Dein erstes Forum » He was in many mind-numbingly boring fights

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas players who packed the room were there to hear their coach speak. Some fought back tears.They heard Charlie Strong plead for a win this week to get their senior teammates to a bowl game. They heard him suggest that a win against TCU might be enough to save his job.And then dozens of them mobbed Strong with hugs amid laughs and praise as a teacher, mentor and builder of men.He doesnt want to fail us, and we dont want to fail him, senior defensive lineman Paul Boyette Jr. said as tears ran down his cheeks. He taught me what it really means to be a man ... My heart hurts for him.Strongs players clearly love him. It may not be enough to save him.Strong faced his weekly news conference on Monday amid reports that he will be fired after Fridays game, the result of a 5-6 record so far this season after last weeks loss to lowly Kansas, and a 16-20 mark over the past three years. The game against TCU (5-5) could be Strongs final game.Next year, I want to come back, Strong said. They said we will be evaluated after that game. I dont know how they will be thinking, but winning that game would help.Athletic director Mike Perrin on Sunday dismissed multiple reports that Strong would be fired as rumors, and said no decision would be made until after the game. Perrin didnt show up at Strongs news conference Monday and neither did school President Greg Fenves, who has publicly supported Strong but has been silent on his future since the Kansas loss.Strong didnt think a decision on his future was already made and expected school administrators to live up to that promise.The highest-ranking school official to attend was Greg Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement. Vincent broke through the scrum of players to hug the first black head football coach in program history.Whats most important to me as an educator, vice president and professor, is how he develops these young men, Vincent said.Strong has two years and nearly $11 million left on a five-year guaranteed contract. He admitted the wins and losses dont stack up but he tried to make a case Monday that he should stay despite his poor record on the field.He noted key injuries that decimated his first season, top-level recruiting and a two-deep roster packed mostly with freshmen and sophomores that he and his staff brought to Texas. The foundation for greatness is there, he said.This group of guys will win a national championship, Strong said with a nod to the players in the room. I stand by that statement.But Texas hasnt even been close to winning the Big 12 and may not qualify for a bowl game for the second consecutive year.Strong also said hed evaluate his job tenure not just in wins and losses, but as leader for young men who need a father figure in their lives. When Strong first arrived, he set his core values that included no guns, no drugs, respecting woman and honesty. The discipline message connected with fans as Strong dismissed 10 players in his first year.Theres no direction for a lot of young people, thats part of my job, Strong said. When they leave this place, they know who they are.Wide receiver Jacorey Warrick said a group of older players mobilized to get their teammates to attend the news conference to support their coach.He doesnt have the support of people who are trying to get him out, but the people who really matter, the players, you can see where their support lies, Warrick said.Strongs situation was noted among Big 12 coaches on Monday on their weekly conference call.Kansas coach David Beaty, whose victory pushed Strong to the brink at Texas, called Strong one of the finer individuals that Ive met in college football.My heart aches for him -- I mean, it aches for him and his staff, Beaty said.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---This story corrects spelling of Beaty in last 2 paragraphs. Kyle Tucker Astros Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Aledmys Diaz Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. 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Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury commands tremendous attention from boxing fans, but these days for all the wrong reasons -- the drug, alcohol and mental health issues that caused him to vacate his alphabet titles last month.Former champion Wladimir Klitschko also receives enormous attention, which is no surprise given that he was world champion for nearly 10 years before losing his belts in a big upset to Fury last November.Titleholders Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua also have plenty of the spotlight, and for good reason: They are both charismatic knockout artists with big fan bases who also talk a good game.And then there is the 6-foot-4, 240-pound powerhouse Luis King Kong Ortiz, perhaps the best of all the big men but a guy who receives a fraction of the limelight of the others. He certainly appears to be the most feared fighter in the division because none of the other top big men dare mention his name.So Ortiz is willing to keep smashing his way through those who will face him as he plows his way to the glory he aspires to obtain.I want to fight the very best and I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world, Ortiz said. Im