Clash of the Titans -Chinese Heavyweight Boxing 2008 was held at the Venetian Casino & Resort, Macao, Macao China. The fight was for the of the NABO Heavyweight Title,WBC Asian Boxing Council Heavyweight Title and WBF International Heavyweight Title. Derrick Rossy won via a unanimous decision
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00:00 I'm just amazed at the stamina of Ray Mercer. I know he's not in the greatest
00:05 shape in the world but here we are round eight now he's stepping up to tackle a
00:08 nice combination.
00:11 Direct from the spacious Venetian arena inside the luxurious Venetian Hotel
00:17 Casino in the heart of Macau China promoter Sal Mussomici and final
00:21 forum promotions proudly present an historic event for the first time ever a
00:26 World Heavyweight Championship on China soil. Three titles on the line the WBA
00:32 Asian Heavyweight Championship the World Boxing Organization and NABO
00:36 Heavyweight Crown and the World Boxing Federation Heavyweight Title. Former WBO
00:41 Heavyweight Champion in 1988 gold medalist Mercerless Ray Mercer of the
00:45 United States versus current WBF Heavyweight Champion Derek Rossi also of
00:50 the United States. Derek Rossi the former football player going up against one of
00:55 the icons of the sport Ray Mercer. Ray 20 years in boxing coming over to Macau
01:00 China trying for maybe his last stand at Heavyweight Championship.
01:06 Dennis Miller back here at ringside and we're watching Mercerless Ray Mercer as
01:11 he approaches the ring for possibly his final last hurrah here in Macau China of
01:17 all places. Ray's been all over the place in his 20 years of boxing and I don't
01:21 think he ever envisaged himself coming here to the Orient for another World
01:26 Championship. Three world title fights on the line. Now he comes in view of the capacity crowd here in Macau at the Venetian
01:33 Arena getting a nice hand and he weighs back to the crowd as he's coming in.
01:38 Ray's used to this long walk to ringside. With the band to the bone and that's what
01:43 he's been all of his career one of the greatest chins in heavyweight history
01:47 Ray Mercer. That's when he was at his finest. And here he comes into the ring
01:52 we had a chance to talk to Ray about his final hurrah. He raised to the camera
01:58 and we're going to see what he has to say about this fight in Macau and of
02:03 course his challenger Ray Mercer. I think I'm you know I'm very well prepared and
02:10 like you said you know father time is kicking at my door and you know it's
02:15 time to if I'm gonna do it's gonna be now right here in Macau and I think I can do it.
02:21 And now we're looking at the current WBF heavyweight champion Derek
02:27 Rossi the former football player All-American from Boston College
02:30 defensive end. Falling now as a heavyweight champion. He looks to attain
02:35 two other crowns tonight the NABO and also WBC Asian belt. It would really be
02:41 something to have either Mercer or him wearing that Asian belt and they would
02:45 be wearing it proudly as well. Rossi trained by Bob Jackson and famed
02:51 trainer. He also trained Oleg Moskov the IBF current champion and of course he
02:58 owned Ramesses gym in Manhattan along with Al Gavin and Acosta Mato back in
03:04 the day. And entering arena with his promoter Sal Musumichi is Derek Rossi
03:09 and he's getting a hand for the crowd and waving at people. Under the strains
03:17 of we will rock you. And you can only imagine what's going through this young
03:22 man's mind as he approaches the ring. And he had a chance to talk to Ray Mercer and
03:27 his chances for the fight. Let's go to an interview before the fight with the young
03:31 Rossi on his opponent. I expect him to be dangerous like he said it is his last
03:36 chance so I mean he's gonna be hungry and he's gonna give me his best so we're
03:41 prepared to do you know take whatever he has. And now for the rules of this
03:46 trifecta heavyweight championship let's go to our unofficial judge at ringside
03:50 elegant Eddie Post. Thank you Dennis. The WBF, WBC and NABO rules are if there is
03:59 an accidental butt before the start of the fifth round the fight will be called
04:03 a technical draw. If the fighters stop after the start of the fifth round it
04:08 would go to the scorecards of the three judges at ringside. The three knockdown
04:12 rule is not in effect and the fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
04:16 Only our referee can stop the bout. Each round will be scored on a ten point
04:22 must system by our three judges at ringside. Those are the rules for our 12
04:26 round championship bout.
04:30 Ladies and gentlemen, Sal Muzamichi, sponsor of promotions and contagious sports and entertainment
04:38 present live from the beautiful Venetian Macau Resort Hotel in Macau, China,
04:46 Clash of the Titans!
04:50 And now ladies and gentlemen from right here in Macau, China, our gladiators have reached the arena.
05:00 Let the games begin!
05:06 This heavyweight main event is sanctioned by the WBC, WBF and WBO.
05:17 Our sanctioning body representatives for the WBC, General Colvin and Patrick Cusick.
05:23 For the WBF, Mr. Jack Kreider. For the WBO, the VP of Asia, Leon Pantasello.
05:31 Our physician at ringside, Dr. Linji Wei and our timekeeper, Samson Yu.
05:37 Boxing fans, this is our main event of the evening!
05:46 12 rounds of action for the WBF, WBO and WBC Asia World Heavyweight Championships!
05:56 Judges overseeing this championship bout, Anik Hontokam, Franz Martini and Alex Tsui.
06:04 And our referee for this championship contest, Mr. Bruce McTavish.
06:10 Introducing first in the blue corner, comes to us tonight from Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
06:17 He weighed in at 258 pounds, black trunks with gold trim.
06:23 Professional record 35 victories, 6 defeats and 1 draw.
06:28 Please welcome the former Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight world champion,
06:34 Merciless Ray Mercer!
06:40 And the public fighting guy in the red corner, he comes to us tonight from Medford, Long Island, New York.
06:52 He wears white trunks with black trim.
06:58 Professional record an excellent one, 17 victories, only 1 defeat.
07:03 Please welcome, the Shaolin fist, Derek Rossi!
07:11 Our referee, Bruce McTavish, as our instructor.
07:19 You've heard the professionals, we give you instructions, whenever I say break, step back, catch gloves, good luck.
07:32 And a matchup of both fighters, as you can see, 6 foot 3, the 6 foot 1, giving away 2 inches.
07:37 The champion to the challenger, and of course a big 258 for the challenger, Mercer,
07:42 carrying 20 some odd pounds more than the challenger.
07:45 And age 46 to 26, 20 years difference.
07:51 And a lot of experience as well.
07:54 Round 1 begins in this championship bout, 3 belts on the line.
07:57 Dennis Miller, at the microphone for Osamu Samichi's final 4 unboxing.
08:02 One thing I can say about the challenger, he had trained at a Shaolin monk temple,
08:10 here a little bit far away from Macau, for approximately 2 months.
08:15 And that training consisted of running up a mountain everyday, an hour, actually running.
08:20 He told me if you walked up the mountain it would take you 2 hours.
08:23 So he did that everyday for 2 months, and they also had him standing, or actually kneeling,
08:28 under a solid oak table for an hour at a time.
08:31 And when he came out of that table, they had to stretch him out to massage his legs to get him going again.
08:37 That's of course has improved his legs, and he feels that he can go 30 rounds tonight,
08:42 after that tutelage by those Shaolin monks.
08:48 And now we're passing out some probing jabs at Mercer.
08:51 And Mercer of course has a nice jab of his own, a la Larry Holmes.
08:55 Him and Holmes probably have the best jabs since Muhammad Ali, keeping opponents at bay.
09:01 But as we can see early in the first round, Ray, knowing that he's carrying a little baggage with him,
09:08 wants to extend this fight 12 rounds, so he's not exerting any energy.
09:12 He wants the youngster to move around and to exert energy.
09:17 Some downstairs punches by Rossi, just trying to see what Mercer has in this first round.
09:25 Mercer not showing too much.
09:27 Ray Mercer of course, 1988 gold medalist, turned pro in 1989, under the triple threat banner of Mark Roberts.
09:38 In that illustrious group you had Isle Ice Cold, the former IBF cruiserweight champion,
09:43 and Charles "The Natural" Murray, the former USBA junior welterweight champion.
09:48 So he was in some prestigious company, and that's how he began his career.
09:53 Took on Francisco Damiani, and beat him for the WBO heavyweight belt,
10:01 and certainly had one of the most savage wins in boxing history,
10:06 when he beat Tommy Morrison, who was the golden boy then, after doing the Rocky V production,
10:11 and hit him with 16 unanswered punches to knock him cold.
10:15 Winding down to the end of round number one, not too much action on Mercer's side.
10:23 The challenge is just having his way.
10:26 Mercer just kind of probing, see what he has.
10:32 [crowd shouting]
10:35 Some lashing out shots once again to the body.
10:40 And we'll be back with more championship boxing from Macau, China, in just a moment.
10:45 [bell rings]
10:55 Round two about to begin, and now Ray Mercer, just like a la George Foreman,
10:59 standing in the corner between rounds.
11:01 And that is a psychological trick to show the youngster that, you know what,
11:05 he's here and he's basically in shape.
11:07 Don't worry about that little belly, little baggage I'm carrying, because I can hang, son.
11:11 And of course, Rossi looking across the ring in bewilderment,
11:15 knowing he's in for possibly a long fight with Ray, because you know Ray has a great chin.
11:20 [bell rings]
11:22 Round two about to commence.
11:24 [crowd shouting]
11:26 Rossi again, some stinging jabs, backing up, circling away from Mercer,
11:33 away from that vaunted right hand.
11:35 And Mercer, of course, wants to trap him in the corner and do his damage in and out,
11:40 trying to conserve his energy.
11:42 I had thought that prior to this bout, Ray coming in at 258,
11:49 he would probably have to go early at this young kid and start a war,
11:54 thinking he couldn't go the distance.
11:56 But it looks like he's not doing that.
11:58 It's not the case.
11:59 It looks like he's strategically keeping the kid in the ballpark
12:03 and trying to take him out to deep water and probably drown him, in his assessment.
12:08 Nice left hook by young Rossi.
12:13 This, of course, the most notable opponent Rossi's fought.
12:17 And he's not intimidated by Ray.
12:19 He's respectful of him.
12:21 Both fighters don't have to put on a facade before the fight.
12:24 Both of them are respectful of each's ability.
12:27 Ray Mercer in the black and gold trunks, and of course, the silver and black is Rossi.
12:41 Nice combination by Rossi.
12:43 He has the crowd buzzing there.
12:46 And he shifts his way out of it.
12:48 You can see the athletic movement on Rossi.
12:50 A test of his football years.
12:53 Over 12 years of football at the Pop Warner High School in college level.
12:59 He played for Boston College University in a game which he remembers,
13:04 a big dramatic win over Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium,
13:07 where the Fighting Irish came out and they're all green.
13:10 And he said they were supposed to be intimidated,
13:12 but they fired him up even more to do a great job in beating the Irish.
13:17 Nice right hand by Rossi.
13:20 Showing a lot of tools here in the early going in this fight.
13:23 And Mercer, again, really hasn't established anything other than watch what the kid's doing
13:27 and look for an opening.
13:29 Rossi, of course, won't stop because once he does stop,
13:33 he knows that Ray's going to try to load up on him.
13:37 [crowd noise]
13:43 Of course, Dirk started boxing with his father.
13:46 He tried to go to the pros, but that didn't seem to work out.
13:49 And he looked to go to boxing because his father, Carlos,
13:52 had some bouts as a professional, and he encouraged him to fight.
13:55 But he said, "If you're going to be a fighter, you've got to do 100%,
13:59 otherwise you won't have my backing."
14:01 And he dedicated himself to the sport, and here he is here,
14:05 having a belt and fighting for two more in the Orient of Macau, China.
14:09 An outstanding story for this young man.
14:12 Winding down to the end of round number two with final four in boxing.
14:17 Dennis Miller at the microphone.
14:18 Ray Mercer against Dirk Rossi.
14:21 World Championship Boxing.
14:23 [crowd noise]
14:26 Back here at Macau, China.
14:31 I'm going to bring in our unofficial judge at ringside, Ed Post,
14:34 after two rounds.
14:35 Going into our third, you're looking at Ray Mercer in the corner.
14:38 And, Ed, how do you have the fight scored thus far?
14:41 Probably all for Rossi.
14:43 I have it 2-0 for Rossi right now.
14:46 Ray is not giving the pressure that he should give.
14:49 He's just laying back and blocking and just being defensive fighting.
14:53 Are you impressed with young Rossi's skills, his foot movement?
14:59 I love his skills.
15:00 He moves left to right beautifully, side to side, in and out.
15:04 He throws good combinations.
15:06 He's got a beautiful left hand, nice right hand to the body.
15:10 He's throwing very accurate punches.
15:12 Thank you, Ed. We'll pick you up in a couple rounds.
15:15 Round three action, and it's all been young Rossi here
15:20 in this trifecta world title.
15:24 Three belts on the line.
15:26 Venetian Hotel and Casino, the site.
15:29 The Venetian Arena, fantastic arena.
15:32 And Samu Samichi in final form boxing couldn't be more happier
15:36 and proud to present this world championship action.
15:40 The first ever heavyweight title fight on Chinese soil.
15:44 Mercer starting to last out his jab just a bit.
