By Eric Armit
Highlights: Kid Galahad stops Janes Dickens in eleven rounds to win the vacant IBF featherweight title -Michael Conlan outpoints JT Doheny to collect the vacant WBA interim featherweight title and Lee McGregor and Tyrone McKenna score victories on the Belfast card -Gabriel Maestre gets heavily criticised verdict over Mykal Fox to pick up the vacant WBA interim welterweight title and on the same show Eimantas Stanionis vs. Luis Collazo ends as a Technical Draw and Lucas Santamaria gets points win over Devon Alexander -Mike Hunter, Chris Algieri and Ivan Golub return to action with wins. -Unbeaten heavyweight hopefuls Fabio Wardley and Alen Babic score inside the distance victories World Title/Major Shows 6 August Belfast, NI, Feather: Michael Conlan (16-0) W PTS 12 TJ Doheny (22-3). Bantam: Lee McGregor (11-0) W KO 4 Vincent Legrand (32-1). Super Light: Tyrone McKenna (22-2-1) W PTS 10 Jose Felix (39-5-1). Super Middle: Padraig McCrory (12-0) W TKO 5 Sergei Gorokhov (11-3-2). Light: Sean McComb (12-1) W PTS 8 Vicente Rodriguez (39-7-1). Conlan vs. Doheny Conlan collects the vacant WBA interim belt with unanimous decision over Doheny in a fiercely fought contest. There was lots of prodding and probing over the first two rounds with Conlan using a southpaw guard and doing the better work in the first and Doheny bringing his left into play and edging the second. Doheny applied plenty of pressure in the third but Conlan worked well with his jab and scored with some good counters and all three rounds had been close. Conlan clearly took the fourth working hard with his jab and clouting Doheny with a left with Doheny not throwing enough punches and he was showing a swelling below his left eye. The fifth saw the first sustained exchanges with Conlan scoring well with right hooks to the body. He drove Doheny to the ropes and connected with a right hook to the body that saw Doheny drop to one knee. He was up immediately and given a count. Doheny buckled at the knees under more body punches but then fired back and Conlan was forced to retreat but a 10-8 round for Conlan. A low punch from Conlan in the sixth saw him get a warning and then Doheny dominated the round with Conlan spending much of the time pinned to the ropes. Doheny pressed hard in the seventh but Conlan, switching guards, was working well with his jab throughout the round and landed lefts to the body to outwork Doheny. It was a similar story in the eighth as Conlan boxed orthodox scoring consistently with his jab and he took the round although buzzed by a right before the bell and was showing a cut on his left cheek. The ninth was close with Doheny attacking hard early and late and Conlan doing the scoring boxing on the outside and taking the points with his cleaner work. The tenth was another close round with Doheny managing to turn it into a brawl which suited him better and he attacked hard throughout the eleventh to take that one. Conlan had more left and he outlanded Doheny in the last, Scores 116-111 twice and 119-108 for Conlan. A bit of a confidence boost after he only just squeezed past Ionut Baluta on a majority decision in April but that is the past. There may be interest in a fight with Leigh Wood who won the secondary WBA title last week or even the new IBF champion Kid Galahad. Doheny gave it a good shot here but was lucky to be fighting for the title having lost over eight rounds to Baluta-but this is the Worst Boxing Association and both Conlan and Doheny were unrated until suddenly being parachuted in at Nos 4 and 5 in the Worst Boxing Association rating of 31 July! McGregor vs. Legrand McGregor is still European champion after coming off the floor to break down unbeaten Legrand and finish him with a body punch in the fourth. Both fighters settled quickly. McGregor was coming forward jabbing well and finding the target with rights and southpaw Legrand had success with left hooks to the body. McGregor was scoring well with rights in the second and looked to be on the way to winning the round when a combination of punches sent him down. When he arose and the action resumed Legrand fired a barrage of punches but the bell went before he could do any more damage. McGregor came forward behind a high guard throughout the third. He was getting through with uppercuts from both hands and left hooks to the body and Legrand looked to be wilting. McGregor continued to buzz Legrand with uppercuts in the fourth and then dug in a vicious right to the ribs and Legrand dropped to one knee. Although he tried to rise he couldn’t beat the count. First defence of the European title for McGregor and his second impressive win over French opposition. He is rated No 3 by the IBF. However the title holder Naoya Inoue knocked out No 1 Michael Dasmarinas in June and the No 2 slot is vacant. McGregor can’t go to the No 1 spot as he has not beaten an opponent in the IBF ratings. The bantams are strong in the UK with Charlie Edwards, Khalid Yafai, Paul Butler and Ukashir Farooq all attractive domestic matches if they could be made and former WBC champion Nordine Oubaali is another possibility. Since relinquishing the European flyweight title in 2018 Legrand had scored five wins but all in six round fights showing a lack of ambition-or opportunity. McKenna vs. Felix McKenna floors Felix early and is floored himself on the way to a unanimous decision in an exciting scrap. McKenna went in front early being credited with a knockdown in the opening round that looked more like a slip. McKenna seemed to have scored a genuine knockdown in the second but it was not counted. Felix put McKenna down with a body shot in the third. The action was even hotter over the middle rounds with McKenna making full use of his edges in height and reach to punish Felix both a distance and on the way in. He rocked Felix in the seventh Felix was taking punishment but was not deterred and kept taking the fight to McKenna and McKenna had to fight hard to stay in front making for an entertaining scrap. McKenna was cut over his right eye and Felix had heavy swelling around his right eye McKenna was winning the rounds but not by much. Felix put in a strong last round but by then McKenna had the fight won. Scores 99-91, 97-91 and 97-92 for McKenna. Good bounce-back victory for McKenna after losing a majority decision to Ohara Davies in September. He wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental belt. At one time Felix was 35-1-1 with the loss being to Bryan Vazquez for the interim WBA super feather title in 2014 but he is now 4-4 in his last 8 fights. McCrory vs. Gorokhov McCrory stops Gorokhov in five rounds. Russian Gorokhov outworked McCrory in the first but McCrory began to find his range from the second. He was feeding the oncoming Gorokhov left jabs and connecting with hurtful rights. In the fourth a punch opened a gash on Gorokhov’s nose and he was under heavy fire for the rest of the round. Gorokhov was dabbing at the injury in the fifth and the referee called the doctor to examine it and he ruled it was too serious for Gorokhov to continue. McCrory wins the WBC International Silver title from Gorokhov. McComb vs. Rodriguez McComb gets back into the winning column as he takes every round against seasoned Argentinian pro Rodriguez with the judges all turning in cards of 80-72. McComb had been halted in seven rounds by Gavin Gwynne in a fight for the vacant Commonwealth title in February. Rodriguez had lost to Adrien Broner for the vacant WBO super featherweight title in 2011. 7 August Brentwood, England: Feather: Kid Galahad (28-1) W RTD 11 James Dickens (30-4). Heavy: Fabio Wardley (12-0) W TKO 1 Nick Webb (17-3). Heavy: Alen Babic (8-0) W RTD 5 Mark Bennett (7-2). Galahad vs. Dickens Galahad wins the vacant IBF title as a bloody Dickens retires after the eleventh round. Round 1 A lively opening round saw both fighters have some success, Galahad switched guard at times with Dickens sticking to his southpaw stance and connecting with good straight lefts but with Galahad that bit quicker and just taking the round. Dickens was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads. Score: 10-9 Galahad Round 2 Galahad dominated the second. Again he was constantly switching guard but whichever way around he was quicker and more accurate and put together some crisp combinations forcing Dickens on to the back foot. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 20-18 Round 3 Dickens was jabbing strongly at the start of the round but gradually Galahad took control. He was finding gaps for both his right and left jabs, outworking Dickens and connecting with some strong body punches. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 30-27 Round 4 A better round for Dickens. He worked hard with his jab throughout the rounds and knocked Galahad off balance with a left. Galahad was coming up short with his punches and Dickens landed a sharp right uppercut late in the round. Score: 10-9 Dickens Galahad 39-37 Round 5 Galahad’s round. He was jabbing quickly and accurately with either hand and scoring to the body. He was putting together bursts of punches forcing Dickens onto the back foot and the pressure saw Dickens work become ragged under the speed and variety of Galahad’s punches. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 49-46 Round 6 The sixth was one-sided. Galahad was picking Dickens off at distance with jabs and hooks and punishing Dickens when he came forward. No matter what Dickens did Galahad was finding him an easy target, He was constantly moving around Dickens landing punches from different angles and with different hands and blood was seeping from Dickens’ nose. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 59-55 Round 7 Dickens found a way into the fight in the seventh managing to land a series of good punches. Galahad looked to be taking a breather in what was quiet round for him which allowed Dickens to claw back a point. Score: Dickens 10-9 Galahad 68-65 Round 8 A bit of a messy round with too many clinches as a tiring Dickens found it hard to get away from Galahad’s jab. Galahad was able to thread punches through Dickens’ guard and keep control of the action with Dickens face a bloody sight. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 78-74 Round 9 Galahad rocked Dickens with a left in the ninth and continued to rack up the points as he slotted jabs through Dickens’ guard. Dickens tried hard to get inside but was taking too much punishment and was on the ropes under heavy pressure at the end of the round. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 88-83 Round 10 Dickens got through with a hard left in the early action but again was continually under fire from Galahad’s jab and did not look to have much left as Galahad piled on the punishment shaking Dickens with a body shot. Galahad had been warned a few times for stepping on Dickens’ foot and when he did it again the referee deducted a point. Score: 9-9 Galahad 97-92. Round 11 Dickens fought bravely through a painful eleventh doing what he could to stay in the fight but his face was a mask of blood. He had nothing left to give and his team retired him at the end of the round. Galahad gets his second win over Dickens having stopped him in two rounds for the British super bantamweight title way back in 2013. There might be some interest in a return match with Josh Warrington who won a split decision over Galahad in an IBF title defence in June 2019 or even with Leigh Wood now the holder of the secondary WBA title. Dickens had earned his place in this title fight with a run of eight wins including victories over Nathaniel May, Leigh Wood and Ryan Walsh. He will look to regroup and find his way to another title chance. Wardley vs. Webb Wardley survives a frantic start from Webb to batter Webb to defeat after 2:30 of the opening round. Webb went straight after Wardley jabbing and moving in to throw right crosses. Webb continued to come forward throwing punches with Wardley being backed up and on the defensive and looking to be in trouble as Webb unloaded chopping rights. Wardley suddenly went on the attack and shook Webb and forced him to the ropes. Wardley pounded Webb with a barrage of punches with Webb floundering and after a couple of neck-snapping shots from Wardley the referee jumped in just as Webb fell to the canvas. For a while it looked as though Wardley might be in serious trouble but he comes away with his eleventh win by KO/TKO. Webb had scored an impressive stoppage of unbeaten German Erik Pfeifer in March but found that Wardley had a stronger chin and a harder punch. Babic vs. Bennett Babic beats Bennett in five rounds. Babic was connecting with heavy punches from the start and Bennett lost his mouthguard twice in ten seconds late in the opening round and almost went down just before the bell. The fight turned into a bar room brawl with lots of head down wild punching with Bennett shipping heavy punishment but staying upright marching forward as he had promised and banging back. Babic was in danger of punching himself out and he tired in the third but over the fourth and fifth he handed out a savage beating and the fight should could have been stopped during either round but wisely Bennett retired after the fifth. All eight of the Croatians’ wins have come inside the distance and he is ready to step up. Bennett showed incredible courage. After the fight Babic proposed to his girlfriend and she accepted so a win/win night for him. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Welter: Gabriel Maestre (4-0) W PTS 12 Mykal Fox (22-3). Welter: Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 1ND) ND 4 Luis Collazo (39-8,1ND). Welter: Lucas Santamaria (12-2-1) W PTS 10 Devon Alexander (27-7-1). Bantam: Joahnys Argilagos (8-0) W KO 1 Luis Valdes (7-10-1). Super Light: Ryan Karl (19-3) W PTS 8 Edgar Ramirez (18-17-1). Maestre vs. Fox Maestre wins the vacant WBA interim title with a unanimous decision over substitute Fox a decision widely described as disgraceful. Fox was 5” taller than Maestre and that difference dictated the tactics with Maestre rolling forward trying to get past Fox’s jab to work to the body or trap him against the ropes. That aggression saw Maestre get past Fox’s jab enough to edge the first. Maestre continued to come forward in the second but overreached himself when throwing a right and a left hook counter from Fox put him down. Maestre was up immediately and landed a good body punch later in the round. Fox stuck to his boxing and Maestre continued to march forward with both having success over the third and fourth which were close but were pocketed by Fox. At the end of the fourth Fox was in front on all three cards 38-37 twice and 39-36. Maestre managed to get inside to score to the body in the fifth and sixth and although Fox was still landing his right jab and straight lefts Maestre looked to have taken both close rounds. Fox dominated the seventh and eighth as he moved and jabbed frustrating Maestre’s attempts to land anything significant. The judges were now seeing Maestre’s aggression as the deciding factor with two having Maestre in front 76-74 and 76-75 with the third card reading 76-76. Fox boxed cleverly in the ninth continually spearing Maestre with right jabs, snapping his head back with a left hook and landing right hooks inside. Maestre put in a big effort in the tenth and eleventh to take those rounds but Fox boxed his way through the last and looked a clear winner. The judges did not see it that way as they scored the fight 117-110, 115-112 and 114-113 for Maestre bringing down on themselves a whole chorus of dissent. Lou DiBella was incensed to the point of demanding an investigation into boxing and the WBA. Fox certainly looked to have won this one but Maestre is the now the holder of the interim WBA title. The 34-year-old Venezuelan double-Olympian said he was willing to give Fox a rematch. Maestre won a slew of medals as an amateur so his short record as a pro is deceptive. Fox came in as a substitute after Cody Crowley, the intended opponent for Maestre, tested positive for COVID-19. Despite having been floored and outpointed by Lucas Santamaria in his last fight Fox was parachuted into the Worst Boxing Association ratings for 31 July at No 12. He did not deserve the title shot but he deserves a return. Stanionis vs. Collazo Stanionis looked to be too strong for veteran Collazo. Stanionis took the fight inside from the first bell going to the body with hooks from both hands. Collazo tried to punch with him but was outworked. Stanionis used the same tactics in the second looking to tire the 40-year-old Collazo. In the third Collazo made a fast start but was being hurt by body punches and was rocked by a right. Collazo banged back hard but Stanionis was landing heavy rights and Collazo had a swelling under his left eye. They were trading punches in the fourth when their heads clashed. Collazo took a step back and went down pawing at a cut near his right eye. Initially it seemed as though the fight would be stopped in the Lithuanian’s favour but then realising Collazo was dazed from the head clash the referee gave Collazo time to recover and when Collazo was still unable to continue and with the fourth round not completed it was declared a No Decision. Wins over Thomas Dulorme and Justin DeLoach have seen Stanionis rise to No 1 with the WBA and he looked on his way to a win here. Collazo, a former holder of the WBA secondary title, sees his second consecutive fight end due to his suffering a cut. However in that fight against Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in October 2019 as the fight was not stopped until the tenth round and as Abdukakhorov had built a big lead Collazo lost on a technical decision. Santamaria vs. Alexander Californian Santamaria achieves a career best win as he gets a wide unanimous verdict over Alexander. The younger man used plenty of movement circling a static Alexander and darting in with jabs and quick rights. Alexander was tending to hold his gloves at thigh level and throw jabs up from there. He had a slightly higher work rate but the pace was slow. It looked a close fight until Santamaria upped the pace over the late rounds. On punches landed there was not much of a gap between them but it was Santamaria throwing the harder punches who impressed the judges more although the fight looked much closer than the scores suggest. The judges gave the decision to Santamaria 98-92 twice and 97-93. The seesaw swings up again for Santamaria. He had floored and outpointed Mykal Fox in August 2020 but then lost to Paul Kroll in October so he will be hoping to build on this win. This was Alexander’s first fight for over two years and he was nowhere near meeting the contract weight and had to do a deal to get accepted at 154lbs to Santamaria’s 148 ½ lbs and stated that he had injured his right bicep in the first round. He needs a win as he is now 1-5-1 in his last seven fights. Argilagos vs. Valdes Former amateur standout Argilagos destroys Valdes in quick time. He dropped Valdes with a right to the head and a left hook to the body. Valdes initially arose but promptly went down on one knee beating the canvas in agony and was counted after just 35 seconds. Cuban Argilagos, 24, is shaping up to be a real player at bantamweight as he settles into the pro ranks. He was a 49kg gold medallist at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships and defeated Toyo Olympic champion Galal Yafai on the way to a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics. Mexican Valdes a lamb to the slaughter. Karl vs. Ramirez Karl gets back to work with a unanimous verdict over Mexican Ramirez. Karl was rocked early and Ramirez suffered considerable pain from a low punch taking five minutes to recover. Karl dictated the action being too strong and fighting his usual battle of attrition to take the points. Scores 79-71 twice and 80-72. Karl was having his first outing since losing on a sixth round knockout to Mario Barrios in a challenge for the secondary WBA super light title in October. Ramirez is 1-5-1 in his last seven bouts. 3 August New York, NY, USA: Heavy: Michael Hunter (20-1-1) W TKO 4 Mike Wilson (21-2). Welter: Chris Algieri (25-3) W PTS 10 Mikkel LesPierre (22-3-1).Welter: Ivan Golub (20-1) W PTS 10 Eric Walker (20-4). Light Heavy: Joe Ward (4-1) W PTS 6 Troy Williams (5-1-1). Hunter vs. Wilson Hunter stops a brave Wilson in the fourth. Wilson took the fight to Hunter in the first and Hunter let him come and tagged him with some hefty left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Wilson continued to come forward in the second and third but Hunter was raking him with punches and Wilson was floundering under the punishment at the end of the third. Hunter blasted Wilson with punches in the fourth landing some neck-snapping uppercuts before dropping Wilson with a beautifully timed right counter which put Wilson down. He made it to his feet but was unsteady and bleeding heavily from his nose and the fight was stopped. A good run including victories over Fabio Maldonado and Sergey Kuzmin and a split draw with Alexander Povetkin has seen Hunter reach No 6 with the WBA. This was posted as a WBA eliminator but who knows which version of the four WBA titles it was an eliminator for. Wilson, 38, had lost to Hunter in the final of the 2007 US National Championships. He had weighed 198 ½ lbs in his last fight in September 2019 but was somehow rated No 14 heavyweight by the WBA. Hunter was 217 ¼ lbs for this fight which would put him comfortably inside the WBC’s Bridgerweight division which might suit him better. Algieri vs. LesPierre No sign of rust as former WBO super light champion Algieri outpoints LesPierre in his first fight for over two years. Algieri looked sharp from the start outboxing and outworking LesPierre. Algieri scored with scorching body punches in every round with LesPierre never able to pose a threat. Algieri dealt out unrelenting punishment over the sixth and seventh and although LesPierre had his moments he had to survive a savage onslaught from Algieri in the ninth to last the distance. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Algieri. He lost big fights against Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Errol Spence but has won his last four fights and was impressive here although at 37 time is running out for him. Trinidadian-born southpaw LesPierre went 21-0-1 at the start of his career but was outclassed and decision by Maurice Hooker in a WBO super light title challenge and was floored twice in losing on points to Jose Pedraza in his last fight in July 2020. Golub vs. Walker Ukrainian southpaw Golub comes away with a unanimous verdict against a competitive Walker. It was Walker who settled first and looked to have pocketed the first two rounds with Golub getting into the fight over the third and fourth. The fight turned Golub’s way when he dropped Walker late in the fifth. They both landed well over the next three rounds with Golub putting the decision beyond doubt by flooring Walker in the ninth. Scores 98-90, 97-91 and 96-92 for Golub. He wins the vacant USBA belt with his seventh victory since losing on points to Jamontay Clark in 2017. Walker, 38, suffers his second loss in a row having dropped a decision against WBA No 1 Israil Madrimov in August last year. Ward vs. Williams Irish southpaw Ward remains active with a decision over unbeaten Williams. Ward won all six rounds but suffered a cut in the fifth that may keep him out for a while. Scores 60-54 from the three judges. The 27-year-old Ward was World Junior and Youth champion and a three-time European Championships gold medallist as well was winning two silvers and a bronze at the World Championships. His loss was brought about by a knee injury in the second round of his first pro fight. Williams was having his first fight for two years. 6 August Stintino, Italy: Bantam: Vincenzo Picardi (4-0) W PTS 10 Cristian Zara (7-1). Picardi retains the national title with a unanimous decision in a fast-paced fight against a competitive Zara. Picardi was storming forward throughout the fight chasing down the retreating Zara who boxed with real skill on the back foot. Picardi switched guard occasionally and also looked a little crude at times but despite being fourteen years older than Zara he set the pace. The canvas was very slippery with both fighters going over at times and although the relentless aggression of Picardi gave him the edge Zara’s boxing skills made it close. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-94 for Picardi in his second title defence. Picardi did not turn pro until he was 35 after a successful time in the amateurs which in over 200 fights saw him score wins over Michael Conlan, Rau’shee Warren, Juan Carlos Payano, Robeisy Ramirez, Vladimir Nikitin and current WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian and take bronze medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Former Italian Youth champion Zara, 23, has the talent to go far. Windham, NH, USA: Welter: Travis Castellon (17-4-1) W PTS 10Brandon Berry (22-6-2). Floridian Castellon upsets the odds and the local fans as he outpoints Maine’s Berry. Castellon boxed cleverly on the back foot as Berry marched forward trying to cut off the ring and slow down southpaw Castellon so he could work inside. Castellon kept moving and jabbing and was able to score with straight rights and left hooks and then slide away from Berry’s attacks. Castellon was docked a point in the ninth for pushing Berry away but it made no difference as he had already built a big lead. Scores 99-90, 98-92, 96-93 for the visitor. Castellon had lost his last four fights on early round stoppages and Berry had won his last nine so something of an upset. 7 August Ekaterinburg, Russia: Light: Fedor Papazov (22-4) W KO 9 Arslan Magomedov (7-2-1). Super Bantam: Narek Abgaryan (16-1) W PTS 8 Sabelo Ngebinyana (13-6). Middle: Mikalai Vesialou (11-0-12) DREW 8 Artur Osipov (17-3-2). Super Light: Oganes Ustyan (7-0) W PTS 8 Oleksandr Abramian (5-2-1). Papazov vs. Magomedov Papazov scores spectacular ninth round kayo victor over Magomedov. Papazov had problems early with the height and reach edges Magomedov enjoyed. In the first as Papazov over reached himself with a jab a left counter sent him back and his knee touched the canvas but the referee did not give a count. Papazov had success with over hand rights landing heavily in the fourth and opening a cut over the left eye of Magomedov. Papazov tired over the second half of the fight and was caught with heavy rights in the eighth. Magomedov continued to take the fight to Papazov and he became over confident standing and exchanging at short range and a savage straight right from Papazov sent him crashing to the canvas and out. A valuable win for Papazov as he had lost two of his last three fights. Magomedov was 6-0-2 going in but he showed his inexperience in standing and trading with Papazov. Abgaryan vs. Ngebinyana Armenian Abgaryan rebounds from his first pro defeat with points win over South African Ngebinyana. Abgaryan floored Ngebinyana early but could not finish the fight and Ngebinyana fought back hard trading punches with Abgaryan all the way. Abgaryan took a deserved unanimous decision but former South African super fly champion Ngebinyana gave a creditable display. Abgaryan had dropped a decision against useful Eduardo Baez in Los Angeles in December. Vesialou vs. Osipov Vesialou and Osipov fight to a split draw. The WBA No 8 Vesialou looked very lucky to escape with a draw. Osipov forced the fight and looked to have outworked Vesialou who tired over the late rounds but Osipov had to settle for a draw. Score 78-74 for Vesialou, 78-74 for Osipov and 76-76. First fight for 22 months for Belarusian Vesialou who had scored a useful win over 18-2-1 Abdul Khattab in that last fight. Russian Osipov has had a bumpy ride being 2-3-2 in his last 7 fights. Ustyan vs. Abramian Ustyan gets points victory over an unlucky Abramian who injured his left hand in the first round. Despite the handicap Abramian managed to score with jabs and overhand rights but eventually he could not hold his left hand up and had to survive using upper body movement and good footwork. Ustyan was able to take advantage of Abramian’s problems but still had to fight hard to get the decision. Scores 79-73 twice and 77-75. Georgian-born Russian Ustyan, 23, wins the vacant IBNF Youth belt. Ukrainian Abramian, 21, showed courage in continuing despite that handicap. Springfield, MA, USA: Super Middle: Kendrick Ball Jr (17-1-2) W PTS 8 Tyi Edmonds (14-4,1ND). Ball continues his good run as he outpoints Edmonds. Ball used his height and reach to outbox Edmonds and then finished strongly flooring Edmonds in the eighth round. Scores 80-70, 79-71 and 76-74 for Ball who was defending the WBC US title. Edmonds was 9-0,1ND in his last ten fights. Heredia, Costa Rica: Minimumweight: Yokasta Valle (22-2) W PTS 10 Debora Rengifo (14-8-1). In a non-title fight IBF Female champion Valle extended her winning run to nine as she outpointed Venezuelan Rengifo over ten rounds. Scores 100-89 twice and 100-90. The 28-year-old Nicaraguan-born Costa Rican is a former undefeated IBF Jr minimum flyweight title holder where the weight limit is 102lbs. Six of Rengifo’s losses have come in world title shots. Pec, Kosovo: Super Middle: Kamer Maloku (15-2) W TKO 3 Bosko Misic (22-16). Kosovon Maloku wins the vacant UBO title with early victory over Misic. Despite giving away height and reach three knockdowns in the third by Maloku were enough to end this one. Maloku lost his first two pro fights so is 15-0 with 12 wins by KO/TKO now-but don’t look too carefully at his opposition. Of Croatian Misic’s 16 losses 14 have come by KO/TKO. Fight of the week (Significance): Kid Galahad’s victory over James Dickens should open the door to some big money outings for Galahad. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Tyrone McKenna and Jose Felix provided ten rounds of action. Fighter of the week: Kid Galahad the new IBF featherweight title holder Punch of the week: The right cross from Fedor Papazov that finished Arslan Magomedov was fearsome. Honourable mention to the right from Michael Hunter that floored Mike Wilson which was perfectly timed and executed. Upset of the week: The points win for Lucas Santamaria over Devon Alexander was a bit of surprise as Santamaria was coming off a loss Prospect watch: Irish light heavyweight Joe Ward is finally getting fights following a fourteen month layoff and he has a long list of outstanding achievements as an amateur behind him. Observations -The fight for the Worst Boxing Association interim featherweight title between Michael Conlan and TJ Doheny featured cynical behaviour so typical of the WBA. In their ratings published 30 June neither Conlan or Doheny appeared anywhere. In the 31 July ratings Conlan suddenly popped up at No 4 and Doheny at No 5 even though Doheny lost his last fight to Ionut Baluta who is not in the rankings. Timing is everything. Eduardo Ramirez sent an email to the WBA relinquishing the interim title on 2 August and suddenly Conlan vs. Doheny is for the interim title. Wow that was quick. Imagine Conlan and Doheny managing to be fit and ready at only four days notice! Believe that if you like. Additionally Mykal Fox having lost his last fight did not stop the WBA from popping him in at No 12 one week before he fought Gabriel Maestre for the interim welterweight title. Timing is everything. At a weekend when there were two WBA interim title fights up pops Gilberto Mendoza-the President of the Worst Boxing Association- to tell the world that his organisation intends to reduce the number of titles in each division. President Mendoza filled me with hope. They are going to “gradually eliminate this flexibility we have with titles” I know that I said earlier (2016) that I intend to reduced the numbers of titles and did not do it” Wow we didn’t notice that-what a surprise! “I am not saying we intend to keep only one champion in each weight category but in most weight categories. I do not know in which categories the interim champion title will be removed” Which means they will be retaining interim titles. Cross your fingers Conlan and Maestre that your titles don’t become redundant and if your fighter is offered a chance at a WBA interim title ask for a two year warranty. “and in what divisions the titles of regular (secondary) and super champions will remain. We intend to add value to our Gold belts” So to sum up the Worst Boxing Association President stated they will still have Super, Secondary, interim and Gold titles and he called a press conference to announce this momentous decision and the plan to implement it will be in place-soon! -I love one promoter’s attempt to solve the problem of a wet and slippy canvas. In a professional show in Egypt on Friday after lots of slipping and sliding they stopped the show and covered the ring in Persian carpets held in place by duct tape. Unfortunately it did not work and had to be ripped up later but you have to give him an ‘A’ for effort. Two female bouts at the weekend were fought over three minute rounds which seems to be the way things will go. I don’t know enough about any additional health hazards for female boxers in fighting three minute rounds but if they can run marathons and competed in a decathlon why should three minute rounds be too much for them? I guess they could take a gradual approach and replace 10 x 2 minutes with 8 x 3 initially - One of the fighters going three minutes at the weekend was IBF minimumweight champion Yokasta Valle. She has been by his father that she is the inspiration for his six-year-old son Emiliano Herrera who is battling against leukaemia. Yokasta invited him to the fight and made a present to him of her gloves in what was a very moving moment. There are plenty of wonderful people in boxing.
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By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Joe Joyce strengthens his claim to a world title shot with stoppage of Carlos Takam -Murat Gassiev returns to action and stops Michael Wallisch in a heavyweight contest -Alberto Puello and Eric Rosa win in WBA interim title fights in the Dominican Republic - Fifty-year-old cruiserweight Firat Arslan keeps his dream of becoming the oldest fighter to win a world title as he gets an easy win over Ruben Acosta World Title/Major Shows 24 July London, England: Heavy: Joe Joyce (13-0) W TKO 6 Carlos Takam (39-6-1), Welter: Ekow Essuman (15-0) W TKO 8 Chris Jenkins (22-4-3). Super Welter: Hamza Sheeraz (13-0) W KO 5 Ezequiel Gurria (15-2). Super Bantam: Chris Bourke (10-0) W PTS 10 James Beech (12-2). Heavy: David Adeleye (7-0) W TKO 4 Mladen Manev (3-10). Super Light: Sam Noakes (7-0) W RTD 2 Naeem Ali (2-71-1). Joyce vs. Takam Joyce retains the Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International titles as he stops Takam in the sixth. Takam was giving away height, weight and reach against Joyce and his tactics were to keep moving and throw overhand rights. Joyce was padding forward as usual in the first stabbing out jabs and throwing straight rights. It was Takam who was catching the eye as he scored early with a strong right and ended the round connecting with four more. Joyce continued to come forward in the second landing some clubbing shots and a couple of rights to the body. Takam connected with a left hook to the head and again banged home some right crosses. The punches just bounced off Joyce. The third saw Takam’s pace drop as Joyce began to find a home for more of his powerful jabs and heavy rights but Takam threw himself forward on the attack late in the fourth again getting through with rights to the head. The body punches started to take their toll on Takam who slowed in the fifth. Joyce was landing heavily but Takam again attacked fiercely at the end of the round. In the first few seconds of the sixth a left hook from Joyce sent Takam stumbling back across the ring on rubbery legs. Joyce followed him landing a whole series of head punches. Initially Takam was punching back but then after a few more head punches from Joyce he stopped doing that and just covered up as Joyce bounced punches off his head/gloves and sent him reeling. The referee came in and stopped the fight only for Takam to pop his head over his high guard shouting in protest at the stoppage. He continued to berate the referee but with his experience he must have known that by letting Joyce throw almost thirty punches without throwing a single punch back he was leaving the referee little choice but to stop the fight. Joyce is rated WBO 2/WBC 5/IBF 10(9) and was calling out Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury but he probably have to wait until next year before he gets a title shot. Takam was enraged by the stoppage and has demanded a return but Joyce will be looking forward and not back. Essuman vs. Jenkins Essuman wins the British and Commonwealth titles as after a high action competitive fight he overwhelms and injured Jenkins in the eighth round. They are well-schooled fighters and from the start both men showed well with their jab. Jenkins took the first round just winning the duel if the jabs but Essuman seemed to take the second with more variety in his work. He landed some hard body punches and it later transpired that one of those punches had broken a rib in the left side of Jenkins. Both scored well in the third and the fourth swung one way and then the other. Essuman started with a fierce attack and had Jenkins reeling. Jenkins steady himself and then fired back and dominated the second half of an excellent round with his jab. Essuman outworked Jenkins in the fifth and sixth. He was coming forward throwing punches with Jenkins no longer as strong with his jab. Essuman also took the seventh with Jenkins constantly on the back foot and off target with his jab and Essuman getting through with hard punches from both hands. Essuman launched a furious attack at the start of the eight and suddenly Jenkins was in trouble being caught with heavy punches and just covering up under fire and the referee made a timely stoppage. Botswana-born Essuman gets his sixth inside the distance win. Welshman Jenkins was having his first fight for twenty months and will be hoping for a return match when his injury heals. Sheeraz vs. Gurria Sheeraz grinds down and stops Spaniard Gurria in the fifth round. Sheeraz had huge edges in height and reach and he used those to put Gurria under pressure over the first two rounds but the pace was slow. Sheeraz increased the tempo in the third driving Gurria back across the ring with a series of punishing jabs. He continued to put his punches together well in the fourth and then floored Gurria with a left hook to the body. Gurria made it to his feet but when he was dumped on the canvas again with right to the body and a left to the head the fight was stopped. Seventh consecutive early win for the 6’1” 22-year-old Shiraz who was putting the WBO European belt on the line for the third time. Former Spanish champion Gurria was just not big enough to trouble Sheeraz. Bourke vs. Beech Bourke boxes his way to a clear decision over Beech in a fast-paced match. Bourke took control of the centre of the ring in the first round and never relinquished that control. He used sharp accurate right jabs and straight lefts to scores at distance and when Beech did try to come forward Bourke met him with hard, accurate counters. Beech just could not get a foothold in the fight. He made the seventh and eighth rounds close but took heavy punishment in the ninth and was out boxed by Bourke in the last. Scores 100-90, (99-91 and 99-92. First defence of the WBC International belt for Bourke. Second defeat in a row for Beech who lost a decision against Brad Foster for the Commonwealth and British titles in July last year. Adeleye vs. Manev Adeleye stops Manev in four rounds. The Bulgarian was carrying lots of extra weight around his middle and Adeleye was able to land body punches with both hands in the first. Manev was cut