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Cheng explodes at the Fifth Rumble at the Rock

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

umble at the Rock V was

held Friday, March 27" at

the River Rock Casino and
Resort in Richmond and was billed as
“Heavyweight Explosion.” Former BC
Lion Paul Cheng made sure that it lived
up to its name.

Cheng, who was selected by the
Lions sixth overall in the 2002 CFL
Entry Draft, didn’t turn out to be the
stalwart at defensive end that BC was
hoping for, but after Friday night it
appears that boxing may be his true
calling.

Cheng, who at 30 years of age
is on the older side to be beginning a
fighting career, made his professional
debut on the fourth match of the card in
dramatic fashion against a surprisingly
overweight Teddy Adeoba in a bout
that was scheduled for four rounds
in the heavyweight division. Cheng,
who weighed in at a very solid 264
pounds, absolutely annihilated the
Nigerian-born Adeoba, who looked like
he had made just a few more trips to
the fridge than the gym in the lead-up

to the fight. Cheng entered the bout in
terrific condition and came out flying
right from the opening bell. He didn’t
waste any time as he came out and
knocked Adeoba down twice in the
first 30 seconds of the match. After the
second knockdown the referee ended it.
Cheng couldn’t have asked for a better
opponent to kick off his pro career
with; Adeoba hadn’t fought since 2005
but he was impressive nonetheless.

The evening’s main event
featured Qualicum Beach native Mark
Woolnough (18-5-1) against American
journeyman Steve Walker (24-19-0).
Woolnough hammered Walker early in
the first with a hard body shot that sent
Walker to one knee. Walker went down
shortly after that but was able to make
it to the bell. After absorbing what
appeared to be a routine punch to the
body to open the second, Walker quit
on the match and retired to his corner to
a chorus of boos from the nearly 1000-
strong crowd.

Overall, the fifth Rumble at the
Rock was an entertaining event. A
showcase of the sweet science it was
not, but there was plenty for the fans to

cheer about. The card featured seven
matches of almost all local fighters,
many of whom had little experience.
There were several that came woefully
out of shape, although none quite as
bad as Teddy Adeoba, and there were
no defensive strategists to be found.
Several of the lower-card matches
featured wild swings that exposed the
heads of the combatants, but the skill
level wasn’t too high so most failed to
capitalize on those opportunities.
There were hilarious moments to
the night as well. In the second match

of the evening, Burnaby’s Jamie Walton

took on Surrey’s debuting Inderjit
Bisla in a four round, heavyweight

contest. Walton, who won on a majority

decision, spent most of the fight
showboating by twirling his arms and

dropping his hands while Bisla’s trainer

didn’t stop screaming instructions for
the entire bout. Honestly, he was louder
than the crowd.

Rumble at the Rock VI takes place
on June 19" and will be headlined by
the 10-1 Kevin Reynolds.

DVDs available from PyroMan
Entertainment

PyroMan Entertainment is selling
DVDs of Rumble at the Rock \V
as well as other Rumble at the
Rock events. To order a DVD

or get more info, email info@

2h, romanentertainment.com

 

 

 

 

CANUCKS CORNER

ack in January, if you had
B suggested that the Vancouver

Canucks would be in strong
contention for the Northwest
Division title, you would have been
met with laughter. After all, the
Canucks endured a 10-game losing
streak that seemed to stretch on
forever. Now however, that notion
really isn’t that far-fetched as the
team has been reeling off wins
consistently since February.

As of Sunday, March 29",
Vancouver sits fifth in the Western
Conference and just three points
behind the divisional leading Calgary
Flames. Since the trade deadline
the Flames haven’t been able to win
to save their lives. This is despite
the strong performance of deadline
acquisition Olli Jokinen, who, after
being picked up from the Phoenix

 

   
 

 
 

Garth

McLennan
sports editor

 

Coyotes, has 13 points, and eight
goals, in 12 games with Calgary.
Vancouver meanwhile, has been
arguably the hottest team in the
league after a nine-game winning
streak that sent them rocketing up the
Western Conference standings. Their
point vault has coincided with the
stunning and inspired play of Alex
Burrows, undoubtedly the NHL’s
most improved player this season
with a career high of 25 goals this
season and has emerged as the team’s
heart during the stretch run. Burrows
has been playing regularly with the
Sedin twins of late and has posted an
incredible ten goals in March so far.
Since January first, no Canuck has
more goals then Burrows.
Vancouver has done a terrific
job of pulling away from the pack
in the lower echelon of the Western

Vancouver in a dogfight over Northwest title

Conference and sits just two points
back of the fourth place Chicago
Blackhawks. If the Canucks can pass
either the Blackhawks or the Flames
the post-season implications will be
huge; the top four clubs that qualify
for the playoffs are automatically
granted home ice advantage. For a
team like Vancouver, who because of
their geographic location are forced
to put up with more travel than any
other team in the NHL, that would be
a huge advantage.

Vancouver’s frequent flyer miles
could turn out to be an unexpected
advantage come playoff time though.
There is a reason why Western
Conference clubs are traditionally
tougher in the post-season then their
Eastern counterparts; the travel in
the West is much more gruelling and
extensive. Compare the Canucks to

 

New York’s “road games” include
short bus trips to New Jersey and
Long Island while Vancouver has to
go to Colorado and Minnesota for
divisional games. All of that time
logged on the road can be both a
blessing and a curse. It is tough to
endure but it better prepares you for
the rigours of the post-season.

Vancouver could very well come
up short in the race for the Northwest
title. Either way, they are in a good
position because the expectations for
them were so low just a short while
ago. Now the pressure is on Calgary
to maintain their lead, while anything
that the Canucks accomplish above
making the playoffs is really just a
bonus.

 

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