15:50 Trying to close the distance on young Rossi.
15:53 And ties him up.
15:57 And you know, with all that weight, 258,
15:59 hanging on that, uh, the opponent, it kind of wears you down.
16:02 That's a form of attack as well.
16:05 You can see the nice defense on Mercer.
16:08 All those blows aren't getting in.
16:10 You see, a lot of fighters would follow this guy around the ring
16:17 and exert a lot of energy.
16:19 But Ray, of course, with his 20 years experience,
16:21 is not letting that happen.
16:23 He's conserving himself, looking for the right moment to strike.
16:27 One thing I can say about Mercer,
16:29 when he started, he had in his corner Hank Johnson,
16:31 an old army buddy, and he was the brother of Marvin Johnson,
16:35 the former light heavyweight champion.
16:37 He had great tutelage in the beginning of his career.
16:41 He also had Tommy Parks.
16:43 Both of those fighters have passed away.
16:45 Tommy Parks, of course, had Bobby Chess,
16:47 rode him on to victory, and several others.
16:49 He was in Holyfield's corner early in his career,
16:51 putting on Whitaker, and he was in the ring.
16:53 He had several others.
16:54 He was in Holyfield's corner early in his career,
16:56 putting on Whitaker.
16:57 So he had great, great cornermen.
16:59 He learned a lot in the early years.
17:02 That's why he survived for 20 years, Ray Mercer.
17:04 And, of course, if Ray doesn't strike back,
17:12 Rossi, just like the heavy bag, goes in and out, in and out.
17:15 I can hear Bob Jackson telling him to circle, circle.
17:22 Stay away from that right hand of Mercer's,
17:24 because when he lulls you to sleep,
17:26 he can drop the bomb.
17:27 I've seen it many times.
17:28 Larry Holmes felt that bomb early in the fight.
17:30 He almost beat Holmes.
17:32 That was a battle of jabs in that fight as well.
17:35 I thought that Mercer beat Lennox Lewis
17:40 in the fight in Madison Square Garden,
17:42 a fight that was given to Lewis on a very slight margin.
17:45 If anything, it should have been a draw.
17:47 When Mercer's in shape, he's a great, great fighter.
17:50 He's a great, great fighter.
17:52 That's been his problem, his stamina and his weight
17:54 throughout his career.
17:55 Winding down to the end of round number 3
17:57 here at Macau China,
17:59 Ray Mercer, Derek Rossi.
18:01 Round number 4 coming up here at Macau China,
18:08 Dennis Miller at the microphone
18:10 speaking for Sal Musumichi's final form of boxing.
18:13 A look at merciless Ray Mercer,
18:15 ageless Ray Mercer in the corner with his handlers,
18:18 and the ground is shaking in the air.
18:20 Some action in the previous round,
18:21 and to the body, of course you have to go to the body,
18:24 with that package on Mercer, goes Rossi.
18:26 And of course, look at Mercer,
18:28 coming back with a nice double jab
18:30 and of course the right hand behind it.
18:32 But of course that glanced off the head of the WBF champion.
18:36 It didn't have too much of an effect.
18:38 Round 4 action.
18:40 Ray Mercer donning the black and gold trunks,
18:46 Rossi in the silver and bronze.
18:48 Referee McKevitch is our third man inside the fourth corner square
18:57 and letting the fighters do the talking.
19:00 Keeping at a distance.
19:01 That's what you want to see a referee,
19:02 not really being in the picture.
19:03 He's doing a good job letting the fighters fight.
19:06 And the crowd getting a little restless here
19:14 with Mercer's antics of just stalking.
19:17 They want to see a little more action from Ray.
19:19 And Ray, of course, answers that with a slight combination.
19:22 Ray looked at his gloves,
19:26 thought he might have had a headbutt or something,
19:28 there might be some blood, but there wasn't.
19:30 Rossi staying on his toes, in and out, in and out.
19:38 What a good boxer has to do.
19:40 And Bob Jackson told me that his fighter can bang as well,
19:43 but against a fighter like Mercer,
19:44 it's going to be a tactical fight.
19:46 We're going to take the decision, we're going to take his name,
19:48 and a big name it is.
19:50 If you want to try to load up against Mercer,
19:53 you may get lucky, but not too lucky,
19:55 because Ray will probably come back with his bombs in his own,
19:57 because he doesn't go down too much.
19:59 That right hand just missed, grazed off the chin of Rossi.
20:03 That had dynamite on it.
20:05 Once again, I say, Mercer's picking his spots,
20:08 and he's closing the gap.
20:11 [crowd noise]
20:13 And look at Ray as he points to his stomach, saying,
20:21 "Come on, hit me all night long, I'm there."
20:24 It may be big, but you know what?
20:26 It's kind of tough, like rawhide.
20:28 Just another psychological ploy, just like standing in the corner.
20:36 He's telling the kid he's going to be here all night long.
20:39 And you know what? It looks like he is.
20:41 Rossi just missing a tremendous right hand
20:44 that had knockout written all over it.
20:46 And Derek Rossi, as an amateur, not too extensive career,
20:55 had ten fights, but in a period of six months.
20:58 He was Empire Games heavyweight champion,
21:00 and two-time Golden Glove champion in New York,
21:03 and then he turned professional.
21:05 Even though he's had 17, 18 fights, with one loss,
21:10 he's still a babe in the woods, so to speak,
21:13 and learning his craft.
21:15 Eddie Chambers beat him in a grueling fight
21:20 for the New York crown.
21:22 That's his only loss on his record.
21:34 And the bell.
21:36 Dennis Miller back at the Venetian Arena,
21:41 Makaya China, and of course,
21:44 the WBF champion asking his trainer
21:47 what round it is and how am I doing.
21:50 And I think he's doing pretty well,
21:52 and I'm sure he told him just that.
21:54 He's very happy and pleased with his performance,
21:57 staying at a distance from the dangerous Mercer,
21:59 and as we see Ray, still standing in the corner.
22:02 - All right, start it off.
22:04 - Yeah, I'm ready.
22:06 - Start off on this little.
22:08 - And you can hear his trainers telling him
22:10 to step up to pace just a bit.
22:12 Some action from the last round.
22:14 Ray was picking him up just a bit
22:16 through a grazing right hand that just missed Miss Rossi.
22:19 - That's a roll.
22:21 - And round five commences.
22:31 Mercer knows that he's behind in the fight
22:34 because he's been giving away the rounds
22:36 to try to let the young man kind of tire himself out
22:39 with all that lateral movement.
22:42 Ray just started picking up the attack the last round,
22:49 and we'll probably see that throughout the fight now
22:51 because he's settled in, he knows what the kid has,
22:54 and he's ready to go.