willing to fight anyone, any champion, any place, any time. Im ready for anyone: Joshua, Wilder, Klitschko. I know I can beat all of them.Ortizs signature victory came 11 months ago when he crushed former world title challenger and quality contender Bryant Jennings for a seventh-round knockout. He followed that victory with a punishing knockout of former two-time title challenger Tony Thompson in March.But difficulties getting other name opponents and issues with promoter Golden Boy led to his team buying out the promotional contract for $1.1 million. A talent such as Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) was unlikely to be on his own for long, and six weeks after the split from Golden Boy he signed with Matchroom Boxings Eddie Hearn, the No. 1 promoter in the United Kingdom.Hearn is not one to get involved with fighters who are not from the United Kingdom, but signing Ortiz was too enticing and he made an exception.Luis Ortiz is one of the most exciting heavyweights in the world, and I am delighted to be working with him, Hearn said upon signing him a month ago. We plan to keep him very busy and let the fans enjoy his devastating power. Luis is an avoided fighter, but we plan on giving him the profile that will make that impossible.Even Ortiz was surprised how quickly he landed a new deal.I always had faith in my manager and friend, Jay Jimenez, but I never expected this fast turnaround and Im so excited about the future, he said. God has been great to me and my family. Im ready.Hearns plan to raise Ortizs profile begins Saturday when he takes on heavy underdog Malik Scott at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo (HBO, 4 p.m. ET/PT with an evening replay at 11 p.m. ET/PT) .As long as Ortiz, who recently was stripped of an interim world title for taking the fight with Scott rather than making a mandatory defense against Alexander Ustinov, wins and comes out of the fight with a clean bill of health, Hearn has him scheduled for the undercard of his biggest stars next fight. Ortiz, who was a standout on the Cuban national team as an amateur before defecting, is scheduled to return on Dec. 10 on the undercard of Joshuas defense against Eric Molina at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.ddddddddddddIm going to be very busy over the next few months and looking forward to boxing in many countries as we continue my journey to the heavyweight world championship, Ortiz said. I am a very experienced fighter. I have had the best boxing education with more than 350 [amateur and pro] fights under my belt. I believe I have the ability to adjust to any fighter and any style. That was evident in my fights with Jennings and Thompson.I am very proud of myself. Im also very proud how I am bringing Cuba back into the minds of all boxing fans. Cuba is one of the most accomplished countries in terms of boxing. The style and speed and all the things we have, they are taught to us at a very young age. This is what makes us great boxers.Even though Ortiz, a southpaw, is 37, he believes he is in his prime.I feel I have been at my peak for many years now, he said. I have simply been late [arriving] on the U.S. heavyweight boxing scene. I have been fighting since I was in elementary school. Boxing is a very, very deep passion of mine.Now, it is a way to give my family a better future, and I tell you, no one will stand in my way of accomplishing this. In my eyes, I am the heavyweight champion of the world, and if anyone, any other champion, is willing to challenge me, to face me, I can and will prove it.Scott (38-2-1, 13 KOs), 36, of Philadelphia, has never quite lived up to his potential. He was in many mind-numbingly boring fights and got whacked out in the first round by Wilder in 2014 in a fight in which many thought Scott gave less than his best effort. But he is willing to fight Ortiz and has won two fights in a row against decent opposition in former world title challengers Alex Leapai (on Leapais turf in Australia) and Thompson.This is the fight I wanted -- I picked him, Scott said. I told my promoter, Tom Brown, one of the three -- Anthony Joshua, David Haye or Luis Ortiz. After Ortiz beat Bryant Jennings, the media started talking about his invincibility and that he was the most feared heavyweight, and I immediately wanted to fight him. Theres no such thing as unbeatable and I welcome the challenge to prove it.If Im on my game on [Saturday], Ill shut him out. Hes going to gas out early and Ill put on a boxing clinic. Ortiz is my pathway towards a world title opportunity -- this is my time to shine and slay King Kong. Because of his reputation, this fight will get a lot of international attention and Ill be looking for full credit when I beat him -- no excuses.Ortiz simply wants to get rid of Scott and move on to bigger and better fights.I do have a lot of respect for the heavyweight champions. They have accomplished a lot and have sacrificed a lot to be where they are. They do deserve recognition, Ortiz said. I just want the chance to beat them and be [seen by all as] the next true heavyweight champion.I think Fury was able to shake up the heavyweight division, and because of him, the division is now one of the most exciting divisions to watch. I just want to get the opportunity to face him, or Wilder, to prove I am a champion as well. ' ' '