the stories, a look at the WNBA's most valuable player, Cynthia Cooper, who overcame poverty and violence on her
37:51way to the top.
37:52Also, we'll look at Tim Strachan, a top athlete, tragically paralyzed, who remains a hero at the University of Maryland.
37:59Real sports where nothing is out of bounds.
38:04All right, so Derek Jefferson...
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