22:56 And of course, the last round demonstrated
22:58 going to the body doesn't hurt.
22:59 You might as well go all night.
23:00 It wasn't a good down stance
23:01 because it'll leave his head open for some counters.
23:04 Rossi can't be dissuaded by Mercer's attack.
23:16 Very slow, methodical attack.
23:18 Can lull you to sleep, basically.
23:20 Has to stay focused.
23:28 And we have open round scoring in the background,
23:32 as you can hear.
23:34 And all judges at ringside favor the red corner,
23:44 likely so, by a couple rounds, two to three rounds.
23:47 And in boxing circles, you would say that young Rossi's
23:50 doing a paint job on the old warrior Mercer.
23:54 But that could change at any minute
23:55 because I don't think Ray came here for a decision.
23:57 He came for a knockout. He knows that.
23:59 If he came for a decision, he'd be in a lot better shape.
24:03 But he took this fight on basically short notice
24:06 because Haseem Rahman, the former heavyweight champion of the world,
24:09 was supposed to fight Rossi, but pulled out of the fight.
24:11 And Mercer stepped in, gladly so,
24:13 and is trying to attain his second belt.
24:18 [crowd shouting]
24:21 Just probing jabs by Mercer.
24:29 Tried to drop that right hand underneath,
24:31 but Rossi slid by it.
24:33 Very cagey young guy, this Derek Rossi.
24:36 Every time Ray wants to drop the right, he's there for it.
24:39 And he counters it or slides away.
24:46 We'll be joined again at ringside after this round by Ed Post.
24:50 Ed has been involved with Ray Mercer
24:52 in a variety of capacities for a lot of years.
24:55 He'll tell you a little bit about Ray and his performance tonight,
24:58 which, believe it or not, is pretty noteworthy
25:01 because I really didn't think he'd be there in round number five.
25:04 He's not extending a lot of energy,
25:06 but just to be fighting you after five, I'll tell you what,
25:09 any of yous at home can go put on some gloves,
25:11 get in the ring for three rounds--for five rounds, three-minute rounds,
25:14 and you might not be there.
25:16 Just throw a couple punches around.
25:18 We'll be back with more final form boxing
25:21 right after these messages.
25:23 Back here at ringside, Dennis Miller speaking for Sam Yusupnich,
25:33 his final form boxing,
25:35 three world title bouts on the line tonight.
25:38 Ray Mercer, you're looking at him,
25:40 and you're looking at some action from the previous round.
25:42 He's stepping up a little bit,
25:44 trying to throw that 258 on the challenger,
25:47 and of course, Rawcy dropping that right hand to the body
25:50 and upstairs as well.
25:52 I'm joined once again by elegant Ed Post,
25:55 and, Ed, you've been with Ray Mercer for a lot of his 20 years,
25:58 in and out, doing a lot of different things.
26:00 Assess his performance tonight and how he's doing.
26:03 Well, he's coming on better now than the first three rounds.
26:07 He's starting to be a little more aggressive,
26:09 and he has to be a little more aggressive.
26:11 He's been doing a lot of good stuff.
26:13 I saw earlier today that he traveled 8,000 miles.
26:17 He didn't just come here for nothing.
26:18 He came to win a title.
26:20 And judging through this fight, even though he hasn't done a lot,
26:28 you know, he can probably get several more fights
26:30 should he go the distance tonight.
26:32 Oh, I agree with that.
26:33 He's a great warrior.
26:35 He has a terrific chin, and if he's in shape,
26:38 I think personally he could conquer anybody.
26:43 Thank you, Ed.
26:44 Of course, you probably agree with the judges scoring.
26:46 Everybody has Rossi ahead.
26:48 Yes, I have Rossi ahead also.
26:51 Thank you, Ed.
26:52 We'll catch you at the end of the eighth or ninth round.
26:55 Mercer digging himself a hole in this fight here.
27:02 He has to really step it up soon,
27:04 or this youngster will win by unanimous decision,
27:08 which, of course, is going that way as well now.
27:12 Halfway through round number 6 from Macau, China,
27:16 a historic heavyweight championship,
27:18 three of them on the line tonight,
27:20 including the WBC Asian heavyweight championship.
27:23 An American, U.S. citizen, will be holding that crown,
27:26 which is highly unusual,
27:28 but both of them said they'd be very proud and honored
27:30 to hold that crown and would fight here
27:32 many, many more times to defend it.
27:36 Ray Shakeney said once again that nothing's hurting him,
27:39 but he's going to have to step up the attack
27:41 because the belts will go around the challenger
27:44 to two of the belts,
27:45 and of course he retained his other one, Rossi.
27:49 Rossi undeterred with Mercer's antics,
27:52 just lashing out with the jab.
27:53 Listen to Bob Jackson's chatter in the background.
27:57 See, when Ray does lash out with the jab,
27:59 it takes a lot of effort to do that,
28:01 so he drops two or three at one time
28:03 and then pulls back a little bit.
28:05 The old Ray Mercer would be popping that jab all night long.
28:08 He really couldn't get by with a counter.
28:10 He'd be eating leather all night.
28:13 Rossi throwing-- really throwing effort at each punch,
28:23 but Mercer's like granite in there.
28:25 His whole body, he's got that short neck
28:29 and a heavy head, very heavy head,
28:32 and just a solid body.
28:36 It is basically like hitting a heavy bag,
28:38 as you can hear it in the background
28:40 as Rossi just pounds away.
28:43 10-second warning in the background.
28:46 And we'll be back with more
28:47 World Heavyweight Championship Boxing
28:49 from Macau, China, right after these words.
28:54 [crowd cheering]
28:56 And our lovely ring girl here
29:01 in round seven here at the Venetian Hotel and Casino,
29:04 the Venetian Arena.
29:06 Seven rounds coming up.
29:09 And you hear Ray's trainer saying,
29:11 "Throw some body shots underneath
29:13 to slow him down just a bit."
29:15 Got five more rounds in the books,
29:17 some action from the last round,
29:19 and once again, working to the body,
29:22 and it should pay dividends later in the fight.
29:25 Round seven about to begin.
29:30 Once again, a panoramic shot
29:31 of our great arena here in Macau.
29:34 Ray Mercer, former WBO heavyweight champion
29:40 fought just about everybody in boxing.
29:43 Took a little while off.
29:44 He's had time in between bouts.
29:46 His last fight, though, was in Sweden
29:48 as an early knockout,
29:50 and that certainly helped him.
29:52 A first-round knockout,
29:53 which put him in this title fight.
29:55 And of course, you know, with his props,
29:57 with his background,
29:58 you had to have him fight for the title.
30:00 There's a nice lead right hand
30:01 and some shots underneath by Rossi.
30:04 Much of the crowd tonight
30:10 are in the old Warriors' corner.
30:12 You can hear them in the background
30:13 exhorting him on
30:15 and trying to steal lightning out of a bottle,
30:19 just like the phrase I used in our last fight
30:21 with Jana Davis, and she almost did.
30:24 Mercer with some nice combinations right there.
30:26 That's the old Mercer we know.
30:29 Right-left combination.
30:31 But he can't sustain it like the old Ray did.
30:34 Rossi knows that, but he's ever aware of that power,
30:39 which never leaves a fighter.
30:47 Ray Mercer in between every round standing up,
30:49 which is a George Foreman trait.
30:51 I haven't seen too many other fighters do that.
30:53 I think Ali, I saw him once or twice do that.
30:55 But other than that, you know,
30:57 you'd rather have that stool sitting down
30:59 to retain the energy that you have.
31:03 I certainly couldn't stand up between rounds,
31:05 I'll tell you that.
31:06 I might be looking for the floor to lay down.
31:09 Halfway through round number seven,
31:12 Ray Mercer, Derek "Rossi" Rossi,
31:16 those of you who just joined us in the silver and black,
31:18 Mercer, of course, in the black and gold.
31:20 And Rossi, of course, is doing what he wants
31:26 throughout the fight, but ever cautious of Mercer
31:29 as he stays away from that right hand.
31:31 Every time Ray lashes out, Rossi lashes out.
31:39 Keep him at bay.
31:40 Ray tried to drop the right hand that time,
31:42 but of course, Rossi tied him up.
31:45 A mark of experience.
31:47 He's gaining experience every one of these fights.
31:49 This could be a huge notch on his belt,
31:51 a win over Ray Mercer,
31:53 who is a who's who in boxing.
31:57 Another fighter that had a great fight with Ray Mercer
32:02 was Evander Holyfield, a four-time heavyweight champion.
32:04 That fight, Ray brought everything he could
32:06 to the champion.
32:08 Had a great fight, but Holyfield,
32:11 late in the fight, actually threw a volley of punches
32:13 to Ray. He took a knee.
32:15 He actually wasn't knocked down.
32:16 He knew that he really couldn't survive
32:18 the latest swalk, and he lost the decision.
32:21 But a great effort as well.
32:23 And the end of round number seven.
32:30 We'll be back with more action in just a moment.
32:32 Dennis Miller back at ringside.
32:41 Macau, China, Venetian Arena, Venetian Hotel and Casino.
32:44 The same Venetian Hotel that's in Las Vegas, Nevada.
32:47 This is another Las Vegas, but down in the Orient.
32:50 I talked to one of the owners of the hotel.
32:52 They said they took in the whole Macau
32:56 more money than Vegas did last year
32:59 because you have players from all over the world
33:01 coming to this oasis here in the Orient.
33:03 So any tourists that want to come down to the Orient,
33:09 to Macau, come on down because this is a great hotel,
33:12 a great facility, and a lot to do down here.
33:15 You have Hong Kong that's just down the pike,
33:18 so to speak, on the ferry.
33:20 And you can really enjoy yourself down here.
33:23 Seven rounds in the books.
33:29 And the referee, Mikovic, staying away from the action.
33:32 Surprisingly, there's been very little holding here.
33:35 And just as I say that, we hold just a bit.
33:37 But he really hasn't had to work too much.
33:40 That's because Rossi wants to stay at long range.
33:44 You don't want to stay in that danger zone of Ray
33:46 because Ray can drop an uppercut
33:48 or something in close that could hurt him.
33:50 Up and down punches from Rossi,
33:57 just like in the gym.
33:59 And of course, once again, Bob Jackson yelling,
34:02 "Circle, circle."
34:04 You can hear him.
34:06 Double up and circle right, left.
34:08 Soon as Ray gets a beat on him, he goes the other way.
34:11 I'm just amazed at the stamina of Ray Mercer.
34:17 I know he's not in the greatest shape in the world,
34:19 but here we are in round eight,
34:20 and now he's stepping up and tackling a nice combination
34:23 of kind of stunned Rossi.
34:25 Rossi trying to figure where that energy came from.
34:28 Well, Ray's been saving it up,
34:31 because this is deep water, as I said earlier in the telecast.
34:34 That's where Ray wants to be.
34:36 Ray dropping out to the probing jab.
34:44 And Bob Jackson saying, "Don't duck. Stay upright. Stay upright."
34:51 Once you duck, the uppercut may come behind it.
34:54 Nice one-two-three combination by Rossi.
35:03 Still going downstairs and across the top.
35:05 But Mercer, of course, taking most of the blows on his gloves.
35:08 And he's not chasing Rossi around at the bell.
35:12 We'll be back with more action from Macau in just a bit.
35:15 Back in Macau, China,
35:18 Dennis Miller speaking for Sam Musumichi's final four in boxing.
35:21 We're going to bring back Ed Post again,
35:23 and Ed, Ray trying to pick up the attack just a bit.
35:26 Well, he seems to be picking it up.
35:28 He's coming in close. He's throwing his jab.
35:30 He's trying to be aggressive.
35:32 He's getting held a couple of times.
35:35 There's his double jab.
35:37 And right hand right over the top of the head.
35:40 He needs to do that consistently more.
35:43 He's got to be his old self. He's got to get back into it.
35:46 Have you given him any rounds in this fight?
35:48 Yes, I have. I've given him two rounds.
35:50 Okay, there's Ed Post.
35:52 So Ray picking up the pace,
35:53 and that's probably just the last couple rounds that he's won.
35:56 Correct.
35:58 Thank you, Ed.
36:00 And Ray commences.
36:03 Rossi probably way ahead in the fight,
36:05 but Mercer closing the gap just a bit.
36:07 Once again, I said, he's really not looking for a decision.
36:10 He knows he's not going to get it,
36:11 because this kid's landing a lot of punches,
36:13 a lot of volleys of punches,
36:14 but Ray's looking for that big shot
36:16 to rock the challenge and maybe put him away.
36:19 And as Ed Post has said,
36:21 he won the last two out of three rounds,
36:23 and he's really picking his pace up somewhat now,
36:26 trying to look for that right hand.
36:28 And of course, Rossi is not accommodating.
36:30 He's trying to keep that distance.
36:35 The crowd trying to exhort Mercer in.
36:39 They kind of fell in love with him.
36:41 They know his background,
36:43 and they'd like to see him get that elusive belt one more time.
36:47 Of course, he was a former WBO heavyweight champion,
36:50 and one of their first probably at that particular time,
36:54 and he got it in the early '90s.
36:59 Referee Mikovic, our third main inside the four-corner square,
37:02 doing an excellent job letting the fighters fight.
37:06 And Rossi really working underneath.
