DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710090236

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 17   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COMMENT 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   54 lines

``WAR AT THE SHORE'' MATCH WAS JUST THAT

For the first time in a long, long time, a Virginia Beach professional boxing match lived up to its billing.

Bush vs. Hall - ``The War at the Shore.''

And a war it was, last week's fight between Curtis Bush and Kevin Hall - a pair of middleweights competing for the U.S. Boxing Association's vacant regional middleweight title at the Pavilion.

It was a rematch of a 1994 bout that ended in a technical draw after the two butted heads - leaving a bad gash over one of Bush's eyes.

This 12-rounder was a close, hard-fought contest with both fighters suffering throughout and nursing wounds afterwards.

In the end, it was a split decision in favor of Bush - a four-time world kickboxing champion and martial arts instructor by trade who fights conventional style when the opportunity presents itself.

But the decision was one that quite a few in the stands had a problem with.

Hall followers thought their fighter had won handily and exploded in a show of anger at Bush - who by the way, didn't score the fight. He just fought in it.

Why these folks were angry at Bush is anybody's guess.

But they had good reason to be upset by the outcome. It was that close of a fight - closer than a pair of judges' cards that had Bush winning 116-12. If anything, 115-113 might have been more acceptable. But one official said at the end of the final round that Hall's 12th-round flurry was ``too little, too late.''

Hall landed some crushing blows, but Bush landed more scoring punches, especially to the body. Some judges reward power, others finesse.

Whatever the case, it was a fantastic fight.

``It was so close,'' said Bush, who like Hall, was bleeding from the nose. ``He was really throwing bombs.

``If they had said it was a draw, I think that would have been great.''

So would Hall.

``Yes, I'm disappointed,'' said Hall, a bag of ice on a swollen lip. ``I thought I won the last two or three rounds convincingly.

``This was the best fight I've ever had. The best competition. And Curtis said it was the most competitive fight of his life.''

So guess what?

Yep, War at the Shore III, coming to the Pavilion in either December or January.

And they're stepping up the stakes. This one will be for the USBA's vacant Intercontinental belt - with the winner going for the organization's vacant world belt.

It seems the USBA has a lot of vacant belts.

``We sent the tape of the fight in and this is the way they want to go with it,'' said Hall trainer and card promoter Mike Vaughan.

And chances are it will be another great one.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu