McNeeley breaks record with 6-second KO

By Jay N. Miller
For The Patriot Ledger

"Hurricane" Peter McNeeley

South Shore Boxing Club heavyweight Peter McNeeley set a pro boxing record when he knocked out Frankie Hines just six seconds into their fight Saturday night in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

"Hines charged out, and Peter caught him with a perfect left hook," trainer Cliff Phippen said. "Hines went airborne, and the ref didn't even start a count. There was no doubt that it was over — Peter is a tremendous puncher."

McNeeley's latest victory raised the young contender's record to 36-1 with 30 KOs. Twenty-two of those knockouts have come in the first round, including his last eight fights.

In the main event, Holbrook cruiserweight Mike O'Han saw his bid for the World Boxing Federation title end after the third round when his corner decided a cut above his right eye was too serious to allow him to continue.

Defending champion Bobby Crabtree's victory came after three frames of non-stop action for which the crowd gave both men a standing ovation.

"This was a terrific, action-packed fight with both guys going toe-to-toe from the opening bell," manager Vin Vecchione of Braintree said. "O'Han staggered Crabtree twice in the second round and almost had him down, but after the third the cut was so bad we didn't think it was worth the risk of further injury to continue, so Cliff and I stopped it over Mike's objections."

"It was a war," added Phippen. "We knew we wouldn't get a decision down there in Crabtree's backyard, so Mike went all out.

"It was like Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, just a torrid pace with no letup, but then Mike was nicked up around the eye pretty bad, and we believed he fractured his nose, too. He's got a family and a business to run, so it's not like he can take a month off to recover. Mike gave us an all-out effort for the title and didn't want us to stop it, but there's a little more at stake."

In a preliminary bout, Peter McNeeley's sparring partner Garing Lane won twice in two days by scoring a second-round TKO over Kenneth Jackson of Atlanta. Lane had taken the redeye after Friday night's boxing card in Plymouth, MA, where he dispatched Taunton's Tom Kielzewski in 90 seconds.

See also:   McNeeley Scores 6-Second KO   [The Hot Springs Sentinel-Record]

This story ran on page 26 of The Boston Patriot Ledger on 04/24/95