37:12 Keeping himself busy down underneath
37:14 and trying to slow Ray down,
37:16 but Ray, of course, is not moving too fast anyway.
37:19 He just wants to find that one spot,
37:22 and he's going to throw against the rope
37:24 where he can land those damage punches.
37:32 And of course, Rossi training with that Charlene Monk
37:36 in the temple.
37:38 Looks like he can go another ten rounds.
37:41 He's going in and out, side to side,
37:44 punches and bunches, so to speak.
37:46 We don't have any copy box here,
37:48 but he certainly threw a lot of punches every round,
37:50 and he's a great fighter, just--
37:52 even if the other fighter's not throwing back too much,
37:54 just landing the punches.
37:56 And when you miss, it takes even more.
38:01 Mercer feigning the right hand,
38:03 but he has to throw it now, as time's winding down.
38:06 Rossi with a nice combination on Ray.
38:08 Ray ties him up.
38:17 And now Rossi in the silver and black,
38:19 and Ray Mercer in the black and gold.
38:22 Three titles on the line tonight.
38:26 WBC Asian heavyweight crew.
38:29 WBF heavyweight championship,
38:31 and WBA, NABO, intercontinental title.
38:35 Two vacant titles, and one that Rossi has.
38:40 And that's nice to go home with that, with that hardware.
38:42 You probably need a truck to take it out of here with that gold.
38:47 And the end of round number nine coming down.
38:57 Dennis Miller back at the Venetian Hotel and Casino,
38:59 Venetian Arena.
39:00 Round number ten about to commence.
39:03 Derek Rossi in the red corner against Ray Mercer in the blue.
39:07 Three world title bouts on the line tonight.
39:10 It's been all Derek Rossi in this fight.
39:17 And we'll listen to his trainer say, "You can do it.
39:19 Just let your hands go now, Ray.
39:21 You have to let them go."
39:22 Ray knows this.
39:23 He's been standing up throughout the fight in between rounds,
39:26 trying to have a psychological ploy,
39:28 saying that he is in shape and he's ready to go the distance,
39:31 so you better be ready as well.
39:33 So even though Rossi's way ahead on all cards,
39:36 still has a couple rounds to go,
39:37 and he's going to watch his old warrior,
39:39 because he's up to his old bag of tricks,
39:41 and he may pull something out.
39:44 And the bell.
39:47 Ray starts jabbing, picks up the attack just a bit.
39:51 That was a nice jab by Mercer.
39:54 Rossi stepped back.
39:56 But still working to the body, as he has been throughout the fight.
40:03 Circling right, then circling left is Rossi.
40:07 Outstanding condition is this young athlete,
40:10 former Boston College All-American defensive end.
40:17 Now he's trying to be a world champion in several categories.
40:20 He has won.
40:26 Mercer moving just a little more quickly now,
40:29 and using the jab a little bit more effectively.
40:31 And, of course, now Rossi snatches at his right eye.
40:36 I don't know if it was a thumb in the eye or what,
40:38 but it bothered him for a second.
40:40 And Mercer landed a little combination.
40:43 So we're suddenly seeing a little adversity here in Rossi on his right eye.
40:48 We'll have to watch that.
40:57 There's a nice lead right hand by Rossi that snatched the face of Mercer.
41:01 But Mercer, once again, as I said, has that tough neck.
41:05 And, of course, the strongest chin in boxing over a 20-year period.
41:11 He's really not going anywhere.
41:14 And still very good defensive skills by Mercer throughout this fight.
41:18 A lot of punches are landing, but a lot of punches he's catching here.
41:22 It's just that he hasn't been able to get off.
41:25 And that's probably attributed to the young guy's busyness
41:28 and also raised stamina and, of course, you know,
41:31 his just being a little bit out of shape.
41:33 I'm really surprised in round number 10 that Ray is still here.
41:37 And there's Ray with a little sugar ray landed with the right hand
41:40 motioning that he wants to throw it.
41:43 But he better start throwing it soon because you only have a little over two
41:46 rounds to go here before all is said and done.
41:54 Crowd in the background yelling Mercer's name, wanting him to step it up.
41:58 [crowd talking]
42:06 Once again, Bob Jackson in the background giving him some commands,
42:11 telling him to circle, circle.
42:16 30 seconds and winding down to round number 10 here at Macau, China.
42:20 Hope you're enjoying this entertaining and interesting heavyweight fight.
42:23 Interesting the fact that Mercer's still there, a little out of shape,
42:27 but he's still in round number 10.
42:30 And young Rossi is on the verge of winning three world championships.
42:36 We'll have more final four boxing, final four in boxing in just a moment.
42:40 [crowd talking]
42:43 [bell ringing]
42:49 Dennis Miller back at ringside, round 11.
42:52 We're going to bring back Ed Post.
42:54 He's been up here in the last several rounds of jab, start to pop.
42:58 Well, he's started with the jab now and he's throwing his right hand pretty good.
43:02 He's just got to keep it up.
43:04 He's not throwing the flow of punches like he should be.
43:09 What do you think about his strategy of standing up between rounds,
43:12 a la George Foreman?
43:13 Well, it's very good psychologically, especially to the young fighter.
43:17 The young fighter probably has never seen that.
43:22 I think he's a very good George Foreman.
43:24 George used to do that every fight, no question about it, even as a youngster.
43:28 Of course, as a youngster, you have to worry about his stamina.
43:30 George, he was there.
43:31 [bell ringing]
43:32 Annabelle, round 11, only two rounds to go here in this world championship fight,
43:36 heavyweight championship, the first ever on China soil,
43:40 and Sal Musumichi is very proud to bring this with his final four in boxing.
43:44 And I'm sure after a very good night of boxing, when all's said and done,
43:49 we're going to have some more tremendous fights in the very near future
43:52 because we know that Macau and China are very, very receptive of Sal Musumichi,
43:57 what he's trying to do.
44:00 He's going like Star Trek where no other promoter has ventured.
44:04 He put a lot of effort in this virgin territory here in the world,
44:08 and I think it's going to pay great dividends in the future.
44:21 And one thing I can say about Sal Musumichi as a promoter,
44:24 he started as a grassroots promoter.
44:26 He was a New York City fireman.
44:28 He got hurt on the job and had some disability, and now he turned into a businessman.
44:33 And boxing always was in his life.
44:35 He was an amateur boxer.
44:36 His son's an amateur boxer right now in the Golden Gloves in New York.
44:39 And he's the type of fighter that--or type of promoter, I should say--
44:43 that put his money on the line early on,
44:45 not like a lot of these big-time promoters that have these big money.
44:48 You have Oscar De La Hoya from Golden Boy and several others that--
44:52 Floyd Mayweather's going to start his own company up--
44:54 that have money already and have the network contract.
