DATE: Friday, September 26, 1997            TAG: 9709250171

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   48 lines

BUSH VS. HALL: A REMATCH THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING

It was supposed to have been a great fight - a battle between a world champion kickboxer with better than average boxing skills against an up-and-coming youngster with equally good technique.

Unfortunately, it ended in the second round when the two accidently butted heads, causing a huge gash in one's forehead, resulting in a technical draw.

That was back in 1994, when Curtis Bush and Kevin Hall were to give area boxing fans what could have been the best local fight in some time.

The matter unsettled, the two will face off again in the main event of an Oct. 2 card at the Pavilion. The winner takes home the U.S. Boxing Association's regional middleweight championship belt.

It is being billed as ``The War at the Shore.'' Typical boxing hype, but maybe not in this case.

This should be a great fight, barring any more head butts.

``When a southpaw meets a right-hander, they both come in with opposite hands and it happens a lot,'' said Bush, who will fight his first conventional boxing match since the meeting with Hall.

Hall suffered no ill effects from the collision.

This bout promises several collisions of the fist and body type.

Bush, a four-time International Sport Karate Association world champion, is 10-3-2 with nine knockouts in regular boxing. He can take a shot and dishes out wicked body punches. But at 35, the Princess Anne High graduate is nearing the end of his career.

Hall is younger at 28, but has been more active lately. The Kellam graduate is 15-2-1 with all his victories coming by KO.

``This really should be a great fight,'' said promoter Mike Vaughan, who also manages and trains Hall.

Also on the card are local favorites Vernon Hines of Norfolk against Fareed Samad of Wilson, N.C.; Portsmouth's Dorin Spivey against Mike Tedeline of Philadelphia; Norfolk's Wolfe Doyle against Dean Williams of Philadelphia; and others.

The card will also feature a pair of kickboxing bouts with Sam Taylor facing Beau Jack and Clark Walters against a yet-to-be-named opponent. And in free fighting, John Wentz will take on Al Dill.

Tickets are $50 ringside and $20 general admission and are available at the Pavilion box office at 428-8000. Action starts at 8 p.m.

For more information on the card, Vaughan can be reached at 428-3216. ILLUSTRATION: Curtis Bush will face Kevin Hall on Oct. 2.

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