Atlanta Daily World

Virgil Akins Wants Crack At Vince Martinez In St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - "I want the championship fight with Vince Martinez held in St. Louis," Virgil Akins told the NNPA during a post fight press conference at his home here.

"The Arena of Busch Stadium is OK with me", he added.

The Honey-bear eliminated Isaac Logart with a right uppercut in the sixth round of their 12-round elimination bout before 5,000 paying customers in Madison Square Garden, and the regular Friday night fight television audience.

Harry Kessler stopped the bout in 2:53 after the 24 year old Cuban had been blasted to the canvas two times, and was taking "a finishing" from a master as he stood helpless against the ropes.

Virgil was trailing on the score-cards of all three officials when he trapped pretty Isaac in the center of the ring in the fatal sixth. "I knew that I had him in the third when I dug a left hook into his body. I could see him slowing down, he became flat footed and began to trade punches with me," Akins said. "I knew that it was just a matter of time then".

Tunney Farrell, Akins trainer, said their plan was to go after the guy in the first two rounds, shake him up with a couple of stiff punches "to make him respect Virgil".

"We wanted to let the guy run himself out of steam in six or seven rounds". Farrell said, "but we planned to keep striking distance." "I knew that Virgil was a better finisher than Logart"

"I saw the tipoff of the knockout in the fourth round when Logart began slowing down. He stopped dancing on his toes. and plodded flat footed. In the fifth he tried to punch with Virgil and caught a left hook to the body. This punch slowed him to a walk and started

The two key punches were the right hand uppercut that ended the fight in the sixth and the left hook to the body that slowed him down in the fourth (Virgil said the third).

Farrell said that although Logart was leading on all cards, he had been taking a beating about the body and this stopped his dancing. The left hook was the same punch which slowed Sugar Hart down, leading to his knockout. The uppercut was the same punch caused the demise of Tony De Marco in the second round.

About Martinez, Akins said he is a stiffer puncher, although his style of fighting is similar.

"He likes to pull back, protecting his face". That's what I like; I went to work on that body," he said.

Both Akins and Farrell agree that Martinez has a rapier left jab, and a sneaky right cross. And both were unanimous in their prediction that he would be taken.