44:57 But Sal started out with no money in his pocket,
44:59 gambled on small fights, and here he is with some world championship boxing.
45:04 And now we have some action heating up here around 11.
45:07 Both fighters going after each other.
45:10 That's what the crowd's been waiting for.
45:12 Mercer waking up.
45:15 He knows he doesn't have too much time to work.
45:22 Rossi again going from side to side.
45:28 That right eye is reddened from what could have been a thumb
45:31 or could have been a headbutt, but no blood on Rossi.
45:41 Ray Mercer maybe in the final hurrah of main event status tonight
45:47 with three titles on the line, trying to do the best he can in a fill-in role.
45:53 I don't want to sound redundant, but remember,
45:55 Hasan Raqman was supposed to fight Rossi, pulled out.
45:58 He's back.
46:01 Mercer came in, wasn't in the greatest of shape, as you can see,
46:04 but is really doing an admirable job in his short situation.
46:10 I'm sure we'll see Ray in some more fights to come.
46:12 We'll ask him after the fight about his performance tonight
46:15 and about if he wants to continue on.
46:17 Win or lose.
46:19 And we're winding down to the end of round 11.
46:21 We'll be back with more championship boxing from Macau, China,
46:25 and we'll be back with more of the world championship boxing.
46:28 [bell ringing]
46:32 [indistinct chatter]
46:35 [bell ringing]
46:38 [indistinct chatter]
46:42 Dennis Miller back here at ringside in our lovely ring girl
46:46 with the number 12, the last round coming up here
46:49 in a world championship fight, three titles on the line.
46:52 And he's exhorting him on, his trainer,
46:55 saying, "Come on, Ray, you still got it."
46:57 Some action from the previous round.
46:59 Ray's been stepping up the attack just a bit,
47:01 but he can't sustain that attack.
47:03 Been throwing in combination,
47:05 but it takes a lot of energy when you do that,
47:07 so he has to make all of his punches count.
47:09 And round 12 begins.
47:11 Both touch gloves.
47:13 [indistinct chatter]
47:16 And for a boxing purist, it's been a very good fight
47:19 because just watching Ray Mercer in action,
47:22 coming in on short notice
47:24 and putting an admirable performance is quite well.
47:28 I'm sure someone's gonna give him a call and say,
47:30 "Hey, Ray, how'd you like to fight my guy?"
47:32 If anything, win or lose, Ray's gonna get another payday,
47:34 a good payday.
47:36 And Rossi, like all 11 rounds before,
47:40 still working the body,
47:42 doing what Bob Jackson says, "Down and up, down and up,
47:44 and circle."
47:46 A tactical fight, and it's paid huge dividends.
47:49 But remember, we still have over two minutes to go,
47:51 and anything can happen with Ray Mercer.
47:53 Never fall asleep.
47:55 Remember Big John Tate and Mike Weaver years ago.
47:57 15th round, 15 seconds ago,
47:59 a left hook by Weaver,
48:01 and it was all she wrote when we won the title.
48:03 Behind on all cards. Way behind.
48:05 That could happen now.
48:07 Ray throws the right hand just as I speak,
48:09 trying to load up.
48:11 And he has two minutes to get the job done.
48:13 [crowd shouting]
48:15 Rossi trying to pull away.
48:21 He don't want to be any closer to Ray.
48:23 Ray's desperate right now.
48:25 Nice double left hook by Rossi.
48:31 Steps away.
48:33 Mercer drops his guard for a second.
48:35 Smiling at Rossi,
48:37 saying he's still there.
48:39 I'm shocked that he's still--I really am shocked
48:41 that he's still there.
48:43 But Rossi didn't come to knock him out.
48:45 He came to win the decision,
48:47 and you can see he's doing a great job.
48:49 Ray with a whistling left hook.
48:51 That had dynamite on it.
48:53 But he couldn't follow it up with the right hand.
48:57 'Cause Rossi keeps himself out of harm's way.
48:59 Kovac breaks the fighters.
49:05 Breaks the fighters.
49:07 And under a minute to go
49:13 in this heavyweight championship,
49:15 first ever from the Macau soil
49:17 and also Chinese soil.
49:19 Final form boxing.
49:23 Certainly happy and proud to bring you all of this action.
49:25 A real event here.
49:29 The crowd is alive and buzzing
49:31 that there's Western boxing,
49:33 and we're here for Western boxing here in Macau.
49:35 Mercer with 30 seconds left for the knockout.
49:39 Tries to move in and knocks down
49:41 Rossi suddenly and dramatically.
49:43 And of course, Rossi's saying it was a push.
49:47 He's all right.
49:49 And that's what Ray was looking for.
49:51 He waited for 11 plus rounds to drop that punch.
49:53 Kovac said, "Let's go." That was a knockdown.
49:57 And with 11 seconds to go,
50:01 Rossi's trying to get a little bit of time,
50:03 waiting a little bit too long.
50:05 The crowd is on its feet.
50:07 Five seconds to go,
50:09 and Rossi certainly will survive.
50:11 And he said good fight to Ray Mercer.
50:13 You did a good job.
50:15 Ray Mercer, of course, also did an outstanding job.
50:19 Coming up...
50:29 Dennis Miller back here at ringside of Macau
50:31 with Ed Post.
50:33 And Ed, tell us about the fight.
50:35 Of course, that last knockdown, controversial.
50:37 - That was exciting.
50:39 Let me tell you something, he was waiting for that all night.
50:41 - And of course, how did you have that fight scored at the end?
50:45 - Well, I had
50:47 Rossi way ahead
50:49 of me.
50:51 - And there it is.
50:55 Mercer probably winning two rounds or three of that bout.
50:57 But some great action in between.
50:59 Ray picked the spots, and he almost picked the right spot
51:01 there at the end.
51:03 You can see some of the action
51:07 as we're getting ready for the
51:09 decision.
51:11 - Boxing fans, after 12 rounds of action,
51:19 we go to the judges' scorecards.
51:21 Judge Franz Marti
51:25 scores the bout 115-112.
51:27 Judge Annick Honkenham
51:31 scores the bout 117-110.
51:33 And Judge Alex Shwe
51:37 scores the bout 119-107.
51:39 All for your winner, by unanimous decision,
51:43 from Medford, New York,
51:47 Derek
51:49 Shaolin
51:51 Fist, Rossi!
51:53 [cheers and applause]
51:55 - All right, let's hear it out.
51:59 A round of applause for Ray Mercer,
52:01 also Ray Mercer.
52:03 - A real gutty performance by Ray Mercer,
52:09 and the championship got the trifecta,
52:11 the three championship belts.