over his left eye in a second round which saw little action. Adeleye upped his pace notably in the third scoring with clubbing head shots and some spectacular uppercuts. Adeleye was in control in the fourth and when he landed another uppercut Manev back away to a corner and then confusion reigned. Manev seemed to be indicating a problem with his left eye. He started to drop looking to take a knee so the referee could step in. He did not go all the way down but dropped his hand and the referee did not step in so Adeleye connected with a heavy right on Manev who was in a semi-crouch. Manev was so enraged over that punch that he went wild throwing punches resulting in a wild brawl before an uppercut did put him down. He beat the count but went down again from a left to the body with the referee ending the fight immediately. Sixth win by TKO/TKO for the 24-year-old Londoner. Manev was a top level amateur but he competed at 75kg (165lbs) and 81kg (178lbs) then and he was 228lbs here in losing the fifth of his last six fights. Noakes vs. Ali Noakes gets another inside the distance victory but the real surprise was Ali being stopped. Noakes usually comes out firing punches but he took a more measured approach here against survival expert Ali. Noakes landed some stiff body shots in the first but Ali blocked most of the shots and was not in any real trouble. In the second Noakes began to find the target with some vicious uppercuts but Ali made it to the bell. There was blood coming from Ali’s nose which seemed to be broken and he retired in the interval. Noakes has won all of his fights by KO/TKO but the real news was that this is the first time in 74 fights-including 71 losses- that Ali has failed to last the distance 21 July Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Super Light: Alberto Puello (19-0) W PTS 12 Jesus Rubio (13-4-1). Minimum: Eric Rosa (4-0) W PTS 12 Ricardo Astuvilca (21-1). Light Heavy: Lenin Castillo (21-3-1) W RTD 4 Ronald Gonzalez (8-1). Puello vs. Rubio Puello remains unbeaten and retains the interim WBA title as he takes wide unanimous verdict over Mexican Rubio. Puello put Rubio down with a right just before the bell to end the first round and was in control from there. He used his superior skills and accurate southpaw straight lefts with the strong but limited Rubio out of his depth. Puello cruised over the middle rounds before trying to put Rubio away in the last with a barrage of body punches but Rubio just made it to the final bell. Scores 120-107 on the three cards for Puello. With the WBA loading this division with super, world and Gold title holders Puello is a long way down the pecking order but ” The Wasp” is a quality fighter too good to be left down the blind alley of an interim title. Rubio was a very ordinary level challenger and no real threat to Puello. Rosa vs. Astuvilca In only his fourth fight Dominican hot prospect “Mini Pac-Man” Rosa outpoints Peruvian Astuvilca to collect the vacant WBA belt in an entertaining scrap. Southpaw Rosa had height and reach over Astuvilca and comfortably outboxed the little Peruvian over the first three rounds. Astuvilca was credited with a questionable knockdown in the fourth and carried that momentum into the fifth. Rosa then took the next four rounds but then had to fight hard to hold off a fierce finish from Astuvilca over the closing rounds but was a clear winner. Scores 117-110 twice and 114-113 for Rosa. The new title holder is still a work in progress but has plenty of talent. Astuvilca has very little skill but plenty of energy and aggression but his record has been built on very modest opposition. Castillo vs. Gonzalez Castillo gets a win as Gonzalez retires at the end of the fourth round due to a swelling over his right eye hampering his vision. Castillo had no real problem here in piercing the Venezuelan’s guard or dealing with Gonzalez’s crude attacks. A clash of heads in the first saw a swelling developing over the right eye of Gonzalez. Castillo handed out plenty of punishment over the second and third rounds and staggered Gonzalez a couple of times in the fourth leading to the doctor examining the swelling in the interval and indicating the fight should be halted. The 21-year-old 6’2” Castillo lost to Dmitry Bivol in a shot at the secondary WBA in his last fight in October 2019. Venezuelan Gonzalez has a very padded record with his eight victims having only one win between them. Tokyo Japan, Fly: Seigo Akui (16-2-1) W TKO 10 Taku Kuwahara (8-1). “Yuri” Akui retains the Japanese flyweight title with a tenth round stoppage of “Ioka II” Kuwhara. Akui put Kuwahara down in the opening round but Kuwahara fought back hard enough for it to be close going into the last round. In the tenth Akui floored Kawahara again with a heavy right and the fight was stopped. Eleventh inside the distance victory for Akui. His “Yuri” nickname is a tribute to former flyweight title holder Yuri Arbachakov and Kuwahara’s nickname is “Ioka II” after four-division title holder Kazuto Ioka. 22 July Moscow, Russia: Heavy: Murat Gassiev (28-1,1ND) W TKO 4 Michael Wallisch (22-5). Super Fly: Mikhail Aloyan (7-1) W PTS 10 Mchanja Yohana (12-3). Feather: Andranik Grigoryan (14-0) W PTS 10 Nathaniel Kakololo (11-3-1). Vladimir Nikitin (5-1-1) W RTD 3 Raul Aghayev (31-10) Gassiev vs. Wallisch Now campaigning at heavyweight Gassiev stops Wallisch in four rounds. Gassiev landed a hard right in the first that started a bruising under the left eye of Wallisch but apart from that one punch for three rounds Gassiev just tracked Wallisch around the ring hardly throwing a punch. Wallisch landed a right in the third which was the best punch to that point. Gassiev finally showed some fire in the fourth using his jab and throwing some hooks. Wallisch already looked to be tiring and went down heavily from a hard right. Wallisch made it to his feet and Gassiev then had him reeling under a barrage of punches and the referee stopped the fight The former IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion looked slow but as this is only his second fight in three years (and one day) that was understandable but he needs to improve from this showing. Wallisch is now 3-5 in his last 6 fights with all of the losses by KO/TKO against tough opposition. Aloyan vs. Yohana Aloyan outpoints Tanzanian Yohana. Aloyan was just too quick for Yohana. He was able to score with his jab at distance and get inside and land a punch before Yohana could counter. Yohana came forward for much of the fight and although he made Aloyan work hard he just lacked the speed and accuracy of Aloyan. Scores 99-91 for Aloyan on the three cards. Armenian-born Aloyan was World amateur champion in 2011 and 2013 and a gold medallist at the European Championships. He scored wins over Khalid Yafai, Nordine Oubaali, Andrew Selby, Rau’shee Warren and Tugstsogt Nyambayan in the amateurs but lost to Zolani Tete for the WBA bantam title in 2018. Yohana did not have the power or the experience to threaten Aloyan. Grigoryan vs. Kakololo Armenian-born Grigoryan takes unanimous decision over Namibian Kakololo. The 5’4” Grigoryan chased down the taller Namibian over the full ten rounds. Kakololo showed some good skills but not much power and Grigoryan was able to get inside and score constantly. He is no puncher himself and never had Kakololo in any trouble. Kakololo had shown well in his last fight in Russia only losing on a majority decision against WBO No 6 Oleg Malinowski. Nikitin vs. Aghayev Nikitin batters Azeri Aghayev to defeat in three rounds. Nikitin came out throwing punches from the first bell and never stopped. He hustled and harried late substitute Aghayev around the ring in the second and third and at times only the ropes held Aghayev up. Aghayev gave it everything in the third standing and trading with Nikitin but he was rocked a few times and retired at the end of the round. Nikitin’s loss came against Michael Conlan who gained revenge for a controversial loss to Nikitin in the Rio Olympics. 23 July Panama City, Panama: Welter: Johan Gonzalez (28-1) W KO 2 Likar Ramos (30-11). Super Bantam: Liborio Solis (32-6-1, ND) W PTS 8 Marlon Olea (14-8). Feather: Yonfrez Parejo (24-4-1) W RTD 3 Jordan Escobar (16-13-2). Feather: Rafael Pedroza W KO 2 Mauricio Martinez (15-22-2). Gonzalez vs. Ramos Venezuelan Gonzalez knocks out Colombian southpaw Ramos early in the second round. All 28 of Gonzalez’s victories have come by KO/TKO. His loss was a split decision against Charlie Navarro in July 2019. Former WBA interim WBA super feather title holder Ramos has won only one of his last six fights Solis vs. Olea Seasoned pro Solis floors and outpoints Colombian Olea. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-72 for the 39-year-old Venezuelan a former holder of the WBA super flyweight title. He is 7-1 in his last 8 fights with the loss being a split decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux for the vacant secondary WBA bantam title in February last year. Olea falls to 1-7 in his most recent activity. Parejo vs. Escobar Parejo handed out some severe punishment and Nicaraguan Jordan Escobar did not come out for the fourth round. The 34-year-old Parejo lost to Ryan Burnett in a challenge for the WBA bantamweight and Brandon Figueroa for the interim secondary WBA super bantamweight titles. Escobar drops to 1-6 in his last 7 fights. Pedroza vs. Martinez Panamanian Pedroza makes it ten wins by KO/TKO in his eleven fights as he puts Colombian Mauricio Martinez down and out in the second round. Pedraza, 24, is No 15 super bantamweight with the WBA. Poor Colombian Martinez has lost 14 times by KO/TKO. Grand Island. NE, USA: Super Middle: Isaiah Steen (16-0,1ND) W PTS 10 Kelvin Henderson (14-1-1). Welter: Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-0-1) DREW 10 Shinard Bunch (15-2,1ND). 12 Steen vs. Henderson Steen wins a unanimous verdict over Henderson in a clash of unbeaten fighters. Henderson made a promising start connecting with rights in the first and doing enough to share the second. When heads banged together in the second Henderson was cut over his left eye and from there Steen took control. He outlanded Henderson in the fourth and rocked him with a right in the fifth. Henderson did enough to take the sixth but Steen banged back hurting Henderson with rights in the seventh. Henderson took the fight to Steen over the eighth and ninth but Steen boxed well behind his jab and edged the tenth to take the decision. Scores 97-93 twice and 95-94 for Steen. Good win for Steen, 24, the brother of unbeaten former Olympian Charles Conwell. Texan Henderson will rebound and if that does not work then he can fall back on his bachelor’s degree in music education. Bunch vs. Bocachica This contest between Bunch and Bocachica ends as a draw although Bunch looked a clear winner. From the start Bunch had his jab working well and was on target with long rights. He was using good upper body movement to bob and weave under Bocachica’s punches and landing jarring shots from both hands. Bunch looked to have swept the first six rounds and although Bocachica shook Bunch a couple of times in the seventh and eighth Bunch scored well in the ninth and then boxed his way through the last. The judges came up with scores of 97-93 for Bunch 96-94 for Bocachica and 95-95. Boujan-sur-Libron, France: Super Light: Bastien Ballesta (23-0-1) W RTD 6 Hedi Slimani (33-7-1). Local fighter Ballesta wins the vacant WBC Francophone belt with injury victory over Hedi Slimani. It was Slimani who took the first crowding Ballesta and scoring with strong rights. Ballesta settled into the fight in then boxed cleverly over the second and third. Slimani was dangerous with his power in the fourth but Ballesta was defending well and countering accurately. Ballesta dominated the action in the fifth and sixth as Slimani showed signs of a shoulder injury and retired after the sixth. Former French champion Ballesta drew his first pro fight so this is win No 23 in a row. Slimani was 26-2 but after a points loss to Richard Commey in 2017 has fallen away. Maccarese, Italy: Super Welter: Mirko Di Carlantonio (11-7-1) DREW 10 Marco Papasidero (9-2-4). Super Welter: Mirko Natalizi (11-0) W PTS 8 Dmytro Shcherbyna (10-1-1). Feather: Mauro Forte (16-0-1) W KO 3 Romic Airapetean (9-2). Di Carlantonio vs. Papasidero The Italian title remains vacant as Di Carlantonio and Papasidero fight to a draw. Papasidero dropped Di Carlantonio with a right in the opening round and used all-out aggression and effective body punching to move into a clear lead. Di Carlantonio, 40, fought back hard and produced the stronger finish to earn a share of the points. Scores 95-94 for Papasidero, 95-94 for Di Carlantonio and 95-95. A good fight and they will have to go up against each other again. Natalizi vs. Shcherbyna Good test for Natalizi against Ukrainian Shcherbyna. Natalizi scored heavily over the middle rounds but Shcherbyna did not crumble and remained competitive until Natalizi floored him in the last to cement his victory. Natalizi 26yo based Rome, 5’ 11 ½” 7 wins id, Shcherbyna 25yo Ukrainian, 6’0”, 3 wins id 0 losses id, Forte vs. Airapetean Unbeaten southpaw Forte blows away Moldovan Airapetean in three rounds. Forte floored Airapetean in the first and continued to ram home heavy punches in the second. Airapetean survived but was floored twice in the third and counted out. European Union champion Forte is waiting for a date for his title defence against Francesco Grandelli. Osaka, Japan: Light Fly: Riku Kano (18-4-1) W TKO 9 Takumi Sakae (22-4-1). Middle: Yuki Nonaka (35-10) W PTS 12 Koki Koshikawa (9-3). Kano vs. Sakae Kano has to get off the canvas twice against heavy puncher Sakae to retain his WBO Asia Pacific title. It looked early as though Sakae was on his way to victory when he put Kano down in the second and fourth rounds. He failed to finish the champion and over the second half of the fight Kano’s body punching wore-down Sakae and with Sakae reeling under an array of punches in the ninth the fight was stopped. Fifth consecutive win for the WBO No 6. First inside the distance defeat for Sakae. Nonaka vs. Koshikawa Age no barrier as 43-year-old Nonaka returns to action with a successful defence of the WBO Asia Pacific belt on a unanimous decision over Koshikawa. Nonaka comfortably outboxed the young challenger slotting punches through Wahiawa’s guard and banging home straight lefts. Koshikawa tried to take the fight to Nonaka but by the middle of the fight he was bloody and bruised. He survived some doctor’s examinations but was never able to match Nonaka for skills. This was Nonaka’s first fight since September 2019 Scores 119-109 twice and a confusing 115-113 all for southpaw Nonaka who turned pro back in 1999. Cuernavaca, Mexico: Heavy: Arslanbek Makhmudov (12-0) W TKO 1 Pavel Sour (13-5) Canadian-based Russian Makhmudov gets another quick win. After a first exchange of punches Makhmudov landed a booming right to Sour’s temple that sent him down heavily with the referee immediately waiving the fight over after just 33 seconds. The 32-year-old 6’5 ½” Makhmudov has won all of his fights by KO/TKO with eight first round finishes. Czech Sour suffers his fourth inside the distance loss. 24 July Brisbane, Australia: Super Light: Liam Paro (21-0) W PTS 10 Steve Gago (12-2). Super Welter: Tysinn Best (14-2) W PTS 10 Adrian Rodriguez (13-4-2). Cruiser: Floyd Masson (10-0) W TKO 4 Joseph Liga (6-3-1). Paro vs. Gago Paro much too good for limited but willing for fellow southpaw Gago in a slow-paced uninspiring fight. He outboxed Gago and sent him down in the fifth with a left to the head. Gago was going back at the time so it wasn’t a heavy knockdown and Gago got up quickly and back into the fight but found the skills of Paro too much. Scores 99-90 twice and 100-89. Paro is No 2 with the WBO and No 3(2) with the IBF so like all super lightweights he is waiting to see what happens with Josh Taylor. Best vs. Rodriguez Superior skills and a higher work rate won for Best here. He worked everything off his jab and although Rodriguez was dangerous with rights he was leaving himself open and Best was able to slot home jabs and connect with straight rights. Neither was hurt and with his aggressive approach Rodriguez made Best work hard. Scores 97-94 twice and 98-92 for Best. The former Australian welter champion wins the vacant Australasian title. Rodriguez is a former Australian champion. Masson vs. Liga New Zealand-born southpaw Masson proves just too strong for Liga and wins the vacant Australasian title. Masson was in charge from the start with Liga willing to stand and trade with the stronger man. Masson was cut in the second round but slowly broke Liga down before flooring him with a series of vicious head punches in the fourth with the fight being stopped. Seventh inside the distance victory for Masson Guarulhos, Brazil: Cruiser: Yamaguchi Falcao (17-1-1,1ND) W TKO 1 Clebson Tubarao (3-2-1). 13 A In a disgraceful mismatch Falcao jumps up three divisions and stops Tubarao in the first round to win the vacant Brazilian cruiserweight title. This was a massacre as Falcao put the bigger Tubarao down four times before the fight was mercifully stopped. Falcoa, 33, is the elder brother of unbeaten Esquiva Falcao and won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. This was his first fight since drawing with D’Mitrius Ballard in December 2019. Tubarao was having his first fight for over two years. Agde, France: Super Feather: Florian Montels (21-2-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Carlos Cossio (8-8-3). Home town fighter Montels hold on to the WBC Francophone title with unanimous decision over Peruvian Cossio. Scores 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 for Montels who registers his eighth victory on the bounce. French-based Cossio without a win in his last four fights. Goeppingen, Germany: Cruiser: Firat Arslan (49-9-3) W KO 4 Ruben Acosta (38-18-4). Cruiser: Huseyin Cinkara (16-0) W RTD 6 Erdogan Kadrija (16-4). Heavy: Ali Kiydin (15-1) W KO 2 Dorde Tomic 3-3). Arslan vs. Acosta Farcically easy win for Arslan in a show staged in his own gym. Over the first two rounds Arslan was walking forward behind a high guard with a tubby Acosta just circling the perimeter of the ring. Arslan trapped Acosta in a corner in the third and landed a right to the body that saw Acosta take a count on one knee. He made it through the round but went down twice more from body punches in the fourth and was counted out. The 50-year-old Arslan wins the vacant WBA International title. He is No 5 with the WBA even though he has done nothing of consequence since losing to Kevin Lerena in February last year. His aim is now to challenge for the WBA title to become the oldest fighter to win a world title beating Bernard Hopkins record of winning the WBC light heavyweight title at the age of 46 but to gain recognition he will need to win the real WBA title. Argentinian Acosta, 43, weighed 152lbs at the start of his career and he was more than 40lbs heavier for this fight. Cinkara vs. Kadrija German Cinkara wins the vacant IBO Continental title. He floored Kadrija early and Kadrija retired at the end of the sixth round. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for 36-year-old Cinkara. Kosovo-born Kadrija had won 5 of his last 6 fights. Kiydin vs. Tomic Kiydin crushes novice Tomic in two rounds. He floored Tomic twice with body punches in the first and put him down with a savage combination in the second. Kiydin has 14 wins by KO/TKO but was knocked in 66 seconds by unbeaten New Zealander Hemi Aho in 2019. Konigsbrunn, Germany: Minimum: Tina Rupprecht (10-0-1) W Kalia Gutierrez (23-7). Fourth successful defence of the WBC Female title for Rupprecht as she takes a split decision over former IBF champion Gutierrez. Despite Gutierrez having, the longer reach Rupprecht controlled the fight from the centre of the ring constantly forcing Gutierrez on to the back foot with Gutierrez looking to counter punch. The fight was close all the way and at the end of the seventh round Rupprecht was in front on two cards and behind on the other. Rupprecht held on to her lead with her more aggressive approach. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Rupprecht and 96-94 for Gutierrez. Gutierrez came into the fight as the holder of the WBC Silver belt. Fight of the week (Significance): Joe Joyce’s win over Carlos Takam puts him in line for a shot at the heavyweight title next year. Fight of the week (Entertainment): The Eric Rosa vs. Ricardo Astuvilca provided plenty of entertainment Fighter of the week: Joe Joyce as he marches on towards a title fight Punch of the week: The right cross from Arslanbek Makhmudov that finished Pavel Sour was a blaster Upset of the week: None Prospect watch: Super Bantamweight southpaw Chris Bourke put on an impressive display in outpointing James Beech Observations Records can be so deceptive. Take Nassem Ali who before his fight this week had a 2-70-1 record with all of his 70 losses on decisions. It is an awful record but it conceals the fact that Ali actually has quite a few skills and could have a better record. However he can make more money from taking short notice fights or going in against rising prospects. He cannot afford to be stopped and suspended as he always has to be ready and available-and he if he started to win he might even find the fights drying up. If in trouble and looking for some recovery time it can be a good idea to spit out your mouthguard. The referee will then stop the action to recover it and then take you to a corner to get it a quick wash and then restart the fight. That trick did not work for Michael Wallisch. He “lost” his mouthguard after being floored by Murat Gassiev but the referee just picked up the mouthguard and stuck it back into the German’s mouth-not hygienic but it might make Wallisch think again before using that ploy. Dominican Eric Rosa won the interim WBA minimumweight title in only his fourth pro fight. In fact all four of his fights have been for a title. In this age of multi-titles that is not the achievement it used to be and it distorts the level of his achievement as the WBA have four title holders at minimumweight in a super, secondary, gold and now interim. I can’t think of any other sport where the major bodies have damaged the standing of their sport as the sanctioning bodies have to boxing with now over 1.000 titles and more to come. By Eric Armit
Highlights: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano fight to a controversial draw in a fight that was supposed to unify the four super welterweight belts- so nothing unified -Ryad Merhy makes a successful defence of the secondary WBA heavyweight title with eighth round stoppage of Chinese challenger Zhaoxin Zhang -Lourdes Juarez gets a split verdict over Diana Fernandez in a WBC Female super flyweight title defence -Former cruiserweight title holder Krzys Wlodarczyk returns with a victory and in domestic action Mattia Faraoni and Vairo Lenti win in Italian title fights, Yves Ulysse stops fellow-Canadian David Theroux and red hot Japanese prospect Ginjiro Shigeoka stops Toshiki Kawamitsu World Title/Major Shows 16 July Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Super Fly: Lourdes Juarez (32-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Diana Fernandez (23-4). Super Light: Bryan Flores (30-2-1) W TKO 4 Otto Gamez (19-6) Juarez vs. Fernandez “Lulu” Juarez retains the WBC title with a split decision over local fighter Fernandez. The split decision was a strange one. After Fernandez edged the opening round Juarez took over. She was on the front foot taking the fight to Fernandez landing with power and speed and looked to have swept the next four rounds. Fernandez got back into the fight by taking the sixth but then Juarez staged a strong finish over the last three rounds. The judges scored this 96-95 and 95-94 for Juarez and 96-94 for Fernandez! After a couple of defeats early in her career Juarez is now unbeaten in her last 29 fights. Fernandez lost a split decision to Lourdes in November 2017 and was beaten by Mariana Juarez, the elder sister of Lourdes, for the WBC female bantam title in 2019. Flores vs. Gamez Juarez-based Flores batters Gamez to defeat in four rounds. Flores led all the way before driving Gamez to a corner in the fourth and dropping Gamez with a right with the fight being halted. Flores is 19-0-1 in his last 20 outings but against carefully vetted opposition. Venezuelan’s Gamez’s recent form has him 1-4 in his last five fights. 17 July San Antonio, TX, USA: Super: Jermell Charlo (34-1-1) DREW 12 Brian Castano (17-0-2). Light: Ronald Romero (14-0) W TKO 7 Anthony Yigit (24-2-1). Middle: Amilcar Vidal (13-0) W PTS 10 Immanuwel Aleem (18-3-2). Super Welter: Bakhram Murtazaliev (19-0) W PTS 8 Khiary Gray (16-6). Charlo vs. Castano A unification fight that does not unify as Jermell Charlo, the IBF, WBA and WBC title holder and WBO title holder Castano fight to a controversial draw. Round 1 Castano was jabbing well and tried an early right as Charlo was on the back foot. Castano was walking forward behind a high guard and he took Charlo to the ropes and connected with a sharp right to the chin. Charlo continued to retreat and Castano showed quick hands and scored with another two rights. Score: 10-9 Castano Round 2 Charlo stood his ground using his longer reach to get through with jabs and fired rights. Castano worked Charlo to the ropes and fired a series of punches but a solid left hook had Castano backing off with Charlo in pursuit firing punches. He had hurt Castano but then Charlo went on to the back foot again and did not capitalise on that left hook. Score: 10-9 Charlo TIED 19-19 Round 3 This round was boring until the last ten seconds. Neither fighter was committing himself merely prodding with jabs. Just before the bell Castano cut loose with a barrage of punches landing two great left hooks the second of which sent Charlo slumping to sit on the bottom rope and nearly going down. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 29-28 Round 4 A good round for Castano. He had Charlo pinned to the ropes for most of the round. He was choosing his moment to dart inside throwing bursts of punches connecting with some good head shots. Charlo was too busy defending himself to counter effectively. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 39-37 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 39-37 Castano, Judge Nelson Vazquez 39-37 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 39-37 Castano. Round 5 A much better round for Charlo. He jabbed and moved and scored with long rights. He stayed off the ropes and bobbed and weaved under Castano’s punches whilst raking Castano with shots from distance. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 48-47 Round 6 Charlo was jabbing but one punch at a time. Castano was circling Charlo looking for a chance to throw himself in to the attack. He gave up waiting and over the last minute stormed forward throwing punches. Not all landed but Charlo was throwing very little in return. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 58-56 Round 7 Castano’s round again. He was swarming forward forcing Charlo to the ropes and throwing punches. He was going for volume rather than accuracy but he was throwing punches and landing some including a sharp left hook with Charlo not firing enough back. Score: 10-9 Castano ` Castano 68-65 Round 8 Charlo was fighting a dumb fight. He was constantly retreating just firing his jab and not putting his punches together. Castano was prowling after Charlo choosing his moment to plunge in and landed some hard overhand rights. If Charlo had a plan there was no evidence of it. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 78-74 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 77-75 Castano, Judge Nelson Vazquez 78-74 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 78-74 Castano. Round 9 Castano was again in control. He was hunting Charlo around the ring launching swinging attacks firing hooks and uppercuts and having success with overhand rights. Charlo was only using his jab and was unable to keep Castano out or to score with his own punches Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 88-83 Round 10 This fight was not following the script as Charlo was a heavy favourite but it looked as though some Argentinian fans were going to make serious money. Half way through the round everything changed. Charlo connected with a left hook and suddenly Castano was sent backwards on shaky legs. Charlo chased Castano down and rocked him a couple more times but Castano danced around the ropes and recovered enough to swap punches with Charlo before the bell. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 97-93 Round 11 This one was close with Castano still coming forward but Charlo jabbing with more purpose. He landed a good right hook and late in the round as Castano was busy firing punches a left hook from Charlo stunned him and sent into hasty retreat with Charlo landing some heavy shots. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 106-103 Round 12 Charlo finally started using his right. He was jabbing strongly and every jab was followed by a straight right. That helped Charlo dominate most of the rounds with Castano attacking hard before the bell but it was Charlo’s round. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 115-113 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 114-114 TIED, Judge Nelson Vazquez 117-111 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 114-113 Castano.* Judge Weisfeld scored the tenth 10-8 for Charlo. No one is sure what fight Judge Vazquez was watching having Charlo the winner by six points. Both fighters are interested in a return and hopefully it will happen. I have been underestimating Castano since he first turned pro just seeing him as a wild slugger but he showed great heart, a tremendous work rate and clever use of a cross-arm defence. Charlo was disappointing never showing any real form or sustained aggression until the last three rounds. It will be interesting to see if Charlo has a better plan next time. Castano was unlucky here. He should have got the decision. Romero vs. Yigit Romero halts Yigit in seven rounds in defence of his WBA interim belt. Yigit was a short notice substitute and came in 5 ½ lbs over the limit so could not win the title. Yigit started well swopping punches with Romero. He suffered a gash on his left cheek from a Romero elbow in the third and by the fourth Romero was staring to land some heavy shots and was in control. In the fifth Romero used a wrestling hold to throw Yigit to the canvas and was then deducted a point for hitting Yigit after the break call. He then landed a series of punches that sent Yigit to the canvas. Yigit struggled to beat the count and he was saved by the bell. An exhausted Yigit soaked up punishment in the sixth and a left and right floored him in the seventh. When the action resumed Romero bundled Yigit to the floor but it was from a push so no count. Yigit was finished. He tried to walk through Romero’s punches but as he stumbled forward a left hook sent him down heavily and the fight was stopped. Romero, 25, was making the first defence of the interim belt. Yigit was obviously not in condition and was too brave for his own good. He hasn’t looked the same fighter since the savage beating he took in losing to Ivan Baranchyk for the vacant IBF super light title in 2018. Vidal vs. Aleem Vidal gets a majority decision over Aleem. There was a nice mix of styles here with the bigger stronger Vidal walking down the clever, quick-handed but light-punching Aleem. Vidal kept up the pressure and rocked Aleem with a right to the head in the second. Aleem was spearing Vidal with punches as the Uruguayan came forward and firing rapid combinations inside but not having the power to dissuade Vidal. There were plenty of exchanges in what was warming into an entertain match as they traded punches inside at the end of the fourth. Since he could not keep the power punching Vidal out Aleem stood and scrapped with Vidal. A series of crunching left hooks to the body had Aleem hurt in the sixth but he bounced back to outscore Vidal in the seventh and rocked him in the eighth with a left hook. It was toe-to-toe through the ninth and tenth with the result seemingly in the balance but the judges came down on the side of Vidal with two judges seeing it 97-93 for Vidal and the third turning in a 95-95 card which looked the better measure of the fight. Vidal, 25, shows promise. He is lucky to be boxing as he was struck by a lorry when doing road work in 2015 and suffered a broken pelvis and needed surgery to an injured arm. Aleem has no luck in close fights as in his last three contests he has drawn with Matt Korobov and lost to Ronald Ellis and Vidal with all three results being majority decisions. Murtazaliev vs. Gray Murtazaliev was looking to showcase his power and move a step closer to a fight with Charlo for the IBF title. He succeeded in the power aim as he rocked Gray on various occasions but could never totally subdue Gray who took the licks and fought back enough to garner some respect from Murtazaliev even though losing clearly. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Russian Murtazaliev. He is No 1 with the IBF but after the draw between Charlo and Castano and the possibility of a return it seems he is further away and not closer to a title fight. This is the first fight for Gray since being stopped in six rounds by Gary O’Sullivan in March 2019. Brussels, Belgium: Cruiser: Ryad Merhy (30-1) W TKO 9 Zhaoxin Zhang (10-2-1). Super Light: Hovhannes Martirosyan (12-0) W RTD 8 Renald Garrido (25-29-3). Super Light: Antoine Vanackere (17-1) W PTS 10 Nazri Rahimov (9-3). Cruiser: Steve Eloundou Ntere (5-0) W PTS 10 Zura Mekereshvili (16-30-1). Super Light: Mohamed El Marcouchi (28-2) W PTS 6 Gary Abajyan (26-42-1). Super Feather: Miko Khatchatryan (13-0) W KO 3 Michael Pappoe (26-8). Super Middle: Kevin Lele Sadjo (16-0) W PTS 8 Javier Maciel (33-13).Cruiser: Samuel Kadje (16-1) W KO 3 Vukasin Obradovic (6-18-1). Cruiser: Youri Kayembre Kalenga (27-6) W KO 1 Mikheil Khutsishvili (31-44-6). Merhy vs. Zhang Merhy makes a first defence of the secondary WBA title with stoppage of inexperienced Zhang. In the first Zhang made an assured start using his longer reach firing jabs and trying right hands. He was flat-footed and showed no upper body movement and Merhy was able to score with jabs of his own. In the second a jab from Merhy sent Zhang down . He was up quickly indicating it was a slip. He was not too shaken but Merhy dominated the round as he threaded jabs though Zhang’s guard. A big left hook from Merhy floored Zhang in the third. The challenger made it his feet and despite a couple of heavy rights from Merhy survived to the bell. Merhy was landing strongly again in the fourth and fifth but Zhang showed a good chin. The pace dropped in the sixth allowing Zhang to work his jab and he even had Merhy trapped against the ropes and under fire for a spell. Merhy picked up the pace again in the seventh scoring with his jabs and long rights on a visibly tiring Zhang. Merhy was following Zhang around the ring in the eighth loading up on his punches and when Zhang prodded out a tame right Merhy came over the top with a solid left hook that dumped Zhang on the canvas on his side. Zhang got up but after the eight count the referee made a good decision to stop the fight. Ivory Coast-born Belgian Merhy makes it 25 inside the distance finishes. He was to have defended against Kevin Lerena but COVID restrictions meant Lerena could not get to Belgium. Hopefully that fight can be made as it is a hard one to call and it would be a treat for the fans. Zhang was called in at just five weeks notice with the task of getting a visa giving him little time to prepare for the fight. He had plenty of flaws but as he had no amateur background it was understandable and he was not disgraced. Martirosyan vs. Garrido A rarity here as for the first time in 57 fights Garrido fails to go the distance. Belgian champion Martirosyan used better skills to outbox the ever aggressive Frenchman. It looked as though Garrido was on his way to another points defeat but an injury to his jaw was too serious for him to continue. Martirosyan wins the vacant BeNeLux title for fighters from Belgium Netherlands (Holland) and Luxemburg. Garrido will be back in action as soon as his jaw heals. Vanackere vs. Rahimov Southpaw Vanackere wins the vacant IBO Continental title. This was a close one with Rahimov spoiling his own chances by some infractions that cost him a point deduction in the second and tenth rounds. Scores 95-93 twice and 95-94 for Vanackere. Now nine consecutive wins for the Belgian champion. Ukrainian Rahimov, 20, was 6-1 going into this one. Ntere vs. Mekereshvili Cameroon-born Ntere collects the vacant Belgian title as he outclasses Georgian Mekereshvili. Ntere made good use of his edges in height and reach to control the fight with Mekereshvili never really a threat. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90 for Ntere who was in his first ten round fight. Mekereshvili extends his current losing streak to seven. El Marcouchi vs. Abajyan (Marco) El Marcouchi has one of the best records of active Belgian boxers but needs to start moving up as at 33 his youth is behind him. The Miami-based fighter easily handled late substitute Abajyan and eased to a points victory. His only loss in his last 23 contests was a disqualification. Georgian Abajyan, 47, slides a little further down the slope with his thirteenth loss in a row. Khatchatryan vs. Pappoe Belgian prospect Khatchatryan gets another win under his belt with stoppage Ghanaian Pappoe. Khatchatryan sent Pappoe to the boards in the second and then finished him in the third with a body punch. Although he is the Belgian lightweight champion this win gave him the IBO International super featherweight belt. Pappoe went twelve rounds with Isaac Dogboe back in 2016. Sadjo vs. Maciel “KLS” Sadjo may be a little old at 31 to be deemed a prospect but he is a former undefeated French champion and experienced Argentinian Maciel is only the second fighter to take him the distance. Sadjo floored Maciel in the first but Maciel did not buckle and made Sadjo work hard over the remaining seven rounds. Scores 79-72, 79-73 and 78-72 for Sadjo. After 14 consecutive inside the distance wins that’s now two points wins in a row. At one time Maciel was 27-2 but now he is just in it for the money he can get as a travelling trial horse and this is his seventh loss in six different countries with six of his opponents being unbeaten. Kadje vs. Obradovic Former Belgian cruiserweight champion Kadje punches too hard for Obradovic. After handing out punishment for two rounds Kadje landed a vicious right uppercut that dropped the Serbian to his knees and he sat out the ten count. Frenchman Kadje has 13 inside the distance finishes. Obradovic no real test. Kalenga vs. Khutsishvili Farcically easy for Kalenga. The fight had only just started when Khutsishvili flopped to the floor from a phantom punch and was counted out. The 33-year-old former interim WBA title holder Kalenga had lost big fights to Yuniel Dorticos, Kevin Lerena, Mateusz Masternak and Michal Cieslak so has work to do to get another title chance. A very predictable result as Khutsishvili has now lost by KO/TKO twenty-four times. 13 July Fontenay-sous-Bois, France: Welter: Mehdi Mouhib (19-2) W TKO 4 Yahya Tlaouziti (18-5-3). Super Light: Massi Tachour (16-4,1ND) W RTD 4 Luciano Randazzo (15-4-4). Mouhib vs. Tlaouziti Mouhib blows away Tlaouziti to win the vacant European Union title. Mouhib sent Tlaouziti down in each of the first two rounds. Tlaouziti banged back to take the third but a left to the head put him down again in the fourth and the fight was stopped. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for Mouhib. First inside the distance loss for former French champion Tlaouziti Tachour vs. Randazzo Home town fighter Tachour retains the European Union title with victory over Italian Randazzo, The challenger started aggressively but powerful hooks and uppercuts from Tachour soon had Randazzo going backwards. Tachour scored heavily in the fourth and Randazzo retired at the end of the round citing an injury to his left shoulder which had affected his performance in the fourth. Algerian-born Tachour was making the first defence of the EU title and has won his last thirteen fights. Former Italian champion Randazzo was 5-0-1 going into this fight. 14 July Tokyo, Japan: Minimumweight: Ginjiro Shigeoka (6-0) W TKO 2 Toshiki Kawamitsu (6-1). The latest Japanese prodigy Shigeoka stops Kawamitsu in two rounds in a WBO Asia Pacific title defence. The 5’0” tall Shigeoka was giving away 4” in height and immediately took the fight to Kawamitsu who was forced to stand and trade punches in an exciting first round. It was all over in the second as Shigeoka floored Kawamitsu with a right hook. Kawamitsu beat the count but was stunned by another right hook and a straight left and the referee stopped the fight. The 21-year-old Shigeoka was 56-1 as an amateur and is being tipped as a future star in Japan. (The loss came when he was to have fought his brother in a tournament final and although he entered the ring when the gong went his corner threw in the towel so Shigeoka “lost” the fight). Kawamitsu never in with a chance. 16 July Shawinigan, Canada: Super Light: Yves Ulysse Jr (20-2) W TKO 5 David Theroux (16-5). Ulysse crushes Theroux in five rounds. Ulysse took control in the first and then put Theroux down heavily with a short right hook in the second. He continued to punish Theroux in the third and fourth. In the fifth a right which landed high on the side of Theroux’s head sent him down on his hands and knees. He spun around and eventually made it to his feet but was walking towards his corner as the referee stopped the fight. Ulysse wins the vacant NABA title. He lost a razor-thin decision against Ismael Barroso for the WBA Gold title in December 2019 but had come back well with a stoppage of fellow Canadian Mathieu Germain in November. Second consecutive inside the distance loss for Theroux who retired after six rounds against Steve Claggett in November. Ladispoli, Italy: Cruiser: Mattia Faraoni (7-1-1) W RTD 5 Francesco Versaci (21-4-1). In a return match Faraoni wins the Italian title with injury victory over champion Versaci. The challenger looked to have built a lead over the first four rounds. Versaci gave it a big try in the fifth but then retired due an injury to his right shoulder. These two had met in March with the fight ending after just one round when Versaci was unable to continue due a punch to the back of the head. It was a winning double for Faraoni. He did go down once but it was after the fight when he proposed marriage to his girl friend and she accepted. Versaci was making the second defence of the title. Grosseto, Italy: Light: Vairo Lenti (9-4-1) W PTS 10 Luca Maccaroni (16-7-4). Lenti outboxes perennial challenger Maccaroni. Lenti constantly found opening for his jab and used some slick footwork and accurate counters to pile up the points. Maccaroni had a good fifth but other than that despite Maccaroni’s constant pressure Lenti never lost control of the fight. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Lenti in his first defence of the national title. His lack of power will be Lenti’s biggest problem against better quality opponents. Maccaroni was trying to win a national title for the fourth time having lost twice at super lightweight and now twice at lightweight. Talisay City, Philippines: Minimum: Melvin Jerusalem (17-2) W PTS 12 Tito Landero (11-6-2). Fly: Dave Apolinario (15-0) W TKO 4 Charlie Malupangue (9-5-3). Light Fly: Christian Araneta (20-2) W TKO 1 Richard Claveras (19-7-2).Super Fly: KJ Cataraja (13-0) W TKO 7 Cris Alfante (17-9-1).Feather: Jeo Santisima (21-3) W TKO 1 Alan Alberca (11-5). Jerusalem vs. Landero Former WBC title challenger Jerusalem outpoints former WBA and IBO title challenger Landero. Jerusalem boxed for most of the fight on the back foot scoring well with his jab at distance and countering the advancing Landero who never stopped walking forward. His pressure gave Landero a couple of rounds but he was outboxed and outscored by Jerusalem. Scores 118-110 twice and 116-112 for Jerusalem who snaps up the vacant OPBF belt with his sixth win in a row. He had scored a wide unanimous decision over Landero in 2018.He looked unlucky to lose to Wanheng in Thailand for the WBC title in 2017 with two judges giving Wanheng the win by 114-113 and the other by 115-113. Landero, who lost to Knockout CP Freshmart for the WBA minimum title 2018, is on the slide having now lost 5 of his last 6 fights. Apolinario vs. Malupangue In a clash of southpaw’s Apolinario gets his tenth inside the distance victory as he stops Malupangue in the fourth. Apolinario was landing heavily from the start. He rocked Malupangue in the third and in the fourth after a punch sent Malupangue’s mouthguard flying Malupangue indicated he was finished and the fight was stopped. Apolinario wins the WBA Asian title. Malupangue had won 4 of his last 5 fights. Araneta vs. Claveras Araneta wipes out Claveras in 91 seconds. With Claveras against the ropes Araneta landed a series of bombs that sent Claveras down heavily and the referee immediately stopped the fight after just 91 seconds. Sixteenth inside the distance win for the Cebu City southpaw. Cataraja vs. Alfante Cataraja moves to thirteen wins as he stops a too brave Alfante in the seventh. Southpaw Alfante just kept rolling forward and landed enough to keep Cataraja busy. Too often Alfante was walking onto left hooks to the body and straight rights but he persisted in trying to trade punches. He was shaken in the sixth and walked onto a right in the seventh which sent him stumbling to the ropes and down. He was up early but when the referee reached eight Alfante just shook his head and the referee waived the fight over. Only two opponents have managed to last the distance against Cataraja. Alfante was a useful 6-2 going in. Santisima vs. Alberca Santisima punches too hard for Alberca. He floored Alberca with a left hook to the body and then put him down and out with a left hook to the head. All over in 101 seconds. Santisima’s only loss in his last 20 fights is an eleventh round stoppage by Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO super bantam title in February last year. Four quick defeats for Alberca 17 July Magdeburg, Germany: Light Heavy: Michael Eifert (8-1) W PTS 10 Tom Dzemski (17-1). Cruiser: Juergen Uldedaj (14-0) W TKO 7 Dmytro Serguta (7-2). Heavy: Peter Kadiru (11-0) W TKO 2 Adnan Redzovic (21-6). Cruiser: Adam Deines (20-2-1) W RTD 4Bernard Donfack (23-27-4). Eifert vs. Dzemski Eifert gets revenge as he takes majority verdict over Dzemski. It was Dzemski who made the more confident start but he was staggered by a left from Eifert in the third. Eifert built on that success to take the fourth but Dzemski settled again to edge the fifth. Eifert’s harder punching saw him take the sixth and he looked to have taken the close seventh and eighth and landed heavily in the ninth. Dzemski threw everything into then tenth but it was not enough. Scores 97-93 twice for Eifert and 95-95. Eifert wins the WBC , IBF and WBO Youth titles and reverses his majority decision loss against Dzemski in August last year. Dzemski will be rebuilt. Uldedaj vs. Serguta Albanian Uldedaj lifts the vacant WBC Youth title, He put Ukrainian Serguta on the floor in the second round but Serguta recovered to fight back hard until a left hook sent him tumbling to the canvas in the seventh and the fight was stopped. Uldedaj gets his fifth win by KO/TKO. Serguta had lost to Leon Harth on points in April. Kadiru vs. Redzovic Kadiru gets his sixth victory by the short route. He dropped Bosnian Redzovic late in the first and when he staggered Redzovic in the second the referee halted the action. The German champion is going to be working as a sparring partner with Anthony Joshua. Third loss in a row for Redzovic against tough opposition. Deines vs. Donfack Deines returns with a win as he floors Donfack in the first and fourth rounds and Donfack does not come out for the fifth. First fight for southpaw Deines since losing on a tenth round stoppage against Artur Beterbiev for the IBF and WBC light heavyweight title in March. Just one win in his last thirteen fights for Donfack. Suwalki, Poland: Cruiser: Krzys Wlodarczyk (59-4-1) W PTS 8 Vadym Novopashyn (6-3). Middle: Fiodor Czerkaszyn (18-0) W TKO 1 Damian Bonelli (24-8). Light Heavy: Marek Matyja (20-2-2) W TKO 2 Maksym Miszczenko (7-2). Wlodarczyk vs. Novopashyn In his first fight for 20 months Wlodarczyk took a couple of rounds to find his range. The pace was slow with Wlodarczyk not throwing many punches but he was accurate. Novopashyn found gaps when Wlodarczyk was careless with his guard but he tired and faded out of the fight. Wlodarczyk scored heavily over the late rounds staggering Novopashyn with a left in the fifth but other than that he never really had Novopashyn in any trouble. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Wlodarczyk. Not an impressive showing from former IBF and WBC title holder Wlodarczyk who is aiming to be busier and fight his way to another title shot but at 39 he needs to hurry. Novopashyn gave Wlodarczyk some useful rounds of work. Czerkaszyn vs. Bonelli Czerkaszyn wipes out Bonelli inside a round. A huge left hook flattened Bonelli. He made it to his feet but Czerkaszyn had him pinned to the ropes and was bombarding him with punches bringing the referee in to stop the massacre. The 25-year-old Ukrainian-born Pole makes it twelve inside the distance wins. Argentinian Bonelli is 0-3 in fights in Poland. Matyja vs. Miszczenko Matyja produces a one-punch finish to stop Ukrainian Miszczenko. The first round was even with Miszczenko taking the fight to the local fighter. In the second Miszczenko went down from a low punch and was given a chance to recover. Later in the round he threw a lazy jab and Matyja came over the top with a right that sent Miszczenko down heavily. Miszczenko struggled to his feet but did not respond to the referees instructions and the fight was over. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Matyja. Lesniki, Ukraine: Super Welter: Dymtro Mytrofanov (11-0-1) W PTS 10 Rilliwan Babatunde (13-1).Middle: Khasan Baysangurov (21-1) W RTD 1 Berikbay Nurymbetov (7-4-1).Welter: Khuseyn Baysangurov (19-1) W TKO 3 Nika Gvajava (12-22-3). Mytrofanov vs. Babatunde Oxnard-based Ukrainian Mytrofanov retains the WBO Oriental title with unanimous decision over Babatunde. Mytrofanov was conceding height and reach to the Nigerian but rumbled forward throughout the fight. Babatunde showed some useful skills and counterpunched well causing Mytrofanov some problems. He just did not have the power to keep Mytrofanov out and was under heavy pressure in every round. Scores 99-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Mytrofanov was defending the title he won by decisioning Asinia Byfield in December. First fight outside of Nigeria for Babatunde and at 25 he will only get better. Baysangurov vs. Nurymbetov Early finish for Baysangurov as Kazak Nurymbetov retires at the end of the first round with a hand injury. Baysangurov lost on an eleventh round stoppage against Rob Brant for the secondary WBA middleweight title in February 2019 and this is the fourth win for him as he rebuilds. Nurymbetov is 2-4-1 in his most recent contests. Baysangurov vs. Gvajava Elder brother Khusein bounced Gvajava off the floor six times before their fight was stopped in the third round. Five inside the distance wins in a row for Baysangurov who rarely needs the full distance to win as he has beaten 17 of his opponents by KO/TKO. Georgian Gvajava falls to1-10-1 a bad dozen. Rock Rapids, FL,USA: Middle: Serhii Bohachuk (19-1) W KO 1 Brandon Baue (16-24)). Welter: Ronald Cruz (18-1) W PTS 8 Chris Gray (13-23-1). Bohachuk vs. Baue Lanky Bohachuk ended this one early. After hurting Baue with a uppercut Bohachuk landed a left hook to the body dropping Baue to one knee and he was counted out. First fight for Bohachuk since being stopped by Brandon Adams in March. All 19 of Bohachuck’s wins have come by KO/TKO. Baue was a substitute and suffers his sixteenth loss by KO.TKO. Cruz vs. Gray Cruz gets unanimous verdict over a very rusty Gray on scores of 78-74 twice and 79-73. The 29-year-old Californian extends his winning run to 16 fights. Gray, 45, was having his first fight since December 2015. Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina: Middle: Juan Taborda (16-0) W PTS 10 Abraham Buonarrigo (9-2). Taborda wins the vacant WBO Latino title as he outpointed Buonarrigo. After two fairly even rounds Taborda’s power put him in command. He had Buonarrigo in trouble in the fourth and seventh round. Taborda coasted through the eighth and swept the last two rounds to cement his victory. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Taborda who was having his first fight since December 2019. Berlin, Germany: Super Bantam: Michael Kannier (12-3-1) W PTS 12 Jozsef Ajtai (22-18). Super Light: Zapir Rasulov (36-1) W PTS 8 Nestor Faccio (18-13-2,1ND). Kannier vs. Ajtai German Kannier wins the vacant Global Boxing Council belt with points victory against little Hungarian Ajtal. Kannier was just too big for the 5’2 ½” Ajtai. Scores 118-110 twice and 120-108 for Kannier who has won 9 of his last 10 fights with the loss coming against Zapir Rasulov. Ajtai, a former Hungarian light flyweight title holder is 1-9 in his last ten outings. Rasulov vs. Faccio Rasulov seems to be taking a long time to get nowhere. He outpointed Uruguayan Faccio but despite the scores made heavy work of winning. Faccio was competitive all the way but the judges saw Rasulov the winner on scores of 79-74, 78-74 and a more realistic 77-75. Russian Rasulov, 34, celebrated 17 years as a pro this month but is still fighting six and eight round contests. Faccio had lost his last three fights which is typical of the level of risk Rasulov is willing to take. Fight of the week (Significance): Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano. Must lead to a return to get those four titles unified. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Amilcar Vidal vs. Immanuwel Aleem an inspired bit of matching which produced a great scrap. Fighter of the week: He may not have won but for me Brian Castano should have now been holding the four belts. Punch of the week: Some beauties. The left hook from Ryad Merhy in the eighth round was a classic and Yves Ulysse produced a great right to stop Theroux but I will go for the perfectly timed left hook from Pole Fiodor Czerkaszyn that put Damian Bonelli down. Upset of the week: No shockers Prospect watch: Japanese minimumweight Ginjiro Shigeoka 6-0 and 56-1 as a amateur looks a cert with only his 5’0” height limiting the divisions he could span Observations The Juarez family has produced two outstanding talents in female boxing. Mariana “Barbie”-real name Maria Anastasia Trejo, now 41, is a former WBC flyweight and bantamweight title holder and is 17-2 in title fights with an overall record of 55-10-4. Despite the scarcity of female boxers younger sister Lourdes had 33 fights over seven years as a pro before getting a title shot last December when she won the WBC female super flyweight title. Some family. There are many areas of the world where being around 5’0” tall and weighting around 103lbs does not hamper you in finding fights. That’s not the case in Europe. Take Hungarian Jozsef Ajtai. He is 5’2 ½” and weighed as low as 101lbs in a fight at the start of his career. Gradually he was taking on opponents such as Andrew Selby, Shiming Zou, Khalid Yafai, Artem Dalakian and 5’9 ½” Gavin McDonnell and is tackling super bantamweights and even super featherweights to get fights. There’s vertically challenged and just too small. Belgian fans certainly got their money’s worth in Brussels as the Merhy vs. Zhang card had sixteen fights scheduled ranging from twelve rounds to four rounds and not one Belgian loser on the night. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Gilberto Ramirez destroys Sullivan in four rounds with body punches -Joseph Diaz wins vacant WBC interim lightweight title with decision over Javier Fortuna -Tim Tszyu marches on as he halts Steve Spark in three rounds and Filipino Joe Noynay stops unbeaten Liam Wilson. Seneisa Estrada and Naoko Fujioka win inn Female title fights -Unbeaten Kazak hopes Tursynbay Kulakhmet score inside the distance wins. World Title/Major Shows 7 July Sydney, Australia: Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (19-0) W TKO 3 Steve Spark (12-2). Super Feather: Joe Noynay (19-2-2) W TKO 5 Liam Wilson (9-1). Super Welter: Wade Ryan (19-9) W TKO 6 Troy O’Meley (11-2). Welter: Sam Ah See (14-0-1) W TKO 1 Czar Amonsot (35-6-3,1NC). Tszyu vs. Spark In a fight for the vacant Commonwealth title Tszyu blows away Australian welterweight champion Spark flooring him twice with body punches in the third round to force the finish. Spark came out throwing punches and taking the fight to Tszyu. Once Tszyu stated to use his longer reach he was able to force Spark back with jabs and land clubbing rights to the head. Tszyu was walking Spark down with Spark jumping in with short bursts of punches but Tszyu was landing hooks to the head and body and was the heavier puncher. Spark tried to take the fight to Tszyu in the second but a series of heavy hooks soon had him retreating and Tszyu drove him around the ropes connecting with hooks and uppercuts with a stumbling Spark in trouble. He fired back an occasional punch but his head was being snapped back by hooks and uppercuts as he took a one-sided beating and the fight could have been stopped. In the interval the contents of an ice bucket from Sparks’s corner was knocked over and ice cubes were scattered across the ring with the start of the third round being delayed by about a minute as the cubes were swept out of the ring. It was a genuine accident and not a ploy on behalf of Spark’s corner. Spark again tried to trade punches with Tszyu but was being heavily punished and a left hook to the body sent him down. Spark beat the count and tried to fight his way out of trouble but another body punch dropped him to his hands and knees and the referee immediately stopped the fight. Too easy for Tszyu as he wins the vacant Commonwealth title and retains the WBO Global belt. He announced that his preferred next opponent was Britain’s Liam Smith which would be a good fight for both men. Spark was a late substitute coming in at just one week’s notice. A much anticipated fight between Tszyu and Michael Zerafa fell through when Zerafa backed out of the contest citing concerns over COVID-19 restrictions between Zerafa’s State of Victoria and New South Wales where the fight was to be held. Spark showed courage but was way out of his depth. Noynay vs. Wilson World rated Filipino southpaw Noynay proves too good for Queenslander Wilson. Noynay put Wilson on the floor with a left in the first round but Wilson recovered and banged back to take the second. The third was close with Wilson getting through with good left hooks but a series of punches put Wilson down again in the fourth. He was still unsteady in the fifth and after a left to the head dropped him again the fight was stopped. Noynay, the WBO No 7, was too quick and punched too hard for Wilson. A huge blow for Wilson but at 25 he can rebound. Ryan vs. O’Meley Ryan makes a successful defence of the IBO International belt with stoppage of O’Meley. The first two rounds were close with Ryan just having the edge. Ryan began to take control in the third and a clash of heads opened a bad vertical gash over the right eye of O’Meley. The doctor inspected the cut at the start of the fourth round but let the fight continue. Ryan dominated the round then floored O’Meley with a left hook in the fifth. Despite bleeding heavily from the cut O’Meley fought hard in the sixth but the referee stopped the fight late in the round. Ryan had beaten O’Meley on a split decision for the Australian title in December. Ah See vs. Amonsot Former Australian champion Ah See returned to action and stopped Filipino veteran Amonsot in the first round. As they traded punches an uppercut from Ah See shook Amonsot and another put him down. He made it to his feet but was shipping heavy punishment and the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Ah See for six years. Amonsot lost to Michael Katsidis for the WBI interim lightweight title in 2007 and then went undefeated in his next 16 fights but has now lost 3 of his last 4. 9 July Los Angeles, CA, USA: Light Heavy: Gilberto Ramirez (42-0) W TKO 4 Sullivan Barrera (22-4). Light: Joseph Diaz (32-1-1) W PTS 12 Javier Fortuna (36-3-1,2ND). Light Fly: Seneisa Estrada (21-0) W PTS 10 Tenkai Tsunami (28-13-1). Light: William Zepeda (23-0) W RTD 6 Hector Tanajara (19-1). Fly: Naoko Fujioka (19-2-1) W PTS 10 Sulem Urbina Ochoa (12-2,1ND). Super Bantam: Azat Hovhannisyan (20-3) W PTS 10 Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-9-1). Feather: Bryan Chevalier (16-1-1) W PTS 10 James Wilkins (9-2). Super Feather: Lamont Roach (21-1-1) W TKO 2 Daniel Rosas (22-5-1). Heavy: Mihai Nistor (3-0) W TKO 2 Colby Madison (9-3-2). Light: Sparkinson Wilson Castillo (15-0) W TKO 2 Miguel Contreras (11-10) Ramirez vs. Barrera Ramirez crushes Barrera in four rounds with body punches. The first round saw very little action as both fighters were cautious trying to establish their jab and seeing what the other fighter had to offer. Ramirez was taking the fight to Barrera in the second getting through with jabs, connecting with a strong right hook and punching to the body. Ramirez continued to attack the body in the third and late in the round as Barrera came forward Ramirez fired a bunch of punches ending with a left hook to the body that saw Barrera lurch to one side stumble to the ropes and then go down on his hands and knees. He beat the count and although Ramirez landed another two body punches Barrera made it to the bell. After Ramirez connected with another left hook to the body in the fourth Barrera threw a couple of counters but then in a delayed effect walked away from Ramirez to the ropes and went down on one knee. He was up at six but Ramirez landed another left to the body and Barrera went down with the referee immediately stopping the fight. A very impressive display by Ramirez. He looked sharp and was putting his punches together well with the body shots the icing on the cake of a towering performance. His preferred choice for his next opponent is Dmitry Bivol the holder of the secondary WBA title. Cuban Barrera had been stopped in twelve rounds by Dmitry Bivol in a challenge for the WBA secondary title in 2018.His only other inside the distance loss. Diaz vs. Fortuna Local fighter Diaz wins the vacant interim WBC title as he outscores Fortuna. Southpaw Diaz was quicker into his stride and more accurate and outscored Fortuna over the first two rounds. Fortuna had a much better third round being the busier and the round was made even better for him when a clash of heads resulted in a cut over the left eye of Diaz which bled throughout the fight. Diaz looked on his way to pocketing the fourth round but he was deducted a point for a punch to the back of Fortuna’s head and Fortuna edged in front in the fight as he outscored Diaz in the fifth. Diaz stayed cool despite the cut and rallied to take a close sixth and the seventh with some sparkling combinations. He was throwing less than Fortuna but was finding the target more often and focusing on the body of the Dominican southpaw. They battled at close quarters in the eighth with Fortuna probably doing enough to take the round but from there Diaz took control. The body punches had weakened Fortuna and Diaz took the ninth and rocked Fortuna with a right in the tenth. Diaz was stronger and swept the last two rounds to put the decision beyond doubt. Scores 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 for Diaz. He had lost his IBF super featherweight title when he failed to make the weight for a defence against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February a fight that ended in a draw. Diaz looked much stronger in this fight not having to battle with his weight. He came into the fight as a replacement for Ryan Garcia who withdrew to deal with his mental health problems. Diaz is looking to fight either Garcia or WBC real title holder Devin Haney. Fortuna, a former holder of the secondary WBA super featherweight title, had scored good wins over Sharif Bogere, Jesus Cuellar and Antonio Lozada but at 32 time is running out for him to win another title. Estrada vs. Tsunami “Super Bad” Estrada is too quick and too busy for WBO Female title holder Tsunami. The Californian constantly switched guards and used good movement to slip away from Tsunami’ who kept plodding forward but without much success. Tsunami had a good seventh but then was hurt badly in the eighth and as she tired from the fast pace Estrada finished strongly. Scores 98-92 twice and 99-91 for Estrada. She adds the WBO Female light fly title to the WBA Female minimum title she already holds. Tsunami was defending her title for the fourth time. Zepeda vs. Tanajara Zepeda breaks down Tanajara’s resistance and forces a sixth round retirement. Southpaw Zepeda put Tanajara under pressure from the start. He was jabbing strongly and firing stinging straight lefts with Tanajara not on target with his counters. Tanajara stood and traded more in the second but Zepeda was catching him with hard lefts and eventually Tanajara was forced on to the defensive. The third was an all-action round as they just stood and swapped punches for three minutes. Both were landing quality shots but by the end of the round Zepeda was still banging home hooks and uppercuts shutting down Tanajara’s offence. Tanajara tried to match Zepeda in the fourth but Zepeda was relentless and his punch output impressive as he bombarded Tanajara with punches to head and body. Zepeda continued to pile of the punches in the fifth with Tanajara being overwhelmed by the blizzard of leather from Zepeda and after a one-sided sixth Tanajara’s corner pulled their man out of the fight. Win No 21 by KO/TKO for 25-year-old Zepeda. His early opposition has not been strong but as he stopped 23-2-1 Roberto Ramirez in November so his last two victims have had combined records of 42-2-1. Tanajara, 24, was facing his first real test but found he could not match the power or work rate of Zepeda. Fujioka vs. Ochoa Fujioka defies Old Father Time as she retains her WBA Female title with a majority verdict over Mexican Ochoa. It might have been expected that the 45-year-old Fujioka would start fast and fade over the late rounds but the opposite occurred. It was Ochoa who did better over the early rounds being quicker and piercing Fujioka’s guard with left hooks and countering Fujioka when the champion came forward. From the fifth the harder punching from Fujioka put her in control and Ochoa’s work rate dropped. Fujioka had a big seventh round and then outfought Ochoa over the last three rounds to emerge a good winner. Scores 99-91 and 96-94 for Fujioka and 95-95. The 99-91 was too wide. Fujioka was making the third defence of the WBA title in her first fight for two years. She did not turn professional until she was 34 and has held titles in five weight categories and is 11-2-1 in title fights. Second loss in a row for Mexican Ochoa. Hovhannisyan vs. Gonzalez Just a keep busy fight for Hovhannisyan as he floors and decisions Gonzalez. Hovhannisyan was in control all the way. There was a down side as a swelling under his right eye hampered him from the third but it was no real problem. He floored Gonzalez with a burst of punches in the eighth but Gonzalez hung in there and made it to the final bell. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90 for Armenian Hovhannisyan. He lost a wide points decision against Rey Vargas for the WBC super bantam title in 2018 but has kept active with six wins, five by KO/TKO and is No 2 with the WBA so another title shot is a possibility. Gonzalez’s last fight was in August 2019 and he is 1-7-1 in his last 9 outings. Chevalier vs. Wilkins Chevalier remains unbeaten as he edges out Wilkins in a good, competitive match. Nice boxing early from Chevalier as he used his longer reach to slot home jabs and right hooks to the body. He shook Wilkins with a combination in the second. Wilkins upped the pressure in the third and fourth taking the fight to the 5’11” Chevalier to make the rounds close but Chevalier just had the edge and also took the fifth. Wilkins got into the fight more looking to have made the sixth close and with Chevalier tiring took the seventh. Chevalier was deducted a point in the eighth for pushing Wilkins head down but then unloaded on Wilkins having him in deep trouble and by “winning” made it a 9-9 score for that round. Chevalier had more left and edged the ninth but was rocked by a left hook in the last. Scores 97-92, 96-93 and 95-94 for Chevalier. The 27-year-old Puerto Rican is in good form having beaten Luis Lebron, Yeison Vargas and Carlos Zambrano in his last three fights. He proposed to his girlfriend in the ring and she accepted. Wilkins had won his previous four fights. Roach vs. Rosas Roach stops an over-matched Rosas in two rounds. Roach was scoring with heavy punches in the first. The smaller Rosas had to try to come inside but he had to absorb some wicked body punches. He was sent stumbling by a left hook to the head and was under heavy fire at the bell. In the second a long right stunned Rosas and Roach drove Rosas to the ropes and as Rosas began to drop to the floor the referee stopped the fight. Roach, 25, lost to Jamal Herring in a challenge for the WBO super feather title in November 2019 but is a classy fighter and No 5 with the WBO so could fight for a title again in 2022. Fourth inside the distance loss for Rosas. Nistor vs. Madison Nistor has to get off the floor twice to win. Nistor looked much too strong for Madison in the first and had Madison against the ropes at the end of the round and connected with a body punch that saw Madison drop to one knee. He only just beat the count but as Nistor walked forward to finish it he was sent flying into the ropes by a left from Madison. He extricated himself but was wobbled and a right from Madison snapped his head back and dumped him on the floor in a corner propped up against the ring post cover. He made it to his feet and luckily the bell went. In the second Nistor had Madison trapped against the ropes and was throwing punches but a right counter from Madison again dumped him on the floor. Nistor made it to his feet and then floored Madison with a right. Madison beat the count but was in no condition to continue. Romanian Nistor scored big wins as an amateur with a stoppage of Anthony Joshua and points victories over Guido Vianello and Filip Hrgovic but on this showing will struggle as a pro. Madison had been knocked out in 44 seconds by Vianello in November 2019. Castillo vs. Contreras Castillo scores brutal win over Contreras. Southpaw Castillo used his long reach to outscore Contreras in the first. He was coming in behind his jab in the second and as Contreras leant back to avoid Castillo’s jab he put himself in the firing line for a thunderous left from Castillo that sent him toppling back to the canvas out cold and the fight was waived over. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for Dominican Castillo. 8 July Luis Guillon, Argentine: Light: Geraldo Perez (9-1) W PTS 10 Reuquen Arce (13-4-2). Light: Yamila Abellaneda (12-4-1) W PTS 10 Estefan Alaniz (5-5-1). Super Flyweight: Deborah Lopez (19-0-1) W PTS 6 Lucia Ruiz (2-5). Perez vs. Arce In a fast-paced entertaining fight Perez overcame a slow start to take a tight majority decision over Arce to win the WBA Fedebol title. Arce outpunched Perez over the first three rounds. From the fourth Perez moved and countered better throwing more and landing more with Arce the heavier puncher but not as accurate. Perez had built a lead and he held off a late surge from Arce to take the decision. Scores 96-94 twice for Perez and 95-95. Fifth win in a row for Perez. Arce was making the third defence of the Fedebol title. Aballaneda vs. Alaniz Aballaneda easily outpointed the less experienced Alaniz. Aballaneda sent Alaniz down with a right in the second and forced the fight all the way. Alaniz scored with some sharp counters but took plenty of punishment and was never really in with a chance. Scores 98-92 twice for Aballaneda and an unbelievable 95-95 from the other judge which if you take into account a 10-8 second round for Aballaneda becomes ever more inexplicable. Third defence of the Argentinian title for “Princess” Aballaneda who had won a closer unanimous decision over Alaniz in December. Lopez vs. Ruiz WBO female flyweight champion Lopez gets in some ring time as she outpoints Ruiz. Lopez was conceding height and reach but her better were too much for Ruiz. Scores 60-54 twice and 59-55. Now 17 consecutive wins for Lopez. 9 July Roosdaal, Belgium: Welter: Meriton Karaxha (29-5-3) W TKO 6 Gyorgy Mizsei (27-29-1). Albanian Karaxha extends his unbeaten run as he stops Hungarian Mizsei in five rounds. Despite his poor record Mizsei gave Karaxha a good fight before the stoppage. Karaxha is now 12-0-2 in his last 14 fights. Mizsei falls to 2-10 in his last 12 fights. Miami, FL, USA: Cruiser: Serik Musadilov (10-0) W PTS 8 Lamont Capers (10-15-5,1ND). Super Feather: Mark Bernaldez (23-4) W TKO 7 Juan Kantun (21-12-3). Joahnys Argilagos (7-0) W PTS 8 Juan Meza (4-2). Light: Josec Ruiz (23-4-3) W RTD 1 Ramon Esperanza (22-19-1). Musadilov vs. Capers Musadilov comes through with a unanimous decision but has to work hard to outpoint Capers. Southpaw Musadilov was giving away height and reach but his greater strength saw him through although he faded late. This is the first time the 5’9” Kazak has had to go past the third round for victory. Capers is now 1-4-1, 1ND in his last 7 fights. Bernaldez vs. Kantun Filipino Mark “Machete” Bernaldez moves to 17 wins by KO/TKO as he stops Kantun in the seventh round. It looked like a very early night when a short right from Bernaldez-the first punch in the fight-put Kantun down on his rump. Kantun did get up and fought on taking plenty of punishment and when a left and a right had Kantun stumbling in the seventh the fight was over. Eight losses in a row for Kantun, seven of them inside the distance. Argilagos vs. Meza Cuban Argilagos is struggling to make an impression in the pros. He had too much skill for Chilean novice Meza and won every round but a tough Meza fought hard all the way. Twice a gold medal winner at the World Championships the 24-year-old Argilagos will hopefully adjust soon. Ruiz vs. Esperanza Ruiz dismantles Esperanza. After being put down twice by body punches in the opening round Esperanza did not come out for the second. Honduran Ruiz had a 13 bout unbeaten streak snapped with two losses in 2020 but has bounced back with two wins in 2021. Seven consecutive defeats for Paraguayan Esperanza. 10 July London, England: Light Heavy: Lyndon Arthur (19-0) W TKO 9 Davide Faraci (15-1). Super Middle: Zach Parker (21-0) W KO 1 Sherzod Khusanov (22-3-1). Super Feather: Archie Sharp (20-0) W PTS 10 Diego Andrade (13-5-2). Bantam: Dennis McCann (10-0) W TKO 2 John Chuwa (20-5). Arthur vs. Faraci Arthur struggles to subdue Faraci but produces a savage finish. Faraci just took the first round as Arthur made a slow start. Arthur sent Faraci stumbling back with a left hook in the second. Faraci put his glove on the canvas to avoid going down but the referee did not count it as a knockdown and Arthur staggered Faraci again later in the round. Arthur was on the front foot in the third scoring with a couple of heavy rights to the body and forcing Faraci to hold. In the fourth a body punch had Faraci hurt and Arthur finished the round by landing heavy hooks to the head. A series of head punches had Faraci in trouble at the end of the fifth with the bell coming to his rescue. Faraci recovered and looked to have won a slow-paced sixth. Two right crosses from Arthur were the only punches of note in the seventh and Faraci outworked a tiring Arthur in the eighth. In the ninth Arthur landed a heavy right cross over a lazy jab from Faraci that sent Farce down. He made it to his feel but a fierce left uppercut and a right to the head put Faraci down again. He beat the count but when two more rights to the head staggered him the referee stopped the fight. Arthur retains the WBO Inter-Continental title but laboured until the explosive finish in the ninth. Faraci was competitive all the way but did not have the power to match Arthur. Parker vs. Khusanov An early night for Parker as he stops a fleshy looking Khusanov. Parker was jabbing well to head and body with Khusanov hiding behind a high guard. Parker switched to orthodox and connected with a solid left hook to the body and Khusanov dropped to the canvas and was counted out. Fifteenth inside the distance finish for Parker. He is No 1 with the WBO so their mandatory challenger for Saul Alvarez. Uzbek Khusanov, 41, looked all of his 41 years-and more. He was inactive in 2019 and had just one fight in 2020 and was coming off a loss. Sharp vs. Andrade Sharp takes unanimous decision but at the cost of two cuts. Sharp boxed brilliantly over the early rounds with slick movement. Constantly switching guards he jabbed and countered with accuracy with Andrade marching forward throwing punches with mote enthusiasm than accuracy trying to drag Sharpe into a brawl. In the seventh a sweeping punch from Andrade opened a cut on the left eye lid of Sharpe and that saw Andrade attack hard and win the round. Things worsened for Sharpe in the eighth when a clash of heads opened a vertical gash over his right eye with the blood running down the side of his nose and Andrade looked to have taken the ninth. Sharpe steadied himself and outboxed Andrade over the last. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-93 for Sharpe who wins the vacant WBO Global title. Andrade won a split decision over 29-1-2 Jorge Lara in December but only edged past 5-0 jailer on a split decision last month. McCann vs. Chuwa McCann stops Chuwa in two rounds. Southpaw McCann was looking to end this early and had the fragile-looking Chuwa on the retreat and floundering under pressure in the first. In the second a left cross sent Chuwa staggering back to the ropes and McCann drove him along the ropes snapping his head around with heavy shots and the referee stopped the contest. Sixth victory by KO/TKO for the 20-year-old Traveller. Chuwa had won his last three fights. Almaty, Kazakhstan: Super Welter: Tursynbay Kulakhmet (4-0) W TKO 10 Aleksei Evchenko (19-15-2). Super Feather: Sultan Zaurbek (11-0) W PTS 10 Ronnie Clark (21-5-2). Welter: Talgat Shayken (5-0) W TKO 7Alexander Sharonov (12-6-2). Light: Isa Chaniev (15-3) W KO 3 Nurtas Azhbenov (11-1).Heavy: Ivan Dychko (10-0) W KO 1 Denis Bakhtov (39-19). Kulakhmet vs. Evchenko Local southpaw Kulakhmet floors Evchenko early but the durable Evchenko manages to stay around to give Kulakhmet some valuable ring time. Kulakhmet won every round and handed out plenty of punishment before flooring Evchenko in the tenth and then forcing the stoppage with a minute left in the fight. Kulakhmet, who won the WBC International title in his second pro fight, is being fast-tracked towards a world title fight. Only the second time Russian Evchenko has been stopped. Zaurbek vs. Clark In a clash of southpaws Zaurbek shows his class as he outboxes a gutsy Clark and wins a wide points decision on all three cards. Zaurbek was outscoring Clark at distance with his quicker and more accurate punching and was landing heavy counters when Clark tried to get inside. By the third blood was leaking from Clarks mouth and by the seventh his left eye was almost closed. Clark survived a doctor’s examination and a torrid last round to go the distance. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Zaurbek. The 25-year-old Zaurbek wins the vacant WBO European title. Clark was having his first fight since scoring a good win over Zelfa Barrett in February 2018. Shayken vs. Sharonov Shayken shows why he is considered a prospect as he dominates Russian Sharonov and stops him in the seventh round. His harder punching was too much for Sharonov whose corner threw in the towel in the seventh round. The 20-year-old Shayken is a former World Youth silver medallist. First stoppage loss suffered by Sharonov. Chaniev vs. Azhbenov Back-to-back losses in 2019 have made it a rocky road for Chaniev and unbeaten Azhbenov was given a good chance of winning this one. It looked a reasonable forecast when Azhbenov floored Chaniev at the end of the first round. Chaniev survived and early in the third knocked out Azhbenov with a crunching right to the chin. Chaniev was stopped in two rounds by Richard Commey in a fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title in February 2019. Dychko vs. Bakhtov A dreadful excuse for a fight saw Dychko floor Bakhtov with a right to the head after just one minute. Bakhtov landed on the canvas on his back with his legs shaking and jerking and the referee immediately waived the farce off. Dychko lost to Anthony Joshua in the semi-final in the 2012 Olympics and won silver medals three times at the world championships. Bakhtov has lost his last five fights by KO/TKO. Melbourne, Australia: Super Middle: Victor Nagbe (4-0) W PTS 10 Sam Soliman (46-16-1,2ND). Nagbe takes unanimous verdict over Soliman to win the vacant Australasian title. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Nagbe. The 27-year-old Liberian-born southpaw Nagbe is a former sparring partner of Soliman and former Muay Thai star. He moved to Australia with his family when he was 10. He was getting into trouble so much that his mother kicked him out of the house and with the help of a benefactor he wound up on a Muay Thai course in Thailand. At 47 former IBF middleweight champion Soliman shows no signs yet of hanging up his gloves. Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic: Tomasz Bezvoda (10-15) W PTS 10 Middle: Victor Agateljan (9-2). Light Heavy: Jozef Jurko (7-2) W KO 5 Stanislav Eschner (14-16-1). Light Heavy: Ondrej Budera (15-21-1) W Michal Ryba (6-4). Bezvoda vs. Agateljan Unexpected result as veteran Bezvoda gets revenge against Agateljan to win the Czech title. When these two met in September for the vacant Czech title Agateljan won clearly on a unanimous decision. Bezvoda had trained hard for the return and turned the fight his way with a strong showing over the last two rounds to take the split decision. Scores 97-93 and 97-94 for Bezvoda and 96-95 for Agateljan although a draw would have been a fairer result. Bezvoda had won only one of his last eight fights. Armenian-born Agateljan’s loss was against Tej Pratap Singh strangely enough for the Australian title in Agateljan’s only fight in Australia. Jurko vs. Eschner Minor upset as the more experienced Eschner was the favourite but Slovak Jurko came out on top, He floored Eschner in the second and stopped him in the fifth. First fight for two years for Jurko who wins the UBO International title. Tenth inside the distance loss for Czech Eschner Budera vs. Ryba Third time lucky as Budera’s greater experience won this one as he secured close unanimous decision over Ryba to win the national title at the third attempt. Scores 98-93, 97-95 and 96-95 for Budera. Ryba had won 3 of his last 4 fights. Bielefeld, Germany: Cruiser: Leon Harth (20-4) W TKO 5 Rad Rashid (20-9). Middle: Sven Elbir (18-1) W RTD 4 Jose Torres (32-10). Middle: Buijar Tahiri (8-0) W TKO 3 Branislav Malinovic (11-6-2). Welter: Rico Mueller (28-3-1) W TKO 3 Kakha Avetisiani (42-58-1). Harth vs. Rashid Harth outboxes and then drops Rashid twice to win the vacant WBO European title and get a world rating from the WBO. The Armenian-born Harth losses when he steps up having been defeated by Marat Gassiev and Krzys Wlodarczyk. Rashid, 41, losses inside the distance for the fourth time. Elbir vs. Torres Elbir gets stoppage win over Torres. Elbir was working well to head and body with Torres really looking to survive. After a punishing fourth round Torres retired citing a shoulder injury. Elnir’s only defeat was a close points loss to IBF No 3(1) Patrick Wojcicki. Colombian Torres, 42, has been beaten by KO/TKO in 4 of his last 5 fights. Tahiri vs. Malinovic Tahiri overcomes shock first round knockdown to stop Malinovic. A left floored Tahiri in the opener but he recovered and then punished Malinovic over the second before flattening him with a left hook in the third. Tahiri was moving up to ten rounds for the first time but only needed the three rounds to register his seventh win by KO/TKO. Bosnia Malinovic was unbeaten in his last seven fights. Mueller vs. Avetisiani Mueller sends Avetisian down four times before the fight is halted in the third round. Mueller lost a majority decision against Argentinian Jeremias Ponce, a recent winner over Lewis Ritson, in 2019. He was originally adjudged the loser against Rafal Jackiewicz in August 2020 but his team protested the decision and after five new judges watched the video of the fight and scored Mueller the winner the decision was changed to a win for Mueller. Georgian Avetisian has won only one of his last ten fights. He has crammed 101 fights into 15 years as a pro East London, South Africa: Minimum: Bangile Nyangani (11-1-1) W PTS 12 Siyakholwa Kuse (3-1-1). Light: Lusanda Komanisi (24-6) W KO 1 Sinethemba Bam (12-1). Nyangani vs. Kuse Nyangani wins the South African title with a majority decision over champion Kuse. First fight for Nyangani since November 2019 with his extra experience just giving him the advantage. Kuse was making the first defence of the title he won in December 2019. Komanisi vs. Bam Former IBO featherweight champion Komanisi punches too hard for a rusty Bam and puts him down and out in the first round for win No 21 by KO/TKO. First fight for Bam for over three years. Glattbrug, Switzerland: Heavy: Labinot Xhoxhaj (15-0) W KO 8 Ferenc Urban (7-4). Kosovo-born Swiss Xhoxhaj gets his twelfth inside the distance victory with eighth round kayo of Hungarian Urban. Fourth consecutive defeat for Urban. Fight of the week (Significance): Gilberto Ramirez’s win over Sullivan Barrera puts him line for a title shot Fight of the week (Entertainment); A few examples but no all out wars this week. Fighter of the week: Gilberto Ramirez for his crushing win over Barrera Punch of the week: Some good ones here in the left from Sparkinson Wilson Castillo which pole-axed Miguel Contreras and an uppercut from Lyndon Arthur which almost beheaded Davide Faraci but I just give it to the crunching right to the chin by Isa Chaniev that flattened unbeaten Nurtas Azhbenov Upset of the week: None as most fights went the way forecast. Prospect watch: None I have not already spotted but a couple to keep my eyes on. Observations It was good to see crowds back at the shows. It meant Gilberto Ramirez could jump up on the ring post and raised his arms in triumph in front of a cheering horde instead of a dozen officials just about to leave for a pee. Strange scoring makes news in big fights but if the fight is not the headliner it hardly rates a tsk.tsk. In the Argentinian Female title fight between Yamila Abellaneda and Estefan Alaniz two judges had it 98-92 for Abellaneda and the third scored it a draw and in the WBO Female title fight between Naoko Fujioka and Sulem Ochoa one judge scored it 99-91 for Fujioka and one scored it 95-95. It happens every week but only becomes a concern when it is a high profile fight. The Ramirez vs. Barrera show in Los Angeles consisted of twelve fights adding up to 110 rounds-luckily they did not all go the distance or you could have had a few wives suing for desertion. Sometimes our sport disgusts me. On the show in Kazakhstan some matchmaker and presumably some local administrator though that the fight between Ivan Dychko and Dennis Bakhtov was acceptable. You had the 6’9” 30-year-old Dychko against the 5’ 11 ½” 41-year-old Bakhtov with Dychko having won his nine fights by KO/TKO and Bakhtov losing his last eight fights five of them by KO/TKO with the most recent one in September 2020 seeing Bakhtov knocked out in 40 seconds by a 2-0 novice. I felt sick when Bakhtov was floored by Dychko in sixty seconds and lay on the canvas with his body shaking and his legs twitching in the air. A duty of care-forget it. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Chris Colbert retains the interim WBA super featherweight title with wide unanimous decision over Tugstsogt Nyambayar -Former WBO super featherweight champion stops Valentine Hosokawa as he continues his campaigns at lightweight -Middleweight Etinosa Oliha and light heavyweight Adriano Sperandio retain their Italian titles with wins. -Former WBC Female WBC lightweight champion Delfine Persoon moves down to super featherweight looking for another title shot and Argentinian light flyweight Evelyn Nazerena Bermudez stops Tamara Demarco in IBF Female title defence World Title/Major Shows 2 July Calvi, France: Super Middle: Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (38-5) W PTS 8 Gabor Gorbics (26-20-1). Middle: Bruno Surace (19-0-2) W PTS 6 Nodar Robakidze (16-37-6). N’Jikam vs. Gorbics In his first fight for nineteen months N’Jikam outpoints a willing but limited Gorbics. The former holder of the secondary WBA middleweight title N’Jikam took a couple of rounds to get into his stride but then looked sharp as he worked well with his jab and weakened Gorbics with some meaty body punches. Unusually this super middleweight fight was scored just by the referee who saw N’Jikam the winner 80-73. N’Jikam, 37, suffered consecutive losses to Callum Smith and Fedor Chudinov in 2019 so has a rebuilding job on his hands and there is talk of a fight with unbeaten Christian Mbilli. Hungarian Gorbics is 0-1-8 in his last 9 fights. Surace vs. Robakidze French champion Surace was given six rounds of useful work by a tougher than expected Georgian Robakidze. Surace moved to 16 wins in a row as the referee scored the fight 58-56 for him. Robakidze is now 0-1-32 in contests outside of Georgia Asti, Italy: Middle: Etinosa Oliha (15-0) W PTS 10 Francesco Lezzi (14-18-2). Light Heavy: Adriano Sperandio (14-1) W PTS 10 Stefano Abatangelo (23-8-1). Oliha vs. Lezzi Hometown fighter Oliha retains the Italian middleweight title with comfortable victory over Lezzi. Oliha was forcing the fight from the first bell and apart from a couple of good rights from Lezzi in the third that stopped the champion in his tracks Oliha controlled the fight. He had Lezzi on the back foot and rocked him in the seventh and had him on the verge of going down with a right in the eighth. Despite that Lezzi made it the bell but was a clear loser on scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Second defence of the title by unbeaten Oliha. Lezzi is now 0-4 in Italian title fights but blamed his poor showing here on an arm injury. Sperandio vs. Abatangelo In another Italian championship bout Sperandio made a successful defence of the light heavyweight belt with a very close unanimous decision over former champion Abatangelo. The challenger could consider himself unlucky. He put Sperandio under pressure from the start. Sperandio had a longer reach and better skills but Abatangelo forced the champion to spend most of the fight inside. Sperandio created some space over the middle rounds and impressed with his greater accuracy when countering the oncoming Abatangelo. Sperandio tired late and with a strong finish Abatangelo looked to have done enough to merit at least a draw but came up short on the cards with the judges scoring it for Sperandio 97-93, 96-94and 96-95. Sperandio was making the first defence of the title. Abatangelo, 39, is 2-4 in Italian title fights. Sheffield, England: Cruiser: Jack Massey (19-1) W KO 4 Engin Karakaplan (14-9-3). Heavy: Ian Martell (11-0) W KO 1 Erik Nazaryan (28-24-4). Massey vs. Karakaplan Massey wins the vacant IBF European title with victory over Karakaplan. A right hook to the body ended the fight in the fourth round with Karakaplan unable to beat the count. Second win for Massey since losing a close decision against Richard Riakporhe for the vacant British title in December 2019. Turkish-born Frenchman falls to 0-3-2 in his last 5 outings. Martell vs. Nazaryan Martell gets his fifth win by KO/TKO as he puts Nazaryan down with a right to the body to end this one after 2:45 of the opening round. Nazaryan usually goes the distance as he has only been stopped five times in his 24 losses. Louisville, KY, USA: Super Light: Carlos Dixon (12-1) W KO 1 Moises Flores (25-4-1). Dixon blows away a sliding Flores. It took Dixon just one good right followed by a left hook to the body to put Flores down and out after just 47 seconds to register his ninth win by KO/TKO. Dixon was conceding 7lbs to Flores. Once the holder of the IBO and interim WBA super bantamweight titles Flores weighed 140lbs for this fight which tells you all you need to know about how hard Flores trained. 3 July Eernengem, Belgium: Super Feather: Delfine Persoon (45-3) W PTS 10 Elena Gradinar (10-2). Super Welter: Nabil Messouadi (5-0) W KO 6 Milos Janjanin (14-25). Super Welter: Stephen Danyo (19-4-3) W PTS 10 Christian Arvelo Segura (12-6). 3 Persoon vs. Gradinar After losing her WBC lightweight title in unification fights against Katie Taylor Belgian Persoon moved down to super featherweight and outpointed Russian Gradinar. The Flemish boxer used her long reach and superior skills with Gradinar spending most of the time going backwards at speed. Scores of 100-89 twice and 99-89. Now 36 Persoon had hoped to qualify for the Olympics but the pandemic ruined those hopes. Her aim now is a shot at the WBC and IBO super featherweight titles held by Terri Harper and then to get a slot in the WBSS tournament. Gradinar had only the most basic technique and was never really in with a chance. Messouadi vs. Janjanin British-based Belgian Messouadi knocks out Janjanin late in the sixth to win the vacant Belgian title. All of the wins scored by the 22-year-old Messaoudi have come by KO/TKO. Bosnian Janjanin came in as a late substitute. Danyo vs. Segura Dutchman Danyo collects the vacant IBO Continental title with unanimous decision against Italian-based Dominican Segura. The strong but limited Segura was giving away too much in height and reach and never really troubled Danyo Scores 99-89 twice and 97-91. The four losses suffered by 32-year-old Danyo have been against quality opposition including Custio Clayton and Felix Cash. In his last fight in February Segura was stopped in ten rounds by unbeaten Damiano Falcinelli for the Italian title. Oulu, Finland: Light Heavy: Aku Kanninen (8-0-1) W PTS 10 Timo Laine (28-16,1NC). Hometown fighter Kanninen just too young and too strong for veteran Laine and takes the unanimous verdict. Laine was a slight favourite but from the first round Kanninen was quicker and more accurate and handed out steady punishment to Laine. If Laine had any hope that Kanninen might fade late as he was up at ten rounds for the first time but Kanninen stayed strong and although he never came close to a stoppage he dominated the action and lifted the vacant Finnish title. Scores 100-90, 100-91 and 98-92 for 21-year-old Kanninen. At 37 former champion Laine is now making his money filling the role of travelling loser as a test for overseas talent. Saint Denis, France: Super Welter: Milan Prat (11-1) W TKO 3 Fouad El Massoudi (17-14-1) Outstanding prospect Prat blows away seasoned pro Massoudi in two rounds to win the vacant French title. The Saint Denise fighter dazzled in the first as he landed with ferocious combinations. Massoudi chose to try to stand and punch with Prat but was shaken late in the round. In the second shots from Prat sent Massoudi down twice and when he was floored again in the third the towel came in from Massoudi’s corner. Eighth inside the distance win for the 21-year-old Prat The loss on Prat’s record was a disqualification for a punch to the back of his opponent head. This is only the second time Massoudi has been beaten inside the distance and he went twelve rounds with WBC No 2 Sergio Garcia in a challenge for the European super welterweight title in December 2019. Tokyo, Japan: Light: Masayuki Ito (27-3-1) W TKO 8 Valentine Hosokawa (25-9-3). Former WBO super featherweight champion Ito impresses as he is sharp from the start and outclasses Hosokawa. Now up at lightweight Ito was finding the target with straight rights from the start. The smaller Hosokawa just could not get past Ito’s jab and as Ito began to put his punches together and connect with left hooks and body punches only Hosokawa’s durability kept him in the fight. In the sixth Hosokawa was staggered by a straight right and when a following left hook had him reeling the referee came in and saved Hosokawa. Ito made his initial move to lightweight after losing his WBO title to Jamal Herring in May 2019 but suffered an upset loss to unbeaten novice Hironori Mishiro. He had questions to answer so there was a lot of interest in how he would look in this fight under a new trainer and he looked good. At 40 and almost 5” smaller Hosokawa had nothing but his grit going for him but his winning of the Japanese super lightweight title in 2017 in his seventeenth year as a pro was a popular victory. Mandaue City, Philippines: Feather: Pete Apolinar (15-1) W TKO 12 Jess Rhey Waminal (14-4-1). Super Mark Vicelles (14-0-1) W KO 10 Jerven Mama (12-1-1). Apolinar vs. Waminal Apolinar wins the vacant OPBF Silver title with stoppage of Waminal. Although Waminal was more mobile and busier it was Apolinar who was landing the harder punches and he was getting through with some hefty body shots. Waminal was given some recovery time after a low punch from Apolinar in the ninth but took a savage beating over the tenth and eleventh and a wicked left hook to the body in the twelfth sent him down writhing in agony and he was counted out at the 2:00 mark of the last round. Tenth consecutive victory for “Thunder” Apolinar and his ninth win by KO/TKO. First inside the distance loss for Waminal. Vicelles vs. Mama In another late ending Vicelles wins on a last round kayo. In an entertaining, competitive fight southpaw Vicelles was scoring well with his right jab and straight lefts with the smaller Mama coming forward pressing the action. Vicelles had built a lead but in the ninth after Mama was warned twice for low punches a clash of heads opened a bad cut over the left eye of Vicelles. In the tenth Mama was driving Vicelles around the ring but went low again and the referee deducted two points. Vicelles then connected with a straight left to the head and Mama went down and was counted out with just one second remaining in the ten round fight. Vicelles extends his winning run to eleven fights. Mama had won his last seven. Urdaneta, Philippines: Super Feather: Charly Suarez (7-0) W PTS 10 Eduardo Mancito (18-12-2). Former top amateur Suarez floored and outpointed an over-matched Mancito. Suarez put Mancito down in the second and then outboxed him the rest of the way. Suarez might have been able to finish it early but a slippery canvas made it difficult for both fighters Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-92. Suarez won three gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games and represented the Philippines at the 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics but at 32 has left things late to make an impression as a professional. Mancito did his job giving Suarez ten rounds of ring time. Carson. CA, USA: Super Feather: Chris Colbert (16-0) W PTS 12 Tugstsogt Nyambayar (12-2). Light: Michel Rivera (21-0) W TKO 8 Jon Fernandez (21-2). Colbert vs. Nyambayar In a clash for the interim WBA title Colbert puts on a boxing class he has too much skill and speed for Mongolian Tugstsogt. Colbert used quick hands and his longer reach to pierce Nyambayar’s guard in the first. With Colbert’s jab constantly in his face Nyambayar just could not get his punches off and when he did come forward Colbert was able to dance away. Late in the second Colbert switched to southpaw and dropped his left hand to his thigh confident he was too quick for Nyambayar to take advantage of the opening that created. Nyambayar scored early in the third as he trapped Colbert against the ropes. Colbert was never in trouble and he came back with his stabbing jabs and some hooks and uppercuts only for Nyambayar to fire a burst of punches to make it his round. Colbert’s persistent jabbing in the fourth was keeping Nyambayar on the back foot and forcing him into the counter puncher role but he was not quick enough to be effective. Colbert just could not find his range in the fifth and Nyambayar was able to do some useful work with his own jab but not enough to off-set quick burst of punches from Colbert. In the sixth Colbert’s jab was working well and he put together some flashing combinations doubling his jab and landing overhand rights with Nyambayar too slow to counter. Colbert changed tactics in the seventh and not for the better. Instead of coming forward behind his jab he was walking in behind a high guard. Without Colbert’s jab to worry about Nyambayar was stepping forward and connect with punches through and around Colbert’s static guard. Colbert came to life late and just landed enough to edge the round but had made it harder than it needed to be. Colbert went back to jabbing, moving and throwing clusters of punches and landed a leaping left hook to take the eighth and he jabbed and danced his way through the ninth ending the round with an Ali shuffle. Nyambayar was just too slow to apply the necessary pressure and if Colbert was against the ropes it was because he chose to put himself there. Colbert produced some flashy stuff in the tenth as he raked Nyambayar with combinations and then danced around the ring with a frustrated Nyambayar a step behind all the way unable to land a punch until Colbert decided to just stand in front of Nyambayar with a high guard and let Nyambayar throw shots which he easily blocked. Colbert floated through the last two rounds with Nyambayar unable to get even one clear shot home until the last ten seconds of the twelfth when they finally traded a few punches. Scores 118-110 twice and 117-111 for Colbert who remains WBA interim champion. The 24-year-old from Brooklyn has great boxing skills and was too much for the slow and methodical Nyambayar and the fight was too one-sided to be entertaining. He would probably be able to handle Roger Gutierrez the holder of the secondary WBA title and perhaps Jamal Herring but Gervonta Davis, Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson would probably beat him right now. Nyambayar is strong but limited and has probably reached his ceiling. Rivera vs. Fernandez Rivera gets off the canvas to floor and stop Spaniard Fernandez. Rivera’s better skills saw him build a lead over the early rounds but Fernandez always looked dangerous. In the sixth Fernandez connected with right that sent Rivera down. He beat the count and survived to the bell. Rivera steadied the ship in the seventh and then brought down the curtain in the eighth. A strong jab opened up Fernandez’s defence and a powerful right put Fernandez on the floor. He struggled trying to get to his feet but was in a bad way and the referee stopped the fight. Now 14 wins by KO/TKO for Dominican Rivera and a useful result after victories over Fidel Maldonado and Ladarius Miller. Fernandez was outpointed by O’Shaquie Foster in Oklahoma in 2018. Masvingo, Zimbabwe: Middle: Charles Manyuchi (25-4-1) W PTS 12 Muhamad Sebyala (19-14-1). Zimbabwean Manyuchi retains the WBFederation belt with unanimous verdict over experienced Ugandan Sebyala. Scores 117-109 twice and 116-110 for former WBC International champion Manyuchi. Of Sebyala’s 14 losses 12 have come on trips outside Uganda. 4 July Rosario, Argentina: Light Fly: Evelyn Nazerena Bermudez (14-0-1) W TKO 9 Tamara Demarco (9-4). In an all-Argentinian clash Bermudez retained the IBF Female title with stoppage of Demarco. Bermudez was 4” taller than the challenger flooring her in the second and then forcing the stoppage in the ninth. Third defence for Bermudez. Demarco drops to 22-4 in her last 6 fights Fight of the week (Significance): Chris Colbert’s win over Nyambayar keeps alive the possibility of more top quality fights at super featherweight Fight of the week (Entertainment): In a low key week Pete Apolinar vs. Jess Rhey Waminal provide twelve good action rounds. Well actually 11 rounds and 2:59 seconds. Fighter of the week: Chris Colbert. Brilliant display of boxing skills Punch of the week: The body punch from Apolinario that had Waminal rolling in agony was a great finisher Upset of the week: None Prospect watch: France’s Milan Prat a super welterweight who is 11-1. He is of one of six children from Yugoslavian and Algerian immigrant parents. He has style and can punch Observations This was surely one of the quietest weekends since boxing restarted with Colbert vs. Nyambayar the only “big” show and that was for an interim title with a low key undercard. The ease with which Delfine Persoon handle novice Elena Gradinar highlights one of the problems for female boxing. There are some star performers such as Clarissa Shields and Katie Taylor but too many poor fighters. What is missing is that all important middle strata of experienced fighters not quite star quality but who can both stretch the top liners and provide useful tests for the up and coming boxers. Female boxing needs some new names from the Tokyo Olympics to keep interest high and encourage more women to turn professional so that there is no dip when the current stars retire. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Gervonta Davis halts Mario Barrios in the eleventh round to win the secondary WBA super lightweight title -Vasyl Lomachenko returns to action and stops Masayoshi Nakatani in nine rounds -Julio Cesar Martinez defends his WBC flyweight title with stoppage of Joel Cordova and on the same show in Guadalajara Daniel Matellon decisions Jose Argumedo in defence of the interim WBA light flyweight title -Erickson Lubin stops former IBF and WBA super welterweight title holder Jeison Rosario -David Morell beats Mario Cazares in the first round in defence of the secondary WBA super middleweight title -Ricardo Sandoval scores an upset KO win over Jay Harris in IBF flyweight eliminator World Title/Major Shows 26 June Atlanta, GA, USA: Super Light: Gervonta Davis (25-0) W TKO 11 Mario Barrios (26-1). Super Welter: Erickson Lubin (24-1) W TKO 6 Jeison Rosario (20-3-1). Super Light: Batyr Akhmedov (9-1) W RTD 8 Algenis Mendez (25-7-3,1ND). Super Welter: Carlos Adames (20-1) W TKO 3 Alexis Salazar (23-4). Super Feather: Leduan Barthelemy (17-1-1) W PTS 10 Viktor Slavinskyi (12-1-1).Super Light: Andres Gutierrez (38-2-2) DREW 8 Angel Hernandez (17-16-3). 17 Davis vs. Barrios Davis wins the secondary WBA version of the super lightweight title as he scores late stoppage of Barrios. Round 1 The tactics for the fight were largely dictated by the 5” height and reach advantages for Barrios. Not much action in a cautious first round. Barrios was boxing at distance firing jabs with Davis looking for openings but with Barrios taking the round with the jabs he landed. Score: 10-9 Barrios Round 2 Another round for Barrios. He was scoring with his jab and connected with straight rights with Davis waiting for an opening that did not come and hardly throwing a punch. Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 20-18 Round 3 Davis did better in this round coming forward and throwing some punches. Barrios stuck to his jab and straight rights and worked solidly throughout the round to outscore Davis. Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 30-27 Round 4 Barrios stuck to his game plan just jabbing and launching straight rights. He was not over-committing himself and Davis was still playing the waiting but was unable to find any gaps. Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 40-36 Round 5 Davis changed the fight with the simple tactic of sticking his right jabs way out not to score but blocking Barrios from launching his own left jab. His jab had been his main weapon and now Barrios was forced onto the back foot and Davis was able to get inside and score to the body Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 49-46 Round 6 Davis continued to take the fight to Barrios. He was getting inside and landing with rights and lefts. Barrios seemed almost mesmerised by the right of Davis. Instead of trying to punch holes in Davis’s defence he was jabbing at the extended right of Davis negating his jab by his own actions. Without his jab he was throwing rights but that meant committing himself and left gaps for Davis to score. Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 58-56 Round 7 Barrios made an aggressive start to the round letting fly with punches from both hands. That storm blew itself out and Davis again had Barrios on the back foot. He was getting through with jabs and straight lefts with Barrios unable to keep him out. Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 67-66 Round 8 Barrios was boxing well at the start of the eighth until a sharp overhand right from Davis put him down. He was up quickly but after the count a left hook from Davis sent him down again. Davis hounded Barrios trying to finish the fight and although Davis connected with more rights and lefts Barrios boxed his way to the bell but it was a disastrous round for Barrios who was also cut under his left eye. Score: 10-7 Davis Davis 76-74 Round 9 Davis failed to capitalise on his success in the ninth. Barrios was using his jab again and getting home some rights and even threw an uppercut as a change from his jab/straight right tactics. Davis hardly threw a punch and gave the round away. Score: 10-9 Barrios Davis 85-84 Round 10 An entertaining round. Davis was marching forward getting through with head punches with Barrios on the back foot letting fly with accurate counters. Davis was landing the heavier punches but a fired up Barrios signalled for Davis to bring it on. Score: 10-9 Davis Davis 95-93 Round 11 Davis was chasing Barrios down in the eleventh and connecting with heavy lefts and rights. There was a small break to sort out loose tape on the left glove of Barrios and then Davis landed a left to the body and Barrios dropped to his hands and knees. He was up at seven but when Davis started to unload on Barrios again the referee stopped the fight. Davis already holds the WBA super featherweight title and the secondary WBA lightweight title but effectively only holds one genuine title as Teo Lopez is champion at lightweight and Josh Taylor holds all four titles at super lightweight. This just makes an (even bigger) mockery of the WBA titles. Now 24 inside the distance wins in total for Davis including 16 in a row and he has won all nine of his title fights by KO/TKO. Fights with Teo Lopez or Devin Haney at lightweight or Josh Taylor at super lightweight would legitimise the secondary titles he holds in those two divisions and would be huge events. Barrios was making the second defence of the secondary WBA title and at 26 there is plenty of time for him to work his way to another title fight. Lubin vs. Rosario Lubin opens the way to a world title shot with stoppage of Rosario. Lubin outboxed Rosario over the first two rounds and then started to break down Rosario from the third landing heavily and rocking Rosario throughout the round. In the fourth Rosario repaid Lubin for those stunning shots in the third by taking control of the action. That was the high point for Rosario as Lubin started to target Rosario’s body. He showed his superior skills in the fifth and then sent Rosario down with a body punch early in the sixth. Rosario made it to his feet but was put down by a series of punches ending with a body shot with Lubin flirting with disqualification as the last punch seemed to land after Rosario was on one knee. The body punch had Rosario squirming in pain and the referee waived the fight off. Southpaw Lubin was knocked out in one round by Jermell Charlo when he challenged for the super welter title in 2017 but has fought his way back to No 1 in the WBC rankings and will be hoping to get a chance to fight the winner of the unification fight between Charlo and Brian Castano. Former IBF and WBA champion Rosario was knocked out by Charlo in September, also by a body punch, and has a hard road ahead to climb into contention again. Akhmedov vs. Mendez Akhmedov grinds down Mendez who retires at the end of the eighth round with an injury to his right hand. From the outset the Uzbek southpaw was trundling forward putting Mendez under steady pressure. Akhmedov was cut over his left eye in the second round but it was never a factor. Akhmedov continued to crowd Mendez over the third and fourth with Mendez too busy defending to contribute much in the way of offence. Mendez sparked briefly in the fifth connecting with some good body punches but even then Akhmedov was getting the better of the exchanges. Akhmedov was closing down space on Mendez and landing with lefts to the body in the sixth and seventh. Mendez was fading fast. It was one-way traffic in the eighth and Mendez retired at the end of the round quoting the hand injury for his decision. Akhmedov lost a controversial decision to Mario Barrios in a fight for the vacant secondary WBA title in September 2019 and will be hoping to a shot at new title holder Gervonta Davis. Former IBF super featherweight champion Mendez had fought two draws and lost to unbeaten newcomer Richardson Hitchins in his last three fights. Adames vs. Salazar Adames gets his second win of the year as he halts Salazar in three rounds. After a couple of messy sessions with very little real action and with both fighters being wrestled to the floor Adames ended the fight in the third. A big left sent Salazar into the ropes. It looked as though he was held up by the ropes but the referee did not apply a count. There was no doubt about count being applied when another left from Adames dropped Salazar. He made it to his feet but was wobbly and the referee stopped the contest. Adames lost a close decision to Patrick Teixeira for the WBA title November 2019. Mexican Salazar had won his last 15 fights. Slavinskyi vs. Barthelemy Slavinskyi remains unbeaten with a split decision over fellow-southpaw Barthelemy. A contrast in styles led to a wide contrast between the scores in this one. Slavinskyi forced the fight chasing down the elusive Cuban who caught the Ukrainian with some good counters. Slavinskyi just could not pin down the crafty Barthelemy who seemed to have built a useful lead until he started to showboat in the seventh. Slavinskyi upped the pressure in the seventh and finished strongly but did not seem to have done enough to take the decision. Then came the scores of 99-90 and 97-92 for Slavinskyi and 97-92 for Barthelemy. A bit more aggression might have helped Barthelemy but I can’t see him or Slavinskyi getting very far. Gutierrez vs. Hernandez This was supposed to be a no-threat run out for Gutierrez who was badly in need of ring time having not fought for two years. In the end he had to settle for a draw but looked unlucky to do so. After a couple of even rounds he looked to have outscored Hernandez over the next four rounds. Hernandez fought hard in some fierce action over the seventh and eighth to make it close. Scores 77-75 Gutierrez, 77-75 Hernandez and 76-76. Gutierrez lost on a majority decision to Cristian Mijares and to Abner Mares on a technical decision in a fight for the secondary WBA featherweight title in 2017. Now he has to fight his way back into the ratings. Good result for Hernandez who was 2-4 going into this fight. Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light: Vasyl Lomachenko (15-2) W TKO 9 Masayoshi Nakatani (19-2). Middle: Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (10-0) W RTD 8 Rob Brant (26-3). Welter: Giovani Santillan (27-0) W PTS 8 Cecil McCalla (23-5). Heavy: Guido Vianello (8-0-1) W RTD 2 Marlon Williams (6-2) 18 Lomachenko vs. Nakatani Lomachenko proves much too good for the strong but limited Nakatani and forces a stoppage in the ninth round. Having learned his lesson from his fight with Teo Lopez this time Lomachenko made a quick start. He was darting past the longer reach of Nakatani in the first and connecting with lefts. A clash of head saw Lomachenko cut high on his forehead in an awkward place that allowed the blood to run down into his eye. The second was a closer round with Lomachenko landing with his jab getting past the guard of Nakatani to score with short lefts inside. Nakatani landed a few jabs but was finding Lomachenko a difficult target. Nakatani landed a good right at the start of the fourth but Lomachenko was stepping inside the Japanese fighters guard with punches to the body. Lomachenko was dancing around a static Nakatani in the fifth diving in to land punches and then getting out again with Nakatani throwing lots but landing little. Seconds before the bell Lomachenko launched an attack landing four head punches and the retreating Nakatani went down. The referee gave Nakatani a count with Nakatani protesting that he had just been off balance. Lomachenko really cut loose in the sixth pinning Nakatani against the ropes and unloading with punch after punch until Nakatani managed to escape. Lomachenko had Nakatani foundering a couple of times in the seventh as he changed angles and connected with punches as Nakatani tried to reset himself. The Japanese fighter was relying heavily on using his jab as a range finder for straight rights but with Lomachenko bobbing and weaving Nakatani could not find the target. Lomachenko scored with powerful straight lefts in the eighth with much of the fire having gone out of Nakatani’s work. In the ninth Lomachenko bombarded Nakatani with punches and suddenly Nakatani was in trouble. He was reeling and off balance and when he dropped under another barrage of punches the referee came in and stopped the fight. In his first fight since losing to Teo Lopez in October Lomachenko looked sharp and had too much class for Nakatani. Lomachenko’s accuracy was impressive as in every round he had between a 40% and 50% plus ratio of punches thrown/landed. Lopez has his postponed fight with George Kambosos to deal with and it would probably be a good idea for Lomachenko to have another fight with a return against Lopez at the end of the year. Nakatani had impressed when he climbed off the floor twice to stop Felix Verdejo in December but Lomachenko was at a different level entirely. Alimkhanuly vs. Brant In only his tenth contest Kazakh southpaw Alimkhanuly gets win over Brant to improve his chances of a world title fight. Brant boxed well enough to be competitive in the opening round but it was all downhill from there. In the second southpaw Alimkhanuly hurt Brant with a left and used that punch to control the action in the third. Alimkhanuly boxed coolly and methodically picking his spots and raking Brant with punches to head and body. Brant just could not get into the fight and his punch output dropped. He gave it a big try in the fifth but again it was Alimkhanuly landing with hard, accurate punches. Brant took a knee at the start of the sixth and his corner were threatening to pull him out unless he improved. Brant showed some improvement in the seventh but Alimkhanuly scored with an array of punches in the eighth and at the end of the round Brant was pulled out of the fight by his corner. Alimkhanuly, a former Olympian and World Championships gold medallist, is No 2 with the WBO but with Jaime Munguia at No 1 and Demetrius Andrade looking for bigger fights he might have a long wait for his title chance. Brant can be unpredictable. He put in a career best performance in winning the secondary WBA title with a victory over Ryota Murata but was dreadful in being stopped in two rounds by Murata in the return fight. Santillan vs. McCalla In his first fight for a year Santillan adds another victory as he outpoints McCalla. Scores 80-72, 78-74 and 79-73 for the southpaw from San Diego. McCalla worked hard and was busier but the accuracy and better quality work won the fight for Santillan. He just scraped past former champion Antonio DeMarco in his June 2020 fight. After going 1-4 in some tough fights McCalla had rebounded with two wins. Vianello vs. Williams Vianello stops an overmatched Williams in two rounds-well one round and one second of the second round to be honest. Vianello put Williams down early in the first and then again just before the bell. The referee decided to give Williams a chance to recover but then changed his mind and halted the fight in the second round immediately after the bell went. The 6’6” Italian prospect Vianello needed a win after a disappointing draw with Kingsley Ibeh in his last fight. Williams just there to play victim. Guadalajara, Mexico: Fly: Julio Cesar Martinez 9(18-1,1ND) W TKO 6 Joel Cordova (13-5-2). Light Fly: Daniel Matellon (12-0-2) W PTS 12 Jose Argumedo (24-5-1). Super Light: Gabriel Valenzuela (24-2-1) W TKO 7 Juan Ocura (13-15-2,1ND). Super Middle: Diego Pacheco (12-0) W TKO 6 Jesus Palomares (7-1-1). Martinez vs. Cordova After a slow start Martinez had too much power for a brave Cordova and forced a stoppage in the sixth. Cordova surprised Martinez with a fierce attack in the first. He was scoring heavily with hooks from both hands and although rocked by a left hook he kept up the pressure throughout the round with Martinez switching guards and looking unsettled. Cordova continued to force the fight in the second and third landing some meaty body punches and was outscoring Martinez. The champion started to find the target late in the round. Cordova continued to take the fight to Martinez in the fourth but was having to eat some hurtful counters and looked to be tiring in the fifth as Martinez took over. He was catching Cordova with heavy single punches and knocked Cordova back on his heels a couple of times. Martinez ended it in the sixth. Boxing from a southpaw stance he landed two left hooks that dumped Cordova on the floor propped against the ropes. He made it to his feet and Martinez drove him along the ropes with Cordova floundering and only just staying up. The referee had seen enough and stepped in just as Cordova began to fire back but it was a good stoppage. Third defence of the WBC title for Martinez who is now looking to unify the flyweight titles. Cordova, a former sparring partner of Martinez, showed plenty of fire but found the power of Martinez too much. Matellon vs. Argumedo Matellon needs a strong finish to hold on to his interim WBA title after a storming start from challenger Argumedo. Argumedo came out firing and immediately putting the title holder on the back foot. Argumedo was marching forward throwing punches from distance until he was inside and was then pinning Matellon to the ropes and scoring with hooks to the body. A clash of heads in the third opened a vertical gash over the left eye of Argumedo but he just kept putting pressure on the Cuban. Matellon was fighting a dumb fight letting himself get trapped on the ropes with no room to use his better footwork and faster hands. Argumedo continued to haunt and harass Matellon with Matellon too often falling into the mistake of trying to match Argumedo punch-for-punch. After six rounds it was looking as though Matellon was going to lose his title. The dynamics of the fight changed in the seventh as Argumedo showed signs of tiring from the frantic pace he had set and Matellon began to use his feet. He was staying off the ropes and landing bunches of punches on the advancing Argumedo. The challenger kept coming but there was no snap in his punches and his output dropped. Matellon outscored Argumedo in every round from the eighth through to the last bell and just did enough to emerge the winner. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-111 all for Matellon with the first two the better reflection of the fight. The 33-year-old Cuban was making the first defence of the interim title. Hopefully he won’t find the interim title a blind alley as many others have. Former IBF minimumweight title holder Argumedo, 32, showed guts and determination but just could not hold on to his early lead. Valenzuela vs. Ocura Valenzuela extends his unbeaten run to 22 bouts as he floors Ocura in the third and hands out punishment until the fight is stopped in the seventh. In February Valenzuela won a majority decision against Robbie Davies Jr in London. Only one win in his last ten fights for Ocura. Pacheco vs. Palomares Outstanding prospect Pacheco marches on with sixth round stoppage of prelim fighter Palomares. Ninth inside the distance win for the 20-year-old 6’4” Pacheco. Palomares was moving up to eight rounds for the first time but was outclassed. Chihuahua, Mexico: Super Bantam: Yamileth Mercado (18-2) W PTS 10 Angelica Rascon (10-1,1ND). Bantam: Argi Cortes (19-2-2) W KO 2 Daniel Argueta (13-4). Mercado vs. Rascon Mercado holds on to the WBC Female title with points win over Texan Rascon. Over the first four rounds a confident Rascon took the fight to Mercado and built a useful lead looking to have won the first four rounds. Mercado was cut on her right cheek in a clash of heads in the fifth and over her right eye in the sixth and was also deducted a point for holding in the sixth as Mercado clawed back some rounds. The deduction was levelled out with Mercado losing a point in the ninth also for holding. The fight seemed very close but the judges saw a different fight and scored it 98-90, 97-91 and 96-92 for Mercado with Rascon looking to have earned at least a draw. Mercado was making the second defence of the WBC title. Rascon will challenge for a title again. Cortes vs. Argueto Cortes registers another win. Argueto did all of the pressing in the first but Cortes boxed comfortably on the back foot scoring with accurate counters. Argueto continued to march forward in the second until a wicked left to the body sent him to the canvas writhing in agony and he was counted out. Cortes is 17-0-2 in his last 19 fights including a draw with WBC title challenger Joel Cordova. 27 June Minneapolis, MN, USA: Super Middle: David Morell (5-0) W KO 1Mario Cazares (12-1). Cruiser: Brandon Glanton (14-0) W PTS 10 Efetobor Apochi (11-1). Super Welter: Nat Gallimore (22-5-1.) W PTS 10 Leon Lawson (14-1). Super Middle: Alantez Fox (28-2-1,1ND) W TKO 7 Manny Woods (17-12-1). Morell vs. Cazares Morell wins the vacant WBA secondary title with first round stoppage of Cazares. There was more wrestling than boxing at the start of this fight with Cazares warned for a low punch and Morell landing a couple of time on the back of Cazares’ head. Morell suddenly landed two straight lefts to the head and Cazares went down heavily spread-eagled on the canvas and the fight was immediately stopped. Cuban southpaw Morell had been interim champion but this win “elevates” him to full secondary champion. Cazares had won a technical decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in September. Glanton vs. Apochi v Mild upset as Glanton floors and wins split decision over unbeaten Nigeria Apochi. Scores 95-94 twice for Glanton and 96-93 for Apochi so the knockdown in the sixth round cost Apochi the fight. Gallimore vs. Lawson Gallimore gets a much needed victory as he takes majority verdict over Lawson. Gallimore was giving away 6” in height to the 6’5” Lawson but won on scores of 97-93 and 96-95 with the third card reading 95-95. Gallimore had scored wins over Justin DeLoach and Jeison Rosario but was 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Fox vs. Woods Fox stops Woods in seven rounds as he rebuilds after a loss to Liam Williams in a WBO eliminator in December 2019 which cost him a shot at Demetrius Andrade. Woods had lost 5 of his last 6 fights by KO/TKO. 25 June Bolton, England: Fly: Ricardo Sandoval (19-1) W KO 8 Jay Harris (18-2). Bantam: Paul Butler (33-2) W PTS 10 Willibald Garcia (12-5-1,1ND). Light Heavy: Hosea Burton (26-2) W KO 6 Liam Conroy (18-7-1) Light Gary Cully (13-0) W RTD 3 Viorel Simion (22-6). Feather: Brett Fidoe (15-65-5) W TKO 3 Tyrone McCullagh (14-2). Harris vs. Sandoval Body punches from Sandoval finish Harris after an exciting clash in this IBF eliminator. Harris boxed well in the first firing strong jabs and rights to the head putting Sandoval on the back foot but Sandoval was scoring with some scorching left hooks to the body. Both had some success in brutal exchanges in the second in an open punch-for-punch scrap. Sandoval upped his output in the third and fourth out jabbing Harris and crashing home rights to the head and left hooks to the body and putting Harris under pressure. Harris fired back in the fifth but again Sandoval was getting the better of the exchanges. Harris took the sixth with some excellent work with his jab and right crosses and staggered Sandoval with a right in the seventh. Sandoval then banged back to shake Harris and then had Harris pinned to the ropes and under heavy pressure at the end of an exciting round. They were fighting on equal terms in the eighth when Sandoval dug in a left hook to the ribs and Harris dropped to one knee. He beat the count but another body punch sent him down in agony and he was counted out. Huge win for 22-year-old Californian Sandoval-his fifteenth in a row. He was No 2 with the WBO so a fight with title holder Junto Nakatani could happen later this year. A set-back for Harris who was No 3 with the WBC and must have been hoping for a victory here which would have helped him in his quest for a return match with Julio Cesar Martinez who outpointed him in a WBC title defence in February last year. Butler vs. Garcia Butler has to fight hard to get split decision over unheralded Garcia. Butler made a great start flooring Garcia with a left hook in the first. Butler tried hard to end it then but Garcia made it to the bell. From there the Mexican gave Butler a torrid time. He was storming forward with crude attacks forcing Butler to the ropes and flailing away with punches. When Butler managed to stay off the ropes he was scoring with sharp punches from both hands but too often the fierce attacks of Garcia were forcing Butler to retreat and Garcia was targeting the body with hooks. It was an entertaining mix of styles between the classic boxing of Butler and the swarming quantity not quality from Garcia. Butler landed plenty of left hooks but was unable to shake Garcia again. Butler had built a lead with his greater accuracy but Garcia attacked desperately over the ninth and tenth to put the result in doubt. Scores 97-92 and 96-94 for Butler and 95-94 for Garcia so that early knockdown was the deciding factor. Rated WBO 3/IBF 4(3)/WBC 11Butler wins the vacant WBO International title but on this showing he would have no chance against the bantamweight title holders in Naoya Inoue, John Riel Casimero and Nonito Donaire. An improving Garcia was 12-1-1 going into this fight. He had beaten former title challenger Dewayne Beamon and lost on a majority verdict against 21-2-5 Alejandro Santiago. He looked worth a daw here. Burton vs. Conroy Burton knocks out Conroy with a one punch finish in the sixth. In the first Burton made good use of his longer reach to spear Conroy with jabs and scored well with straight rights. Conroy was trying to bob and weave his way inside but Burton used good footwork to escape. Conroy did better in the second and third walking through Burton’s punches getting inside scoring with left hooks to head and body and roughing Burton up. Burton managed to stay in the centre of the ring for much of the fourth and fifth spearing Conroy with jabs and connecting with hooks. The fight ended suddenly in the sixth. Conroy was marching forward when Burton landed a right and then a left to the top of Conroy’s head and Conroy went down on his back and was counted out. First fight for Burton since losing to Ricards Bolotniks in September in the MTK Global Gold Contract tournament. Conroy’s last fight was also in the MTK Tournament in September when he was stopped by Serge Michel. Cully vs. Simion Cully stops veteran Simion in three rounds. Cully was 9” taller than Simion and 14 years younger and dominated this fight from start to finish. He was lashing the Romanian with hooks to the body from both hands and straight southpaw lefts. Simion tried to get close and connected with a couple of rights but Cully was able to easily push Simion out and bombard him with punches. Cully easily handled the few attacks Simion did launch and it was really just target practice for the Irishman and Simion sensible retired after the third round. Being the WBO European champion, a title he won by beating someone with a 12-1 record who had lost his last fight, has seen Cully at No 14 in their rankings but he has yet to face a real test. The 39-year-old Simion is 1-5 in his last 6 fights but has mixed in good company losing to Scott Quigg, Shakur Stevenson and Denys Berinchyk. Fidoe vs. McCullagh Major upset as little journeyman Fidoe stops McCullagh in the third round. The 4” taller McCullagh made good use of his longer reach to outbox Fidoe over the first two rounds. Early in the third Fidoe landed a hard right and suddenly McCullagh was in trouble. Fidoe chased McCullagh around the ring before flooring him with a right to the head. McCullagh made it to his feet but at the end of the eight count he was still unsteady and the fight was stopped. Fidoe has only been beaten inside the distance twice. This is his second win in a row and if he starts winning the jobs will probably dry up. McCullagh had been world rated after winning the WBO European title but was outpointed by Ryan Walsh in his last fight in February 2020. Saint-Nazaire, France: Cruiser: Olivier Vautrain (18-3-1) W PTS 10 Eddy Lacrosse (12-7-2). Heavy: Nicolas Wamba (7-0) W PTS 10 David Spilmont (10-7). Vautrain vs. Lacrosse Vautrain successfully retains the French title with very close unanimous decision over Lacrosse. The 6’2” southpaw Vautrain never really made full use of his longer reach. He looked good when he did use his jab and when he put together burst of punches but Lacrosse was able to get inside and hounded Vautrain the whole fight. Vautrain did not have the punch to deter Lacrosse but just did enough to win. Scores 97-92,96-93 and 96-95 for the hometown fighter with former champion Lacrosse fighting well. Wamba vs. Spilmont In a messy, mauling fight Wamba wins the vacant French title with a close unanimous decision over Spilmont. This was a slow match without much class on show. Wamba was just a bit more accurate than lumbering southpaw Spilmont. Scores 96-93,96-94, 95-94 for Wamba. He is a former MMA exponent who was a world champion at full contact and kickboxing. He had stopped Spilmont in six rounds when they fought in February last year. Civitavecchia, Italy: Light: Emilio Marsili (40-0-1) W PTS 10 Stephane Jamoye (33-9-1). Marsili outclasses a disappointing Jamoye. The hometown southpaw dominated the fight from first to last. He found Jamoye an easy target for his right jabs and constantly scored with left hooks and uppercuts. Marsili looked to have scored a knockdown with a left hook in the sixth but the referee did not count it and Marsili eased his way to victory winning every round. Scores 100-90 for Marsili from the judges. Marsili, 44 (45 in August), a former undefeated European and IBO lightweight champion, wins the vacant IBO Mediterranean title. He was to have challenged Dejan Zlaticanin for the WBC title in 2016 but had to pull out with injury and may never now land a title shot. Former world title challenger Jamoye was never in contention. Krasnaya Polyana, Russia: Light: Aik Shakhnazaryan (25-4) W PTS 10 Vage Sarukhanyan (20-3-2,1ND). Cruiser: Ruslan Fayfer (27-3) W TKO 1 Fabio Maldonado (26-5). Light: Vladimir Sarukhanyan (15-0) W PTS 8 Vyacheslav Gusev (25-7). Shakhnazaryan vs. Sarukhanyan Shakhnazaryan wins the vacant Russian title with majority verdict over Sarukhanyan. Sarukhanyan was having his first fight for eighteen months but lead early. However the aggressive Shakhnazaryan turned things around and finished strongly winning a controversial decision. Scores 97-95 and 96-94 for Shakhnazaryan and 95-95. Both fighters are Armenian-born Russians. Fayfer vs. Maldonado Fayfer annihilates Maldonado in the first. Fayer opened fast driving Maldonado to the ropes and dropped him with a volley of punches. Maldonado beat the count but went down again under a shower of punches. When he got up he was reeling under more punches and the referee stepped in to save him. Fayfer was 23-0 until he lost to Andrew Tabiti in the WBSS and was 2-2 going into this fight. Fifth loss on the trot for Brazilian Maldonado. Sarukhanyan vs. Gusev Sarukhanyan, another Armenian-born Russian, outboxed a competitive Gusev over eight rounds. Gusev used his experience to present some problems to the younger Sarukhanyan over the first six rounds but faded late and Sarukhanyan wrapped-up the unanimous decision. Hurlingham, Argentina: Light: Agustin Quintana (14-1-1) W TKO 7 Claudio Daneff (11-2-1). Cruiser: Yamil Peralta (10-0) W PTS 8 Marcos Karalitzky (7-5-2). Quintana vs. Daneff Quintana wins the WBC Latino Silver title with stoppage of champion Daneff. It was an entertaining match but the power and precision of Quintana wore Daneff down. A right from Quintana drove Daneff into a corner in the seventh and he was given a standing count. When the action resumed Daneff was stumbling and holding and when he was hurt by another right the referee stopped the fight. Tenth win by KO/TKO and seventh consecutive victory for Quintana. Daneff, the Argentinian No 1, was making the first defence of the Latino title. Peralta vs. Karalitzky Argentinian and South American champion Peralta repeated a previous victor over Karalitzky winning on scores of 80-73 ½”, 79-73, 78-74. Two-time Olympian and a bronze medallist at both the World Championships and the Pan American Games Sheffield, England: Light: Hammed Ghazi (17-0) W TKO 3 Liam Shinkwin (9-2-1) Ghazi continues to progress. After an even first round Ghazi took over. He landed heavily on Shinkwin in the second and was handing out more punishment in the third when the referee stopped the contest. The 25-year-old Afghan-born Ghazi will probably go for the English title next. Shinkwin had won his last three fights with his only loss in a Prizefighter Tournament. 26 June Oncativo, Argentina: Heavy: Leandro Robutti (8-4) W PTS 10 Kevin Espindola (6-2). Robutti uses his edges in height and weight to take a majority decision over Espindola and wins the vacant Argentinian title. Neither fighter has much in the way of technique but they supplied an entertainment brawl. Despite the majority decision Robutti was a clear winner. Scores 97-94 and 97 ½ -95 for Robutti and 95-95. Robutti is now 2-1 in their three meetings. Brisbane, Australia: Cruiser: Mark Flanagan (25-8) W TKO 5 Ben Kelleher (14-3-2). Flanagan batters a game Kelleher to defeat to win the vacant Australian title. Former champion Flanagan broke Keller down with stiff jabs and body shots. By the fifth Kelleher had nothing left and he was put down by a clubbing right. He managed to pull himself upright but was in no condition to continue. A much needed win for Flanagan who had suffered consecutive losses against Arsen Goulamirian, David Light and Jai Opetaia. Kelleher, also a former Australian champion, had been stopped by Jai Opetaia in October. Ekaterinburg, Russia: Super Feather: Mark Urvanov (19-2-1) W PTS 8 Rofhiwa Maemu (19-12-3). Local fighter Urvanov needs some generous judging to get a majority decision over South African Maemu. The visitor came forward aggressively from the start landing heavily to the head and unsettled Urvanov. Over the second half of the fight Urvanov clawed back with a strong finish but did not look to have done enough to merit the win. Urvanov is the holder of the WBO global title and their No 8. This showing illustrates how ratings are skewed by sanctioning fees rather than by the quality of a fighter's victories. Maemu is 0-5 in visits to Russia and has won only one of his last seven fights. Soweto, South Africa: Super Light: Xolisani Ndongeni (28-2) W TKO 3 Peter Pambeni (16-5-3). 14 Ndongeni returns to form and saves himself some money as he stops Zimbabwean Pambeni in the third round. Ndongeni quickly solved the problem of the switch-hitting Pambeni and overwhelmed him in the third. Ndongeni wins the vacant WBA Pan African title. A sixth round kayo loss to Prince Dlomo in October raised some questions over Ndongeni’s future but he answered them here. He had said he would pay Pambeni R 1000 ($70) if he lasted more than three rounds so did not have to pay out. In his last fight in November 2019 Pambeni was stopped in eight rounds by Jeremia Nakathila in a fight for the WBO Global title. Madrid, Spain: Minimum: Joana Pastrana (18-3) W PTS 10 Anne Sophie Da Costa (28-8). Champion Pastrana retained her European female title with a flawless display against French challenger Da Costa. Pastrana looked close to stopping Da Costa a couple of times but Da Costa took the punishment and was still there at the final bell. Scores 100-90 from all three judges for Pastrana. Fight of the week (Significance): Both the wins for Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko keep some potentially big fights in play Fight of the week (Entertainment): Paul Butler and Willibald Garcia provide ten rounds of intense action. Honourable mention to Yamileth Mercado vs. Angelica Rascon which was a war. Fighter of the week: Gervonta Davis. His win over Barrios might have only been for the secondary WBA title but the way he came from behind after working out his tactics to overcome the height and reach of Barrios and then finished the fight with two knockdowns showed real class. Punch of the week: The left to the body by Ricardo Sandoval that finished Jay Harris was wicked. Upset of the week: Has to be 14-65-5 Brett Fidoe stopping 14-1 Tyrone McCullagh. Fidoe hardly showed any excitement with his win. He just banged his gloves together as a show of satisfaction. This is his second win in a row and he keeps this up he may have take “celebrating” lessons. Prospect watch: Mexican Super lightweight Gabriel Valenzuela is in good form unbeaten in his last 22 fights. Observations Good to see no rubbish about Davis vs. Barrios as any kind of “unification” fight as Josh Taylor holds all four of the real super lightweight titles in fact although Davis has won titles in three divisions only the lightweight title is a genuine title. It was a case of the long and the short and the tall*: Gary Cully 6’2” vs. 5’5” Viorel Simion Tyrone McCullagh 5’6” vs. 5’2” Brett Fidoe Mario Barrios 5’10” vs. 5’5 ½” Gervonta Davis Masayoshi Nakatani 5’ 11 ½” vs. 5’7” Vasyl Lomachenko Guido Vianello 6’6” vs. 6’1” Marlon Marshall Leon Lawson 6’5” vs. 5’11” Nathaniel Gallimore Alantez Fox 6’4” vs. 5’8” Manny Woods *The long and the short and the tall is from an old British Army song which starts “bless e’m all, bless e’m all the long and the short and the tall….. and goes down and dirty from there Emiliano Marsili just goes on and on but just can’t land a title fight. At 44 and after 18 years as a pro he is unbeaten in 41 fights (40-0-10) which without checking I think puts him level with Gilberto Ramirez (41-0) with the longer current unbeaten runs. You may- or may not- have noticed that I have included the results of some female title fights in the report. I have finally gone over to the dark side! By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Naoya Inoue crushes Filipino Michael Dasmarinas with body punches in three rounds to retain the IBF and WBA bantamweight titles -Jermall Charlo scores wide unanimous decision over brave Juan Montiel in WBC middleweight title defence -Jaime Munguia’s power proves too much for Pole Kamil Szeremeta who retires after six rounds. -Former WBO super bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe takes majority verdict over Adam Lopez in featherweight clash -Gabriel Rosado flattens unbeaten Bektemir Melikuziev with one stunning right hand -Felix Sturm continues his comeback with a points win over James Kraft -South African Ludumo Lamati wins the vacant IBO super bantamweight title with majority decision against Mexican Jose Estrada Garcia World Title/Major Shows 19 June Las Vegas, NV, USA: Bantam: Naoya Inoue (21-0) W TKO 3 Michael Dasmarinas (30-3-1). Feather: Isaac Dogboe (22-2) W PTS 10 Adam Lopez (15-3.Super Light: Lindolfo Delgado (12-0) W PTS 8 Salvador Briceno (17-7). Inoue vs. Dasmarinas In another “monster” performance Inoue destroys Filipino Dasmarinas inside three rounds. Round 1 Inouye was tracking the constantly moving Dasmarinas looking to land with his right. Dasmarinas kept moving a poking out jabs but was wary of Inoue’s power. A right to the body and a left hook to the head gave Inoue the round. Score:10-9 Inoue Round 2 Dasmarinas showed more aggression in the second leaping inside and scoring with some southpaw lefts. Inoue continued to hunt Dasmarinas. He shook the challenger with a right and landed a quick combination that saw Dasmarinas drop to his hands and knees. He was up at five and when the action resumed Inoue landed some wicked left hooks to the body but Dasmarinas made it to the bell. Score: 10-8 Inoue Inoue 20-17 Round 3 Dasmarinas jabbed and moved in the third with Inoue stalking him and looking to land more lefts to the body. He finally caught up with Dasmarinas and a series of punches ending with a left hook to the body sent Dasmarinas down in pain. He made it to his feet but Inoue rushed him to the ropes and connected with another left hook to the body and as Dasmarinas went down the referee waived the fight over. Inoue retains the IBF and WBA titles with his eighteenth inside the distance victory. He is now 16-0 in world title fights with 14 wins by KO/TKO in those 16 fights-and at 28 there is more to come. Dasmarinas did not have strong credentials with a win over Karim Guerfi and a draw with Manyo Plange his only tests against world rated opposition and he just could not stand the power of the Inoue left hooks to the body. Dogboe vs. Lopez Dogboe continues his featherweight campaign as he holds off a strong late surge by Lopez to take a majority decision. The little Ghanaian was in control over the first two rounds putting Lopez under pressure and scoring with hard rights. Lopez had a better third getting on the front foot and outscoring Dogboe. Dogboe was giving away considerable height and reach but he was able to get inside in the fourth and was still dangerous with rights. The fifth and sixth were close with Lopez pressing harder and Dogboe boxing more and probably just edging them. Dogboe rocked Lopez in the seventh but Lopez had Dogboe holding on after landing a right in the eighth. Lopez had a big ninth shaking Dogboe with a couple of rights and he outlanded Dogboe in the last but his late dominance was not enough to get the decision. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Dogboe and 95-95. Second win for the former WBO super bantam title holder since suffering back to back losses against Emanuel Navarette. Lopez’s other two losses have been a majority verdict against current WBO super bantamweight title holder Stephen Fulton back in 2017 and a stoppage by Oscar Valdez in which Valdez was down early. Delgado vs. Briceno Delgado goes the distance for the first time with unanimous decision over Briceno. In his first fight for 21 months Delgado made a slow start. He took a few rounds to get back in the groove and start timing his punches. Briceno had height and reach over Delgado and was competitive early working his jab well and bringing blood from Delgado’s nose. As Delgado picked up the pace and began to put his punches together Briceno quickly faded and over the closing rounds was really just looking to survive. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Delgado a Pan American Games silver medallist and 2016 Olympian who had not previously been take past the sixth round. Briceno has fallen into the job of testing promising younger fighters. Houston, TX, USA: Middle: Jermall Charlo (32-0) W PTS 12 Juan Montiel (22-5-2) .Super Bantam: Angelo Leo (21-1) W PTS 10 Aaron Alameda (25-2). Light: Isaac Cruz (22-1-1) W PTS 10 Francisco Vargas (27-3-2). Feather: Miguel Flores (25-4) W PTS 8 Diuhl Olguin (15-18-4). Charlo vs. Montiel Charlo retains the WBC title with a wide decision over a limited but extraordinary tough and very strong Montiel. Charlo was hurting Montiel early in the first two rounds with body punches but Montiel was looking to stay in front of Charlo switching guards and trading punches despite getting the worse of the exchanges. Charlo had Montiel under heavy pressure in the third connecting well to the body. Montiel landed a good left which was his best punch to this point but Charlo was again landing with both hands. Although Montiel again found the target with a left he was taking punishment to the body. After Charlo rocked Montiel with a right at the start of the fourth a low punch from Montiel paused the action. Montiel tried to walk through some wicked left hooks from Charlo and they traded punches to the bell. Charlo could have made this easier for himself but he was looking to take Montiel out instead of boxing. Charlo staggered Montiel with a right in the fifth and piled on the punches but Montiel showed a good chin. He looked on his way out when Charlo trapped on the ropes in the sixth and unloaded with punch after punch but Montiel came back and landed two crisp left hooks to the body late in the round. The pace dropped in the seventh and eighth with a dogged Montiel rolling forward constantly changing guards taking whatever Charlo threw and firing long punches. Charlo suffered a small cut over his right eye and his work was looking ragged as Montiel took the eighth. Somehow Montiel just kept walking through some savage punishment in the ninth and Charlo, whilst doing most of the scoring, was nowhere near as cool or dominant and he could not stop Montiel almost sauntering forward as Montiel connected with a strong left hook straight right combination. Absorbing punches does not win you rounds, landing them does. Montiel was doing a great job of absorbing punches over the tenth and eleventh and although he also scored with some clubbing body punches Charlo was landing more even as he looked arm weary from hitting Montiel so much for so long. Charlo wanted to box through the last but after doing that for the first half of the round he was forced to brawl at the end. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 118-109 for Charlo. Fourth defence of the WBC title for Charlo. On the basis of punches landed the score reflected Charlo’s advantage but not the resilience and strength of Montiel. The fact that Jaime Munguia knocked Montiel out in two rounds, the only time Montiel has lost inside the distance. shows just how powerful Munguia is and as he is No 1 with the WBC we could see an explosive title fight later this year. Leo vs. Alameda Leo just scrapes past Alameda on a majority verdict. Both scored well in the opening round and that is how the fight progressed with both having some success and with every round close. Leo pressed the action hard in the second and third connecting with strong body punches but southpaw Alameda was catching Leo on the way in with useful counters. Leo worked the body over the middle rounds with Alameda landing head-snapping uppercuts as they fought fiercely through the seventh and eighth with Leo looking to have edged in front. Alameda did better in the ninth again with hooks and uppercuts and with the fight poised to go either way they fought evenly through last. Scores a strange 98-92 and 96-94 for Leo and 95-95. First fight for Leo since losing his WBO super bantam title to Stephen Fulton in January. He is currently No 6 with the WBO and No 9 with the WBC so has some way to go to get a title shot. Alameda was also coming off a loss in a title match having been outpointed by Luis Nery in a fight for the vacant WBC belt in September. He was No 10 with the WBC so may now drop down in the ratings. Cruz vs. Vargas Cruz gets a career best win as he is just too young and too strong for former champion Vargas. Cruz’s tactics were to stand off letting Vargas come to him and then lunging inside scoring with overhand rights and left hooks to the body. He was bullying Vargas on the inside and when Vargas managed to push Cruz out he just regrouped and chose his time to come forward again. Vargas was landing solid shots but they were having no effect on hard man Cruz and Vargas was being forced to fight at a strength-sapping pace. Despite being met with some stiff counters Cruz was always able to get inside and the body punching began to slow Vargas. Vargas had a good sixth outscoring Cruz and they both landed solid shots in the seventh but Cruz was banging away to the body and Vargas was showing a small cut over each eye. Cruz dominated the ninth with Vargas tending to hold more inside. A wild last round saw Cruz firing hard shots with both hands and outscoring Vargas. A clash of heads opened a bad gash over the right eye of Vargas. The doctor had a look at it but decided to let the fight continue and as Vargas stumbled forward under punches from Cruz he fell to his knees and the referee treated that as a knockdown. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92 for Cruz important wins over Diego Maldonado and 24-0 Jose Matias Romero have seen the 5’4” Cruz climb to No 2 with the IBF and No 3 with the WBA but in a division ruled by Teo Lopez and Gervonta Davis and with Devin Henry and Vasyl Lomachenko in the wings he will find it tough to win a title. Former WBC super feather champion “El Bandido” Vargas still has plenty to offer but at 36 the glory days are over. Flores vs. Olguin After losses in two big fights Flores had to produce a strong finish to get the split decision over fellow Mexican Olguin. Flores made a good start as he swept the first three rounds based on a focused body attack. Olguin began to roll in the fourth taking the fight to Flores and outscoring him inside. Flores managed to turn the tide and just did enough over the seventh and eighth to give him the edge. Scores 77-75 twice for Flores and 77-75 for Olguin. Flores was coming off consecutive losses to Leo Santa Cruz for the vacant WBA super feather title in November 2019 and to Eduardo Ramirez last December. Olguin had a poor 1-5-1 run of results before this contest. El Paso, TX, USA: Middle: Jaime Munguia (37-0) W RTD 6 Kamil Szeremeta (21-2). Super Middle: Gabriel Rosado (26-13-1) W KO 3Bektemir Melikuziev (7-1). Welter: Raul Curiel (10-0) W TKO 9 Ferdinand Kerobyan (14-2). Welter: Blair Cobbs (15-0-1) W TKO 5 Brad Solomon (29-4). Welter: Alexis Rocha (17-1) W TKO 2 James Bacon (26-5). Munguia vs. Szeremeta Munguia pounds a gutsy Szeremeta to defeat in six rounds. A low-key even first round saw both fighters trying to establish their jabs. Munguia turned up the heat in the second banging home left hooks to the body and putting together some flashy and hurtful combinations before rocking Szeremeta with a left hook to the head. In the third Munguia was boxing more than he has in the past but it was the power in his long sweeping hooks and body punches that were doing the damage. Szeremeta tried to fire back but lacked the power to match Munguia and his head was being snapped back by uppercuts in the fourth and fifth. Munguia handed Szeremeta a savage beating in the sixth driving Szeremeta around the ring connecting with straight rights, left hooks and uppercuts and Szeremeta wisely retired at the end of the round. The former WBO super welterweight champion’s skills are improving but it is the power that has brought him 30 inside the distance wins that makes him such a force. He is No 1 with both the WBC and WBO so a title shot this year looks on. Szeremeta was having his first fight since retiring after seven rounds against Gennady Golovkin in an IBF title fight in December. Rosado vs. Melikuziev Rosado comes off the floor to flatten heavy favourite Melikuziev with a single right thunderbolt in the third round. After a slow start Melikuziev attacked fiercely at the end of the first round with Rosado dropping to one knee under a shower of clubbing head punches. He did not look too badly hurt and the bell went as he arose at eight. Melikuziev scored with straight southpaw lefts and body punches throughout the second and was too quick for the slower Rosado. It was looking too easy for the Uzbek and he made a confident start to the third darting in and landing with body shots. An overconfident Melikuziev was coming with his hands down and the next time he did it Rosado met him with a thunderous counter right that froze Melikuziev before he pitched face down to the canvas. Melikuziev tried to rise but fell on his side with the referee waiving the fight off and summoning help for the Uzbek. In his last fight in November 2020 the 35-year-old Rosado had lost a very close split decision to Daniel Jacobs. He lost to Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin in world title shots but with Melikuziev No 7 with the WBA that right might earn him a third title shot. Big setback for Melikuziev but at 25 he can come again perhaps with a little less arrogance next time. Curiel vs. Kerobyan Curiel comes from behind to stop Armenian Kerobyan in the ninth. Kerobyan outworked Curiel over the first three rounds using a strong jab and chopping rights to put Curiel on the back foot. Curiel upped his punch output over the fourth and fifth but the Armenian was the stronger and Curiel’s work was sloppy as Kerobyan connected with rights to the head. Curiel finally began to take control in the eighth. He rocked Kerobyan with head punches and suddenly Kerobyan was in trouble. Curiel was driving the Armenian around the ring with Kerobyan unsteady at the bell. A low punch landed by Kerobyan paused the action in the ninth as Curiel was given time to recover and when the fight resumed Curiel drove Kerobyan to the floor with a right. Kerobyan was up quickly but looked unsteady. Curiel then pounced on Kerobyan and staggered him with an uppercut forcing the referee to jump in and stop the fight. Curiel, 25, wins the vacant NABF title with the eighth win by KO/TKO in his last nine contests. After losing a tight decision against Blair Cobbs Kerobyan had regrouped with three wins and looked good here until he fell apart. Cobbs vs. Solomon Cobbs too young and too strong for Solomon. Cobbs made a strong fast start putting the older Solomon under plenty of pressure and scoring heavily in the first three rounds. Solomon finally began to settle in the fourth connecting with clever counters early in the round but it was a brief respite for Solomon as Cobbs attacked strongly and Solomon faded. A series of punches from Cobbs saw a tiring Solomon drop to his knees and the fight was stopped. Philadelphian southpaw Cobbs is making steady progress. Now 38 Solomon has wasted his talents with just one fight each in years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Rocha vs. Bacon Rocha rebounds from defeat against Rashidi Ellis and destroys Bacon in two rounds. Southpaw Rocha began the fight with a cluster of lefts to the body. Bacon began to fire back but Rocha was winning the exchanges and looked to have the harder punch. In the second Rocha was loading up on his punches and when Bacon tried to match him a burst of body punches and a right to the head floored Bacon. He arose at seven but Rocha took him to the ropes and landed some more before a brutal right dropped Bacon face down under the bottom rope and the fight was waived off. Impressive rebound performance by 23-year-old Californian Rocha. Bacon had been in good form with 7 wins in his last 8 fights but was overpowered here. 16 June Sydney, Australia: Heavy: Justice Huni (5-0) W TKO 10 Paul Gallen (11-1-1).Middle: Isaac Hardman (11-0) TKO 4 Emmanuel Carlos (12-2).Middle: Andrei Mikhailovich (16-0) W TKO 2 Alex Hanan (13-1). Feather: Sam Goodman (9-0) W TKO 6 Nort Beauchamp (18-5). Cruiser: Jason Whateley (9-0) W TKO 4 Victor Oganov (32-9). Huni vs. Gallen Huni retains the Australian title with last round stoppage of outclassed but brave Gallen. Huni was 6” taller, 15lbs heavier and 17 years younger than Gallen and all of those factors together with Huni’s superior speed and mobility left Gallen with little chance of winning. Huni rocked Gallen with a right in the first and came close to a stoppage in the third. He then used his longer reach to score with hard body shots with Gallen rolling forward but with the exception of a close fifth having little success. The body punches tired Gallen and by the ninth he had little left and only just survived the round. In the tenth a huge left from Huni floored Gallen. He climbed to his feet but the referee stopped the fight. All three judges had Huni in front 89-82 at the finish. The 22-year-old Huni from Brisbane was making the third defence of the national title and he will now go on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Gallen, 39, a former Rugby player, showed tremendous heart but was out of his league in every sense here. Hardman vs. Carlos Hardman retains the Australian title with stoppage of Carlos. “Headsplitter” Hardman was scoring well in the firsts with rights. Carlos was cut high on his forehead in a clash of heads in the second and they trade punches fiercely with Hardman getting the better of the exchanges. Hardman dominated the third and then put Carlos down with a right in the fourth. Carlos made it to his feet but was in a bad way and as Hardman attacked the referee came in and stopped the fight. Ninth inside the distance win for the 25-year-old Queenslander. Carlos had won his last five fights. Mikhailovich vs. Hanan In a clash of unbeaten fighters Mikhailovich stops Hanan in two rounds. A beauty of a left hook put Hanan on the floor in the second. He beat the count but was floored by another left hook and although he made it too his feet the fight was stopped. The 23-year-old Russian-born “Renegade” has nine wins by the quick route and was too good for Hanan who had never really been tested previous to this fight. Goodman vs. Beauchamp Former amateur star Goodman outboxes and then stops Beauchamp. Goodman was scoring at distance with his jab and then landing heavy counters to the body as Beauchamp came forward. Beauchamp managed to get inside and was more competitive in the third but Goodman handed out steady punishment in the fourth and fifth with both the referee and doctor warning Beauchamp that unless he showed more the fight could be stopped. When Goodman connected with some heavy punches in the sixth the referee stepped in to save Beauchamp. Fifth win by KO/TKO for the 22-year-old Goodman who collects the vacant Australasian title. He was Australian Youth champion and won a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships. Thai-born New Zealander Beauchamp suffers his third loss in a row. Whateley vs. Oganov A farcical mismatch sees Whatley beat Oganov in four rounds. Whatley at 6’5” was 9” taller than Oganov and was also 14 years younger. Oganov had nothing to offer. He had occasional success with lunging attacks in the third but he was cut and soaking up punishment in the fourth and his team threw in the towel. Russian-born 44-year-old Oganov was carrying 29lbs more than the 168lbs he weighed when he turned pro in 1998. 17 June Hurlingham, Argentina: Super Middle: Marcelo Coceres (30-2-1) W TKO 2 Nelson Rosalez (5-4). Coceres scores two knockdown in the second round to finish overmatched Rosalez in a fight for the vacant WBA Fedebol title. Sixteen inside the distance wins for Coceres who lost on an eleventh round kayo against Billy Joe Saunders for the WBO super middle title in 2019. Second inside the distance loss for Rosalez. 18 June Sheffield, England: Fly: Rosendo Guarneros (19-4-2) W PTS 12 Tommy Frank (13-2). Huge disappointment for local fighter Frank as he lets an early lead slip away and loses a split decision against Mexican Guarneros. Good boxing saw Frank pile up the points over the early rounds holding off the aggressive attacks of the visitor. Pressure from Guarneros saw him get into the fight over the later rounds. It seemed as though Frank might have just done enough but the officials came up with scores of 117-112 and 115-113 for Guarneros and 115-113 for Frank. When they met in December Guarneros won as Frank retired after eight rounds due to a shoulder injury. Guarneros had lost on points to Sunny Edwards in 2019 and as there are few flyweights in Britain he may be asked back again. Frank will get an early chance at redemption as he is scheduled to fight unbeaten Kyle Yousaf for the vacant British title in August. Beziers, France: Light: Jaouad Belmehdi (11-0-3) W Sylvain Chapelle (17-27-2) Hometown fighter Belmehdi retains the French title with wide unanimous decision over Chapelle. Belmehdi used his longer reach and better skills to control this one all the way. Belmehdi had won his last four fights by KO/TKO and shook Chapelle early but Chapelle survived and never stopped trying. He was eating punches all night without ever threatening Belmehdi’s dominance but preserved his record of never losing inside the distance. Scores 100-90 twice and 98-91 for 23-year-old Belmehdi. This is Chapelle’s fifth unsuccessful tilt at winning a French title. 19 June Kempton Park, South Africa: Super Bantam: Ludumo Lamati (18-0-1) W PTS 12 Jose Estrada Garcia (12-2-1). Welter: Thulani Mbenge (18-1) W TKO 3 Jabulani Makhense (11-1). Super Welter: Brandon Thysse (14-2-1) W TKO 10 Tomi Silvennoinen (9-4).Super Welter: Roarke Knapp (12-1-1) W RTD 2 Benoit Makangila (12-1-2) Cruiser: Johnny Muller (23-9-2) W PTS 10 Akani Phuzi (11-2). Lamati vs. Estrada Lamati wins the vacant IBO title with a majority decision over Mexican Garcia in a fight that would have graced any title. Lamati had to be at his best to withstand the pressure from Garcia. Boxing when he could Lamati had the edge in skill but the pulsating pressure from Garcia too often found Lamati forced to stand and trade punches. The South African had scored well when he could create some space and established a good lead after nine rounds but Garcia had more left and he rocked Lamati and opened a cut under his right eye in the tenth. Lamati was under pressure again in the eleventh and a cut was opened over the South Africa’s right eye. Despite the cuts Lamati showed a warrior’s spirit somehow finding the strength to fight hard to the last bell to emerge a deserved winner-but only just. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Lamati and 114-114. Wins over experienced opposituion such as Luis Melendez, 27-2 Alexis Kabore and Filipino Richie Mepranum have lifted Lamati to No 7 with the WBC and now he has a title. Garcia was 10-0-1 in his last 11 fights including a victory over 17-1-1 Luis Lebron last year. Mbenge vs. Makhense This was the most anticipated fight on the show but it turned out to be a one-sided triumph for Mbenge. From the first bell Mbenge used a strong jab to put Makhense on the back foot . A clash of heads saw Mbenge cut on the inside of his mouth but he maintained the pressure and dominated the action in the second. Mbenge connected with a series of left hooks to the head in the third which had Makhense reeling and then some hard rights saw Makhense stumbling and pitching forward as the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Former IBO champion Mbenge shows he is still very much a force with his fourteenth win by KO/TKO. His only defeat was a very close point loss against unbeaten Sebastian Formella and with this win he has now collected both the ABU and the WBA Pan African titles since that 2019 defeat. Makhense had beaten some good domestic opposition but could not match Mbenge for power. Thysse vs. Silvennoinen Thysse scores a late stoppage of Finn Silvennoinen. Thysse was quicker and a much better boxer than the limited Silvennoinen in a fight which never really caught alight. With Silvennoinen deducted a point for holding in the ninth Thysse looked on his way to a comfortable points win until he dropped Silvennoinen with an uppercut early in the tenth. Silvennoinen beat the count but was put down again by a right to the body and counted out. Fourth consecutive win for Thysse who is No1 in the South African ratings. Third defeat in a row for Silvennoinen Knapp vs. Makangila Local boxer Knapp makes it ten quick wins as he defeats previously undefeated Makangila. No knockdowns but Knapp handed out a solid beating with Makangila not answering the bell for the third round. Knapp’s lost was a seventh round stoppage by Thysse in November 2019. Congolese fighter Makangila was having his second fight in South Africa and is 0-1-1 there now. Muller vs. Phuzi Muller gets split decision over Phuzi. The more experienced Muller had won the WBA Pan African title with a unanimous points victory over Phuzi in December and simply outworked Phuzi this time in a lacklustre affair to hold on to the belt. Scores 97-93 twice for Muller and a strange 96-94 for Phuzi. Muller has been a pro for twelve years and in his glory days scored wins over Kevin Lerena and Mateusz Masternak. Phuzi has scored wins over Namibians Wilberforce Shihepo and Vikapita Meroro. Hamburg, Germany: Light Heavy: Felix Sturm (42-5-3,1ND) W PTS 10 James Kraft (19-1-1). Heavy: Hussein Muhamed (17-0) W PTS 10 Senad Gashi (21-4). Super Middle: Vincent Feigenbutz (33-3) W KO 9 Nuhu Lawal (27-9). Sturm vs. Kraft Sturm continues his comeback with unanimous demission over unbeaten Kraft. The 18-year younger Kraft tried to set a fast pace and take the fight to Sturm and made the former title holder work hard. Kraft threw plenty of punches rocking Sturm in the fifth but Sturm’s experience was the important factor. He stayed cool scoring with solid, accurate punching and when under pressure blocked, dodged and used clever upper body movement to get away from Kraft’s punches. There were no knockdowns and neither fighter was ever in trouble so Sturm managed ten rounds of useful work to prepare himself for bigger fights. Scores 99-93, 97-94 and 96-94 for Strum. At 42 and having been out of the ring for almost four years before returning with a win in December Sturm has a limited shelf life. Kraft had been kept away from any tough tests but boxed well here and is still only 24. Muhamed vs. Gashi Muhamed wins the vacant WBC International Silver title with victory over more experienced Gashi. Muhamad cleverly used his longer reach and 5” height advantages to work on the outside with Gashi having success with body punches. Gashi slipped to the canvas under pressure from Muhamed in the second and was given a count. There were some fierce exchanges in the fifth with Muhamed scoring a genuine knockdown. Pressure from Gashi over the late rounds made the fight close but he could not claw back the points from the two knockdowns with Muhamad emerging a clear winner. Scores 97-91, 96-94 and 95-93 for Muhamad. This was a big step in quality of opposition for the 6’5” German Muhamad who adds another interesting factor the heavyweight division in Europe. Kosovon-born southpaw Gashi has come up short in step-up fights against Carlos Takam and Dereck Chisora. Feigenbutz vs. Lawal Feigenbutz keeps busy with a ninth round win over Lawal. Over the opening rounds Feigenbutz settled for dominating the centre of the ring and controlling the fight with his jab. He upped his pace from the fourth before flooring Lawal in the fifth. Feigenbutz kept up the pressure and ended it the ninth when with Lawal pinned against the ropes he landed a cluster of punches and Lawal went down and was counted out. Although nothing is signed the talk is of a match with Sturm which would be a big attraction. Lawal, 39, falls to 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Guadalajara, Mexico: Cruiser: Anderson Silva (2-1) W PTS 8 Julio Cesar Chaves Jr (52-5-1,1ND). Middle: Ramon Alvarez (29-8-3,1ND) W PTS 8 Omar Chavez (38-7-1). Super Welter: Damian Sosa (18-1-0) W PTS 10 Abel Mina (13-1). Super Light: Jorge Melendez (14-7-2) W PTS 8 Kevin Torres (17-2-1). Silva vs. Chavez Another black eye for boxing as UFC senior citizen Silva takes a split decision over Chavez Jr. The contract weight for this fight was 182lbs and, not for the first time, Chavez came in 2.4lbs over and this time he had to pay $100,000 to Silva for that failure. Although Chavez made a good start over the second half of the bout Silva, 42, out threw and outlanded Chavez who was 10lbs heavier than in his last fight in November. That indicated how hard he trained for this one and he tired badly late in the fight as Silva continued to find the target with jabs and some punches out of his UFC bag of tricks. A cut and exhausted Chavez just faded out of the fight and squandered his early lead. Scores 77-75 twice for Silva and 77-75 for Chavez but Silva looked to have won this one clearly. Silva who some consider to be the best of all time in MMA, had one pro fight in 1998 which he lost and one in 2005 which he won. He aims to continue in boxing. Chavez, 35, really should retire. Alvarez vs. Chavez In a clash of two members of Mexican boxing’s first families Alvarez goes 2-1 ahead in his series of bouts with Chavez as he wins a unanimous decision. Alvarez was the aggressor throughout. A clash of head opened a deep gash on the forehead of Chavez in the fourth but the fight continued with Alvarez landing more and the harder punches. Scores 80-73 twice and 79-73. First fight for Alvarez, Canelo’s elder brother, since being knocked out by Erislandy Lara in fight for the vacant WBA secondary title in August 2019. Chavez, the son of Julio Cesar, had lost to novice Oziel Santoyo in his last fight in June 2019. Sosa vs. Mina Mexican “Samurai” Sosa wins the vacant WBO Latino title with split verdict over Ecuadorian Mina. Scores 96-94 and 95-94 for Sosa and 96-94 for Mina but it was a very controversial decision and Mina looked unlucky. Melendez vs. Torres Melendez delighted his home city fans as he took a very thin decision over “Diamond Boy” Torres. Scores 77-74, 77-75 and 76-74 for Melendez who was a very modest 3-3 going into this fight against Torres who had scored wins in his last seven contests. This show was to celebrate the career of the great Julio Cesar Chavez. On an emotional evening he boxed an exhibition against Hector Camacho Jr in what Julio has promised will be his last ever appearance in a ring and Canelo worked his corner for the last round of the exhibition. It is a pity that his two sons did not perform better but the night was really about Julio Cesar Snr. a World Champion six times over three weight divisions with 107-6-2 career record. Brisbane, Australia: Super Middle: Rohan Murdock (25-2) W TKO 3 Les Sherrington (38-16). Murdock crushes a shot looking Sherrington. Murdock put Sherrington down three times with the referee waiving the fight off after the third knockdown. Eighteen inside the distance wins for Murdock who was stopped in eleven rounds by Zack Parker in his last fight in March 2020. Sherrington, 38, has now suffered 6 inside the distance defeats in his last 7 outings. Golden Sands, Bulgaria: Super Welter: Yosif Panov (19-3) W PTS 10 Angel Emilov (10-31). Panov wins the vacant Bulgarian title as he eases to a unanimous decision over Emilov. Scores 99-90, 98-91 and 98-95 for Panov. After being 2-3 at the start of his career “The Viper” has scored 17 consecutive victories over opponents who would be flattered to be described as modest. Emilov has won only one of his last ten fights. Munich, Germany: Super Emre Cukur (17-1) W PTS 10 Geard Ajetovic (31-24-2). Cukur gets routine win over experienced survivor Ajetovic. Tall southpaw Cukur was able to outbox Ajetovic and alternated between fighting on the back foot and using his jab to force Ajetovic onto the defensive. Ajetovic was just too slow to pose any threat and Cukur was able to do some showboating but with only three wins by KO/TKO did not have the power to stop Ajetovic. Cukur tired badly over the last three rounds but still won every round. A points loss to unbeaten Davide Faraci indicates Cukur will struggle against good level opposition. Serb Ajetovic, 40, falls to 0-91 in his last 10 fights but has never been stopped. Panama City, Panama: Super Fly: Keiver Fernandez (23-1-1) W PTS 9 Keyvin Lara (30-4-1). Panamanian-based Venezuelan Fernandez just gets by Nicaraguan Lara on a split decision. It was eight rounds of war and a candidate for Panamanian Fight of the year. Fernandez won on two scores of 86-85 with the third judge going for Lara by the same score. Fernandez wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin title but his impressive figures hide a standard Venezuelan padded record with 18 of those he has beaten having “amassed” six wins between them. Lara was knocked out in the eleventh round by Kazuto Ioka in a challenge for the secondary WBA flyweight title in 2016 Miami, FL, USA: Welter: Harold Calderon (25-0) W RTD 4 Ramal Amanov (16-4). Calderon halts late substitute Amanov in four rounds. From the first Calderon was targeting Amanov’s body and the Miami-based Azeri quickly began to wilt. Calderon kept up the pressure rocking Amanov and pounding to the body until Amanov’s team pulled their man out of the fight. Chicago-born Nicaraguan Calderon has 17 wins by KO/TKO but has been carefully matched. Amanov suffers his fourth inside the distance loss in a row. Atlanta, GA, USA: Super Welter: Yuri Foreman (35-3,1ND) W Jimmy Williams (17-5-2,1ND). It looks like the end of the road for Foreman a former holder of the secondary WBA super welterweight title as he loses a majority decision against Williams. Scores 77-73 twice for Williams and 75-75. They were to have clashed in March but Forman reported sick the day before the fight so it never happened. Williams went 14-0-1 at the start of his career but has struggled since then. Foreman 40 won the WBA title in 2009 but lost it to Miguel Cotto the following year. Fight of the week (Significance): The victories for Naoya Inoue, Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia could all prove to be significant over the next six months. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Ludumo Lamati vs. Jose Estrada Garcia was war all the way with honourable mention to Keiver Fernandez vs. Keyvin Lara in Panama Fighter of the week: Inoue again lives up to his “Monster” billing Punch of the week: The left to the body from Inoue that finished Dasmarinas was fearful but that single right counter from Rosado that flattened Melikuziev gets my vote. Upset of the week: UFC veteran Anderson Silva outpointing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was an upset but Chavez brought it on himself Prospect watch: Russian-born New Zealand middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich 17-0 is progressing well Observations It was good to see the career of the great Julio Cesar Chavez celebrated in Guadalajara. JCC boxed an exhibition with Hector Camacho Jr. and his sons Julio Cesar Jr and Omar also boxed on the show. The Chavez dynasty was not the only family in attendance as Ramon Alvarez, the elder brother of Saul, won over Omar Chavez and Canelo climbed in the ring to be in JCC’s corner for the last round of the exhibition-whisper it but there is another Alvarez about as young Johan, a nephew of Saul and Ramon, won his first pro fight on the show. How times change with Australian heavyweight champion Justice Huni now off to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Gone are the days when the Games were for amateurs. By Eric Armit
Highlights: - Devon Haney holds off a strong finish from Jorge Linares to retain the WBC lightweight title -Filipino wonder man Nonito Donaire stops Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win the WBC bantamweight title - Mexican Esteban Bermudez springs a huge upset with kayo of unbeaten title holder Carlos Canizales to win the WBA light flyweight title -Puerto Rican Subriel Matias floors and beats Batyrzhan Jukembayev on a eighth retirement in an IBF super lightweight eliminator -South African Azinga Fuzile stops Thomas Joseph Ward in seven rounds in IBF super featherweight eliminator -Jason Quigley outpoints Shane Mosley Jr in a middleweight ten rounder -Super light Gary Antuanne Russell makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO in 14 fights with win over Jovanie Santiago -Australian heavyweight hope Justis Huni outpoints Christian Ndzie Tsoye World Title/Major Shows 28 May 2) W TKO 6 Carlos Canizales (22-1-1). Super Bantam: David Carmona (22-7-5,1ND) W PTS 10 Belmar Preciado (21-4-1). Bermudez vs. Canizales Huge upset as unfancied Bermudez grinds down then floors and halts previously unbeaten Canizales to win the WBA secondary light flyweight title. Canizales was scoring early with hooks and uppercuts inside. Bermudez was a bit crude but had a strong jab and looked dangerous with overhand rights. Bermudez kept coming forward behind his jab in the second forcing Canizales onto the back foot. Canizales rocked Bermudez with a right but Bermudez repaid him with a right that snapped the title holder’s head back and Canizales looked rattled. Canizales scored well inside in the third but then the strength of Bermudez had him backing up. Bermudez continued to march forward behind his jab. He was shrugging off counters from Canizales and scoring with strong rights to the head and banging away to the body. Canizales turned up the heat in the fourth. He attacked hard and worked Bermudez over on the ropes and Bermudez looked to be tiring. It was Canizales who was showing signs of tiring in the fifth. Bermudez continued to walk Canizales down raking him with long punches and Canizales was cut over his left eye. Canizales was landing some good counters but Bermudez just shrugged them of and worked on the body of Canizales. The sixth saw Canizales landing quality punches but he could not keep Bermudez out. A right to the head shook Canizales and another sent him down heavily. He staggered up but looked unsteady and when the action resumed a right to the head sent Canizales falling to the canvas against the ropes and the referee immediately stopped the fight. The 25-year-old new champion had no right even being in the ring with Canizales as the WBA had to manipulate their ratings to suddenly bring him from nowhere to No 10. Bermudez seized his chance. He proved a big, strong and determined challenger and walked through the punches from the champion even though Canizales had scored 17 wins by KO/TKO. He was very crude at times but effective. Venezuelan Canizales was making the third defence of the title. It may be that one year without a fight took away something from him but he had previously beaten fighters with better credentials than Bermudez and he just crumbled under the constant pressure. Carmona vs. Preciado Carmona makes it a double for Mexico over South America as he outpoints Colombian Preciado in a mild upset. Preciado started well and edged two of the early rounds. Carmona then took the fight inside outscoring Preciado and administering a bad body beating. Preciado faded and in the last it even looked possible that Carmona might stop him. Scores 98-93 twice and 96-94. Carmona wins the WBC Fecarbox belt. He has been beaten in title shots by Omar Narvaez and Khalid Yafai and had lost 5 of his last 6 fights so another title shot is a long way away. Preciado is a very in-and-out performer and nowhere near world class. 29 May Carson, CA, USA: Bantam: Nonito Donaire (41-6) W TKO 4 Nordine Oubaali (17-1). Super Light: Subriel Matias (17-1) W RTD 8 Batyrzhan Jukembayev (18-1). Super Light: Gary Antuanne Russell (14-0-0) W RTD 6 Jovanie Santiago (14-2-1). Super Light: Kevin Johnson (9-2) W KO 8 Luis Salazar (15-1). Bantam: Alejandro Santiago (24-2-5) W KO 2 Juan Medina (12-7). Donaire vs. Oubaali Donaire crushes WBC champion Oubaali with three knockdowns to make history as the oldest fighter to win a bantamweight title. Round 1 A close opening round saw Oubaali using his speed and landing jabs to head and body. Donaire was a little slower but looked dangerous with his left hooks. Score: 10-9 Oubaali Round 2 Similar story but Oubaali upped his pace a bit more and mixed in some good hooks and straight rights. Donaire applied pressure and connected with some left hooks but was just outscored by the champion. Score: 10-9 Oubaali Oubaali 20-18 Round 3 Donaire was walking Oubaali down and closing the distance. Oubaali was still jabbing well but had nothing with which to keep the taller Donaire out. It was a close round until with 45 seconds to go in the round Donaire clipped Oubaali with a left to the head. Oubaali fell forward putting his glove on the canvas to stop himself from going down. When he straightened he looked shaky. After the count Donaire floored Oubaali heavily. Initially the referee seemed to throw his arms out to stop the fight and corner men and the doctor were climbing thought the ropes. The referee waived for them to get out and he then gave Oubaali a count and Oubaali survived the round. Score: 10-7 Donaire Donaire 28-27 Round 4 Oubaali tried to hold Donaire off in the fourth but failed and a left hook dumped Oubaali on the floor propped up against the ropes. He looked in some distress and this time the referee did stop the fight. Great victory for the 38-year-old Donaire who is already a four-division champion and becomes the oldest fighter to win the bantamweight title. Now he wants a return with Naoya Inoue who took his WBA super bantamweight title in his last fight in November 2019. Oubaali was making the third defence of the title. Oubaali had been a travelling champion having won the WBC title by beating Rau’shee Warren in the USA and defended it in Kazakhstan and Japan. He just could not match the power punching of Donaire. He is 34 but unlikely to retire. Matias vs. Jukembayev Matias brutalises and breaks down unbeaten Jukembayev to force Jukembayev’s corner to pull their man out of the fight after eight rounds. A confident start from Jukembayev. He was finding gaps for his right jab and banging home straight lefts. Matias had some success with left jabs late in the round but the early work from Jukembayev earned him the round. Matias was coming forward throughout the second with Jukembayev scoring with rights and lefts but he could not keep Matias out and the Puerto Rican scored well to the body. Jukembayev was being forced to stand and trade punches in the third with the strength of Matias telling and in the fourth a series of punches sent Jukembayev reeling back and down. Jukembayev beat the count and fought hard to make it to the bell. Jukembayev boxed his way through the fifth but Matias had him under heavy pressure at the end of the sixth. Matias was relentless in the seventh. Jukembayev was countering with accurate shots but Matias was walking through them and landing hurtful body shots although Jukembayev seemed to stagger Matias with a right hook late in the round. Matias handed out a solid beating for the whole three minutes of the eighth. With serious swelling around both eyes an exhausted Jukembayev retired at the end of the round. This was the semi-final of an IBF eliminator series to establish a mandatory challenger to Josh Taylor with Australian Liam Paro and Argentinian Jeremias Ponce the other two contesting the semi-finals. Matias was floored and outpointed by unfancied Russian Petros Ananyan in February 2020 but came back with a win over 18-0 Malik Hawkins in October. Canadian-based Kazak Jukembayev had not fought since January 2020 and the only name on his record was Miguel Vazquez who he outpointed in 2019. Russell vs. Santiago Russell has yet to go the distance for a win and he floored and broke down Santiago who retired after the sixth round making it the longest fight so far for Russell. Russell dictated the action with stiff jabs in the first and began to find the range with southpaw lefts in the second but Santiago dug in some left hooks to the body at the end of the round. Russell got through with solid shots to head and body in the third and dropped Santiago with a short right hook in the fourth. Santiago soaked up more punishment but made to the bell. The fifth was a more even round but Russell battered Santiago in the sixth and came close to ending it with Santiago retiring at the end of the round. First fight in fifteen months for the 24-year-old Russell who has taken only 29 rounds for his 14 wins. First inside the distance loss for Puerto Rican Santiago who had lost on points against Adrien Broner in February Johnson vs. Salazar Johnson proves too strong and too quick for Dominican Salazar. Salazar was having his first fight outside the Republic and was exposed by the less experienced Johnson. Salazar never really got into the fight in a significant way. Johnson outboxed him over the first two rounds and then floored him twice in the third. Salazar survived but also suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose. Salazar’s cut bleed copiously but he managed to avoid too much trouble until the seven when he was dropped for the third time. With his face smeared with blood when he went down again in the eighth the fight was stopped. Johnson, a former National PAL silver medal winner, had lost to two unbeaten former amateur stars in Fazliddin Gaibnazarov and Richardson Hitchins and was having his first fight for 15 months but this win might lead to a more active run. Former Dominican amateur champion Salazar had been carefully matched against novices and faded fighters and was exposed here Santiago vs. Medina Mexican Santiago brushes aside Dominican Medina. Santiago outscored Medina in the first and then put him down and out in the second. WBC International champion Santiago is unbeaten in his last 20 fights including four draws and is No 6 with the WBC. Medina drops to 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light: Devin Haney (26-0) W PTS 12 Jorge Linares (47-6). Super Feather: Azinga Fuzile (15-1) W TKO 8 Thomas Joseph Ward (24-2-2) W. Middle: Jason Quigley (19-1) W PTS 10 Shane Mosley Jr (17-3). Haney vs. Linares Haney takes unanimous decision over Linares in WBC title defence. He outboxes Linares most of the way but is seriously rocked at the end of the tenth and fades late. Round 1 Easy first round for Haney. His hand speed allowed him to score with jabs and long rights to the body. Linares trailed Haney and landed a couple of jabs but Haney pierced his guard throughout the round and landed a sharp left hook. Score: 10-9 Haney Round 2 Brilliant boxing from Haney. He consistently scored with his jab and rights to the body. He also added some left hooks to the body and a sneaky uppercut. Linares padded forward and had some success but was just not quick enough. Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 20-18 Round 3 Don’t change a winning formula. Again Haney was slotting home his jab firing long rights to the body and an occasional left hook to the body. Linares was just following Haney around the ring unable to land anything of note. Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 30-27 Round 4 A much better round for Linares. He was working well with his own jab and closing the distance better. Haney was still scoring with his jab but his output dropped and Linares finished the round with a burst of punches. Score: 10-9 Linares Hany 39-37 Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 40-36 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 39-37 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti 39-37 Haney. Round 5 Haney was back in control. He had his jab on target and was scoring with hooks and uppercuts. He was using upper body movement to get under the punches and then going back to his jab again. Linares just could not pin him down. Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 49-46 Round 6 Total change of tactics from Haney. He took the fight to Linares forcing Linares on the back foot and outfighting Linares in close. He was bullying Linares and scoring with hooks. Late in the round Linares landed a good left and Haney banged back with a right to the head Score: 10-9 Haney 59-55 Round 7 Haney went back to his jab. He was doubling his jab to head and body and connecting with straight rights. Linares pressed hard and had success with his own jab and left hooks but Haney finished the round strongly again with jabs. Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 69-64 Round 8 Dominant round for Haney. He was coming forward throughout the round. He was getting through with uppercuts from both hands and coming up under Linares jab with rights to the head. Linares now had lumps around both eyes and a snick over his left eye. Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 79-73 Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 80-72 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 80-72 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti 79-73 Haney. Round 9 A close round but one for Linares. Haney was continuing to take the fight to Linares but Linares was firing punches as Haney came in. For the first time in the fight Linares was firing burst of punches instead of just one or two at a time. Linares did a little jig as he went back to his corner pleased with his efforts. Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 88-83 Round 10 Haney was very cautious in this round and he punch output drooped. Linares was jabbing well and scoring with left hooks and Haney was off target with his jab. At the end of the round a right to the head from Linares staggered Haney and he was on shaky legs as he went back to his corner with Linares waiving his hands to politely usher Haney home. Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 97-93 Round 11 Another round for Linares. For most of the round Haney was not throwing punches but just darting under Linares jab to get close and hold. Linares was not doing a great deal but even then it was more than Haney was doing until Haney connected with a couple of punches late. Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 106-103 Round 12 Linares was looking to land the big shot he needed to win this fight but just could not find it. He did land a couple of good left hooks and a right. Haney was just looking to avoid trouble. He could have been deducted a point for holding and Linares could have lost a point for punches to the back of the head but neither happened. Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 115-113 Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 116-112 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 116-112 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti 115-113 Haney. Haney retains the WBC title in his third defence. He outboxed Linares for eight rounds but fell away badly after that and was lucky that the right that unhinged his legs in the tenth came at the end and not at the beginning of the round. He was ultra cautious and did not look the same fighter over the last two rounds. Vasyl Lomachenko is NO 1 with the WBC and that would be a great match for Haney. Linares showed he still has plenty left and another title shot is well within his reach. Fuzile vs. Ward Fuzile stops Ward in IBF eliminator. Both were very tentative in the first round with neither really committing themselves but what action there was saw Ward take the round with his jabs. Fuzile stepped up the tempo in the second going on to the front foot and scoring well. Ward reasserted himself in the third with plenty of slick movement and putting Fuzile under pressure. In the fourth a quick right hook from Fuzile knocked Ward off balance and his gloves touched the canvas resulting in a count and a strong round for Fuzile. There was a pause in the action in the fifth after a low punch from Fuzile and then the fight really caught fire and they stood and traded punches with Ward just having the edge. A left hook from Fuzile in the sixth rocked Ward and the South African attacked hard scoring with lefts and rights with Ward fighting back at the end of the round. Half way through the seventh as Ward came forward his legs slid from under him and he injured a knee then started to limp. Fuzile was able to manoeuvre around the stationary Ward and score from different angles with Ward finding it hard to reset himself. A clash of heads opened a bad cut over Ward’s left eye and then Fuzile cracked him with a peach of a right hook that sent Ward down. Ward had to use the ropes to climb to his feet and was dazed initially looking out into the crowd and bleeding heavily from the cut. The referee decided he was able to continue-which he obviously wasn’t -and although Ward took a couple of steps forward Ward’s trainer stepped up to the ring apron to get the fight stopped. Big win for Fuzile. He was having his first fight since being stopped in eight rounds by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in September 2019. The IBF title is vacant and with Fuzile having been ranked 5 (4) and Rakhimov No 1 it puts Fuzile in a strong position to contest the vacant title. Ward was very much in the fight until he damaged his knee and hopefully will be able to work his way to another eliminator Quigley vs. Mosley Quigley wins the vacant WBO NABO title with a majority decision over Mosley. Lots of studying in the first round with Mosley a bit more active and doing the scoring and connecting with a good overhand right. The action picked up a little in the second. Quigley was scoring well with his jab and straight rights. They started to swop punches in earnest in the third. Mosley seemed quicker and had more variety in his work. The action was suspended for a short while after a low punch from Quigley as he sought to score with left hooks to the body. They traded punches through the fourth and fifth which Mosley edged with a higher work rate. The sixth saw both boxers rocked by big punches and Quigley clawed that round back with right hands. Quigley took the seventh constantly stabbing home his jab and after being shaken by a right from Mosley he connected with two hard rights just before the bell. Both landed heavily in the ninth but Quigley seemed to have more left in the tank. Quigley made the better start to the tenth as they just stood and swung tired punches but Mosley finished the round stronger and just pinched it. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Quigley and 95-95. Third win for Quigley since his ninth round loss to Tureano Johnson in July 2019. He is down at No 15 with the WBC and this win should get a rating with the WBO but he has a long way to go to get near a title shot. Mosley had won his last four fights and seems to have reached his ceiling. 26 May 2021 Sydney, Australia: Heavy: Justis Huni (4-0) W PTS 10 Christian Ndzie Tsoye (5-4-2). Super Middle: Issac Hardman W TKO 8 Robert Berridge (30-7-1). Huni vs. Tsoye Huni outpoints Cameroons boxer Tsoye in second defence of the Australian title. The 6’4” Queenslander was much too good and in front of 40 selected attendees he won a wide unanimous decision. Although outboxed Tsoye was competitive over the early rounds but then tired but from the effect of some lusty body punching from Huni. With only twelve rounds of pro boxing behind him and with both a fight with Paul Geller and the Olympics coming up Huni eased off over the closing rounds to get in some ring time. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92 for Huni who won the Australian title in his first pro fight. He meets Gallen on 16 June and is a heavy favourite. Tsoye won a bronze in the African championships and although he travelled to Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games did not compete and stayed in Australia. Hardman vs. Berridge “Headsplitter” Hardman takes a short notice fight to stay busy. Berridge was cut over the right eye in the second and floored in the third. Southpaw Berridge fought hard to stay in the fight but in the last round was put down twice by body punches and the fight was stopped. Eighth inside the distance win for the Australian champion who had just two weeks preparation for the fight. New Zealander Berridge was stopped in four rounds by Dmitry Bivol in a challenge for the secondary WBA light heavyweight title in 2017 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Cruiser: Felix Varela (19-4) W RTD 3 Reinaldo Gonzalez (16-4). Feather: Frency Fortunato (11-1) W TKO 3 Albert Gonzalez (18-7-1). Valera vs. Gonzalez Valera uses focused body attack to force Gonzalez to pull out of the fight after the third round. Valera controlled the action in the first with some strong jabbing and left hooks to the body. They exchanged punches throughout the second both landing heavily but again Valera’s jab made the difference. Valera launched a ferocious body attack in the third. Just before the bell he landed low and Gonzalez was given some time to recover. When the action resumed Valera again landed to the body with Gonzalez wincing in pain and he did not come out for the fourth round. Sixteenth win by KO/TKO for the 33-year-old former interim WBA light heavyweight title holder who has now moved up to cruiserweight. Second inside the distance loss this year for Venezuelan Gonzalez. Fortunato vs. Gonzalez Fortunato punches too hard for Venezuelan Gonzalez. Fortunato had a substantial reach edge and was able to outbox Gonzalez in the first round. A clash of heads in the second saw Fortunato on the floor. He got up but was dazed. The doctor examined him and allowed the fight to continue. A right from Fortunato floored southpaw Gonzalez in the third. He made it to his feet but a left to the body dropped him again and the fight was stopped. Dominican Fortunato lost on points in March to Argentinian Alberto Melian in a frantic fight that featured seven knockdowns. Venezuelan Gonzalez was having his first fight for 17 months and with some ultra careful matching had lost only one of his previous 13 fights with eleven of his opponents never having won a fight. 28 May Perth, Australia: Super Feather: Jackson Jon England (13-1) W TKO 6 Shiva Mishra (7-4). Australian prospect England picks up two titles as he stops Mishra with a left to the body in six rounds. His fifth quick win in his last six fights nets the 23-year-old local fighter the vacant IBO Oceania-Orient and WBC Asan Boxing council belts. He is a former undefeated Australian featherweight champion but is now fighting at super featherweight. New Zealander Mishra had won his last four fights. Berlin, Germany: Middle: Marten Arsumanjan (11-1-2) DREW 12 Thomas Piccirillo (8-0-3). Super Welter: Haro Matevosyan (13-0,1ND) W TKO 3 Damiano Falcinelli (14-1). Super Middle: William Scull (17-0) W KO 2 Dragan Lepei (19-4-2). Middle: Vincenzo Gualtieri (17-0-1) W PTS 12 Khaliil El Harraz (13-2-1). Super Welter: Jama Saidi (19-2) W PTS 10 Dennis Dauti (19-5).Middle: Bjoern Schicke (17-1-1) W TKO 1 Vito Vendetta (14-8-1). Arsumanjan vs. Piccirillo Arsumanjan climbs off the floor to retain the EU title with a split draw against Piccirillo in an entertaining contest. The first round went to Arsumanjan as Piccirillo made a slow start allowing Arsumanjan to build a lead. Piccirillo upped his pace from the fourth and floored Arsumanjan late in the sixth. Arsumanjan rebounded talking a couple of rounds to settle again and then although Piccirillo is known for his stamina Arsumanjan matched him over the closing rounds. It had been a well balanced fight and the draw looked right. Scores 116-113 for Arsumanjan, 116-112 for Piccirillo and 114-114. Arsumanjan, a cousin of former IBF and WBO title holder Arthur Abraham, was making the first defence of the EU title he won with an impressive victory over Piccirillo’s unbeaten team mate Bjoern Schicke in June last year. Italian-born German champion Piccirillo will be hoping to get another shot at Arsumanjan. Matevosyan vs. Falcinelli Matevosyan also retained his title as he overwhelmed Italian Falcinelli in two rounds for the IBF Inter-Continental belt. Southpaw Matevosyan took the first two rounds and was landing heavily in the third when the referee stopped the fight as the towel came in to save Falcinelli. Armenian-born Matevosyan was making his first defence and gets his eighth inside the distance victory. Italian champion Falcine4li just did not have the power to match Matevosyan Scull vs. Lepei Cuban Skull contributed to making it a bad night for Italian/Italian based boxers as he stopped Lepei. Scull never allowed Lepei to get in the fight as he outscored him in the first and put Lepei down and out with an uppercut in the second. Scull, 28, was defending the IBO International title. Romanian-born former undefeated Italian champion Lepei suffers his second KO/TKO defeat. Gualtieri v. El Harraz In another IBO title fight Gualtieri used his longer reach and better skills to outbox former Italian champion El Harraz. The challenger had difficulty getting past Gualtieri’s jab and was shipping plenty of counters when he tried. Gualtieri’s confidence grew as the fight went on and he was eventually comfortable to swap punches with El Harraz but lacked to power to end things early. Scores 120-108 on all three cards in favour of Gualtieri who remains IBO Continental title holder. The draw on Gualtieri’s record came against team mate Piccirillo in a defence of the German title in August last year. El Harraz’s other loss was a very creditable points loss against 21-1-1Marcos Nader in November 2019. Saidi vs. Dauti Saidi successfully defends the German International title with unanimous verdict over Swiss-based Greek Dauti. Saidi boxed well against the strong and aggressive Dauti showing a solid defence and accurate attacking skills but was never able to completely subdued Dauti. All three judges gave the fight to Saidi on scores of 98-92. Saidi, of Afghan antecedents, is hoping to now face Italian Orlando Fiordigiglio for the vacant EU title. His losses have been against Culcay, who now trains him, and world rated Vincenzo Feigenbutz. Dauti had won 5 of his last 6 fights. Schicke vs. Vendetta Schicke dismantles fellow-German Vendetta with three knockdowns in 63 seconds. Schicke, a former EU champion, was having his first fight since losing the EU title on a sixth round retirement against Marten Arsumanjan in June 2020. Vendetta, real name Vito Palmieri, is 2-4 in his six most recent outings. Mexico City, Mexico: Light Fly: Esteban Bermudez (14-3- Johannesburg, South Africa: Light: Tshifihiwa Munyai (33-6-1) W TKO 9 Khaya Busakwe (7-2). Super Bantam: Innocent Mantengu (14-5-1) W PTS 12 Luthando Mbumbulwana (11-7). Bantam: Layten Gloss (7-3) W TKO 7 Tumelo Matsane (4-3). Munyai vs. Busakwe Munyai remains South African champion with stoppage of Busakwe. Experience played a big role in this fight. The taller Busakwe made an impressive start and quickly moved into the lead. Munyai eventually found his way into the fight but Busakwe was matching him. Busakwe had never gone past the seventh round in a fight and Munyai had paced the fight better. He came through with two knockdowns in the ninth to end Busakwe’s challenge. The 36-year-old “Atomic Spider”, a former Commonwealth champion, makes it five consecutive wins. Busakwe showed enough in those early rounds to say he will improve with more experience and challenge again. Mantengu vs. Mbumbulwana Mantengu gets back into the ranks of winners as he outpoints Mbumbulwana in an all-southpaw clash to win the vacant WBA Pan African belt. Scores 118-109, 117-110 and 116-112 for Mantengu. The former South African champion had lost his national title in his last fight in September 2019. After a good start to his career Mbumbulwana has fallen away and has lost in shots at the South African and WBFederation super bantam belts so is 0-3 in title fights. Gloss vs. Matsane Both of these fighters had won 3 of their last 4 fights but it was South African No 4 Gloss who made it 4 out of 5 with a seventh round stoppage of unrated Matsane Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania: Super Welter: Hassan Mwakinyo (19-2) W TKO 9 Antonio Mayala (10-4-1) . Cruiser: Olan Durodola (36-8) W KO 2 Shaban Hamadi Jongo (8-2-2). Light: Ibrahim Class Mgender (26-6) W PTS 8 Sibusiso Zingange (14-5-2,1ND). Mwakinyo vs. Mayala Mwakinyo breaks down and stops Mayala to win the vacant ABU title. This was a tough, competitive fight. Mayala had height and reach with Mwakinyo quicker and moiré accurate. Both had good spells and there were some exciting exchanges. Mwakinyo’s best punch was his right cross and the left side of Mayala’s face marked up and swelled. By the fifth round the snap had gone out of Mayala’s punches and he was tiring and under constant pressure. Both fighters tried switching guards on occasion but it did not interrupt the flow of the fight which was one-way with Mwakinyo handing out steady punishment and Mayala firing back when he could. Mwakinyo staggered Mayala with two big rights in the eighth and he ended it in the ninth landing four lefts to the head which put Mayala down on his back and the referee just waived the fight off. Seventeen wins in his last 18 fights for 26-year-old Mwakinyo including a second round demolition of current WBC Silver middleweight belt holder Sam Eggington in Birmingham in 2018. A big win that he has not built on. The 40-year-old Angolan Mayala has done all of his boxing in South Africa. He was 8-0-1 going into this one and showed well until he tired. Durodola vs. Jongo Durodola keeps the ABU title with dramatic second round kayo of local fighter Jongo. The Tanzanian took the fight to Durodola in the first trying to hustle and bustle the more experienced Nigeria. Durodola did not look comfortable under the pressure and was being caught with some overhand rights. Just before the end of the round a butt from Jongo opened a bad cut over the left eye of Durodola. In the second a right from Jongo sent Durodola back to the ropes but the Nigerian connected with a thunderous right to the head that sent Jongo face down hanging over the bottom rope. He made to his feet but then toppled back to the floor again and the refer halted the fight. The 40-year-old Durodola is rated No 7 by the WBC but when he has stepped up against Michal Cieslak and Ilunga Makabu in a WBC title challenges he has lost inside the distance. Jongo was strong but very crude. Mgender vs. Zingange Mgender take unanimous decision over south African Zingange but looks very fortunate to get the decision. Scores 77-75 twice and 78-74 for Mgender. He is 12-2 in his last 14 fights with the losses not surprisingly coming against world rated Azinga Fuzile and Eduardo Hernandez. Former undefeated ABU title holder Zingange the South African No 1 and WBA Pan African champion was unlucky here. Sheffield, England: Heavy: Kash Ali (18-1) W Tomes Salek (15-2). Ali wins the vacant IBF European title with stoppage of Czech Salek. Ali’s punching power proved too much for Salek. After taking the first round Ali floored Salek with a volley of uppercuts in the second. Salek managed to beat the count but more uppercuts and head punches put him down in the third and although he made it to his feet the fight was stopped. The 6’6” Ali is battling his way to respectability after being disqualified in March 2019 for biting David Price. This is his fourth win since then. Salek had won his last four fights by KO/TKO. 29 May Liege, Belgium: Super Light: Hovhannes Martirosyan (11-0) W PTS 8 Tsotne Sultanshvili (3-5). Light: Mirko Khatchatryan (12-0) W PTS 8 Nukri Gamgebeli (10-11. Heavy: Herve Hubeaux (33-3) W PTS 8 David Spilmont (10-6). Super Welter: Gary O’Sullivan (31-4) W PTS 6 Nodar Robakidze (15-36-6). Martirosyan vs. Sultanshvili Belgian champion Martirosyan keeps his 100% record with unanimous decision over Georgian Sultanshvili. Scores 80-73, 79-75 and 77-75. Fourth points defeat in a row for Sultanshvili Khatchatryan vs. Gamgebeli Local boxer Khatchatryan, 25, makes it 2-0 for Belgian champions vs. Georgian as he floors and decisions Gamgebeli. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-72 for Khatchatryan. Eighth consecutive defeat for Gamgebeli. Hubeaux vs. Spilmont Hubeaux sheds the rust of 15 months of inactivity as he outpoints Frenchman Spilmont on scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. The 6’4” Hubeaux has now gone 7-1 in his last 8 fights with the loss coming against Oscar Rivas in 2018. Spilmont had improved his record with a run of seven wins before losing on a sixth round stoppage against Nicolas Wamba in his last fight in February 2020. O’Sullivan vs. Robakidze “Spike” O’Sullivan gets in some needed ring time as he decisions Robakidze. In his first fight since losing on an eleventh round stoppage against Jaime Munguia in January 2020 O’Sullivan eased his way past experienced survivor Robakidze on scores of 60-55, 59-57 and 58-56. O’Sullivan is looking for a big fight some time this year. Robakidze is still looking for his first win outside of Georgia after 31 attempts. Maraussan, France: Middle: Mike Esteves (7-1) W PTS 10 Sofian Bellahcene (11-18-3). The French Federation is going to great lengths to keep their titles moving as this clash between novice Esteves and Bellahcene shows. It is also giving local promoters the chance to feature their boxers. In this fight for the vacant French title neighbourhood fighter Esteves came through with a convincing win over experienced former champion Bellahcene on scores of 97-93 twice and 98-92 giving him his sixth win on the bounce. It was Bellahcene’s first fight since September 2019 Rumilly, France: Middle: Bruno Surace (18-0-2) W PTS 10 Mahdi Madani (20-9-1). Light Heavy: Thomas Faure (20-4-1) W PTS 10 Patrick Bois (15-9-1). Surace vs. Madani Surace takes his title into the home town of seasoned pro Madani and retains it with a good points victory. A wide divergence in the scores with the judges tallies all for Surace reading 98-91, 97-92 and 95-94. First defence of his title for Surace and to show how strong the division is in Europe his 15 fight unbeaten run has not been enough to get him into the EBU ratings. Madani had won his last seven fights and collected the WBC Mediterranean title but was second best in this one. Faure vs. Bois Faure successfully defends the national title for the second time with a unanimous decision over ex-champion Bois. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94. Second defence for Faure who has lost only one of his last 14 fights. Bois is 1-6 in a series of very tough assignments. Tijuana, Mexico: Super Light: Carlos Diaz (29-1,1ND) ND 7 Elvis Torres (19-1-2,1ND).Super light: Diego Torres (9-0) W KO 1 Francisco Pina (16-18-7). Fly: Bryan Mosinos (21-2) W Unfortunate ending to an exciting scrap as a punch to the back of the head renders Torres unable to continue. A wild opening round saw Torres rock Diaz badly. Torres was letting his fists fly but was leaving himself open and a series of shots from Diaz dropped him to his knees. He beat the count and attacked strongly and it looked as though Diaz touched the canvas with his gloves when he was knocked off balance but the referee did not apply a count and the bombed each other to the bell. They settled down and boxed more with the shorter Torres using his right jab to get inside and Diaz countering but with Torres getting the better of the exchanges. Diaz changed things in the fifth attacking more but Torres bounced back to take the sixth. As Torres ducked to come inside in the seventh Diaz landed two punches to the back of the head of Torres. Torres was badly dazed and shaking his head . He was given recovery time but was unable to continue and it was ruled the punch were accidental resulting in a No Decision. I though the first punch was deliberate and the second definitely was but that’s the decision. Torres was well in front at the end but there was still plenty of time to go. Torres vs. Pina “Azabache” Torres chalks up another quick win as he knocks out Pina in the opening round. Torres sent Pina down twice with body punches and Pina was counted out. The 23-year-old Torres has scored six victories in the first round and three in the second including finishing Nery Saguilan in just 58 seconds in his last fight in March. Ninth inside the distance loss for Pina. Mosinos vs. Alejo Mosinos squeezes past experienced Alejo on a unanimous decision. In a fiery battle Mosinos had to climb off the floor twice but also scored a knockdown and his aggression and higher work rate gave him the edge. Scores 95-92 twice and 94-93. Mosinos, trained by Hall of Famer Ignacio Beristan extends his current winning run to eight. Alejo has lost to Donnie Nietes and Andy Acosta in shots at the WBO light flyweight title. Mexico City, Mexico: Super Bantam: Ernesto Salcedo (13-0) W KO 2 Manuel Montalvo (?). Bantam: Luis Rosales (10-15-1) W TEC DEC 7 Jose Rojas (4-6-1). Salcedo vs. Martinez An easy inside the distance job for Salcedo as he knocks out late substitute Montalvo in the second round. After a slow first round where Salcedo did most of the scoring he staggered Montalvo with a left hook in the second and then drove him into a corner and unloaded punches until Montalvo dropped to the floor and was counted out. Salcedo was to have fought for the vacant Mexican title but his opponent was injured and Montalvo came in as a very short notice replacement. You could tell he was a short notice fill-in as he was using someone else’s gumshield which was much too big and did not really fit inside his mouth. Now ten wins by KO/TKO for Salcedo. Montalvo’s record was given as 10-2-1. Rosales vs. Rojas This was also supposed to be for a vacant Mexican title but again there was a late substitution. Rosales suffered a bad cut on his right eyebrow in the fourth. It was a close battle early but Rosales was weakening Rojas with hooks to the body and was on top in the fight until the referee halted the action with just 10 seconds to go in the seventh round. The doctor said the cut was too bad for the fight to continue and it was decided on the cards. Scores 59-55, 59-56 for Rosales and 57-57. Big disappointment for 33-year-old Rosales who had his sights set on becoming national champion. Rojas just a limited prelim fighter. Ascona, Switzerland: Super Middle: Celso Neves (8-1-1) W TKO 8 Marzio Franscella (9-1-1). Super Light: Ricardo Silva (19-2-2) W PTS 6 Sladjan Dragiisic (5-24-2). Neves vs. Franscella Portuguese fighter Neves wins the vacant Swiss title with three knockdowns and a stoppage of Franscella. Neves set a frantic pace and floored Franscella with a series of punches in the second. Franscella is limited but strong and by the end of the round he had driven Neves back with some hard head punches. They were fighting on equal terms in the third when an uppercut sent Franscella down for the second time but again Franscella’s strength saw him survive. It was the movement and hand speed of Neves against the tough clubbing shots of Franscella with an occasional spectacular head-jerking uppercut from Neves. In the eighth round Neves floored Franscella and although he managed to get up the referee saw he was unsteady and stopped the fight. Third consecutive win for Neves who showed some nice moves. Franscella slow but fought back well after those two early knockdowns. Silva vs. Dragisic Silva outpoints Dragisic but has to come off the floor for the win. Silva was much the better boxer and outscored Dragisic in the first. They bumped heads in the second with Silva suffering a cut high on his forehead. Silva was bit too confident in the third standing and trading punches with Dragisic and he was sent to the floor by a couple of hooks. He made it to his feet and Dragisic was unable to capitalise on that success. From there Silva boxed his way to a unanimous verdict. Scores 59-55 twice and 59-56 for Silva. He is 3-0-2 in his last five fights. Dragisic is 0-10-1in his last 11. 30 May Heavy: Lukasz Rozanski (14-0) W KO 1 Artur Szpilka (24-5). Cruiser: Mariusz Masternak (44-5) W PTS 10 Adan Balski (15-1). Light Heavy: Pawel Stepien (15-0-1) W KO 5 Deneb Diaz (14-1,1ND). Rozanski vs. Szpilka Rozanski gets off the floor and scores three knockdowns to finish Szpilka. A great start for Szpilka as he put Rozanski down with straight left just seconds into the fight. Rozanski was up quickly and did not look hurt. Less than a minute later a wild right from Rozanski had Szpilka on the floor again. Szpilka got up but after the count a right to the head sent Szpilka down heavily. He made it to his feet and was given a little more recovery time as his gumshield had come out. When the fight resumed three swinging head punchers from Rozanski sent Szpilka down for the third time and he was counted out. The 36-year-old Rozanski is a brutal bull of a fighter with no finesse but a big punch which has brought him twelve consecutive inside the distance victories and his seventh first round ending. He reportedly collected the vacant WBC International bridgerweight title here. Szpilka suffered a knee injury in the fight and in fact wore an elastic cover on his left knee. This is his fifth loss all of which have come inside the distance but there was no statement of retiring. Masternak vs. Balski Masternak wins a clear decision but Balski fights hard to make an entertaining ten rounds. Balski took the opening round but from there Masternak used his better skills and experience to give him the edge. Balski never stopped trying to take the fight to Masternak. He was cut and bruised under the left eye but was always dangerous with counters and made the rounds close but when Masternak chose to box he was in control and won well. Scores 99-91 twice and 98 92 for Masternak. He wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title and is hoping to qualify to compete in Tokyo. This was just too big a step up for Balski. Stepien vs. Diaz Polish champion Stepien collects the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title with kayo of Colombian Diaz. Stepien made a measured start taking no chances and boxing carefully. He upped his pace from the third and already Diaz seemed to be tiring. Stepien scored with left hooks to the body in the fourth and a right put Diaz down and out in the fifth. Stepien had drawn with useful Marek Matyja for the vacant Polish title in July 2019 but outpointed Matyja to lift the title in July last year. Diaz’s record is padded with some abysmal opposition. Fight of the week (Significance): Devin Haney’s win over Jorge Linares keeps him in with the chance of fights with Teo Lopez or Gervonta Davis Fight of the week (Entertainment): Plenty of quality action and a strong finish from Linares kept the interest high in the fight with Haney. Honourable mention to Carlos Diaz vs. Elvis Torres who went to war before the fight ended in a No Decision Fighter of the week: Nonito Donaire a true modern great Punch of the week: The hammer blow from Olan Durodola that left Shaban Hamadi Jongo draped over the bottom rope. Upset of the week: Esteban Bermudez was hand-picked as an easy defence for WBA light flyweight title holder Carlos Canizales but turned the tables and instead stopped Canizales Prospect watch: No one stood out. Observations What is it about these Filipinos? They seem to collect titles hand over fist. Ignoring secondary and interim titles: Manny Pacquiao –Ten titles in six different divisions Nonito Donaire-Nine titles in four different divisions Donnie Nietes –Four titles in four different divisions For a voluntary defence of the secondary WBA light flyweight title the promoter of Carlos Canizales selected obscure Esteban Bermudez who was not even remotely near being worthy of being rated. As usual the WBA manipulated their ratings to parachute Bermudez in at No 10-and Bermudez gave Canizales a beating and took the title. Canizales must have been mad that his team made such a bad mistake in seeing no danger in matching him with Bermudez. It takes me back to a story regarding Terry Downes. Terry, a future world champion, was matched in his third pro fight with a Nigerian named Dick Tiger who was an unimpressive 6-5 in his first eleven fights in Britain. Future world champion Tiger proceeded to give Downes a beating and stopped him in five rounds. When the reporters asked Downes who he wanted to fight next Downes answered “The stupid f….r that made this match. Mikey Duff slid quietly out of the dressing room!! By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Scot Josh Taylor floors and outpoints Jose Carlos Ramirez to unify the super lightweight titles -Evgeny Romanov decisions Dmitry Kudryashov in WBC bridgerweight eliminator -Novice Ayanda Ndulani wins the vacant IBO minimumweight title with kayo of Nkosinathi Joyi who lost the title when he failed to make the weight for the title defence. -Two-division champion Hekkie Budler returns to the ring and wins the WBC Silver light flyweight title with victory over Filipino Jonathan Almacen -Sam Eggington wins the WBC Silver middleweight title with unanimous decision over Carlos Molina. -Jose Zepeda outpoints Hank Lundy and remains No 1 super light with the WBC putting him position to challenge Taylor World Title/Major Shows 21 May Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Light: Josh Taylor (18-0) W PTS 12 Jose Ramirez (26-1). Super Light: Jose Zepeda (34-2.2ND) W PTS 10 Henry Lundy (31-9-1). Super Feather: Jose Durantes Vivas (21-1) W PTS 8 Luis Coria (12-4). Super Light: Kenneth Sims Jr (15-3-1) W PTS 8 Elvis Rodriguez (11-1-1). Light: Ray Muratalla (12-0) W TKO 5 Jose Gallegos (20-11). Robeisy Ramirez (7-1) W PTS 6Ryan Lee Allen (10-5-1). Taylor vs. Ramirez Taylor outpoints Ramirez and makes history as he unifies the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles becoming only the seventh boxer and only the fifth male boxer to hold the four belts simultaneously in the past 30 years. He is also the only Scot to achieve that feat. He did so by flooring Ramirez twice and then staying strong to hold off a big effort from Rammers over the last four rounds. Round 1 A close and lively opener. Ramirez was on the front foot advancing behind a high guard. Taylor was popping Ramirez with right jabs and lefts to the body and just edged the round. Score: 10-9 Taylor Round 2 Taylor’s round. He was jabbing well but also brought his straight left into play firing it through the high guard of Ramirez. Ramirez pressed hard at the end of the round and had Taylor under pressure but Taylor stayed cool and boxed well. Score: 10-9 Taylor Taylor 20-18 Round 3 A very good round for Ramirez. He was moving inside behind his jab and outfighting Taylor landing body punches and clipping Taylor with a left hook. Taylor connected with some left hooks to the body but Ramirez stayed on top of Taylor who looked uncomfortable under the pressure. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 29-28 Round 4 A close round. Taylor started well jabbing strongly and getting through with lefts with Ramirez not pressing as much. Ramirez came on strongly over the middle of the round swarming all over Taylor and landing a couple of crisp left hooks. Taylor made space and countered well but it was Ramirez’s round. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 38-38 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 39-37 Taylor, Judge Dave Moretti 38-38 Tied, Judge Steve Weisfeld 39-37 Ramirez Round 5 Taylor boxed intelligently in this round. He was slotting right jabs through Ramirez defence and finding the target with straight lefts. Ramirez was not as aggressive and when Ramirez did march forward Taylor was countering and then tying Ramirez up inside. Score: 10-9 Taylor Taylor 48-47 Round 6 Dramatic opening to the round. Within the first ten seconds. Ramirez moved inside and threw a right and Taylor came over the top of Ramirez right with a left hook and Ramirez fell forward and down. He was up quickly and did not look too badly shaken. Taylor dominated the rest of the action connecting with a couple more lefts but Ramirez fought back strongly. Taylor was showing a small cut by the side of his left eye. Score: 10-8 Taylor Taylor 58-55 Round 7 This was another great round for Taylor. He boxed on the back foot stabbing right jabs through the guard of Ramirez and landing with lefts. Ramirez connected with a couple of good punches but was floored again. Late in the round as they fought inside Taylor delivered a fearsome left uppercut that sent Ramirez down heavily onto his back. This time Ramirez was definitely hurt and badly as he was unsteady when he climbed to his feet. By the end of the eight count and whilst the referee confirmed Ramirez was able to continue there were just ten seconds remaining in the round. Taylor landed more head punches and drove Ramirez to the ropes but the bell went before he could finish the job. Score: 10-8 Taylor 68-63 Round 8 Now it was Taylor making the running and Ramirez hesitant and on the back foot. Taylor was scoring with jabs and right hooks and looking to land another big left. There was very little coming back from Ramirez until late in the found when he came to life again briefly. Score: 10-9 Taylor Taylor 78-72 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 78-72 Taylor, Judge Dave Moretti 77-73 Taylor, Judge Steve Weisfeld 77-73 Taylor Round 9 The pace dropped dramatically. There was very little activity early in the round with Ramirez finding the target with his jab. Taylor was not throwing much and Ramirez started to let his punches go late in the round and drove Taylor back with a series of lefts and rights. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 87-82 Round 10 This one was close again. Ramirez scored well early in the round. Taylor connected with some good straight lefts and showed some good defensive movement but Ramirez finished the round stronger. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 96-92 Round 11 Taylor boxed cautiously early in this round perhaps feeling he did not need to take any chances. Ramirez needed to win the round but was showing too much respect for Taylor’s left. Ramirez then burst into life and drove Taylor back and had him under heavy pressure at the bell. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 105-102 Round 12 Ramirez took the last round as Taylor played safe . Even then Ramirez only attacked in bursts when he needed much more than just to win the round. Score: 10-9 Ramirez Taylor 114-112 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 114-112 Taylor, Judge Dave Moretti 114-112 Taylor, Judge Steve Weisfeld 114-112 Taylor. Taylor rules the super lightweight world after just 18 pro fights. He showed his power particularly with the second knockdown and boxed with a sore hand over the late rounds. He is hoping to get a chance to defend the titles in Edinburgh and there is also talk of a fight with Terrence Crawford. Jose Zepeda is the WBC No 1 but Jack Catterall the WBO No 1 and Lewis Ritson the unlikely WBA No 2 could present opportunities for a domestic fight. Ramirez gave it his all but in the end the two knockdowns proved decisive. After Taylor he is the best super lightweight out there and a fight with Regis Prograis might be the route back to a second fight with Taylor. Zepeda vs. Lundy Zepeda successfully protected his No 1 position with the WBC as he outpointed seasoned pro Lundy. If he watched this then Josh Taylor will have seen nothing to worry about Zepeda as a threat. The California fought at more studied pace than is usual for him. Perhaps he had in mind the wild multi-knockdown slug fest he had with Ivan Baranchyk in his last fight and did not want to take the chance of any repeat of that. He never seemed to run in a high gear. He was winning the rounds but without ever looking likely to add Lundy to his list of twenty-six victims who failed to go the distance and he had to settle for a decision win. Scores 98-92 from all three judges for Zepeda. As WBC No 1 there is a good chance he will get a shot at Taylor. It will be his third title shot and he is due some luck. He lost to Terry Flanagan in a fight for the vacant WBO lightweight when a dislocated shoulder forced him to retire after two rounds and lost a majority decision against Ramirez for the WBC title in 2019. He has earned his No 1 spot with wins over Jose Pedraza and Baranchyk so is a much better fighter than he showed in this fight. At 37 Lundy’s career is winding down. His title shot ended on a fifth round stoppage against Terence Crawford for the WBO super light title in 2016. Vivas vs. Coria Vivas climbs off the floor three times to outpoint Coria. This was a close-quarters contest from the off. Vivas took the first two rounds as he out-slugged Coria on the inside hammering away with body punches throwing more and landing more. In the third a left hook from Coria put Vivas down on firstly on a knee and from there face-first on the floor. After the count Vivas tried to walk through a shower of head punches and tumbled down to the canvas again, He bounced up immediately and again just walked straight in to Coria. He was rocked a couple of times but just kept punching to the bell but it was a 10-7 round for Coria. Vivas was attacking hard again in the fourth but added to his troubles by landing a low left hook which cost him a point. They continued to go toe-to-toe in round after round with the greater strength of Vivas giving him the advantage and he clawed back the four lost points by sweeping the last four rounds. Scores 75-74 for Vivas from the three judges. The 26-year-old Mexican lost on points to Ruben Villa in September 2019 but has battled back with wins over unbeaten Carlos Jackson and 22-3 John Vincent Moralde. Coria was coming off losses to Adam Lopez and Robson Conceicao but he played his part here in making this eight rounds of trench warfare. Sims vs. Rodriguez Sims outpoints Rodriguez in something of an upset. There was very little activity in the first two rounds. Although Rodriguez is the bigger puncher Sims was coming forward confidently behind his jab and Rodriguez seemed tight and was not throwing much although he came to life briefly at the end of the second. Both fighters were cautious again in the third with Rodriguez slightly the busier. Sims switched to southpaw in the fourth but then switched back to orthodox in the fifth but again there was not a great deal of sustained activity making the rounds hard to score. Sims had a good sixth drilling Rodriguez with straight rights but neither fighter was dominating. The fight changed in the seventh with Sims moving inside and he outscored Rodriguez and edged the last. Scores 78-74 twice for Sims and 76-76. Sims looked the winner but 78-74 looked harsh. Sims struck a bad patch in 2017 and 2018 winning only one of his four fights against very modest opposition but this win has restored his standing. A very disappointing result for Rodriguez who seemed to have problems letting his hands go which was unusual as he won his last nine fights eight by KO/TKO. He is better than he showed here. Muratalla vs. Gallegos Muratalla outclasses Gallegos and gats the stoppage in the fifth. In the first Muratalla connected with a series of body punches and head shots and had Gallegos in peril with a stoppage looking possible. Gallegos survived but Muratalla continued to hurt him with jabs and left hooks to the body. Gallegos was game but he had neither the speed or the power to match Muratalla who also benefitted from a much longer reach. It seemed that Muratalla was content to let Gallegos hang around for a while as he fought in bursts putting together some impressive combinations and then backing off. Gallegos took lots of punishment in the fourth being rocked by uppercuts but kept fighting back. Muratalla wrapped up the fight in the fifth. He bombarded Gallegos with punches and when a flashing combination of six or seven punches all landed the referee stopped the fight. Seventh inside the distance win in a row from 24-year-old Muratalla who improves from fight to fight. Gallegos had plenty of heart but not the skill to contend with Muratalla. Ramirez vs. Allen Cuban Ramirez outpoints Allen but again fails to impress. Ramirez floored Allen in the second and took the unanimous decision but he seemed to coast at times. Scores 60-53 twice and 59-54. Ramirez was outstanding as an amateur but has not really caught alight yet as a pro. Perhaps he needs to shake off that feeling that winning was all that mattered as an amateur and realise than entertainment is also important in the pros. Allen had gone ten rounds with rated Cobia Breedy and has not lost inside the distance. 20 May Tokyo, Japan: Welter: Ryota Toyoshima (14-2-1) W KO 10 Yuki Beppu (21--1). Toyoshima defends the OPBF title and wins the WBO Asia Pacific belt with kayo of Beppu. Despite Beppu’s impressive statistics he was largely untested and was no match for Toyoshima. After two fairly even rounds Toyoshima took control and never relinquished it. He scored well to the body in the third and fourth and was in front on all cards after the fourth with scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37. A focused body attack saw Beppu beginning to wilt and he was floored by an uppercut in the seventh. Beppu rallied briefly in the eighth but was down 80-71, 80-71 and 78-73 at the bell. Beppu survived the ninth but a crunching left hook floored him in the tenth and he was counter out. A former All-Japan Rookie (newcomer) king Toyoshima, 25, gets his eighth inside the distance win. “Tyson of Kyushu” Beppu, also an All-Japan Rookie king, was making the first defence of the WBO Asia Pacific title. Novosibirsk, Russia: Super Middle: Pavel Silyagin (8-0) W PTS 10 Abdallah Shabani Pazi (29-10-1). Feather: Andranik Grigoryan (13-0) W TKO 4 Carl Herrera (41-4,2ND). Silyagin vs. Pazi Silyagin floors and outpoints Pazi. Silyagin won this one but it was a below par showing from the Russian. He lacked his usual accuracy and had more trouble than expected against the Tanzanian. Pazi was taking the fight to Silyagin and had plenty of success landing some good shots and often forcing Silyagin onto the back foot and having the Russian rattled at times. Silyagin dropped Pazi with a left hook in the fourth and shook Pazi a couple of times taking advantage of Pazi’s poor defence but it was not a very convincing performance from Silyagin who took the unanimous decision. No scores were announced. The tall 27-year-old WBC Silver title holder is No 8 in their ratings. As an amateur he won bronze medals at the World Championships and the European Games. He was Russian champion at Under-22 and Senior level and won and lost against Joshua Buatsi. Pazi was knocked out in two rounds by Rocky Fielding in 2019 which is one of only two losses by KO/TKO. Grigoryan vs. Herrera Grigoryan just too big and too strong for the tiny Herrera. Grigoryan handed out steady punishment and when Herrera was sent reeling by a series of punches in the fourth the referee stopped the fight. Canadian-based Grigoryan was defending the NABA North American title –in Russia against a fighter from Uruguay! Herrera is just 5’1” tall and at 40 must be nearing the end of the road. He was 21-0 at the start of his career but was knocked out in four rounds by AJ Banal in an IBF super flyweight title in 2007 which is the closest he has come to a title shot. 21 May Khimki, Russia: Bridgerweight: Evgeny Romanov (16-0) W PTS 12 Dmitry Kudryashov (24-4). Super Light: Ivan Kozlovsky (3-0) W PTS 10 Adam Kipenga (11-2). Middle: Magomed Madiev (15-0-2) W PTS 10 Maxim Voshkov (9-1-1). Romanov vs. Kudryashov Romanov clearly outpoints Kudryashov to win the vacant WBC Silver title and opens the way to be the first challenger to the winner of the WBC bridgerweight title fight between Oscar Rivas and Bryant Jennings. Kudryashov opened brightly moving around Romanov and stabbing out jabs. Romanov moved less and threw less but he was accurate and had more power. Kudryashov very quickly ran out of ideas. Romanov was doing nothing spectacular but what he was doing he was doing well and was effective. He was constantly finding gaps for solid jabs and curling left hooks around Kudryashov’s guard. He was also connecting with rights over the top of Kudryashov left and Kudryashov’s activity level dropped off. Romanov is not quick but he does have power (he knocked out Deontay Wilder in the amateurs) and Kudryashov’s work became messy as he dropped his hands threw careless punches and wasted his time with too much movement. Romanov was cruising to victory in the last until a punch sliced open a nasty cut over his right eye and the eye also began to rapidly close but the injury came too late to have any impact on the result. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109 all for Romanov. At 6’0” tall the bridgerweight limit of 225lbs is just right for Romanov but he will find either Rivas or Jennings a tougher test. Kudryashov has lost the big fights having been beaten by Yuniel Dorticos for the secondary WBA title and Ilunga Makabu for the WBC Silver title. Kozlovsky vs. Kipenga Southpaw Kozlovsky lifts the vacant WBC International Silver title with points victory over Tanzanian Kipenga. This did not look a difficult tasks for former star amateur Kozlovsky as he had a 5” height advantage over the 5’4” Kipenga, another southpaw. It looked as though it was going to be a short fight as Kozlovsky put Kipenga down in the first and bossed the next three rounds. However when Kipenga refused to succumb Kozlovsky found he had a fight on his hands. His work became untidy and Kipenga was able to get through with some good punches. Kozlovsky retrenched and then took control again and ended strongly as Kipenga tired. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91 for Kozlovsky. The decision was right but the scores are a little harsh on Kipenga. The 24-year-old Kozlovsky won gold medals at the Russian Junior, World Junior and Russian Youth Championships. Kipenga gave a very good account of himself. His other loss was against unbeaten Rajesh Kumar in India. Madiev vs. Voshkov Madiev just scrapes past Voshkov with a majority decision. In a contrast of styles Madiev was forced to chase down the clever and elusive Voshkov. There was never much between them with both having good spells. In the end the aggressive approach of Madiev just gave him a very thin advantage but the decision could just as easily have gone to Voshkov. Scores 96-94 twice and 95-95 for Madiev. The 26-year-old Madiev takes possession of the vacant WBC International Silver title. Madiev drew against Artur Osipov in a Russian title defence in his last fight in July 2020 yet Madiev is somehow No 2 with the WBA-and Osipov is not in the first fifteen. It seems as though the WBA have decided to ignore that fight results as it would just be too much trouble to rate Osipov. Southpaw Voshkov, 24, showed some good skills and can still be a force in this division. Panama City, Panama: Light: Ricardo Nunez (22-3) W TKO 9 Alfredo Santiago (13-2). Feather: Anselmo Moreno (39-6-1) W PTS 10 Antonio Tostado Garcia (25-7). Light: Jezzrel Corrales (24-4) W TKO 1 Miguel Martinez (15-4-1). Super Feather: Pablo Vicente (17-1,1ND) W TKO 3 Jose Luis Espinoza (14-4). Nunez vs. Santiago Nunez shakes off accumulated dust to stop Santiago in nine rounds. Nunez showed the effects of his inactivity in a slow start that saw Santiago take the first two rounds. From the third Nunez began to time his punches and find the range. In round after round he weakened Santiago with body punches and messed up his face. Santiago began to wilt and was holding so much that the referee twice deducted a point from him. Nunez floored Santiago in the seventh and after a second knockdown in the ninth the referee stopped the fight. Nunez, 27, was having first fight since July 2019 when he was halted in two rounds by Gervonta Davis in a challenge for the WBA super feather title. He picks up the vacant WBA Latino title and gets win No 20 by KO/TKO. In fact only three of his fights have gone the distance. Dominican Santiago lost on points to Devin Haney for the WBC lightweight title in November 2019. Moreno vs. Garcia Moreno was having his first fight since November 2019. He was in charge from the start and Garcia had very little other than aggression to offer against the former WBA bantamweight champion. Moreno boxed well once he hit his stride finding gaps for his southpaw jab and scoring effectively to the body. Garcia never stopped rolling forward but was too slow to really threaten Moreno but at least he made Moreno work hard which is what Moreno most needed out of this fight. Now 35 Moreno wins the interim WBA Latino title and hopes to work his way to a title fight at featherweight. Garcia was also having his first fight since November 2019. He was knocked out in four rounds by Omar Narvaez in a WBO flyweight title challenge in 2014. His only title shot. Corrales vs. Martinez Former WBA super featherweight title holder Corrales cuts down Martinez in 44 seconds. Corrales started the round with a torrent of punches that drove Martinez back and down to his knees. Martinez was up quickly but after the count Corrales connected with a series of head punches with left hooks snapping back Martinez’s head and another sending him down for the second time with the referee instantly waving his arms to end the fight. Corrales badly needed a win. He lost his WBA title when he failed to make the weight for a defence against Alberto Machado and was knocked out by Machado. He was returning here after consecutive losses to Ladarius Miller and Chris Colbert and is going to campaign as a lightweight now. Third inside the distance loss for Mexican Martinez. Vicente vs. Espinoza Impressive performance from Cuban Vicente as in his first fight for fourteen months he demolishes Espinoza. Vicente was hurting Espinoza with body punches in the first and put him down in the second The knockdown came from some wicked left hooks to the body and although Espinoza made it to his feet he was just delaying the inevitable. Vicente scored with more punishing body shots in the third and Espinoza retired in his corner. The 27-year-old “Judge” makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO. His only loss was a very debatable split decision against Marcos Villasana in Mexico. Espinoza is now 2-3 in his most recent outings. East London, South Africa: Minimum: Ayanda Ndulani (11-2-1) W KO 4 Nkosinathi Joyi (29-6-1,1ND). Light Fly: Nhlanhla Tyirha (5-1) W PTS 10 Joey Canoy (16-5-1,1ND). Light Fly: Siphamandla Baleni (17-3-2) W TKO 11 Nwabisile Cholani (7-10-1). Ndulani vs. Joyi It looks to be the end of the road for Joyi as he loses his IBO title on the scales and is then crushed by relative novice Ndulani. In the opening round it was already obvious that Joyi had drained himself trying to make the weight. Ndulani jolted and staggered Joyi in the first and then put him down twice in the second. Joyi made it through the rest of the round and the third but in the fourth a right to the head deposited Joyi face down on the canvas and the referee waived his hands to end the fight. The 31-year-old new IBO champion, a former ABU title holder, was only rated as 5th best in the South African rankings so quite an upset. He really has only the most basic of techniques which shows how far Joyi has slipped. Joyi, 37, a former IBF title holder, was having his first fight for 17 months. He has been a pro for 19 years and for many years has been one the best little men in the world but retirement must be probable. Tyirha vs. Canoy In a clash of southpaws Tyirha scores surprisingly easy points victory over more experienced Filipino Canoy. Tyirha never allowed Canoy to get a toe-hold in the bout and won on scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. The 21-year-old local fighter, a former South African champion, wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title. He had lost on points to Joyi in a challenge for the WBO African title in his last fight in April 2019. Canoy had lost to Hekkie Budler for the WBO light fly title and in December 2019 to Joyi for the vacant IBO title. Baleni vs. Cholani Baleni wins the vacant South African title with a late stoppage against overmatched Cholani. If Baleni was a heavy puncher this one would have been over much earlier but Cholani was game and stayed around until the fight was finally stopped in the eleventh. “Toy Toy” Baleni, 30, is a former South African minimumweight champion but has moved up a division. Cholani had won only three of his last twelve fights and this is his sixth defeat by KO/TKO. Ugento, Italy: Light: Giuseppe Carafa (13-4-2) W PTS 10 Pablo Fuego (16-6). Carafa picks up the vacant IBO Continental title with points victory against Spaniard Fuego in a lively contest. The opening rounds were tight but from the third Carafa used his better skills and boxed more to move in front having Fuego rocked in the fourth. Fuego came through that crisis and began to find the target with hard rights to claw back some of the deficit. Carafa let himself be drawn into some close-quarters stuff and had to fight hard to hold on to his lead and just did enough. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 for Carafa. He finally wins a title at lightweight after losing and drawing in shots at the Italian super featherweight title and being outpointed by Massi Tachour for the European super lightweight title . Fuego has lost tough jobs against Mathieu Germain in Canada and Jacob Ng in Australia. Tokyo, Japan: Feather: Satoshi Shimizu (10-1) W PTS 12 Musashi Mori (12-1). Bantam: Kazuki Nakajima (10-0-1) W PTS 12 Kai Chiba (13-2). Shimizu vs. Mori Two titles on the line here and now Shimizu has them both as he scores a clear-cut points win over Mori in a clash of southpaws. The pace was quick at the start. Although 3 ½” taller Shimizu was not looking to box but instead fought Mori inside. That suited Mori and they both scored well over the first four round with the judges split at 39-37 Shimizu, 39-37 Mori and 38-38. From the fifth Shimizu began to make use of his longer reach and followed through with his “Diamond Left” ripping punches through Chiba’s guard. That turned the fight 100% his way and despite the strong efforts of Chiba he was in front on all cards now 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75. Mori pressed hard but Shimizu stayed composed and finished the stronger to take the verdict. Scores 118-110 twice and 116-112 for Shimizu. He holds on to the OPBF title and takes Mori’s WBO Asia Pacific title. A bronze medallist at the London Olympics Shimizu is 35 so time is marching on. He is No 14 with the WBC and lucky to be that high as he has done nothing of note since being stopped by Filipino Joey Noynay. Mori was making the fourth defence of his title and had scored a couple of good domestic wins and in the mad world of the sanctioning bodies was No 4 with the WBO. Nakajima vs. Chiba Nakajima collects the vacant OPBF title with emphatic victory over Chiba. The first four rounds were fought at a slow pace with the bigger Nakajima getting the better of the exchanges and scoring strongly with southpaw lefts. He had opened a clear gap after four rounds blanking Chiba with two scores of 40-36 and one of 39-37. Those scores forced Chiba to up his work rate but Nakajima matched him and connected with some crisp body punches out-fighting Chiba in the eighth establishing a winning lead at 79-73 twice and 77-75. Chiba attacked fiercely in the ninth, tenth and eleventh as Nakajima coasted but even in cruise control he was matching Chiba and clearly won the last round. Scores 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 for the new champion. Nakajima was testing himself over twelve rounds for the first time and lasted the pace with ease. He was 72-15 as an amateur so has that experience behind him. Chiba, the Japanese No 5, was jumping from eight rounds to twelve and was well beaten. Pionki, Poland: Light: Erick Encinia (14-4-1) W PTS 10 Damian Wrzesinski (22-2-2,1ND). Mexican Encinia was supposed to just be there to add another win to Wrzesinski’s impressive looking record. The danger signs showed up early as Encinia shook Wrzesinski in the first and non-stop pressure saw him in command in the second and third. Wrzesinski seemed to find the answer to the Mexican’s tactics as boxed well in the fourth but Encinia upped his pace over the fifth and sixth. Wrzesinski found his rhythm again and frustrated Encinia’s attacks with plenty of clever movement and a higher level of accuracy seventh and eighth. Encinia put in a strong finish over the last two rounds to emerge a good winner despite the majority decision. Scores 07-93 and 96-94 for Encinia and 95-95.Encinia wins the Republic of Poland International title from Wrzesinski and is 5-1 in his last 6 contests. Wrzesinski, 33, was unbeaten in his last eleven contests including victories over three decent level Mexican opposition so a modicum of national revenge here for Encinia. Belgrade, Serbia: Heavy: Emir Ahmatovic (10-0) W PTS 10 Gabriel Enguema (10-11). Light: Ralfs Vilcans (12-0) W PTS 10 Nick Hannig (9-1-1) W. Super Middle: Patrick Mendy (19-17-3) W TKO 5 Karwan Al Bewani (8-0). Light Heavy: Luca Cinqueoncie (13-0) W TKO 3 Kristof Kov1cs (8-3-1). Cruiser: Veljko Raznatovic (10-0) W TKO 2 Levani Lukhutasvili (10-8). Super Light: Nikola Ivkovic (3-26-3) W PTS 8 Howik Bebraham (17-2). Super Middle: Shefat Isufi (31-4-2) W KO 2 Ericles Torres (20-018-1). Cruiser Enrico Koelling (27-4) W RTD 2 Slavisa Simeunovic (36-49). Ahmatovic vs. Enguema Ahmatovic wins the GBU title with split verdict over Spaniard Enguema. Ahmatovic had trouble getting past the reach of the 6’5 ½” Spaniard. It was a tight fight with many rounds close and Serbian-born Ahmatovic was fortunate to get the verdict as Enguema looked worth at least a draw. Scores 97-92 and 96-93 for Ahmatovic and 95-94 for Enguema. Ahmatovic has been carefully matched and this was his first real test. Enguema is on a bad run being 2-8 in his last ten fights. Vilcans vs. Hannig Latvian Vilcans springs a surprise as he floors and decision unbeaten German Hannig. The German had promised an early knockout and had an impressive first round. Vilcans survived and it quickly became clear this was not going to be an early night with much taller Vilcans ahead on two cards after the fourth round. Hannig fought his way to the front but a clash of heads saw him cut over the left eye. The fight swung on the ninth round when Vilcans floored Hannig and kept his lead in a close tenth. Scores 97-94 and 96-94 for Vilcans and 95-94 for Hannig. The 27-year-old Latvian “Train” wins the WBC International title. Hannig has been promised an early return by promoter Alexander Petkovic. He had draw and defeated Ryno Liebenberg and was making the third defence of the International title. Mendy vs. Al Bewani Mendy gets what is becoming a rare victory as he stops unbeaten Al Bewani to collect two world titles. Mendy had to give away height and reach but landed only his second inside the distance win. He had scored only one win in his last ten fights but Mendy can be a danger on his night. He collected the vacant WBFederation belt and snatched Al Bewani’s GBU belt. Al Bewani from Kurdistan had won his last six fights by KO/TKO. Cinqueoncie vs. Kovacs Italian teenager Cinqueoncie is the new WBC Youth title holder after stopping Hungarian Kovacs in three rounds as he moves to ten wins by KO/TKO. The 19-year-old has an Italian father and a Belarusian mother but had done all of his fighting in Germany until now. First fight for Kovacs since being knocked out in the first round by Jessie Wilcox in Ontario in March 2019. Raznatovic vs. Lukhutasvili Farcical win for Belgrade’s Raznatovic. He towered over the badly out of condition Georgian Lukhutasvili. The visitor obviously wanted to be somewhere else and put in very little effort. He was floored twice in the second and after the second knockdown just walked back to his corner ignoring the count. Now seven short route wins for the 6’3 ½” Raznatovic. Fifth inside the distance loss in his last six outings for Lukhutasvili. Ivkovic vs. Bebraham The sacrificial lamb has teeth. Ivkovic actually scores his second pro victory in a row with a split decision over sure fire winner Bebraham. Ivkovic was conceding height and reach but he outfought Bebraham and was a deserved winner. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Ivkovic and 77-75 for Bebraham. After winning his first pro fight the little Bosnia then went 0-26-2 in his next 28 fights. He is 2-0-1 now which counts as a substantial unbeaten run by his standards. Bebraham had won his last six fights and his only other loss was a split verdict against then world rated 20-2 Fedor Papazov. Isufi vs. Torres Not even the pretence of a competitive match here as the aim is some ring time for Isufi but he only gets less five minutes as he knocks out china-chinned Torres in the second round. First fight for ten months for the Serbian-born Germany who lost on points against Billy Joe Saunders for the WBO super middleweight title back in May 2019. Eight consecutive losses for Hungarian-based Cuban Torres seven by KO/TKO. Koelling vs. Simeunovic If anything this was almost as much of a waste of time as the Isufi fight as Simeunovic retired at the end of the second round so just six minutes of work in his first fight for 18 months for Koelling. The German was knocked out in the twelfth round of a fight with Artur Beterbiev for the vacant IBF title in 2017 and was coming off back-to-back losses to Dominic Boesel and Leon Bunn. Bosnia Simeunovic ,42, now has 37 inside the distance defeats. Sheffield, England: Light: Myron Mills (15-1) W PTS 10 Lucas Ballinger (13-2). Great first show for the new Fightzone TV outlet as Mills and Ballinger battle hard over ten entertaining rounds with action all the way. Mills made the better start but Ballinger fired back hard. Mills looked to have turned the fight his way with a strong fifth but again Ballenger upped his pace and it was anyone’s fight until Mills just had the edge over the last two rounds. Scores 96-95 twice and 96-94 for Mills which illustrates how close this one was. Mills retains the English title and will now be looking to go after the British title. Two losses in a row for Ballenger but he is only 24 and will rebound. Tampa, FL, USA: Light Fly: Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1,1ND) W RSF 4 Armando Torres (26-19). Welter: Mekhrubon Sanginov (10-0-1) W Andres Viera (10-2). Super Feather: Otar Eranosyan (8-0) W PTS 10 Jose Argel (8-1). Gonzalez vs. Torres Gonzalez stops Torres but with some controversy over the finish. Gonzalez had boxed his way into the lead over the first three rounds against a competitive Torres. In the forth as Gonzalez connected with a right their heads banged together and Torres suffered a bad cut up over his left eye and was dazed with Gonzalez pouring on the punches. The referee stopped the action so that the doctor could examine the cut but Torres was cleared to continue. As Gonzalez drove in he landed a body punch but their heads clashed again and Torres turned away from the action complaining of a butt forcing the referee to stop the fight and declaring Gonzalez the winner. The 30-year-old Bronx-born Puerto Rican was stopped in seven rounds by Kosei Tanaka in a challenge for the WBO light flyweight title in August 2019 but had returned with a hard won victory over Saul Juarez in February. Torres, 40, had won his last five fights including a one round kayo of former WBC light flyweight champion Ganigan Lopez in October 2019. Sanginov vs. Viera Tajik Sanginov remains undefeated as he halts Viera early in the second round of what was supposed to be Sanginov’s first outing over ten rounds. The 25-year-old Tajik turned pro in 2016 after losing out at the World Qualifier for the Rio Olympics. Uruguayan Viera, 37, had won five low level domestic fights leading up to this contest. Eranosyan vs. Angel Georgian Eranosyan breezes past Angel winning all the way against the inexperienced Chilean. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Eranosyan. The 27-year-old Eranosyan won a stack of medals as an amateur including silver in the European Union and European Championships and bronze at the World Championships and European Games. Viera, the Chilean champion, lacked the experience to threaten Eranosyan. 22 May Johannesburg, South Africa: Light Fly: Hekkie Budler (33-4) W PTS 12 Jonathan Almacen (7-4-2). Budler, already a two-division champion, returns with a win. Budler understandably took a couple of rounds to shed the rust accumulated in the 29 months since losing his WBA title to Hiroto Kyoguchi. Almacen had also been out of the ring for some time so both felt their way over the first four rounds at which point two of the judges had them level with the third giving Budler a slight edge. From then Budler started to take control and although Almacen stayed competitive the class of Budler told as he was getting his punches off quicker and was more accurate. After the eighth he had moved in front on all of the cards. A big test would be how he handled the closing rounds but Budler had paced the fight well and the 21-year-old Almacen, who had only gone ten rounds once, was unable to match the strength over the late rounds of Budler who turned 33 just four days before this fight and Budler won a wide unanimous decision,. Scores 118-111 twice and 117-111 for Budler. “The Hexecutioner” wins the vacant WBC Silver light flyweight belt with another world title shot the aim for next year. I was going to say the return to action would get Budler back in the ratings but despite not fighting since December 2018 he was No 2 with the WBC before this fight. Almacen never really threatened Budler’s control once the South African hit his stride but he did go the full twelve rounds which was what Budler needed after such a long lay-off. Coventry, England: Middle: Sam Eggington (30-7) W PTS 12 Carlos Molina (37-12-2). Welter: Kaisee Benjamin (12-1-1) W RTD 7 Martin Harkin (13-2). Middle: River Wilson Bent (9-0) W TKO 7 George Farrell (5-1). Light Heavy: Shakan Pitters (15-1) W TKO 5 Jermaine Springer (7-3). Super Welter: Stephen McKenna (8-0) W TKO 1 Damian Haus (3-6). Eggington vs. Molina Eggington wins the vacant WBC Silver title as he outpoints veteran Molina in an entertaining contest. Eggington started the fight strongly coming in over the first two rounds behind some jolting jabs and scoring to the body. He was just too busy for Molina. However Molina was pacing himself and eventually he was more often the one on the front foot. Eggington was able to get through consistently with his jab and rights but Molina was clever defensively dropping his hands and using upper body movement to make Eggington miss. There were times when it seemed that Eggington might overwhelm Molina but Molina stayed cool and boxed his way out of trouble. The pace dropped over the ninth and tenth with Molina too often catching Eggington with sneaky head punches. Molina pressed hard in the eleventh and this time it was Eggington boxing with his hands down but he fired back strongly late in the round. Despite his 37 years Molina seemed to have more left in the last round but with Eggington again finishing with a flourish. Scores 119-110, 117-111 and 116-112 for Eggington. The former British and Commonwealth champion is a bit of a phoenix. He has been derailed by losing important fights with the most recent example his being outpointed by Ted Cheeseman last August but he has battled his way back with a win over Ashley Theophane and now this victory against Molina. The firmer IBF super welterweight champion was a very flattering No 8 with the WBC but that means that this win could put Eggington in with a chance of a title fight. Benjamin vs. Harkin Benjamin wins a British title eliminator with victory over Harkin. Benjamin had built a lead but Harkin was competing strongly until a vicious right to the body dropped him at the end of the seventh and probably broke a couple of ribs and Harkin retired in his corner. Bent vs. Farrell Bent retains the BBB of Midlands title with a stoppage of unbeaten Farrell Pitters vs. Springer Former British champion Pitters bounces back with a win as he stops Springer. Pitters had won the first three rounds and when Springer was badly shaken by a right in the fourth the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Pitters since losing his title to Craig Richards in December. Second consecutive defeat for Springer. McKenna vs. Haus Irish prospect McKenna blows away Haus inside a round. McKenna came out firing punches and never stopped. Haus had shots coming at him from all angles and had no chance to set himself to counter. McKenna was whacking him with left hooks to the body and over hand rights until Haus fell to the floor. He made it to his feet but another barrage of punches put him down and the fight was stopped. McKenna is certainly a firebrand. All of his wins have come inside the distance and he has taken less than fifteen rounds to get the jobs done. He was Irish Under-18 champion, won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games and silver at the European Youth Championships. Pole Haus has lost 6 of his last 7 fights. Osaka, Japan: Feather: Tomoki Kameda (37-3) W PTS 8 Hironori Miyake (9-11-2). In his first fight for almost two years Kameda takes easy decision over Miyake. Kameda worked almost exclusively with his left jab and left hooks using his right only sparingly and that helped Miyake go the distance. In the fifth Kameda slipped under a punch and his gloves momentarily touched the canvas so the referee applied a count. Kameda stuck to his left side approach and worked his way to the final bell, Scores 78-73 twice and 79-73 for Kameda. In his last ring appearance Kameda lost a unanimous decision against Rey Vargas in a WBC bantamweight title fight. Fifth consecutive defeat for Miyake. Belgrade, Serbia: Super Welter: Asinia Byfield (15-4-1) W TKO 2 Roland Hamar (5-10). British fighter Byfield turns up in Belgrade and feasts on sub standard opponent Hamar scoring a stoppage in the second round. Byfield was finding hard to get a win being 0-1-3 if his last four fights. Hungarian Hamar is having and even worse time as won only one of his last eleven fights. Ptuj, Slovenia: Light Heavy: Dominic Boesel (31-2) W PTS 8 Ondrej Budera (14-21-1). Light Heavy: Tom Dzemski (16-0) W KO 3 Achilles Szabo (25-27). Boesel vs. Budera Since we are here we might as well pick up some pocket money. That’s the story as Boesel and Dzemski took a break from training in Slovenia and moved out of the gym and into a paid evening. Boesel had no trouble outpointing Czech Budera as he starts to rebuild from losing on a third round kayo against Robin Krasniqi in October in a fight that cost him his IBO and WBA interim titles. Budera falls to 2-7 in his last 9. Dzemski vs. Szabo Dzemski got his job over a bit earlier putting away Szabo in the third. The 24-year-old IBF Youth champion has failed to impress against opposition he should be able to brush aside easily so it will be interesting to see how he fares in more demanding fights later this year. Szabo needs to find another hobby as he had won only one of his last nine fight with seven inside the distance losses. Fight of the week (Significance): Josh Taylor vs. Jose Carlos Ramirez Fight of the week (Entertainment): Josh Taylor vs. Jose Carlos Ramirez with honourable mention to Jose Vivas vs. Luis Coria Fighter of the week: Josh Taylor a world champion Punch of the week: The uppercut from Taylor that scored the second knockdown Upset of the week: It has to be Nikola Ivkovic (2-26-3) outpointing 17-1 Howik Bebraham Prospect watch: Georgian super featherweight Otar Eranosyan is 8-0 and progressing well Observations -Time for a change of the old guard in South Africa. Moruti Mthalane lost his IBF flyweight title to Sunny Edwards in April and on Saturday Nkosinathi Joyi looked a totally shot fighter as he lost his IBO title on the scales and was stopped in four rounds by raw novice Ayanda Ndulani. That leaves Hekkie Budler as the flag carrier for what has been a golden age for South Africa’s little men. -From the little men to an obese giant. You wonder just what constitutes “fit” in boxing terms. South African Osborn Machimana is 6’3 ½” and in a fight in Russia weighed 344lbs (156kg). A man with those dimensions must be in serious danger of a heart attack so letting him fight seems a huge medical risk. On Saturday he was knocked out cold and laying face down flat out on the canvas and the doctor and the seconds just stood there wondering how the hell they were ever going to get him up or turn him over. Next time he fights apart from then usual medical kit a rope and pulley might be useful. -Patrick Mendy is a fight anyone-fight anywhere and fight at short notice guy so it was good to see him win a two “world “titles by stopping unbeaten Karwan Al Bewani -Still on weight. Russian Artem Oganesyan was left without an opponent when Javier Maciel came in at 6.1kgs over the contract weight which is just ridiculous how can you turn up 13.4lbs over and expect to fight? -Sometimes I wonder whether matchmakers do any research at all on fighters they put together. On Saturday in Belgrade Scottish heavyweight Nick Campbell stopped Hungarian Jozsef Kormany in one round. Campbell was 6’7” and Komany 5’7 ½”. A total farce and to make it worse the 5’7 ½” Kormany weighed 235 ¼ lbs- a sort of mini-Machimana. Campbell scored three knockdowns with body punches. There must have been a concern that he would land a body punch and his glove would disappear in Kormany’s paunch and never be seen again. -Two final things on Taylor vs. Ramirez. It was not just a world title fight it was a Global title fight. The main man in each corner was wearing a MTK Global jacket luckily neither fighter got confused and went to the wrong corner. The first pro title that Josh Taylor won was the Commonwealth title in Edinburgh in 2016-and as a director of the Commonwealth Boxing Council I was the one who placed the belt around his waist-the first of many titles. By Eric Armit
I hope you did not make any travel arrangements to fly to Saudi Arabia to see the richest fight in the history of boxing because all you’ll see is a bit of open desert without even a date tree in sight. An arbitrator in the USA has ruled that the return bout clause in the contract for the second Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder fight is valid and binding and that Fury must fight Wilder again by 15 September. It appears that the parties engaged in putting on the Fury vs. Joshua unification fight thought this problem would just disappear. Perhaps because the COVID-19 restrictions meant the date set for the return could not be met it would invalidate the agreement and therefore was not a problem. Well they were wrong. If there is any blame on Eddie Hearn’s side it is in believing what the Fury side were telling him about the threat from the outcome of the arbitration and now nothing is certain about Fury vs. Joshua except uncertainty. Wilder has whispered that he might stand aside for a payment of $20 million. Compared to the $200 million being talked about for Fury vs. Joshua that would seem a “small” price to press ahead with Fury vs. Joshua. Bob Aram has quashed that by saying Wilder will not be paid any stand aside money and that he is making arrangements for Fury vs. Wilder with the Joshua fight (against Fury OK or vs. Wilder the cat would really be in with the pigeons then) perhaps taking place in November. It could get ridiculous with Fury wanting a return clause in the contract for a third fight if he loses to Wilder etc. etc. etc. Also as part of the stand aside deal Wilder might try to insist he gets first crack at the winner of Fury vs. Joshua but Joshua is not a party to the Fury vs. Wilder return clause and I can’t see either Joshua or Hearn commit themselves to it and certainly not to any of the $20 million coming out of their pocket. Ignoring the arbitrator’s decision is a non-starter. If Fury or his team did that then they could forget about fighting in American again as Wilder would be able to appeal for an injunction to stop Fury fighting with full confidence it would be successful. Although Joshua is not a party to the contract for the Fury vs. Wilder third fight he is suffering collateral damage. Oleksandr Usyk’s team have already piled in with a threat of legal action against the WBO if they fail to now order Joshua to defend against Usyk and as Usyk is No 1 with the WBA they could be a target. Joshua is clear where the IBF is concerned as he filled his mandatory obligation by beating Kubrat Pulev. It’s a mess. The easiest solution would be to do a deal with Wilder to stand aside but it will be expensive and trust between the various parties must now be at very low ebb. Ignoring the arbitrator is fraught with legal complications and if Fury vs. Wilder 3 goes ahead then Joshua could find himself stripped off one at least of his titles then we could wake up and find that the dream of a world heavyweight champion as opposed to title holders is a nightmare. It is just another example of the farce having four “world” bodies has become. I was amazed at the number of knowledgeable people saying that Brandon Figueroa had beaten Luis Nery in a unification fight. That’s like saying if you have an apple and you pick up an orange you have unified the number of apples you have. Unify means “to make one”. Nery was the WBC title holder. Murodjon Akhmedov is the holder of the WBA Super title. Figueroa holds the secondary WBA title so not the real one. He won the WBC title but is not recognised as the WBA title holder by the WBA who have just issued a call for Akhmedov to defend their real title against Ronny Rios! Figueroa will go on to fight Stephen Fulton for the WBO title to unify the WBC and WBO titles. If Fulton wins the WBA will show him in their ratings behind Akhmedov. If Tyson Fury beat Trevor Bryan would he be WBA champion and not Anthony Joseph? If Errol Spence beat Jamal James would he become WBA champion? If Oscar Valdez beat Roger Gutierrez would he be WBA champion instead of Gervonta Davis. The word unify means “to make one”. This weekend in Las Vegas Josh Taylor and Jose Carlos Ramirez will unify the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles. That is unification not the corruption of the real meaning of “unification” that the sanctioning bodies have dumped on boxing. Money, money, money. It’s a rich man’s world. I saw some figures for Manny Pacquiao’s purses. They were in three categories: minimum guaranteed and estimated. To give you some examples of the highest figures: vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr estimated $120 million, Tim Bradley first fight guaranteed $26 million, Chris Algieri estimated $25 million, Miguel Cotto estimated $22 million, Juan Manuel Marquez second fight guaranteed $22 million. The long list only covered the period from December 2008 when he beat Oscar de La Hoya until January 2019 when he beat Adrien Broner and amounted to $446 million with the purses for three fights against Bradley alone adding up to $66 million. It does not include the pre-De La Hoya fights against Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera Erik Morales etc. His purse for the Ricky Hatton fight? $12 million! Two incidents of “positive” tests have been cleared this month. Sergey Kovalev tested positive for a banned substance which caused his $2 million fight against Bektemir Melikuziev to be called off. There were questions over the test result. Kovalev then went through a series consisting of six tests and with all of them proving negative he has been cleared to fight again. He has not fought since losing his WBO light heavyweight title to Saul Alvarez in November 2019 so is looking to get back into action. The Japanese Boxing Commission have also cleared Kazuto Ioka. He was reported to have tested positive for a recreational drug and the case was also referred to the police as Japan takes very strict approach to drugs. The Japanese Boxing Commission investigation raised serious questions on how the A and B samples were handled and have admitted there mishandling which caused the problem so Ioka is able to continue his career. Both Josh Taylor and Jose Carlos Ramirez will have someone peering over their shoulder on Saturday. The main supporting fight will be between Jose Zepeda and Hank Lundy. A dislocated shoulder saw Zepeda lose against Terry Flanagan for the vacant WBO lightweight title in 2015 and he lost a majority decision to Ramirez for the WBC super light title in 2019. Wins over Jose Pedraza and Ivan Baranchyk have seen him positioned at No 1 with the WBC so he will be looking to challenge the winner. On Taylor and Ramirez only fate kept them apart in 2012. They both competed at the London Olympics in the 60kg class both being eliminated on the same night. Taylor lost to Italian Domenico Valentino and Ramirez to Fazliddin Gaibnazarov. Who knows they might even have said “see you later” without knowing it would come true nine years later. Nordine Oubaali will defend the WBC bantam title against Nonito Donaire in Carson on 29 May. On the same show Puerto Rican Subriel Matias will fight Batyrzhan Jukembayev in an IBF lightweight eliminator and Gary Antuanne Russell faces Jovanie Santiago at super lightweight. Jarrett Hurd returns on 6 June in Miami facing Luis Arias at middleweight. Hurd has stressed that although this fight is at middleweight he is willing and able to drop back down to super welter for a chance of a revenge fight against Julian Williams. Gilberto Ramirez will have his third fight at light heavyweight against Sullivan Barrera in Los Angeles on 9 July. Ramirez is No 3 with both the WBA and WBO but after his break with Top Rank it is hard to see a fight with WBO title holder Joe Smith come off. I recently saw an application from a British promoter to stage a European Union title fight. Helooo guys-we are not part of the European Union now but there are titles there for the countries external to the EU and those ratings are now packed with British fighters. Conrnelius Boza-Edwards was a very popular inside and outside the ring in the UK, He won the WBC featherweight title with a points victory over Rafael Limon in March 1981 and in what would be a ridiculously busy schedule for a world champion today he defended it with an inside the distance victory over Bobby Chacon in May and lost it to Filipino Roland Navarrete on a fifth round kayo in August so was champion for just five months. He won the European title and although losing to Chacon in May 1983 the fight was Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. Cornelius put together a nice winning run but lost in WBC lightweight title fights against Hector Camacho and in October 1987 to Jose Luis Ramirez before retiring. Corny settled in Nevada and stills lives there happy and popular. Hard work, determination and dedication took Cornelius to a world title and it seems those traits are in the genes. His daughter Dominique worked as a District Court marshall but her dream was to become a lawyer and that’s where those genes kicked in. She studied for more than three years at night school whilst still doing her day job and graduated. She then gave up the day job and dedicated herself to studying for the bar exam. Early this month she passed the Nevada bar exam and was formally sworn in with her dream of becoming a lawyer realised. Corny must have been so proud. Congratulations Dominique. You know your daughter has made it Corny when people stop referring to Dominique as Cornelius Boza-Edwards daughter and start referring to you as Dominique Bosa-Edwards father. |
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