AJC Article

A rough route to riches

BYLINE: STEVE HUMMER
DATE: July 10, 2004
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
EDITION: Metro; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SECTION: Sports
PAGE: C2

A fight broke out in church Friday night. Several of them, in fact.

In between, women stripped down to their necessities and paraded around with abnormally large numerals, like a Sesame Street bit gone horribly wrong.

Blood and sweat spewed. The joint erupted in occasional primal roars, a chorus found in no known hymnal. The hotter it got inside beneath searing lights, the more this congregation frothed.

And when one Yusef Mack did land a right hand squarely to the jaw of Donnell Wiggins, sending the young visitor from Covington, Tenn., sprawling, fight night in Atlanta was officially on.

Live from the Tabernacle -- that old church downtown converted to a secular, entertainment property -- was proof that the old fight game may be staggering, but it still can stumble into a Southern niche now and again. If not quite as big these days on TV as reprobates playing poker, boxing at least draws the occasional interest of the ESPN2 cameras like the ones stationed around the joint this night.

Co-promoters David Oblas and Austin Wingo are giving the game a good go in a town that has resolutely resisted it. Having cable television broadcasting their card elevated it to their most ambitious effort yet. You would rank it below other notable Atlanta events such as Muhammad Ali's comeback against Jerry Quarry in 1970 or Evander Holyfield's 15-round out-of-body experience against Dwight Qawi in 1986. But every dream slowly builds.

Their show kicked off quietly when 23-year-old Tyrese Hendrix from just down the road got his first professional victory in a four-round decision over Raleigh's Jovannn Jones. "I'm just trying to get rich," Hendrix said with a small smile afterwards. He has chosen one of the toughest routes to riches that there is, but here's to the journey.

As for the 1,500 fans stacked upon each other in the Tabernacle and the television audience that eventually joined them, they got exactly what they craved. Specifically, explosive violence, much of it locally generated.

Mack's knockout punch was quick and concussive, a no-doubt punch that sucked the air from anyone watching it. As a follow-up, Atlanta's Troy Wilson (6-0) didn't lack much. He chose to deliver his own right, short and straight, to the nose of Covington's Rodney Freeman in the second round. Freeman was able to rouse himself before the end of the round, but his corner wisely chose to forego Rounds Three through Six.

The night naturally enough would build to the reason for all this fuss, a scheduled 10-round lightweight fight featuring boxing's most alliterative, if not yet most accomplished, fighter, Ebo Elder. Newnan's own has taken his comeback (standing at 19-1 entering Friday) far enough to demand Teddy Atlas comment on cable.

The last time Elder was part of the ESPN-squared programming schedule was four months but a whole set of circumstances ago. Then, Elder was the designated patsy, the hard but nevertheless convenient step-up for a previously unbeaten up-and-comer. But Elder took a unanimous decision over Oscar Diaz that night.

"I wasn't supposed to win that one. The guy was hot. Both Lou Duva and the TV people were strong behind him. I took a big risk [fighting Diaz on only three week's notice], a big risk."

The risk was clearly lessened Friday night against the often-defeated Fernando Trejo (24-7-4). Now Elder wasn't a stranger fighting in Miami but rather a minor local celebrity fighting in his extended backyard. Now he was the main event in a middle tier fight town.

Yeah, Elder wants to be rich, too. "Three fights after this one I want to be fighting for a world title," he said beforehand.

Amen.