52:13 We're gonna try to catch up with Ray and see his assessment
52:17 of tonight's fight.
52:19 Ray, a gutty old warrior.
52:21 Ray, a real gutty performance tonight.
52:23 - I need to be in a little better shape.
52:25 I trained--my training camp was at home this time.
52:27 Instead of New Jersey, that's if I would've been in New Jersey,
52:29 I'd have been in a little better shape,
52:31 but my hat's off to Derek.
52:33 He's a young guy coming up. He's a better belt.
52:35 - Describe that knockdown in the last round.
52:37 That's surprising.
52:39 - I don't know if it was a knockdown or not,
52:41 but I hit him first, and then I think I hit him with my forearm
52:43 or something like that.
52:45 - The game plan seemed to walk him down,
52:47 and later on in the fight, pick up the noise.
52:49 - You know, sometimes when you get old,
52:51 it's harder to get started than you think it is.
52:53 You know what I'm saying? You think you're gonna go this much rounds.
52:55 You're trying to save yourself, and that's why I made a mistake.
52:57 I should've got more into it, but I needed to be in better shape.
52:59 That's all. - How about Derek?
53:01 Assess his performance as a youngster.
53:03 - I think he did great. He moved the whole--he moved the whole
53:05 fucking fight. I was really surprised.
53:07 You know? I was really surprised.
53:09 - Really, a lot of people really didn't think he'd go 12 rounds.
53:11 I did, because I know you for a lot of years.
53:13 You have a lot of heart, Ray, and you never quit,
53:15 and you got the greatest shins in boxing, even now.
53:17 - Yeah, at 46.
53:19 You know, like I said, man, I came in, I did my best
53:21 on what I had to work with, and, you know,
53:23 who knows? Next time in the future, maybe.
53:25 But I love the people here. They took care of me,
53:27 and they're just great. Maybe they spoiled me a little too much.
53:29 - Congratulations to the tremendous effort.
53:31 Ray Mercer.
53:33 Dennis Miller with the victorious winner.
53:45 He's being congratulated now as I speak.
53:47 Little pandemonium in the ring.
53:49 Sal Musumichi, the promoter.
53:51 And I'll talk to Sal for just a second.
53:53 Sal, you're fighting a tremendous performance today,
53:55 but the All-Warhorse came back with a controversial
53:57 knockdown that last round.
53:59 - Yeah, a lot of credit to Ray Mercer.
54:01 I mean, at his age, he still has it.
54:03 It's like he's made of granite, you know?
54:05 And he gave Rossi work, and Rossi fought the right fight.
54:07 - Well, let's try to talk to the victorious champion.
54:09 If we can, he's still being--trying to get all those
54:11 bells ringing.
54:13 We got three of them tonight.
54:15 Look at all those bells. The trifecta tonight.
54:17 Let's talk about the Warhorse, Ray Mercer, first of all.
54:19 And let's talk about that last round.
54:21 It's quite a controversial knockdown.
54:23 - Right. No, no. I mean, it's a legal knockdown.
54:25 It was a punch. He just caught me in the air,
54:27 knocked me off balance, but it was a good call by the ref.
54:29 Good call.
54:31 - Were you surprised that he would go the distance, Ray?
54:33 You were really landing some shots most of the night,
54:35 doing a paint job on him.
54:37 - No, no. I knew he was gonna go the distance.
54:39 I mean, he's an old vet. He knows how to take his rest,
54:41 and he knows how to take his shots, and I knew he was
54:43 widening up for the big shot. That's why I wasn't in the
54:45 trade room. The trade room, that's his game.
54:47 I got my game. You know, it may not be pretty,
54:49 but it's a W at the end of the night.
54:51 - So halfway through the fight, it looked like he thumbed
54:53 your eye. You were having problems with that eye.
54:55 - It was a good thumb to the eye.
54:57 You know, my little fault, letting him know that,
54:59 it bothered me, but, you know, a little youth in me.
55:01 But I recovered fine. I knew he sensed something,
55:03 but that's why I came back with the one-twos.
55:05 - How about training with those Charlene Monks?
55:07 That certainly helped your performance tonight.
55:09 - I could have danced all day. I could have danced all day,
55:11 which was the plan. We weren't going to mix it up with Ray.
55:13 I mean, once again, it doesn't make for a pretty fight,
55:15 but I'm in here, not everybody else.
55:17 - Let's talk about all those belts.
55:19 Firstly, the WBC Asian belt.
55:21 An American wearing that has to be really a great honor.
55:23 - No, it's a great honor. I feel very honored
55:25 to be here in Macau, having the first heavyweight title here,
55:29 and also being an American wearing the belt,
55:31 so I'm very proud.
55:33 - So what's next in Macau? Let's talk to your promoter right here.
55:35 We got him right here. - I just might.
55:37 - How about coming back to Macau with this good crowd here?
55:39 - Oh, we love it here.
55:41 The people of the Venetian are great here.
55:43 The people of Macau are great,
55:45 and this is the first professional boxing event here,
55:47 a great heavyweight title fight like this,
55:49 and they're asking us to bring them more shows,
55:51 and Derek will be back to defend this title here.
55:53 - Okay, so you got three belts here.
55:55 Who would you want to call out for after this?
55:57 Maybe it's too early for that, but you got the top ten people.
55:59 - Right. I never call out anybody.
56:01 That's his job. I don't trash-talk.
56:03 I just fight. That's all I do.
56:05 - Now, tell us about some of the plans that you have
56:07 here in the China and the Asian area.
56:09 - Well, we're gonna be developing boxing over here.
56:11 They loved our show.
56:13 We're the first to come here and do it.
56:15 We achieved what we were looking to do.
56:17 That's bring professional boxing to Macau.
56:19 We came to the biggest place you can to in Asia
56:21 to do an event.
56:23 - And the first time ever a heavyweight championship here in China,
56:25 and that has to really go a long way
56:27 to say what Final Four Promotions is doing.
56:29 - Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
56:31 It's a--it's a--
56:33 Oh, yes. Oh, yes. It's a--
56:35 We're really bringing big-time boxing here to Macau,
56:37 and we're excited about it.
56:39 With a champion like Derek Rossi,
56:41 he's knocking on the door of any of the champions right now.
56:43 Let it be known.
56:45 He'll take any of them on. He's ready.
56:47 It's his time this year, 2008.
56:49 Derek Rossi, world title.
56:51 - Okay, Sal. So, for Sal Musumichi and Final Four Promotions,
56:53 this is Dennis Miller saying so long
56:55 from Macau, China,
56:57 where Derek Rossi takes on three belts today,
56:59 two vacant ones,
57:01 and he defends his WBF heavyweight championship.
57:03 I'm Dennis Miller. Good evening.
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57:35 you
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